Corporate America still doesn't trust flexible work — not because part-time or job-share talent gets less done, but because most managers aren't trained to run a team they can't see at their desk every day, and shrinking headcounts make companies reluctant to spend a full-time slot on anyone who isn't in the office full-time. "I would put any part-timer up against most full-timers because I believe they will go the extra mile in exchange for having the flexibility," says Lisa Kent, founder of The Luminations Group and Dauntless LeadHERship. "Focus on what you learn, what you contribute, what you get done, and not when and how and where," Lisa tells the consultants, students and senior leaders she mentors — advice she's given for over two decades, long before flexible work had a name. Lisa built The Luminations Group in 2000 after leaving her role as CEO of NetGrocer, the first nationwide online grocer, when she realised the flexible, part-time talent pool she'd relied on there was being written off by the rest of corporate America. The company she assumed would last a year or two is still running today, twenty-six years on, now serving people managing childcare, ageing parents, career pivots and everything in between — not just mothers of young children. In this conversation, Lisa and Pippa talk about why flexibility still gets treated as a risk rather than an asset, what changed for Lisa after interviewing a former Haleon CEO on her own podcast and realising she was still performing rather than being herself, why failing fast is the leadership skill nobody teaches early enough, and why Lisa's next venture is aimed at elder care — a problem she knows firsthand, having spent years caring for both of her parents through dementia. Lisa Kent is the founder of The Luminations Group, a marketing consultancy built on flexible, part-time talent that she later sold to Market Performance Group (now operating as FleXforce), and the founder of Dauntless LeadHERship, a podcast and leadership platform for women navigating corporate and entrepreneurial careers. She's an adjunct professor of integrated marketing at NYU and Lehigh, and holds a BA from Yale and an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. More at dauntless.works. Connect with Lisa Kent: 🌐 https://dauntless.works/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabkent/ Welcome to the Journey to Purpose Podcast — your guide to personal transformation, spiritual awakening, and finding meaning. Hosted by Philippa Bagley, each episode features in-depth interviews with inspiring thought leaders, therapists, coaches, and everyday people who have overcome addiction, trauma, financial hardship, and burnout to build purposeful lives. Whether you're seeking direction in your career, healing from past struggles, building resilience, or exploring spirituality, this personal development podcast delivers practical insights and transformational wisdom. Topics include: personal growth, healing and therapy, entrepreneurship, financial independence, mindfulness, spirituality, overcoming adversity, life coaching, and authentic living. Join our growing community of listeners discovering their life's purpose. New episodes every week. If you like what you hear, don't forget to follow, review and subscribe