Age Defying Careers with Elise Stevens

Podcast #187: Eli Angote – How to boost your motivation We all experience ebbs and flows in our motivation levels. Some days we’re clear-headed and on-task and other days we can barely summon the energy to turn on our computers. It’s easy to feel like we have no control over these natural fluctuations, especially when […]

Podcast #186: Belle Walker – A different approach to building effective teams What if we applied the principles of systems engineering to humans, in the same way they’re applied to code or steel? In this podcast, Elise Stevens speaks to Belle Walker about how to take a systems engineering approach to building effective teams. Belle […]

Podcast #185: Nicole Maaguo – Why is ambition a dirty word? This year, Kamala Harris will become the first female US Vice President. In other parts of the world, from Germany to Taiwan to New Zealand, women are already in the top job (and have been for some time!). But despite women smashing glass ceilings […]

Podcast #184: Susan Schwartz – Emotional intelligence Managers are rarely hired simply because they’re great leaders. Often they’re promoted for their technical skills, regardless of their personal skills – or lack thereof!  We have all had this type of manager. They struggle to build strong, diverse teams and retain good staff because they lack emotional […]

Podcast #183 : Joe Pusz – Getting unstuck How do you know if you’re stuck in your career? Maybe you really like your team, your boss is fair, and you’ve got a great salary and benefits. You’re good at your job. You’re comfortable. So, why would you want to give all that up to take […]

Podcast #182 : Jaspreet Dol – How will AI change the way we work? There’s a lot of buzz right now around artificial intelligence and automation – machines doing things that previously only humans could do. As with any change, it’s natural to feel nervous about the implications for your career. But this podcast is […]

Podcast #181: Chuen Chuen Yeo – Does leadership need to change? COVID-19 has caused huge changes in the way society functions. How we work, how our kids are educated, how we see our doctor, and even how our government communicates with us, has changed dramatically in just a few months. As we navigate all this […]

Podcast Episode #180: Andy Kaufmann – Dealing with difficult people What if we chose to get closer to difficult people instead of avoiding them? We’ve all had a difficult boss, stakeholders we’ve dreaded dealing with or clients we wish we’d never taken on, so we know these relationship problems rarely solve themselves. Andy Kaufman is […]

Podcast #179: Future-Proof Your Career – Johanna Rothman – Embracing the agile mindset As COVID-19 wreaks havoc on our lives and livelihoods, many of us are beginning to consider what our careers might look like in the future. We all like to think we’re adaptable and resilient but how do we decide if it’s time […]

Podcast Episode #178: Sarah Hajipour – The value of business agility Most companies already recognised the value of business agility, but the COVID-19 pandemic has now proven that businesses must be agile if they are going to survive. Business agility Is more than just software frameworks. It’s a mindset that allows a business to respond […]

Podcast Episode #177: Renee Henville – Dealing with difficult people We’ve all worked with difficult people. Some believe they’re always right, others will say yes to everything but rarely deliver, some are dictators, other are more passive, and most seem to find all the problems but no solutions. Elise Stevens has plenty of experience dealing […]

Podcast Episode #176: Jay Stone – Why is change so exhausting? What is it about change that we find so difficult? Why is it burning us out and making us depressed? Neuroscience tells us that our brain simply hasn’t evolved much over thousands of years. Even positive change can trigger the same fight/flight/freeze reaction our […]

Podcast Episode #175: Laura Dallas Burford – How to find your focus As Marie Kondo would say – does it spark joy? No, not your Tupperware drawer – your career!  Many project managers would consider themselves a jack of all trades, ready to jump head-first into any project, but consultant advisor and mentor Laura Dallas […]

Podcast Episode #174: Teresa Lawrence – Creative problem solving in project management The best idea usually doesn’t belong to the loudest voice in the room – so why should they be the only one who gets heard? Whether they’re the boss, the boss’s son, or just a bit of a loudmouth, too often decisions within […]

Podcast Episode #173: Elizabeth Harrin – How gamification makes projects more engaging It doesn’t matter how much time you put into your powerpoint presentation or carefully-drafted email, your team still might be more likely to open a game on their phone or start scrolling through Facebook than pay attention. Gamification makes your projects more engaging […]

Podcast Episode #172: Lynda Tregoweth – The importance of leadership in project management Strong leadership is far more challenging to deliver in times of pressure or change – but that’s exactly when it’s most needed. Lynda Tregoweth is a coach and mentor who has worked in leadership roles long enough to know that if pressure […]

Podcast Episode #171: Anita Phagura – How to be a fierce project manager and take control of your career If there is one thing you take from this podcast today, it should be the importance of taking control of your own career. Many of us leave the trajectory of our careers to be determined by […]

