leadership and leadershit

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Feb 2026

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********NEW NAME*********** Double D is now leadership and leadershit, the and. podcast.....all about and., our coaching, our world online and also in real life. Coaching for the ones that don't want to be coaching. The conversations people say they have and don't, we do. Our and . our world is challenging the leadership. Its raw, messy, slightly f'd up, contradictory unedited selves and guest share it as its is, the paradox of and. , the fight against leadershit in a global deficit of good leadership. Join us.

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February 24, 2026Episode 12845 min

#128 Stephanie Harrison The burden of helping in a world that won't help back

When the world demands you disconnect, what if helping others is the only way back to yourself?Stephanie Harrison returns to explore why New Happy feels more urgent than ever. In a world where systems don't have our best interests at heart, she argues that we have each other and that might be enough. The conversation moves through the challenge of holding ideals while knowing your actions feel inadequate, the weaponization of language to dehumanize versus elevate, and the power of unconditional acceptance even when it's uncomfortable. Stephanie shares her continued commitment to New Happy, rooted in personal proof and a profound responsibility to future generations. She introduces her next book, Feel, a guide to working with emotions for their intended purposes rather than suppressing them. The episode tackles how to navigate helping in an old happy world, why small acts matter when everyone participates, and how to stop dismissing the moments that actually make us feel better. It's a raw, emotional conversation about legacy, language, and what it means to be an anonymous person in the wave of history.Mic drops 🎤"It feels more urgent and important than ever to me in a lot of ways." (01:35.8)"To be a helper in an old happy world in a way is asking you to shoulder the burdens of the world." (07:11.8)"If all of us just did our small part, then no one would have to carry a massive burden." (09:12.1)"I also want to be an anonymous person in the wave of history that hopefully helps"

February 9, 2026Episode 12743 min

#127 Jon Dutton : Chain Reaction, what British Cycling teaches us about leading when everyone’s watching

From Olympic podiums to local bike lanes, Jon Dutton unpacks the joy, pressure, and purpose behind leading a sport that half the UK now touches.In this episode of the and. Double D podcast, Dave Evans and Debbie Halls-Evans speak with Jon Dutton, CEO of British Cycling. With nearly half of the UK’s adult population riding a bike at least once last year, Jon shares what it really means to lead a sport that doubles as a lifestyle, form of travel, and source of national pride.From Olympic medals to mental health, from inclusivity to infrastructure, Jon offers no-nonsense reflections on leadership, pressure, purpose, and performance. He talks openly about transforming British Cycling’s culture, navigating change, and making cycling accessible for everyone not just the Lycra elite.Whether you ride, lead, or just want to make impact where it counts, this conversation will get your wheels turning.Mic drops“British Cycling is a sport, a life skill, and an active form of travel. That’s a hell of a privilege to lead.”(00:01:53)“We had to radically rethink who cycling is for. Because the answer must be: everyone.”(00:03:12)“We can’t just talk about inclusion. We have to reflect it in our culture and leadership.”(00:04:25)“Leadership is about pressure. But purpose makes that pressure mean something.”(00:05:31)“Sport can’t be in a bubble. It has to serve communities and be part of bigger conversations.”(00:07:43)“When you lead a national governing body, everyone has an opinion. The key is listening, not reacting.”(00:09:58)

January 5, 2026Episode 12649 min

#126 Dominic Colenso The Actor, The Algorithm, and The Awkward Presentation

In this episode of and. Double D, Dave and Debbie speak with actor-turned-communication-expert Dominic Colenso, exploring the journey from starring in Thunderbirds to becoming a renowned coach, speaker, and author of Cut Through. We discuss the power of performance skills beyond the stage, the neuroscience of communication, and how to reduce complexity to land messages with real impact. Dominic shares insights into human laziness, the distractions of AI, the danger of rushing, and how stopping, listening, and creating space is vital for effective communication. Expect vulnerability, storytelling, and moments of real clarity on what it means to lead and speak with purpose today.Mic 🎤 drops “The more time I spend looking out the window, the more able I am to articulate ideas and use them in a more impactful way.” (22:03)“We often think we have to tell people everything we know to show how brilliant we are. In reality, that’s just rubbish.” (19:36)“I didn’t tell anyone I was cast in Thunderbirds because I didn’t believe it was true.” (05:32)“When I was at drama school, we thought breathwork helped us project our voices. What we didn’t realise is we were regulating our nervous system.” (16:00)“I’m both delighted and petrified by AI.” (25:12)“She googled ‘sustainable Christmas poem’ and Google wrote one for her. Before she’d even thought, her creativity was benchmarked.” (26:34)“What’s the point of writing a book when ChatGPT can spit out 60,000 words on communication?” (30:09)“Leadership development should feel like a rehearsal room you pause, you rewind, you try again.” (14:13)“I was a very introverted performer. I’d blush going on stage. But there was something about being in front of a group that lit me up.” (03:10)

