Frustrated And Exhausted

About Frustrated And Exhausted

Frustrated & Exhausted explores the realities of leadership inside modern organisations. Hosted by Ruth Wood, the podcast looks beyond individual capability to the conditions that shape how work really happens - from decision-making and team dynamics to trust, challenge and organisational culture. Through solo episodes and conversations with senior leaders, it offers a thoughtful, practical perspective on what helps people and teams perform at their best - and what quietly gets in the way.”

Publisher

Ruth Wood

Category

business · business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Dec 2023

Latest episode

30 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

128 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Jun 2026

   When Meetings Become Theatre – Why We Perform At Work and What Makes Meetings Better

   In this episode of Frustrated and Exhausted, Ruth dives deep into the performative nature of workplace meetings, exploring why so many of us feel compelled to "act" in these spaces and what organizational factors drive this behavior. Ruth unpacks the cultural, political, and emotional layers that shape how we show up in meetings, and shares actionable strategies for making meetings more effective, authentic, and conducive to real thinking. Topics Covered The Performance of Meetings Ruth examines how people often perform competence, composure, and alignment in meetings, rather than showing up authentically or admitting uncertainty 00:36. Meetings as a Mirror of Culture Meetings reveal organizational dynamics like hierarchy, trust, clarity, and psychological safety — sometimes more so than any other organizational setting 01:35. Why We Manage Perceptions Over Substance Ruth discusses how meetings can devolve into spaces for perception management, leaving real concerns unspoken and transforming meetings into "theatre" instead of opportunities for genuine thought 03:30. The Problems of Performative Meetings Polished contributions take precedence over unfinished or exploratory thinking. Performance anxiety leads to less useful meetings where doubts remain unspoken 05:41. Making Meetings Better: Practical Tips Clarify the Purpose of Meetings Be explicit about whether the meeting is for discussion, decision-making, or brainstorming. Setting this up-front reduces the pressure to perform and gives everyone clarity on expected contributions 06:13. Normalize Unfinished Thinking Encourage people to share half-formed ideas by modeling exploratory language ("I'm still thinking this through," "This is half formed") 08:08. Leaders Should Avoid Speaking First Senior people should hold back to avoid unintentionally narrowing the conversation. Invite others to share perspectives and truly listen before weighing in 09:38. Pace Matters Fast meetings may encourage shallow thinking. Sometimes allowing space for silence and slower reflection leads to deeper, more thoughtful contributions 12:02. Separate Challenge from Threat Focus on challenging ideas rather than critiquing individuals, so that disagreement doesn’t feel like a personal threat 14:00. Reflection Questions What version of yourself turns up in meetings? How does it change based on the setting or seniority of others present? 00:15:00 What behaviors are modeled and rewarded in the meetings you attend or lead? Thank you for listening! Connect with Ruth: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/resonateleadership/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthalexandrawood) Website (https://www.resonateleadership.co.uk)

2. 

   23 Jun 2026

   Trusting Yourself: Building A Career Beyond Expectations with Naveli Ahuja-Mehta

   In this episode, Ruth sits down with Naveli Ahuja-Mehta, an accomplished finance director whose career has spanned continents and industries—from India to Kenya to Austria to the UK, and from engineering consultancies to investment management and transformation leadership. The conversation explores what it means to trust yourself, embrace risk, and forge a career path that goes beyond expectations and conventions. Guest Naveli Ahuja-Mehta Finance Director, experienced across diverse sectors: engineering consultancy, asset management, and more Transformational leader, passionate about curiosity and self-trust Contact details available in episode show notes Key Topics The impact of early life relocation and multicultural experiences on resilience and adaptability (03:06–09:41) Navigating self-trust and confidence through shifting environments (10:13–14:28) The role of curiosity and adventurism in career decision-making (15:12–17:20) Choosing unconventional professional routes and resisting pressure to conform (20:04–21:44) Overcoming imposter syndrome, especially as a woman in male-dominated and changing industries (24:13–28:31) The value of visibility and the advantage of “not fitting in” (28:33–32:36) The critical importance of sponsors, mentors, and leaders who help you see your own strengths (32:14–33:10) Leadership principles: authenticity, investing time in others, and facilitating open, transparent relationships (34:20–38:32) Re-entering the workforce after parental leave, the emotional and practical challenges involved (46:02–49:03) Advice to her younger self: be more patient, embrace the journey, and trust that doing what lights you up will serve you best (50:08–51:44) Takeaways Unconventional choices often yield the greatest personal and professional growth The experience of “not fitting in” can become a superpower if you own it The support of mentors and open leaders is vital at every step Learning, growth, and self-trust are circular: each builds the other Motherhood requires hard choices, but authenticity and openness pave the way ahead Stay tuned for more episodes on leadership, work realities, and forging your own path. Reach out with your questions, thoughts, or stories—Ruth would love to hear from you! Connect with Ruth: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/resonateleadership/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthalexandrawood) Website (https://www.resonateleadership.co.uk)

3. 

   16 Jun 2026

   Niceness Is Not Trust: Why Disagreement Feels Risky at Work

   In this episode, Ruth explores the underlying reasons why intelligent, experienced people often hold back from saying what they really think at work—especially on leadership teams. What looks like workplace “niceness” may actually be a way of managing social threat, not genuine trust or alignment. Ruth explains how neuroscience (specifically the SCARF model) sheds light on why disagreement feels so uncomfortable, why silence can become the norm, and how organizations unwittingly reinforce these dynamics. Key Topics Why People Avoid Speaking Up: Ruth describes the invisible social risks leaders weigh before expressing disagreement and how this shapes organizational behavior 00:56. Social Threat vs. Niceness: The illusion of harmony is often a result of people trying to protect themselves from threats to status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness (see the SCARF model) 04:24. Neuroscience of Disagreement: Our brains respond to social threat much like physical threat, leading to caution, hedging, or complete shutdown in discussions 05:52. Organizational Reinforcement: Cultures that don’t handle challenge well—through explicit or subtle punishment—teach people to play it safe, slowing learning and adaptation 07:20. Surface Alignment vs. True Safety: When disagreement goes underground, teams lose out on critical information and risks, which can derail decisions 09:15. The Real Meaning of Psychological Safety: Ruth clarifies that safety is about surviving discomfort, not avoiding it, and highlights how trust is proven after tension, not by its absence 10:13. Advice for Leaders: Leadership shapes whether disagreement feels survivable. Ruth offers practical questions for reflection to help leaders understand the climate in their own teams 12:55. Mentioned Models/Frameworks SCARF Model by David Rock: Explains how status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness affect our sense of safety at work 04:37. Reflection Questions Where might disagreement currently feel risky in your team or organization? What are people (consciously or unconsciously) learning is “safe to say”? How do you, as a leader, respond to challenge or disagreement? Does it increase or decrease safety? If you found this episode helpful, connect with Ruth and join the ongoing conversation about leadership, psychological safety, and team performance Connect with Ruth: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/resonateleadership/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthalexandrawood) Website (https://www.resonateleadership.co.uk)

Reach and audience

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

Spotify

5.0 / 5

12 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 45 / 100

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

Quality

63

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

68

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Guest appearances

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