Leanne on Demand Daily with Leanne Hughes

Leanne Hughes
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Leanne on Demand is your unfiltered backstage pass to bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and the messy magic of life beyond the boardroom. Think of it as your daily dose of scrappy creativity, served up while I’m walking, working in public, or just living out loud.Every day, I’ll bring you real-time reflections on business, leadership, and the random sparks of inspiration that pop up along the way. From behind-the-scenes peeks into my work to off-the-cuff chats with brilliant minds (or solo rants while I’m on a run), these bite-sized episodes are all about keeping it raw, relatable, and ridiculously actionable.This isn’t your typical polished business podcast – no overthinking, and no-fluff.Perfect for big thinkers, go-getters, and anyone itching for a fresh perspective on how to show up, take action, and make moves.New episodes drop daily. Grab your headphones and let’s take this outside.

  1. 12H AGO

    🌴358. My Media Plan For The Year Ahead

    In this episode, I walk through the social media platforms I actually use, why I still use them, and what’s staying or shifting as I head into the new year. Earlier this year, I published a deep dive on my $11K tech stack. This conversation is the companion piece, focused purely on social and media platforms. The question I’m asking myself is simple: Why am I here? And is it still doing the job? Here’s the rundown. LinkedIn This is my main business platform. It’s where I share ideas, test thinking, meet smart people, and build momentum for the book. It’s staying. No debate. If my work is business-focused, this is non-negotiable. Instagram This is behind-the-scenes, fitness, travel, and real life. It’s lighter. I’ll sometimes delete the app on weekends or holidays to give myself a break, but I like the entertainment value and the people I stay connected with here. Facebook Still useful, but mainly for groups, Messenger, and local community updates. My Facebook group exists, people still join, but it’s no longer a growth engine for my business. And that’s fine. Not everything needs CPR. WhatsApp Not really social media, but it’s where a lot of my real conversations happen. Group chats, side chats, logistics, and friendships all live here. TikTok This one’s intentional curiosity. I’m using it as a listening tool for Gen Z and emerging leaders, because that audience matters for the book I’m writing. I’ll start creating content here, but I’m realistic. I may need help to make that happen properly. It’s also brilliant for travel, venues, and local recommendations. The algorithm is sharp, and it rewards curiosity. Strava Surprisingly motivating. I’m paying for it. Kudos matter more than they should. Even stretching feels rewarded. Substack This is a big one. Weekly writing, clearer thinking, and a strong entry point into the book. This is where longer ideas live first, before they get repurposed elsewhere. Podcast + YouTube I’m not continuing daily episodes next year. The feed stays. The episodes stay. The name and artwork will change. Expect fewer episodes, more depth, and tighter alignment to the book themes. YouTube will continue as a distribution channel for the podcast. Big picture: One strong weekly article becomes the pillar. Everything else supports it. Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame. Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com P.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help: Watch My 2025 Speaker Reel: Let's energise your next event.Get My Book: Design your workshops fast using The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint.  Let's connect on all the channels: Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn Leanne Hughes on Instagram Visit my website: leannehughes.com Email me: hello@leannehughes.com Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

    7 min

  2. 1D AGO

    🌴357. Effort vs Effort Perception

    I recorded this episode late. All year I’ve been disciplined. Daily episodes. Even from Nepal with poor internet And yet here I am, back home, beachy, relaxed, watching eight hours of cricket… and suddenly a three-minute podcast feels heavy. That’s the bit I wanted to call out. It’s not that the work is hard. It’s that the perception of effort ramps up when you’re in soft mode. When you’re already moving, working, exercising, creating, the extra thing barely registers. When you’ve gone full couch, everything feels like a task. I talk about why the last stretch of anything feels harder, just like the final kilometres of a run. Same effort, louder brain. And how habit stacking and timing matter more than motivation. The takeaway is simple. Don’t wait to feel ready. Change the context. Do the thing while you’re already in motion. Because once you start, it’s fine. It’s the thinking about it that’s exhausting. key ideas I unpackWhy the last leg of the year feels heavier than the restEffort vs perception of effort and why your brain liesSoft mode vs motion mode and how context changes everythingWhy doing the thing is easier than gearing up to do the thingHow habit stacking saves you from yourselfquestions to sit withWhere are you blaming fatigue when it’s really a context problem?What task feels big purely because you’ve stopped moving?What would change if you did that thing earlier, faster, or mid-motion? Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame. Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com P.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help: Watch My 2025 Speaker Reel: Let's energise your next event.Get My Book: Design your workshops fast using The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint.  Let's connect on all the channels: Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn Leanne Hughes on Instagram Visit my website: leannehughes.com Email me: hello@leannehughes.com Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

