Work Fame with Leanne Hughes

Today’s guest is Tim Ferguson, CEO of Audience, joining me from Switzerland. If you’ve ever walked into a workshop and felt your soul quietly leave your body, Tim is one of the people trying to stop that from happening.

This conversation is a masterclass in what great facilitation actually looks like when it’s done properly. Tim doesn’t treat “engagement” like a nice-to-have. He treats it like the job.

We talk about Tim’s wild career pivots, starting as a day camp counsellor, then theatre school, then a PhD track in religious studies, and somehow ending up running a global company that designs better corporate meetings and coaches leaders to present well. None of it was planned, which is both annoying and reassuring.

A huge theme in this episode is audience-first design. Tim and his team start with who’s in the room, not what’s on the slide deck. He even asks clients to imagine cancelling the event and selling tickets instead. If people had to pay with their own money and time, what would make it worth it? That question alone is enough to expose how much corporate stuff is built backwards.

We also get into:

• Why facilitation is a marathon, not a sprint (and why that matters if you want to do this work long-term)
• How to handle the moment someone calls your workshop “a waste of time” without getting defensive or folding
• A practical reset method (1-2-4-All) for turning tension into something useful
• Tim’s preparation routines, including how he memorises names and builds trust fast
• What it actually takes to work internationally (spoiler: relationships, reliability, and zero entitlement)
• The two underrated skills for new facilitators: presence (body language) and listening for what’s not being said

If you run workshops, lead meetings, or present for a living, you’ll steal ideas from this one immediately.

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Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

Let's connect on all the channels:

Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn

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Visit my website: leannehughes.com

Email me: [email protected]

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I’m recording this on Christmas Day, full festive mode, about to eat and drink everything in sight. But first, I squeezed in a proper workout. A 45-minute Peloton bike bootcamp with Tunde that absolutely cooked my legs.

After that, I did something very on-brand for me. I impulse-bought a $29 USD online course off Instagram and gave it a crack straight away.

It was an intro to shuffle dancing from an account called Shuffle Mums. If you’ve seen shuffling before, you’ll know it’s fast footwork, cardio-heavy, and way harder than it looks.

I spent about 15 minutes learning three moves:

• The running man
• The double running man
• A heel kick variation
• 
  

The teaching style was solid. Break the moves down, then stitch them together at slow, medium, then fast pace. I made it through slow, half-held medium, and completely fell apart after that.

Here’s the honest part. Watching myself in the mirror, I looked stiff, intense, and nothing like the instructors who look chill and effortless. Brow furrowed. Upper body rigid. Very “trying hard” energy.

Which is exactly what learning looks like.

Will I stick with it? No idea. There’s every chance I won’t. And I’m fine with that.

I’m not journalling my why. I’m not blocking time in my calendar. This isn’t a new identity. It’s a 10–15 minute finisher after a workout that’s fun, different, and forces my brain to focus.

That’s enough.

What I loved most was how mentally absorbing it was. The coordination, the footwork, the rhythm. It reminded me of hiking in Nepal, where every step required attention.

I also went down a rabbit hole and learned that shuffling came out of the Melbourne rave scene in the 1990s, dancing in circles, no mirrors, no performance mindset. Just movement, music, and freedom. That context made it even better.

So I’m giving it a go. No pressure. No overthinking. Just movement for the sake of it.

If in a few months I can post a progress video without cringing, that’ll be a bonus.

• Trying things without overcommitting
• Letting fun be the reason
• Habit stacking without making it a life philosophy
• Using movement to wake up your brain
• Being bad at something and not quitting immediately

What’s one thing you could try for 10–15 minutes a few times a week without turning it into a self-improvement project?

Pre-order my new book WORK FAME and get featured on the Wall of Work Fame

Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame.

Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

Let's connect on all the channels:

Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn

Leanne Hughes on Instagram

Visit my website: leannehughes.com

Email me: [email protected]

Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

In this Christmas Day episode, I’m recording fresh off a humid Brisbane hike and a lot of thinking time.

I expand on yesterday’s conversation about media and platforms, and get specific about two things I’m genuinely prioritising in the year ahead.

First, private podcasts.

I break down what they are, why I’ve been using them for years, and why I think they’re one of the most underrated tools for client delivery, learning on the go, and building trust without spraying content everywhere. I share how I’ve used them for coaching, webinars, and even my own learning, and why I’m planning a short, locked-down mini series as my primary email sign-up.

Second, the book.

I talk about the behind-the-scenes decision to trial PR for the first time, what I’ve committed to around the launch window, and why locking this in early is changing how I’m thinking about angles, writing, and visibility. This is very much an experiment, and I explain what I’ll be watching to decide if it’s worth the investment.

