One Question

Professor Jennifer Hudson joins Sarah to explore the role of leadership in higher education, and the balance between academic achievement and shaping future leaders in a time of cultural shifts, innovation, and uncertainty.

Post-pandemic, higher education is undergoing rapid change, juggling economic pressures with a growing demand to rethink what learning should look like in 2025.

How do we balance curiosity and critical thinking with the ability to disagree well—against a backdrop of cancel culture, polarised media, and a divided society? How do we redefine success for a generation entering the workforce with new expectations? How do ensure democracy serves all future voters? 

These are big questions the education system at large is grappling with and this conversation lends itself to some provocative, honest answers. 

To find out more about Jennifer Hudson 

To learn more about UCL and their programme Disagreeing Well. 

To find our more about Sarah and One Question. 

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Can we live in a world of compromise instead of cancel culture? 

Sam McAlister is a former news night producer and the orchestrator behind one of the most famous royal interviews of our time. Since leaving the BBC, Sam has written Scoop, which later became a Netflix hit and featured Billie Piper and Gillian Anderson. Sam has since switched media for academic and is a fellow at the London School of Economics. 

Sam joined Sarah to explore what it means to lead today through the lens of public broadcast media, leadership of ourselves, from curiosity to resilience, and how we can model the type of leadership we want to see in the next generation. 

An honest, insightful, and amusing conversation on what it really means to lead today. 

To purchase your copy of Scoops 

Watch Scoop on Netflix 

To find out more about Sam McAlister 

To find out more about One Question 

To find out more about Sarah Parsonage 

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In this week's episode, Gillian Tett, a Financial Times Columnist, joins Sarah to explore whether traditional media can still lead and influence. 

With the rise of AI-generated content, the challenge of misinformation, and the breakdown of trust in institutions, can traditional media still shape public discourse, influence decision-making, and hold power accountable?

Gillian Tett writes a weekly column on Friday, covering a range of economic, financial, political and social issues. She also serves as Provost of King's College, Cambridge.

Previously, she chaired the FT editorial board, co-founded Moral Money, the FT's sustainability newsletter, and was the former US managing editor of the FT.

In the first of two episodes on the role of media today, Gillian takes an anthropological view of journalism, exploring ideology, fact over faith, the shift in authority in media and how we fight for fact over fiction and support credible journalism. 

An episode that might surprise some listeners, Gillian's thinking offers calm reassurance in a world of uncertainty. 

To find out more about Gillian Tett 

To read her latest column 

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Hope not hate is an antifascist organisation leveraging the power of hope in the face of hate. 

Dr Joe Mulhall joins Sarah to explore the kind of leadership we need to address deep ideological and political polarisation, the rise of far-right political party, Reform, the power of MAGA as a force for change, the expectations of a new government, the overwhelming importance of community and where we can all find hope. 

In an honest and uplifting conversation, Sarah and Joe explore why the UK has become so divisive over the last decade and beyond, the importance of perception versus reality in understanding the country's hearts and minds, and the opportunity we all have to effect change. 

In addition to his role at Hope not Hate, Joe is the author of numerous books on postwar fascism, including Drums in the Distance: Journeys into the Global Far Right and has written extensively for the Guardian. 

To find out more about Hope not hate 

To read their recent research on the rise of Reform 

Watch The Walk-in, an ITV drama featuring Stephen Graham on the infiltration of a far-right group. 

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What type of leadership do we need to address the climate crisis?

In this episode, Sarah welcomes Emma Howard-Boyd, Chair of Client Earth, Climate Resilience for All and the London Climate Resilience Review and a Global Ambassador for Race to Zero and Race to Resilience, to answer One Question.

With devastating serendipity, this episode was recorded just as the wildfires took hold of LA, causing so much destruction.

Sarah and Emma discuss whether we only change something if we feel it, the political weaponisation of the climate crisis, the need for an economic model of prevention, the importance of hope even at such times, and the need for action, big and small.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to addressing the climate crisis, but in the face of overwhelm and anxiety, Emma offers advice on steps to protect the earth and all that comes with it.

Resources:

London Climate Review > https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-07/The_London_Climate_Resillience_Review_July_2024_FA.pdf

Avon Needs Trees > https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/06/from-farm-to-forest-the-volunteers-planting-100000-trees-in-somerset

Three ideas to beat the heat > https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/climate/heat-insurance-cooling-app.html

One Question in Mental Health. > https://onequestion.live/whoisresponsibleforourmentalhealth/

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CEO of Octopus Money, Ruth Handcock, joins Sarah to explore how we lead today through the lens of financial services.

Part of the Octopus Group, which includes Octopus Energy and investments, Octopus Money is democratising financial understanding to create an economically stronger society, one day at a time.

A B-corp with a long-term mission, Ruth explores how the values of the business impact her leadership, the dotted line between culture and profitability, the importance of diversity of thought in our companies, and owning what we are getting wrong, to the idea of machines as a metaphor for organisations—by understanding the machine, we get to change it—to how we encourage more financial investment in female-led businesses and uncertainty as opportunity.

This conversation offers a refreshing perspective on how we can build businesses in 2025 and another perspective on what it really means to lead in partnership with Headland.

