🎙 New Podcast Episode: Leadership, Veterans & Building Better Workplaces

In this episode of Tap Into Something Better, I’m joined by Alistair Scott — a leader who truly walks the talk when it comes to people-first leadership in facilities management.

Alastair is:

• Founding Director of Maze Vanguard Group

• Founder of Integrated Estate Management (IEM)

• A driving force behind the IWFM Veterans in FM Network

• Board member of Veterans Can

• Ambassador for Care After Combat

• 🏆 Veteran Leader of the Year (Veterans Awards, Oct)

We dive into:

• Why ex-service personnel are hugely underestimated in FM

• How veterans bring real-world leadership, resilience and delivery under pressure

• Why compliance and sustainability must be treated as wellbeing and safety issues, not tick-box exercises

• A brilliantly simple way to think about building compliance (hint: think MOT, not paperwork)

• Why trust — not beanbags or foosball tables — is the single biggest missing ingredient in modern workplaces

This conversation is about more than FM. It’s about leadership, inclusion, purpose and designing workplaces that actually work for human beings.

🔗 Explore Alistair’s work and the organisations we discuss:

• Integrated Estate Management (IEM): https://integrated-em.com/

• IWFM Veterans in FM Network: https://www.iwfm.org.uk/community/veterans-in-fm.html

• Veterans Can: https://www.linkedin.com/company/veterans-can/

• Maze Vanguard Group: https://mazevanguard.co.uk/

If you care about: ✔ Better leadership ✔ Supporting veterans in industry ✔ Smarter, safer, more human workplaces

— this episode is for you.

Our guest, Sharmin Akter, is a workplace experience and facilities management leader specialising in inclusive, human-centred design. Passionate about shaping environments that prioritise wellbeing, equity, and employee empowerment, Sharmin advocates for transforming FM into a strategic driver of organisational success.

Episode Summary In this episode of Tap Into Something Better, host Hannah Freeman sits down with Sharmin Akter to explore what it truly means to design workplaces that empower people to thrive. Together, they unpack how wellbeing, inclusivity, and green spaces can transform workplace culture and why the future of facilities management lies in elevating the human experience. Sharmin shares her passion for creating environments shaped with employees, not for them—from sensory gardens to nap pods—and explains how meaningful innovations can boost productivity, creativity, and connection.

• Real workplace transformation is done with people, not to them.

• Sensory gardens and green spaces foster inclusivity, creativity, and wellbeing.

• We are human first, employees second.

• Listening to employee voices is essential for meaningful change.

• Facilities management is shifting from a cost centre to a strategic business driver.

• Diversity in leadership is crucial for shaping better environments.

• Innovations like nap pods can significantly enhance workplace culture.

• Short power naps can deliver major productivity boosts.

• The best workplaces are inclusive, human-centric, and experience-led.

• Transforming Workplaces: A People-First Approach

• The Power of Green Spaces in Work Culture

• “Creating a sensory garden for inclusivity.”

• “We are human first and employees second.”

• “Power naps can boost productivity.”

00:00 — Introduction to Transformative Workplaces 01:13 — People-Centred Initiatives in Workplace Transformation 05:28 — The Impact of Green Spaces on Wellbeing 10:36 — Diversity, Equity, and Employee Empowerment 15:47 — Facilities Management as a Strategic Driver 20:28 — Innovative Ideas for Enhancing Workspaces

In this episode of Tap Into Something Better, Hannah Freeman sits down with Samantha Mant, founder and CEO of Halcyan Water Conditioners, to explore the hidden impact of limescale on energy consumption and carbon footprints.

Samantha shares her journey from conservation to innovation, explaining how Halcyan’s 30-year warranty water conditioners prevent limescale, protect appliances, and drive long-term energy savings. Together, they uncover why water is radically undervalued in sustainability conversations, the importance of accountability in green claims, and how small innovations can create big environmental change.

💡 Key Takeaways:

• Halcyan prevents limescale build-up while saving energy.

• Limescale dramatically increases energy use.

• A 30-year warranty proves durability and trust.

• Real sustainability demands honesty and accountability.

• Small solutions can drive large-scale environmental progress.

• Dogs in the workplace can improve wellbeing too!

🎧 Tune in for an honest conversation on sustainability, innovation, and why it’s time we start valuing water properly.

