Corey-osity Unleashed with Luis Velasquez

Executive coach and author Luis Velasquez joins Debra and Ken Corey to explain why resilience isn’t something you learn — it’s something you unlock by recognizing what you’ve already overcome. Drawing on his remarkable recovery from a brain tumor to ultramarathons, a career shift from molecular biology to coaching, and his work with senior leaders, Luis discusses reframing setbacks, diagnosing workplace friction in context rather than blaming individuals, and the four sources of leadership friction. Key insight: “To act differently, I need to think differently. And to think differently, I need to see things differently.”KeywordsLuis Velasquez, Ordinary Resilience, leadership coaching, resilience, leadership friction, organizational culture, executive coaching, Harvard Business ReviewChapters00:00 Meet Luis Velasquez: executive coach and author of Ordinary Resilience02:03 How a different perspective can change how we act04:34 From Guatemala and molecular biology to a new career06:56 Turning brain tumor recovery into marathon training12:34 Why resilience is already within us17:15 Remember your personal resilience framework21:01 Why organizations misread effective leaders as difficult25:16 Culture, context, and the evaluation trap30:00 Four sources of leadership friction34:41 Diagnose the cause of friction before blaming people36:19 Accept what is and focus on what you can do41:03 Two closing principles: strength and new perspectives

Nobody Believes You: Jenni Field on Why Credibility Beats AuthenticityWhat if "just be yourself" is the worst advice a leader can take?Jenni Field had a list of nine things she thought made a leader credible. Her dad told her nobody cared about any of it, especially men. So she went and asked. Her research turned up a surprise: credibility matters far more to followers than it does to leaders.Jenni's case against authenticity starts with power. Snap at someone on a bad day and it lands ten times harder because of where you sit. She's been thrown out of a leader's office herself, then got the apology weeks later: "I forget the weight of my words." Debra adds the leader who chatted about private schools while his team worried about the cost of living.Ken and Debra then work through Jenni's eight practices of credible leadership: why "put yourself in their shoes" doesn't work, why trust is built by not cancelling the one-to-one five minutes before it starts, why every leader needs a vision but nobody needs to be Steve Jobs, why introversion is no excuse and why "we're like a family" is a warning sign. She explains why leadership isn't for everyone, the difference between likable and liked, and a worrying number: the gap between how leaders think they communicate change and how employees experience it has grown from about 13% to 30%.You'll leave with one practice that ties all eight together: make the time for your people, and be present when you do.Jenni Field is the founder of Redefining Communications, author of Nobody Believes You and Influential Internal Communication, a former CIPR president, co-host of the Frequency Podcast and creator of the Leading with Credibility course. Find her at jennifield.com, or on LinkedIn and Instagram.KEYWORDSJenni Field, Redefining Communications, Nobody Believes You, credibility, credible leadership, authenticity in leadership, power dynamics, empathy vs sympathy, trust, transparency, integrity, vision vs visionary, introverted leaders, likable vs liked, internal communication, middle managers, Bad Bosses Ruin LivesCHAPTERS00:00 Intro00:52 Welcome, meet Jenni Field02:23 From internal comms to credibility05:00 The research: nine traits and a sceptical dad07:23 Followers vs leaders, gender and age08:57 Why authenticity isn't the answer09:49 The weight of your words12:02 Balance, not overindexing12:54 The private school and the office move13:50 The eight practices of credible leadership14:53 What happened to the ninth?16:04 Empathy, sympathy and compassion18:56 Why "put yourself in their shoes" doesn't work19:25 The boulder on the mountain20:29 Nobody trains managers in empathy21:00 Trust lives in everyday moments22:05 What transparency looks like23:21 The trust bank23:50 Time is at the centre of bad bossing24:19 Every leader needs a vision26:59 "I didn't want to be a manager"27:19 Leadership isn't for everyone29:04 A safe way to try leadership29:34 Likable vs liked31:54 When feedback scores are too high32:32 "We're like a family" is a warning sign32:59 Integrity: intention vs reality36:17 Nobody plans to be a bad boss36:43 Middle managers cut, time squeezed37:31 When it goes wrong38:13 KPIs vs time for your people38:52 Tasks vs relationships, and can AI help?40:07 One takeaway: make the time, be present41:22 Where to find Jenni

