Manage What Matters

About Manage What Matters

If you’re managing people and wondering why motivation is dropping, conversations feel harder, or your best people are exhausted, you’re not alone. Manage What Matters is a practical, human podcast for people leaders who want to improve performance without losing people (or themselves) along the way. Each week, host Jackie Handy explores real leadership challenges - from feedback and burnout to conflict, belonging, and purpose - through a lens that focuses on what actually drives behaviour at work. With years of experience in leadership, inclusion, and culture change - and plenty of lessons learned the hard way - Jackie brings clarity, warmth, and honesty to conversations many people leaders are having privately, but rarely out loud. This isn’t a podcast about being nicer or doing more just for the sake of it. It’s about leading better - without needing more time, more budget, or burning out on the journey. Because when people know they matter, and the work matters too, everything changes. Welcome aboard!

Publisher

Jackie Handy

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Mar 2026

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

32 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   31: The Art of Connection In Times Of Change

   Adrienne Gibson is a global consultant, speaker, facilitator and executive coach with over two decades of experience working with organisations across more than 100 countries to transform cultures, lead change and bring out the best in their people. She specialises in peeling back what isn't working to reveal what's true and aligned underneath - creating the clarity, connection and sense of purpose that transforms how people and organisations show up. In this episode Adrienne discusses the challenges of change and uncertainty in leadership, the impact of cultural intelligence, and the importance of human connection in the workplace. She emphasises the need to understand and navigate change across cultures, and the oversimplification of change challenges. Adrienne highlights the human experience in change and the significance of creating connection in leadership. Check out Adrienne's website here (https://www.adriennegibson.com/) Or reach out to her via LinkedIn here (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriennegibson/) Takeaways Understanding the impact of change and uncertainty in leadership The importance of human connection in navigating change across cultures Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Adrienne Gibson 06:23 The Impact of Change and Cultural Differences 12:33 Understanding People in Change 20:26 Creating Connection in Leadership

2. 

   29 Sept 2026

   30: One Of The Most Important Skills The Best Leaders Look To Develop

   The episode explores the significance of emotional intelligence in leadership, its challenges, and practical ways to develop and apply emotional intelligence. In this solo episode, host Jackie Handy shares the impact of emotional intelligence on trust, communication, and team culture, as well as its role in creating a sense of belonging and mattering within an organisation. Want to help your team become more emotionally intelligent? Reach out and connect with Jackie via her website www.jackiehandy.com Listen back to the referenced episode on Playful Curiosity (it's episode 29) Takeaways Emotional intelligence shapes leadership Emotional intelligence affects trust, communication, and team culture Chapters 00:00 The Importance of Emotional Intelligence 07:28 Curiosity and Self-Regulation

3. 

   22 Sept 2026

   29: The Alchemy Of Playful Curiosity In Leadership

   Suzy Sanders, founder of Alchemy Virtual Assistance UK, shares her journey from employee to entrepreneur, the challenges faced by leaders, and the importance of appropriate vulnerability and playful curiosity. The conversation explores the transition from employee to entrepreneur, the challenges faced by leaders, the significance of appropriate vulnerability and playful curiosity, and reframing leadership and personal growth. Making the brave decision after the birth of her son to leave her corporate job at a global recruitment firm, Suzy embarked on a journey to entrepreneurship. Her business – Alchemy Virtual Assistance (VA) – began from a (then) makeshift home office in Northamptonshire in 2016 with the purpose of providing remote administration, practical marketing and flexible PA support to independent business owners and entrepreneurs. With her own strong core values; integrity, honesty, family, kindness and adventure at the heart of all business activities, Suzy’s collaborative approach has been built around building connections with the right people to make the most impact. Quickly realising the power and strength in collaboration and community, Suzy set about fostering meaningful relationships – actively seeking to work with likeminded businesses who shared a similar ethos, exploring local, regional and global speaking opportunities at relevant events, chairing a well-known networking group, and supporting upcoming businesses and charities in her spare time. She had recognised that success was not always about making money. Instead, it was these nurturing and compassionate business activities that truly boosted Alchemy VA's reputation – Suzy has won awards for her noticeably different approach and has been featured on radio, TV and in leading industry publications. The company’s loyal client-base and team rapidly grew and thrived as a result. Continuing to receive a steady and increasing influx of enquiries from curious and aspiring virtual assistants who had been inspired by Suzy’s journey, she saw an opportunity to launch a franchise model where carefully selected individuals – only those with the same commitment, skills, mindset, personal objectives and values – could be trained, empowered and supported to build their own VA enterprises under the trusted Alchemy brand. Suzy has since self-published a book, ‘The Alchemy of Virtual Assistance: creating a successful virtual assistant business around your family’ and continues to explore and advocate the importance and value in developing meaningful relationships in business. Suzy holds the belief that this focus will enable her to amplify her business success, create more meaningful impact and value to her team and achieve her ultimate ambitious vision – for Alchemy to become the VA company of choice in the UK. Connect with Suzy here (https://www.alchemyva.co.uk) Tae the FREE VA readiness test here (https://suzy-itmyqepe.scoreapp.com/) Takeaways Transition from employee to entrepreneur Challenges faced by leaders Appropriate vulnerability and playful curiosity Chapters 00:00 Transition from Employee to Entrepreneur 07:41 Appropriate Vulnerability and Playful Curiosity 17:21 Reframing Leadership and Personal Growth

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

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