In this episode, Sam Bell speaks with Jacqui Simpson about backing yourself as a commercial generalist, human-centred leadership, and believing you can “work stuff out” in complex environments.

Jacqui brings over thirty years of senior business, people and culture experience, and more recently as a business co-owner. 

Jacqui shares stories from major transformation work across Australia and internationally, and reflects on how clarity is often created through prioritisation, discernment, and staying close to the people who will live with the outcome. Together, they explore successful transformation across corporates and SMEs, technology-enabled progress, and what becomes possible when leaders combine instinct with disciplined execution.

This episode explores:

• Confidence from being a generalist who can “work stuff out”
• Cross-cultural teams, belonging, and what great collaboration can feel like
• Change anchored in human context that works
• Commercial leadership grounded in lived experience
• The role of intuition, discernment, and “knowing where something comes from” in leadership decisions
• Staying focused on what matters when you are stretched thin
• Ultra-distance paddle-boarding, dark training and steady commitment
• Parenting as a mirror and learning through relationship

Guest Links:

• Jacqui Simpson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqui-g-simpson2023/

Chapters:

01:30 Courageous women skiers and taking on scary challenges to learn fast
07:20 Stoicism, beyond a perfect facade, and achieving balance for performance
10:27 Strategy, tactics, and focusing on the valuable  “big rocks”  for the business
19:00 The opportunity for People and Culture people and being a straight shooter
22:01 The human differentiator, AI agents and asking instinctual questions
37:43 Standup paddle-boarding, competitions and sharks
44:34 Being constantly courageous, constantly pushing yourself out of your comfort zone
51:54 Surprising ourselves with achieving physically and setting yourself up for the day
53:18 Parenting teens and the delight on the other side of it

Explore further:

Book a Lab: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Auckland, 4 February, 2026
Produced at the Peregian Beach and Sunshine Motorway offices, 4 - 24 February, 2026
Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au