The Legendary Leaders Podcast

Picture this: a remote coral atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Brutal heat. Cadaver dogs. Archaeologists on their knees sifting through debris, because on this island, coral looks almost identical to bone. And one journalist sitting quietly with her notebook, watching it all unfold — asking the question everyone there is trying to answer: what really happened to Amelia Earhart?

That journalist is our guest today. In this episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan is joined by Rachel Hartigan, who spent 12 years at National Geographic as a writer, reporter and editor, covering everything from the genetics of persimmon trees to the long road to women's suffrage. Before that, she edited the Washington Post's Book World section. She is not the swashbuckling type who dives into underwater pyramids in Sudan. But she has done something arguably harder: she spent years going deep, really deep, into one of history's most enduring mysteries, returning to that Pacific Island not once, but twice. The result is her debut book, Lost: Amelia Earhart's Three Mysterious Deaths and One Extraordinary Life.

Rachel and Cathleen explore all three main theories of what happened to Earhart: did she crash into the ocean, die as a castaway on a remote island, or end up in Japanese custody? But what grabbed Cathleen most when she started reading Rachel's book wasn't the mystery. It was the woman herself. Earhart was someone who refused to over explain herself, who did bold and unconventional things simply because they felt right - not to make a point, not to be a rebel, but because her inner compass said so. In an era when women were expected to fit a very particular mould, she didn't. And there is a lesson in that which feels incredibly alive right now.

They also talk about what it actually means to be an introvert who built a career on asking strangers the hardest questions. Rachel still dreads picking up the phone before a difficult call and makes it anyway. She separates her anxiety from her ability, which is honestly one of the cleanest pieces of self-awareness you'll hear in a long time. They talk about leaving National Geographic after 12 years, a place that wasn't just a job but a full identity, in the middle of grief, exhaustion and a book deadline. And they talk about what the people still searching for Earhart, some of them obsessive, some willing to upend their entire lives to sail to a remote island, can teach us about the very human need to find answers.

Rachel Hartigan is someone who can explain dolphin brains and deep ocean mysteries and make both feel completely alive. We think you're going to love this one.

🎯 Not sure if your leadership style is working for you? Take the free 2-minute quiz: https://go.cathleenosullivan.com/quiz

Episode timeline:

00:01:09 Introducing Rachel Hartigan and the Earhart mystery

00:05:42 Rachel's early life, introversion and career challenges

00:14:49 Managing anxiety, building strategies and proving reliability

00:22:54 Leaving National Geographic: identity and decision

00:26:00 Balancing book writing with full time work

00:34:25 Media trust, bias and information verification

00:44:39 Three competing theories of Earhart's disappearance

00:51:09 Earhart's early adventures and determination

00:56:23 Family influences and personal independence

00:59:04 Authenticity vs rebel image and misconceptions

01:06:33 Rachel's adventures and expedition experiences

01:10:06 Challenges, empathy and family impact

Key takeaways:

Your anxiety and your ability are two different things: Rachel still dreads making a hard phone call before every single one and makes it anyway. Separating the nervous feeling from the actual skill is what lets her keep doing work that scares her.

Not explaining yourself is a form of power: Earhart never justified her choices with a cause or a point to prove. She did things for the fun of it. Rachel calls this the lesson that has stuck with her the longest, and the one women still find hardest to claim.

Reliability opens doors you didn't apply for: Rachel built a reputation as someone who could do anything thrown at her, long stories, short stories, dense science, tricky edits. That reputation, not a special qualification, is why she was asked to join the expedition that became her book.

Sometimes you have to choose the thing that isn't the smart financial decision: Leaving a 12-year identity in the middle of grief, exhaustion and a deadline wasn't strategic. It was necessary. Rachel calls it one of the hardest and most important choices she's made.

Empathy for the obsessive searcher is empathy for the human need to know: People still searching for Earhart nearly 90 years on aren't irrational. Rachel argues the urge to find an answer, however unlikely the odds, is one of the most human impulses there is.

Connect with Rachel Hartigan:

Website: https://rachelhartiganauthor.com

Book: Lost, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org and at rachelhartiganauthor.com

Connect with Cathleen O'Sullivan:

Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LegendaryLeaderswithCathleenOS

🎯 Not sure if your leadership style is working for you? Take the free 2-minute quiz: https://go.cathleenosullivan.com/quiz

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What happens when you've spent decades being the most reliable person in the room — and you finally stop to ask: reliable for whom?

