Thriving Leaders Podcast

What happens when pushing through becomes your normal way of working? You’re still delivering, still showing up for everyone else, but finding it harder to switch off. In this episode of the Thriving Leaders Podcast, I’m joined by Melo Calarco, mindfulness and high-performance coach, keynote speaker and author of Beating Burnout, Finding Balance. With more than 25 years of experience working with leaders, executive teams and athletes, Melo explores a challenge many of us recognise: wanting to perform well without running ourselves into the ground. We talk about the warning signs we can overlook, why slowing down feels so uncomfortable for high performers, and what being more present might mean in a life that is already full. In this episode, we cover: Where healthy pressure ends and the warning signs of burnout begin Why knowing you need a break doesn’t always make it easier to take one What constant interruptions could be costing your focus and creativity The relationship between mindfulness, attention and how we respond under pressure Why switching off at the end of the day can be harder than it sounds What presence looks like when leadership and caring responsibilities compete How to think differently about recovery and sustained performance This conversation had me reflecting on how often I’m doing one thing while thinking about the next. It’s something I want to be more intentional about, both at work and with my family. If your days are full but your energy is running low, join us to explore what a more sustainable way of performing could look like.

Could AI make it easier to find answers while making us less likely to ask each other? Explore what AI at work could mean for team collaboration, critical thinking and human connection. In this Best Of episode of the Thriving Leaders Podcast, Justin Williams and I discuss a question leaders need to consider: how do we use AI’s capabilities while continuing to develop the skills that help people think and work well together? We explore what teams could lose when individual prompts replace shared conversations, why active listening and curiosity still matter, and the judgement needed to question and improve an AI-generated response. You’ll hear us explore: – How AI could change the way team members ask for help – The value of different perspectives and healthy, challenging debate – Why critical thinking matters beyond the initial AI response – How emerging professionals can keep developing human skills – Using AI to enrich team conversations and learning For me, this comes back to how we create space for people to think together. Listening to learn, asking curious questions and sharing knowledge all contribute to the quality of a team’s decisions. Watch the full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hATSzblvpX0 I’m Claire Gray, leadership and team facilitator, executive coach, keynote speaker, and author of Thriving Leaders and Thriving Teams. Through Thriving Culture, I help leaders and teams build the skills to unite, align and achieve. Subscribe for practical conversations about leadership, workplace culture and high-performing teams.

Have you ever seen someone’s name pop up in your inbox and immediately felt frustrated? Before you’ve even read their message, you already have a story about how the interaction will go. I’m joined by Amy Gallo, contributing editor at Harvard Business Review and author of Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone, Even Difficult People, to explore why work relationships can become so difficult and what we might be missing when we’re convinced the other person is the problem. From the conversations we avoid to the feedback that doesn’t land as expected, we explore the messy human dynamics leaders navigate every day. In this episode, we explore: Why certain people push our buttonsWhat if we’re the difficult person?The fear of making a relationship worseDefensiveness, tears and the poker face when receiving feedbackWhat a lack of disagreement might mean for your teamHow AI could be shaping our expectations of each otherWhy working across teams can bring a different set of tensions.Watch the full conversation and consider the work relationship or conversation you might approach differently. Resources Amy Gallo’s websiteAmy Gallo’s LinkedInGetting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People)HBR Guide to Dealing with ConflictThriving Leaders and Thriving Teams booksThriving Culture website

How do you keep a team aligned when the plan keeps changing? In this Best Of episode of the Thriving Leaders Podcast, Matt Carroll joins me to share the behind-the-scenes challenge of getting more than 1,000 Australian athletes and officials to the Tokyo Olympics and home during the pandemic. An unexpected connection with the tuna industry became part of the solution. We explore flexible planning, shared purpose and the trust needed to keep teams working together under pressure. For anyone leading across teams or through uncertainty, this conversation offers a practical perspective on what it takes to stay connected when circumstances keep shifting. Listen and consider: does every part of your team know how much their contribution matters?

The strategy meeting ends and everyone appears to agree. Then the real conversation begins elsewhere. I’ve seen this happen in leadership teams, and it leaves me wondering: what made it difficult to say those things in the room?I’m joined by Megan Reitz, Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Hult International Business School and Associate Fellow at Saïd Business School, Oxford University. Megan’s work explores speaking up, listening and the role power plays in our conversations.We talk about what leaders might miss when a team appears aligned, how we respond when someone offers a different perspective, and why finding space for a meaningful conversation can be harder than it sounds.In this episode, we cover: – The meeting after the meeting– Why some voices are easier to hear than others– What helps people speak honestly– How our attention shapes a conversation– Why making space to think matters for leadersMegan gave me plenty to reflect on in my own work with teams. If you’ve ever left a meeting wondering whether everyone said what they really thought, I’d love you to listen.Subscribe for thoughtful conversations about leadership, thriving teams and the way we work together.Resources: Megan’s book Speak Out, Listen UpMegan Reitz's WebsiteMegan Reitz's LinkedIn ProfileThriving Teams by Claire Gray#leadership #psychologicalsafety #SpeakUpCulture

Can you be kind to your people and still hold them accountable? In this Best Of episode, Jeremy and I explore a distinction that can change how we lead: the difference between being kind and being nice. We talk about the conversations leaders sometimes avoid, and what that means for trust, accountability and the way a team works together. Are you saying what your team needs to hear, or what feels easier to say? Watch this Best Of to hear Jeremy’s perspective. I’m Claire Gray, a leadership and team facilitator, executive coach and author of Thriving Leaders and Thriving Teams. Subscribe for practical conversations about leadership, team effectiveness and creating cultures where people can thrive. https://www.youtube.com/@thrivingculture#accountability #psychologicalsafety #ThrivingLeaders

