TIE Unearthed

Hosted by Philippa White

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Episodes

124

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

Welcome to the TIE Unearthed podcast. This is the show where we unearth new ways of looking at ever evolving life around the world. Seen from a number of different industries, cultures, and backgrounds. And there’s one thing that unites everyone I speak to. They all want to do their part to make the world better in their own unique ways. It’s a uniting passion. Whether they’re from the commercial world, third sector, or public sector. From the Global North or the Global South. If you’re looking for inspiration that will get you thinking in new ways, then come on this journey with me.

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60 recent

August 28, 202641 min

Ep #122: When Access Changes What’s Possible, with Debbie Ahenkorah and Cameron Milne

Most conversations about AI begin with speed. What can be done faster, cheaper, with fewer people involved. But almost none begin with what an organisation has never been able to do at all. And that's where my conversation with Debbie Ahenkorah and Cameron Milne ended up, although it started somewhere else entirely. They first met through TIE Leadership during the pandemic. Debbie was leading Golden Baobab in Ghana and needed help translating an ambitious social-impact idea into something the corporate world could understand. Cam, then working in advertising in New York City, became a bridge between the two. Six years later, Cam is the founder of Braid, focused on the human side of AI transformation, and Debbie is part of that work. During our conversation, Debbie makes an interesting observation: for a small organisation that has always had the ambition but not the resources, AI can become “their Cam.” Which then opens up a much bigger question. If capability is becoming less scarce, what might become possible for organisations that have always been constrained by access to it? We talk about what that could mean for social-impact organisations, why AI only becomes useful when people know how to weave it into the work, and the agency we need to have over how we choose to use it. Episode 122 of TIE Unearthed is available now. 👉 Don’t forget to share your thoughts on the episode, leave a review, and subscribe. If you'd like to stay updated on future episodes and other inspiring stories from TIE, join our newsletter here . If you would like to order my international bestselling book Return on Humanity: Leadership Lessons from All Corners of the Earth, you can do that here .

August 14, 202644 min

Ep #121: What It Takes to Build What Doesn't Yet Exist, with Faisal Kiwewa

Some ideas don’t fail because they are wrong. They fail because the world has nowhere to put them yet. We often assume that if something is good enough, an audience is already there, waiting. But sometimes what you are actually building is the audience itself. That idea runs through my conversation with Faisal Kiwewa, founder and Artistic Director of the Bayimba Foundation in Uganda. Faisal began as a musician himself. But when performing became too expensive to sustain, he realised the problem was much bigger than his own career. So, over twenty years ago, Faisal set out to create opportunities for Ugandan artists who had talent but few places to perform, collaborate or build sustainable careers. Today, Bayimba has helped shape Uganda’s thriving arts landscape, from live music and festivals to training and art forms that simply weren’t there before. We talk about what it takes to keep building before the market exists, why Faisal chose to stop performing himself, and what becomes possible when fresh perspectives enter a world you know almost too well. And I love the thought that Faisal ends with: you can achieve a mission. But if you can achieve your vision, perhaps the vision wasn’t big enough. So, whether you’re heading out for a run or settling in with your favourite drink, here’s Faisal. 👉 In the meantime, don't forget to share your thoughts on the episode, leave a review, and subscribe! If you'd like to stay updated on future episodes and other inspiring stories from TIE, join our newsletter here . If you would like to order my international bestselling book Return on Humanity: Leadership lessons from all corners of the earth, you can do that here .

July 24, 202639 min

Ep #120: What Curiosity Needs to Survive at Work, with Jeppe Fischer-Mogensen

Curiosity is easy to praise and surprisingly hard to organise. Most organisations say they want more of it. Then they reward speed, certainty and the person who arrives with the answer. That tension sits at the heart of my conversation with Jeppe Fischer-Mogensen, Head of Strategic Planning at Arla, on this week's episode of TIE Unearthed. Jeppe grew up in a small town in Denmark, feeling slightly outside of things, following interests nobody else around him cared about. That sense of being on the edge shaped how he sees organisations now, and how rarely they make space for genuinely open thinking. We explored why curiosity needs purpose, but also room. Why something as small as calling a session a “presentation” rather than a “workshop” can change how people show up. And why brave ideas rarely emerge because people are told to be braver. And he leaves us with a thought I love: Have strong opinions, but hold them lightly. A useful place to leave any conversation about curiosity. Episode 120 of TIE Unearthed is available now. 👉 In the meantime, don't forget to share your thoughts on the episode, leave a review, and subscribe! If you'd like to stay updated on future episodes and other inspiring stories from TIE, join our newsletter here . If you would like to order my international bestselling book Return on Humanity: Leadership lessons from all corners of the earth, you can do that here .

