Big Careers, Small Children

About Big Careers, Small Children

Big Careers Small Children helps ambitious parents progress careers they love whilst being present with their children. Through honest and informal conversation, senior leaders divulge what they have learnt on their own journey of combining big careers with young children to our host Verena Hefti MBE. Expect lots of aha moments, inspiration, fresh ideas, and practical support, so you can move forward in your career in a way that works for you and your family.This podcast is hosted by our social enterprise Leaders Plus. We believe that no parent should have to choose between progressing the career they love and enjoying their young children. Through the Big Careers, Small Children podcast and our award-winning Fellowship Programme, we have supported thousands of Leaders with young children to make brave decisions about their future. We unapologetically help more mums (and dads with significant caring responsibilities) to get to senior leadership positions, because only by helping parents to progress their career can we have true gender equality at the top and address the gender pay gap.Be part of our positive movement for change and sign up to receive our informative monthly emails at www.leadersplus.org.uk/newsletterWe hope you enjoy listening to our podcast and invite you to follow us on social media @leaders_plus #BigCareersSmallChildren

Publisher

Leaders Plus

Category

business · kids & family · kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Sept 2019

Latest episode

1 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

60 of 233 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   1 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Maya Ellis MP - How Managing Energy, Not Time, Can Help You Show Up Better At Work And At Home

   Verena Hefti MBE interviews Maya Ellis MP about managing energy, not time, to excel in an ambitious political career while raising young children.

2. 

   11 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Rupert Brown - Making Better Career and Family Decisions During Times of Transformation

   In this reflective and practical episode of the Big Careers, Small Children podcast, Leaders Plus Interim COO Helen Fraser speaks with Rupert Brown, author of Lost in Transformation and Leaders Plus Senior Leader Mentor. Rupert has spent much of his career leading people change in multinational organisations, including international assignments in Switzerland, Singapore, Denmark and Dubai, while raising two children abroad. He shares what he has learned about making big career decisions when family needs change, leading transformation with more humanity, and staying honest with yourself in the middle of corporate upheaval. Drawing on his experience working with people and culture, he shares the moment his teenagers asked why the family was “doing lockdown in the desert,” the family’s return to the UK, and how the sudden death of his father and his employer’s response reshaped his view of leadership and empathy. Together, they explore ✔️ How Rupert and his family navigated multiple international moves, and why their teenagers’ voices were central to the decision to come back to the UK for more stability. ✔️ What really happens to family life and career confidence when work and location decisions stop being “just” the parents’ choices. ✔️ Why he believes many corporate change programmes ignore basic psychology and the lived experience of the people affected, and what drew him to write Lost in Transformation. ✔️ Rupert’s PIE model: performance, image and exposure, and why hard work alone is rarely enough for progression, especially for working parents with limited time. ✔️ What the death of his father taught him about principle based policies, bereavement leave, and the quiet power of simple, human responses from leaders in moments of grief. What you’ll learn in this episode 🔹 Ways to think through big career and location choices when your children start expressing their own clear preferences. 🔹 Practical ideas for building “spacious” relationships at work that help you stay resourceful and honest under pressure. 🔹 How leaders can respond to loss and difficulty with empathy rather than hiding behind rigid policies or avoiding uncomfortable conversations. 🔹 Questions to ask yourself if you are involved in leading change, so that you do change with people rather than doing change to them. Show Notes: Connect with Rupert Brown on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupert-brown-3613361/) Find Rupert Brown’s book Lost in Transformation on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Transformation-Discover-Leadership-Derailing/dp/B0FQ1FWCKD/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0) Learn more about the Leaders Plus: Big Careers, Small Children podcast and explore additional resources at leadersplus.org (https://www.leadersplus.org/). Follow Leaders Plus on LinkedIn (https://uk.linkedin.com/company/leaders-plus), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/leaders_plus/), and Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/leadersplus.bsky.social). Connect with Helen Fraser on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-h-fraser/). Connect with our CEO, Verena Hefti MBE on LinkedIn (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/verenahefti). Find out more about the work of Leaders Plus by signing up to our Newsletter (https://www.leadersplus.org/newsletter/). Our multi-award-winning...

