Power of the Parent

Welcome to the Power of the Parent podcast, hosted by me, Charlotte Speak. I’m a level 7 CMI accredited coach, strengths practitioner, Mental Health First Aider and Talent Consultant and I’m the face behind Power of the Parent®.    I love helping others be at their best and in this podcast, I’ll be speaking to working parents, business owners and we’ll share our top tips and advice on how we...

Hello and welcome to the first episode of the Power of the Parent podcast. I'm Charlotte Speak, the face behind Power of the Parent and I love nothing more than empowering parents at work. I’m a level 7 CMI accredited coach, strengths practitioner, Mental Health First Aider and Talent Consultant. This week on the podcast I talk to the brilliant Susie Lodge. Susie is the founder of http://www....

This week on the podcast I am joined by the absolute powerhouse that is Ebony Lyon from Formy Books.

This week on the podcast I am joined by one of my oldest friends, Andy.

This week on the podcast I am joined by the brilliant Louise Deverell-Smith. Louise is the founder of flexible recruitment company, Daisy Chain. Her business works to match employers with perspective employees into flexible working positions that benefit both the company and the team. To find out more about Daisy Chain and the work they do, visit their website: https://daisy-chain.com If you'...

I am thrilled to bring you this podcast with Michelle Gyimah from Equality Pays. In this episode we discuss pay gaps, parenting and negotiations in the workplace. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Michelle and could have talked to her all day. Michelle's work is so inspiring and she makes such a difference to individuals and businesses. If you'd like to find out more about Michelle, visit her...

This week on the podcast I am joined by the brilliant Carina Tillson from Love Your Mealtimes. Carina works with busy people to take the pain out of meal planning and cooking and put the joy back into their mealtimes. We covered a lot of ground in our conversation from food planning, self care and feminism. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting to Carina and I hope you enjoy this episode too. You can...

Here's a sneaky bonus episode from season one of the Power of the Parent podcast for you! This week I speak to Lucy Critchley VA. Lucy is my podcast producer and all round good egg. In this episode we talk about maternity allowance, starting a business with a 5 month old and of course, self care. I asked Lucy if she'd come on because I was reflecting about the power of making things happen - ...

Trigger warning - child loss. In this week's episode I chat with Clare - digital content expert, queen of engagement, growth specialist and founder of Sunshine Digital. We talked about the impact of being a parent in the workplace when you're bringing in more revenue but working fewer hours than your peers, the experiences she gathered through a couple of different jobs and how she realised c...

What a catch up! Amrit Sandhar is the founder and CEO of The Engagement Coach (https://www.theengagementcoach.co.uk/) where the team is all about developing (and challenging) cultures, leaders and colleagues.  As well as being a parent, Amrit is one of the most empathetic and compassionate people I've ever met, he's also a data lover and engagement specialist. Amrit is also a qualified pharmac...

Roohi and Nida are educators, navigators of negative self talk, strengths advocates and believers that confidence shouldn't be a privilege. They are the founders of Nupwr, an organisation dedicated to inspire, uplift and empower women.  We talked about the dynamics of being a parent, an educator, a business owner and what it's like to work alongside your sister. Roohi and Nida generously share...

In this week's episode I'm talking with Helen Bryce - glorious human, my mate of 10 years, ultimate cheerleader, poet, author and founder of Guilty Mothers Club. Helen is also a parent of four kiddos and a total journalling pro - which we talked about loads and I got so many fresh perspectives on during this interview. Together, we explored Helen's transition from Guilty Mothers Club to poet, ...

This week I'm talking to Clare, founder of Not Only Pink and Blue where the mission is to challenge stereotypes from birth. Originally a marketplace, Clare has shifted HOW she's sharing her work, which will now take the shape of a directory of amazing businesses who are committed and aligned to her purpose.  Clare generously shared how that pivot has come about and the realities accompanying i...

In the final episode of series two, Charlotte is talking to Shwezin Win - founder of Win At Life coaching. She is a mum, a step-mum, a marketing expert and now a coach who works with parents, young adults and teens to curate a life where they feel able to thrive.  Shwezin shared her story of arriving in the UK at the impressionable age of seven, navigating the UK school system and the impact t...

I've got a very special bonus episode to share with you today - with the incredible Katie, who three years ago adopted her daughters.  Katie is a friend of a friend so I've known her for a little while, but we've never really talked about her experience of going through the adoption process. I saw that Katie had posted some eye watering numbers about the adoption rates dropping in the UK and a...

What a way to start season three of the podcast! Absolutely honoured to be joined by the brilliant Tinuke Awe – social entrepreneur who is passionate about all things Black motherhood. She was named British Vogue force for change in 2021 for her work with the Five x More (https://www.fivexmore.com/) campaign which calls for overdue improvements in Black maternal health in the UK. Tinuke is als...

In today’s episode we covered A LOT! Victorine is the founder of Baby Duet – a gorgeous business dedicated to creating unique baby clothing with delish hand drawn prints. We explored where it all started for Victorine and how it’s going… hello sustainability conversations!  We touched on the Baby Duet origins story (literally her kids were the inspo), the impacts of ‘hustle culture’ and the st...