In this warm, wide-ranging episode of Leaderspace, host Cathleen O'Sullivan is joined by Linda Misegadis — senior government strategist at UKG, global DEI ambassador, certified payroll professional, and host of the Her Resources Podcast. Linda built her career the way many high-achievers do: nose down, hard work, always available, always solving. She led one of the most complex technology change projects in Denver's public sector history and then walked into the VP of Sales of the company whose software she'd just implemented and told him, clearly and directly, that she didn't think they understood the public sector space at all. He offered her a job.

Linda and Cathleen explore what it costs to tie your identity to being the one everyone counts on, how introversion becomes a leadership superpower once you stop letting others use it as a label that limits you, and why the most important question in any career transition isn't what's next — it's who am I actually? They talk about the trap of availability culture, what burnout really looks like when you've built your reward system around being indispensable, and the slow, nonlinear work of separating your professional identity from your sense of self.

They also go deep on what it means to lead through complexity without consensus paralysis, how COVID quietly pushed Linda from observer to connector, and the particular challenge women still face in corporate life in 2026 — not just in being heard, but in being seen for the right things. This is a conversation about the courage it takes to stop performing reliability and start building something that actually belongs to you.

If you've ever been the go-to person, the Swiss Army knife, the one who always raises their hand — this one is for you. Cathleen's question for this episode: what is it costing you to keep staying quiet about something you've already noticed?

Episode Timeline:

00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:02:38 Introducing Linda Misegadis

00:07:04 Heritage, Roots, and Identity

00:11:09 What Has Shaped Your Identity?

00:15:10 The Trap of Being the Reliable One

00:19:09 Who Is Linda Now?

00:21:39 AI, Layoffs, and the Human Side of Work

00:31:36 How COVID Made Linda a Connector

00:34:17 Introversion as a Leadership Strength

00:40:29 Leading Without a Title

00:44:00 The Audacious Move That Changed Everything

00:48:00 The Risk of Always Being the Problem Solver

00:53:46 The Reward Behind Constant Availability

01:00:52 How the Reward Has Shifted

01:04:14 Approaching Complex Problems

01:11:24 Women's Voices in Corporate Life — Still Not There Yet

01:13:36 One Piece of Advice for Women Entering Leadership

Key Takeaways:

• The Reliable One Is a Role, Not an Identity: Building your sense of self around being available to everyone is a reward system, not a foundation. Recognising what that role is costing you — in energy, in clarity, in career direction — is the first step to changing it.

• Introversion Is a Skill Gap, Not a Personality Sentence: Linda didn't network because she'd never been taught how, not because she was incapable. Once she separated the label from the limitation, she built a podcast, a community, and a career chapter on her own terms.

• Observation Is Underrated Leadership Data: Stepping back and watching — really watching — builds pattern recognition that others miss. The quietest person in the room often sees the most.

• Someone Has to Make the Call: Consensus has its place, but leadership means being willing to own a decision, not manage a committee. The people around you are counting on someone to choose.

• The New Reward Has to Be Real: When you stop being the one who solves everything, the satisfaction has to come from somewhere else. For Linda, it became the pride of watching her team step up. The reward needs to be replaced — not just removed.

About Linda Misegadis:

Linda Misegadis is a Senior Government Strategist at UKG and Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Ambassador, based in Colorado. She is a Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), Certified Public Manager (CPM), IPMA-CP, and Prosci Certified Change Manager who has spent her career helping organisations navigate complexity — and bring people with them through it. She previously served as Director of Citywide Payroll Operations and Administration for the City and County of Denver, where she led a workforce management deployment across 13,000 employees. Her defining career pivot came when she walked into the VP of Sales of the company whose software she had just implemented, told him plainly that she didn't think they understood the public sector space, and left with a job offer. She is also the co-host of the Her Resources Podcast.

Connect with Linda Misegadis:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindamisegadis

Website (Podcast): https://www.herresourcespodcast.com/

Podcast: https://linktr.ee/hrpodcast

Connect with Cathleen O'Sullivan:

Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LegendaryLeaderswithCathleenOS

FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.

What if the confidence you've been waiting to feel is actually something you've been building all along—one small, imperfect action at a time? In this solo episode, host Cathleen O'Sullivan tackles one of the most common beliefs she encounters with clients: that confidence is something you either have or you don't.

