Anatomy of a Leader with Maria Hvorostovsky

How would the world change if more mothers returned to work feeling empowered, supported and valued? How would amazing talent change the companies if they no longer had to lie about having IVF or hide that they had a miscarriage? Surely we would finally have more women in senior leadership positions, more role models, more diverse thinking. This is exactly Elizabeth Cowper’s mission with Ludo, which provides companies with tech for inclusion, with a specific focus on women. Ludo’s first module, WoMo (an affectionate nickname for Working Mothers), launched July 2021 and supercharges the maternity experience for women, through support, advice and connection to the workplace. And this is just the beginning. Ludo Menopause launches October 2022 to help businesses educate employees and engage female talent through the menopause. In this very open conversation Elizabeth shared a lot of her own personal experiences after having IVF for the first two of her children and how her background in HR (she was previously VP of HR as well as Head of Wellbeing at the Tapestry group which owns the brands Coach, Kate Spade, Stuart Weitzman) shaped her view of supporting working mothers in the workplace. We talk about good and bad bosses, especially ones that didn’t make her “feel like Elizabeth”. We talk about why women don’t return to work after having kids (it’s not always the first choice to be a full-time mum), and about funding in a male dominated VC environment as well as what we need to change that. ------------------------------------ ELIZABETH COWPER ------------------------------------ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-cowper-chartered-fcipd-ludo/ Ludo: www.weareludo.com WoMo: https://womonetwork.com/ Instagram WoMo: https://www.instagram.com/womonetwork/ Instagram Ludo: https://www.instagram.com/we_are_ludo/ ------------------------------- FOLLOW ME ON ------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovsky HVO Search: www.hvosearch.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need help HIRING - head over to - www.hirewithmaria.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEAVE A REVIEW: If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts make sure to Follow, Rate, and leave a REVIEW. The best review will get a mention in the next episode!

Daniel Pink is the New York Times bestselling author of 7 books, including To Sell Is Human, Drive, When and the most recent one The Power of Regret. His Ted Talk “The Puzzle of Motivation” has been watched over 10 million times. He notoriously writes with precision, removing all the fluff to make sure his readers get the most well-researched, most valuable insights they can apply to their life straight away. In Episode 31 I had the chance to sit down with Daniel to talk about his book “The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward” to learn about 4 biggest categories of regret. Daniel’s view is that Regret is a powerful negative emotion, that when viewed from the right perspective is extremely useful at guiding our future decisions and actions. We talked about Daniel’s own regrets, especially the biggest parenting and career regrets (apparently there are quite a few!) Daniel shared his view about how self-compassion is massively underutilised, how we as humans are over indexed on awkwardness and that small talk isn’t fluff but essential in conversations. ---------------------------------- DANIEL PINK ---------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielpink/ Website: https://www.danpink.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielpink/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanielPink Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielhpink Regret Survey: https://worldregretsurvey.com/ ------------------------------- FOLLOW ME ON ------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovsky HVO Search: www.hvosearch.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need help HIRING - head over to - www.hirewithmaria.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEAVE A REVIEW: If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts make sure to Follow, Rate, and leave a REVIEW.

Daniel Pink is the New York Times bestselling author of 7 books, including To Sell Is Human, Drive, When and the most recent one The Power of Regret. His Ted Talk “The Puzzle of Motivation” has been watched over 10 million times. He notoriously writes with precision, removing all the fluff to make sure his readers get the most well-researched, most valuable insights they can apply to their life straight away. In Episode 31 I had the chance to sit down with Daniel to talk about his book “The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward” to learn about 4 biggest categories of regret. Daniel’s view is that Regret is a powerful negative emotion, that when viewed from the right perspective is extremely useful at guiding our future decisions and actions. We talked about Daniel’s own regrets, especially the biggest parenting and career regrets (apparently there are quite a few!) Daniel shared his view about how self-compassion is massively underutilised, how we as humans are over indexed on awkwardness and that small talk isn’t fluff but essential in conversations. ---------------------------------- DANIEL PINK ---------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielpink/ Website: https://www.danpink.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielpink/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanielPink Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielhpink Regret Survey: https://worldregretsurvey.com/ ------------------------------- FOLLOW ME ON ------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovsky HVO Search: www.hvosearch.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need help HIRING - head over to - www.hirewithmaria.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEAVE A REVIEW: If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts make sure to Follow, Rate, and leave a REVIEW.

