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In this first episode of series 16, Jen, Dom and Cat chat with Mercy Abel, founder of It Is Who You Know, to uncover the value of mentoring to bridge intergenerational divides and superpower early years careers.

Despite the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement in January 2025 and the perceived downgrading of decarbonisation as a boardroom priority, sustainability progress continues to be made.

For all that’s written about the impact of culture on business performance, it remains a nebulous concept that many find hard to define. It’s perhaps this lack of understanding that causes transformation programmes to fail.

Deteriorating international relations have dominated news headlines and fuelled global economic instability since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. War has many ramifications, impacting supply chains, share prices, migration and more generally, levels of societal optimism. But for many of us, the notion of war remains incomprehensible; we simply can’t imagine what living under threat of such danger actually feels like. Moreover, what does it feel like to strive to continue ‘business as usual’ when there are so many additional factors to consider?

As global economic uncertainty escalates, redundancy threat remains a cause of stress for many. This is compounded by high levels of consumer debt – data shows many lack adequate savings to buffer against unexpected job loss. Alongside, shifts in UK demographics and spending habits mean retirement is increasingly unaffordable and too few people feel they possess the acumen to confidently plan their financial futures. Employers can do a lot more to help educate colleagues on financial wellbeing and security.

As the promise of AI efficiency continues to tantalise boardrooms across the spectrum, internal communication faces one of its greatest threats yet. When internal communication is viewed as a transactional business function – where ROI is deemed the primary metric of success – it becomes ripe for disruption and automation. When, however, communication is viewed through the lens of impact, it becomes a dynamic and essential component of an organisation’s lifeblood. This episode, Jen, Dom and Cat are joined by IoIC fellow Colin Archer who shares insights from his years spent delivering business impact through skilled internal communication.

The forces disrupting business are confounding organisational leaders across the board. As the months pass, it’s increasingly clear no amount of command-and-control executive dogma will reinstate economic stability. New operating and organising frameworks are needed, ones that introduce flexibility and optimal market-responsiveness for accelerated business performance. In this episode, leading organisational change and HR thinker Perry Timms introduces the concept of the Polymorphic Organisation.

In the first episode of 2026, Neil Carberry, CEO of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation returns to the podcast to discuss labour market trends with Jen, Dom and Cat. The REC’s monthly report on jobs, produced by S&P Global in association with KPMG, has become a go-to resource for enhanced understanding of UK labour market dynamics. Hiring, employment, redundancies, unemployment, salaries and wage inflation or stagnation all have implications for internal communicators and the way they interact with colleagues and other stakeholders.

Few jobs will remain unchanged by AI and automation. According to the World Economic Forum, 59% of the global workforce will need reskilling by 2030. Within the realm of internal communication, developments in GenerativeAI mean any work that involves writing and documentation is set to be transformed by increasingly sophisticated digital tools that promise enhanced operational efficiency. What does this mean for internal communicators? In this episode Jen, Dom and Cat chat with IoIC fellow Joe Salmon to explore the future of internal communication.

Leading an organisation has never been more challenging. As the forces impacting business performance grow ever more complex, trading conditions are increasingly tumultuous. Traditional management tools are no longer effective. Leaders must find different ways to explore the unknown and shore up operating resilience. In this episode, Cat, Jen and Dom are joined by entrepreneur, CEO, writer and keynote speaker Margaret Heffernan to explore the power of conversation in unleashing fresh thinking.

As the global economy grows ever more complex and uncertain, new skills are needed. Endless streams of new enterprise technology, deteriorating international relations, the rise of populist leaders, climate chaos, misinformation and disinformation – there’s no shortage of issues confounding modern leaders. In this episode, leadership advisor, coach and futurist Louise Mowbray sets out the new skills for future-focused leadership.

Since the start of 2025, many organisations have reduced or cancelled DEI activities in deference to the rise of illiberalism across the globe. Already marginalised groups are increasingly nervous that a new wave of right-wing politicians is endorsing racism, sexism, homophobia and other prejudices. In this episode, Dom, Jen and Cat meet with Manchester Metropolitan University’s Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, to explore why inclusion remains a mission-critical issue for organisational performance.