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PODCAST

We Need to Talk About...

Felix Mitchell and Louise Fraser

Everything is changing! Hosted by Felix Mitchell and Louise Fraser, We Need to Talk About… brings together HR and AI. In one feed, we explore how growing businesses are evolving people practices and adopting AI to meet new expectations, new ways of working, and rapid change. Expect honest conversations with HR leaders, tech experts, and scaling SMEs using AI to enhance human capability. No hype, just real solutions for real businesses. New episodes every Thursday.

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

00:29:35

What Consumer Opinion Tells Us About AI Adoption with...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2026/01/29

William Ullstein, UK CEO at YouGov, joins Felix to explore the gap between business enthusiasm for AI and consumer scepticism - only 13% of Brits are excited about AI. Will shares how YouGov uses consumer insights to inform their internal rollout, lessons from getting sales tool implementation wrong, and why synthetic audiences might miss the mark when it comes to understanding human behaviour.

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00:31:59

Leading Through Multiple Change Programmes with...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2026/01/22

Charlie Collard, Chief People Officer at Trinity Bridge, joins Felix to discuss navigating multiple transformations simultaneously - from new ownership and CEO changes to maternity leave and private equity expectations. Charlie shares honest insights on maintaining culture during intense change, the superpower of perspective gained through life transitions, and why discomfort is often a sign you're moving fast enough.

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00:27:42

Leading HR Through the AI Age with Emma Cooper

We Need to Talk About... ·

2026/01/15

Emma Cooper, Chief People Officer at System 1 Group, joins Felix to explore what it takes to lead AI adoption across a workforce. From pilot programmes to governance frameworks, Emma shares how System One is empowering teams to experiment with AI tools whilst maintaining security and building genuine excitement for change. A refreshingly honest conversation about bridging product innovation and people transformation.

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00:30:42

People as a Product: Building Subscription-Worthy...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/12/11

Kelly Tucker, founder of HR Star, joins Louise to explore treating people strategy like a product. Drawing from 25 years in HR, Kelly explains why employee engagement works like a subscription model - people subscribe to your organisation and stay when they continuously get value. She discusses avoiding the feedback trap of trying to make everyone happy, supporting multi-generational workforces, and why work-life blend has replaced work-life balance. Plus, her take on why hybrid working debates will

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00:27:03

Meta Skills for the AI Era: Building Human Capability...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/12/04

Alysha Adams, people and culture leader and keynote speaker, joins Louise to explore what AI augmentation really means for humans in the workplace. From why curiosity and creativity are your competitive edge to how organizations can develop meta skills at scale, Alysha shares insights from working on AI-native projects in fintech. She discusses why one tech company scrapped graduate programs to build their own, how the education system isn't serving the workplace, and why investing in human

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00:34:25

Culture by Design: Building Kindness into Business...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/11/21

Claire Smith, People and Culture Lead at Gunnercooke, joins Felix to explore what it really takes to build culture beyond mission statements and values posters. From her journey as a lawyer to BD to HR leadership, Claire shares practical insights on embedding values into every stage of the employee lifecycle, why she measures kindness through peer recognition, and how to convince sceptical CEOs that culture work matters. Plus, why handwritten cards still work and what "design your life"

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00:29:21

Going Fractional: Building an HR Consultancy from...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/11/13

Riikka Kallio, founder of SpinOps HR Consultancy, joins Felix and Louise to discuss her leap from permanent employment to fractional HR leadership. From the practical realities of cash flow timing to finding your niche in a generalist profession, Riikka shares honest insights on building a consultancy specialising in HR operations, systems, and analytics. She discusses why early-stage startups are embracing fractional models, the importance of network building, and why she needs post-it notes

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00:31:29

Hiring for Grit: Why Potential Beats Experience with...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/11/06

Linda Low, Head of People and Culture at ESG, joins Felix and Louise to challenge how we think about hiring. From her unconventional journey from finance to HR, Linda shares why she asks candidates what they do for fun, how an ultimate frisbee charity helped land someone a job, and why hiring managers need to build teams of cultural adds rather than stormtroopers. Practical insights on assessing potential, building trust with hiring managers, and why the best candidates often don't fit the

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00:31:08

Breaking Down Silos: The Future of People and IT...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/11/05

James Edgar, Chief People Officer at Signature Discovery, joins Felix to discuss his unique dual remit leading both people and IT functions. From navigating cyber security threats to deploying AI in drug discovery, James shares candid insights on breaking down traditional silos, managing change fatigue in high-growth environments, and why the convergence of people strategy and technology infrastructure might just be the future of organisational leadership.

