The Plumm Pod

• Why Every Leader Must Understand Menopause at Work

  If half your workforce will face it, why is it still taboo?Today Margaret Wood, a menopausal transition facilitator, dismantles the myths, explains the brain science, and shows leaders how to stop losing brilliant women at their peak.You’ll hear how menopause actually shows up (it’s not just hot flushes), why men must be in the conversation, and the simple, practical moves any company can make this quarter. We also talk about “menopause concealment”, early menopause, and the surprising upside: the post-menopausal “upgrade”.In this episode:What menopause is (and isn’t). Symptoms differ wildly, from heat to feeling coldThe brain changes: why mood, memory and confidence can dip, and how to respondCulture over policy: moving beyond desk fans to real psychological safetyThe business case: retention, reputation and productivity you can’t ignoreBringing men in: how mixed-group education shifts behaviour fastPost-menopause power: why many women hit a new gear and how to harness itIf this helped you lead better, subscribe and share with a manager who needs it.Chapters:00:00:15 — Chance, Not a Plan01:08:00 — Inviting Men Into the Room02:59:00 — Menopause, Simply Explained04:35:00 — One Size Doesn’t Fit Anyone05:33:00 — Hot… Or Freezing?07:09:00 — Education Over Assumptions09:21:00 — The Cost of Getting It Wrong11:46:00 — Proactive, Not Performative13:15:00 — It’s the Brain, Not Just Heat15:06:00 — The Epiphany: Mixed Groups16:26:00 — Early Menopause Happens17:51:00 — IVF & Induced Menopause19:39:00 — Concealment & Confidence Dips21:16:00 — The Upgrade: Brain Renovation22:57:00 — From Chaos to Rewire24:56:00 — Support Now, Strength Later26:50:00 — When Joy Goes Missing28:02:00 — How to Start, Today29:55:00 — This Isn’t ‘Nice To Have’31:15:00 — The Career Jungle, Not Ladder

  --------  

  34:06

  --------

  34:06
• The Truth About Managing the Anxious Generation

  They’re not lazy. They’re anxious and misunderstood.In this powerful episode, Jessamine Ringer breaks down what every leader needs to know about Gen Z and the future of work. From why this generation values purpose over prestige to how managers can bridge the gap through empathy, clarity, and coaching, Jessamine exposes what’s really happening between generations in the workplace.You’ll learn:Why Gen Z behave differently and what shaped themHow to manage with empathy without lowering standardsThe three things every young employee actually wantsHow to build confidence, resilience, and innovation in your teamIf you lead people or plan to, this conversation will change how you see the next decade of work.Subscribe and share to help others lead better.Chapters00:00:00 — Was HR Ever the Plan?00:01:22 — Falling in Love with Coaching00:02:57 — Why Early Careers Need Coaching Now00:04:37 — The Power of Knowing Your Values00:05:34 — How Managers Can Really Help00:06:45 — Understanding Gen Z’s Context00:08:30 — Growing Up Online: Anxiety & Screens00:09:47 — Why “We Just Got On With It” Doesn’t Work00:11:14 — Building Inter-Generational Intelligence00:13:36 — How Curiosity Builds Better Managers00:15:49 — Coaching Early Careers to Push Back00:18:06 — Clarity, Confidence & Communication00:19:52 — Purpose, Wellbeing & Money: The Real Priorities00:23:36 — The Truth About Money Anxiety00:25:42 — Why Gen Z Care About Wellbeing00:27:55 — How Exhausted Leaders Lose Impact00:31:01 — The Iceberg Model of Self-Awareness00:32:43 — Managers Aren’t Trained to Manage People00:35:03 — Coaching the Future Workforce00:37:06 — Advice to My Younger Self

  --------  

  39:43

  --------

  39:43
• Why Most Companies Still Fail to Protect Women

  She lost everything, but refused to lose herself.After surviving domestic abuse, Chloe Wallace rebuilt her life from scratch, turning pain into purpose. Today she’s a trauma informed HR consultant specialising in preventing workplace sexual misconduct and her framework is transforming how companies protect their people.In this episode, Chloe opens up about:The truth about escaping abuse and finding independence through workWhy most organisations still get harassment prevention wrongHow her CEASE Framework® helps leaders create truly safe culturesThe rise of AI-driven misogyny and what HR must do nextThis is one of the most powerful conversations we’ve ever had on The Plumm Podcast.If it moved you, subscribe, share, and help us keep these stories seen and heard.Chapters00:00:00 — From Chemistry to HR: The Unexpected Start00:01:25 — Falling Into HR and Finding Purpose00:02:40 — A Secret Life of Survival00:04:50 — Escaping Abuse & Rebuilding Independence00:06:10 — Turning Trauma Into a Calling00:07:00 — Prevention vs Deterrence: The Big Misunderstanding00:08:40 — The Real Psychology of Misconduct00:10:00 — Why Bystander Training Matters00:11:30 — What Sexual Harassment Actually Looks Like00:13:55 — A Real Case That Bankrupted a Company00:15:40 — “It Doesn’t Happen Here” — The Dangerous Myth00:16:50 — Introducing the SEAS Framework00:18:30 — Call It Out. Educate. Assess. Strengthen.00:20:56 — What To Do When It’s a Third Party00:23:20 — How to Handle Disclosures with Care00:25:07 — Changing Mindsets Through Real Conversations00:26:50 — AI, Deepfakes & The New Age of Sexism00:28:15 — The Future of HR: Specialists Over Generalists00:30:00 — Why NDAs Are Ending—and Why It Matters00:31:50 — Choosing Purpose Over Fear00:33:50 — Education, Empathy & Real Change00:34:28 — Advice to My Younger Self

