Better Under Pressure

#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)

#43 - Emma Dagnes - Not Doing But Being

In this episode, I’m talking to Emma Dagnes, Chief Executive of Alexandra Park and Palace, an iconic public building towering over north London that is over 150 years old, was the original home of BBC Television and is now home to world sporting events, indoor and outdoor concerts and festivals, a theatre and even an ice rink. It’s also where I have pushed buggies and walked with my family and my dog over the last 25 years.

Of Emma’s 25 years working across entertainment, recreation and leisure, both in the public and private sectors, the last twelve have been at the Palace - helping to lift the organisation to be a recognised and respected cultural destination. Before becoming CEO, she led the growth of the trading subsidiary as Managing Director and then became Deputy CEO of the Charity, overseeing an award-winning restoration that cost £27 million. 

In our conversation, she shares
- How she learned that her dyslexia was a superpower
- Why the original Alexandra Palace Theatre was worth its multi-million restoration 
- And the impact of seeing your purpose play out every day.

#42 - Edith Bardin - The Pressure of Work, Family & Personal Goals

In this episode, I’m talking to Edith Bardin – Global Insights Manager at Shell. The word Global is very apt when referring to Edith. Born in Luxembourg - and consequently speaking 5 languages - her two decades building ‘global consumer insights’ expertise have taken her all sorts of places, including northern Europe, the UK, Canada and even Mauritius.  She now is a worldwide authority on everything from decoding consumers’ minds in retail, entertainment and packaging - to embracing the evolving landscape of air travel and, most recently, e-mobility.

In our conversation, Edith shares...
- What she discovered about her efficiency at work after she’d had children.
- What doing a charity swim taught her about herself.
- And how it affected her growing up as ‘an unexpected triplet’