Drawing on psychology, client stories, and her own experience, Cathleen reframes confidence not as a fixed trait but as a skill—one that grows through action, repetition, and the willingness to show up before you feel ready. This episode is a practical, grounding reminder that you don't need to become a different person. You just need to start.

Episode Timeline:

01:01 Confidence is a skill, not a trait — here's why that matters

05:43 The client who only spoke when she was certain (and what changed)

08:05 Why you can't think your way into confidence

09:48 Four micro practices that actually build the muscle

16:13 Messy is normal — and often proof you're growing

17:04 The keynote moment that felt like failure but wasn't

18:51 Why confidence doesn't develop in isolation

20:53 The one thing to take away from this episode

Key Takeaway:

• Confidence Is Built, Not Born: Confidence isn't a fixed personality trait. It grows through experience, repetition, and the willingness to act before you feel fully ready—and that means anyone can build it.

• Action Comes First: Waiting to feel confident before you act is exactly what keeps you stuck. The evidence that builds self-belief only comes from doing, not from thinking about doing.

• Small and Repeatable Wins: Treat confidence like a muscle. Prepare before meetings, speak early, keep a running note of small wins. Consistent, manageable actions compound over time.

• Messy Doesn't Mean Lacking: Losing your place, your voice shaking, phrasing something imperfectly—these aren't signs of failure. Confidence isn't the absence of mistakes. It's how you stay with yourself when things don't go perfectly.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Connect with Cathleen O'Sullivan:

Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LegendaryLeaderswithCathleenOS

What if the success you spent three decades building disappeared overnight — and the hardest part wasn't the money, but knowing who you were without it?

In this honest, unhurried episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan is joined by Scott Proposki — photographer, entrepreneur, author, and business coach based in Boston, Massachusetts. For nearly three decades, Scott built one of the most recognisable event photography businesses in North America: 52 people, eight-figure revenue, and a client list that included National Geographic, the White House, Sports Illustrated, and the NFL. Then 2020 arrived, and almost overnight, it was gone.

Scott and Cathleen explore what it really costs to stop being the craftsperson and become the CEO, why growing fast can quietly hollow out the thing you loved, how depression after business loss is a grief that doesn't get enough airtime, and what a single conversation with a coach unlocked in his next chapter. They also go deep on his ADHD diagnosis in his early fifties, how understanding it reshaped the way he works and leads, and why his current lifestyle business — intentionally small, deeply profitable, and accessible from the Swiss Alps — is more aligned with who he actually is than the empire ever was.

This is a conversation that will ask you to pause before you hit grow again and sit with the question Cathleen raises at the very start: is the size of your business, your ambition, your pace — something you actually chose? Or did you just keep going because stopping felt like failure?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Episode Timeline:

00:00:00 The Cost of Becoming CEO

00:04:33 Introduction to Scott Proposki

00:07:02 The Blueberry Muffin Problem

00:12:42 Learning Leadership by Proximity

00:17:49 How You Show Up for the People You Lead

00:20:14 The Bigger Boat Trap

00:25:27 When COVID Took It All

00:29:24 Depression, Doubt, the Silence Underneath

00:34:02 The Conversation That Cracked Something Open

00:35:42 Life After the Empire

00:41:52 Helping Creators Build Profitable Businesses

00:44:50 Forty Levers, Not One Fix

00:48:19 The Compounding Power of Small Gains

00:55:11 ADHD, the Camera, the Superpower of Focus

01:04:25 The Five-Year Vision

01:09:22 One Step When You Feel Stuck​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Key Takeaway:

• Becoming the CEO Means Leaving the Craft Behind: Scaling a business often means stepping away from the work that made you good in the first place. That shift needs to be a conscious choice, not something you drift into without noticing.

• Losing a Business Is a Grief Most People Don't Name: When the business disappeared, so did the identity, purpose, and daily rhythm built around it. Naming that loss for what it is makes rebuilding possible — pushing through without acknowledging it makes it harder.

• Profit Is a Strategy, Not a Side Effect: Most small business owners are busy without being profitable. Small improvements across multiple areas of a business compound quickly — and cost-cutting, unlike new revenue, goes straight to the bottom line.

• Own Your List Before the Platform Disappears: Social platforms can vanish or shut you out overnight. An organic email list built on consistent, genuine storytelling is one of the most durable assets a small business can hold.

