Conflict at work doesn’t have to be scary. In this episode of Influence & Impact for Leaders, I talk with Alice Driscoll and Louise Van Haarst, authors of Smart Conflict, about why avoiding tough conversations harms teams — and how to do them better.

You’ll hear the difference between task and relational conflict, learn their 5R model (Reflection, Regulation, Readiness, Response, Repair) and pick up quick, practical tips you can use to calm my nerves, land your message and repair relationships.

Alice Driscoll and Louise van Haarst are the founders of The Power House, a global

leadership development and cultural transformation business on a mission to unlock human and organisational potential. They work with organisations including BBC Studios, PwC, Deutsche Bank, LVMH, Johnson & Johnson, ProperCorn, Bethnal Green Ventures and Zinc VC.

Their new book ‘Smart Conflict - how to have hard conversations at work’ is a highly

practical, evidence-based guide to getting good at conflict and hard conversations at work. Whether your default conflict style is avoidant, inflexible or aggressive, this book will give you the tools to embrace Smart Conflict and transform your leadership, your team and maybe your life.

This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Buy Smart Conflict, How to have hard conversations at work:  https://mybook.to/SmartConflict  

Download free resources including our read-along workbook: https://thepowerhouse.company/resources

Take the default conflict style and team diagnostics:  https://thepowerhouse.company/diagnostics

LinkedIn: Alice Driscoll

LinkedIn: Louise van Haarst

Work with Carla:

• Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact.
• 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – get support to help you get your voice heard at work and develop your career. Book a discovery call

📢 If This Resonated…

Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.

Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.

In this episode, I’m delving into the common pitfall of many leaders - getting stuck in the weeds of daily tasks and acting operationally instead of strategically. If your calendar is packed with tasks your team should be able to handle, you might be trapped in an operational role rather than leading effectively. Discover how to rise above the day-to-day grind, lead strategically, and drive impact without burning out.

This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high-performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately to be better at your job without working harder.

In This Episode:

• Operational vs. Strategic Leadership
• Why Leaders Get Stuck in Doing
• The Cost of Staying in the Weeds
• Signs You’re Too Operational
• The Strategic Leader’s Role
• Building a Self-Sufficient Team
• Creating Space for Strategic

Mentioned in This Episode:

Episode 61 - How to be great at delegation.

Episode 174 - How to be a coach-like manager with Jude Sclater.

Work with Carla:

• Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact.
• 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – Define your unique leadership brand and thrive outside the mould. Book a discovery call

📢 If This Resonated…

Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.

Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.

In this episode, I’m joined once again by the brilliant Eleanor Tweddell, coach and change consultant and author of the new book Another Door Opens. You might remember her from an earlier episode where we talked about her first book on redundancy. This time, we’re diving into her fresh take on navigating change—one that acknowledges how messy and human it really is.

Eleanor introduces us to her five-step Change Mastery model, a practical and powerful framework designed to help leaders process change themselves before they try to lead others through it. We explore why traditional approaches to change often fall short, the emotional complexity leaders face in transition, and how we can show up more intentionally and empathetically during uncertain times.

This episode is for any leader navigating change themselves or trying to lead a team through transformation. Whether you’re facing restructures, technological shifts, personal crossroads—or simply the everyday micro-changes of life—this conversation offers clarity and compassion.

Episode highlights:

• Why change is rarely linear and almost never neat
• The difference between managing change and mastering it
• How leaders can work through change themselves before leading others
• The five steps of Eleanor’s Change Mastery model for leaders:

1. Pause – Start by stopping. Create space to rest and think.
2. Mess – Acknowledge the emotional complexity and personal impact.
3. Play – Get curious and explore possibilities without pressure.
4. Try – Take small, intentional steps forward.
5. Restart – Begin again, but with clarity and intention.

This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.

About Eleanor Tweddell:

Eleanor Tweddell is a coach, change consultant, facilitator, keynote speaker and author. After over two decades working in senior corporate management roles, including Whitbread, Virgin Atlantic and Vodafone, she founded Another Door with the mission of helping individuals, teams and businesses navigate change.

• Website: Another Door
• LinkedIn: Eleanor Tweddell
• Book: Another Door Opens (Coming 4th September 2025)

Work with Eleanor:

Eleanor now offers Change Mastery for Leaders and Change Mastery for Teams—high-impact workshops designed to help people navigate transition with intention and resilience.

Work with Carla:

• Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact.
• 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – Define your unique leadership brand and thrive outside the mould. Book a discovery call

📢 If This Resonated…

Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.

Leave a review to support the show or reach...

Ever been in a meeting where you’re sharing an idea and suddenly someone pushes back? Maybe they say, “I don’t see how that would work,” or hit you with a question you weren’t expecting.

Your heart skips a beat. You’re thinking, “Uh… how do I respond without sounding defensive or totally thrown?”

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In this episode, I’m sharing practical strategies for handling objections and challenging questions in meetings with confidence, clarity, and composure. You’ll learn how to stay grounded in the moment, turn objections into opportunities, and even use these situations to boost your credibility.