Today I passed the mic to the wonderful Natalie, founder of Power Thoughts. Natalie works with children (and their parents) to know they have the power over their own thoughts. Through talks, workshops, programs and direct support (not to mention the incredible social media posts and reels) Natalie is on a mission to combine the importance of childhood experiences with building resilience to s...

Holly is the Queen of helping you start and grow a sustainable business. An advocate of boundaries, staying curious about your relationship with social media and tenacious approach of deconstructing the overwhelm, Holly Curry is a total beacon of light with her website design expertise, business coaching and consultancy services. I’ve known and worked with Holly in some capacity for the last f...

Today I’m joined by Hannah, one half of the Job Share Pair and what a chat it was! I’ve ‘known’ Hannah and Rachel over Instagram for a couple of years now but it was totally different actually chatting. We explored some of the myths around job sharing, Hannah’s experiences of being in a job share relationship and the mission that this incredible two-some hold. I came away inspired and hopeful m...

For the final episode of the series I had the pleasure of chatting to Becky Candy – an utterly brilliant advocate for supporting parents in the workplace. By day Becky is a change manager and co-chair of the parent network at her employer, and by… well the rest of the day… Becky is a solo parent to her son and currently navigating her own diagnosis of autism.  In a recent LinkedIn post Becky d...

TW: in this episode Charlotte and Elliott discuss parental bereavement, mental health issues and suicidal thoughts. If this isn't something you can listen to right now, why not check out some of our other episodes? I’m bringing the bonus today, with the one and only Elliott Rae. Founder of Music Football Fatherhood, author, co-founder of the working dads employer awards, equal parenting advoca...

I’m thrilled to kick off series 4 with a focus on employer conversations, and first up the wonderful Fleur Cox, Co-chair of the Family and Carers Alliance for Rolls Royce. This one is for you if you’re running an employee resource group, a parent support network or wanting to get started. There were so many incredible take aways! Fleur shared very generously about their experiences, highs and ...

Actually, if I was being accurate there would be about 15 other things after Vikas’ job title there! He’s got lots going on and this was one heck of a conversation. As an entrepreneur, investor, non-ex board member of multiple organisations, Honorary Professor and philanthropist, Vikas has a gift of seeing a situation from an abundance of different angles. We explored the power of mutual conve...

In this weeks episode I’m talking to clinical psychologist Michaela Thomas, founder of The Thomas Connection and what a conversation it was! We covered cortisol within the first five minutes and ended on a practical message to line managers who feel like they lack empathy and compassion… so the in between stuff was pretty spectacular too! The impact of disconnection from the workplace on paren...

In this weeks' episode I’m talking to Litsa Smith, the founder of Unscramble Me - the home of mentoring programmes and workshops to help people get organised, feel in control and combat stress. Litsa is all about supporting people with their wellbeing and operational effectiveness and after 20 years of leading high achieving teams she’s putting her experiences into supporting individuals blendi...

Donna’s story is up there with something many of us would say happens in books and films. After returning to the workplace following maternity leave, Donna was in the thick of being gaslit, set up for failure and totally let down by her employer. Imagine returning to a full-time job on part-time hours and constantly being told ‘you can do it’ - not from a place of flattery, but something far m...

Today I’m joined by Shivani, founder of The Wallflower Academy - creating workplaces where everyone can be themselves by partnering with businesses to drive the equality agenda and optimise employee wellbeing. Shivani sums up how her mission is ‘to accelerate equality by driving sustainable culture change which unlocks an individual's full potential.’ Shivani’s CV includes roles in huge busine...

What a guest to open up the new series!! Today I’m joined by Genelle Aldred - communication strategist consultant, broadcaster, author, deputy chair of Women In Journalism, previously a journalist for BBC/ITV/ ITN, a golfer and an ambassador for the charity SANDS.

Lisa is all about spreading kindness in biscuit form! One of the founders of The Biskery, Lisa and her business partner Saskia have an enviable client list of brands including KPMG, Amazon, Fendi and L’oreal to name a few. You might know them from their days as Bloom Bakers (established in 2016), or perhaps their wonderful posts and content they share on Linkedin.

Jennifer is a career and fertility coach, after going through her own personal experiences of recurrent miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and fertility treatment in the workplace, she knew there was more support that needed to be offered.

In no particular order, Sophie is a positive psychology practitioner, a coach, an author, a podcaster, a mum and the queen of book recommendations. Sophie’s gorgeously squiggly career working with organisations like Disney and Hallmark led her to shape her own business that practically reconnects people with the power of finding your joy both personally and professionally.

Today I’m joined by Andy Nichols, someone who I know kind of by accident because our worlds have overlapped this year! Andy became a parent through adoption, and I’ve had the absolute privilege of hearing about his family’s experiences for a little while now, so I was thrilled when he said he’d come and chat to me on the podcast.

In this episode of the podcast we’re doing things a bit differently! Today I’m talking to a few different people about their experiences of being a part of the workplace whilst navigating the family set up of being a single, solo or co-parent. There are so many versions of parenthood that are not talked about in the workplace, and whilst we want to honour people’s boundaries, it’s also incre...

