Claire Clarke, Director of Hospitality People Services at Moore Kingston Smith, joins Louise for an incredibly open conversation about what it's like to walk into a toxic workplace as an HR leader - and what it takes to walk back out again. Claire shares the red flags she spotted on day one but chose to overlook, why HR professionals are uniquely bad at recognising when the system is broken around them, and how she rebuilt her confidence after leaving with no job to go to. An honest and important listen for any people leader.

Céline Crawford, Director of Operations at Fertifa, joins Louise to talk about why pay gaps stubbornly refuse to close, what transparent salaries actually do in practice, and what proper support around women's health looks like beyond just updating a handbook. Drawing on her own experience of pregnancy loss and her work with organisations of all sizes, Céline shares why psychological safety matters more than policy, how one employee voluntarily took a pay cut after salaries were made public, and why most businesses aren't even at the bare minimum yet.

Aleksandra Kucza, Senior Global HR Director at ACAMS, joins Louise to talk about why talent reviews are one of the most underrated business processes out there - and how to run them well when your workforce is scattered across the globe. From getting CEO buy-in to tackling proximity bias, Aleksandra shares practical advice on making talent conversations meaningful, why the annual review shouldn't be a surprise, and how internal recognition can make the invisible visible in a remote-first world.

Tim Mitchell, Chief People Officer at the Institute of Cancer Research, joins Felix to talk about what it takes to build a workplace where different ways of thinking aren't just accepted - they're essential. As a parent of a neurodiverse child and executive sponsor for disability at work, Tim brings both a personal and professional lens to the conversation. They dig into why encouraging mistakes leads to better outcomes, how ICR is rethinking performance frameworks for a research environment, and why creating psychological safety isn't at odds with high performance - it's the foundation of it.

Ellie Evans, seasoned Chef People Officer, joins Louise to challenge whether HR is guilty of over-complicating things - from rebranding part-time work as "fractured roles" to dressing up internal mobility as "talent fluidity". They get into what actually makes change stick, why people management is still the biggest unsolved problem in most organisations, and how apprenticeship-style academies might be the future of graduate development. Ellie also shares her take on what HR looks like in five years - and whether it becomes more of a technology function than a people one.

James Zhang, a global HR professional with a background in mathematics, joins Louise to explore how AI is reshaping the way we think about organisational design, graduate careers, and what makes someone hireable in 2025. From using AI as a mentoring buddy for junior hires to rethinking whether you still need as many managers, James shares a practical and refreshingly honest perspective on what the future of work actually looks like, and why the human skills of communication and curiosity still matter most.

Kameka McLean, Group Head of HR at Walker Crips Investment Management, joins Felix to talk about why HR professionals are burning out in silence - and what needs to change. With burnout among HR professionals reportedly hitting 82% in 2024, Kameka shares her own experience of pushing through when she should have stepped back, the moment she finally prioritised her own wellbeing, and why HR leaders need to stop shrinking themselves to fit into how others see the function. A raw and honest conversation about integrity, resilience, and the strategic power of HR.

Joanna Holmes, HR Director at Wilsons Solicitors, joins Louise to talk about what it's really like to move from big corporate HR into an SME. After 25 years in the profession - including stints at KPMG and B&Q - Joanna shares what she gained from large organisations, why she ultimately craved something different, and the lessons she's learned about getting stuck in, protecting your thinking time, and resisting the urge to change everything on day one.

Sami Aintaoui, CEO of MBA Group, joins Felix to talk about what it actually looks like when a mid-sized business gets AI adoption right. From running an AI amnesty poll to uncover what tools people were already using, to building AI into their product set and pursuing ISO 42001 accreditation, Sami shares a refreshingly practical take on transformation. They also get into why the org chart is changing shape, how to interview for AI competency, and why 350 brains are always better than one.

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.