Podcast Episode #170: Jen Dolden – How to set up a group for women in project management Jen Dolden was fed up with walking into a project meeting or networking event and finding she was the only woman in the room – again! But when she started searching for a group of women she could […]

Podcast Episode #169: Vicki Griffiths – Why the Women in Project Management SIG is so valuable There’s more women than men coming into project management at entry level, and yet the large majority of senior roles are still occupied by men. Why is that? Any woman working in project management probably has a few theories! […]

Podcast Episode #168: Carole Osterweil – What does neuroscience have to do with project management? Just take five deep breaths.  We’ve all heard this advice when we’ve been stressed or overwhelmed or anxious. But do you know why it helps us relax and focus? In this podcast, Elise Stevens speaks with coach Carole Osterweil about […]

Podcast Episode #167: Jools Barrow-Read – Building a successful PMO A successful PMO is one that’s tailored to the needs of the business. That might sound simplistic, but Jools Barrow-Read believes that’s the only definition a PMO needs. Jools has been working in PMOs for 15 years. Five years ago, she started her own PMO […]

Podcast Episode #166: Susanne Madsen – Changes in project leadership It’s been five years since Susanne Madsen released her book The Power of Project Leadership. In that time she’s worked with project leaders in nearly every corner of the globe, and noticed a lot of changes in the demands and expectations placed on them– enough […]

Podcast Episode #165: Crystal Richards – Politics and Projects “Because it’s you, I’ll do it.” Some people seem to have no issue getting others to bend over backwards, put in a good word or sign that cheque. According to Crystal Richards these people all have one thing in common – a knack for politics. ‘Office […]

Podcast Episode #164: Echo Woolf – The art of project management Art is defined as the expression or application of human creativity or imagination. It’s a much broader definition than simply painting or sculpture, but many project managers will still wonder why a conversation about art belongs in the project management world.  According to project […]

Podcast Episode #163: Laura Dallas Burford – How to start your project management consulting career Lots of project managers come to Laura Dallas Burford asking how they can become a consultant – but many can’t tell her why they want to. As Laura tells Elise Stevens in this podcast, it’s the first, and most important, […]

Podcast Episode #162: Ruth Pearce – How to spot the character strengths in your project team Have you thought about your strengths lately? Not your skills and talents, but the key character strengths within your personality. If you’re a project manager there’s a good chance you’re prudent and persevering, which means you like to have […]

Podcast Episode #161: Julia Steel – Getting buy-in from stakeholders You’ve got project approval, you’ve got a sponsor, your stakeholders have turned up to the first meeting – but do you have real buy-in? When experienced program director and program manager Julia Steel decided to write a book to help project managers she took a […]

Podcast: Emily Luijbregts – Diversity in project management Why don’t more business leaders see women in the prime of their lives as an opportunity? That’s the question asked by project management influencer Emily Luijbregts. Emily believes a lack of diversity is one of the primary reasons major projects fail – but she says not enough […]

Podcast: Susanne Madsen – Stress in project management With deadlines, budgets, demanding stakeholders, time zone clashes, and an endless stream of emails, project management is full of stress triggers. Many of us consider it an unavoidable consequence of the work we do, but chronic stress can be deadly. In this podcast, Susanne Madsen speaks to […]

Podcast: Paul Pelletier – Women and Disrespect in the Workplace Disrespect in the workplace is easy to spot. It can start as snide comments, gossip or someone being excluded but can escalate into bullying and harassment. Victims, most often women, can be too intimidated to speak up and bystanders often think it’s none of their […]

Podcast: Hussain Bandukwala – Yes, you can set up a PMO in 100 days The success or failure of a newly elected head of state is often measured by how much they achieve in their first 100 days. Hussain Bandukwala thinks PMOs should be measured in the same way. Hussain is the founder of Parwaaz […]

Podcast: Naomi Caietti – Getting unstuck and jumpstarting your career We all know them: the people who wind up in leadership roles through luck or timing or rising through the ranks, but have limited leadership competencies. But leadership is not just a role or title, it’s a choice. In her latest book, project management consultant […]

Asya Watkins – Connecting and supporting women For 20 years Asya Watkins has worked for some of the biggest healthcare companies in the US, sometimes as the only woman in a room full of dozens of men and more often than not as the only woman of colour. It hasn’t always been easy to gain […]

Podcast: Sue Bivins – Changing hearts and minds Sue Bivins landed her first management position in the 1970s when women simply weren’t employed in leadership roles. When one employee refused to acknowledge her as his manager, and then she was laughed at by an executive, she learned one of the most valuable lessons of her […]

PODCAST: TAKING THE LONG WAY AROUND WITH NATALIE ALLEBLAS Natalie Alleblas and her husband were juggling three kids and a mortgage when they were both suddenly made redundant. It was a terrifying prospect: mouths to feed, bills to pay and no money coming in. But the couple took it as a sign from the universe […]