Welcome to the new series and new format of the Power of the Parent® podcast! A fresh look and a new name, ‘Power of the Parent®: 3 things you need to know about’ is your back pocket guide to crafting parent and carer support strategies in the workplace. In this first episode we’re going straight into the OG - Defining your strategy. The headlines being covered are: You can blend transactiona...

Continuing with the theme of laying the foundations, this week we’re covering 3 things you need to know about supporting parents in the workplace. Admittedly it could have been a solid 300 things, but we’re not in the business of overwhelming!! The topics tackled are: It’s not all about returners It’s not all about maternity leave Line managers need to be part of the conversation (missed a tr...

Something that has become synonymous with supporting parents in the workplace is parental leave transition coaching. And for good reason - it can be an incredible investment in your valued team members who are blending parenthood with a career, that not only supports them personally but can transform their experiences in the workplace. Ultimately, paying dividends to you as an employer in engag...

Today we’re bringing the conversation to a topic that carries a heap of complexity - burnout. We’re going to combine parents, the workplace and some practical notes to consider as an employer when someone is experiencing burnout, and is combining family life with a career. There’s a lot to digest and if you’re looking for further support on managing burnout, there are lots of sources of help ou...

In the latest episode of the podcast we’re heading down the line manager conversation. It’s rich, it’s varied and there are many many metaphorical stones to be turned, so where did I start? Well it wasn’t an easy pick but these three focus areas felt like some of the foundations as well as where the myths are often lurking. We take a walk through: All line managers need engaging (not just tho...

This week's episode is bringing to life an incredibly important but sometimes overlooked conversation (in my experience) - how we combine policies with lived realities. Those market leading, award winning policies we see heralded as the saviour from many employers are indeed needed. But so is digging deeper to understand the organisational narrative and experiences really facing parents, cares ...

I’ve got company this week!! In today’s episode we’re hearing three things you need to know about supporting single parents in the workplace, and what an absolutely wonderful, practical and supportive list it was from Orla Donoghue, founder of Solas Coaching. The three things Orla brought to thai episode are: The varying realities of single parenthood and how it is not just a one size fits al...

It’s time to give parent and carer networks the once over! In this episode we’re picking 3 things you need to know about ERGs - and to be honest it was a long list to pick from, so this will no doubt be revisited in the not too distant future. And although the niche of Power of the Parent® might be parents in the workplace, you could apply much of this discussion to other ERGs too. The three t...

Worried you’re all performance and little substance? Fear not, this is the episode for you. We’re delving into three things you need to know about avoiding performative action. You know those ruts we get stuck in when it comes to recognising / celebrating / using national days, weeks and months? Well, they can serve and important purpose but also need to be carefully partnered with longer ter...

Supporting parents in the workplace has become synonymous with parental leave returns (in my opinion) and it’s more than time for us to expand the conversation. There are so many facets when it comes to this topic, and one period of time that doesn’t get anywhere near the airtime it should (also in my opinion) is supporting parents of teens. In this week's episode I’m joined by Power of the Pa...

Not sure I should really call this an episode, because it’s actually saying cheerio to 2024 and I’ll be back in 2025! Whatever the coming weeks and months look like or mean to you, I hope you stay well, remember those boundaries and I’ll see you in the New Year! If you want to submit a topic to be covered on the podcast next year, please email me charlotte.speak@power-of-the-parent.com (mailto...

Welcome, welcome to the first episode of 2025! I’m kicking off with a big one, and I’m joined by Sophie Cliff - who today celebrates the publication day of her second book - The Hustle Cure. Sophie aka The Joyful Coach is a positive psychology practitioner, founder of Joy Futures and is usually juggling life with a toddler. A really common question I get from leaders and line managers in orga...

Look for a book on preparing to become a parent, and you’re hit with a tsunami of the things. Cast your eyes around to devour something that includes the workplace angle too and you’ll be hard pushed to find it. But it’s an incredibly important step and one that we can’t continue to overlook and assume great engagement for parents in the workplace happens by accident. In this episode we’re tal...

This week we’re tackling a gigantic topic that often gets filed under ‘it is what it is’. Sleep. And luckily I’m not alone - Nicole Ratcliffe, the Workplace Sleep Coach, came along to chat to me about the 3 things she wants employers to know when it comes to the impact of sleep in the workplace. The three things she covered were: The gendered reality of sleep deprivation The cost of ignoring ...

Keeping someone engaged during parental leave can feel a bit like a dark art. How do we make sure we’re not coming on too strong, but also, what if we look a bit aloof? The amount of organisations I’ve worked with who retrospectively wish they’d have talked about this more overtly is huge - I’ll go out on a limb and say non-scientifically, 95% of clients over the last seven years. It’s where s...

The OG of topics around here is supporting people returning to the workplace after any form of parental leave, so it’s time to dive in on the podcast! Great returns from parental leave don’t happen by accident, and no amount of stand alone workshops will create the transformation - it has to be a team effort. So, in this episode I’m going to take you upstream with the three things, so you stop ...