The Dr Sam Collins Podcast

Dr Sam Collins
  • 3.8 (10)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Weekly

Women do not need more confidence. Women need more freedom. Freedom to think differently. Freedom to speak honestly. Freedom to challenge expectations. Freedom to stop waiting until they feel completely ready. And freedom to make the contribution they are here to make. The Dr Sam Collins Podcast is part of the Choose Freedom movement, a global conversation for women who care deeply about the future and know, perhaps quietly and perhaps fiercely, that they have a part to play in shaping it. Drawing on more than twenty five years of experience working with women across business, charities, education, law, finance, social impact and community leadership, Dr Sam Collins explores freedom, courage, purpose, contribution, leadership, reinvention and what becomes possible when women become more intentional about the future they are helping to create. Through personal reflections, real life stories and practical wisdom, Sam challenges conventional thinking about success, confidence and change. She explores the lives, careers, choices and experiences of women who are shaping the worlds around them, often in ways that are far more significant than they realise. This is not a podcast about becoming perfect. You do not need to have conquered your anxiety, found your confidence, achieved your ideal weight, built a successful business, earned a certain income, accumulated thousands of followers or created a perfect life before you can make a meaningful contribution. You can be uncertain, frustrated, disappointed, irritated, overwhelmed, still figuring things out and still changing the world around you. Because the women who shape the future are not the women who have everything worked out. They are the women who choose to contribute anyway. And in doing so, they help shape better future stories for their families, organisations, communities, countries and the wider world. Freedom is not the end of the story. The real question is: What future will you help create?

  1. 59m ago

    Do It Anyway: Even When You Don't Know the Right People

    When I was starting Aspire, I had no network, very little money and absolutely no love of networking. In fact, I hated it. Then, hiding in the toilets at a networking event I didn't want to be at, I met Melissa. One conversation. One generous woman. One introduction that rippled outwards and the first Aspire event I'd struggled to find 20 women for ended up with 120 women signing up. In this episode, I share that story and what it taught me about networking, generosity and having the courage to keep going when it looks as though nobody is interested. What you'll get from listening A reminder that you don't need a huge network to begin. A different way to think about networking, based on generosity and genuine connection rather than collecting contacts. Encouragement to create the kind of space you wish existed, rather than simply fitting into what's already there. A reminder to hold your nerve a little longer when you're tempted to give up. Inspiration to find your first person, make your first connection and let the ripple begin. You don't have to know everybody. Sometimes, knowing one person who believes in what you're doing can change everything. About Dr Sam Collins Dr Sam Collins is a speaker, author and founder of Aspire. For more than 25 years she has worked with women around the world to help them lead change, navigate transitions and create lives and careers with greater meaning, impact and freedom. She is the creator of 1 Million Change Leaders by 2030 and the Choose Freedom movement, which encourages women to reclaim their agency, shape the future and make a difference in the worlds they touch. Connect with Dr Sam Collins Website: drsamcollins.com LinkedIn: Dr Sam Collins Instagram: @drsamcollins YouTube: Dr Sam Collins TikTok: Dr Sam Collins Books: Available on Amazon New episodes released weekly.

  2. 6d ago

    Do It Anyway: Even When People Tell You Not To

    25 years ago, I started Aspire with no big business plan, very little money, an "office" consisting of an old table covered with a curtain and plenty of people telling me why it wouldn't work. I was too young. Focusing on women would limit me. People might call me a feminist. I was apparently too nice to be successful in business. I did it anyway. In this episode, I look back at 25 years of Aspire and what I've learnt about listening to the voice inside you when the voices around you are telling you not to. It's about fortitude, purpose and taking the next small step, even when things are hard and far from perfect. What you'll get from listening Permission to stop waiting for everyone else's approval. A reminder that you don't need to feel completely ready to begin. A different way of thinking about fortitude when confidence or motivation disappears. Encouragement to take one small step towards something that matters to you. Because sometimes the most important thing you can do is do it anyway. About Dr Sam Collins Dr Sam Collins is a speaker, author and founder of Aspire. For more than 25 years she has worked with women around the world to help them lead change, navigate transitions and create lives and careers with greater meaning, impact and freedom. She is the creator of 1 Million Change Leaders by 2030 and the Choose Freedom movement, which encourages women to reclaim their agency, shape the future and make a difference in the worlds they touch. Connect with Dr Sam Collins Website: drsamcollins.com LinkedIn: Dr Sam Collins Instagram: @drsamcollins YouTube: Dr Sam Collins TikTok: Dr Sam Collins Books: Available on Amazon New episodes released weekly.