Podcast: Bill Dow – Leading a high-impact PMO Many PMO leaders fall into management positions accidentally because they’re a gun at project management, but they lack crucial leadership skills. Does that sound like you or your boss? PMO specialist Bill Dow is here to share some of his insights into leading and nurturing PMOs. Bill […]

Podcast: Andy Jordan – Portfolio Management made easy Portfolio management can be complex – not least because everyone seems to have a sense of what it is, but not the same sense as each other! In this podcast, portfolio management guru Andy Jordan speaks to Elise Stevens about why a portfolio is not simply a […]

Podcast: Mark Price Perry, pioneer of the Business Driven PMO Forget everything you may have heard about PMOs, Mark Price Perry is here to turn yours on its head. In this podcast, Mark makes the case to Elise Stevens that organisations should invest in a Business Driven PMO. Business Driven PMOs are run like business […]

Podcast: Stuart Easton – How does your PMO add value? Project managers face a lot of resistance to change – but it’s a fundamental part of what we do. As Stuart Easton explains to Elise Stevens in this podcast, if everything stayed the same we’d be out of a job! Stuart is the CEO of […]

Podcast: Turning a setback into a step forward with Kathie Argyros When Kathie Argyros was made redundant after 27 years in the airline industry, most of her friends and family expected her to go into semi-retirement and perhaps pick up a couple of days work per week. Instead, she enrolled in a Diploma of Interior […]

Podcast: Kylie Stephan – SOS (Save Our Stakeholders!) Stakeholder engagement can be incredibly tricky – but it’s an unavoidable part of the job! In this podcast, trainer and coach Kylie Stephan talks with Elise Stevens about common stakeholder engagement pitfalls and why going back to basics can be the best tactic. Project managers are working […]

Podcast: Connecting with your clients with Renee Holdsworth If you’re a small business owner and you’re more motivated by your bottom line than your clients, you may need a time-out on Renee Holdsworth’s treatment table. Renee is a qualified beauty therapist who left a well-known company eight years ago to run her own home salon […]

Podcast: Karlene Agard – Value management on megaprojects If you’ve ever heard the term ‘value engineering’ and instantly thought ‘cost cutting’, Karlene Agard is here to change your mind. Karlene works in risk and value management for megaprojects, making sure organisations optimise both the financial and non-financial benefits of investment in major projects. Misconceptions can […]

Podcast: Making your career work for you, with Anne Fowler Wade Anne Fowler Wade is a failed retiree, at least that’s how her husband would describe her. The Soulmate Dance blogger and coach develops courses to help people find love and relationships. She’s been consistently self-employed for 40 years and says she has always felt […]

Podcast: Laura Barnard – Start with why? Laura Barnard will turn the way you think about project management upside down. After decades working as a project manager and PMO leader, she has managed to boil the game down to one question: why? Through her online training and coaching program IMPACT by Laura, and consulting organisation […]

Kestrel Stone: Why Developmental Training Is An Absolute Must For Project Managers Project Managers are uniquely positioned to bring more than just project outcomes to the business place, and no one knows that better than Kestrel Stone. During her 13 years of project management on various projects, Kestrel developed a highly-effective method for structuring her […]

Podcast: Sorrel Gilbert – Growing Your Project Manage Confidence As A Young Woman As someone who’s just finished her apprenticeship and has begun working as a freelance Project Manager, Sorrel Gilbert is well acquainted with the experience of being new to the profession. Having been asked to be on major Women in Project Management Panel […]

Podcast: Successfully leading a Project Management team, with Helen Hull Helen Hull is a Project Specialist who specialises in Portfolio Project Management. Having lead many teams consisting of a diverse number of Project Management professionals, she understands the challenges of dealing with different egos, attitudes and situations where everyone wants to be in control. With […]

Podcast: Elizabeth Harrin On How To Be Taken Seriously As A Project Manager If anyone knows about the challenges of being taken seriously as a Project Manager, it’s Elizabeth Harrin. After noticing how few women were writing and speaking about the topic, she realised that Project Management desperately needed a female perspective. Her goal of […]

Podcast: Why Project Management Is The Ultimate Balancing Act, Explained By Julia Steel For two decades, Julia Steel has shared her speaking, training and mentorship skills with UK and Australian businesses. She’s held senior business transformation and project delivery posts, working with businesses to help them unleash their true potential using trust and engagement. She […]

Podcast: Lifting the Quality of Project Sponsorship, with Andrea Brockmeier In this podcast, Elise Stevens is joined by Andrea Brockmeier to discuss how Project Managers can lift the quality of project sponsorships they’re involved in. As the Project Management Director at Watermark Learning, Andrea Brockmeier works with Analysts, Relationship and Project Managers, and Scrum team […]