LEAP Listens

Hosted by Sara MacGregor and Roger Cayless

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Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

LEAP Listens is a bitesize podcast hosted by Sara MacGregor and Roger Cayless who are both leaders in Employer Branding, Candidate Experience and Recruitment Marketing. In this ongoing series of podcasts they tackle client and industry themes and along the way host expert guests who provide opinion, stories and advice on the world of ‘people communications’.

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60 recent

October 6, 2026Episode 9723 min

Why businesses are overlooking talent in Africa with Gerard Holland

Africa is home to a huge pool of skilled, educated and tech-savvy talent, but it remains overlooked by many global employers. In this episode, Gerard Holland, Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Talent Match Africa, joins Sara and Roger to explore why perceptions of African talent haven’t always kept pace with reality, and what businesses could gain by looking beyond the traditional global hiring markets. They discuss the biases that shape hiring decisions, the balance between cost and quality when recruiting internationally, and why remote employees need to be properly brought into the culture rather than treated as an outsourced resource. LEAP Listens is brought to you by LEAP Create, an award-winning people communications agency. Find out more at leapcreate.co.uk

August 24, 2026Episode 9632 min

How to build an EVP people actually use with Zosia Hedges and Helena Smith

An EVP shouldn’t be a big launch that quickly fizzles out. It needs to feel true to the people it represents, and become part of everyday working life. In this special two-for-one episode, Zosia Hedges and Helena Smith from InHealth Group join Sara and Roger to share how InHealth worked with LEAP Create to build The Compass, a new EVP shaped with colleagues from the ground up. They explore the value of honest colleague research and co-creation, why real staff photography helped people recognise themselves in the work, and how The Compass is now being woven into recruitment, appraisals, manager conversations and everyday communications. LEAP Listens is brought to you by LEAP Create, an award-winning people communications agency. Find out more at leapcreate.co.uk

July 27, 2026Episode 9525 min

How to make culture part of your growth strategy with Clare Altmann-Richer

How do you grow from 300 to more than 1,000 people without losing the culture that got you there? Clare Altmann-Richer from Neko Health joins Sara and Roger to explore how the business is embedding its “Vitals” into hiring, onboarding, leadership and everyday decision-making, while keeping teams connected to its mission across countries, roles and working patterns. They also discuss how Neko Health is helping clinicians see the real impact of their work and creating a sense of belonging for team members who may only work a few shifts each week. Clare shares why culture cannot simply be expected to scale on its own, it has to be deliberately built into the way an organisation operates. LEAP Listens is brought to you by LEAP Create, an award-winning people communications agency. Find out more at leapcreate.co.uk

July 1, 2026Episode 9427 min

The human side of organisational change with Rachel Tolhurst

In this episode of LEAP Listens, Sara and Roger are joined by internal communications and change specialist Rachel Tolhurst to explore why empathy should sit at the heart of organisational change. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience, Rachel shares practical lessons from leading change programmes across a range of organisations, explaining why understanding employees' emotions is just as important as delivering the message. From mergers and redundancies to AI adoption, Rachel shares real examples of how organisations can handle difficult conversations with honesty, dignity and trust, helping employees feel informed, respected and supported through change LEAP Listens is brought to you by LEAP Create, an award-winning people communications agency. Find out more at leapcreate.co.uk

June 9, 2026Episode 9324 min

Why employee surveys only tell half the story of workplace culture with Dr Alex Gapud

In this episode of LEAP Listens, Sara and Roger are joined by organisational anthropologist Dr Alex Gapud to explore what organisations can learn when they look beyond surveys, spreadsheets and engagement scores. Drawing on his work studying workplace cultures from the inside, Alex explains why understanding people's lived experiences is essential for building authentic employee value propositions that employees genuinely recognise and trust. The conversation explores the gap between what organisations think employees value and what people actually experience day to day. Alex shares why qualitative research can uncover insights that numbers alone often miss, and why the most effective EVPs are built around real human stories rather than assumptions made in the boardroom. LEAP Listens is brought to you by LEAP Create, an award-winning people communications agency. Find out more at leapcreate.co.uk