• Choose Your Boat Size Before You Start Rowing: The most important question isn't how big you can grow — it's what size business supports the life you actually want. Answering that honestly before you scale can save years of chasing the wrong thing.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

About Scott Proposki:

Scott Proposki is a business coach, photographer, and author based in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Over nearly three decades, he built one of North America's leading event photography businesses — working with clients including National Geographic, the White House, Sports Illustrated, HBO, and Microsoft — before scaling to a team of 52. When COVID-19 effectively ended the events industry overnight, Scott lost the business he had spent his career building and spent the years that followed rebuilding with far greater intentionality. He is the author of multiple books including Camera Focus (2019) and Focus on the Profits, and the founder of the Camera Focus Method — a structured coaching framework that helps photographers and creative entrepreneurs build businesses that are genuinely profitable, not just busy.

Connect with Scott Proposki:

Website: https://businessfocusmethod.com

Website: https://scottproposki.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottproposki

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottproposki/

Connect with Cathleen O'Sullivan:

Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LegendaryLeaderswithCathleenOS

FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.

What if the very drive that takes you to the top of your career is quietly dismantling everything underneath it?

In this raw, deeply human episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan is joined by Nick Jonsson — global keynote speaker, bestselling author, and the world's number one thought leader on executive loneliness. Swedish-born, educated in Australia, and based across Southeast Asia for over two decades, Nick has spent 22 years living and working at the intersection of high performance and hidden struggle.

Nick opens with the story most leaders never tell: how a working-class upbringing wired him to equate worth with relentless grind, how loneliness crept in silently behind every promotion, and how alcohol became his coping mechanism — not occasionally, but systematically. He and Cathleen explore what addiction really looks like in high-performing people and why it's so easy to miss, how "smiling depression" masks crisis even from those closest to us, why surrender is the first and most essential step toward something solid, and what leaders can do right now to build safer spaces — for their teams and for themselves.

This is a conversation that will stop you mid-scroll and ask you the question Cathleen poses at the very start: if you stripped away the job title, the calendar, the KPIs — who are you? And are you okay?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Episode Timeline:

00:00:00 When Performance Meets Loneliness

00:05:54 Nick's Story: From Working-Class Roots to Rock Bottom

00:10:19 The Making of an Anxious Overachiever

00:14:14 Where Loneliness Really Lives

00:15:59 From Bad Habit to Addiction

00:28:07 Surrender as the First Step

00:31:03 Progress Over Perfection

00:34:59 The Relief Leaders Are Really Looking For

00:37:42 Psychological Safety — Theory vs. Reality

00:45:04 Signals Leaders Should Watch For

00:49:55 Depression, Hopelessness, and Smiling Through It

00:54:33 Seeing the Signs in Someone You Love

00:57:25 The Five Steps to Holistic Leadership

01:04:19 What We Can Do Every Day​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Key Takeaway:

• Loneliness at the Top Is Real — and Rarely Talked About: The higher you climb, the fewer safe spaces there are to admit struggle. Naming that is the first step toward changing it.

• Surrender Is Strength, Not Failure: Admitting something isn't working is not giving up — it's the starting point for everything that comes after. You cannot rebuild what you won't first put down.

• Progress Over Perfection in Recovery: Relapse doesn't mean starting over. What matters is honesty about what happened and what you'll do differently next time.

• Leaders Set the Culture by Going First: Psychological safety isn't a policy — it's a practice. When a leader owns their struggles openly, it gives everyone else permission to do the same.

• Build Your Safe Space Before You Need It: A coach, peer group, or trusted friend outside work isn't a luxury. It's what keeps pressure from becoming crisis.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

About Nick Jonsson:

Nick Jonsson is a global keynote speaker, supervised psychotherapist, certified executive coach, and #1 international bestselling author recognised as the world's leading thought leader on executive loneliness. Swedish-born and educated in Australia, he has spent over 22 years living and working across Southeast Asia — in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand. As co-founder and Managing Director of Executives' Global Network (EGN), he built Southeast Asia's largest confidential peer network for senior executives and business owners. His bestselling book, Executive Loneliness, draws on his own recovery from burnout, alcoholism, and depression to help leaders break free from isolation and lead with wellbeing and sustainable performance. A LinkedIn Top Voice and award-winning entrepreneur, Nick works with leaders around the world on psychological safety, holistic leadership, and genuine connection.

