WorkLife Stories

In this episode, Venetia shares the story of her daughter Alice who came out as transgender at age 15. She reflects on the importance of love, listening and allowing Alice to move at her own pace. Venetia talks about the conversations she’s had with family and friends, navigating support resources and learning to become a stronger ally to the LGBTQ+ community.

The conversation highlights themes of identity, acceptance, bravery and personal growth, showing how open communication and unconditional support helped Alice become a confident, happy young woman.

TW: please note – there is a mention of still birthduring this episode

Leila Green speaks with Anna about her transition to motherhood with triplet boys, including the trauma of their premature birth, time in intensive care, and the extreme exhaustion of managing 24 feeds a day once home. She explains how these experiences, alongside the profound shift in her identity and daily life, led her to explore “mum guilt” as a widespread, systemic issue driven by unrealistic expectations. Leila encourages mothers to challenge this inner critic, seek help when needed and prioritise what trulymatters rather than striving for perfection.

We speak with financial psychology specialist CatherineMorgan all about financial wellbeing and why each person’s approach to money should be tailored to their individual needs. Drawing on her own ADHD diagnosis, she explains how traditional tools such as budgeting can fall shortfor neurodivergent minds and shares practical alternatives that may be more effective. She also examines the impact of menopause on women’s financial wellbeing and calls for more open conversations and inclusive financial systemsthat better support their needs.

In this interview, Dolly talks to us about her book, Leaving the Ladder Down, which is all about ‘how to combine a career with motherhood, from the women who’ve done it’. Drawing on her own experience of having children during her career at Vogue and her interviews with over 200 women from a wide range of backgrounds and professions, she explores the many different ways in which people combine work and family life. She describes how parenting often goes unspoken in professional environments, even though it shapes daily life for so many people, and how open conversation eases feelings of guilt and isolation, and improves happiness, motivation and empathy at work.

You can order 'Leaving the Ladder Down' by Dolly Jones at your favourite independent bookstore or here.

We talk to Ian about the important role that Dads play in achieving gender equality in the workplace. He discusses the challenges and ambitions he hears from fathers looking to balance home and work, including shifts in personal identity, differing approaches to taking parental leave, difficulties in challenging traditional norms and the importance of parenting ‘out loud’ at work. He talks about his own family set up: his experience of being the main care giver for his children and how we can all better share the mental load of family life.

Melissa talks to us about her career in commodities andglobal markets over the past decade at Macquarie and how the bank's Black Employee Affinity Group, BEAM has supported her.

She explores the significance of mentors and female rolemodels like Managing Director and CEO Shemara Wikramanayake in her career. She tell us about BEAM, its goals and how she now champions and mentors junior bankers from ethnic minority groups. She shares her view of the future and offers her advice and support to those at the start of their careers in finance.

We talk to Sheila all about Multiple Sclerosis (MS), her symptoms and diagnosis and what daily work and home life looks like for her. She speaks inspiringly about clinical trials, her supportive family, friends and colleagues and her unique outlook on life and humanity.

This Mental Health Awareness Week Rob Stephenson talks to us about his own wellbeing, his passion for music and his quest to break the stigma of mental health in the workplace. He explores the importance of dialogue, role models and storytelling in helping others to feel comfortable talking about their own mental wellbeing and leaves us with simple, positive and practical tips to improve our own.

In this episode, Anna talks to self-confessed former stressaddict: Subira Jones. Subira recounts how her tendency to throw herself into work in order to cope with life’s challenges, ultimately led to her burning out. Now an advisor to global brands and individuals on stress and burnout prevention, she explains the difference between needing a break and burning out, the dangers of resilience and the warning signs that someone may not be coping as well as they appear to be.  

Single parent coach Orla Donoghue talks to us about her own experience of being a single parent as well as her coaching work for both individuals and organisations. She explores the challenges that single parents face, dispels some of the assumptions that are commonly made about single parents and how employers, colleagues and friends can help.