Would a coach ever send a sick player onto the pitch? Never. So why do we do it at work every single week?Rich Turner nearly got kicked out of school. Sport saved him, the gym floor taught him that every PT is half personal trainer, half personal therapist, and a fascination with why people do what they do turned him into an executive coach. At 36 he's younger than most people in his field, and he thinks that's exactly why leaders keep hiring him: he coaches from human performance, not from the corporate playbook.His first lesson from elite sport is the one business keeps ignoring. Athletes obsess over recovery because if they're not on the field, they can't perform. Corporate life just goes go go, nine to eight, week after week. Ken owns up to the 80-hour weeks. Rich's verdict: sprint when the moment calls for it, but nobody can sprint every week.Then Rich walks Ken and Debra through his Leadership Playbook, six pillars that start with knowing who you are (Ken sets him a 30-second challenge, and he doesn't make it). You'll hear why leading and managing are only two-thirds of being the person in charge, why nobody likes being told what to do, why you can't play a round of golf with just a putter, and why Rich thinks we've all become way too serious at work. Ken explains how office banter helped convince him and Debra to stay in the UK, and Debra has the HR warning ready, complete with the great chocolate Easter egg debate.You'll leave with two ideas Rich says are really one: create clarity in everything, and stay fascinated with why people are the way they are.Rich Turner is an executive coach and founder of LP Revolution, a former personal trainer with a degree in sports science and coaching, and a high-level field hockey player. He's currently offering a free coaching session on one of the Leadership Playbook topics.Find him on LinkedIn (Rich Turner) or email [email protected] Turner, LP Revolution, Leadership Playbook, executive coaching, performance coaching, recovery and performance, burnout, wellbeing at work, lessons from sport, elite sport and business, managing pressure, high-performing teams, self-awareness, authentic leadership, personal values, leadership styles, coaching leadership style, ownership and accountability, communication skills, understanding your people, psychological safety, fun at work, workplace banter, clarity, curiosity, learning mindsetCHAPTERS00:00 Intro00:52 Welcome, meet Rich Turner02:22 From nearly kicked out of school to sports science04:54 Personal trainer, personal therapist06:15 From wellbeing company to executive coach08:42 A 36-year-old coach with a non-corporate background09:44 Cricket, hockey and a beer at Lord's10:57 Lesson 1 from sport: you can't perform without recovery12:26 The New York Yankees question14:04 Lessons 2 and 3: managing pressure and teamwork15:17 Effort in moments, not constantly17:06 The Leadership Playbook, born in a coaching session17:49 The six pillars19:34 Pillar 1: Who we are, and the 30-second challenge21:35 Ken: who I am keeps changing22:53 What you do vs who you are: values and fit24:13 How we lead (and the opposite of a bad boss)25:29 Lead, manage, coach: different clubs in the bag26:51 Nobody likes being told what to do28:00 Communication: connection and clarity28:21 People are way too serious at work30:21 Office banter and why Ken and Debra stayed in the UK31:41 Psychological safety makes the fun possible33:03 Fun at the right time: the Easter egg debate33:59 One thing to do differently35:05 Create clarity: goals, communication, assumptions36:10 Be fascinated with why people do what they do36:59 Curiosity is never finished37:58 Kids at the "why" stage38:27 Learning leadership day by day39:41 Where does a young coach get credibility?40:54 Where to find Rich