December 9, 2025Episode 1251 hr 7 min

# 125 Erin Fletter What if the mess is where the magic is?

Founder of Sticky Fingers Cooking® Erin Fletter serves up a deliciously honest conversation on failure, flavour, and feeding the future.What if leadership looked less like order and more like creativity, chaos, and courage? In this episode, Dave Evans and Debbie Halls-Evans stir things up with Erin Fletter, founder of Sticky Fingers Cooking®, a revolutionary US-based children's cooking school.We talk about the messy middle of growing a business, why mistakes are essential ingredients for success, and how cooking with kids teaches us more about leadership, connection, and life than any boardroom ever could.This isn’t a chat about KPIs or pitch decks. This is a conversation about doing the thing that matters, whether the kitchen’s on fire or not. It’s about vision, persistence, play, and why Erin believes in radical transparency with kids, with customers, and with herself.Mic Drop Quotes "I went door to door to schools and I went to a hundred schools and I got 97. You're, you're crazy. You're out of your mind. I got a 97 node. Because they didn't, there was no such thing.""How many people in the world today? Give up? Yeah, give up. At 20, at six, at 10, and before they even leave their house, you went to a hundred schools.""The harder you work, the more luck that you have."Why listen to this episode?You’re tired of the same leadership advice and want something realYou’re curious about how building with kids can teach adults how to leadYou want to create something that matters, but you're stuck in the perfection trapYou’re in the messy middle and need a nudge forwardYou want permission to lead with flavour, fun, and failure not just formulasFind more about Sticky Fingers Cooking Erin Fletter (she/her)CEO, Founder & Food-Geek-in-ChiefSticky Fingers Cooking® Core Values & Social ResponsibilityCookbooks + Brand Information + Franchise Information

August 13, 2025Episode 12450 min

#124 Rudy Gestede Mediocre Career, Maximum Clarity?

He played in the Premier League. He calls his career mediocre. Now that’s leadership.Rudy Gestede went from global footballer to the boardroom with zero ego and a work ethic built on grit, faith, and no backup plan. He’s not here to impress you. He’s here to challenge everything you think leadership looks like.How do you lead when your body gives up before your ambition does?In this no-frills episode, former Premier League footballer turned Blackburn Rovers exec Rudy Gestede drops his playbook for leading with honesty, handling pressure without whining, and navigating elite sport, injury, and impostor syndrome without falling apart.No flashy philosophy. No “I always wanted to be a leader” narrative. Just straight-up lessons in ownership, discipline, and what happens when you stop blaming and start building. Why Listen to This Episode?Whether you’re leading in sport, business, or life this one’s for the people who don’t want a hype talk. They want the truth.You want leadership advice from someone who actually had to earn itYou’re transitioning careers and feel like you’re making it up as you goYou’ve failed, doubted yourself, or been lied to and want to do better anywayYou’re tired of watching leaders fake it with charisma and crumble under pressureYou want to build something without needing to shout, scheme, or show off-------------------------------------Mic Drop Moments“Leadership? I’m still shit at it. But I’m learning every day.”Say hello to your new favorite truth bomb.“You don’t need to like everyone but you do need to respect them.”Basic human decency. Rare leadership strategy.“I opened a restaurant to learn how to manage people.”Imagine being this committed to not being mediocre.“I didn’t give myself options. I gave myself a goal.”Resilience 101: remove the escape hatch.“We had six managers in two years. I saw what good and bad looked like.”If you’ve survived a toxic org, you’ll feel this in your spine.“If you fake leadership, people will see it. Every time.”Truth has a weird way of showing up even if you hide behind buzzwords.“I lead by shaking hands with every person in the building.”Forget all-hands Zooms. Try human connection.“The worst leader I ever hired? That’s on me.”Accountability: often mentioned, rarely modelled.

August 6, 2025Episode 12440 min

#123. Eboni Usoro-Brown. 117 caps. Zero ego. One hell of a story.