Connect with Nick Jonsson:

Website: https://www.nickjonsson.com/

LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/nick-jonsson

Book: https://www.nickjonsson.com/executive-loneliness-book

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonssonnick/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NickJonsson

Podcast: https://www.nickjonsson.com/podcast

Connect with Cathleen O'Sullivan:

Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LegendaryLeaderswithCathleenOS

FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.

What if the very drive that takes you to the top of your career is quietly dismantling everything underneath it?

In this raw, deeply human episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan is joined by Nick Jonsson — global keynote speaker, bestselling author, and the world's number one thought leader on executive loneliness. Swedish-born, educated in Australia, and based across Southeast Asia for over two decades, Nick has spent 22 years living and working at the intersection of high performance and hidden struggle.

Nick opens with the story most leaders never tell: how a working-class upbringing wired him to equate worth with relentless grind, how loneliness crept in silently behind every promotion, and how alcohol became his coping mechanism — not occasionally, but systematically. He and Cathleen explore what addiction really looks like in high-performing people and why it's so easy to miss, how "smiling depression" masks crisis even from those closest to us, why surrender is the first and most essential step toward something solid, and what leaders can do right now to build safer spaces — for their teams and for themselves.

This is a conversation that will stop you mid-scroll and ask you the question Cathleen poses at the very start: if you stripped away the job title, the calendar, the KPIs — who are you? And are you okay?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Episode Timeline:

00:00:00 When Performance Meets Loneliness

00:05:54 Nick's Story: From Working-Class Roots to Rock Bottom

00:10:19 The Making of an Anxious Overachiever

00:14:14 Where Loneliness Really Lives

00:15:59 From Bad Habit to Addiction

00:28:07 Surrender as the First Step

00:31:03 Progress Over Perfection

00:34:59 The Relief Leaders Are Really Looking For

00:37:42 Psychological Safety — Theory vs. Reality

00:45:04 Signals Leaders Should Watch For

00:49:55 Depression, Hopelessness, and Smiling Through It

00:54:33 Seeing the Signs in Someone You Love

00:57:25 The Five Steps to Holistic Leadership

01:04:19 What We Can Do Every Day​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Key Takeaway:

• Loneliness at the Top Is Real — and Rarely Talked About: The higher you climb, the fewer safe spaces there are to admit struggle. Naming that is the first step toward changing it.

• Surrender Is Strength, Not Failure: Admitting something isn't working is not giving up — it's the starting point for everything that comes after. You cannot rebuild what you won't first put down.

• Progress Over Perfection in Recovery: Relapse doesn't mean starting over. What matters is honesty about what happened and what you'll do differently next time.

• Leaders Set the Culture by Going First: Psychological safety isn't a policy — it's a practice. When a leader owns their struggles openly, it gives everyone else permission to do the same.

• Build Your Safe Space Before You Need It: A coach, peer group, or trusted friend outside work isn't a luxury. It's what keeps pressure from becoming crisis.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

About Nick Jonsson:

Nick Jonsson is a global keynote speaker, supervised psychotherapist, certified executive coach, and #1 international bestselling author recognised as the world's leading thought leader on executive loneliness. Swedish-born and educated in Australia, he has spent over 22 years living and working across Southeast Asia — in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand. As co-founder and Managing Director of Executives' Global Network (EGN), he built Southeast Asia's largest confidential peer network for senior executives and business owners. His bestselling book, Executive Loneliness, draws on his own recovery from burnout, alcoholism, and depression to help leaders break free from isolation and lead with wellbeing and sustainable performance. A LinkedIn Top Voice and award-winning entrepreneur, Nick works with leaders around the world on psychological safety, holistic leadership, and genuine connection.

Connect with Nick Jonsson:

Website: https://www.nickjonsson.com/

LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/nick-jonsson

Book: https://www.nickjonsson.com/executive-loneliness-book

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonssonnick/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NickJonsson

Podcast: https://www.nickjonsson.com/podcast

Connect with Cathleen O'Sullivan:

Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LegendaryLeaderswithCathleenOS

FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.

What if the biggest barrier to high performance at work isn't talent, strategy, or even time — but the way your brain and energy actually function?

In this grounded, practical episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan is joined by Alex Davids, director and founding partner of Next Evolution Performance — a global coaching business that helps leaders and teams achieve more while using less effort. With over 20 years of experience across the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, Alex blends neuroscience and psychology to help people understand how their brain, behaviour, and energy systems really work.