July 10, 202643 min

Ep #119: What if work has become incompatible with being human, with Kimberly Shaw

What if the problem was never that people can't cope, but that we've built a way of working no human was ever meant to sustain? Just think about that for a moment. This thought sits at the heart of my conversation with Kimberly Shaw, founder and principal of the Canadian change and transformation consultancy Changify. For more than twenty years she has worked inside complex organisational change, helping businesses navigate mergers, transformations and the realities of leading through uncertainty. Where Kimberly goes is somewhere more interesting than frameworks. She takes one of leadership's favourite words and then turns it back on itself. Resilience, she suggests, has become something organisations expect from people, rather than something they are willing to build for them. And a bigger question then follows. If trust, connection and psychological safety are the first things to disappear whenever the pressure rises, were they ever really part of the system at all? We cover a lot of ground, and Kimberly's energy carries all of it. The full episode is out now. 👉 In the meantime, don't forget to share your thoughts on the episode, leave a review, and subscribe! If you'd like to stay updated on future episodes and other inspiring stories from TIE, join our newsletter here . If you'd like to order my international bestselling book Return on Humanity: Leadership Lessons from All Corners of the World, you can do that here .

June 26, 202640 min

Ep #118: From Systems Thinking to Systems Being, with Philippe Vandenbroeck

Some people sense that the question they are allowed to ask is not yet the question that matters. Reflect on that for a moment. It comes from Philippe Vandenbroeck, my guest on this week's episode. An engineer who became a philosopher, then an urban planner, then one of Europe's most original thinkers on how organisations actually change. He founded shiftN thirty years ago and now teaches imagination as a pre-design practice at ETH Zürich. What makes Philippe rare is where he has arrived. Not at more certainty, but at less. He describes a shift from systems thinking to what he calls systems being. From trying to master the mess to accepting our place inside it. We talk about why imagination is not a luxury but a precondition for change. And about a gap most organisations never measure. Most boards can name the cost of a decision, but almost none can name the cost of doing nothing. Philippe believes that gap is where the questions that matter actually live. The full episode is out now. 👉 In the meantime, don't forget to share your thoughts on the episode, leave a review, and subscribe! If you'd like to stay updated on future episodes and other inspiring stories from TIE, join our newsletter here . If you would like to order my international bestselling book Return on Humanity: Leadership lessons from all corners of the earth, you can do that here .

