We all start life curious. Asking questions. Exploring. Wondering why.

Yet somewhere along the way — especially at work — curiosity can begin to fade. Not because we stop caring, but because we’re rewarded for certainty, speed, and having the answers.

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram is joined by leadership strategist, researcher, and TEDx speaker Dr Debra Clary to explore why curiosity isn’t a “nice-to-have”, it’s a leadership superpower.

Drawing on decades of experience inside global organisations like Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniel’s, and Humana, Debra shares why curiosity can be learned, measured, and deliberately strengthened. Together, they unpack how curiosity drives performance, engagement, trust, and better decision-making — and why leaders who stop asking questions often unintentionally shut others down.

They also explore Debra’s research-backed Curiosity Curve, the four drivers of optimal curiosity, and why curiosity matters even more in a fast-moving, AI-driven world.

If you care about building teams where people feel seen, heard, and able to contribute, this conversation will change how you think about leadership.

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The key moments in this episode are:

01:11 – Why curiosity is natural — and why it matters at work

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

Leadership training is rarely short on inspiration, but it’s often short on impact.

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram is joined by Dr Jenn Yugo, Managing Director of Corvirtus and an industrial–organisational psychologist, to explore why so much leadership training fails to create lasting behaviour change.

Jenn explains that the problem isn’t motivation, effort, or even the quality of the training itself. It’s that organisations treat behaviour change as a one-off learning event rather than a system supported by environment, habits, identity and social reinforcement.

Together, Andy and Jenn unpack what the science of behaviour change actually tells us, from the forgetting curve and feedback loops, to the powerful role of values, authenticity and team involvement. This conversation challenges the idea that leaders need to “do more”, and instead reframes leadership growth as doing things differently, consistently, and together.

If you’ve ever wondered why great leadership intentions fade once people return to the day job, this episode offers a grounded, human, and evidence-based answer.

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The key moments in this episode are:

01:11 – Why Leadership Training Creates Energy but Rarely Lasts

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

What if the real reason we’re overwhelmed isn’t the volume of work we’re facing — but the fact we’ve lost sight of what really matters?

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy is joined by coach, author and founder of On The Up Consulting, Julia Wolfendale, to explore the rising tide of overwhelm affecting leaders, teams and everyday life. Julia has coached hundreds of leaders, and her book Five Ways to Focus feels more relevant than ever in a world that’s always on, overstimulated, and full of competing demands.

Together they unpack why overwhelm hits even the most capable people, how fear quietly drives busyness, and why we often underestimate our capacity while overestimating the workload ahead of us. Julia introduces her powerful Five Motivational Drivers: freedom, fulfilment, fellowship, finance and kudos; a simple lens that helps people understand what they’re really seeking, and what they should prioritise next.

If you’re feeling stretched, stuck or fizzing with that nervous-system overload Julia describes, this conversation offers a calm, practical reset. Five ideas. Five drivers. And a way of getting life and leadership back on the up.

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The key moments in this episode are:

1:10 – Setting the Scene: Why Overwhelm Is Everywhere Today

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

Looking back over the past year, you might be struck by the sheer volume of stories about hybrid working, burnout, trust, AI and economic pressure. But when you step back and consider them together, a much clearer picture emerges. One that reveals the deeper forces shaping how people feel about work, and what leaders will need to pay attention to in 2026.

In this special solo episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram explores the underlying currents that sit beneath the headlines. Yes, we talk about return-to-office tensions, the rise in burnout, and AI’s quiet spread across workplaces. But these aren’t isolated issues. They’re connected, and they’re telling us something important about the state of work today.

Drawing on a year of cultural insights, research and real-world observations, Andy introduces five forces he believes will shape engagement, culture and leadership in the year ahead. From the growing urgency around work design, to the shift from engagement as feedback to engagement as shared power, to the rising importance of trust, human-fluent AI leadership, and belonging as a stabilising force.

If you’re leading people, shaping culture, or simply trying to make work a healthier, more human experience, this episode offers a grounded and connected view of what’s really happening and why leaders can’t afford to think about these forces in isolation.

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The key moments in this episode are:

0:01:13 – Looking back to understand the year ahead

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

In a world where AI can write, speak and even imagine on our behalf, what does it really mean to understand human stories?

In this episode, Andy Goram is joined by James Warren, founder and CEO of Share More Stories and the team behind SEEQ, a platform that helps organisations read, interpret and quantify the emotional depth inside customer and employee experiences.

James argues that stories aren’t just communication, they’re how we form relationships, build community and create meaning. They’re emotional code. And if leaders can learn to listen properly, stories reveal the truth people often can’t or won’t put in a survey.