Hannah Russell is an open book. She’s curious, tenacious and totally owns her errors and her success. Her first company was Layer Home, which she successfully ‘exited’ as it was sold to a competitor. She seems to be “allergic” to that word, however. In her words she saw this exit as a failure at the time, but would not have it any other way as it would not have led her to create her second business: Mags Creative - a podcast production agency. We explore fear, failure and the concept of success. We talk about VC funding for startups and how it’s not always the right path. That you can build businesses differently and don’t have to subscribe to the same route to success. And we discuss how podcasts can improve your leadership skills and as well as what makes an excellent podcast both for individuals and companies. ------------------------------- WE DISCUSS ------------------------------- 01:51 - Hannah’s superpowers 06:05 - Working with her sister Faith 10:04 - Experience of running her first business - Layer Home 16:44 - VC funding isn’t right for everyone 19:29 - Why podcasts now? 22:07 - Fear & success 30:13 - Advice to younger self 35:04 - Aligning values with your work 44:34 - What makes an excellent podcast? 45:32 - How can podcasting help you become a better leader? 48:03 - Advice for companies who want to have a podcast 49:37 - What is leadership? ---------------------------------- HANNAH RUSSELL ---------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahruss/ Website: https://www.magscreative.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mags.creative/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mags__creative ------------------------------- FOLLOW ME ON ------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovsky HVO Search: www.hvosearch.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need help HIRING - head over to - www.hirewithmaria.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEAVE A REVIEW: If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts make sure to Follow, Rate, and leave a REVIEW.

Hannah Russell is an open book. She’s curious, tenacious and totally owns her errors and her success. Her first company was Layer Home, which she successfully ‘exited’ as it was sold to a competitor. She seems to be “allergic” to that word, however. In her words she saw this exit as a failure at the time, but would not have it any other way as it would not have led her to create her second business: Mags Creative - a podcast production agency. We explore fear, failure and the concept of success. We talk about VC funding for startups and how it’s not always the right path. That you can build businesses differently and don’t have to subscribe to the same route to success. And we discuss how podcasts can improve your leadership skills and as well as what makes an excellent podcast both for individuals and companies. ---------------------------------- HANNAH RUSSELL ---------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahruss/ Website: https://www.magscreative.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mags.creative/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mags__creative ------------------------------- FOLLOW ME ON ------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovsky HVO Search: www.hvosearch.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need help HIRING - head over to - www.hirewithmaria.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEAVE A REVIEW: If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts make sure to Follow, Rate, and leave a REVIEW.

Hasna Kourda, the Tunisian born Founder of Save Your Wardrobe, is considered, methodical and pragmatic. A recovering perfectionist. She has been fighting the good fight about customer consumption and the importance of circularity way before it became fashionable. With only 2% of funding going to female founders she had to learn on the go how to pitch for her idea (in the early years even sending her husband in to ‘look’ like the lead) and assess investors on whether they are right for her business in the first place. She learnt that saying ‘no’ to investors even when you have no money isn’t always a mistake and that separating yourself from your business is important to keep your sanity. ------------------------------- EPISODE #27: ------------------------------- You can listen to the full episode here OR WATCH it on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC-YIz5pEMM9vigbYOxK2Kw ------------------------------- WE DISCUSS ------------------------------- 02:35 - Your  first job and early years 05:56 - Starting Saving My Wardrobe 10:04 - Surprises about skills 12:09 - Working with few resources / parallel with sustainability 13:37 - Raising funds 16:57 - Creating a balance when your husband is also your business partner 24:08 - Hiring the best people 28:26- How are you different now from when you started? 29:53 - What do you wish you learnt sooner? 33:31 - Mistakes that shape you 36:49 - What does leadership mean to you? 42:09 - Any misconceptions about you? 43:59 - Impossible question ----------------------------------------- HASNA KOURDA ----------------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hasnakourda/ Twitter: @hasnakourda - https://twitter.com/hasnakourda ----------------------------------------- SAVE YOUR WARDROBE ----------------------------------------- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saveyourwardrobe/?hl=en Website: https://www.saveyourwardrobe.com/ Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/saveyrwardrobe Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/saveyourwardrobe/ Save Your Wardrobe has a new partnership with Zalando - https://zalandocareandrepair.saveyourwardrobe.com/ ------------------------------- FOLLOW ME ON ------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovsky HVO Search: www.hvosearch.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need help HIRING - head over to - www.hirewithmaria.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEAVE A REVIEW: If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts make sure to Follow, Rate, and leave a REVIEW. The best review will get a mention in the next episode! Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/cruen/in-the-nowLicense code: SDXCT4ELUCOHZOKN