  3. Oct 26

    Do You Have Busy Disease?

    Being busy isn't necessarily a problem. Some of the most exhilarating times in our lives happen when we are busy doing something that matters deeply to us. But what happens when busy stops being temporary and becomes the way we live? When there is always another meeting, another email, another deadline, another person who needs something. When an empty space in the diary feels strange. When we become incredibly good at responding, producing, caring and delivering, but leave ourselves very little space to think, recover, imagine or even ask whether everything we are doing still matters. In this episode of the Aspire Podcast, I explore what I call Busy Disease, the point at which relentless busyness becomes our normal operating system and we start to lose something much more important than time, we start to lose freedom. In this episode, you'll discover: How to recognise the difference between being busy and having Busy Disease, including some of the warning signs that relentless busyness has simply become normal. Why Busy Disease isn't just an individual problem and how our workplaces, families, technology and wider systems can reinforce it. Why capable, ambitious people can be particularly vulnerable to it, especially when being needed, useful and productive becomes tangled up with identity and self worth. Research on why women experience higher stress around meeting overload and virtual working. Five prescriptions for Busy Disease, moving beyond simplistic advice about managing your diary to reclaiming your freedom. This isn't about becoming less ambitious, doing nothing or opting out of a life that matters to you. It's about asking a much bigger question: Who owns your time? About Dr Sam Collins Dr Sam Collins is a speaker, author and founder of Aspire. For more than 25 years she has worked with women around the world to help them lead change, navigate transitions and create lives and careers with greater meaning, impact and freedom. She is the creator of 1 Million Change Leaders by 2030 and the Choose Freedom movement, which encourages women to reclaim their agency, shape the future and make a difference in the worlds they touch. Connect with Dr Sam Collins Website: drsamcollins.com LinkedIn: Dr Sam Collins Instagram: @drsamcollins YouTube: Dr Sam Collins TikTok: Dr Sam Collins Books: Available on Amazon New episodes released weekly.

  4. Oct 18

    Women Warriors at Work: What Are You Willing To Stand For?

    What if the frustration you feel sometimes is not a problem to solve, but a signal pointing towards something that really matters?   In this episode, Dr Sam Collins explores the idea of the modern woman warrior. Not a woman looking for conflict but a woman who has decided what values she stands for and is willing to fight for them.   Whether you work in a corporation, run your own business, teach in a school, work in healthcare, lead a charity or serve your community in another way, this episode invites you to look again. What have you accepted as normal? What needs challenging? What future are you helping to create?   Drawing on the wisdom of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the experiences of women leaders across generations, this conversation explores how to channel frustration into purpose, purpose into action and action into meaningful change. This is not about fighting everyone. It is about fighting for something.   In this episode, you will discover: Why frustration can be a powerful source of information rather than something to suppress How to identify what is truly worth standing for How to challenge what needs changing without becoming consumed by conflict Why leadership often begins with a question, not a title How to bring other women and allies with you rather than trying to change things alone Why purpose can be a source of energy when you feel exhausted How to keep your integrity, freedom and humanity while creating change If you have ever looked around and thought, there must be a better way to work, this episode is for you. About Dr Sam Collins Dr Sam Collins is a speaker, author and founder of Aspire. For more than 25 years she has worked with women around the world to help them lead change, navigate transitions and create lives and careers with greater meaning, impact and freedom. She is the creator of 1 Million Change Leaders by 2030 and the Choose Freedom movement, which encourages women to reclaim their agency, shape the future and make a difference in the worlds they touch. Connect with Dr Sam Collins Website: drsamcollins.com LinkedIn: Dr Sam Collins Instagram: @drsamcollins YouTube: Dr Sam Collins TikTok: Dr Sam Collins Books: Available on Amazon New episodes released weekly.