Follow Samantha Mant, and Halcyan on Linkedin here

In this episode of Tap Into Something Better, Hannah Freeman sits down with Andrew Hulbert, incoming Chair of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM), founder of Pareto FM, and passionate advocate for values-led leadership. Andrew shares why he believes facilities management is — and always has been — about people first. From getting the basics right for frontline teams, to creating environments that drive productivity and wellbeing, Andrew highlights how FM can be both a life-changing career and a force for good. Expect reflections on the “unsexy” side of FM, leading with values in a cost-driven world, and why goats in the office might just be the future.

You can follow Andrew Hulbert on LinkedIn here.

And you can find out more about The Tap Specialist here

What if the real reason your culture initiatives aren’t working… is because you’re treating symptoms, not systems?

In this episode of Tap Into Something Better, we sit down with Paula Brockwell — chartered occupational psychologist, culture strategist, and founder of The Employee Experience Project. Paula’s on a mission to dismantle the “fun-washing” culture trend and replace it with something bolder: real, scalable, measurable culture change that starts with capability and ends with accountability.

We talk about:

• Why “perks” don’t fix broken systems

• Who actually owns culture change (spoiler: it’s not just HR)

• How to build alignment without chasing perfection

• The role of curiosity in healing fractured teams

If you’re tired of meaningless engagement surveys, one-off workshops, or vibes-based culture strategies… this one’s for you.

Connect with Paula on LinkedIn or visit employeeexperienceproject.com

In this episode of Tap Into Something Better, Hannah sits down with Hattie Hasan MBE — trailblazing plumber, author, and founder of Stopcocks Women Plumbers. From being the first woman at Leeds College of Building, to creating rainwater harvesting systems in drought-hit Kenya, to launching the Register of Tradeswomen, Hattie has spent three decades turning barriers into platforms.

We explore how water quite literally creates civilisation, why visibility and equity in the trades matter, and how self-employment can be both empowering and isolating. Hattie shares stories of resilience, innovation, and community — from building tanks out of gabion baskets to empowering survivors of abuse through DIY Champs.

This is an episode about water, work, and what it takes to change an industry that wasn’t built with women in mind.

Follow Hattie on LinkedIn

Check out the Tradeswomen Together Podcast

Find out more about The Tap Specialist

Nearly 30 years in Facilities Management has given Sajna Rahman more than experience — it’s given her perspective.

Speaker, coach, customer experience expert, and co-founder of Tomorrow Meets Today, Sajna has spent her career breaking barriers, mentoring future leaders, and challenging organisations to stop treating inclusion as a tick-box exercise.

In this episode of Tap Into Something Better, Sajna and Hannah explore: 💡 Why equity and inclusion still get stuck in “tick-box” mode — and how to change it 🧠 The mindset shifts that help women (and especially South Asian women) rise, without burning out 🌟 “The Imposter Monster” — and why feeling uncomfortable is actually a sign of growth 🤝 Building your “personal boardroom” to co-elevate with others instead of going it alone 🚫 Why workplace culture has to outlast individual leaders — and how to make systemic change

Sajna brings honesty, humour, and hard-won wisdom to a conversation that proves: representation matters, mindset matters, and true culture change is always possible.

Check out Sajna on LinkedIn.

And find out how we support FM and workplace design companies to bring inclusivity and sustainability to the table.

Accessibility shouldn’t be an afterthought - and Luis Canto e Castro is here to prove why.

Founder of Unstoppable Living Limited, multi-award-nominated accessibility consultant, coach, and disability advocate, Luis is known for his fearless honesty and his mission to make inclusion real, practical, and impactful.

In this episode of Tap Into Something Better, we dive into:

• Why accessibility has to be built in from the start - not retrofitted later at huge cost
• The surprising digital barriers costing businesses billions in lost revenue (and how to fix them)
• Why “reasonable adjustments” are anything but reasonable - and the policies that actually work
• How AI is becoming an enabler for disabled professionals (and why it’s not about replacement)
• Plus: why Luis thinks bringing your hobbies to work could transform culture

This is a conversation full of blunt truths, practical insights, and a fresh perspective on what it takes to move accessibility beyond tick-box exercises and into everyday business success.

Follow Luis on LinkedIn here

Check out more about The Tap Specialist here