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00:36:42

Bridging Theory and Practice: CIPD Authors on...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/10/30

Felix and Louise host a special roundtable with five CIPD HR Essentials Explained authors: Rebecca Lee (Talent Acquisition), Kinsey Li (People Analytics), Prianka Jaidka (HR Essentials), Gemma Dale (Employee Relations and Wellbeing), and Shakil Butt (EDI). They explore the gap between HR qualifications and real-world practice, discuss why continuous learning matters more than ever, and share practical insights on everything from learning to say no to understanding AI without the overwhelm.Links to

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00:33:35

Five Years, Five Promotions: Rewriting Career Rules...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/10/23

Alistair Fenn, Global Chief of Staff at Tide, joins Felix to explore how he went from a People Manager to a Chief of Staff working alongside the C-suite in just five years - without following a traditional career path. From matrix organisations to letting work speak for itself, Alistair shares why the prescribed career ladder is evolving and what's replacing it: opportunity-driven progression, multiple managers for different reasons, and the power of being pragmatic about your own growth.

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00:32:08

Why Most Culture Change Fails & How to Fix It with...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/10/08

Paula Brockwell, occupational psychologist and founder of the Employee Experience Project, joins Felix and co-host Louise Fraser to tackle why culture change programmes so often fall flat. From avoiding the 'sunshine and pool tables' trap to understanding when your organisation actually has the conditions for meaningful transformation, Paula shares practical frameworks for driving culture change that sticks - without burning out your HR team in the process.

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00:35:35

Why HR Needs to Own AI Before IT Does with Natalie...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/10/01

Natalie Sheils, founder and CEO of Talenaut, joins Felix to explore why recruitment is the hardest (not easiest) place to apply AI and what that means for the future of HR. From AI agents sitting in org charts to why every HR professional needs prompt engineering skills, Natalie shares a vision of the function in five years - and warns what happens if HR doesn't move fast enough.

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00:31:38

Breaking Down Barriers to Female Fitness in the...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/09/25

Ruth Jackson, Chief People Officer at The Gym Group, joins Felix to explore why female-specific health programmes are transforming workplaces. From training 200+ staff on women's health issues to creating confidence in intimidating gym environments, Ruth shares how addressing barriers like time constraints and hormonal changes isn't just good for employees - it's smart business. Plus: why only 4% of medical research focuses on women and what that means for workplace wellbeing.

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00:32:46

Why the Best Coaching Happens Outside Meeting Room 3...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/09/18

Jonathan Stanford, Head of Talent at Levy UK, joins Felix to challenge everything we think we know about workplace coaching. From 15-minute "micro coaching" sessions that happen in the moment to why the best conversations never happen over Teams, Jonathan shares how to build a coaching culture that actually drives performance. Plus: the tennis ball analogy that explains the difference between mentoring and coaching, and why AI coaching tools might be the future.

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00:32:59

Why 91% of People Aren't Saving Enough for Retirement...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/09/10

Chris Eastwood, CEO of Penfold, joins Felix to tackle the UK's pension crisis - where 91% of people aren't saving enough for a comfortable retirement. From why salary sacrifice could save your business thousands in National Insurance to making pensions actually engaging for your team, Chris reveals how smart employers are turning compliance boxes into competitive advantages and why your pension might be more important than you think.

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00:29:45

When It's Time to Leave Your Job (And How to Do It...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/09/04

Laura Kane, seasoned Chief HR Officer with over 25 years of experience, joins Felix to explore one of the trickiest decisions in today's job market - knowing when it's time to move on. From recognising when roles evolve beyond your fit to managing the fear of leaving something safe behind, Laura shares insights on preserving relationships, having honest conversations with your manager, and why "quitting and staying" is terrible for everyone involved.

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00:38:33

Why Being Constantly Busy Is Killing Your Performance...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/08/27

Chris Lovett, leadership coach and author, joins Felix to challenge the toxic culture of busyness that's plaguing modern workplaces. From why a third of all meetings are useless to the science behind strategic napping, Chris shares practical ways to reclaim your time and boost performance through what he calls 'corporate minimalism' - proving that doing less might actually make you more successful.

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00:34:06

Why Bad Systems Beat Good Players Every Time with...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/08/21

Will Fraser, founder of 100 & First and former Saracens rugby player, joins Felix to explore why high-performing teams aren't built on talent alone. From the myths that kill performance to the power of shared understanding, Will shares insights from elite sport on creating systems that turn average players into champions - and why most organisations get it completely wrong.

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00:30:14

Why High Performers Need Coaching More Than Ever with...

We Need to Talk About... ·

2025/08/13

Sharon Tattan, Head of Talent Learning & Development at Forsters, joins Felix to explore why coaching isn't a luxury for high performers - it's essential. From recognising confidence loss in your team to managing career transitions and the art of 10-minute coaching conversations, Sharon shares practical insights on creating space for people to think differently in our increasingly chaotic work environment.

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127 results

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