  5. Oct 11

    The Wars We Carry: Why Peace Begins Closer To Home Than You Think

    What if keeping the peace is the very thing preventing you from being free? At work. At home. In your relationships. In your own mind. So many women spend their lives holding things together, smoothing things over and carrying burdens nobody else can see. We learn to keep the peace, avoid the conflict, swallow the words and put everyone else's needs before our own. But what if that isn't peace at all? In this deeply personal episode, Dr Sam Collins explores the wars many of us carry within us: the tension between who we are and who we feel allowed to be, the compromises we make to gain approval, the truths we silence and the freedom that becomes possible when we stop fighting ourselves quite so hard.  Drawing on her own experiences, her work with women around the world and lessons from global peacebuilding, Sam explores why peace is not the same as silence, why women's voices matter and how ordinary acts of courage can shape families, workplaces, communities and the future itself.  By the end of this episode, you may find yourself: Seeing peace and conflict in a completely different way Feeling less alone in the struggles you carry Recognising where you have been choosing silence over freedom Thinking differently about the power and influence you already have Feeling inspired to make one small change that creates a ripple far beyond yourself This is not about becoming louder, tougher or more confrontational. It is about becoming freer. Because peace is not only built in parliaments, peace talks and international agreements. It is built every day by women who choose truth over fear, courage over silence and freedom over approval.  You do not need to change the whole world. But you may be more powerful than you think. About Dr Sam Collins Dr Sam Collins is a speaker, author and founder of Aspire. For more than 25 years she has worked with women around the world to help them lead change, navigate transitions and create lives and careers with greater meaning, impact and freedom. She is the creator of 1 Million Change Leaders by 2030 and the Choose Freedom movement, which encourages women to reclaim their agency, shape the future and make a difference in the worlds they touch. Connect with Dr Sam Collins Website: drsamcollins.com LinkedIn: Dr Sam Collins Instagram: @drsamcollins YouTube: Dr Sam Collins TikTok: Dr Sam Collins Books: Available on Amazon New episodes released weekly.

  6. Oct 4

    The Secret Women Activists Among Us

    When we hear the word activist, many of us imagine somebody protesting in the street, campaigning publicly, or leading a movement for social change. But what if some of the most important activists of our time are women working inside corporations, professional services firms, universities, hospitals, charities, government departments, and public institutions? In this episode, Dr Sam Collins challenges us to rethink what activism really means. She explores how women are quietly using influence, information, relationships, courage and collective action to challenge unfairness, support one another and create change inside the systems where they work. Drawing on personal stories, reflections on the pioneering business activist Dame Anita Roddick, Sam makes the case that activism is not only limited to marches, campaigns or public protest. Sometimes it looks like sharing salary information, sponsoring another woman, questioning an unfair decision, building alliances, creating new ways of working or speaking up when something does not feel right. Most importantly, she asks a provocative question: Are there more women activists in our workplaces than we realise? And perhaps a more personal one: Would more women create change if we recognised ourselves as activists? In this episode, you'll discover: • Why activism is much broader than most of us have been taught to believe. • How women are already changing organisations from within, often without calling themselves activists. • The surprising connection between pay transparency, sponsorship, allyship and collective action. • Why so many women hesitate to speak out and how to navigate risk strategically. • The difference between individual activism and collective activism. • What today's workplace activists can learn from women supporting one another across industries and generations. • The skills, confidence and freedoms that help women become effective agents of change. • How small actions can create powerful ripples throughout a team, organisation, industry or community. • A practical framework called The Secret Activist Map to help you turn concern into meaningful action. Whether you work in a global corporation, a public institution, a small business, a charity, a healthcare organisation or are building something of your own, this episode invites you to think differently about power, responsibility and influence. Because the question is not whether women are activists. The question is whether more of us would recognise ourselves as one. About Dr Sam Collins Dr Sam Collins is a speaker, author and founder of Aspire. For more than 25 years she has worked with women around the world to help them lead change, navigate transitions and create lives and careers with greater meaning, impact and freedom. She is the creator of 1 Million Change Leaders by 2030 and the Choose Freedom movement, which encourages women to reclaim their agency, shape the future and make a difference in the worlds they touch. Connect with Dr Sam Collins Website: drsamcollins.com LinkedIn: Dr Sam Collins Instagram: @drsamcollins YouTube: Dr Sam Collins TikTok: Dr Sam Collins Books: Available on Amazon New episodes released weekly.