She didn’t just play for England. She bled for it. Netball star turned litigator Eboni Usoro-Brown drops the truth about legacy, leadership, and why knowing your values is your ultimate power move.What happens when elite sport ends and “real life” begins?In this raw, unscripted episode, Dave and Debbie sit down with Eboni Usoro-Brown—former England netball champion, Gold Coast gold medallist, commercial litigator, and mum of two—to talk about ambition, identity, and what happens after you’ve lived your dream.With 117 caps for England, a career in law, and wisdom forged in four-year cycles of pressure and purpose, Eboni brings the kind of perspective most leadership books only dream of.She’s not here to inspire you she’s here to challenge you.This one’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s for the listener who’s ready to own their values, lead without compromise, and stop waiting for permission to grow.Why listen to this episode?You’re sick of hearing ‘resilience’ and want to feel itYou’re figuring out who you are when the title, team, or job disappearsYou want to understand how real values beat performative purpose every timeYou’re navigating transition—and want a playbook with honesty, not fluffYou’re a leader, a parent, a player, or a person who knows there’s more in you than what you’ve done so far----------------------------------------------------Mic Drop Moments◦“117 caps mean something but they also mean 117 times I had to prove myself.”◦“Failure teaches you how to win. If you let it.”◦“In sport, we’re coached to listen. In business, everyone wants to talk.”◦“Your values don’t just guide your decisions they set your boundaries.”◦“Athletes give everything to the badge on the front. But who are you when that badge is gone?”◦“Self-discipline isn’t punishment. It’s the price of purpose.”◦“Sport didn’t make me a mum but it taught me how to lead my kids.”◦“Gratitude isn’t soft. It’s a strategy.”-----------------------------------------------------Join us on a leadership or leadershit program ⁠www.leadershitorleadership.com⁠Get in touch on how we can help you⁠www.andcoachme.com/contact

July 30, 2025Episode 12243 min

#122 Sherilyn Shackell Still leading like it’s 1994? You’re the problem.

Burn the Old Playbook, ttill leading like it’s 1994? You’re the problem.Sherilyn Shackell built a global movement to fix leadership from the inside out. She’s here to call out ego, expose the rot, and torch the outdated crap that’s still infecting your company culture.This isn’t inspiration. It’s demolition.Sherilyn Shackell, founder of The Marketing Academy, joins Dave and Debbie for a blisteringly honest episode about what leadership actually looks like in 2025 and why most of what we’ve been taught is a flaming pile of outdated nonsense.She’s lived the burnout, dodged the bullshit, and built one of the most respected leadership academies in the world by doing the exact opposite of what corporate culture preaches.Why listen to this episode From generational shifts to AI to emotional intelligence to calling out “successful” leaders who are just skilled narcissists this is the leadership detox your brain didn't know it needed.You’re tired of pretending Maslow still appliesYou’ve been taught to lead through fear, and it’s not workingYou’re leading a team that doesn’t care about status, titles, or your 16-hour grindsetYou know leadership training is broken but you don’t know what should replace itYou’re ready to be a good human first and a great leader second-----------------------------------------------------------Mic drop moments “We were led badly. And badly led people go on to lead people badly.”The cycle continues unless you break it.“Maslow is 70 years old. Stop building orgs like it’s post-war America.”If your culture runs on frameworks older than color TV, you deserve the attrition rate.“Burnout is not a badge. It’s a red flag.”Congrats on running yourself into the ground. Nobody’s clapping.“People don’t need managers. They need someone worth following.”If you’re managing more than you’re modeling, step aside.“AI won’t break the world. Shit leaders using AI will.”It’s not the tool. It’s the hands holding it.“Intentionality isn’t saying the right thing. It’s being the right thing even when no one’s watching.”Your culture is built by what you tolerate, not what you tweet.“The second you get power, you speak through a megaphone. Be careful what comes out.”You’re louder than you think. Act like it.“Don’t be a dick. And always help someone else succeed.”Leadership. Decoded in 12 words or less.

July 25, 2025Episode 12151 min

#121 Greig Laidlaw What if giving someone more power makes them worse?

He led Scotland. Now he’s building better leaders one brutal truth at a time. From test matches to Tokyo Bay, Greig Laidlaw shares what leadership really looks like when ego’s out, pressure’s on, and you’ve got no place to hide.What happens when the armband comes off and the clipboard goes on?Former Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw has seen leadership from every angle: on the pitch, in the locker room, and now in the coach’s box in Japan. In this episode, Greig gets painfully honest about the cost of poor leadership, why some captains shouldn’t be captains, and what it really takes to build belief in yourself and your team.This isn’t a highlight reel it’s a deep dive into cultural collisions, emotional discipline, and the fine line between authority and authenticity.Why listen to this episodeIf you think leadership is about having the loudest voice in the room, this episode might hurt your feelings. And that’s the point.You’ve been handed the title, but not the toolsYou want to build a team culture that actually works under pressureYou’re trying to lead in a culture that doesn’t like being questionedYou’re still figuring out how to lead without losing yourselfYou want to hear from someone who’s done the hard yards and still says, “Here’s what I’m shit at”“Sometimes leadership isn’t about stepping up it’s about stepping back.”Because great leaders don’t need the armband to lead.“We said yes… but we didn’t mean it. We were just being polite.”Culture clash 101: politeness ≠ alignment.“He was a better leader the minute we took the captaincy off him.”Titles don't make leaders. Sometimes they ruin them.“Stop blaming the lack of leaders. Start building them.”Call HR. That one left a bruise.“If you let others lead, they’ll surprise you. If you don’t, they won’t.”Control is not the same as leadership. It’s just anxiety in uniform.“Am I doing the right thing here? Am I qualified?”Spoiler: That’s what real leaders ask themselves. Not the loud ones.“Ego is the enemy and if you don’t check it, the game will.”Turns out the pitch is better at spotting arrogance than your performance review.“The best players walk the line between control and chaos—and never tip red.”This isn’t just rugby. This is emotional intelligence under fire.