Have you ever felt like you were surrounded by idiots? Like they just couldn’t understand the simplest things? Human interaction is complex and nuanced. What we say doesn't always get interpreted in the way we mean it. There are filters through which we view the world and the people in it. Make sure YOU are not the idiot in the room - watch Episode 29 with Thomas Erikson, or better yet read his book “Surrounded by Idiots”. Thomas is a Swedish communication expert, speaker, lecturer, business consultant, and an international bestselling author. He has been teaching his personality system (which is based on the DISC personality model) for 20 years to the likes of Coca-Cola, Microsoft and many others. In this Episode we discuss how to spot each personality at a party, why there are still bad bosses, and how if there was a perfect leader, it would probably be a woman. Here are the colour codes: Red / Dominant - speak their mind, ambitious, get things done, bulldozer, aggressive, impatient, tyrannical Yellow / Influencer - optimistic, chatty, confident, outgoing, bad listener, easily distracted, answer questions intended to be for someone else Green / Steady - good listener, good team player, caring, friendly, loyal, conflict averse, slow Blue / Conscientious - diligent, detail focused, pessimist, perfectionist, don’t speak up, aloof, cold-hearted, insensitive, will use a calculator to double check excel is correct ------------------------------- WE DISCUSS ------------------------------- 01:57 - Why is the book called “Surrounded by Idiots”? 07:39 - How do you get people who are not curious to take this knowledge on board? 09:38 - Where does the fascination with people come from? 11:53 - Thomas’ background and personality type 19:45 - Red’s are overrepresented in leadership roles 22:39 - Bad bosses (when low self-awareness disastrous for the business) 25:45 - Different leaders for different situations - good and bad times 35:34 - If there was a perfect leader - it’s probably a woman 39:31 - Asking for a friend - reds stepping on toes 48:13 - I walk into a party - how can I tell who is who? 52:19 - How to choose leaders 01:04:04 - What do you wish to achieve with your work? ---------------------------------- THOMAS ERIKSON ---------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaseriksonauthor/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomas.erikson.surrounded.by.idiots/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomaseriksonwriter/ - @thomaseriksonwriter  Website: https://www.surroundedbyidiots.com/en/ https://www.surroundedbyidiots.com/en/ ------------------------------- FOLLOW ME ON ------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovsky HVO Search: www.hvosearch.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need help HIRING - head over to - www.hirewithmaria.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEAVE A REVIEW: If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts make sure to Follow, Rate, and leave a REVIEW.

