Better Under Pressure

#49 - Genevieve Shore - The Power of a Team

Today I’m talking to Genevieve Shore, a serial non-executive Director who has held Board level positions within organisations across several industries, territories and cultures.  Her credit roll of organisations includes Santander, Arup, Moneysupermarket, Lego Education, STV and the RFU. 

With her sporting background - having played international Rugby for England and winning the World Cup in 1994 - it’s no surprise that Genevieve is currently Chair of the Women’s Premier 15 Ltd. At the same time, she also chairs the North Highland Initiative - a non-profit organisation established because of King Charles III's commitment to support the people and businesses of the North Highlands. 

In our conversation, Genevieve shares

- What she means by positive pressure 

- Her experience of toxic workplace bullies

- And how teamwork in the changing room trained her for the boardroom.

#48 - Calum Clark - Who You Are Gets Exposed Under Pressure

Today I’m talking to Calum Clark, ex-international Rugby Union player turned high-performance psychologist. 

Having started on the rugby trail aged just 15, Calum turned professional three years later and spent fourteen years playing at the highest level He turned out for three different Premiership clubs as well as England. In that time he experienced the highs of winning 3 Premiership titles and 2 European Cups and the lows of career-threatening injuries, disciplinary setbacks, and various off-field issues. Realising there was a lack of professional support, guidance and expertise to help navigate such things, he completed the first of two Psychology MScs alongside the final years of his playing career. He then became Head of Player Development and Wellbeing at Saracens, before going on to become their Head of Psychological Performance, with a number of his clients, including Ben Earl, going on to excel at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

In our conversation, Calum shares…
- The importance of drilling - as an individual and as a team.
- How we all need a north star…
- And which pressure was worse - playing for England or finishing his Psychology thesis.

#47 - Mollie Pearse - Do Pressure On Your Terms (Part 2)

Today I'm thrilled to welcome back Mollie Pearse, Meta’s Head of Marketing for EMEA, for round two of our insightful conversation on "Better Under Pressure."

Mollie's journey from entrepreneurial beginnings to leading teams at top organizations like IMG, Octagon, HSBC, and LinkedIn before landing at Meta showcases her remarkable leadership and dedication to 'audience-first' marketing principles.

Outside of work, Mollie's passion for pushing boundaries shines through her pursuits in ultra-distance sports, where she explores the depths of human potential while raising funds for charity.

As our discussion unfolded, it was clear that there were too many valuable insights to fit into one episode, so we're back for more!

In this episode, Mollie delves into:

- The challenging decision to step back from a 24-hour endurance race and the importance of listening to one's body and mind.
- Her approach to fostering a sense of belonging within teams, grounded in shared human experiences and authentic connections.
- A pivotal interview experience where she embraced her unique strengths and dared to 'play her game.'

If you missed our initial conversation, be sure to catch up before diving into this one!

Connect with Mollie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollie-pearse-09842b28/?originalSubdomain=uk

#46 - Mollie Pearse - Do Pressure On Your Terms

Today I’m talking to Mollie Pearse, Meta’s Head of Marketing for EMEA. Having started her career as an entrepreneurial businesswoman and quickly learning the power of true ‘audience-first’ marketing, she has since led teams at IMG, Octagon, HSBC and LinkedIn before arriving at Meta.
Mollie inspires her teams to think differently about commercial goals, enabling them to surpass expectations. When she isn’t doing that, she’s out exploring the limits of human potential by running, swimming and cycling ultra-distances to expand her comfort zone and raise money for charity.
As I spoke with Mollie, it soon became abundantly clear there were far too many nuggets to squeeze into a single 50 minute podcast, so we broke it into two conversations.
In this, our first conversation, Mollie shares…
- How hating sport as a child helped her gain power over her environment…
- What she learnt from swimming in open water through jellyfish…
- And why we should all have our Personal Board of Directors.

#45 - Tendai Wileman - Using Pressure to Evolve

Today I’m talking to Tendai Wileman, Chief of Staff and Director of Organisational Change at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Trust. Tendai grew up in Zimbabwe and went to university in South Africa, before completing an MBA at Warwick Business School. Over two decades, Tendai has held various corporate and operational roles in healthcare, and has spent the last 10 years leading large-scale change within and across functional and organisational boundaries. 
She is a sponsor of the LGBT+ network at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ and is passionate about diversity and inclusion, believing strongly that ‘that which unites us all, is greater than that which separates us’. 

In our conversation, Tendai shares…

- Her desire to keep learning and saying ‘Yes’ to the Discomfort Zone
- Finding the balance between the external and the internal
- And the questions she asks her NHS team when they are all under pressure

#44 - Neil Mullarkey - Boss Your Nervous System

In this episode, I’m talking to Neil Mullarkey, a unique communication expert. You may recognise him from his performances in 'Whose Line Is it Anyway' and two 'Austin Powers' movies. He still performs most Sundays with the Comedy Store Players, Europe's top improv troupe, which he co-founded with Mike Myers. But he now travels the world bringing the skills of theatre and especially improv, focusing on creativity, collaboration and leadership to clients including EY, Deloitte, Vodafone, Accenture and Unilever. 

His new book, *In The Moment*, was published by Kogan Page in June 2023. https://neilmullarkey.com/inthemomentbook
Mike Myers describes it as ‘a creative masterclass for every moment.'
Matt Brittin (President of Google, Europe, Middle East, Africa) says, ‘Neil’s model and how he applies it in different ways is really simple yet powerful. In a world that's more volatile and uncertain than ever, businesses need leaders who can be agile, adaptive, innovative. Neil's always promoted this brilliantly , but without the business jargon. ’

Visit http://neilmullarkey.com/ (And, yes, Mullarkey is his real name)