June 12, 202643 min

Ep #117: The Resilience We've Been Getting Wrong, with Nick Whitnell

How many times this week did you nod along when something in you wanted to say no? That small surrender feels harmless, but Nick Whitnell would argue it's exactly where the cracks begin. In this episode of TIE Unearthed, I sit down with Nick. A leadership coach, facilitator, former corporate executive, and the founder of Daring Works and The Natural Network. After years in senior leadership roles, burnout brought Nick to a full stop. What followed wasn't a dramatic reinvention or a neatly packaged transformation story. It was instead something far more honest; a slower, messier journey back toward authenticity and self-compassion. But this conversation isn't really about burnout. It's about the quiet cost of swallowing who we are to fit the systems we're part of. Maybe it's the mortgage, the family expectations, the roles we play until we forget they were ever roles at all. And it's about what it takes to come home to yourself. We talk about resilience, and why Nick avoided the word for years as it became something weaponised. The version that says "look how much I can endure" while everything inside is shattering. He offers a different picture - a lotus flower. I love the imagery. Resilience as deep roots in a nourishing environment rather than gritted teeth in a toxic one. As the art of saying no. The fierce, as well as soft, compassion to stay in bed for four days, because that, not pushing through, is what keeps you standing in the long run. Nature does this, he reminds me. What looks rotten and composted down isn't weakness. It's the whole system regenerating. We explore the tension Gabor Maté describes between authenticity and attachment. Why we nod along in meetings rather than say the thing we actually believe. And how those small surrenders become the cracks that form in our souls. And we end on Buckminster Fuller's trim tabs. The idea that the smallest movement can turn a far larger system. Follow what's truly yours, he says, and you pollinate far more than you ever planned to. Like a bee that only set out to find food. If you've been questioning the pace of your life, reassessing what success actually means, or searching for a more grounded way to move through the world, this one's for you. 👉 In the meantime, don't forget to share your thoughts on the episode, leave a review, and subscribe! If you'd like to stay updated on future episodes and other inspiring stories from TIE, join our newsletter [ here ]. If you would like to order my international bestselling book Return on Humanity: Leadership lessons from all corners of the earth, you can do that [ here ]. You can also reach out to Nick and join his Trim Tabs newsletter here: https://www.daring.works/blog/trimtabs-2-connecting-more-deeply-prf7d-dmcft-zx36g-dwrkn

May 29, 202638 min

Ep #116: The DEI Retreat and the Business Cost No One Is Talking About, with Joe Gerstandt

What happens when a profession designed to bring more humanity into organisations gets weaponised by a culture war? When language that was meant to create belonging becomes something both sides throw at each other? And when the corporate world quietly retreats from work it once pledged to champion, what are the real consequences for innovation, adaptability, and long-term survival? In this episode of TIE Unearthed, I sit down with Joe Gerstandt, a speaker, author, and advisor with over 25 years of experience leading and supporting organisational DEI efforts across nearly every industry imaginable. From Fortune 100 companies to government, healthcare, and nonprofits, Joe has spent his career helping leaders move beyond performative conversations and toward something far more grounded: cultures where people can actually think, challenge, contribute, and belong. But this conversation isn't a defence of a programme or a political argument. It's a clear-eyed look at what went wrong, what was never properly understood, and what's actually at stake. Joe talks candidly about the backlash against DEI in corporate America, why so many organisations quietly walked away, and how fear, legal uncertainty, and short-term thinking have distorted conversations that were always meant to be about people. He shares why DEI as a profession was chronically underfunded and under-supported long before the backlash, and why that changes how we should evaluate what's actually happened. We talk about what Kodak and Blockbuster have to do with inclusion. Why organisations that stop listening eventually stop adapting. And what it really costs to build cultures where truth can no longer be spoken safely across levels and across difference. Joe ends with Minneapolis. With a community that faced something hard, and responded in a way that quietly answers the question this whole conversation had been circling. You'll want to hear this. 👉 Don't forget to share your thoughts, leave a review, and subscribe. If you'd like to stay updated on future episodes and other inspiring stories from TIE, join our newsletter here . If you would like to order my international bestselling book Return on Humanity: Leadership lessons from all corners of the earth, you can do that here .

May 15, 202640 min

Ep:#115 AI, Story & What Makes Us Human with Brad Rossacci

What happens when technology becomes more powerful than ever, but we then forget to fully and intentionally live our lives? In this episode of TIE Unearthed, I connect with Brad Rossacci - a Creative Director, storyteller, and self-described “rebellious optimist” who believes curiosity and creativity are the fuel for human flourishing. Brad has spent years at the forefront of innovation at Accenture, and he’s now Executive Creative Director and Head of Story - shaping how some of the world’s biggest brands think, create, and connect. But this conversation goes far beyond branding and AI. We talk about the stories we tell ourselves, and how those stories end up shaping the way we create our lives. We explore the power of intentional living, the importance of the pause between stimulus and response, and what human agency means in the age of AI. We also explore authenticity and just how valuable it is in this ever-evolving world we are living in today. One of my favourite moments was Brad’s insight that: “High agency organisations use AI to augment human judgment. Low agency organisations use AI to offload thinking.” Fascinating insight. Perhaps that’s the real tension sitting underneath this entire conversation? As technology accelerates, what happens? Do we become more passive, or perhaps more intentional? More disconnected, or maybe more human? This is a conversation about story, self-awareness, technology, creativity, and what it means to consciously shape the life you want to live. So, if you’ve been thinking about the power of living more intentionally, how to build the life you want to live, and how to approach AI - and the future - from a place of agency and abundance rather than fear and scarcity, then this one’s for you. 👉 In the meantime, don’t forget to share your thoughts on the episode, leave a review, and subscribe! If you'd like to stay updated on future episodes and other inspiring stories from TIE, join our newsletter ⁠⁠[⁠⁠ here⁠⁠⁠⁠ ]. If you would like to order my international bestselling book Return on Humanity: Leadership lessons from all corners of the earth, you can do that ⁠⁠⁠[⁠ here⁠⁠⁠⁠ ].

