Episode 1: Why You Can’t Stop Firefighting (And What to Do About It)

Episode 4: It's a lonely, hard job

The loneliness of leadership in the charity sector is one of the most consistent things Alex hears from the leaders she works with. Not the obvious kind of loneliness, but the quiet kind that exists in the middle of a full diary and a team that depends on you. In this episode, Alex explores why it happens and what you can actually do about it.   WHAT WE COVER •       Why charity leadership feels lonely even when you're surrounded by people •       Why the board often don't quite get it, and what good support actually looks like •       The fear of being seen not to know, and why leaders keep going rather than asking for help •       Why peer support gets deprioritised, and the cost of that •       Four practical steps to feel less alone   KEY TAKEAWAY The loneliness of charity leadership is not inevitable. It is the product of a sector that has normalised a model of leadership that is unsustainable. That needs to change if we want a sector which has the kind of long-term impact we know it can. THE FOUR STEPS •       1. Build connection inside the organisation, beyond the work •       2. Invest in peer support outside the organisation, starting small and realistic •       3. Get clear on what you need from your chair, and ask for it •       4. Consider specialist support: coaching, supervision, or a combination   RESOURCES AND LINKS •       Book a free call: www.clearseacoaching.co.uk/lets-talk [http://www.clearseacoaching.co.uk/lets-talk] •       Connect on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-nunn-059537a6/] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/clear_sea_coaching/] •       Weekly newsletter Live well, lead well: www.clearseacoaching.co.uk [http://www.clearseacoaching.co.uk]   ABOUT ALEX NUNN Alex is a psychologist with over 20 years of experience working in and with the charity sector. www.clearseacoaching.co.uk [http://www.clearseacoaching.co.uk]

Episode 3: When did you stop loving the work?

Have you ever wished you could love your job like you used to? That you could find the motivation, the energy, the passion that brought you into this sector in the first place? And, have you found yourself wondering how to motivate your team when you’re struggling to motivate yourself?  If any of that resonates, this episode is for you. Today we explore what going through the motions actually looks like, why it happens, and how to fall back in love with your work.  Timestamps  * 0:00 — Introduction  * 0:30 — What going through the motions looks and feels like  * 3:00 — Why this happens  * 5:30 — What to do about it  * 9:30 — Key takeaway and close  Key takeaway  Going through the motions isn’t a character flaw — and it isn’t permanent. It’s a signal. Something has shifted in the balance between what the work demands and what it gives back. And that balance can change — but only if you create the space to notice what’s happening and make some deliberate choices about what comes next.  The five-point motivation scale  A tool referenced in this episode that you can use as a self-diagnostic:  * 1 — Won’t do: pure disengagement  * 2 — Have to: compliance, fear, survival mode  * 3 — Should do: self-regulated but driven by guilt and anxiety  * 4 — Want to: intrinsic motivation, feels personal and connected  * 5 — Love to: flow, full absorption, you’d almost do it for nothing    Resources and links  * Book a free discovery call: www.clearseacoaching.co.uk/lets-talk [http://www.clearseacoaching.co.uk/lets-talk]   * Join the weekly newsletter ‘Live well, lead well’: www.clearseacoaching.co.uk [http://www.clearseacoaching.co.uk]  * Connect on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-nunn-059537a6/] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/clear_sea_coaching/]    About Alex Nunn  Alex is a coaching psychologist specialising in helping senior charity leaders create sustainable, fulfilling careers. With 20 years of experience in the charity sector, Alex offers executive coaching, team coaching, and organisational consultancy.

Episode 2: What's busy costing you?

Can I ask you a question? Does your organisation have a culture of overwork? Not intentionally. Nobody decides they want one. But on a Wednesday evening when half your team are logging back on to catch up, or on a Saturday when you’re checking your phone for messages that could have waited until Monday, the answer is often yes. In this episode, Alex explores what an overwork culture actually looks like from the inside, what it is really costing your charity, and six practical steps to start changing it. TIMESTAMPS •       0:00: Introduction •       0:30: What an overwork culture looks like from the inside •       3:00: What this is really costing the charity •       5:30: Why this happens •       7:00: Six steps to change your culture •       9:30: Key takeaway and close   THE SIX STEPS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE •       1. Start with what is working: ask your team where you are at your best before looking at what needs to change •       2. Get honest about your strategy: is what you have committed to actually achievable with the resource you have? •       3. Check your roles and resources: do you have the right people, in the right roles, with enough capacity to do the work well? •       4. Look at your systems: are there predictable pinch points that create recurring pressure? •       5. Make it safe to say no, ask for help, and make mistakes •       6. Put wellbeing at the centre: not as an add-on, but as part of strategic decision making   RESOURCES AND LINKS •       Book a free call: www.clearseacoaching.co.uk/lets-talk [http://www.clearseacoaching.co.uk/lets-talk] •       Download free resources: clearseacoaching.co.uk [http://clearseacoaching.co.uk] •       Join the weekly newsletter Live well, lead well: clearseacoaching.co.uk [http://clearseacoaching.co.uk] •       Connect on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-nunn-059537a6/] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/clear_sea_coaching/]   ABOUT ALEX NUNN Alex is a psychologist with over 20 years of experience working in and with the charity sector. Alex works with senior leaders to help them find a sustainable, fulfilling way to lead so they and their charities can make the lasting difference they came here to make. www.clearseacoaching.co.uk [http://www.clearseacoaching.co.uk]

