Confident Conversations

Being trustee for a charity pays dividends for your career because it demonstrates integrity, responsibility and self-motivation. Karen Hall is going one step further and is in the running for NCT President. 

In this interview, Karen explains why she thinks it is really important for there to be a second candidate in the presidential elections so that the membership has a choice. Even though putting herself forward feels scary and vulnerable! 

We discuss the responsibilities of trustees and how this differs from the management board of a commercial organisation. Karen encourages you to put yourself forward - stick your head up above the parapet and stand up for what you believe in, so that you too inspire other women to feel the fear and do it anyway!

Finally Karen reveals how she's going to pull rank over a bag of lego when she's elected NCT President!

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• Karen's NCT President campaign page
• Karen on Twitter @MotherWorldlyUK
• Sprogcast show
• Publisher Pinter & Martin
• Third Sector article on the value to you of becoming a charity trustee
• NCT's Hidden Half campaign on perinatal mental health issues

GUEST: Karen Hall, NCT President nominee
HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• On LinkedIn
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly and packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Would you recognise the scary signs of career burnout? Would you know what to do or say to a colleague?

Discover the 5 scary signs of career burnout that you might recognise in yourself, your partner or a colleague. Learn from my experience and check whether you are experiencing one or more of these and other signs of sliding into burnout.

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• The Confident Mother book
• Listen to Episode 2 of On The Tipping Point when Sherry learned to worry "Am I working hard enough?"
• Book your complimentary burnout reality check call with Sherry

HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• On LinkedIn
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Only the other day I heard myself downplaying what's involved in writing a book. Downplaying my achievements. So many women do this all time time. 'Bigging yourself up' is a key part of your career strategy to boost your confidence and attract the right career opportunities.

In this episode, I share 5 simple things you can do today to boost your career without fear of coming across as cocky or arrogant:

• Quantify your achievements
• Ask for recommendations
• Talk it through
• Record your achievements
• Save the praise

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• The Confident Mother book
• The 10 Day LinkedIn Challenge (we start again on 18 September!)
• Book your complimentary career boost call with Sherry

HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• On LinkedIn
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Listen to one lawyer mum's story of how she struggled and survived her first year back in the law firm environment.

Discover the lessons that Caroline Flanagan learned on how to beat overwhelm and conquer guilt to triumph as a working parent. Caroline shares the successful skills and strategies that work for her and work for her clients.

To beat overwhelm, Caroline encourages you to:

• Make mornings matter
• Exercise (reminding me that Wellness is one of the key elements in The Confident Mother philosophy)
• Start with No

To conquer guilt, it's about:

• Getting clear on your values
• Not beating yourself up about mistakes
• Challenging assumptions

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• The Discover Your Core Values handout
• Caroline's website Baby Proof Your Life
• Caroline on Twitter @BabyProof_Coach
• Caroline's book Baby Proof Your Career
• Episode 019 with lawyer Terrence Donovan who worked part-time for 20 years
• Book your complimentary career clarity call with Sherry

GUEST: Caroline Flanagan, Baby Proof Coach 
HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• On LinkedIn
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Discover the 6 simple steps that I share with all my one-to-one and group coaching clients on how to go back to work with confidence after a career break, no matter your reasons for going back or how long you have been out of the workplace.

In this episode, you will discover the importance of:

• Evaluating your skills, strengths and values
• Creating your career story
• Understanding your mindset
• Identifying gaps
• Building action plan with goals and milestones
• Getting support,  encouragement and accountability

I have been coaching and working with ambitious women in technology and professional services since 2012. Most women initially approach me because they want to go back to work after a career break and we follow the 6 simple steps discussed in the show.

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• The 10 Day LinkedIn Challenge (a great way to try me out and it's free!)
• Episode 019 with lawyer Terrence Donovan who worked part-time for 20 years
• Episode 023 with Stephanie Morgan exploring the long-term career strategy
• Book your complimentary career clarity call with Sherry

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• On LinkedIn
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Discover how Helen Bennett inspires our future generation of leaders by bringing together deserving teenagers and business leaders in Bennett's Business Bash.