In This Episode:

• My story of presenting my first strategy to a board - and what I learned the hard way about handling challenging questions
• Why objections trigger us (hello, imposter feelings and fear of being wrong!)
• How to reframe objections as engagement—not personal attacks
• 4 common types of challenging questions—and how to handle each
• The B.R.I.D.G.E. Framework for structured, confident responses
• Language you can use in the moment, even when caught off guard
• Mindset shifts to help you stay calm and in control under pressure

This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact.
• 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – Define your unique leadership brand and thrive outside the mould. Book a discovery call

📢 If This Resonated…

Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.

Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.

In this episode, I’m excited to introduce my brand new co-host, Lara Cullen, as we launch a new series within the podcast: Impactful Teams.

We’re diving into what really makes a team impactful - not just in terms of performance, but in how aligned, influential, and sustainable their success is.

Lara and I share our brand-new Impactful Teams framework to help teams grow their impact. We talk about why psychological safety, emotional intelligence, and shared purpose are essential ingredients, and why even high-performing teams can still have hidden challenges holding them back.

We also share the story behind how Lara and I started working together and how our different but complementary strengths have shaped the way we support leaders and teams.

If you’re leading a team—or want to take your already successful team to the next level—this episode will give you practical insights and a clear starting point to increase your team's influence and impact.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why I’ve invited Lara Cullen to co-host episodes focused on Impactful Teams
• The story of how we met and why we decided to collaborate
• Our Align–Amplify–Embed framework for building Impactful Teams
• What really drives team success (hint: it’s not just the individuals)
• The 5 key elements of team alignment using our TEAMS model
• How to amplify your team’s voice and influence across your organisation
• The importance of embedding change to make it last
• How you can find out how impactful your team really is right now

This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.

Work with us:

• Impactful Teams Scorecard – It takes just 2 minutes to discover where your team is strong and where you might want to focus next. You’ll get personalised results—and for a limited time, you can also book a free 30-minute call to talk through them.
• Visit our new Impactful Teams website

Work with Carla:

• 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – get the support you need to thrive in your role. Book a discovery call

📢 If This Resonated…

Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.

Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.

Have you just landed a new leadership role? Congratulations – now what?

In this episode, I’m walking you through exactly how to set yourself up for success in your first 90 days and beyond. I’ve been a new senior leader multiple times myself, supported countless coaching clients through the transition, and even placed senior leaders when I ran a recruitment agency – so this is one of my favourite topics to share on.

Whether you're stepping into your first senior role or switching organizations at a senior level, I’ll help you avoid the common traps and start your new role with clarity and confidence.

🔍 What I cover in this episode:

• The biggest mistakes new leaders make – and how to avoid them
• Why over-promising and trying to "know it all" early on can derail your influence
• The Valley of Doom – why it’s real, and how to move through it faster
• The key mindset shift that will help you feel more confident when you don’t have all the answers
• How to start strong: building trust, strategic relationships, and team insight
• The conversations you must have with your line manager early on
• How to assess your team and create a leadership development plan
• What to do three months in: reflect, realign, and co-create your team’s future vision

This episode is packed with practical tips you can implement immediately – plus some heartfelt encouragement if you’re doubting yourself right now.

This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact.
• Need support in your new role? Coaching can help you navigate the transition with confidence. Drop me a message on LinkedIn or Book a discovery call

📢 If This Resonated…

Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.

Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.

Are you a leader who’s ever been told you’re too nice, too collaborative, too emotional, or just too different to fit into senior leadership? Or perhaps you’ve never been told that but at some level you sense that you don’t fit the typical leadership mould.

In this episode, I’m flipping the script on outdated leadership expectations and exploring how your difference is actually your strength.

What You’ll Learn:

• What “the leadership mould” really is — and who it was built for
• The hidden cost of trying to fit into a leadership style that doesn’t align with your values
• Why traditional feedback like “you need more gravitas” often reflects bias, not fact
• The power of leading with empathy, reflection, and authenticity
• Real-life examples, including Jacinda Ardern’s leadership style and Carla’s own journey
• 3 practical shifts to help you embrace your leadership identity and develop to the next level of leadership

This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact.
• 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – Define your unique leadership brand and thrive outside the mould. Book a discovery call

📢 If This Resonated…

Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.

Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.

When we think of a confident leader, we might imagine someone who always knows the right thing to do straight away or who has all the answers.  And then we feel bad because we like to think things through before responding, or we don't always know the answer. 

Some of us can spend a fair bit of time negatively comparing ourselves to this fictional and seemingly perfect leader! That mental energy could be going somewhere far more productive so in this mini episode I want to unpick the myth that a good leader always has the answers.

This is Influence & Impact for Leaders with Carla Miller, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.

Stay in Touch: If you're tuning in on Apple Podcasts, click follow so you never miss an update.

Spread the Love: On June 16th or 17th, share the podcast on social media or leave a review on Apple podcasts. Snap a screenshot and send it to hello@carlamiller.co.uk, and I'll send you an exclusive pack of my Influence & Impact affirmation cards as a thank you.

Work with Carla: To chat about hiring Carla as your coach or to work with your team book a call or visit carlamiller.co.uk.