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"Technology isn't the hard part. Getting people to see the value and change behaviour—that’s the challenge." - Jannicke Birkevold
In this episode, innovation expert Jannicke Birkevold unpacks how emerging technologies like AI, quantum computing, and digital ID systems are reshaping society and business. Learn what makes innovation succeed in the real world—and why psychological safety and timing are non-negotiables for impact.
Is your organisation built to survive disruption—or drive it?
Key Takeaway Insights and Tools (with Timestamps):
Bio:
Jannicke Birkevold is an experienced leader and Innovation Expert with over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of technology, business, and customers. She has a passion for new tech. Jannicke has a proven track record in project management and the delivery of new products to market. She was recognised among Norway's Top 50 Women in Tech by Abelia/ODA.
Throughout her career, Jannicke has held several managerial and professional positions within DNB, including head of digital inovation and leading the internal StartUp IDmee. Before joining DNB, she worked on IT and innovation projects in the Norwegian Tax Administration and has experience from the media industy and voluntary organizations. Her extensive experience spans strategy, technology, compliance, and customer-focused initiatives.
Jannicke has broad leadership experience, having led specialists and professionals in technology and product field. She also enjoys delving deeply into subject areas in roles that involve professional responsibility and subject matter expert.
Her commercial mindset is focused on creating value for both customers and the company. Jannicke's personal qualities include a direct style, easy-going nature, a sense of humour, and lots of enthusiasm.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jannicke-birkevold-9807843/
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"When we push with purpose, respect, and curiosity, not defiance, we often find those lines aren't lines at all. They're simply assumptions, beliefs, sometimes inherited, sometimes outdated, sometimes just plain wrong."
Discover how recognising and respectfully challenging "invisible lines"—unspoken rules and assumptions—can unlock innovation, improve team dynamics, and boost personal growth. Learn to identify and question these hidden boundaries for a more positive mindset and effective leadership.
Have you ever hesitated to speak up or try something new, only to realize the "rule" preventing you wasn't even real?
Key Takeaway Insights and Tools
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone in your network who might find it useful and hit that subscribe button!
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“We celebrate people who burn out and call it resilience. But real resilience is knowing when to pause, when to speak up, and when to take care of yourself.” - Natalie Armstrong
Nurse and trauma-informed leader Natalie Armstrong shares practical ways to support neurodivergent employees and build resilient, inclusive workplaces.
Have you ever sensed something was off with a colleague—but couldn’t quite name it? Maybe they shut down in meetings, avoid conflict, or seem overwhelmed by simple feedback. It’s easy to chalk it up to attitude or performance. But what if it’s something deeper—like unrecognized trauma or neurodiversity?
In this episode, I sit down with Natalie Armstrong, a trauma-informed workplace consultant, neurodiversity advocate, and NHS nurse leader. Together, we explore how trauma and neurodivergence quietly shape behavior at work—and how leaders can foster safer, more inclusive environments by tuning into the human side of performance.
Natalie shares her personal story of navigating ADHD, trauma, and burnout, and how it shaped her into a compassionate, people-first leader. She walks us through real scenarios, signals to look out for, and the small but powerful adjustments that help people—especially high performers—thrive on their terms.
Whether you’re a leader, colleague, or someone navigating these challenges yourself, this episode offers a roadmap toward psychological safety, resilience, and more human leadership.
Bio
Natalie Armstrong is a UK-based trauma-informed workplace consultant, neurodiversity advocate, and NHS nurse leader. With lived experience of ADHD and complex trauma, she helps organizations create inclusive, psychologically safe cultures. Her work focuses on supporting neurodivergent individuals through flexible leadership practices, emotional intelligence, and education that drives organizational resilience.
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliearmstrongconsultancy/
Key Takeaways
If you found this episode valuable, share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you’re a regular listener, I’d love it if you posted about the show on LinkedIn or Instagram to help spread the word. Until next time—stay strong, stay kind, and keep leading from the inside out.
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Most people don’t like conflict. But some fear it so much they avoid it entirely—and that avoidance can quietly erode communication, teamwork, and leadership.
In this BiteSize Fridays episode of It’s an Inside Job, I unpack the fear of conflict through the experience of Michael, a thoughtful senior financial analyst who avoided disagreement at all costs. His calm exterior masked deep discomfort. But when team dynamics and innovation began to suffer, he realized: his fear wasn’t protecting peace—it was preventing progress.
Through Michael’s journey, we explore how the contrarian mindset helps us see conflict not as something to fear, but as a powerful doorway to truth, trust, and meaningful growth.
Perfect for You If You’re Asking:
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
If you find yourself retreating from conflict to “keep the peace,” this episode gives you the mindset and skills to lean in—gently, intentionally, and powerfully.
Contrarian Strategies from This Episode
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"We often underestimate how much strength comes from restoration. Performance without pause leads to burnout." - Annicken R Day
Norwegian strategist Annicken R. Day returns to explore how intentional pauses and deep conversation help leaders recharge, reflect, and reframe their path forward.
When you're constantly performing, how do you know when it's time to pause? In this episode of It's an Inside Job, I sit down once again with author and work culture strategist Annicken R. Day to explore the essential—yet often overlooked—role of restoration. Annicken and I just spent several days together at a retreat she curated in the heart of Tuscany, where professionals from across disciplines gathered not for escape, but for depth, perspective, and reconnection.
Annicken is the founder of Corporate Spring, a consultancy that helps organizations build strong cultures through authentic leadership and sustainable practices. She’s also the author of Fly Butterfly, a business novel that speaks to the burnout, existential fatigue, and rediscovery many professionals quietly face.