I also share a simple but sharp exercise I’m using to shape content and offers next year:

What does my audience want more of, and what are they desperate to reduce or remove? No hype. Just practical clarity.

This episode is less about Christmas cheer and more about direction, focus, and choosing fewer things that actually move the needle.

Pre-order my new book WORK FAME and get featured on the Wall of Work Fame

Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame.

Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

Let's connect on all the channels:

Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn

Leanne Hughes on Instagram

Visit my website: leannehughes.com

Email me: [email protected]

Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

In this episode, I walk through the social media platforms I actually use, why I still use them, and what’s staying or shifting as I head into the new year.

Earlier this year, I published a deep dive on my $11K tech stack. This conversation is the companion piece, focused purely on social and media platforms. The question I’m asking myself is simple:

Why am I here? And is it still doing the job?

Here’s the rundown.

LinkedIn

This is my main business platform. It’s where I share ideas, test thinking, meet smart people, and build momentum for the book. It’s staying. No debate. If my work is business-focused, this is non-negotiable.

Instagram

This is behind-the-scenes, fitness, travel, and real life. It’s lighter. I’ll sometimes delete the app on weekends or holidays to give myself a break, but I like the entertainment value and the people I stay connected with here.

Facebook

Still useful, but mainly for groups, Messenger, and local community updates. My Facebook group exists, people still join, but it’s no longer a growth engine for my business. And that’s fine. Not everything needs CPR.

WhatsApp

Not really social media, but it’s where a lot of my real conversations happen. Group chats, side chats, logistics, and friendships all live here.

TikTok

This one’s intentional curiosity. I’m using it as a listening tool for Gen Z and emerging leaders, because that audience matters for the book I’m writing. I’ll start creating content here, but I’m realistic. I may need help to make that happen properly.

It’s also brilliant for travel, venues, and local recommendations. The algorithm is sharp, and it rewards curiosity.

Strava

Surprisingly motivating. I’m paying for it. Kudos matter more than they should. Even stretching feels rewarded.

Substack

This is a big one. Weekly writing, clearer thinking, and a strong entry point into the book. This is where longer ideas live first, before they get repurposed elsewhere.

Podcast + YouTube

I’m not continuing daily episodes next year. The feed stays. The episodes stay. The name and artwork will change. Expect fewer episodes, more depth, and tighter alignment to the book themes.

YouTube will continue as a distribution channel for the podcast.

Big picture:

One strong weekly article becomes the pillar. Everything else supports it.

Pre-order my new book WORK FAME and get featured on the Wall of Work Fame

Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame.

Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

Let's connect on all the channels:

Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn

Leanne Hughes on Instagram

Visit my website: leannehughes.com

Email me: [email protected]

Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

I recorded this episode late.

All year I’ve been disciplined. Daily episodes. Even from Nepal with poor internet And yet here I am, back home, beachy, relaxed, watching eight hours of cricket… and suddenly a three-minute podcast feels heavy.

That’s the bit I wanted to call out.

It’s not that the work is hard. It’s that the perception of effort ramps up when you’re in soft mode. When you’re already moving, working, exercising, creating, the extra thing barely registers. When you’ve gone full couch, everything feels like a task.

I talk about why the last stretch of anything feels harder, just like the final kilometres of a run. Same effort, louder brain. And how habit stacking and timing matter more than motivation.

The takeaway is simple. Don’t wait to feel ready. Change the context. Do the thing while you’re already in motion.

Because once you start, it’s fine. It’s the thinking about it that’s exhausting.

• Why the last leg of the year feels heavier than the rest
• Effort vs perception of effort and why your brain lies
• Soft mode vs motion mode and how context changes everything
• Why doing the thing is easier than gearing up to do the thing
• How habit stacking saves you from yourself

• Where are you blaming fatigue when it’s really a context problem?
• What task feels big purely because you’ve stopped moving?
• What would change if you did that thing earlier, faster, or mid-motion?

Pre-order my new book WORK FAME and get featured on the Wall of Work Fame

Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame.

Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

Let's connect on all the channels:

Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn

Leanne Hughes on Instagram

Visit my website: leannehughes.com

Email me: [email protected]

Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

The Story Behind “Eat Clean, Drink Dirty”

A while back, my Red Carpet Campout collaborator, Steve Demedio, asked about my dietary requirements. I replied via SMS, “I eat clean and I drink dirty.” That phrase stuck with me, especially recalling a trip to Thailand with Chris.

