What does it take to back yourself when, despite everything you’ve achieved, you still wonder whether you belong

This week on The Merri-Cast, I’m really thrilled to be joined by Lou Brown, author of “Bold, Brave, Brilliant!” and founder of BRAVElou®.

Lou spent more than 30 years in the public sector, building a successful career in HR and senior leadership before taking the leap earlier this year into running her own business.

However, as she explains in the episode, the achievements other people saw didn’t always match how she felt inside.

I think everyone should listen to this episode. One story that particularly stayed with me involves Oxford University, a broken pink suitcase and an episode of Tipping Point. There’s lots of humour in the telling, but also an important realisation: Lou had earned her place at Uni, even if she didn’t believe it yet herself.

I think many of us will recognise that feeling. I know I do – it’s the main reason why I’ve written my forthcoming book The Confidence Shift – I felt that I found a kindred spirit in Lou when interviewing her.

In this episode, Lou also shares:
• Why she believes beginnings don’t dictate endings
• How a lecturer who saw something in her helped her begin to see it herself
• What her Oxford experience taught her about imposter syndrome
• The excitement and challenges of becoming your own boss
• Why HR professionals sometimes overlook their own confidence and development

Whether you’re building a business, taking on a leadership role or finding that self-doubt and imposter syndrome are holding you back, there’s so much to take away from this conversation.

Lou Brown:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-brown-fcipd-1a9140a8/
Book: Bold, Brave, Brilliant!: Overcoming Imposter syndrome with Courage and Confidence
Website: https://www.bravelou.co.uk/

Trevor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn: https://merriborn.co.uk/
Email: trevor.merriden@merribornmedia.co.uk

Incoming CIPD CEO Neil Carberry OBE joins CIPD Chair Professor Chris Bones and President Chloe Smith for an exclusive Merri-Cast conversation about the future of HR, the direction of the CIPD and what the profession must do next.

This week, we have a really special episode of The Merri-Cast podcast to bring to you.

Neil Carberry OBE is preparing to take the reins as CEO of the CIPD later this month, at a pivotal moment for HR. And before taking office, he joins me on the show alongside CIPD President Chloe Smith and Chair Professor Chris Bones for an exclusive and powerful conversation about the future of the profession – and the direction the CIPD now needs to take.

And in this episode – they don’t shy away from the big questions.

Is HR doing enough to demonstrate its contribution to organisational performance? What needs to change if the profession is to remain relevant and influential? And, with AI, shifting demographics and economic uncertainty changing organisations around us, how can HR step forward and lead?

In this episode, we discuss:
• Why HR is at such a critical turning point – right here, right now
• Why productivity and performance must be central to the profession
• The role HR now need to play in leading organisations through AI and technological change
• Why HR needs to solve business as well as HR problems
• What CIPD membership should mean - to members and employers
• What Neil, Chloe and Chris believe needs to change at the CIPD
• The capabilities that HR professionals need to invest in now to prepare for their future

There is a real sense throughout this conversation that something big is changing.

The opportunity is there for HR to become more confident, more commercially focused and more central to organisational performance. But as Neil, Chloe and Chris make clear, taking that opportunity will require the profession and the CIPD itself to make some important choices.

This is a conversation anyone working in HR - or alongside it – definitely won’t want to miss!

CIPD: https://www.cipd.org/uk/
Neil Carberry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-carberry-obe-95948938/
Chloe Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rthonchloesmith/
Chris Bones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-chris-b-793a50/

Trevor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn: https://merriborn.co.uk/
Email: trevor.merriden@merribornmedia.co.uk

What does it really take to build a successful business – and how can we make life easier for the people running them?

This week on The Merri-Cast, I’m really thrilled to be joined by Emma Jones, Small Business Commissioner and Founder of Enterprise Nation.

Emma has spent much of her career starting, growing and supporting small businesses. And today,
she’s tackling one of the biggest frustrations facing entrepreneurs: getting paid on time.

Emma tells me that small business owners spend an average of 86 hours chasing debt – time that could be spent winning customers, hiring people and growing their business. Think what we could all do with that time. Her mission as Small Business Commissioner is simple – to get money moving through the economy quicker.

In this episode, Emma shares:
• What the dot-com boom taught her – and why she (wisely, in my view) turned down investment
• How she grew Enterprise Nation - and how taking angel investment then changed her thinking
• Why late payments remain such a serious problem for small businesses
• How new legislation could change the way businesses get paid
• Where she sees the biggest opportunities for SMEs
• Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

Whether you’re running a small business, thinking about starting one or simply interested in what Britain can do to create a better environment for entrepreneurs, there’s so much take away from this conversation.

Emma Jones:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-jones-8063536/
Small Business Commissioner: https://www.smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk/

Trevor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn: https://merriborn.co.uk/
Email: trevor.merriden@merribornmedia.co.uk