Find out more about Ruth Handcock
Find out more about Octopus Money
To find out more about Headland 

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How do we lead today? In British Politics. 

This week's episode is timely, as Sarah is joined by Jack Doyle, former associate editor at the Daily Mail and Director of Communications to Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street. 

Jack left journalism after ten years in the newspapers to become Boris Johnson's political spokesman and press secretary before being promoted to communications director and working with the then-prime minister during the Covid pandemic before joining Headland as a partner in 2022. 

Joining Jack in today's conversations is Luke Sullivan, Former Director of Communications to Kier Starmer; 

Luke joined Headland as Director in September after a 16-year career in Westminster and a landslide victory in this year's election.

This is a conversation not to be missed! From whether our expectations of political leaders are realistic to how we navigate the reality of misinformation in political communication strategies, whether 'playing politics' has surpassed the responsibility to govern, Boring Prime Ministers, and what is next for British Politics.

This series continues to join the dots of leadership in partnership with Headland.

To find out more about Jack
To find out more about Luke
To find out more about Headland. 

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Nadia Innanuzzi is the President of the international organisation OTT Hydromet, which was founded in Germany and became a subsidiary of American corporate Veralto in 2023; as an Italian female leader, Nadia has a unique perspective on what it means to lead today across different markets and cultures.

Nadia is joined by corporate communication leader Marshall Manson. Manson started his career in American politics before joining several leading communication agencies in the US and the UK, where he now resides.

Marshall and Nadia join Sarah to explore how we lead internationally and what leadership model translates across different cultures and markets.
At such geopolitical uncertainty and polarisation, how do we communicate values that may not be universal?
How do we lead authentically and adapt to our audiences to align our company culture and commercial success?
Do Western leadership models make assumptions that do not translate into Eastern markets, and who will be our actual shareholders in 2024?

An insightful and provocative take on leadership that you might not expect.

To find out more about Marshall Manson
To find out more about Nadia Innanuzzi 

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Kay Rufai is an artist, photographer and founder of S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Project,  a project to address the rise in youth affected by violence, which sparked a series of reactionary approaches from the government regarding tougher criminalisation of youth, more stop and searches and greater police presence in global majority communities. These approaches inspired Kay to investigate the mental health provisions, or lack thereof, for the demographic in question - Black youth.

Kay joined One Question in conversation to share his experience of using art better to understand the link between the police force and society. And more recently, as part of the approach to understanding what keeps black men mentally healthy as part of our approach to preventing mental illness piloting in Bristol. 

Kay joins Sarah to understand whether a new model of leadership can achieve greater equity. Despite so much awareness, especially since the death of George Floyd in the United States, there is a lack of cultural equity in the UK and, more recently, a pushback against DE&I initiatives that seek to drive equality and equity in business.

What questions should we be asking? Can we create an environment for leaders, businesses, and institutions to address shared challenges?

This conversation was recorded prior to Donald Trump's election in the USA, and perhaps more than ever before, understanding the value of a more equitable society is a conversation we should all be having.

An honest, inspirational conversation answering One Question.


Research discussed in the episode.

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/no-black-executives-ftse100-companies-uk/

https://www.ey.com/en_uk/newsroom/2024/03/parker-review-reveals-good-progress-on-ethnic-diversity

https://www.channel4.com/4viewers/black-to-front-project

https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/uk-first-black-reporter-barbara-blake-hannah-journalists-are-the-most-important-people-in-the-world/

To find out more about Kay Rufai and S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Project > https://universoulartist.com/smiling-boys-project/

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In 2024, the rate of suicide is the highest it has been in twenty-five years. In the last decade, 6929 young people, those under the age of 39, have taken their own lives; suicide is the most common cause of death for those under 24.

Perhaps the country's most critical challenges are supporting positive mental health and addressing the overwhelming rise of those in crisis. Sarah is joined by leaders from three of the biggest charities: Simon Gunning, CEO of Campaign Against Living Miserably; Sonya Trivedy, Executive Director at The Samaritans; and Chris Martin, CEO of The Mix, to answer One Question: "How do we lead to address the rising mental health crisis in the UK?"  

• Exploring, at a time of greater innovation and understanding of mental illness than ever before, what has gone wrong?
• Our responsibility is to address the tension in creating the problem while treating the problem.
• The responsibility of businesses and the systems and structures in place across organisations to create an environment that supports our mental health.
• The expectation of a new government.
• And our responsibility to understand our insecurities, ego and self doubt and how by building our self worth and personal agency we can create healthier environments at home, at work and in our communities.  
• Plus the 'ask' of these three charities today. 

In the face of the increasing pressure on the NHS, highlighted in the recent Darzy report, and the incredible work charities like Campaign Against Living Miserably, The Samaritans, and The Mix, amongst many others, do, this is perhaps one of the most important conversations we can have today.

Follow the links above to find out more or support the charities in their work in creating a more mentally healthy society. 

To follow or connect with Chris, Sonya or Simon

In episode three of this series, Sarah was joined by Chair of NHS England, Richard Meddings, you can listen to that conversation in full  here.

To find out about One Question's approach to addressing the mental health crisis visit our site.

To seek support for your own mental health or that of someone you love, call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit their site. 

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