Influence & Impact for Leaders

Ep 202: Some big news from Carla

Listen to find out about a big change to the podcast, the reasons behind it and Carla’s career update. Don’t forget… I’ll still be coaching women leaders [https://carlamiller.co.uk/1-1-exec-coaching/]. I’ll still be running leadership and management training [https://carlamiller.co.uk/work-with-us/management-leadership-training/]. I’ll still be delivering keynotes [https://carlamiller.co.uk/womens-leadership/speaking/] and Be Bolder programmes [https://carlamiller.co.uk/work-with-us/open-courses/be-bolder-corporate/]. My Impactful Teams [https://www.impactfulteams.co.uk/] partnership with Lara Cullen continues. Sign up for my newsletter [https://carlamiller.co.uk/newsletter] here. And if you’re not already following me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlamillerwomenleadershipcoach/], now’s the time. Mentioned in this episode: https://carlamiller.co.uk/newsletter/

Ep 201: Be More Strategic with Charlie Curson

What does it really mean to “be more strategic”? And why are so many talented leaders told they need this skill - without being shown how to develop it? In this episode I’m joined by Charlie Curson, strategy consultant, leadership coach, and author of Be More Strategic. Together, we unpack why strategy so often feels intimidating, how it’s different from planning, and how leaders can build the confidence to think and act more strategically - even in uncertainty. In this episode, we explore: 1. Why “be more strategic” is such common (and unhelpful) feedback for leaders 2. The difference between strategy and planning — and why confusing the two causes problems 3. How creativity plays a vital role in strategic thinking (even if you don’t see yourself as “creative”) 4. Practical ways to manage uncertainty — without needing all the answers 5. Why future-focused thinking doesn’t come naturally to everyone (and how to develop it) 6. Decision-making styles, procrastination, and how to make better calls with imperfect information 7. Charlie’s four-level framework for becoming more strategic — from self-awareness to scaling impact This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder. Work with Carla: 1. 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – get support to help you get your voice heard at work, lead with confidence and develop your career. Book a discovery call [https://calendly.com/carla-miller/call-with-carla] About Charlie Curson Founder of Mandarin. Strategic advisor, investor, facilitator and accredited leadership coach with 25+ years across 250+ organisations (including VISA, McDonald’s, Unilever, Experian, Volkswagen Group, L’Oréal, Barclays). Lifelong “tinkerer” obsessed with making things faster, better, smarter, who challenges assumptions and turns clarity into action. He helps leaders and teams build strategic capability and momentum. Author of Be More Strategic: 12 Essential Practices to Build the Life and Career You Want. Find out more, and get your copy [https://www.teammandarin.com/be-more-strategic-book] Take the Be More Strategic Quiz [https://www.teammandarin.com/be-more-strategic-quiz] Mentioned in this episode: https://carlamiller.co.uk/newsletter/

Ep 200: Retaining your best people with Helen Beedham

In this episode I’m joined by leadership expert, speaker and author Helen Beedham to explore what really keeps people in organisations. Helen returns to the podcast to talk about her new book, People Glue, and the research behind it. We dig into how to create a working environment where people feel able to do their best work, stay engaged, and choose to stay — even when other options are available. In this episode, we explore: 1. What People Glue really means 2. The paradox at the heart of retention: why giving people more freedom often makes them more likely to stay 3. The four freedoms people want at work 4. How to tell if your team or organisation is truly “sticky” 5. Practical, low-risk ways leaders can offer more freedom while maintaining clarity and accountability 6. What leaders can do to protect morale and people glue during restructures and periods of change 7. How individuals can reflect on their own experience of freedom at work and take more control of their careers Helen also shares practical examples from organisations that are getting this right, including simple leadership practices that build trust, psychological safety, and connection - without losing focus on results. This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder. Work with Carla: 1. 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – get support to help you get your voice heard at work and develop your career. Book a discovery call [https://calendly.com/carla-miller/call-with-carla] About Helen Beedham Helen Beedham, MA Cantab, is an organisational expert, business book author, speaker and host of The Business of Being Brilliant podcast. Her first book 'The Future of Time: How ‘re-working’ time can help you boost productivity, diversity and wellbeing' was named People, Culture & Management Book of the Year at the Business Book Awards, and her second book 'People Glue: Hold on to your best people by setting them free' was published in January 2026. Helen advises business and HR leaders on creating a positive culture that fuels growth; helps teams to deliver more and have more fun; and coaches executives to become their sharpest, brightest best. She speaks publicly about the future of work and is regularly featured in national, business and HR press including the FT, Financial News, Forbes, FastCompany and HR Review. Helen's website [http://www.helenbeedham.com/] Helen on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenjbeedham/] The Business of Being Brilliant podcast [https://www.helenbeedham.com/podcast] Link to buy 'People Glue' [https://www.amazon.co.uk/People-Glue-Hold-people-setting/dp/1788607783/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.En42BYnWOnKMlDNsT8SpDjpREIs6hGkNGdc84y_ySXw.U1HD-DtvgeVwslKlO34bzZfOEepn2A-V6ZKBWBlIO5k&qid=1738579111&sr=8-1] Mentioned in this episode: https://carlamiller.co.uk/newsletter/

