From Greed Is Good To Heart‑Led Teams My Breakdown, PTSD and Rebirth as a Leader

Описание: Thank you to @Unstoppablewomenproject for having me on their great podcast, please follow them

Chapters:
0:00 – From Thatcher & Reagan To “Girl Power” – Growing up in the work‑hard, play‑hard corporate era and what success used to mean.
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0:33 – Chasing Titles, Feeling Emptier – Promotions, pay rises and the quiet feeling that something is missing.
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2:23 – When “Resilience” Nearly Killed Me – The routine surgery that went wrong and the moment she was told she had hours to live.
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3:55 – The Regret No Leader Wants To Feel – Realising the cost of trading health, family and joy for career status.
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5:15 – Back To Work, Straight Into Burnout – Pushing trauma aside, getting a bigger job, then hitting PTSD and burnout.
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7:01 – The Day The Strong Leader Mask Fell – Breaking down in front of her parents and confronting taboo conversations about mental health.
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8:15 – What My Dad Taught Me About Human Leadership – A simple, powerful offer of support that modelled heart‑led leadership.
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9:16 – Finding The Silver Lining Or Staying Stuck – A hard truth from her sister and the identity crisis behind “strong woman” culture.
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10:34 – From Reinvention To Recalibration – Learning about positive psychology, post‑traumatic growth and why change isn’t linear.
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11:36 – Mosaic, Not Perfect Vase – Discovering kintsugi and rebuilding identity as a flexible, evolving mosaic instead of a brittle pot.
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12:17 – High Performance With High Heart – Keeping drive and ambition but shifting from command‑and‑control to Chief Heart Officer.
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12:40 – Resilience Is A Team Sport – Moving from hero leader to “stronger together” and why belonging beats solo grit.

13:20 – Why Your Culture Needs More Heart Now – The evidence that human connection, courage and heart‑led leadership are how teams thrive in uncertainty.






i grew up in the “greed is good”, work hard, play hard world of 80s and 90s leadership. The message was simple: keep your head down, hit the targets, climb the ladder, buy the car, get the house.
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I did all of it. I got promoted, became head of digital, made partner… and felt emptier every time. Then a “routine” surgery went wrong. I was told I had only hours to live. My bowels had been cut, my organs were shutting down, and I was saying goodbye to my parents, not knowing if I’d wake up.
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That was my wake‑up call. I realised I had traded time, health and love for titles and pay rises that suddenly meant nothing. I came back, pushed it all down, got an even bigger job, went “back to normal” — and then crashed into PTSD and burnout.
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Here’s what changed everything:

My dad quietly saying, “Whatever you need, we’re here. You’re not alone.”

My sister saying, “If you don’t find the silver lining, this will destroy you.”

Discovering that resilience is not about being the strongest solo hero, it’s about having people you can lean on and a real sense of belonging.

In this video I share:

How the old hero‑leader model nearly killed me.

Why high performance without high heart leads straight to burnout.

How I rebuilt my identity using ideas like post‑traumatic growth, mosaics and kintsugi.

Why teams only become truly resilient when leaders create connection, safety and belonging.

Teams with strong psychological safety are 27% more likely to report higher performance and 50% more likely to keep their best people.

Up to 70% of the difference in someone’s engagement at work comes down to their direct manager.

Highly engaged teams show around 21% greater profitability than low‑engagement teams.
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If you’re a CEO, people leader or manager and you can feel your team running on fumes, this is your sign: the answer is not “be tougher”. It’s time to lead with heart.

👉 If you want help to build resilient, high‑performing teams without burnout, bring me in for:

Keynote talks on heart‑led leadership and resilience 2.0

Leadership team offsites and culture change programmes

One‑to‑one executive coaching for leaders in transition

Learn more and book a call: www.humanityworksconsultancy.com

Hashtags:
#Leadership #TeamPerformance #Resilience #Burnout #TeamManagement #HumanLeadership #PsychologicalSafety #WorkplaceWellbeing #ExecutiveCoaching #keynotespeakers

Thank you to @Unstoppablewomenproject for having me on their great podcast, please follow them