  7. Sep 28

    Love As A Force For Change

    What if love is not a soft emotion, but a courageous business practice? In a world marked by conflict, division, political polarisation, organisational politics and growing uncertainty, love can feel strangely absent from serious conversations about leadership, women and change. Yet some of the most influential business leaders, activists and social movements in history have been grounded not in fear, domination or hatred, but in compassion, dignity and a deep commitment to humanity. In this episode, Dr Sam Collins explores the radical idea of love as a force for change. Drawing on insights from Stanford University's course Love as a Force for Social Justice, the concept of agape love, her own experiences in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and decades of working with powerful leaders and organisations, Sam examines whether love can survive in the presence of conflict, injustice and fear. She asks a provocative question: Can love survive in the presence of violence, oppression and injustice? And perhaps even more relevant for many of us: Can love survive in the boardroom, the difficult meeting, the political workplace or the challenging relationship? This is not an episode about being nice, avoiding conflict or becoming passive. It is about finding another way to lead. A way that allows us to challenge harmful behaviour, speak truth, hold boundaries and exercise power without losing our humanity. For women navigating workplaces where dominance is often mistaken for strength, this conversation explores how compassion, intuition and allyship can become powerful leadership practices rather than liabilities. In this episode, you'll discover: Why one male CEO's unexpected answer to a leadership question changed Sam's thinking forever. What agape love really means and why it differs from sentimentality, people pleasing or romantic love. How compassion can coexist with courage, boundaries and accountability. Why fear, stress and anger drain our energy and how a different response can protect it. How to navigate dominant personalities and organisational politics without becoming reactive. What non-violent resistance can teach us about leadership and influence. Why empathy and intuition can be powerful strategic capabilities at work. How women can stand fully in their power without borrowing the behaviours that may be damaging workplace cultures. The role allies can play in creating healthier, more humane organisations. A practical "Agape Meeting Practice" you can use before your next difficult conversation. This episode is for women who want to create change without becoming hardened by the world around them. Because perhaps the future does not need us to become tougher. Perhaps it needs us to become brave enough to love where love is least expected. About Dr Sam Collins Dr Sam Collins is a speaker, author and founder of Aspire. For more than 25 years she has worked with women around the world to help them lead change, navigate transitions and create lives and careers with greater meaning, impact and freedom. She is the creator of 1 Million Change Leaders by 2030 and the Choose Freedom movement, which encourages women to reclaim their agency, shape the future and make a difference in the worlds they touch. Connect with Dr Sam Collins Website: drsamcollins.com LinkedIn: Dr Sam Collins Instagram: @drsamcollins YouTube: Dr Sam Collins TikTok: Dr Sam Collins Books: Available on Amazon New episodes released weekly.