April 30, 202640 min

Ep:#114 Joe Hamrahi: A CFO’s Take on Return on Humanity

What does resilience really look like when life doesn’t go to plan? When the future you mapped out disappears…. When the people you love are facing something you can’t fix…. When success, as you once defined it, no longer feels like enough…. In this episode of TIE Unearthed, I sit down with Joe Hamrahi, a seasoned CFO and trusted advisor who has spent over three decades helping businesses grow, scale, and make smarter decisions. But what makes Joe different is this: He doesn’t just understand numbers. He understands what really drives them. After nearly 20 years as CFO and COO of M Booth - scaling the business from $9M to over $90M - Joe now works closely with founders through FinStrat CFO, helping them navigate complexity with clarity, grounded in both performance and humanity. Because for Joe, Return on Humanity isn’t a concept. It’s something he’s lived. After navigating his wife’s stage 4 cancer diagnosis, the breakdown of his marriage, and stepping away from a corporate world that no longer aligned with his values, he was forced to rethink everything. What actually matters? How do you keep going when life changes the rules? And what does resilience really mean, when it’s not about pushing through? This is a conversation about perspective. About how we respond when control disappears. And about redefining success - not by what we accumulate, but by how we live, lead, and show up for others. If you’re navigating uncertainty, questioning your path, or simply trying to keep going in a world that feels unpredictable…. This one’s for you. 👉 In the mean time, don’t forget to share your thoughts on the episode, leave a review, and subscribe! If you'd like to stay updated on future episodes and other inspiring stories from TIE, join our newsletter ⁠⁠[⁠⁠ here⁠⁠⁠⁠ ]. If you would like to order my international bestselling book Return on Humanity: Leadership lessons from all corners of the earth, you can do that ⁠⁠⁠[⁠ here⁠⁠⁠⁠ ].

December 19, 202536 min

Ep:#113 Empowering a Generation Through Story with Cyril Awere

What if the most powerful leadership tool we have right now… is a story? Not a framework. Not a strategy. But a story that shifts belief, in ourselves and in others. In TIE Unearthed, episode 113, I’m joined by Cyril Awere - a people-first transformation leader and the creator of the Believe Africa podcast, now reaching 24,000 subscribers, largely across the African continent. Born in London. Raised in Ghana. Working globally. Cyril sits at the intersection of growth mindset, agility, culture, and humanity. In this conversation, we explore how people often know far more than they think they do - but haven’t yet been given permission to believe it. Why short, accessible stories can create more movement than even the most sophisticated leadership models. How adaptability starts with mindset, not method. And why changing a narrative can quietly unlock potential - in individuals, organisations, and entire generations. Because today’s leadership challenge isn’t a lack of data or tools. It’s a lack of belief, psychological safety, and space to think differently. So whether you’re heading out for a run, walking the dog, or settling in with your favourite drink - press play, get comfortable, and let’s get stuck in. 👉 In the mean time, don’t forget to share your thoughts on the episode, leave a review, and subscribe! If you'd like to stay updated on future episodes and other inspiring stories from TIE, join our newsletter ⁠⁠[⁠⁠ here⁠⁠⁠⁠ ]. If you would like to order my international bestselling book Return on Humanity: Leadership lessons from all corners of the earth, you can do that ⁠⁠⁠[⁠ here⁠⁠⁠⁠ ]. If you’d like to follow the Believe Africa podcast, you can find it and Cyril’s book [ here ].