Hold On to Your Best People by Setting Them Free: Helen Beedham on People Glue"CEOs don't care about retention anymore." That's what a CEO friend told Helen Beedham. Everyone's slashing headcount, betting on AI, planning for one person where they used to need a hundred.So Helen went and asked them. The CEOs, COOs and chief people officers she interviewed told her the opposite: AI or not, losing the people who carry the skills and knowledge the business runs on is still one of the most expensive things that can happen to them. And if AI swallows the entry-level jobs, where exactly are tomorrow's managers going to come from?Her answer to "what makes people stay when they could leave tomorrow?" is freedom. Not a free-for-all: four specific freedoms, inside clear tram lines, with lots of accountability. Autonomy over how, when and where you work. Room to grow. The freedom to speak up and be yourself. And freedom from the hamster wheel of work about work, so you can do something that actually matters.Ken asks how many of the four you need before people stop walking. The answer depends on who's asking, and the gender split in Helen's research is not the one you'd guess. Then there's the bill: a 100-person company on an average 50,000 salary, at average UK turnover, is losing roughly 1.75 million a year. That's before counting the knowledge nobody wrote down, or the day Debra's office ran out of coffee because the one person who bought it had left.You'll leave with a way to price your own turnover, a quick diagnostic for the forces quietly killing freedom in your organisation, a weekly ritual that takes the stigma out of failure, and the one investment Helen says pays back more than any other.Helen Beedham is an organisational expert, host of the Business of Being Brilliant podcast, and author of two Amazon best-sellers: The Future of Time (Business Book Awards People, Culture and Management Book of the Year) and People Glue: Hold On to Your Best People by Setting Them Free (January 2026).Find her on LinkedIn (Helen J. Beedham) and at helenbeedham.com.KEYWORDSemployee retention, People Glue, Helen Beedham, freedom at work, four freedoms, autonomy, career growth, self-expression, meaningful work, work about work, high trust culture, accountability, cost of employee turnover, talent retention, AI and jobs, talent crunch, manager development, fear of failure, learning culture, psychological safety, sticky organisation, anti-freedom forces, Edelman Trust Barometer, job hopping, employee engagementCHAPTERS00:00 Intro00:52 Welcome, meet Helen Beedham02:23 A career of planned and unplanned turns03:52 Week 12 at Harrods: interpreting for the chairman in Cuba05:22 Why write People Glue, and why now07:51 Will AI really empty the desks?09:31 Big tech layoffs and the coming talent crunch11:16 The sticky monster: when glue works against you12:23 People Glue vs Sticky People: high trust, high freedom14:22 What freedom at work is (and isn't): the four freedoms16:36 Why freedom matters: the retention business case18:50 How many freedoms do people need?21:29 Why leaders get it wrong: letting go of control24:35 How to win over leaders who don't get it26:08 The 1.75 million cost of turnover28:05 Engagement multiplies the ROI28:45 The hidden job description that walks out the door31:54 Going off script32:21 Diagnosing the anti-freedom forces37:43 Fear of failure and the stumble of the week41:18 One tip for leaders: invest in your managers43:50 Where to find Helen

GUESTAdvita Patel — award-winning internal communications and employee experience expert. Founder of Comms Rebel. Co-founder of A Leader Like Me, the Belief Builders and the Asian Communications Network. Co-author of the best-selling "Building a Culture of Inclusivity" (2023, with Priya Bates). 2025 President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Second book, "Decoding Confidence: The Seven Habits of Confident Leaders", publishes May 2026 and is available for pre-order now.Contact: LinkedIn (DMs open), decodingconfidence.com, plus TikTok and Instagram.SUMMARYAdvita Patel spent two decades building a career in communications, ticked every box her performance reviews asked for, and then watched the role she had been working towards get pulled — and quietly handed to someone else after she resigned. What followed she now calls a confidence crash. It ended on the M62 in the rain, on a Monday morning, when a friend refused to take the complaint and asked her instead: what are you going to do about it?That question became a business, a coaching practice, and now a book. In this episode Advita walks Ken and Debra through the BELIEVE framework at the heart of "Decoding Confidence" — Boldness, Empathy, Learning, Integrity, Empowerment, Vulnerability and Energy — and the research behind it: 503 respondents, 82% of whom had worked for a leader lacking confidence, with micromanaging named the number one barrier.The conversation gets sharp where it matters. Boldness and vulnerability aren't opposites: you need boldness to be vulnerable