Have you ever felt like you were surrounded by idiots? Like they just couldn’t understand the simplest things? Human interaction is complex and nuanced. What we say doesn't always get interpreted in the way we mean it. There are filters through which we view the world and the people in it. Make sure YOU are not the idiot in the room - watch Episode 29 with Thomas Erikson, or better yet read his book “Surrounded by Idiots”. Thomas is a Swedish communication expert, speaker, lecturer, business consultant, and an international bestselling author. He has been teaching his personality system (which is based on the DISC personality model) for 20 years to the likes of Coca-Cola, Microsoft and many others. In this Episode we discuss how to spot each personality at a party, why there are still bad bosses, and how if there was a perfect leader, it would probably be a woman. Here are the colour codes: Red / Dominant - speak their mind, ambitious, get things done, bulldozer, aggressive, impatient, tyrannical Yellow / Influencer - optimistic, chatty, confident, outgoing, bad listener, easily distracted, answer questions intended to be for someone else Green / Steady - good listener, good team player, caring, friendly, loyal, conflict averse, slow Blue / Conscientious - diligent, detail focused, pessimist, perfectionist, don’t speak up, aloof, cold-hearted, insensitive, will use a calculator to double check excel is correct ---------------------------------- THOMAS ERIKSON ---------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaseriksonauthor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomas.erikson.surrounded.by.idiots/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomaseriksonwriter/ - @thomaseriksonwriter Website: https://www.surroundedbyidiots.com/en/ https://www.surroundedbyidiots.com/en/ ------------------------------- FOLLOW ME ON ------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovsky HVO Search: www.hvosearch.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need help HIRING - head over to - www.hirewithmaria.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEAVE A REVIEW: If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts make sure to Follow, Rate, and leave a REVIEW.

Campaign magazine dubbed him "One of the most talented people in media" and Evening Standard's rated him as the “Top 1000 Most Influential Londoners”. Bruce Daisley is outspoken, direct and absolutely obsessed with workplace culture. So much so, he wrote a Sunday Times bestselling book - The Joy of Work. He has a new book coming out soon called Fortitude - all about the glorification of resilience and its implications. And boy, I resonated with it so much. In Episode 28 we discuss the 4 hour work week, toxic environments, what makes workplaces thrive, resilience and how hybrid working is the worst of both worlds. ------------------------------- WE DISCUSS ------------------------------- 01:39 - Bruce’s first job & what characterises good workplace cultures - can you enjoy your work despite bad bosses 08:34 - How empires rise and fall 10:59 - What is the responsibility of the leader to set culture? 17:25 - Burnout, meetings and personal control 23:05 - 4 day week & optimising the workplace collaboration 27:53 - Hybrid working is the worst of both worlds 33:13 - Spontaneous meetings & relationships with our community 36:55 - Fortitude, resilience, toxic cultures 45:47 - What can companies do? ----------------------------------------- BRUCE DAISLEY ----------------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brucedaisley/ Twitter: https://bit.ly/3k32DAs - @brucedaisley Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brucedaisley/ - @brucedaisley Website: https://eatsleepworkrepeat.com/ Newsletter: https://makeworkbetter.substack.com/ Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/eat-sleep-work-repeat/id1190000968 ------------------------------- FOLLOW ME ON ------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovsky HVO Search: www.hvosearch.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need help HIRING - head over to - www.hirewithmaria.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEAVE A REVIEW: If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts make sure to Follow, Rate, and leave a REVIEW.

Bruce Daisley is outspoken, direct and absolutely obsessed with workplace culture. So much so, he wrote a Sunday Times bestselling book - The Joy of Work. Campaign magazine dubbed him "One of the most talented people in media" and Evening Standard's rated him as the “Top 1000 Most Influential Londoners”. Bruce has a new book coming out soon called Fortitude - all about the glorification of resilience and its implications. And boy, I resonated with it so much. In Episode 28 we discuss the 4 hour work week, toxic environments, what makes workplaces thrive, resilience and how hybrid working is the worst of both worlds. ----------------------------------------- BRUCE DAISLEY ----------------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brucedaisley/ Twitter: https://bit.ly/3k32DAs - @brucedaisley Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brucedaisley/ - @brucedaisley Website: https://eatsleepworkrepeat.com/ Newsletter: https://makeworkbetter.substack.com/ Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/eat-sleep-work-repeat/id1190000968 ------------------------------- FOLLOW ME ON ------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovsky HVO Search: www.hvosearch.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need help HIRING - head over to - www.hirewithmaria.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEAVE A REVIEW: If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts make sure to Follow, Rate, and leave a REVIEW.