The People Mentor Podcast

Hosted by Nicola Richardson

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191

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Series 6: Find Your Voice – Confidence, Silence and the Conversations That Matter This series is all about the voice you've been holding back, because confidence was never actually the problem. I'm Nicola Richardson from The People Mentor, and I've spent over 40 years leading teams through change, conflict and everything in between. I know what it costs when people stay quiet, and what changes the moment they don't. In this series, I'm bringing you real stories from my own career and from the people I work with, on why silence at work is rarely about a lack of courage, and almost always about a missing skill. We'll get into what actually stops people speaking up, why confidence follows skill rather than the other way round, and what saying nothing really costs a business and the person carrying it. I'm also joined by guests, real leaders and managers from care, charity and small business, each bringing their own experience of building influence and speaking up without needing a title to back it. If you've ever gone quiet when you had something worth saying, this series will show you why, and what to do about it. Listen now for honest insight and down-to-earth leadership support.

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September 6, 202612 min

How to Influence Your Team When You're Not the Boss

You make the point. Nothing. Ten minutes later, someone else says almost the same thing, and the whole room starts nodding. Does this sound like something you have experienced? Influence has nothing to do with your job title, and in this episode, I want to prove it to you. This week I'm looking at the hardest one: your peers. The people alongside you. The ones you might even be quietly competing with for the same next step. You cannot pull rank with them, so if you want them on your side, you have to earn it a different way. In this episode, I cover: Why waiting for a promotion before you start influencing people is costing you more than you realise The difference between authority and influence, and why only one of them can actually be built right now Expert power and why competence alone will only get you so far How to frame your ideas in a way that lands with different types of people What real rapport looks like (and why the performed kind will backfire on you) A story from early in my career that changed how I think about all of this If you have ever felt like you are saying the right things and nobody is listening, this one is for you. You can find out more about The Manager's Academy here: https://6c35-thepeoplementor.systeme.io/the_managers_academy_membership Mentioned in this episode: BiteSize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers. Bitesize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers.

August 30, 202629 min

Lead the Person First: What Great Managers Get Wrong

Most managers prepare what they're going to say before a difficult conversation. Nina Ketel says that's exactly where it goes wrong. Lead with curiosity, not conclusions. And it changes everything. Nina Ketel spent over 13 years leading teams in local authority before moving into coaching. She now helps people rebuild their confidence after some of life's harder chapters — redundancy, divorce, illness, returning to work after raising a family. But what makes this conversation so good is that Nina brings both sides of the table. She knows what it feels like to sit in the manager's chair without a rulebook. And she knows what it feels like to walk back into a workplace having lost yourself along the way. We talk about what great managers actually do differently, why people don't lose their ability when their confidence takes a knock (they just lose sight of it), and the single biggest mistake managers make when they're trying to have a difficult conversation — preparing what to say instead of what to ask. Nina also shares the story behind her memoir, The £30,000 Lesson, and the What's Next programme she's running at a Women's Centre in Stockport, supporting women rebuilding their lives after domestic abuse. It's a conversation full of real insight, real experience, and the kind of practical wisdom you can take straight into work with you.

August 23, 20269 min

When You Lose Your Voice in the Workplace

What happens when the part of you that speaks up, pushes back, and advocates for yourself goes quiet? In this more personal episode, Nicola shares her own experience of losing her professional voice during a difficult chapter in her life, the pattern she sees again and again in the managers and leaders she works with, and what it actually looks like to find your voice again. For anyone who's noticed themselves going quiet at work, or anyone leading someone who has.

August 16, 202628 min

Why Leadership Problems Are Usually Insidious Habits You Cannot Hear

Most managers think they have a skills problem. What they actually have is a habit problem, and it is running underneath everything they do without them noticing. My guest this week is Doug Stoddard, a neuroscience and habit-breaking expert and the creator of Legacy360 Leadership. Doug coaches leaders from CEOs of large organisations right down to people managing a team of four or five, and his work comes from somewhere very few leadership coaches can claim. He built multiple businesses, went through a devastating bankruptcy, and then spent 9 years after that hitting the same walls over and over before he understood what was really going on. Doug explains what happens in the brain when someone becomes reactive, why unmet expectations sit behind so much of the behaviour you are seeing in your teams, and why your brain attaches your ideas to your sense of self-worth. That last part is why a straightforward disagreement at work turns personal so quickly. He also shares the story of a team member responsible for around $600,000 of revenue. Technically excellent, but the moment he felt his work was not being valued, he fired off emails that did real damage to client relationships. What changed things was not a training course. It was working out why he responded that way in the first place. I share something of my own in this one too, about what I learned when I was in hospital three years ago and my own hypervigilant thinking was getting in the way of recovering. What you will take away Why what you are not aware of becomes very expensive, in Doug's words, and what that costs a business in practice. The three things you have to identify before any behaviour actually shifts. Awareness that it is happening, the words going through your head, and the story or identity underneath it. Why the subconscious only thinks in either/or, and how to spot that language in yourself and in the people you manage. Why assessments that hand someone a permanent label are part of the problem rather than the solution. About Doug Doug Stoddard is a neuroscience and habit breaking expert and the creator of Legacy360 Leadership. He has spent more than a decade helping leaders get to the root of what is driving their behaviour rather than managing the symptoms. Website: dougstoddard.com Schedule Call Here: https://link.dougstoddard.com/widget/ booking/APh7KuyxUVLfZXGUAFy0 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougstoddard1/ About me I am Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor. I have spent over 40 years working with managers, and most of what I get called in to sort out is not really a process problem. It is a people problem, usually involving a manager who was promoted without proper preparation. If you are responsible for a layer of managers and the same escalations keep landing back on your desk, The Manager's Academy is my CPD-accredited monthly membership built to give them the practical skills nobody taught them. Find out more: https://thepeoplementor.co.uk/the-managers-academy/ Book a virtual cuppa with me: https://thepeoplementor.trafft.com/services/virtual-cuppa Get in touch: hello@thepeoplementor.co.uk If this episode was useful, please leave a rating or review. It genuinely helps other managers find the show. Mentioned in this episode: BiteSize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers. Bitesize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers.

