What makes it so hard to ask for help when you’re struggling — and what can change when we do?

Chris Baréz-Brown talks with Geoff McDonald about his experience of anxiety-fuelled depression, the stigma that can keep people silent, and how the love and hope he found by opening up helped shape his life’s work.

After 25 years at Unilever, Geoff has spent the last 12 years helping organisations make mental health and wellbeing part of how they work — not just a tick-box or an app. He and Chris explore why people’s energy matters, how compassionate leaders can help people feel safe enough to speak up, and what the next generation gives Geoff hope for.

A thoughtful conversation about vulnerability, leadership and creating workplaces where people can bring their best selves.

Subscribe for more conversations with Chris about leadership, energy and culture.

What if the biggest risk isn’t making a change, but staying exactly where you are?

Terence Mauri joins Chris Baréz-Brown on Who’s Elvis Around Here? to explore how we stop chasing certainty and start seeing the possibilities in the unknown.

After surviving a car crashing into a shop, Terence used his recovery to rethink his life and leave a career that no longer fitted who he wanted to become. That experience sparked a powerful question: what if disruption is an opportunity to seize?

From the bureaucracy draining our teams to the doubt holding us back, this conversation is full of ideas for freeing up our energy, unlocking our genius and finding the courage to move.

We explore:
• Why uncertainty can be a source of opportunity.
• How to reduce your “Bureaucratic Mass Index”.
• Why subtracting can achieve more than adding.
• The hidden cost of waiting for certainty.
• How to “do faster than doubt” and start before you’re ready.

If life isn’t bad, but isn’t quite brilliant either, this one’s for you.

What’s one small step you could take today? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe for more conversations about bringing out the brilliance in people.

What does it take to lead when you can’t control everything? How do we create the conditions for people to flourish? And what changes when we stop trying to be right and start becoming more open to possibility?

In this episode of Who’s Elvis Round Here?, Chris Baréz-Brown sits down with organisational systems explorer, coach and author Simon to explore leadership, identity, family systems and the power of surrender.

Simon shares the moving story of his son Tom, and the moment he chose to draw on the wall with him rather than react—an experience that reshaped how he thinks about parenting, leadership and change.

Together they dive into:

• Why the only real choice we have is how we show up
• How a breath can create the space between reaction and response
• Why changing your “dance” can change the whole system
• The family stories and unmet needs we bring into work
• Why leadership is about facilitating, not controlling
• How surrender can unlock creativity, connection and human potential
• The power of play, laughter and making space for better ideas
• What it really means to ask: “What are you working for?”

This is a rich, soulful conversation about loosening our grip, seeing systems more clearly and creating workplaces where people can bring more of themselves.

If you care about leadership, culture, coaching, human potential or building more meaningful organisations - this one’s for you.

🎙️ Guest: Simon
Organisational systems explorer | Coach | Author of Who Invited My Mum to the Meeting?

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with extraordinary leaders exploring how to create more human, energising and meaningful work.

#Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #OrganisationalCulture #Coaching #HumanPotential #SystemsThinking #Creativity #LeadershipDevelopment #Podcast #ChrisBarezBrown

What if everything we’ve been taught about age, work and retirement is wrong?

In this episode of Who’s Elvis Round Here?, Chris Baréz-Brown sits down with Lyndsey Simpson, CEO of 55/Redefined and author of The Age Rebellion, to explore what work and life could look like in the age of the 100-year life.

Lyndsey shares the extraordinary story that started it all: being asked to find retired bankers for a major project — and discovering an almost one-for-one appetite to return to work. It led her to what she calls the “retirement rainbow”: the uncomfortable truth that for many people, stopping work altogether doesn’t deliver the happiness, purpose and fulfilment they expected.

Together, Chris and Lyndsey explore:

• Why retirement as we know it may be fundamentally broken
• The surprising “retirement rainbow” and what happens after the honeymoon period
• Why our own beliefs about ageing can become self-fulfilling
• Why happiness often increases after 50
• The untapped value of older talent in the workplace
• Why the magic happens when different generations work together
• How a 16-year-old and a 92-year-old can thrive in the same organisation
• Why businesses need to stop seeing an ageing population as a problem — and start seeing the opportunity
• Why “if you don’t have an age strategy, you don’t have a growth strategy”

It’s a brilliantly positive conversation about longevity, purpose, happiness and making sure the extra years we’re living have plenty of life in them.

Because perhaps the future isn’t about retiring earlier.

It’s about staying inspired, not retired.

🎙️ Guest: Lyndsey Simpson
CEO, 55/Redefined | Author of The Age Rebellion | Longevity & Future of Work Expert

📚 Lyndsey’s book:
The Age Rebellion

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with extraordinary people exploring how we bring more energy, humanity and genius into the way we work.