July 22, 2025Episode 12249 min

#120 Ego-led leadership is killing performance. Here’s the antidote.

What if the real problem isn’t bad leadership it's all the fake stuff pretending to be good? From boardrooms to footballs inner circles, Chris Brindley MBE is done with the fluff. This is leadership stripped back no ego, no buzzwords, no PowerPoint charisma.In this straight-talking episode, Dave Evans sits down with Chris Brindley MBE, a titan of both sport and business, to unpick what true leadership looks like when the egos are stripped out and people are put first.With a career spanning , Metro Bank, Premier League Football Clubs, and Chair of Rugby League World Cup 2021, Chris has seen it all. But he isn’t interested in corporate soundbites he’s here to talk real leadership, human-first strategy, and how to lead without compromising your character.Expect stories from the frontlines of football, finance, and national sport and the lessons that matter in boardrooms, locker rooms, and everyday life.Why listen to this episode Because you’re tired of leadership advice that sounds like a scented candleBecause you’ve been promoted but nobody gave you the manualBecause you’re leading a team and secretly hoping they don’t notice you’re winging itBecause performance without empathy is a ticking time bombBecause sport teaches what the boardroom forgets: you win with peopleBecause if you want to stop managing and start leading this is your wake-up call----------------------------------------------------------Mic Drop Moments – Chris Brindley MBE, human-first hurricane of leadership clarity"Ego is the enemy of high performance."Yeah, that loud guy in meetings? Not the leader. Just the noise machine."You do not coach the game you coach the people."Try saying this next time your manager praises the spreadsheet instead of the human."The best leaders listen more than they speak."Translation: Shut up. Pay attention. Then speak if you must."There’s no such thing as constructive criticism only feedback that helps someone grow."Put down the passive-aggressive compliment sandwich. Be better."You cannot manage time. You manage yourself."Your calendar is not the problem. You are."You can’t just play the game on the pitch you’ve got to lead it from the sidelines too."Greatness isn't always in the spotlight. Sometimes it's yelling from the edge with intent."Performance without people is a short-lived success."Burnout doesn't look good in your Q4 report."High performance doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a habit."Spoiler alert: coasting is not a strategy."Being busy is not the same as being effective."That to-do list isn’t saving you. It's just hiding the fact you’re avoiding the real work."You are not the finished article and neither is anyone you lead."Take yourself off the pedestal. No one wants to follow a statue.------------------------------------------------------Join us on a leadership or leadershit program www.leadershitorleadership.comGet in touch on how we can help youwww.andcoachme.com/contactBuy Personal Success motivators coaching kit here: www.andcoachme.com/shop

March 22, 2025Episode 11936 min

#119 What if you’re solving the wrong problem?

What if you’re solving the wrong problem?Season 6 | Guest: Dan Bennett – Storytelling Strategist, Senior Partner & Lead of Behavioural Science at Ogilvy ConsultingWhat if your biggest business problem isn’t the problem—but how you’re talking (or not talking) about it?In this episode, we’re joined by Dan Bennett, a master of story, simplicity, and solving through conversation. With his background as a video brand consultant and founder of 1 Minute Media, Dan flips the script on how we connect, communicate, and clarify what actually matters.We unpack:Why clarity isn't found in silenceHow branding is really just storytelling with strategyThe subtle sabotage of overcomplicationAnd the courage it takes to speak your truth, on camera or offDave, Debbie and Dan dive into the messy middle between chaos and clarity, what it means to simplify your message, lead with value, and start where most people never do with real human dialogue just like our podcast!"We’re not as self-aware as we think we are.” Behavioural scientist Dan Bennettbrings insight, humility, and real-world wisdom to this episode, cutting through the noise with clarity. From how your brain tricks you into sabotaging your future self, to the real reason towel signs in hotels work (spoiler: it’s not because you care about the environment), this is a masterclass in understanding how we actually work.We talk identity, introspection, leadership, ego, the science of influence, and what happens when you see the human first.This isn’t marketing fluff or behavioural buzzwords, this is practical magic, rooted in truth.Also check out the event Dan shares https://nudgestock.com/-------------------------------------------------------------Join in more become a guest of the podcast -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our program waitlist and experience all that is and.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on socials⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andcoachme⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with us on LinkedIn -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Experience and. go to our website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.andcoachme.com⁠⁠/experience