Menopause is something that all women will experience in their life.

However it’s not something that’s well understood or openly spoken about.  

The symptoms of menopause will almost certainly affect how you work but it’s often seen to be a taboo subject which leaves women struggling in silence - in fact, 1 in 4 women consider leaving their roles during that time.  

As well as the 34+ physical symptoms a woman could experience there’s also the lessor known psychological effects. Many women feel anxiety, worry, brain fog, lack of concentration or forgetfulness, affecting their confidence and self-esteem in their job.  

In the most recent episode of the Influence & Impact for Female Leaders podcast, I interviewed Deborah Garlick from Henpicked Menopause. Deborah is on a mission to ensure women are supported throughout menopause through awareness, education and workplace...

I get a huge amount of inspiration, insight and wisdom from books and the wise authors who write them.

Before I had my son, the perfect free Sunday for me would look like a trip to a bookshop where I would spend hours perusing the shelves, reading parts of books and selecting a couple to take home.

To me, there is nothing better than being in a bookshop, surrounded by shelves full of other people’s ideas, insights, experiences, wisdom and views of the world.

There are many books that have made me see the world differently, inspired me into action and even changed the course of my life. Other books have helped me know myself better, release the fear and self-doubt that’s held me back and show up more as my authentic self.

Most of these books are non-fiction, the authors teaching and sharing through their life experiences.

Here are 10 non-fiction books that have made a profound impact on my life which I hope can do the same for you.

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth...

“There are two types of people. Those who are burnt out, and those who are in denial about being burnt out”   - Greg McKeown

I loved my first Director of Fundraising role.  

In some ways it was my dream job.  

And on paper it was perfect.  

But it was leading me – or I was leading myself – to full blown burnout.  

This is my story of burnout and recovery. I want to share this with you as well as some tips and resources so you can recognise whether you’re on the path to burnout and what you can do to help yourself.  

In this Director of Fundraising role, I had been brought in to help the organisation and team after a difficult time. I knew I had been hired to turn around their income and quickly.  

I certainly felt the expectations on me from the Board and CEO and then I poured huge amounts of pressure onto myself. I literally felt like all...

The way work is designed doesn’t work for so many of us for so many reasons. I believe that the value we place on productivity and ticking off the to do list is resulting in overwork, burnout and ineffective leaders.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing why I think it’s time that leaders take a step back, question the structure of their work and focus on what really makes an impact in their role.

I’ve combined this one of my podcast episodes from 2019 – Hard work is not the answer.

I speak about:

• The culture of productivity and why we should reimagine the way we work
• How you can challenge a common leadership belief held by many
• Why thinking, feeling and acting like a leader is more important than your to do list
• Practical steps for prioritising your own development as a leader

Overinvesting in your role, working overtime and pushing yourself towards burnout isn’t healthy for you or your team.

If you're working really hard and still not...

Is the value we place on productivity and ticking off the to do list resulting in overwork, burnout and ineffective leaders?

I believe it is and I have a simple message... it’s time to stop working so hard and look at a new way to approach leadership.

Perhaps we can all take a leaf out of Warren Buffet’s empty diary. One of the most successful businessmen in the world prioritises space in his workday and lives by the idea that busy is the new stupid.

The current way work is designed promotes a culture of productivity and teaches us to value ourselves based on how much work we can get done. Our to do lists have taken on a life of their own!

I work with female leaders who come to me close to burnout because of the pressure, overtime and overinvestment they feel that is an unavoidable part of their role.

This week on my podcast, I explored whether we have an addiction to productivity and revisited the idea that working harder is not that answer. You can listen to the full...

In a recent episode of the Influence & Impact Podcast for Female Leaders, I interviewed Professor Amanda Kirby, an expert in neurodiversity, the CEO of Do-It Solutions and co-author of the new book,

It was such an interesting discussion I want to share some of the key points I picked up during the interview and you can listen to the full episode here.

Have you heard of neurodiversity? It’s an emerging subject especially in relation to adults and the workplace.

We are all neurodiverse individuals and neurodiversity simply defines the different ways we think, act and communicate.

About 10% of us are neurodivergent, which means the way we do these things is different from the “average” or “norm”. This influences our individual strengths and challenges, in both our personal and work lives. Some examples of this are people who have been diagnosed with autism, ADHD or dyslexia but many people have no diagnosis and just know that their brain seems...