Ep 199: Ask Better Questions with Joe Lalley

In this episode, I’m joined by Joe Lalley, author of Question to Learn, to explore why questions are one of the most underrated — and misused — leadership tools. We talk about curiosity, influence, and what really happens when leaders feel they’re supposed to have all the answers. In this conversation, we explore: 1. Why most of us stop asking good questions as our careers progress 2. The subtle ways workplace culture rewards answers and punishes curiosity 3. The different motives behind questions — and why some shut people down 4. How questions can build influence without needing certainty 5. What leaders can learn from children, improv, and discomfort 6. Why “I don’t know” might be one of the most powerful things a leader can say 7. The role curiosity plays in a world increasingly shaped by AI 8. Joe’s favourite question — and why it opens doors most people miss This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder. Work with Carla: 1. 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – get support to help you get your voice heard at work and develop your career. Book a discovery call [https://calendly.com/carla-miller/call-with-carla] About Joe Lalley Joe Lalley is a writer, speaker, and workshop facilitator who has spent much of his career leading innovation workshops for companies of all industries, shapes, and sizes. Joe has published multiple articles ranging from how to use curiosity to navigate remote work in the pandemic to how to fix the endless cycles of bad, inefficient meetings. In 2011, Joe completed the Stanford d.school Design Thinking Bootcamp, an intensive program that draws executives from Fortune 500 companies worldwide. As part of a team with peers from Google and Cisco, he worked directly with JetBlue to redesign the passenger ground experience at San Francisco International Airport. Through field research, interviews, and rapid prototyping, Joe and his team presented innovative solutions to JetBlue executives—a transformational experience that helped shape the next chapter of his career. Joe has held leadership roles at Columbia University, MTV/Viacom, WWE, PwC, and his own consultancy, Joe Lalley Experience Design. His client portfolio spans global brands and organizations such as Meta, Pfizer, Cisco, Chegg, General Assembly, Match Group/Tinder, Latham & Watkins, and Lam Research, as well as mission-driven groups like the American Physical Society, Optica, Banyan Global, and CAQH. In October 2025, Lalley released ‘Question to Learn: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Career, Team, and Organization.’ Website [https://www.joelalley.com/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelalley/] 📢 If This Resonated… Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it. Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you. Mentioned in this episode: https://carlamiller.co.uk/newsletter/

Ep 198: Increase Your Self-Awareness with Dr Julia Carden

Self-awareness is often listed as a core leadership skill — but how many leaders truly understand what it involves, and how many are unintentionally overestimating it? In this episode of Influence & Impact, I am joined by Dr Julia Carden, former Royal Navy officer, leadership coach, and author of You Are Not As Self-Aware As You Think You Are. Drawing on her PhD research and years of coaching senior leaders, Julia shares why self-awareness is harder — and more confronting — than most people expect. Together, we explore how self-awareness goes far beyond surface-level feedback, why it’s essential for healthy team dynamics, and how leaders can start uncovering their blind spots without becoming defensive. In this episode, we cover: 1. Why self-awareness is often a blind spot for leaders 2. The moment you say “I’m very self-aware” — and why that’s a warning sign 3. How a lack of self-awareness shows up as team tension, conflict, and disengagement 4. Julia’s practical definition of self-awareness using interpersonal and intrapersonal “ingredients” 5. Why feedback can feel threatening — and how to work with it constructively 6. How leaders can build self-awareness without a coach or 360-degree feedback 7. The role of beliefs, values, emotions, and even physiological responses in leadership behaviour 8. Why the people who irritate us most can be powerful mirrors 9. Simple reflective practices that highly self-aware leaders use consistently 10. The one question leaders can ask themselves daily to deepen self-awareness 11. How greater self-awareness can lead to more compassion, acceptance, and connection at work This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder. Work with Carla: 1. 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – get support to help you get your voice heard at work and develop your career. Book a discovery call [https://calendly.com/carla-miller/call-with-carla] About Dr Julia Carden PhD MSc PCC FCIPD Julia was born and raised in Cornwall and “made in the Royal Navy” and now lives in Hampshire. She has been and continues to be on a lifelong journey in developing her own self-awareness. She works as a relational coach and coach supervisor practitioner, with an academic underpinning. Her work focuses on working with the whole person (both individuals and teams) to expand and deepen self-awareness, so that individuals can connect deeply with others and develop the capacity to sit with uncertainty. Julia has a deep interest in self-awareness and how it helps individuals develop and grow, by enabling firstly self-connection and then connection with others. This approach is underpinned by her PhD research into Self-Awareness. Alongside her coaching and supervision practice she is a visiting tutor at Henley Business School teaching on the Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching, MSc in Executive Coaching for Behavioural Change and heads up the Professional Certificate in Coaching Supervision. Her new book “You Are Not As Self-Aware As You Think You Are” will was published in October 2025. Julia is an accredited coaching supervisor and coach with the EMCC and ICF. Website: https://carden-consulting.co.uk/ Book: https://youarenotasselfawareasyouthink.com/ 📢 If This Resonated… Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it. Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you. Mentioned in this episode: https://carlamiller.co.uk/newsletter/