Our mornings were all about a healthy routine—coffee, hydration, gym sessions, and a fruit-filled breakfast—while our afternoons melted into beautiful sunsets with a Chang or a mojito in hand. That contrast perfectly sums up my lifestyle: keeping things balanced rather than swinging to extremes.

Moderation: The Sustainable Way

I’m not here to dish out advice—this is about sharing what works for me and letting you decide what fits your life. I don’t follow the latest fad diets or extreme regimens; I simply opt for a moderate approach that supports both my well-being and my enjoyment of life. Sure, some folks might say that skipping alcohol entirely gives you extra energy and mental clarity, but I believe in the power of a couple of drinks to spark real conversations and genuine connections. For instance, I’ve seen how a casual beer can break down barriers—reminding me of my mate in the police force, who fondly recalled the old days when cops could wind down together over a few beers.

Balancing Health and Happiness

I’m aware that moderation isn’t for everyone, and there’s a fine line between maintaining a balanced lifestyle and potentially overdoing it. I keep my commitments to eating well, exercising, and living healthily, which helps counterbalance the occasional indulgence. For me, being 40 means I can experiment with this balance—eating clean while enjoying a little dirty drink—and find long-term sustainability without feeling deprived.

Where Do You Stand?

As of February 2025, I’m comfortably navigating my “eat clean, drink dirty” path. I’m curious about your take: do you find that moderation in your habits makes life more sustainable? Do you ever wonder if striving for extreme health benefits is worth sacrificing those spontaneous, fun moments?

Questions for You

• How do you balance a commitment to healthy living with the desire to enjoy life’s lighter moments?
• Have you ever noticed that a casual drink or relaxed conversation has led to unexpected clarity or connection?
• What does long-term sustainability look like for you when it comes to balancing healthy habits with a bit of indulgence?

Pre-order my new book WORK FAME and get featured on the Wall of Work Fame

Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame.

Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

Let's connect on all the channels:

Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn

Leanne Hughes on Instagram

Visit my website: leannehughes.com

Email me: [email protected]

Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

Today I’m pulling you into a conversation I’ve been hanging out to have again, because Julian Treasure is one of those rare humans who makes you rethink how you speak, how you listen, and even how your office is quietly wrecking your brain.

I open by asking a simple question: what’s your favourite TED Talk? Because TED is basically the internet’s global library of “oh wow” moments. I share a few of mine, and then we get into the reason Julian’s back, his talk “How to Speak so that People Want to Listen” is one I use all the time in my workshops.

Julian’s done five TED Talks, his videos have been viewed more than 100 million times, and he’s living proof that voice and listening aren’t “soft skills”. They’re career skills.

1) Open plan offices: productivity killers in a suit

Julian doesn’t mince words: open plan offices are often a nightmare. Noise is the number one complaint and it’s not even close. Too loud, you lose focus. Too quiet, you feel watched and you stop talking anyway. Either way, it’s not the collaboration utopia architects promised.

He also shares the research that open plan can lead to more emails and less talking because people don’t want to be overheard.

2) Noise isn’t just annoying. It’s a health issue.

Julian explains that we’ve got limited bandwidth for conversations and when speech is around you, it hijacks your attention. Long exposure to higher workplace noise isn’t just “a vibe problem”. It can lift stress and impact health over time.

3) The office should be “activity-based”, not one-size-fits-all

We talk about activity-based working: the idea that an office should have different zones for different work types. Quiet space for deep work. Open space for collaboration. Booths for calls. A space designed like a living system, not a factory floor.

4) Biophilia and soundscapes (yes, it’s a thing)

Julian shares what his company has been building: soundscapes designed to improve wellbeing and productivity, using nature-based audio (often water) rather than artificial “coloured noise”. It’s niche, and it’s fascinating.

5) My favourite bit: how facilitators can design the room for better collaboration

Julian gives a simple, practical checklist for any workshop space:

• Acoustics: soft surfaces, curtains, carpet, irregular shapes help
• Noise sources: fans, traffic, hallway machines, anything that drags attention away
• Sound system: match it to room size and your voice, and consider your own mic rig
• Setup discipline: arrive early, reset the room at breaks, make it feel cared for

He even suggests the easiest room test: walk in and clap. Your ears will tell you the truth.

6) Why silence is the first lesson in a speaking course

This surprised me too. Julian starts his course with silence because silence is the baseline for real listening. If you can’t listen properly, you can’t speak into what people actually need. Speaking and listening aren’t separate skills, they feed each other in real time.

He drops a question I’m stealing forever:

“What’s the listening I’m speaking into?”

Different room, different time of day, different culture, different mood. If you don’t adapt to that, you’re basically performing at people, not communicating with them.