Alex opens with a concept that instantly resonates: continuous partial attention — the quiet, cumulative drain of open tabs, constant notifications, and always-on expectations that depletes the cognitive energy leaders need most. She and Cathleen explore why pushing harder is so often the worst strategy for better performance, how to identify your optimal focus period, what sustainable high performers do differently with their devices, and why busyness is frequently a cover for poor systems rather than genuine productivity. Alex also shares candidly the moment she had to admit she wasn't walking her own talk — and the small, deliberate habits she rebuilt around.

This is a conversation that will slow you down in the best way — and leave you thinking differently about where your energy is going, and what becomes possible when you stop spending it on the wrong things.

Episode Timeline:

00:00:00 When Performance Meets the Brain

00:04:24 The Hidden Cost of Continuous Partial Attention

00:06:06 Finding Your Optimal Focus Period

00:13:31 Why We're Competing With Our Own Technology

00:19:23 Energy Management Over Time Management

00:22:28 What Depleted Leadership Teams Look Like

00:26:57 Walking the Talk — Alex's Pivotal Moment

00:32:04 Boundaries, Guilt, and the Auto-Responder

00:37:22 What Sustainable High Performers Do Differently

00:41:18 The Experiment of Stillness

00:47:38 Life After Social Media

00:52:55 Dopamine and the Economy of Attention

00:59:55 Observing Your Own Mind

01:04:38 Useful Thoughts Over Positive Ones

01:09:15 Presence as the Ultimate Performance Tool

Key Takeaway:

• Reduce Distraction Before Anything Else: Continuous partial attention is quietly draining your cognitive energy without you noticing. Before adding another productivity tool, try removing what's pulling your focus away. Less input is often the highest-leverage move.

• Match Your Hardest Work to Your Best Energy: Not all hours are equal. Identify when your energy peaks and protect that time for your heaviest thinking — doing it the other way around costs you far more than you realise.

• Busy and Productive Are Not the Same Thing: If overwhelm feels constant, it's a signal something in the system isn't working. Keep asking: is this actually the best use of our energy right now?

• Give Your Device a Job Description: Sustainable high performers have a defined relationship with their phone — not just a phone. Deciding what it's for, and what it isn't, is one of the simplest boundaries you can set for your focus and energy.

• Stillness Is a Performance Strategy: The brain needs space to think creatively, shift perspective, and connect ideas. Building small moments of stillness into your day isn't a luxury — it's how you stay capable of the thinking that actually matters.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

About Alexandra Davids:

Alexandra Davids is a high-performance coach and cognitive energy strategist who helps business leaders and teams optimize their mental performance and achieve peak productivity without the risk of burnout. As Co-founder of Next Evolution Performance, she specializes in translating neuroscience and behavioral psychology into practical workplace strategies that go beyond traditional time management to include cognitive energy and "effortless high performance." Alexandra was a founding partner of Inside80 and previously a coach within Shirlaws, and she brings over 20 years of experience across US local government and global corporate values development. Today, she works with senior CEOs and executives around the world to redefine workplace efficiency and bring sustainable high-performance narratives to life, drawing on decades of experience and a deep passion for human psychology.

Connect with Alexandra Davids:

Website: https://www.nextevolutionperformance.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/high-performance-coach-alexandra-davids-neperform

20/20 Webinar: https://nextevolutionperformance.com/events-20-20-clearer-views-on-the-neuroscience-of-high-performance/

Connect with Cathleen O'Sullivan:

Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LegendaryLeaderswithCathleenOS

FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.

What if the key to reinventing your career isn't a dramatic leap—but a quiet, stubborn plan built one small step at a time?

In this warm, deeply honest episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan is joined by Lorraine Whale, qualified genealogist, house historian, and founder of Time Flies Ancestry—who spent over 25 years in HR and leadership roles before following a passion she'd been nurturing for decades. Their conversation spans career reinvention, the emotional cost of falling out of love with a profession, the underrated power of a good plan, and what it really means to lead yourself forward when nobody else is handing you a roadmap.

Lorraine opens with something that will resonate with many—she doesn't see herself as a leader at all. But as the conversation unfolds, it becomes clear that her definition of leadership, building trust, giving others confidence, showing up with tenacity—is exactly what she has been doing all along, in boardrooms, in genealogy archives, and at home as a single mum raising a son she is quietly and fiercely proud of. She shares how she mapped her escape from HR with an Excel spreadsheet worthy of Andy Dufresne, why redundancy felt like liberation, and how a squiggly career can be the most intentional one of all.