When two priorities both matter, why do leaders feel such pressure to choose one? The day-to-day work needs attention, but so does the future. A team needs room to act, but it also needs direction. Wendy Smith has spent more than 25 years studying these recurring tensions. She joins me to explore why an either/or decision can feel so satisfying in the moment, yet leave leaders facing the same problem again. We look at what both/and thinking asks of us in practice, including the conversations that become possible when different teams see a challenge from different sides. Wendy brings examples from organisational change, strategy and AI, and challenges the idea that holding two priorities means settling for a halfway compromise. In this episode, we explore: Why old and new priorities continue to compete as organisations change The four common organisational paradoxes Wendy studies How to spot the either/or question hidden in a difficult decision Why both/and thinking asks for more than meeting in the middle How listening reveals what each side actually needs The tension between business as usual and future strategy What AI reveals about fear, emotion and human judgement How to separate competing demands before connecting them Why a shared goal matters across organisational divides How guardrails and measures help sustain two priorities What Wendy means by balancing rather than finding a fixed balance Wendy offers a practical starting point: name the tension, explore each side properly, then ask how you might accommodate both. It will not produce an easy answer to every decision. It can open up options that a quick choice would have kept out of view. If your team keeps circling the same choice, this conversation may help you ask a better question. Resources mentioned: Both/And Thinking by Wendy Smith and Maryanne Lewis Barry Johnson’s Polarity Map Explore more leadership and team conversations: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivingculture Subscribe for practical conversations about leading people and helping teams thrive. #Leadership #BothAndThinking #ThrivingTeams

What separates a meaningful team conversation from another meeting where people simply exchange information?In this Best Of episode of the Thriving Leaders Podcast, I revisit a standout moment from my conversation with Grant about the five skills behind better team conversations.We explore why the quality of a conversation matters more than the amount of talking taking place and how greater presence, listening, courage and intention can help teams move beyond transactional exchanges.You’ll hear us explore:Why more meetings do not necessarily lead to better communicationWhat prevents people from being fully presentThe skills that create greater depth and purpose in team conversationsSimple rituals that strengthen trust and connectionHow hybrid teams can bring more humanity into the way they workIf your team talks frequently but does not always reach the clarity, honesty or depth it needs, this Best Of episode offers a practical place to start.Subscribe for more standout insights from the Thriving Leaders Podcast and practical ideas for creating stronger leaders, healthier cultures and high-performing teams.Learn more about my work at Thriving Culture: https://thrivingculture.com.au#teamcommunication #leadership #highperformingteams

Why do so many strategies sound compelling in the boardroom but struggle to shape what people actually do?In this episode of the Thriving Leaders Podcast, I speak with Alicia McKay, an Aotearoa New Zealand-based writer, speaker and strategist who has spent 15 years advising leaders on strategy, change and leadership. She is also the author of From Strategy to Action, You Don’t Need an MBA and Local Legends.In this direct and thought-provoking conversation, Alicia and I challenge familiar assumptions about strategy, leadership and collaboration. We also examine what may be lost when judgement and decision-making are increasingly handed to automated systems.If you have ever watched a strong strategy lose momentum after the planning session, this conversation will give you a different way to understand why—and what you can do about it.In this episode, we cover:How strategy is different in local government and the public sector than in corporate organisationsWhy strategy often loses momentum after the planning processHow strategic thinking shows up in everyday leadershipWhat leaders may misunderstand about people and changeThe transition from subject-matter expert to strategic leaderWhat gets in the way of cross-functional collaborationHow organisational systems influence behaviourThe relationship between trust, agency and accountabilityWhat automation could mean for human judgementWatch the full episode to hear Alicia’s refreshingly direct perspective on what it really takes to turn strategy into action.About Alicia McKayAlicia McKay is a writer, speaker and strategist based in Aotearoa New Zealand. She works with executive and elected leaders to improve strategic thinking, decision-making and leadership in complex environments.Alicia is the author of:From Strategy to Action: A Guide to Getting Shit Done in the Public SectorYou Don’t Need an MBA: Leadership Lessons That Cut Through the CrapLocal Legends: How to Make a Difference in Local GovernmentResources and linksAlicia McKay’s websiteAbout Alicia McKayAlicia McKay’s booksYou Don’t Need an MBAFrom Strategy to ActionSubscribe to the Thriving Leaders Podcast for practical conversations about leadership, team performance and creating thriving workplace cultures.

Why do capable people find it so difficult to ask for help?Leo Bottary argues that strong teams treat asking for help as an act of resourcefulness—not an admission of weakness.In this Best Of episode of the Thriving Leaders Podcast, Leo and I explore the connection between psychological safety, feedback and shared accountability. We discuss why team members can struggle to speak up, how a simple change in language can make asking for help feel more inviting, and what happens when feedback becomes everyone’s responsibility.Leo also shares a memorable team exercise that demonstrates how difficult it is to improve when we are effectively working blind.You’ll hear us explore:– Why successful people view asking for help differently– How to turn a request for help into an invitation– Why teams need consistent feedback loops– The role of trusted intent when giving and receiving feedback– How preparation and shared expectations support teams under pressureLeo Bottary is an author, speaker, facilitator and the founder and managing partner of Peernovation. His work explores how peers help one another learn, perform and achieve more together.Watch the full conversation: https://youtu.be/DJa8pzThdjcI’m Claire Gray, leadership and team facilitator, executive coach, keynote speaker and author of Thriving Leaders and Thriving Teams. Through the Thriving Leaders Podcast, I share practical ideas for building stronger leaders, healthier cultures and high-performing teams.Learn more: https://thrivingculture.com.auSubscribe for practical conversations about leadership, psychological safety, accountability and creating teams where people can do their best work.#PsychologicalSafety #HighPerformingTeams #Leadership