7) Handling disagreement without getting defensive

This part was gold. Julian says most of our defensiveness comes from two addictions:

• wanting to look good
• wanting to be right

Both are understandable. Both will sabotage you in front of a group.

The better move is curiosity: “I don’t agree, but I want to understand how you got there.” He talks about listening with compassion and recognising that people’s assumptions are shaped by their history. Same interaction, totally different interpretation.

• Julian’s book: How to Be Heard
• Free listening exercises via Julian’s website: juliantreasure.com
• Julian’s course: speaking and listening course at speaklistenbe.com (Julian mentions it’s discounted at time of recording)

Pre-order my new book WORK FAME and get featured on the Wall of Work Fame

Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame.

Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

Let's connect on all the channels:

Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn

Leanne Hughes on Instagram

Visit my website: leannehughes.com

Email me: [email protected]

Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

Ronsley was the person who told me, years ago, “If you want to start a podcast, start one about something you want to learn.”

That advice is the reason this show exists.

In this final interview, we don’t talk tactics. We talk identity, energy, reps, and why preparation is not the same thing as control.

We unpack why Ronsley doesn’t see himself as a “facilitator” even though he absolutely is one, how he creates rooms people want to be in, and why return on luck is really return on reps.

We talk about:

• Why great facilitation is about standing back, not stepping up
• How treating everyone as equal changes the energy of a room instantly
• Why clarity usually arrives late and that’s normal
• The difference between winging it and being deeply prepared
• Why audio strips away posturing and exposes truth fast
• How reps compound quietly while everyone else is chasing shortcuts

This episode is about trusting the process without pretending you’re in charge of it.

If you facilitate rooms, lead conversations, host sessions, or feel yourself in the middle of a professional skin-shedding phase, this one will land.

Pre-order my new book WORK FAME and get featured on the Wall of Work Fame

Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame.

Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

Let's connect on all the channels:

Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn

Leanne Hughes on Instagram

Visit my website: leannehughes.com

Email me: [email protected]

Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

I’ve just delivered my final webinar of the year and, honestly, I’m not gliding into the finish line. There’s still work on the table.

In today’s episode, I want to share something simple that worked beautifully in a live client session. A practical way to get buy-in without overcomplicating things.

The move is this

“Here’s what you said.”

That’s it.

This team had been involved earlier in the year, sharing input on their future direction and identity. The leadership team took that raw input away, did the hard thinking, and came back with something clear, sharp, and aspirational. And instead of opening with “Here’s what we’ve decided,” the leader opened with a slide that said, Here’s what you said.

That one move changed the energy in the room.

People could see themselves in the work. They could recognise their language, their intent, their concerns. It showed respect for the process and for their contribution. And importantly, it didn’t try to include everything. It highlighted patterns, not noise.

There’s a myth that if you ask for feedback, you have to use all of it. You don’t. What you do need to do is acknowledge it, synthesise it, and show how it informed the direction you’re taking. Even if you ultimately choose a different path, transparency earns trust.

This is also a timing lesson. If you gather input and then disappear, you do more damage than if you’d never asked at all. Feedback needs a visible return loop.

As we head into the end of the year, when energy is patchy and attention is stretched, this is one of those low-effort, high-impact moves that actually works.

I’m heading into a writing-heavy summer, with fewer client interruptions and, let’s be honest, a bit of sloth mode sprinkled in. We’ll see how disciplined I am.

Thanks for listening. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.

Pre-order my new book WORK FAME and get featured on the Wall of Work Fame

Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame.

Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

Let's connect on all the channels:

Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn

Leanne Hughes on Instagram

Visit my website: leannehughes.com

Email me: [email protected]

Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

I negotiated a book deal with Wiley.

• Who I’m writing this book for: an earlier version of me, sitting on a train in South Bank three months into a “dream job on paper” that I hated.
• The trap I fell into: job hunting as avoidance. I thought a new role would fix it. It didn’t.
• A line I can’t unhear: “The grass isn’t greener… it’s just another shade of brown.” Every job has brown patches. The question is what you do about it.
• The premise of the book: it’s not about finding your dream job. It’s about making your job a dream through personal agency and deliberate moves.
• Practical toolkits I’m planning to include: reaching out to people, getting meetings, hosting lunch and learns, building reputation, and understanding what “value” actually means.
• The deadline pressure: aiming for an October 2026 release, with structure and a couple of chapters due early January.
• The provocative opening (current working idea): why “be so good they can’t ignore you” is a lie.

Pre-order my new book WORK FAME and get featured on the Wall of Work Fame

Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame.

Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

Let's connect on all the channels:

Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn

Leanne Hughes on Instagram

Visit my website: leannehughes.com

Email me: [email protected]

Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.