Secrets From a Coach - Debbie Green & Laura Thomson's Podcast

Laura Thomson-Staveley & Debbie Green

Ideal for your commute, lunch break or even a well-deserved moment of self-care and development, our 25 minute episodes focus on positive actions to help you thrive and maximise your potential in the ever-evolving workplace, and in life. Join Debs and Lau, your positive cheerleaders bursting with energy and insight to maximise your confidence and success in the changing workplace. Each episode aims to leave you feeling motivated, supported and armed with the tools and practical skills you need to maximise success as we experience the biggest shift in how we work in our lifetimes.  We lift the lid on the real foundations for success in this new world of work. Our weekly episodes remain current and up-to-date and we frequently welcome high-profile guests to keep things fresh and diverse and to tackle topics like leadership, mindset, success, confidence, motivation, team engagement, mental health, self-care, time management, career development, life-work balance and thriving in the newly AI-enabled workplace.  Our monthly newsletter is packed full of tips and quality inspiration material for yourself and your colleagues. You can sign up via our site www.secretsfromacoach.com. If you’d like any more information or to work with us on any of these topics, reach out to us via secretsfromacoach@aol.com, connect via Insta or Facebook and please rate and review so we can reach out and support more people. #sharethesecret 

  1. Jun 19

    292. Returning To Work - What Leaders Need To Understand About Returning Parents

    Send us Fan Mail Returning to work after parental leave can feel like stepping onto a moving treadmill while everyone else acts like nothing changed. We hear that quiet panic all the time: Can I still do this? Will people see me differently now? What happens when childcare falls apart and my kid gets sick again? We go straight into the invisible worries returning parents carry, and how the identity shift from confident professional to brand-new beginner can hit harder than anyone expects. We also challenge a trap many workplaces fall into: confusing visibility with value. If the ‘best’ people are the ones who stay late, attend everything, travel overnight, or sit at a desk from 9-5, then returning parents get sidelined even when they deliver more impact in less time. We share real examples of practical flexibility that works in learning, leadership development, and day-to-day management, plus the kind of proactive communication that reduces guilt and protects trust. Alongside our conversation, you’ll hear voice notes from parents describing the fog ‘baby land’, the nerves of the first meeting back, the bittersweet pop of the bubble, and the surprising truth that work can sometimes feel like a break. We end with a question we want every manager and leader to sit with: would the parents on your team say they feel supported, or simply accommodated? If you know a leader or a colleague with someone returning from parental leave, share this with them. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what helped most when you returned to work.

  2. Jun 12

    291. From Colleague to Parent - The Work Home Switch

    Send us Fan Mail In this second in our Working Parent mini-series we explore how to navigate the move from colleague to parent. Because…  you can love your job and love your kid and still feel like you’re failing both by lunchtime!  We get honest about the working parent reality behind the scenes: the mental load, the guilt that points in every direction, and that split-second “work home switch” when daycare calls right before a board meeting. We lean on Debs’ years as a parent coach to map the patterns she hears again and again when people prepare to return to work after maternity leave or parental leave. We talk about visibility and the fear of judgment, the pressure to “prove” you’re still committed, and why supportive line managers and colleagues can make the transition feel possible rather than punishing. Along the way, we share listener voice notes about walking back into meetings, worrying about “mum brain,” and then realising your sharpness never left. One of our favourite reframes is the skill stack: parenting does not erase your professional skills, it adds new ones. We also explore the emotional shifts that come with becoming a working parent, from deeper purpose and perspective to heightened anxiety, exhaustion, and that constant tension of wanting to be fully present at work and at home. We close with a question we want you to sit with: what’s one expectation you could let go of that adds pressure rather than helps you?

About

Ideal for your commute, lunch break or even a well-deserved moment of self-care and development, our 25 minute episodes focus on positive actions to help you thrive and maximise your potential in the ever-evolving workplace, and in life. Join Debs and Lau, your positive cheerleaders bursting with energy and insight to maximise your confidence and success in the changing workplace. Each episode aims to leave you feeling motivated, supported and armed with the tools and practical skills you need to maximise success as we experience the biggest shift in how we work in our lifetimes.  We lift the lid on the real foundations for success in this new world of work. Our weekly episodes remain current and up-to-date and we frequently welcome high-profile guests to keep things fresh and diverse and to tackle topics like leadership, mindset, success, confidence, motivation, team engagement, mental health, self-care, time management, career development, life-work balance and thriving in the newly AI-enabled workplace.  Our monthly newsletter is packed full of tips and quality inspiration material for yourself and your colleagues. You can sign up via our site www.secretsfromacoach.com. If you’d like any more information or to work with us on any of these topics, reach out to us via secretsfromacoach@aol.com, connect via Insta or Facebook and please rate and review so we can reach out and support more people. #sharethesecret 

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