Every day, around 12,000 people in the UK become carers, often right at the peak of their careers. Most don’t plan for it. Many don’t even realise they are carers. But the impact on their work, well-being, and future is enormous.

In this episode, Jeremy sits down with leadership coach and former tech MD Kirsten Hurley, who shares her deeply personal journey caring for her two autistic brothers while navigating senior leadership roles. Her story isn’t unusual; it’s the reality for millions of people quietly holding their families together while turning up to work with the same expectations as everyone else.

Together, Jeremy and Kirsten unpack:

• Why so many carers stay invisible at work
• The emotional and mental load nobody sees
• The leadership strengths caring builds: empathy, resilience, clarity, perspective
• The flexible, simple steps employers can take to support carers properly
• Why supporting carers is a retention strategy, not a favour
• How to spot the carers already in your organisation
• How to create a culture where people feel safe to speak up

Kirsten also shares her practical guide, “The Hidden Leaders In Your Workforce (and How to Get the Best from Them)”, available to download with the episode.

If you care about people, culture, leadership, or retention, you need this conversation. And if you’re a carer — even if you’ve never used the word — this will help you feel seen.

Let’s be honest: your website probably sucks. It’s slow, out of date, confusing, and says everything except what your business actually does.

In this episode, Craig Burgess, Creative Director of Genius Division, joins Jeremy to share five simple ways to fix your website and make it work harder for your business; no coding, no jargon, and no expensive rebuild. Everything he shares can be done with free tools and a bit of common sense.

You’ll learn how to:

• Tell people what you actually do (in plain English)
• Speed up your website using free tools
• Avoid the AI traps that hurt your ranking and credibility
• Write for your audience, not your ego
• Make your website look professional without hiring a designer

Craig has also created a free downloadable guide, “5 Common Website Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)”, that walks you through each problem step by step so you can audit your site and make instant improvements.

Whether you run a corner shop or a global brand, this episode will help you turn your website from a digital brochure into a tool that actually drives business.

Download Craig's free guide here: 

Find Craig here: buildyouredge.org/people/profile/craig-burgess

Craig on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/craigburgessuk/

Genuis Division: geniusdivision.com

A strategy is only as good as the people who deliver it. You can have the sharpest vision, the boldest goals, and the slickest slides, but if the message doesn’t land with your teams, it goes nowhere.

In this episode, Andy Toor joins Jeremy Burns to unpack how to make strategy stick. Together, they explore what happens after the town hall; how to turn leadership intent into clear, consistent action across the company.

Andy introduces The Strategy-in-Action Toolkit, a practical set of tools to help leaders translate strategy into human connection and measurable progress. You’ll learn how to:

• Run a 20-minute team conversation that makes the strategy real
• Communicate direction clearly and confidently at every level
• Spot misalignment before it becomes inertia
• Reinforce strategy through weekly “signal checks” that build lasting momentum

Whether you’re setting the direction or delivering it, this conversation will help you turn strategy into a living system; one that people understand, own, and act on.

Most people move through their careers by reacting to opportunities rather than creating them. But the most successful careers — the ones that lead to meaning, mastery, and momentum — are built with intention.

In this episode of Build Your Edge, Jeremy Burns talks with Bruce Pannaman, a startup technology leader who developed the Tech Career Strategies framework. This free downloadable guide helps you plan your career with purpose and direction.

Bruce explains how to think strategically about your career by first asking:

👉 What outcomes do you want from your work?

He walks through how to translate those outcomes —whether autonomy, wealth, impact, recognition, or leadership — into clear career destinations and avenues, such as building a startup, joining big tech, or becoming a recognised expert. Once you’ve chosen your path, Bruce shows how to identify the superpowers you’ll need to succeed and the stepping stones that will help you reach your bigger goal.

This episode is a practical blueprint for anyone who wants to stop drifting and start building a career with purpose.

⬇️ Download Bruce’s Tech Career Strategies guide free from the Build Your Edge downloads page.

Read more about Bruce on LinkedIn.

Your photo speaks before you do. Whether it’s your LinkedIn headshot, a team photo, or the images that sell your product, people decide what to think of you in about two seconds.

In this episode, professional retoucher Beth Perkins shares five fast edits that make any photo look sharper, brighter, and more trustworthy without turning you (or your brand) into something fake.

You’ll learn:

• Why your image is your first hook, and how to make it count
• The five fixes that instantly lift quality: straighten & crop, exposure & contrast, white balance, vibrancy, and spot-healing
• How small visual tweaks create trust and consistency across your brand
• Why “real” always beats “filtered”, and where AI editing crosses the line

Beth’s also created a free visual guide with before-and-after examples so you can apply the changes right away.