They also get into the human side of HR—why it too often becomes a ticketing system rather than a true business partner, what real people functions should look like, and the question that changed everything for Lorraine: Do you want to retire working in this? And for anyone wondering whether it's too late to start over, Lorraine's answer is simple: find the thing that lights you up, make a plan, and don't just do nothing.

This is a conversation that will meet you with grace wherever you are in your career—and quietly nudge you to take that first step.

Episode Timeline:

00:03:54 "I've never seen myself as a leader"

00:06:38 From admin to HR to genealogy — finding her place

00:16:39 Solitude, community, and the AGRA network

00:18:38 Falling out of love with a profession

00:21:19 What great HR actually looks like

00:29:02 The Andy Dufresne escape plan

00:34:02 Squiggly careers and waiting for what's next

00:40:13 The first small step

00:43:32 Loving the problem-solving of genealogy

00:49:43 The village it takes to raise a child

00:56:13 Self-care when there's no time for it

00:58:26 Find the thing that lights you up

00:59:13 How to find Lorraine and Time Flies Ancestry

Key Takeaway:

• Reinvention Isn't a Leap — It's a Long Game: Changing direction doesn't mean scrapping everything overnight. Lorraine spent years qualifying, downsizing, and planning while still in her HR role. The most meaningful career shifts are built slowly, deliberately, and with a very clear goal in sight.

• Your Whole Career Is the Foundation, Not the Obstacle: A squiggly path isn't a weakness — it's a toolkit. Every function, every stakeholder, every challenge you've navigated gives you a perspective that a linear career never could. Don't discount it. Build on it.

• Ask Yourself the Uncomfortable Question: Lorraine's turning point came from one honest question — would I want to retire doing this? Sitting with that discomfort is where real clarity begins. If the answer is no, that's not a crisis. That's a starting point.

• If You Have a Goal, Make It Visible: Good intentions don't create change — a plan does. Whether it's an Excel spreadsheet, a timeline, or a milestone tracker, seeing your progress move is what keeps you going when the goal still feels far away.

About Lorraine Whale:

Lorraine Whale is a professional genealogist and family history researcher who helps people uncover their ancestral stories and preserve family and house histories. As Founder of Time Flies Ancestry, she specialises in detailed genealogical research that goes beyond online records to include archives, museums, and local history resources across southern England. Lorraine holds a Diploma in Genealogy and is a member of the Association of Genealogists & Researchers in Archives (AGRA) and the Register of Qualified Genealogists, and she also serves on the tutorial team of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies. Today, she works with clients around the world to trace their roots and bring forgotten family narratives to life, drawing on decades of experience and a deep passion for the past.

Connect with Lorraine Whale:

Website: https://www.timefliesancestry.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorraine-whale-75634a1b/

Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA): https://www.agra.org.uk/

Connect with Cathleen O'Sullivan:

Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LegendaryLeaderswithCathleenOS

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What if the biggest breakthrough in your leadership journey wasn't about having all the answers—but about showing up anyway, doubts and all? In this milestone solo episode, host Cathleen O'Sullivan celebrates 200 episodes by sharing the raw truth behind her podcasting journey—a masterclass in self-leadership, persistence, and knowing when to hold on versus when to let go.

Cathleen opens up about crippling self-doubt, struggling with her accent, and balancing motherhood with building a business. Through it all, she discovered that impact doesn't need to be loud to be meaningful, and that starting small can lead to extraordinary ripples. This episode is your permission slip to take that brave step you've been holding back on.

Episode Timeline:

01:01 A journey of ups, downs, and contemplating quitting

06:08 Battling the inner critic: "Who do you think you are?"

08:07 What does it really mean to lead well?

11:44 What felt tremendously hard: vulnerability and overthinking

15:51 The power of starting small

19:23 Freezing at the first recording: the fear of judgment

21:30 Small steps that helped pushing through

25:15 Key highlights from 200 episodes and extraordinary guests

27:47 What's next: more unpolished truth and deeper solo episodes

Key Takeaway:

• The Power of Starting Small: You don't need perfection or a grand plan. Leadership begins with leading yourself out of fear and into your next step—one question, one voice, one brave move.

• Vulnerability Is Strength: The most powerful leaders often have the deepest doubts. Being visibly human—doubt and all—isn't a weakness; it's your greatest asset and what builds trust.

• One Person at a Time: Impact doesn't have to be loud to be meaningful. If one person feels less alone or more understood, it's worth it. Small, consistent changes create ripples.

