Highly Relational

About Highly Relational

FEBRUARY '24 UPDATE We’re back! Tune in every Wednesday to hear what stories, tips and insights our guests have to help you create amazing teams at work. JANUARY '24 UPDATE Season Two will be launching next month - 12 brilliant guests sharing stories and insights to help you create terrific teams where you work. DECEMBER '23 UPDATE Season Two is now in production and we will be launching in the New Year. Yay! NOVEMBER '23 UPDATE We're sad to say that Season Two of Highly Relational has had to be delayed due to Robert's health. He is keen to get back in the studio as soon as possible. Do you want to unlock the secrets of successful teamwork and bring your people together in a way that realises their full potential? Highly Relational is a brand new podcast for business leaders, HR professionals, coaches, consultants and trainers, looking to create, lead and develop great teams at work. Join executive coach and team development consultant Robert Digings each week, as he speaks to some of the most accomplished CEOs, executives, coaches, authors and all-round brilliant minds in the business world. Highly Relational is a podcast teeming with actionable advice and no-nonsense tips that will inspire you to connect and collaborate more deeply. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Robert Digings

Category

business · business · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Jul 2023

Latest episode

17 Dec 2025

Latest episodes

92 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   17 Dec 2025

   Ha! Ha! Said the Clown - Joyful Freedom with Angie Wakeman

   What if the key to greater creativity, confidence, and connection at work lies not in knowing more - but in not knowing? And what if rediscovering your playful, spontaneous, fully human self could transform the way you lead and collaborate? Highly Relational Season 4 - Episode 6 Ha! Ha! Said the Clown - Joyful Freedom with Angie Wakeman In this episode, host Robert Digings speaks with Angie Wakeman - clown facilitator, writer, former nurse, and author-in-progress of The Clown’s Philosophy of Freedom. Angie began her career in healthcare before an unexpected encounter in an acting class revealed something life-changing: her inner clown. Since then, she has spent more than two decades helping people shed their shoulds, loosen their masks, and rediscover the joy, vulnerability, and creativity that make us human. Together, Robert and Angie explore: 🎭 Why everyone has an inner clown - and why most of us are terrified to let it out 🔓 How permission, freedom, and not knowing unleash genuine creativity 😅 Why “looking foolish” is one of our deepest fears - and why embracing it is liberating 👀 The clown’s superpower: noticing, receiving, and responding to the world in real time ❤️ How authenticity, vulnerability, and emotional truth create connection and laughter 👥 What happens when clowns work in pairs or groups - and why relationship sits beneath all the play 🌀 Why paradox, contradiction, and fluid identity are at the heart of clowning 🧭 How leaders and teams can bring more aliveness, curiosity, and presence into their workplaces Angie’s message is generous and compelling: the clown isn’t a performer - it’s the part of you that is free, honest, playful, and fully alive. Letting that part of yourself lead, even for a moment, can transform your relationships, your creativity, and the way you move through the world. Angie Wakeman: www.linkedin.com/in/angie-wakeman-596754212 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/angie-wakeman-596754212/) www.clowns-truly.com (https://www.linkedin.com/redir/redirect/?url=www%2Eclowns-truly%2Ecom&urlhash=s96t&isSdui=true) Robert Digings: www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings/) www.highlyrelational.com (https://www.highlyrelational.com/) Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years. He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging. In this business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants. Production credits: Studio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Freddie Scragg Post Production - Shaun Lawson Series Producer - Julie Allen © 2025 Highly Relational Limited Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   10 Dec 2025

   All Right Now - The Paradox of Change with John Leary-Joyce

   What really creates change - in coaching, in leadership, and in life? Highly Relational Season 4 - Episode 5 All Right Now - The Paradox of Change with John Leary-Joyce In this episode, host Robert Digings is joined by John Leary-Joyce, one of the UK’s foremost Gestalt practitioners and pioneers of Gestalt coaching. Founder and CEO of the Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC), co-founder of the Gestalt Centre London, and author of The Fertile Void: Gestalt Coaching at Work, John has spent more than 45 years developing and teaching relational, embodied ways of working. Together, Robert and John explore how Gestalt principles - awareness, contact, embodiment, and presence - translate from therapy and personal development into leadership, team coaching, and organisational life. In this conversation, they discuss: 🌀 The power and magic of working in the moment - and why presence changes everything 🧠 How emotions and anxiety disrupt clear thinking, and how the body offers a direct route back to awareness 💬 What Gestalt reveals about contact, connection, and the interruptions that limit our aliveness 🌿 The Paradox of Change - why transformation happens when we stop trying to be what we’re not 🧘♀️ The Fertile Void - trusting the creative potential that emerges when we pause and allow 💃 What tango and Gestalt have in common - and what 'flow' looks like in both movement and leadership 🧩 How great teams mirror this flow: open, connected, and unafraid to speak or stay silent John’s message is timeless: real change begins in the present moment. When we stop striving and simply allow ourselves to be, the relationship - and the learning - takes care of itself. John Leary-Joyce: www.linkedin.com/in/learyjoyce (https://www.linkedin.com/in/learyjoyce/) www.aoec.com (https://www.aoec.com) Robert Digings: www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings/) www.highlyrelational.com (https://www.highlyrelational.com) Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years. He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging. In this business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants. Production credits: Studio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Hetal Patel Post Production - Shaun Lawson Series Producer - Julie Allen © 2025 Highly Relational Limited Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   3 Dec 2025

   Walking on the Moon - Leading in Extremis with Caroline Clark

   What can space exploration teach us about leadership, teamwork, and trust? How might a simulated lunar environment lead to better communication and collaboration skills. Highly Relational Season 4 - Episode 4 Walking on the Moon - Leading in Extremis with Caroline Clark In this episode, host Robert Digings speaks with Caroline Clark - leadership and performance coach, former senior leader in construction and tech, and now an analogue astronaut. Drawing on her unique experience training in a simulated lunar habitat, Caroline shares what life in extreme environments can reveal about how teams operate under pressure here on Earth. Together, Robert and Caroline explore: 🚀 What it means to be an analogue astronaut and how space psychology informs team performance 💫 Why dynamic leadership - the right person leading at the right moment - creates resilience and agility 🧭 How to build trust strong enough for leadership to move fluidly around a team 😅 Why “if there’s no humour, there’s no trust” - and how laughter signals high levels of belonging 💬 The power of wellbeing checks, vulnerability, and caring for each other under pressure 🌍 How lessons from the International Space Station can shape leadership and culture back on Earth Caroline’s message is clear: in complex, high-stakes environments - whether outer space or the modern workplace - the strongest leaders are those who can let go of status, share control, and build trust that allows everyone to step up when it matters most. Caroline Clark: www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-clark-psychologist (https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-clark-psychologist) www.carolineclark.space (www.carolineclark.space) Robert Digings: www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertdigings/) Team Development Consultant and Executive Coach Robert has been working with teams and their challenges for over 20 years. He has discovered that the biggest improvements come when a team has the courage to do the challenging work of developing deep personal connections and a real sense of belonging. In this business podcast Robert explores the insights, experience and advice from other experts in the field of human collaboration, be they leaders, authors, coaches or consultants. Production credits: Studio Engineer at Premiere Podcast Studios - Hetal Petal Post Production - Shaun Lawson Series Producer - Julie Allen © 2025 Highly Relational Limited Find Highly Relational on all your favourite podcast apps or YouTube If you are enjoying the listen, hit subscribe and leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

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Spotify

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