  --------  

  37:22

  --------

  37:22
• Stop Managing Hours. Start Managing Outcomes.

  In this episode, Alice Stone shares her journey from HR apprentice and young mum to People Director and why a truly human-centred approach beats rigid rules. We unpack the real difference between legal flexible working and lived flexibility, how to kill presenteeism, and the systems that create safety, trust and performance.You’ll learn:Legal vs lived flexibility and what high-trust cultures actually doHow to measure impact (pulse checks, outcomes over hours, retention signals)The manager shift: from micromanaging time to coaching for resultsPractical playbook: job-sharing, hybrid done well, “Level 10” meetings, employee voiceIf this gave you something useful, subscribe and share it with a leader who needs to hear it.Chapters:00:00:00 — Plan or Chance? Alice’s Start00:00:20 — From Midwife Dreams to HR00:02:21 — Apprenticeships, Not One Path00:03:18 — Becoming a Mum Changed HR00:04:19 — Kind vs Nice at Work00:05:12 — Flexibility: Law vs Reality00:06:20 — Job-Sharing, Hybrid, Wellness Days00:07:58 — What Flexible Cultures Feel Like00:09:57 — Trust Adults, Measure Outcomes00:11:45 — Productivity Gains, Not Presenteeism00:13:52 — Winning Stakeholders: Speak Their Language00:15:54 — Presenteeism & Sick-While-Working Trap00:17:11 — Outcomes Over Hours, Anywhere Work00:18:52 — Safety First: “If You’re Ill, Rest”00:20:58 — Spot Burnout: Pulse & Training00:22:44 — Define Flex Here: What We Celebrate00:23:54 — Employer Brand: Compete on People00:25:34 — Retention Proof & Real Support00:27:28 — Building Safety: Ways-of-Working Labs00:30:11 — What Is a Level 10 Meeting?00:31:30 — From ‘How Do We…?’ to ‘We Will’00:33:42 — Advice to My Younger Self

  --------  

  35:10

  --------

  35:10
• Why Working Parents Are Leaving — And How to Fix It

  Working parents aren’t the exception, they’re half your workforce.In this episode, Becki Nazareth (L&D leader, turned working parent & carer specialist) shares what really breaks and fixes the experience for parents at work, from policy basics to culture, flexibility and line manager reality.You’ll learn:Why policy is just the foundation and what proactive support really looks likeHow to educate “accidental managers” and build inclusive, flexible teams that performThe return to work gap: identity shifts, re-induction, and using the SCARF model for certaintyWhat data leaders need (and how to get it) to win the case for flexibilityIf this helped you, subscribe and share it with a leader who needs to hear it.Chapters (Timestamps)00:00:00 — People Work: Plan or Chance?00:00:36 — From Teaching to L&D to HR00:02:23 — Why Becki Backed Working Parents00:04:10 — Who Counts: Parents and Carers00:05:36 — Policy Shifts & Systemic Gaps00:07:20 — Start With Policy, Don’t Stop There00:09:03 — The Manager Mindset Shift00:11:12 — Beyond One-Off Workshops00:12:40 — Spaces That Actually Help (ERGs, Talks)00:14:05 — What “Doing It Well” Looks Like00:16:00 — The Identity Shock of Return00:17:35 — SCARF & Creating Certainty00:19:42 — Reactive vs Proactive HR00:21:10 — Re-Induction: Onboarding… Again00:23:22 — Hybrid, Mandates & Real Flexibility00:25:24 — Win Leaders With Data00:27:28 — Measure What Happens After Return00:29:28 — New Stages: School & Holidays00:30:51 — One Piece of Career Advice00:31:37 — Know Your Values, Decide Faster00:32:20 — Closing Thanks

  --------  

  33:47

  --------

  33:47

More Business podcasts

Trending Business podcasts

About The Plumm Pod