When a big project goes off the rails, panic spreads fast. Deadlines slip. Teams freeze. Leaders stop sleeping.

That’s when you call someone like David Crawford, a delivery leader known for running toward the fire, not away from it. David’s built a reputation for rescuing complex, high-stakes programmes and turning them back into wins.

You can use his approach to rescue everything from small, time-critical projects that simply can’t afford to fail to large, multi-million-pound programmes that have gone off the rails. In this episode, he shares the exact five-step approach he uses to stabilise chaos, rebuild trust, and deliver results at any scale.

We break down:

• How to spot the early signs a project’s in trouble
• The five steps to bring focus, control, and momentum back
• What to say (and not say) to customers when you’re behind
• Why authentic leadership in crisis is more about calm than control

David’s also shared the Turnaround Measure Tracker, the simple spreadsheet he uses to diagnose problems, focus your efforts, and track recovery week by week.

If your project’s wobbling, or you just want to lead with clarity when pressure hits, this episode’s worth your time.

Download David’s free Turnaround Measure Tracker at https://www.buildyouredge.org/downloads/turnaround-measure-tracker

There’s also an accompanying guide to help you apply it today, available for free at https://www.buildyouredge.org/downloads/a-guide-to-the-turnaround-measure-tracker

Job interviews are meant to reveal the best people for the job, but too often, they don’t. Candidates feel lost in the process, managers make rushed decisions, and both sides leave thinking, 'that could’ve gone better.'

In this episode, Sam Grill—a hiring manager who’s sat on both sides of the table—breaks down the interview process step by step. He explains what really happens behind the scenes, how decisions are made, and why small mistakes can cost big opportunities.

You’ll learn how to:

• Prepare and structure your interviews to uncover real capability
• Ask better questions that reveal fit, mindset, and impact
• Spot red flags early and avoid bias in decision-making
• Present yourself clearly and confidently as a candidate

Whether you’re running interviews or trying to ace them, this conversation gives you a clear, honest look at how interviews actually work, and how to win at them.

Plus, Sam leaves behind a free digital handout: a practical framework of interview questions for both candidates and hiring managers to plan, prepare, and evaluate effectively.

Download 'The Interview Cheatsheet' at buildyouredge.org/downloads

Most career frameworks stop at progression: tick the boxes, climb the ladder, chase the promotion. But what if growth was about more than just the next level?

In this episode, I sit down with Dan Ashby to explore how traditional frameworks fall short and how his approach flips the script by focusing on impact.

Dan shares how to connect your personal growth with company objectives, why tasks alone don’t qualify you for promotion, and how managers and employees can use his five-part framework to make growth measurable, meaningful, and strategic.

We cover:

• Why checklist-style frameworks create frustration and entitlement
• How to reframe growth around impact, evidence, and outcomes
• The role of intrinsic motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose—in performance
• Practical tools like skills mapping, growth tables, and Dan’s radar for impact
• How to use this framework as a “career passport” you can carry into any role or company

If you’re tired of frameworks that feel like admin exercises—or if you’re a manager stuck in endless promotion debates—this episode will show you how to build growth strategies that drive results, inspire teams, and actually matter.

Communicating with senior leaders isn’t like talking to your peers. The C-Suite live in a world of packed diaries, rapid context-switching, and high-stakes decisions. If you can’t deliver clarity, brevity, and impact, you’ll lose their attention and your opportunity.

In this episode of Build Your Edge, Cheryl Warlow joins Jeremy to share her playbook for making your mark at the top. We talk about:

• How to secure precious time in a senior leader’s diary
• The art of writing emails they’ll actually read (and act on)
• Why you must lead with a recommendation, not a ramble
• Handling tough questions and chaotic meetings without losing your footing
• The role of “friendlies” and sponsors in helping you succeed

Whether you’re preparing for your first presentation to the C-Suite or want to sharpen your influence in the boardroom, this conversation will give you the tools to nail it.

Giving feedback is one of the hardest yet most important parts of being a manager. Do it badly and you dent confidence, damage relationships, and risk losing people. Do it well and you unlock growth, build trust, and create a culture where people excel.

In this episode, leadership coach Clem Pickering joins Jeremy to break down why feedback so often goes wrong and how managers can flip it into a powerful tool for development. Clem shares practical methods for delivering feedback that lands, including his See, Think, Feel, Intent framework, and explains how to receive feedback without getting defensive.

You’ll learn why annual reviews are the worst place for feedback, how to make timing work in your favour, and what to do when even your top performers are hungry for more.

If you’ve ever felt awkward, fearful, or just plain stuck when it comes to giving feedback, this conversation will give you the tools and confidence to do it right.