  8. Sep 21

    For The Days You Want To Quit

    There are days when simply getting through the day feels impossible. Days when you wake up exhausted before your feet have even touched the floor. Days when the demands of work, family, caring, relationships and the wider world feel overwhelming. Days when you wonder whether you have anything left to give. Days when you question whether your efforts, however well intentioned, are making any difference at all. In this deeply personal episode, Dr Sam Collins speaks directly to women who are tired. Tired of carrying responsibility. Tired of fighting the same battles. Tired of watching progress move more slowly than it should. Tired of living in a world that often seems to reward noise, self-promotion and short-term gain more than kindness, integrity, courage and genuine contribution. Drawing on the latest global research on women's equality, leadership and social change, Sam explores why so many women feel exhausted right now and why that exhaustion is not simply a personal issue of resilience, mindset shifts or time management techniques. Together, we unpack the hidden burdens many women carry, the discouragement that comes from seeing hard won progress challenged or reversed and the frustration of trying to create meaningful change in systems that don't always value it. But this is not an episode about burnout. It is an episode about hope. Not the kind of hope that asks us to ignore reality or pretend everything is fine. The kind of hope that allows us to face difficult truths while still believing that our actions matter. The kind of hope that helps us keep going when giving up would feel easier. In this episode you'll discover: • Why so many women feel overwhelmed, exhausted or discouraged right now • Why visibility is not the same as impact • How workplaces, media and society can distort our understanding of success and contribution • What the latest evidence tells us about the state of women's equality around the world • Why hope is a leadership practice, not simply an emotion • How seemingly small actions contribute to much larger social change • Practical ways to protect your energy, focus your attention and reconnect with what matters most • The Beacon Practice, a reflective exercise designed to help you move from exhaustion and discouragement towards clarity, connection and meaningful action Most importantly, this episode is a reminder that you are not alone. Across the world, millions of women are quietly shaping the future every day. They are raising children, caring for relatives, supporting friends, challenging unfairness, leading organisations, improving workplaces, building businesses, strengthening communities and creating opportunities for others. Much of that work will never make headlines. Much of it will never be publicly recognised. Yet it matters deeply. So if you are feeling weary, discouraged or close to giving up, this conversation is for you. Take a breath. Put down the weight of the whole world for a moment. And join me for a conversation about hope, purpose and why your contribution matters more than you may realise. About Dr Sam Collins Dr Sam Collins is a speaker, author and founder of Aspire. For more than 25 years she has worked with women around the world to help them lead change, navigate transitions and create lives and careers with greater meaning, impact and freedom. She is the creator of 1 Million Change Leaders by 2030 and the Choose Freedom movement, which encourages women to reclaim their agency, shape the future and make a difference in the worlds they touch. Connect with Dr Sam Collins Website: drsamcollins.com LinkedIn: Dr Sam Collins Instagram: @drsamcollins YouTube: Dr Sam Collins TikTok: Dr Sam Collins Books: Available on Amazon New episodes released weekly.

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Women do not need more confidence. Women need more freedom. Freedom to think differently. Freedom to speak honestly. Freedom to challenge expectations. Freedom to stop waiting until they feel completely ready. And freedom to make the contribution they are here to make. The Dr Sam Collins Podcast is part of the Choose Freedom movement, a global conversation for women who care deeply about the future and know, perhaps quietly and perhaps fiercely, that they have a part to play in shaping it. Drawing on more than twenty five years of experience working with women across business, charities, education, law, finance, social impact and community leadership, Dr Sam Collins explores freedom, courage, purpose, contribution, leadership, reinvention and what becomes possible when women become more intentional about the future they are helping to create. Through personal reflections, real life stories and practical wisdom, Sam challenges conventional thinking about success, confidence and change. She explores the lives, careers, choices and experiences of women who are shaping the worlds around them, often in ways that are far more significant than they realise. This is not a podcast about becoming perfect. You do not need to have conquered your anxiety, found your confidence, achieved your ideal weight, built a successful business, earned a certain income, accumulated thousands of followers or created a perfect life before you can make a meaningful contribution. You can be uncertain, frustrated, disappointed, irritated, overwhelmed, still figuring things out and still changing the world around you. Because the women who shape the future are not the women who have everything worked out. They are the women who choose to contribute anyway. And in doing so, they help shape better future stories for their families, organisations, communities, countries and the wider world. Freedom is not the end of the story. The real question is: What future will you help create?

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