Isabel Berwick, the Financial Times' Working It editor and author of The Future Proof Career, joins Felix to unpack why workforce happiness has taken such a nosedive. From job hugging and the disengagement crisis to the retreat from 'bring your whole self to work', Isabel shares her take on what's driving the malaise - and what leaders can actually do about it. They also get into the middle management problem, why Gen Z need mentoring more than ever, and whether the office might just be the answer to some of this.

Jasper Joyce, COO of Blenheim Chalcot, joins Felix to discuss what you learn building dozens of companies instead of just one. Jasper shares how they create learning feedback loops across their portfolio, why disciplined operating cadences drive pace, and where defensible moats still exist when AI can replicate software overnight. A masterclass in pattern recognition from seed stage to scale, and why the marginal cost of cognitive skills is now negligible.

Jig Ramji, HR Director at Informa, joins Felix to discuss whether the employee-centric shift from Covid is here to stay or regressing. Jig shares why work-life integration matters more than balance, how to actually create psychological safety (not just talk about it), and why leadership outcomes matter more than competencies. A thoughtful conversation about flexible working, consistent leadership, and meeting people where they are on AI adoption.

John Faulkner-Willcocks, co-founder of Open Org, joins Louise Fraser to discuss how HR leaders can lead AI transformation without prior experience. John explains why top-down AI mandates fail, the hackathon approach that works, and why the best thing you can do is build something yourself and show your team. A practical conversation about creating urgency for change, crowdsourcing solutions, and why community is the first place to go when you're scared.

Rob Quinn, Global Head of Talent and Workforce Planning at Boku, joins Felix to discuss the inflection point when scrappy growth starts breaking things. Rob shares why fast-growing businesses need people who can show humility and vulnerability, how to challenge hiring briefs before they become problems, and why the best leaders make themselves redundant by growing everyone around them. A refreshingly honest conversation about transitioning from chaos to scalable processes.

Jon Busby, Director of Product and Technology at Pretzl, joins Felix to discuss why most AI transformations fail before they start. Leading both a four-brand merger and AI implementation simultaneously, Jon explains why boards focusing on "what AI should we use" miss the point entirely, how his team turned a six-week process into six hours, and why successful businesses using AI won't need fewer people - they'll need more skilled people.

Jennifer Mounce, Chief People Officer at Gentrack Ltd. trained executive coach, joins Felix to explore whether AI can replicate the deeply human practice of coaching. Jennifer explains why coaching helps people find their own answers rather than providing them, where AI augmentation works versus replacement, and the crucial question of keeping coaching safe and ethical when technology enters the picture. A thoughtful conversation about the limits and possibilities of AI in professional development.

Martin Sandhu, co-founder of Nuom & Mindora, joins Felix to discuss what early career professionals should do when traditional entry-level roles are disappearing. Martin shares why the career ladder is dead, how to build a portfolio career instead, and why doing the hard things nobody else wants to do is the secret to standing out. A refreshingly practical conversation about entrepreneurship, learning AI tools whilst job hunting, and why boring businesses might be the best training ground.

Vivek Mehrotra, author of a new book on AI orchestration, joins Felix to explore what happens when intelligence becomes abundant and cheap. Moving beyond the "AI will save us" vs "AI will destroy us" debate, Vivek shares why consciousness - not intelligence - is what remains uniquely human, and introduces orchestration patterns (fugue, canon, symphony) for working effectively with multiple AI tools whilst maintaining human judgment at every step.

Goula Charalambous, a veteran HR leader, joins Felix to tackle a question we're not asking enough - how do we build career pathways when AI is automating away traditional junior roles? Goula shares why gut instinct still matters in hiring, the importance of personal brand for both new joiners and managers, and why mental health support is becoming crucial for early-career professionals navigating an increasingly uncertain employment landscape.