at all. Vulnerability isn't universally safe, and Advita is blunt about doing a safety audit before you open up. Integrity collapses when you don't know your actual values, not the ones you recite in interviews. And energy — her favourite chapter — comes with a practical six-monthly energy audit that names, out of ten, exactly who and what is draining you.Ken shares the meeting where a direct report told him he was wrong in front of his boss's boss, and what admitting it unlocked. Debra brings the Bad Bosses research showing micromanagers at 80% — near-identical to Advita's number, from a completely different sample.CHAPTERS00:00 Intro00:53 Welcome — meet Advita Patel01:35 The book arrived today: Decoding Confidence unboxed02:45 From IT to HR to comms: a wiggly, squiggly career05:12 The confidence crash and starting Comms Rebel in 201807:55 The M62 moment: "What are you going to do about it?"11:56 Your personal board of directors — believers and mirror-holders13:44 Why write a book about workplace confidence17:43 BELIEVE: the seven habits, unpacked20:35 Sustainable confidence, not private-jet confidence23:19 Which habit first? The confidence habit assessment24:54 The research: 503 people, and micromanaging at 82%27:55 Boldness and vulnerability are not opposites33:51 Is it safe for you to be vulnerable? Do the audit first36:47 Manipulative vulnerability and losing touch with reality38:56 Integrity under pressure: knowing your real values43:11 The energy audit: rating everyone out of ten46:52 The one thing to walk away believing about yourself48:06 Can't put the phone down? Start with legacy49:34 Where to find AdvitaKEYWORDSconfidence, leadership confidence, imposter syndrome, micromanaging, psychological safety, vulnerability at work, boldness, internal communications, employee experience, values, integrity, energy audit, burnout, personal board of directors, learning circle, self-advocacy, inclusive leadership, Decoding Confidence, Advita Patel, Comms Rebel, BELIEVE framework, sustainable confidence

Seek the Good and Celebrate: The Confetti Leadership Model with James FergusonWhat if the secret to a culture people can feel the moment they walk in isn't a budget, a program, or a perfect leader — but a habit anyone can start today?This week, award-winning culture pioneer and best-selling author James Ferguson joins Debra & Ken Corey to share what 16+ years in hospitality — and a cancer diagnosis that arrived just months after his first book — taught him about leading people. James tells the story most leadership books would never touch: the day he passed out in treatment, his daughter Nora arriving as a "buzzer-beater" hours later, and the single question that reframed everything — "Is this happening to me, or for me?"Then it gets practical. James unpacks his CONFETTI Leadership Model — eight habits for any leader at any level — and we dig into the ones that change teams fastest. Why you should celebrate first downs, not touchdowns. The $40 oven that rebuilt a team's trust. Why saying "thank you" costs nothing yet almost no one does it. And why real inspiration is built on the hard days, not the best ones.It's warm, honest, and full of things you can use on Monday morning. Confetti only looks fluffy — underneath, it's a system. Press play and seek the good.Books and speaking: confetti-man.com | Instagram: @confetticulture | LinkedIn: James FergusonKEYWORDS: leadership, company culture, employee recognition, gratitude, vulnerability in leadership, present leadership, trust, active listening, employee engagement, hospitality leadership, servant leadership, psychological safety, James Ferguson, Confetti Culture Playbook, Seek the Good and CelebrateCHAPTERS:00:00 Welcome — meet James Ferguson, culture pioneer & author01:03 James' story: 16 years in hospitality, serving his way up02:06 First job at the front desk — "your title gives you nothing to give"03:21 The mission behind the book: a cancer diagnosis and Seek the Good03:50 Nora's buzzer-beater birth — "is it happening to me or for me?"06:38 Parenting and leadership: becoming a girl dad made him better07:50 Present, not perfect — why leaders should be vulnerable11:19 Model it and they'll mirror it: the confetti jacket12:30 Admitting you don't know turns 1 brain into 1113:56 The CONFETTI Leadership Model and its 8 principles15:31 Building an acronym: mission, values, and earning the book17:08 Nurture Trust: do what you said, listen, then act ($40 oven)22:14 Active listening vs. being near someone who's talking22:55 Celebrate Often & Thankfulness: first downs, not touchdowns27:59 What does "thank you" cost? Nothing31:17 Inspire Daily: inspiration is built on the hard days34:00 The Ben story — leadership from someone who wasn't your boss36:07 Stay curious: seek the good and celebrate it39:20 Where to find James

