Kinder Conversations hosted by A Kind Life

Episode 18 - Maria Ursu from Booking.com

📕 This episode is the This episode offers practical insights for anyone working on cultural transformation, cross-cultural leadership and building environments where people thrive. Join us as we get into the mechanics with Maria Ursu – HR Director, Marketplace at Booking.com (previously at Vodaphone and Uber, with deep experience leading cultural transformation across Europe).   This week on the Kinder Conversations Podcast, @Tim Keogh is joined by one of our biggest guests yet.   In this episode you’ll learn: 🌍 How to lead across different cultures. 👏 How to build cultures where tough truths & respect co-exist. 🛠️ The 3 practical behaviours HR leaders can implement today. 🫣 What HR leaders get wrong about vulnerability and kindness. 📈 How kindness increases performance, engagement & retention.   Maria has led transformation in some of the world’s most complex cultures, and she is crystal clear on one thing: kindness works.   If you’re working to build a culture where people can thrive, this is the episode you cannot miss.

Workplace Investigations Done Differently: Protecting People, Not Just Processes with Andrew Cooper

Behind every investigation is a person. Do you always remember that?   For HR, wellbeing and leadership professionals, this is essential listening on creating systems that are fair and kind.   In this month’s Kinder Conversations episode, we explore one of HR’s toughest challenges: When systems designed to protect people sometimes hurt them instead.   You’ll hear about: * The emotional toll of investigations and how to prevent it * What “working in the grey” really looks like for HR * The “Friday Rule” (a simple, humane change with huge impact) * How one health board cut investigations by 70%, saving 700k * Why harm doesn’t stop with one person and what this means for culture

Episode 16 - Paul Hargreaves

What does kindness have to do with food wholesaling? Everything.   In this month’s episode of Kinder Conversations, Tim Keogh sits down with Paul Hargreaves, CEO of Cotswold Fayre, early UK B-Corp pioneer, and author of The Fourth Bottom Line. Paul’s story is extraordinary. From starting out with products in the back of his car to building a purpose-driven business that puts people and planet first, his career shows how being kind in business can be a strategic advantage.   Listen now and rethink what your leadership could look like...

Episode 15 - Professor Cath Crock

🎙️ What does kind leadership really look like in practice? In this powerful episode, Tim Keogh sits down with Professor Cath Crock, Paediatrician, Founder of the Hush Foundation and a true pioneer in patient-centred healthcare.   👏 Together, they explore why healthcare systems can’t deliver compassionate care when their people are burnt out, silenced unseen.   Cath shares transformational stories that every HR leader, clinician and team builder should hear from embedding music and theatre into hospital culture to creating safer, calmer environments for children undergoing chemotherapy.   Key takeaways: * How to shift team dynamics in high-pressure environments * Why junior voices can go unheard and what that costs us * How to create space for staff to speak up without fear * Why judgement poisons culture and how empathy rewires it * What sensory-safe kind care really looks like in action

Episode 13 - Jenny Martin

If you are looking to transform your relationships, leadership or team culture, this episode is a must-listen! In this month’s episode of Kinder Conversations, Tim Keogh is joined by the brilliant Jenny Martin, a coach, facilitator and trainer who brings 25 years of leadership experience, a postgraduate degree in the Psychology of Kindness and Wellbeing, and a suitcase full of LEGO® to the table. Jenny shares a thought-provoking conversation about how kindness can be a powerful driver of innovation and psychological safety, both of which are essential for building high-performing teams. In this episode you’ll discover: ✅ Why listening in transformational for the speaker and the listener ✅ The link between kindness, innovation and psychologically safe workplaces ✅ How neurodiversity and inclusion unlock better collaboration ✅ Why being “nice” can hold teams back and how to be kind and clear ✅ What her master’s taught her about kindness