Helen is the founder of Human Reality, a training & human resources consultancy. When Helen got involved with a local school to conduct mock interviews, she realised that for some, their lack of confidence could be attributed to a lack of social skills and aspiration.

Determined to change this, Helen organised the first Bennett's Business Bash for a small group of disadvantaged teenagers to sit down for dinner with senior business and organisational leaders in a first class venue.

In this show Helen shares the challenges, the lessons, and insights gained.

• How one teenager banged on the door to be let in.
• When she realised she needed to do a crash course in handshaking.
• What nearly caused a riot.
• Why one teenager said "it's the first time I've been made to feel really special"

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• Human Reality website
• Human Reality Insights 
• Connect with Helen Bennett on LinkedIn
• Email Helen info@helenbennett.com
• The article on LinkedIn that sparked Sherry's interest

GUEST: Helen Bennett

HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

It's a curious question - which comes first for career success, competence or confidence? In today's show Natalie Benamou shares top tips which are so easy to put into practice to boost your career confidence.

Natalie is Division Vice President at Exhibitus. She is also a speaker on confidence and hosts a podcast, Rock Your Trade Show.

Natalie has a passion for energising women to be empowered. Her personal approach to life is summed up in this quote from Maya Angelou: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• Natalie on LinkedIn
• Natalie's Rock Your Trade Show website
• What She Said collection of powerful quotes by women
• Chalene Johnson's Courageous Confidence Club
• Amy Cuddy's talk on body language

GUEST: Natalie Benamou
HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Caroline Arnold reminds us that what scares you today won't scare you tomorrow. We discuss how expanding your comfort zone boosts your confidence so that you get the career that you really want. She also lets us in on the secret of why being a member of a band is such a clever career strategy.

Work is an inevitable part of life. However, you do have a choice: you can passively allow your career to consume you OR take responsibility for your own happiness by investing in a more meaningful, satisfying work life. When you express yourself more confidently, overcome those work-related fears and strive towards practical goals, you will gain lasting career fulfilment.

Caroline's top tips to boost your career:

• explore the power of networking
• use positive affirmations
• get a coach
• find a mentor
• be honest with HR and your boss about your ambitions

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• The Hotel on the Roof of the World by Alec Le Sueur
• 5 Minute Journal app
• Visit Caroline's website here
• Buy Caroline's book Get Confident and Accelerate Your Career HERE
• And a shoutout to Digital Mums who are doing their bit to help mums get back their career confidence
• Twitter @carnoldcoaching
• Facebook: Caroline Arnold Coaching

GUEST: Caroline Arnold, Executive Coach and Author
HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

So many women that I work with find themselves in the situation where they take any job to cover the mortgage. Because so much of our self-worth and self-image comes from current work, it can be hard to recognise and identify your strengths.

Jesu Martin has a passion for talent and successful careers. She runs The Confident Job Hunter and she recommends that you:

• base your confidence on facts
• take an inclusive approach and look at the feedback from others
• identify the things that people come to you for

Jesu herself has changed industries four times in her career and shares the benefits of cross-pollinating experience and best practices from one career to another.

If you want to change industry, here's what to do:

• identify the problems you solve
• identify the skills you have
• engage with the people in the industry
• get familiar with the industry 'jargon'
• tailor your CV and LinkedIn profile accordingly

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• Download your free copy of Five insider tips to avoid the most common mistakes in jobhunting 
• Connect with Jesu on Facebook here 
• Register for the next LinkedIn Challenge here

GUEST: Jesu Martin, The Confident Job Hunter 

HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Discover the 3 key things you need to think about to attract the right people and the right opportunities to your LinkedIn profile. 

First you have to get the basics right in your profile. The show starts with a brief overview of the 7 essentials (explored in more detail in episode 013) i.e. your photo, your headline, your summary, your experience, recommendations, groups and connections.

Once you have created a powerful LinkedIn profile, you need to focus on 3 key things:

• Strategy
• Consistency
• Authenticity

Discover what you need to consider to create an effective strategy, what is important about consistency in terms of brand and showing up, and finally how authenticity doesn't give you licence to share everything. Authencity is raising your awareness and being more mindful that what you share says something about you. 