The Long-Handled Screwdriver: Why Experts Make the Worst MicromanagersWhat if the best coaching never happens in a booked one-hour session — but in the small, everyday moments most managers walk straight past?In this episode of Corey-osity Unleashed, Debra and Ken Corey sit down with Gillian Jones-Williams — CEO, motivational speaker, author of 50 Top Tools for Coaching (now in its sixth edition), and 2024 Businesswoman of the Decade. Gillian left home at 17, built her firm Emerge Development Consultancy across three decades and multiple recessions, and was later diagnosed with bipolar and ADHD — a turning point that transformed how she helps leaders bring out the best in every kind of mind.Together they unpack the "long-handled screwdriver" trap that catches technical managers, the ORACLE coaching model that refuses to solve the stated problem until it finds the real one, the surprising power of visualization, how to navigate the "parts conflict" pulling your head, heart and gut in different directions, and why curiosity is the bravest — and safest — thing a leader can do.Practical, warm, and packed with tools you can use tomorrow.Get the book: search "50 Top Tools for Coaching" on Amazon.Connect with Gillian: emergeuk.com | LinkedIn (Gillian Jones-Williams)Keywords: coaching, leadership, neurodiversity, ORACLE model, GROW model, micromanagement, visualization, parts conflict, DEI, curiosity, employee engagement, ADHD, executive coaching, coaching culture, inclusive leadershipChapters:00:00 Introduction to Gillian Jones-Williams03:07 Gillian's Journey and Personal Challenges06:02 The Evolution of Coaching09:08 The Importance of Coaching in Leadership11:58 Personalized Coaching Techniques15:10 The Sixth Edition of 50 Top Tools17:59 The Oracle Coaching Model23:27 Unpacking the Oracle Model29:16 Understanding Parts Conflict in Coaching36:14 The Importance of Diverse Coaching Tools41:03 Curiosity as a Key to Effective Leadership

Hope is a Strategy: Why Leaders Must Learn to Cultivate ItWhat do people all over the world want most from their leaders? According to Gallup's research presented at the World Government Summit, the answer is hope. Not strategy. Not vision decks. Hope. And yet almost no leadership development programme teaches it.Ian Pettigrew has spent years researching exactly this gap. In this conversation, he unpacks what hope actually is — and why it's not the same as optimism, positivity, or wishful thinking. Hope, by his definition, is a belief that the future can be better combined with knowing what you can do to make it so. That small distinction changes everything about how leaders show up, how teams perform, and why some people find a way through the hardest circumstances while others don't.This episode goes deep on the practical side: Ian's Hope Play Sheet (free at hope.tips), why toxic positivity actively undermines hope, what the Fyre Festival documentary teaches us about silencing concerns, and why some leaders have already scuppered their ability to inspire hope before any tactic can help. Ian also brings his own story — recovering from a trimalleolar ankle fracture during lockdown and training to cycle the height of Everest on an indoor bike — as a lived demonstration of the framework he teaches.If you lead people and you've ever been told to "give your team more hope" without any guidance on how to actually do it, this is the episode that fills that gap.Keywords: Ian Pettigrew, Hope, Leadership, Realistic Optimism, Hope Play Sheet, Positive Psychology, Employee Engagement, Workplace Culture, Strengths, ResilienceChapters:00:00 Introduction to Ian Pettigrew05:40 The Everest Challenge: A Journey of Hope13:32 Ian's Life Journey and Career Path23:58 Exploring the Concept of Hope28:32 Practical Tools for Cultivating Hope33:21 The Balance of Realistic Optimism38:43 Practical Steps for Leaders