In our third dialogue together, we unpack the concept of restoration as the necessary flip side to performance. We explore how deliberate pauses—whether a deep conversation, a weekend retreat, or five minutes of reflection—can provide the clarity and energy needed to move forward. Drawing from our shared experience in Tuscany, we discuss the power of peer dialogue, the loneliness leaders often hide, and the richness of reconnecting with your values.
For many of us, high performance is second nature. But when the tools we normally rely on stop working, it's often a sign that we're due for a reset—not a bigger push. As Annicken puts it, sometimes you have to create the thing you're looking for. And that begins with space to reflect.
Key Takeaways:
If this episode sparked a new way of thinking about recovery, share it with a friend, colleague, or leader who needs the reminder. And don’t forget to subscribe to It’s an Inside Job for more conversations that help you build resilience, restore clarity, and lead from the inside out.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annickenr/
Website: https://www.corporatespring.com/
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We often associate accountability with blame, exposure, or failure. But what if accountability isn’t a threat—it’s a gateway? A gateway to clarity, leadership, and personal strength.
In this episode of Bite Size Fridays, we explore the fear of accountability through the experience of Dwayne—a highly capable executive who found himself frozen when a major project began to unravel. Instead of confronting the problems, he avoided them—until a critical boardroom moment forced him to choose: defend the image or own the reality.
Through Dwayne’s story, we explore how the contrarian mindset turns accountability into a powerful tool for growth, authenticity, and long-term resilience.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
If you’ve ever avoided owning a mistake out of fear it might define you, this episode helps you reframe responsibility as strength—not self-sabotage.
Contrarian Strategies from This Episode
Perfect for You If You’re Asking:
Additional Resources
This is Part 12 of the 15-part Contrarian Mindset series—each episode designed to help you transform limiting beliefs and emotional patterns into clarity, confidence, and psychological strength.
Catch up on earlier episodes:
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"I learned that leadership is about the strategic thinking, you know, more than sitting in an email box or asking questions. So I think the more you understand that leadership is about modelling and forming and shaping more than telling and asking more questions, the more I get people with me." - Marianne B Hagen
Discover how authentic leadership, transparency, and self-awareness are crucial for guiding teams through uncertainty and fostering resilient, people-first cultures in today's complex world. This episode offers practical strategies for effective leadership and personal well-being.
How do you stay decisive and authentic as a leader when the world around you keeps shifting, and what anchors you amidst constant change?
Key Takeaway Insights and Tools
Bio
Marianne B. Hagen is the CEO of Randstad in Norway, bringing over 27 years of leadership experience across sales, consulting, and organizational development. She has a strong background in strategic competence management, workforce planning, employer branding, sales and recruitment. Her expertise spans leadership development, culture transformation, diversity and inclusion, and coaching.
Marianne has led numerous global and European transformation and digitalization projects, focusing on building agile, learning-oriented workplaces. She is passionate about fostering "employeeship"—encouraging individuals to take active ownership of their career growth—and aligning talent with business strategies.
Known for her ability to simplify complexity and drive engagement, Marianne collaborates closely with stakeholders and HR teams to design impactful learning and development initiatives. Her work focuses on leadership, employee engagement, performance improvement, and change management, always with the aim of aligning people's strategies with organizational goals.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-hagen-35b453/
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"Emotions are these chemical messengers that communicate from our physiology to our psychology... I think all emotions are important for us. And I think all emotions have positive intent." (11:40)
In this episode, we unpack the essentials of resilience, self-leadership, and emotional intelligence. Discover actionable strategies to navigate uncertainty, foster self-compassion, and maintain your calm in challenging conversations, both personally and professionally.
How can you leverage your emotions and inner dialogue to build unwavering resilience, even when chaos strikes?
Key Takeaway Insights and Tools
"Experience... is the best teacher. But if we don't take time to reflect and do to understand our situational awareness or how we reacted to something, then we can never learn." (26:49)
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends, family, and colleagues to help spread the word! We also welcome your feedback on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes—whether it's more solo deep dives, specific guests, or other areas of resilience, well-being, psychology, or leadership.
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"Ruminating is the inability to shift perspective to see a problem from a different angle." (04:27)
Tired of overthinking? This episode provides practical, time-tested strategies to overcome rumination, stop negative thought spirals, and shift from a reactive mindset to a proactive, objective perspective for greater mental clarity and well-being.
Do you ever find yourself caught in endless thought loops, unable to find an exit? Discover powerful actions to break free from overthinking and rumination.
Key Takeaway Insights and Tools
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"When we are out of breath, it means we are out of control. When our mind is out of control, well, our breathing typically follows." (02:45)
Unlock the power of your breath to manage stress, enhance mental clarity, and build resilience. This episode dives into the science of breathing, explaining how conscious control over your breath can profoundly impact your brain activity, stress response, and overall well-being.
Did you know that how you breathe can determine whether you impulsively react or thoughtfully respond to life's challenges?
Key Takeaway Insights and Tools
Memorable Quote(s)
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From the publisher's feed
Imagine responding to challenges with quiet strength and living with a clearer sense of direction. It's an Inside Job, hosted by Jason Birkevold Liem, guides you there. This podcast is for…
On Mondays, we feature a rerun of the most popular conversations with insightful individuals, uncovering practical wisdom on how your inner world serves as a compass for your outer experiences, shaping everything from your career to your relationships and personal fulfilment.
After all, actual growth is an inside job!