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• Networking with confidence, episode 017 with Heather White
• Read about the 7 essentials for your LinkedIn profile in my blog post
• Listen to episode 13 on the essentials for your LinkedIn profile
• Find out more about Sherry's new LinkedIn Confidence online course

HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Connect on LinkedIn remembering to include a personal note
• Join the discussions in The Confident Mother Facebook group
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

In the UK, nearly half of those joining accountancy are women. However at accountancy firms, women make up 23% of all partners, according to Catalyst, although 49% of all accounting employees. As you might expect, there is a “falling off” among women aged between 30 and 40 (although that is only partly explained by motherhood according to Rhonda Martin, head of ICAEW’s Women in Leadership team).

Award-winning Archna Tharani took a different route back into accountancy after a career break and now runs her own practice.

Archna has partnered with Lucy Whittington to bring the Your Own Practice programme to market and it's launching in September 2017. They are running discovery sessions to find out more on 4 and 8 July in London, and you can find all the details on the link below. Please do get in touch with Archna if you are interested.

In episode 026, Archna shares:

• the challenges she faced when returned to work
• what gave her the confidence
• how she combats the loneliness of running your own business
• the benefits of technology to provide a flexible career for women in accountancy
• how accountancy is changing from 'just' number-crunching

Archna's top tips to other women going back into the workforce after a career break:

• build the right support around you
• identify the skills you need to develop to continue your career, both technical and leadership
• reach out to people and network

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• Networking with confidence, episode 017 with Heather White.
• Connect with Archna by email or on LinkedIn.
• Oculus Accountancy website.
• Your Own Practice founded by Archna Tharani and Lucy Whittington.
• Get in touch if you are interested in the discovery days.

GUEST: Archna Tharani, Oculus Accountancy
HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

So often the women I talk to feel overwhelmed and that they have too much to do. Maybe there's a better way to manage your time. Project management consultant Serena Nalty-Coombs shares her experience to help you get more productive and use your time more effectively at work and at home.

In episode 025, we discuss:

• How to pace yourself evenly
• How to manage expectations
• Project management tools to help you be more effective

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• Serena on Twitter @SNMCons
• On Facebook SN Management
• Serena Nalty-Coombs on LinkedIn
• Project management tools Asana, Evernote and Trello
• Also check out my free download on 7 ideas to get more done in your day

GUEST: Serena Nalty-Coombs, Project Management Consultant
HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Last year 56% of employers were unable to fill full-time vacancies and attrition was estimated to cost UK businesses a massive £206 billion. ​With retirement planning, returnships and portfolio careers part of the new world of work, companies need to get creative to attract and retain talent. And the demand for a different work-life balance is greater than ever resulting in 30% of departures. It's time for employers to be more jobshare friendly.

Despite 15 years in commercial management and an MBA, Sara Horsfall struggled to find part-time roles at senior level. While understandable that roles can't always be scaled to part-time, we need another mainstream flexible working solution, given that the cost of replacing a senior employee (£30k according to CIPD).

Sara was inspired to create Ginibee, a jobshare platform for organisations who want a diverse workforce by attracting new talent, and retaining and advancing senior level employees who need to reduce their hours.

In episode 24, Sara shares her experience on how employers can be jobshare friendly as part of their flexible working strategy:

• the benefits of jobshare for both employers and employees
• why a jobshare partnership is SO much more productive
• the pitfalls of treating jobshare partners as individuals
• how to make full-time roles 'jobshare friendly'
• the value of the Ginibee jobshare kitemark

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• Ginibee on Twitter @Ginibee123
• Ginibee jobshare platform
• Sara Horsfall on LinkedIn

GUEST: Sara Horsfall, Ginibee Jobshare platform
HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Stephanie Morgan believes passionately that you have to think about ‘ME Plc’ to drive your own career and build your own brand. Keynote speaker and Director of Learning Solutions at Bray Leino Learning, Stephanie challenges the traditional thinking on blended learning solutions.

What she loves is people: meeting them, building long term relationships and helping them shine. Business-wise, it’s her job to build a fantastic team. Stephanie has worked with a number of women on boards and here she shares her experience on:

• Why there aren't more women working at board level
• What can women do differently to achieve board ambitions
• What ME plc is all about
• Why mindset is so important in your long-term career strategy
• The importance of knowing your own boundaries

Her final top tips for ambitious women: Be more aware of what makes you happy. Acknowledge your skills. Identify where those skills are needed. And finally, 'go with the flow'.