May 26, 2026Episode 9223 min

Why the future of work needs a different kind of organisation with Perry Timms

In this episode of LEAP Listens, Sara and Roger are joined by internationally recognised HR thinker and transformation expert Perry Timms to explore the idea of the 'polymorphic organisation' a business designed to adapt, shift and evolve as the world around it changes. Drawing on decades of experience across HR, organisational design and change, Perry explains why companies need to balance the demands of today with the realities of tomorrow, and why rigid structures are no longer enough. From agile working and self-managed teams to future skills, leadership and employer brand, the conversation explores how organisations can become more adaptive without losing stability. LEAP Listens is brought to you by LEAP Create, an award-winning people communications agency. Find out more at leapcreate.co.uk

May 11, 2026Episode 9127 min

Why employee engagement scores are broken with Howard Krais

In this episode of LEAP Listens, Sara and Roger are joined by communications and change specialist Howard Krais to challenge one of the workplace’s biggest assumptions: that employee engagement scores actually tell us anything useful. Drawing on decades of experience in internal communications and organisational change, Howard explains why leaders obsess over metrics that rarely lead to action, and why trust is the thing organisations should really be measuring. From survey fatigue to people-centred change, Howard shares a more practical approach to listening at work, one built on transparency, follow-through and making employees feel genuinely heard. The conversation explores why most surveys fail to drive meaningful change, how organisations can close the feedback loop properly, and why listening is becoming one of the most important leadership skills in modern business. LEAP Listens is brought to you by LEAP Create, an award-winning people communications agency. Find out more at leapcreate.co.uk

March 30, 2026Episode 9022 min

Why PR could be your missing channel in employer brand with Jules Fisher

PR isn’t usually the first channel that comes to mind in employer branding, but maybe it should be. In this episode of LEAP Listens, Jules Fisher from Merchant joins Sara MacGregor and Roger Cayless to explore how PR can play a much bigger role in shaping how organisations are seen by potential candidates, especially those who aren’t actively job hunting. From uncovering stories already sitting within your business to building credibility through media, thought leadership, and even LLM visibility, the conversation looks at how PR can help create a more consistent, compelling employer brand beyond your careers site. If you’re only thinking about job ads and social when it comes to talent attraction, this one might change your perspective. LEAP Listens is brought to you by LEAP Create, an award-winning people communications agency. Find out more at leapcreate.co.uk

March 9, 2026Episode 8936 min

How AI can make workplaces psychologically safer with Barbara Phillips

Psychological safety is often talked about as a cornerstone of healthy workplace culture. But what does it actually look like in practice, and why do so many organisations still struggle to create it? In this episode of LEAP Listens, Barbara Phillips, founder of Brownstone Communications, joins Sara MacGregor and Roger Cayless to explore how AI could help employees, managers and HR navigate workplace culture, rights and responsibilities more confidently. Barbara shares the thinking behind EDI Guru, an AI assistant trained on UK equality and employment law that allows users to confidentially explore workplace scenarios, understand policies, and better prepare for difficult conversations. The tool aims to help people access the information they need without fear of judgement or retaliation. From promotion decisions to tricky workplace conversations, the episode looks at how better access to the right information could help people navigate challenges at work with more confidence. LEAP Listens is brought to you by LEAP Create, an award-winning people communications agency. Find out more at leapcreate.co.uk

February 23, 2026Episode 8823 min

How to get Internal Comms crisis-ready in any organisation with Sarah Farrow

Crisis rarely gives you notice. In this episode of LEAP Listens , communications consultant Sarah Farrow joins Sara MacGregor and Roger Cayless to share what internal comms teams need in place before the worst happens. Drawing on her experience leading communications through the sudden closure of a government-funded organisation, Sarah explains how to prepare for the crisis you hope never comes, from risk mapping and scenario planning to keeping knowledge from becoming currency. With just 24 hours between finding out and telling the entire organisation, this is a candid conversation about honesty and leadership, because in a crisis, it’s not perfect wording that people remember, it’s how you made them feel. LEAP Listens is brought to you by LEAP Create, an award-winning people communications agency. Find out more at leapcreate.co.uk