What happens when you spend years helping everyone else find their voice, while slowly losing touch with your own?

In this episode, listen to Emma Djemil speak with Kate Jenkinson, former HR Director, executive coach, performance poet and founder of the Association of Business Poets, to explore creativity, self-expression and why so many people in HR end up disconnected from who they really are.

Kate shares her unconventional journey from research scientist to HR leader, through burnout, coaching and ultimately building a business centred around poetry and human connection. We talk about the role creativity plays in wellbeing, why words have more power than we realise, and how organisations often ask people to belong while quietly expecting them to leave parts of themselves at the door.

This conversation is a reminder that confidence isn't about becoming someone else. It's about reconnecting with who you already are.

In this episode we explore:

• Why self-expression matters more than we think
• The link between creativity, wellbeing and leadership
• What burnout can teach us about losing ourselves
• The power of words to heal, connect and create meaning
• Why HR professionals often put everyone else's needs ahead of their own
• How giving yourself permission can change the direction of your life

Expect poetry, laughter, thoughtful challenge and a conversation that might just inspire you to stop waiting for permission - Because the world of work doesn't need more polished versions of people, it needs more humans being themselves.

Find out more about Kate's work here.

If this episode resonated, firstly, welcome. You are very much amongst your people here.

You can connect with Emma on LinkedIn, where she spends a lot of time talking about confidence, leadership, visibility, self-trust and the realities of working in HR.

If you're at a point in your career where you're questioning things, feeling stuck, disconnected from yourself or wanting greater impact without sacrificing your entire nervous system in the process, Emma also works with women in HR through 1:1 coaching. Find out more about that here.

If you enjoyed this episode, do all the lovely podcast-y things: subscribe, leave a review, share it with your HR bestie, or stick it on LinkedIn so more women realise they're not the only ones feeling this stuff.

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