Episode 1: Why You Can’t Stop Firefighting (And What to Do About It)

You had a plan for this week. A proper one. Time to think, space to be strategic, maybe even a conversation you’ve been putting off. But before you got there, the emails, the crises, the people at your door, and here you are again, reacting instead of leading.  If that’s familiar, this episode is for you.  Firefighting is one of the most common things senior charity leaders bring to coaching. In this first episode, I explore why it happens, why knowing what to do differently isn’t enough to actually change it, and what to try instead.    What we cover in this episode  * Why the charity sector is structurally set up to keep you in reactive mode  * The values clash that makes it almost impossible to slow down  * The belief underneath the pattern that no one talks about — and why it matters more than any productivity hack  * Why your busyness is disconnecting you from yourself  * Five practical steps that work at the psychological level, not just the surface one    Timestamps  * 0:00 — Introduction  * 0:30 — Does this sound familiar? Validating the experience  * 3:00 — Why this keeps happening  * 5:30 — What to actually do about it  * 9:30 — Key takeaway and close    Key takeaway  Firefighting isn’t a time management problem — and it isn’t a personal failing. It’s what happens when passionate, committed people work in a system that demands more than it gives, and haven’t yet had permission to do things differently. That permission? Consider this it.    Resources and links  * Book a free discovery call: clearseacoaching.co.uk/lets-talk [http://clearseacoaching.co.uk/lets-talk]  * Download free resources: clearseacoaching.co.uk [http://clearseacoaching.co.uk]  * Join the weekly newsletter ‘Live well, lead well’: clearseacoaching.co.uk [http://clearseacoaching.co.uk]  * Connect on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-nunn-059537a6/] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/clear_sea_coaching/]

Episode 00: Why Charity Leaders Burn Out & Why This Podcast Exists

Before the episodes proper, this is the one that explains why this podcast exists — and why it’s different from every other leadership podcast out there.  If you’ve ever wondered why the advice you’ve been given hasn’t worked, why you know what you should be doing differently but can’t seem to do it, or why the charity sector feels so uniquely relentless, this episode is the place to start.    What we cover in this episode  * Why the charity sector creates a perfect storm for burnout, and why it’s not that you’re not resilient enough  * The three forces that interact to place senior leaders at risk: sector pressures, resource environment, and the values that brought you here  * Why waiting until crisis is too late, and why prevention has to be the strategy  * Why run-of-the-mill leadership tips don’t create lasting change, and what needs to happen instead  * What this podcast will explore, and who it’s for    Timestamps  * 0:00 — Welcome and introduction  * 1:00 — The perfect storm: why the sector sets leaders up for burnout  * 4:00 — Why waiting until crisis is too late  * 6:00 — What this podcast is — and what it isn’t  * 8:30 — Who this podcast is for  * 9:30 — What’s coming next    Key takeaway  The patterns that keep senior leaders stuck, overworking, the struggle to let go and delegate, the feeling of never doing enough are rooted in beliefs, values, and how we understand what it means to be a good leader. Until those beliefs are examined, practical tips alone won’t create lasting change. That’s what this podcast is here to do.    Resources and links  * Book a free discovery call: clearseacoaching.co.uk/lets-talk [http://clearseacoaching.co.uk/lets-talk]  * Download free resources: clearseacoaching.co.uk [http://clearseacoaching.co.uk]  * Join the weekly newsletter ‘Live well, lead well’: clearseacoaching.co.uk [http://clearseacoaching.co.uk]  * Connect on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-nunn-059537a6/] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/clear_sea_coaching/]    Research referenced in this episode  CharityJob Expectations and Values at Work Survey — 78% of charity workers reported feeling emotionally exhausted or burnt out at least sometimes.    Coming up next  Episode 1: Why You Can’t Stop Firefighting (And What to Do About It). We start with one of the most universal experiences senior charity leaders bring to coaching, and explore why the usual advice fails to stick.    About Alex Nunn  Alex is a psychologist specialising in helping charity leaders create sustainable, fulfilling careers. With 20 years of experience in the charity sector, Alex offers executive coaching, team coaching, and organisational consultancy.