• Alignment Over Approval: Real leadership is about energy, behavior, and intention—not status or perfection. Choose what truly matters over what looks impressive.

Connect with Cathleen O'Sullivan:

Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LegendaryLeaderswithCathleenOS

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What if the culture your organisation is trying to build isn't hiding in a values poster or a strategy deck—but in the smallest things you do every single day?

In this warm, deeply practical episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan is joined by Augusta Vivian, CEO of Higson, a people development consultancy helping senior teams lead through change, build inclusive workplaces, and embed culture that actually lasts. Their conversation spans parenting and leadership, kindness as a performance tool, the hard work of real inclusion, and why stubborn values might be the most underrated leadership quality of all.

Augusta opens with something personal—how raising her 17-month-old daughter has sharpened her understanding of presence, trust, and the power of micro moments. From there, the conversation moves into the heart of her work: how the tiny, consistent behaviours we model become the architecture of how we treat each other at scale. She shares how Higson builds change-ready cultures, why clarity is an act of kindness, and how vulnerability from a leader doesn't weaken authority—it creates the conditions for real trust.

They also tackle inclusion head-on—unpacking the critical difference between diversity and inclusion, the unconscious bias we all carry, and how even the language we use with toddlers is quietly shaping future leaders. And Augusta makes a compelling case that fun, charity, and giving back aren't soft add-ons—they're non-negotiables, built into processes and calendars precisely because life is busy and good intentions alone don't get it done.

This is a conversation that will nudge you to look differently at how habits, tone, and attention shape the people around you—at home, in your community, and at work.

Episode Timeline:

00:04:18 Parenting as a leadership practice

00:06:41 Why micro moments are the real culture builders

00:09:31 Building a change culture, not just surviving change

00:12:59 The importance of kindness and vulnerability

00:18:02 Financial transparency, strategy days

00:21:24 Culture add, not culture fit

00:23:56 Core values of of Higson

00:29:06 Making the values a non-negotiable

00:34:38 The people behind the passion and authenticity

00:36:35 Stubbornness as a values-led superpower

00:41:14 The impact of her Oxford days

00:43:10 Diversity vs inclusion – what leaders get wrong

00:52:26 Why culture change stalls at the poster

00:58:44 Intelligent failure and the Rose, Thorn, Bud tool

01:04:57 What a parenting book teaches us about leadership

01:08:16 Boundaries over balance

Key Takeaway:

• Culture Lives in Behaviour, Not Slogans: Values on a wall mean nothing without the layer below them. Define what your values look like in practice, build them into how you hire, appraise and recognise people—then they become culture. Most organisations skip that step.

• Kindness is a Performance Tool, Not a Nice-to-Have: Honest communication, genuine recognition and psychological safety aren't soft—they're the foundation of high performance. Teams that trust their leader navigate change faster, stay longer and go further above and beyond.

• Diversity Gets People in the Room. Inclusion Keeps Them There: A diverse team without an inclusive culture doesn't outperform—it underperforms. Around 70% of how included someone feels comes directly from their leader. Check your language, challenge your biases, and make sure people feel heard—not just present.

• If It Matters, Build It In—Don't Just Intend It: Charity work, fun, wellbeing check-ins, strategy days—none of it happens on good intentions alone. If something is a value, make it a non-negotiable: schedule it, process it, protect it. Otherwise, busy wins.

About Augusta Vivian:

Augusta Vivian is a people development and organisational culture expert who works with leaders and teams to build inclusive, high-performing workplaces and lead through change. As Founder and CEO of the people consultancy Higson, she specialises in designing leadership frameworks, behavioural change programmes, and talent practices rooted in psychological insight that help organisations communicate better, innovate, and thrive. With a degree in Psychology from the University of Oxford, Augusta combines deep expertise in human behaviour with a mission to create positive social and environmental impact — including donating a significant portion of Higson's profits to charity and achieving B Corp certification. Today, she partners with professionals who want to transform culture, strengthen leadership, and drive lasting results in their organisations.

Resources Mentioned:

The Right Kind of Wrong: https://a.co/054z87s9

The Whole-Brain Child: https://drdansiegel.com/book/the-whole-brain-child/

Connect with Augusta Vivian:

Website: https://consulthigson.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/augustavivian/

Connect with Cathleen O'Sullivan:

Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LegendaryLeaderswithCathleenOS

FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.