3. 

   4 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT

   {CEO Series} Ori Carmel - How to Make Better Decisions About Work and Family

   In this reflective and deeply thoughtful episode of Big Careers, Small Children, Verena Hefti MBE speaks with Ori Carmel, Founder and CEO at Sowen. Drawing on his lived experience as a father of two, Ori shares how working parents can make better decisions about work and family, build guardrails that protect what matters most, and avoid the regret that often comes from overwhelm or overcommitment. Ori reflects on the moment he missed his daughter’s first smile while travelling for work, the subtle choices that shape daily family life, and the simple frameworks he now uses to stay aligned with his values. Together, they discuss: ✔️ How working parents can use simple decision-making tools to avoid stress, regret and overwhelm ✔️ Why flexibility often leads to blurred boundaries and how to put guardrails back in place ✔️ The “bandwidth check-in” system Ori and his wife use to share the load on tough days ✔️ How cultural expectations and ego subtly influence men’s decisions about work and family What you'll learn in this episode: 🔹 How to make clearer day-to-day decisions about work and family 🔹 How to recognise early signs of overstretch before burnout takes hold 🔹 Why decision-making frameworks help parents stay aligned with their values 🔹 How to course-correct when work starts to take up more space than intended Ori’s reflections are an invitation to slow down, examine your decision-making patterns, and build structures that support both your ambition and your family life. Show Notes: Connect with Ori Carmel on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/oricarmel/). Learn more about Sowen here (https://sowen.co/). Learn more about the Leaders Plus: Big Careers, Small Children podcast and explore additional resources at leadersplus.org (https://www.leadersplus.org/). Follow Leaders Plus on LinkedIn (https://uk.linkedin.com/company/leaders-plus), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/leaders_plus/), and Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/leadersplus.bsky.social). Connect with our CEO, Verena Hefti MBE on LinkedIn (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/verenahefti). Find out more about the work of Leaders Plus by signing up to our Newsletter (https://www.leadersplus.org/newsletter/). Our multi-award-winning Leaders Plus Fellowships support parents committed to career growth while enjoying family life. Expertly designed to keep parents on the leadership path, our programme tackles gender pay gap issues and empowers parents to thrive. Learn more here: Leaders Plus Fellowship (https://www.leadersplus.org/fellowship/). More BCSC episodes you might love: Episode 215 : Ahed Serhal – How to Turn Guilt into Growth: Finding Balance as a Working Parent Abroad (https://www.leadersplus.org/215-big-careers-small-children-ahed-serhal-how-to-turn-guilt-into-growth-finding-balance-as-a-working-parent-abroad/) Episode 205: (C-Suite Series) Steph Hind - How to Balance Leadership, Parenting, and Wellbeing Without Sacrifice (https://www.leadersplus.org/205-big-careers-small-children-c-suite-series-how-to-balance-leadership-parenting-and-wellbeing-without-sacrifice/)

Inside a recent episode

Maya Ellis MP - How Managing Energy, Not Time, Can Help You Show Up Better At Work And At Home

Published 1 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So you can make those judgment calls. But how does someone in middle management take the judgment of kind of almost like what is good output for three days versus five days? So I think it's tricky. But that said, like you say, I do a lot of work with the Four Day Week Foundation. I campaign a lot on that. There's loads of evidence there. But I do think it's almost like you need more, just more evidence of it happening and people just doing it, being brave enough to do it to just prove that it'll work. I agree. But what I find is that there are some people at exec director level who are operating like that, but they're not telling anyone because it's like a secret club. […]

Who has been a guest on Big Careers, Small Children

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Maya Ellis MP
• Dominic Holmes
• Rebecca Brosnan
• Louise Donaghey FRAeS
• Dr Nara Daubeney

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

16 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 76 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

94

Social presence

94

YouTube

0

Engagement

97

Contact Big Careers, Small Children

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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