Together, Andy and James explore how AI can help leaders understand thousands of stories at scale without replacing or sanitising the human heart behind them. They get into the nuance of emotional data, connection, belonging, trust and the danger of letting machines fabricate “ideal employees” through synthetic responses.

It’s a conversation about preserving humanity in an increasingly machine-shaped world and why the future belongs to leaders who combine technology with vulnerability, deep listening and genuine openness to the stories their people share.

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The key moments in this episode are:

0:01:26 – Stories in a machine-shaped world

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

When you’ve lived through Hollywood blockbusters and Silicon Valley start-ups, you collect a few lessons about focus, fear and meaning.

In this episode, Andy Goram talks with Steven Puri, founder of The Sukha Company, about the link between creativity, purpose and deep work. Steven’s career has spanned DreamWorks, Fox and tech ventures — but today his focus is on something subtler: helping people find ease and meaning in what they do.

This conversation isn’t about hacks or hustle. It’s about what really drives us — why we work, how fear holds us back, and how we can find the calm, creative flow that comes when purpose and focus align.

Warm, honest and deeply human, it’s an episode about living — and working — with Sukha.

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The key moments in this episode are:

0:01:17 – Purpose, Fear and Flow: An Unplanned Conversation

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

From a bamboo house in rural Indonesia to the boardrooms of Asia, Dona Amelia’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Now an international keynote speaker, Harvard-trained leadership specialist, and co-founder of EGN Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, she brings a rare blend of performance, psychology, and purpose to the way she helps leaders grow.

In this episode, Dona joins Andy Goram to explore holistic purpose-driven leadership — a style that balances high performance with humanity. She shares how her early life shaped her belief in service, generosity, and resilience, and how those lessons now inform her work helping senior leaders stay authentic, grounded, and connected — even in high-pressure, high-stakes environments.

Dona also explains her own DONA Framework, which blends Purpose, Presence, People, and Performance, and the role of vulnerability in transforming leadership cultures from the inside out.

It’s an inspiring reminder that great leadership isn’t just about what you achieve — it’s about who you are while achieving it.

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The key moments in this episode are:

0:01:10 – From Bamboo House to Boardroom: Meet Dona Amelia

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

Change is rarely just a rational process — it’s an emotional journey.

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, I’m joined by John Fisher, business psychologist, constructivist thinker, and creator of the Fisher Change Curve. His model goes beyond the Kubler-Ross grief curve to capture the messy, shifting emotions people actually experience during change, from anxiety and fear, to guilt, confusion, and eventual acceptance.

We explore why organisations so often mishandle change, the crucial difference between self-initiated and imposed change, and the role of emotional triggers like SCARF. John also shares practical ways leaders can support their teams and themselves through uncertainty, plus his three Sticky Notes of advice for navigating change with confidence and compassion.

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The key moments in this episode are:

0:01:10 – Why change is never just a process problem

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

Imagine walking into a locker room just moments after a crushing defeat. Players are angry, deflated, maybe even in tears — and then a sideline reporter steps up and asks the question nobody wants to hear.

That’s where Emmy Award-winning sports broadcaster and communications coach Jen Mueller thrives. With 25 years in Sports Journalism, covering high profile sports teams such as the Seattle Seahawks and Mariners, and as founder of Talk Sporty to Me, Jen has mastered the art of having tough conversations under pressure.

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Jen reveals what leaders can learn from the sports world about facing into tough conversations with clarity, honesty, and respect. From avoiding false praise to creating psychological safety, she shares practical tools to help managers and teams tackle difficult moments without damaging trust.

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The key moments in this episode are:

0:01:10 – Why tough conversations matter more than ever in leadership

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

Empathy is often described as a “soft skill” — something nice to have, but not essential for business. But what if we’ve been thinking about it all wrong?

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, I’m joined by Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller — TEDx speaker, executive coach, host of The Empathic Leader podcast, and author of The Empathic Leader: How EQ via Empathy Transforms Leadership for Better Profit, Productivity, and Innovation.

Melissa introduces the idea of practical empathy — empathy as a skill you can develop, measure, and apply every day. We explore why empathy starts at home with self-empathy, the leadership keystone. She explains how reflection and awareness drive better leadership decisions, and why empathy and judgment cannot exist in the same space. Along the way, Melissa shares personal stories, research insights, and practical steps leaders can use to build cultures that are more innovative, more productive, and more human.

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The key moments in this episode are:

0:01:10 – Why empathy matters more than ever in leadership

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Get the full transcript of the episode here