GUEST: Stephanie Morgan
HOST: Sherry Bevan

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• Stephanie on Twitter @StephanieLandD
• Stephanie on LinkedIn 
• Bray Leino Learning

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

In this week's episode, I talk to inclusion and diversity consultant, Thais Compoint.

Thais initially contacted me for help in running her first online conference on Inclusive Leadership. I loved her event so much I invited her to join me on Confident Conversations.

Thais is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, trainer and consultant specialising in inclusion and diversity in corporations. She is the founder of Déclic International, a consultancy that helps companies to better understand their customers and increase engagement, productivity and innovation by building more inclusive and diverse teams.

• What is inclusive leadership 
• Why does it matter for your business performance 
• What can organisations do to encourage inclusive leadership
• What are the leadership behaviours to focus on

GUEST: Thais Compoint
HOST: Sherry Bevan

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• 1st Global Online Inclusive Leadership conference is free to attend and runs 3-9 July
• Thais' website: Declic International
• Buy Thais' book on Amazon: Succeed as an inclusive leader: Winning leadership habits in a diverse world
• Rosalinde Torres TedX talk: What it takes to be a great leader

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

In this week's episode, I talk to independent consultant and coach, Val Stevenson about emotional resilience and why 20 is the magic number! Val specialises in building resilience in organisations and individuals. Here she shares her knowledge and experience to discuss:

Following the interview with Terrence Donovan in Episode 019, this week Kristal McNamara of Flexology discusses how and why employers make flexible working work effectively. 

How working as a part-time lawyer affects your career – Episode 019

Terrence Donovan is the Head of the Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury Department at City law firm Kingsley Napley. And a loving Dad.

His medical work has always focused upon brain injury cases, particularly children with cerebral palsy as a result of birth injury, but over the years he has dealt with claims involving virtually every type of medicine. Terry's personal injury work centres on serious and catastrophic injuries.  He has recently acted in two high profile cases, both of which concerned fatal accidents abroad.

As Head of Department he has a keen interest in the way in which legal services are delivered, and is a firm believer in innovation and development.

Today our conversation is about his decision 20 years ago to work part-time so that he could be more involved in bringing up his children. We talk about this decision impacted his life and his career. 

GUEST: Terrence Donovan, Partner & Department Head at Kingsley Napley
HOSTED BY: Sherry Bevan 

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

• Connect with Terrence Donovan on LinkedIn 
• City law firm Kingsley Napley website
• Download your free worksheet on how to request flexible working

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career and confidence

Janet Jones is the founder of Happiness Millionaire. She motivates and inspires people to live happier and more successfully using the Power of Positive Images.

For ambitious women about confidently balancing work and life, hosted by me, Sherry Bevan, Author, Coach & Speaker.

A former Global Head of IT Service for a City law firm, I now work as a women’s leadership coach helping ambitious women get clear on what they really want then find the confidence to do it.

Today's conversation is about networking with confidence. Heather White is the CEO and founder of Smarter Networking Limited. She is a Networking and Personal Brand Expert and for the last 15 years has not only trained thousands on how to access the right people, she has personally connected hundreds of people together.

Through these combined experiences Heather created Boardroom Ready to answer the frustration of senior executives seeking commercial boardroom experience. Her principal role is to find and match senior executives with boards across all sectors, offering networking coaching where relevant.

The three questions that everybody else wants to know:

• How do I break into a group
• How do I start a conversation 
• How do I get away from somebody

All this and more. 

GUEST: Heather White of Smarter Networking
HOSTED BY: Sherry Bevan 

Mentioned on the show and other useful links

How to work the room - video with tips
How to create your 60 second pitch
Heather's networking tips
Online learning courses
Sign up <> to join my next LinkedIn Challenge. 

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Email sherry@sherrybevan.co.uk

For more Confident Conversations connect with me

• On Twitter @SherryRB or search #ConfidentConversations
• Like my Facebook page
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes <>
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career and confidence