Episode 84 - Emotion at Work in Poetry and Business

Long time listeners may well know Phil has a penchant for poetry and the episodes guest leads with it in the work they do. Creator of the Poetry in Business conference and seizing a gap in the market to create the conference she would want to go to, Kate Jenkinson is the guest for this podcast episode. With over 25 years’ experience as an HR director and a lifelong passion for development, Kate brings a unique perspective on how poetry can transform the workplace.

The conversation begins with an evocative opening about sunsets, leading into Kate’s reflections on poetry as a form of creative recovery from the efficiency-driven world of corporate life. She shares her journey of weaving poetry into business, the resistance she’s faced, and the communities she’s built along the way.

Together, Phil and Kate explore the emotional power of poetry, its role in meaning-making, and its potential to unlock creativity, connection, and wellbeing at work. Kate also shares her pride in a deeply personal collaboration with her daughter, her vision for the future of business poets, and practical steps for listeners to “find their poetry.”

The episode closes with Kate performing her poem Hope, a moving reminder of poetry’s ability to inspire resilience and renewal.

🌅 Opening and Poetic Beginnings (00:09 – 06:30)

• Light-hearted opening question: Kate shares her love of sunsets and their colours as a poetic metaphor for hope
• Reads a snippet of her poem Hope, written during the pandemic to inspire resilience
• Agreement to close the episode with the full poem

🖋️ Poetry as Creative Recovery (06:31 – 15:30)

• Kate describes poetry as her way of processing workplace emotions and staying well
• Poetry offered her a counterbalance to efficiency-driven corporate environments
• Neurodiversity and sensitivity shaped her creative needs and love of wordplay
• Founding the Poetry in Business conference as the event she wished existed

💡 Emotion, Resistance and Transformation (15:31 – 26:30)

• Poetry as a vessel for the full range of human emotions
• Resistance from business leaders: “my FD wouldn’t sign off an invoice with poetry on it”
• Kate’s shift from anger to curiosity when facing scepticism
• Poetry as transformational: able to shift a disengaged room into connection

🎶 Meaning-Making and Everyday Poetry (26:31 – 39:00)

• Humans as “meaning-making machines” — poetry as a natural extension of this
• Links between poetry, music, and lyrics: “if you like music, you already like poetry”
• The risk that rejecting poetry means rejecting part of our brain’s creative wiring
• Finding fulfilment at work by discovering “your poetry”

👩‍👧 Personal Pride and Creative Legacy (39:01 – 33:30)

• Kate’s proudest collaboration: a published mother–daughter project combining her poetry with her daughter’s art during recovery from an eating disorder
• Her daughter’s journey to becoming a tattoo artist, inspired by embracing creativity as a career path
• Kate’s own decision to leave corporate HR to focus on development and happiness

📚 Practical Ways to Find Your Poetry (34:31 – 42:30)

• Visit your local library and explore modern poetry anthologies (e.g. Bloodaxe Books)
• Attend open mic nights or poetry slams for spoken word experiences
• Notice moments of flow in your own life and capture them in words
• Explore the Poetry in Business conference as a condensed toolkit for discovery

🌍 The Future of Business Poets (42:31 – 47:00)

• Kate’s vision: establishing the Association of Business Poets
• Normalising poetry in business events alongside photographers and speakers
• Poetry as a tool for neuro-inclusion and emotional engagement

🌟 Closing Reflections and Performance (47:01 – end)

• Kate reflects on the surprises of resistance to poetry in business
• Shares her belief that “words create worlds” — language shapes workplace culture
• Performs her full poem Hope, closing the episode on a powerful note of resilience and renewal

🔗 Find out more about Kate Jenkinson

• Poetry in Business Conference (14th November 2025, virtual)
• Kate's LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/katejenkinsonnextstephr/
• Clare Morgan – Author, Academic, Literary Consultant
• Poetry Pharmacy – The Poetry Pharmacy