Getting Outspoken about the Unspoken with Jess Rad

Loading player...
Shining a light on taboo workplace topics to create compassion.

In this episode, award-winning speaker and entrepreneur Jess Rad gets real about premature menopause, late-identified neurodiversity, being a parent carer, and helping others break the stigma of their own taboos.

Jess is on a mission to shine a light on the real challenges impacting the women in the workplace - because even if they aren't being spoken about, it doesn't mean they aren't real or common - all in the name of building compassion.

She talks about how her own diagnosis of premature menopause catapulted her into starting her own business, The Womenhood - and how she had to pivot again when the pandemic began.

Five years on, Jess is a speaker and recognised diversity advocate who works with organisations as diverse as NatWest and Sussex University to bring conversations about taboo topics into the workplace.

In this episode, she reflects on how she leads, how she thinks about her reputation, and what we can do collectively to encourage more leaders from diverse backgrounds and identities.

It's a candid, moving discussion with an intersectional leader who is working to change work to make the world better for us all.

This podcast is a companion piece to Charlotte Otter's book We Need New Leaders, published on 3 June by Practical Inspiration Publishing. Find it online or in all good bookshops.
30 Apr English Germany Management · Business

Other recent episodes

I Hired my Boss with Amy Wilson

Building a great work partnership can be life-changing. 'Very few people would be willing to step down and reverse roles with their boss.' Tech executive, board member, investor, CEO advisor, mentor, and podcaster Amy Wilson describes how as an executive she hired her best friend Meg Bear and then swopped…
13 Aug 44 min

Finding Your Voice with Kerrie Finch

The best emcee in the business shares leadership and speaking tips. 'It's time. I need to stand up and help, and represent, and lead.' Reputation and thought leadership expert (and wickedly brilliant emcee) Kerrie Finch describes to host Charlotte Otter how she realised it was time to come out of…
6 Aug 38 min

Ask Me Anything with Charlotte

Reflecting on the book launch and a new career as a podcaster. Reinventing yourself as a podcaster while launching a book. In this episode, Charlotte answers listener questions on how the launch of We Need New Leaders has gone - including an event at the IABC World conference in Vancouver…
30 Jul 21 min

Regenerative Leadership with Emily Monsell-Holden

A leader finds new ways of working and being. In this episode, Emily Monsell-Holden (marketing and branding expert and now co-founder of The Impact Apothecary) talks to host Charlotte Otter about redefining women's success beyond motherhood, the importance of diverse narratives, and the healing power of sharing personal stories. Emily…
23 Jul 40 min

Wisdom of the Collective with Aparna Bhasin

How immersing herself in community helps this leader create lasting impact. In this episode, leader and founder Aparna Bhasin talks to host Charlotte Otter about how she's shifting her consulting work towards participatory research that embeds itself in community. Aparna Bhasin is a founder, facilitator, and coach. Her business, Aparna…
16 Jul 38 min