#FutureOfWork #Leadership #Longevity #AgeRebellion #Retirement #WorkplaceCulture #AgeDiversity #LyndseySimpson #ChrisBarezBrown #Podcast

AI is changing how we work. But if we are going to lead, influence, create, and connect in a more human way, prompts alone will not save us.

In this episode, Chris Baréz-Brown is joined by Frankie Kemp to explore the human skills that matter more than ever in the age of AI: presence, creativity, confidence, communication, play, and genuine connection.

Frankie brings her background in theatre, improv, performance, and communication to show why the most powerful leaders are not the ones trying to “wow the room” — they are the ones who know how to connect with themselves first, then connect with others.

Together, Chris and Frankie explore how people shrink in professional environments, why technical teams often become too “vanilla,” and how theatre and improv can help us expand our range, take up more space, and bring more electricity into the room.

They also dig into why play is more useful than “embracing failure,” how to build real presence without pretending to be someone else, and why our humanity may be our greatest advantage in a world increasingly shaped by AI.

In this episode:

- Why AI makes human connection more important, not less
- The problem with trying to “wow the room”
- How to stop shrinking in professional environments
- Why play unlocks creativity better than pressure
- What theatre and improv can teach leaders
- How presence and charisma really work
- Why changing the world will not happen with prompts alone

If you want to lead with more impact, speak with more confidence, and become a little less vanilla, this conversation is for you.

Watch now to discover the human skill AI cannot replace.

In this episode of Who’s Elvis Round Here?, Chris Baréz-Brown sits down with long-time friend, creative leader, and Multiply founder Dr. Mark Fowlestone for a rich conversation about creativity, business, humanity, and the energy that brings people to life.

From growing up in Morecambe to leading workshops beneath the pyramids, Mark shares stories from his journey through Ogilvy, Havas, and 20 years building Multiply into one of the UK’s most respected creative agencies.

Together, Chris and Mark explore:

• Why the best leaders create space, not pressure
• The difference between “culture” and energy
• How human connection still beats process and technology
• Why creativity needs freedom, play, and experimentation
• The power of empathy in business and life
• How a wrong-number phone call led to winning a major client
• Why presence matters more than long-term plans
• The importance of keeping humanity alive in a tech-driven world

This is a conversation full of warmth, wisdom, laughter, and honest reflections on what really makes businesses — and people — thrive.

If you care about leadership, creativity, innovation, culture, or simply becoming more human in the way you work and live, this episode is for you.

Subscribe for more conversations with extraordinary people doing things differently.

#Leadership #Creativity #Innovation #Culture #Business #Podcast #ChrisBarezBrown #MarkFowlestone

What makes a great team?
Why do some workplaces energise us while others drain us?
And in a world increasingly shaped by AI, what does it actually mean to be more human at work?

In this episode of Who’s Elvis Round Here?, Chris Baréz-Brown sits down with former Twitter VP and workplace culture expert Bruce Daisley to explore the future of work, leadership, creativity and human connection.

Bruce shares the story of how a hand-drawn cartoon CV landed him his first job, why “fun” is often misunderstood in business, and the simple leadership behaviours that make people feel seen, valued and motivated.

Together they dive into:

Why the best teams are usually the ones having the most fun
The psychology of “mattering” at work
Why having a best friend at work changes everything
The hidden cost of AI-driven efficiency
How leaders can create more human workplaces
Why creativity and connection are becoming MORE valuable in the AI era

This conversation is packed with practical insights, brilliant stories and refreshing optimism about the future of work.

If you care about leadership, culture, creativity, teamwork or building better organisations — this one’s for you.

🎙️ Guest: Bruce Daisley
Former VP Twitter EMEA | Author | Workplace Culture Expert

📚 Bruce’s work:

Newsletter: https://www.makeworkbetter.info/
Books: https://www.brucedaisley.com/

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with extraordinary leaders exploring how to create more human, energising and meaningful work.

#Leadership #WorkCulture #AI #FutureOfWork #Teamwork #BruceDaisley #Podcast #ChrisBarezBrown #WorkplaceCulture #Creativity

What happens when you introduce AI to “help” your people… and they all go on sick leave?

In this episode of Who’s Elvis Around Here?, Chris sits down with leadership expert Joe Hildebrand to explore the human side of AI — and why so many organisations are getting it wrong.

As AI rapidly reshapes the workplace, leaders are facing a critical choice:

👉 Use AI purely for efficiency, cost-cutting, and productivity
👉 Or use it to unlock human potential, creativity, and growth

Joe shares real-world stories (including one AI rollout that completely backfired), powerful leadership frameworks, and why psychological safety, storytelling, and co-creation are more important than ever.

This conversation dives into:
- Why removing “mundane work” can actually harm employees
- The hidden stress AI can create in teams
- The “Red Pill vs Blue Pill” decision every leader faces
- How to balance structure and freedom in modern leadership
- Why the biggest risk right now is losing the human connection

If you’re a leader, founder, or simply navigating change in the age of AI — this episode will challenge how you think about work, people, and the future.