Leadership & Spirituality

About Leadership & Spirituality

Welcome to Awakening Conscious Leadership, the podcast dedicated to exploring the transformative power of conscious leadership in our ever-evolving VUCA world. Join us as we dive deep into the principles, practices, and personal stories that inspire leaders to lead with authenticity, empathy, and purpose. Whether you’re navigating the complexities of organizational change, striving for personal growth, or seeking to make a positive impact in your community, this podcast offers insights and tools to awaken the conscious leader within you. Together, we’ll uncover how to align vision with values, cultivate resilience, and create a lasting legacy of empowerment and change. Tune in, awaken your potential, and lead from the heart. Experienced Leadership Coaches, Johnny & Emily discuss Awakening Conscious Leadership. Listen as topics unfold in conversation between Johnny & Emily, and in special guest episodes.

Publisher

Johnny Hammond and Emily Walker

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

18 Jul 2024

Latest episode

21 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

35 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Jul 2026

   Episode 35 - Walking With a Question: Lessons From the Trail. We’re with Joa Robins, Leadership Coach and founder of Twin Trail, Root to Rise.

   What if being "stuck" isn't broken, but your nervous system doing its job? Joa explains why the best leaders slow down rather than push harder, treating rest and nature as strategy, not indulgence, and what it means to lead as a living thing rather than a machine, especially as a conscious leader. We cover the window of tolerance, right-brain vs left-brain attention, and why a walk with one question in mind beats another hour at your desk. Jo also shares how walking home from her mother's funeral, and trekking to COP26, reshaped how she leads. A hopeful, practical listen for anyone wanting to work differently without losing their edge. Podcast Disclaimer Emily & Johnny own the copyright in and to all content in and transcripts of the Awakening Conscious Leadership podcasts, with all rights reserved, as well as their right of publicity. All opinions expressed by the Podcast Guests & Participants are solely their current opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Emily & Johnny. The Podcast Guest and Participant opinions are based upon information they consider reliable, but neither Emily, Johnny nor the companies with which such guests & participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. No one is authorized to copy any portion of the podcast content or use Emily’s or Johnny’s name, image or likeness for any commercial purpose or use, including without limitation inclusion in any books, e-books, book summaries or synopses, or on a commercial website or social media site (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) that offers or promotes your or another’s products or services.

2. 

   2 Jul 2026

   Episode 34 - Stop Leading on Autopilot: Working With Your Brain, Not Against It

   What does neuroscience actually tell us about what makes a great leader? And what is your brain quietly doing to undermine you when you least expect it? In this episode of Awakening Conscious Leadership, Emily and Johnny sit down with Bret Freeman, organisational psychologist, neuroscientist, and executive coach, to explore the brain science sitting underneath every leadership moment. Brett brings three core beliefs: leadership is a behaviour not a title, clarity changes everything, and communication is the most underrated competitive advantage in any organisation. What follows is one of the most practically useful conversations we have had on this podcast. From why predictability builds deeper trust than charisma ever can, to how ambiguity triggers a threat response that shuts down rational thinking, Brett translates complex neuroscience into tools leaders can pick up and use immediately. Honest, grounded, and packed with insight, this episode will change the way you see yourself as a leader and the people you lead. KEY PRACTICAL TAKEAWAYS Be predictable - consistency creates the psychological safety people rely on to bring you problems early Shift focus from yourself to others - redirecting attention outward changes your brain state and your impact instantly Move towards, not away - visualise success rather than avoiding failure; your brain follows what you move towards Use if-then planning - decide your response to a trigger before it happens, when you are calm Own your impact - intentions matter far less than the effect your behaviour has on others Use SCARF to self-regulate - naming which element is triggered (Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness) creates a cognitive shift and brings rational thinking back online Protect your best brain time - match high-value decisions to your cognitive peak and save routine tasks for natural dips Reduce ambiguity for others - simple signposting before meetings and difficult conversations lowers threat and raises engagement Give people time to process - sharing context before a hard conversation makes it collaborative rather than defensive Check bias with someone else - invite a different perspective before making decisions where bias is likely Reframe overwhelm - it is biology, not failure; treat it as a signal to manage cognitive load more intentionally Podcast Disclaimer Emily & Johnny own the copyright in and to all content in and transcripts of the Awakening Conscious Leadership podcasts, with all rights reserved, as well as their right of publicity. All opinions expressed by the Podcast Guests & Participants are solely their current opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Emily & Johnny. The Podcast Guest and Participant opinions are based upon information they consider reliable, but neither Emily, Johnny nor the companies with which such guests & participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. No one is authorized to copy any portion of the podcast content or use Emily’s or Johnny’s name, image or likeness for any commercial purpose or use, including without limitation inclusion in any books, e-books, book summaries or synopses, or on a commercial website or social media site (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) that offers or promotes your or another’s products or services.

3. 

   8 Jun 2026

   Episode 33 - Beyond Empathy: How Mindful Communication Puts Love Back Into Conscious Leadership

   In this warm and joyful conversation, Emily and Johnny sit down with Jayaraja, senior member of the Triratna Buddhist Order and founder of Alfoxton Park House, a Buddhist eco retreat centre in Somerset. Jayaraja takes us back to an extraordinary moment at age 11, when a sudden awareness of mortality led him to one quietly revolutionary conclusion: the only thing truly worth doing in this life is learning how to love. That insight eventually brought him to Buddhism, to community, and to over 25 years of teaching mindful communication. We explore what mindful communication actually looks like in practice for leaders, and how staying genuinely present to both your own needs and those of the people around you can transform the way you lead. We also dig into what "needs" actually means (hint: it's not chocolate, though we do get into that), why saying "no" is often the most generous thing you can do, and why real leadership has far less to do with authority than with the courage to own your vulnerability out loud. Warm, wise, and genuinely life-giving, this one will stay with you. Podcast Disclaimer Emily & Johnny own the copyright in and to all content in and transcripts of the Awakening Conscious Leadership podcasts, with all rights reserved, as well as their right of publicity. All opinions expressed by the Podcast Guests & Participants are solely their current opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Emily & Johnny. The Podcast Guest and Participant opinions are based upon information they consider reliable, but neither Emily, Johnny nor the companies with which such guests & participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. No one is authorized to copy any portion of the podcast content or use Emily’s or Johnny’s name, image or likeness for any commercial purpose or use, including without limitation inclusion in any books, e-books, book summaries or synopses, or on a commercial website or social media site (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) that offers or promotes your or another’s products or services.

Reach and audience

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

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 17 / 100

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

Quality

33

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact Leadership & Spirituality

Guest appearances

Books guests

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