August 9, 202611 min

Why Leadership Fatigue is Often a Conversation Problem in Disguise

If you've been feeling that bone-deep tiredness that comes with leading a team, you might assume it's your workload. In this episode, Nicola Richardson explores why leadership fatigue is so often misdiagnosed and why the real culprit is usually the conversations you haven't had yet. From the performance issue that's been skirted around for months, to the feedback you keep rehearsing in your head but never quite deliver, Nicola unpacks why managers avoid difficult conversations (hint: it's not weakness, it's a skills gap), what that avoidance is actually costing you, and three practical things you can do to start carrying less. Mentioned in this episode: Bitesize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers. BiteSize Brilliance: Managing People Most managers were never actually taught how to manage. They were brilliant at their job, got promoted, and then found themselves responsible for a team with no real preparation for what that means. This podcast is for them. Bite Size Brilliance: Managing People is hosted by Nicola Richardson, founder of The People Mentor, with over 40 years of experience in leadership development and people management. Each episode is short, practical, and designed to give you something you can actually use - whether you're dealing with a difficult conversation you've been putting off, trying to get the best out of your team, or just feeling the weight of managing people and wondering if it's supposed to feel this hard. Episodes alternate between solo episodes where Nicola shares her expertise directly, and honest conversations with guests who know what it's like to lead people in the real world. No theory for theory's sake. No corporate fluff. Just real, useful insight for real managers.

October 13, 202523 min

Handling the Tough Return to the Workplace Conversation

In this episode of The People Mentor Podcast , Nicola Richardson explores how to have honest, respectful return-to-work conversations when employees prefer remote working. She shares how to balance business needs with empathy, why blanket rules can damage trust, and how listening and flexibility help rebuild engagement after change. Nicola also offers practical ways to handle resistance, frame the conversation around shared goals, and support employees through the transition back to the workplace. Whether you’re a manager or business owner, this episode gives you tools to navigate return-to-office discussions with confidence, clarity, and care.

October 5, 202518 min

Why Empathetic Leaders Often Struggle Most With Directness (And What to Do)

When caring too much starts to cost you clarity. Empathy is one of the greatest strengths a leader can have. But when it turns into over-caring, avoidance, or guilt, it can quietly hold you back. In this episode, I explore why empathetic leaders often struggle most with being direct, how it manifests in everyday conversations, and the small shifts that turn empathy into clarity rather than compromise. You'll learn practical ways to balance compassion with courage, so you can speak your mind without compromising your humanity.

September 28, 202520 min

The Secret Blame Game: How Good Leaders Really Build Trust

Tired of workplace finger-pointing destroying your team? Discover why blame culture spreads like wildfire through organisations and how smart leaders flip it into ownership. Discover the neuroscience behind blame, recognise the warning signs, and acquire practical tools to transform toxic conversations into trust-building moments. Perfect for managers and senior leaders who want to stop firefighting and start leading with confidence.

September 21, 202513 min

Managing Managers for the First Time -The Reality Nobody Prepares You For

Managing Managers for the First Time I thought this would be just like leading my old team, but bigger. I was so wrong. If This Sounds Like You, This Episode Is Essential: ❌ Your old success moves now create bottlenecks ❌ Direct instructions that used to work are failing ❌ You feel like you're failing at everything ❌ Your confidence has been knocked sideways ❌ You're drowning in detail instead of leading The Uncomfortable Truth Managing managers isn't a scaled-up version of your old job. It's an entirely different game - and most leaders are thrown into it without a roadmap. What You'll Learn ✅ The identity shift that's messing with your head ✅ Why you're avoiding the conversations you need to have ✅ The four critical mistakes every new leader makes ✅ Your inner critic voices and how they're sabotaging you ✅ The reframe that changes everything Perfect If You're: Recently promoted to manage other managers Feeling overwhelmed and out of your depth Missing the days when you "just got things done" Ready to stop struggling and start leading with confidence This episode could be the turning point that helps you see this transition for what it truly is and gives you the clarity to navigate it successfully. 🎧 Listen now - because you're not supposed to have all the answers anymore. Want more support making this transition? Check out the Conversation Catalyst programs mentioned at the end.

September 14, 202511 min

Culture First: Why Your Leadership Sets the Tone for Every Conversation

Your workplace conversations are broken. I'm here to fix them. In this episode, I'm tackling something that is often overlooked - your workplace culture. Not the glossy values stuck on your website. I'm talking about the authentic culture -the one your team experiences every single day. You'll discover why you can prep your words perfectly, but if your culture is built on fear or silence, those words won't land. I'll show you how toxic culture kills conversations before they start, and what healthy cultures do differently. I'll share real examples of how small cultural shifts can transform even the most challenging conversations. Because here's what I know after years of working with leaders - when culture is healthy, even the most difficult conversations feel possible. Ready to create a culture where honesty thrives and every conversation counts? Hit subscribe, and let's fix this together. New episodes every week. Perfect for leaders who want results, not excuses.