What if the secret to your next breakthrough idea isn't thinking harder — but getting your ego completely out of the way?Fredrik Haren has spent 25 years and visited 75+ countries on a single mission: to understand where the best ideas actually come from. He calls himself the Creativity Explorer, and in this conversation with Debra and Ken, he lives up to the title — dismantling assumptions about creativity, sharing stories from Thailand to Bhutan to Vietnam, and leaving you with one deceptively simple challenge that could change how you think forever.You'll hear why a Thai origami artist has never experienced creative anxiety (and what her "idea nap" can teach stressed-out Western teams), why the Norwegian rail company turned a humiliating mistake into their most prized internal award, and why the origin of AI traces back to an African tribe praying with sticks and stones.Fredrik argues that creativity isn't a talent, a technique, or a team-building exercise. It's an inward motion — a path to discovering who you truly are. And the single biggest thing standing in your way? Your ego.Whether you're a leader trying to build a genuinely creative culture, a professional tired of innovation theatre, or simply someone who wants to think differently — this episode will rewire how you see ideas.Keywords: Fredrik Haren, Creativity, Innovation, Leadership, Creative Block, Workplace Culture, Diversity of Thought, Ego, Constraints, Idea Generation, Cross-Cultural Insights, Professional Speaking, Meditation, Personal DevelopmentChapters:00:00 Introduction to Fredrik Haren and the Origins of a Creativity Explorer02:33 Creativity Is Different to Different People03:19 The Problem with "Creative Accounting"04:02 Insights from 37 Countries on Creativity05:50 The Thai Origami Artist and the Idea Nap08:26 Why Creativity Matters — The Second Best Human Feeling09:59 Hackathons, Belonging and Ideation Empathy12:39 When Companies Talk Innovation but Punish Mistakes15:31 The Norwegian Rail Clip — A Lesson in Corporate Humility16:07 Open the Door to Possibilities17:08 From Expert to Explorer — A Child's Accidental Rebrand19:43 Life on Swan Island and the Power of Curiosity20:21 Paying It Forward in Professional Speaking22:05 It's Not Copyright, It's Copying Right24:06 From African Sticks and Stones to AI27:54 Why We Fail to Copy Good Ideas28:53 Marry Someone from a Different Culture30:31 Diversity as a Creativity Superpower31:30 Stop Blaming Companies — Blame Yourself32:12 Role Model Creativity as a Leader33:29 Why Constraints Fuel Better Ideas35:21 What Gets in the Way — Ego as the Creativity Killer37:30 Creativity Is an Inward Motion39:07 T-Shirts, Slogans and Humanity to the Power of Ideas40:17 Fredrik's One Challenge — Meditate for Five Minutes42:37 Mortal Ideas vs Divine Ideas42:54 Where to Find Fredrik Haren

Employee engagement just hit a decade low -- despite over a billion dollars poured into fixing it. What if the entire industry has been solving the wrong problem?Leadership researcher Zach Mercurio has spent years studying what actually makes people thrive at work. His answer isn't another engagement framework or recognition platform. It's something far more elemental: mattering. The daily experience of feeling seen, heard, valued, and needed by the people around you. His research across 22 industries and thousands of workers reveals a striking pattern -- it's never the perks, the awards, or the programs. It's the micro-moments. A name remembered. A unique strength named. A check-in that has nothing to do with project status.In this conversation, Zach unpacks the three pillars of mattering, explains why "hurry and care can't coexist," and shares one deceptively simple question that has transformed relationships from boardrooms to car rides with teenagers. He also challenges the "toxic employee" label (less than 1.5% of people are actually narcissists), reframes quiet quitting as a natural withdrawal response to feeling insignificant, and makes the case that leadership is a separate occupation -- not something you bolt onto technical expertise.Whether you lead a team of 3 or 3,000, this episode will change how you think about every interaction you have tomorrow.Keywords: Zach Mercurio, Mattering, Leadership, Purpose, Employee Engagement, Meaningfulness, Workplace Culture, Human Connection, Curiosity, Personal DevelopmentChapters:00:00 Introduction to Zach Mercurio and His Journey02:48 The Importance of Mattering in Work and Life05:57 Understanding the Concept of Mattering09:01 The Power of Small Interactions12:00 The Need for Genuine Connection15:02 The Mattering Deficit in Modern Society17:58 Re-Skilling for Human Connection20:55 The Three Pillars of Mattering23:18 The Importance of Caring and Affirmation25:30 Understanding Leadership as an Occupation30:32 Recognizing Signs of Disengagement36:06 Practical Steps to Foster Mattering38:56 Curiosity About Mattering in Leadership