    4 min

  3. 2D AGO

    🌴356. Eat Clean, Drink Dirty

    The Story Behind “Eat Clean, Drink Dirty” A while back, my Red Carpet Campout collaborator, Steve Demedio, asked about my dietary requirements. I replied via SMS, “I eat clean and I drink dirty.” That phrase stuck with me, especially recalling a trip to Thailand with Chris. Our mornings were all about a healthy routine—coffee, hydration, gym sessions, and a fruit-filled breakfast—while our afternoons melted into beautiful sunsets with a Chang or a mojito in hand. That contrast perfectly sums up my lifestyle: keeping things balanced rather than swinging to extremes. Moderation: The Sustainable Way I’m not here to dish out advice—this is about sharing what works for me and letting you decide what fits your life. I don’t follow the latest fad diets or extreme regimens; I simply opt for a moderate approach that supports both my well-being and my enjoyment of life. Sure, some folks might say that skipping alcohol entirely gives you extra energy and mental clarity, but I believe in the power of a couple of drinks to spark real conversations and genuine connections. For instance, I’ve seen how a casual beer can break down barriers—reminding me of my mate in the police force, who fondly recalled the old days when cops could wind down together over a few beers. Balancing Health and Happiness I’m aware that moderation isn’t for everyone, and there’s a fine line between maintaining a balanced lifestyle and potentially overdoing it. I keep my commitments to eating well, exercising, and living healthily, which helps counterbalance the occasional indulgence. For me, being 40 means I can experiment with this balance—eating clean while enjoying a little dirty drink—and find long-term sustainability without feeling deprived. Where Do You Stand? As of February 2025, I’m comfortably navigating my “eat clean, drink dirty” path. I’m curious about your take: do you find that moderation in your habits makes life more sustainable? Do you ever wonder if striving for extreme health benefits is worth sacrificing those spontaneous, fun moments? Questions for You How do you balance a commitment to healthy living with the desire to enjoy life’s lighter moments?Have you ever noticed that a casual drink or relaxed conversation has led to unexpected clarity or connection?What does long-term sustainability look like for you when it comes to balancing healthy habits with a bit of indulgence? Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame. Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com P.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help: Watch My 2025 Speaker Reel: Let's energise your next event.Get My Book: Design your workshops fast using The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint.  Let's connect on all the channels: Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn Leanne Hughes on Instagram Visit my website: leannehughes.com Email me: hello@leannehughes.com Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

    6 min

  4. 3D AGO

    🌴355. Why your office is ruining your focus feat. Julian Treasure (Weekend Rewind)

    Today I’m pulling you into a conversation I’ve been hanging out to have again, because Julian Treasure is one of those rare humans who makes you rethink how you speak, how you listen, and even how your office is quietly wrecking your brain. I open by asking a simple question: what’s your favourite TED Talk? Because TED is basically the internet’s global library of “oh wow” moments. I share a few of mine, and then we get into the reason Julian’s back, his talk “How to Speak so that People Want to Listen” is one I use all the time in my workshops. Julian’s done five TED Talks, his videos have been viewed more than 100 million times, and he’s living proof that voice and listening aren’t “soft skills”. They’re career skills. What we get into1) Open plan offices: productivity killers in a suit Julian doesn’t mince words: open plan offices are often a nightmare. Noise is the number one complaint and it’s not even close. Too loud, you lose focus. Too quiet, you feel watched and you stop talking anyway. Either way, it’s not the collaboration utopia architects promised. He also shares the research that open plan can lead to more emails and less talking because people don’t want to be overheard. 2) Noise isn’t just annoying. It’s a health issue. Julian explains that we’ve got limited bandwidth for conversations and when speech is around you, it hijacks your attention. Long exposure to higher workplace noise isn’t just “a vibe problem”. It can lift stress and impact health over time. 3) The office should be “activity-based”, not one-size-fits-all We talk about activity-based working: the idea that an office should have different zones for different work types. Quiet space for deep work. Open space for collaboration. Booths for calls. A space designed like a living system, not a factory floor. 4) Biophilia and soundscapes (yes, it’s a thing) Julian shares what his company has been building: soundscapes designed to improve wellbeing and productivity, using nature-based audio (often water) rather than artificial “coloured noise”. It’s niche, and it’s fascinating. 5) My favourite bit: how facilitators can design the room for better collaboration Julian gives a simple, practical checklist for any workshop space: Acoustics: soft surfaces, curtains, carpet, irregular shapes helpNoise sources: fans, traffic, hallway machines, anything that drags attention awaySound system: match it to room size and your voice, and consider your own mic rigSetup discipline: arrive early, reset the room at breaks, make it feel cared forHe even suggests the easiest room test: walk in and clap. Your ears will tell you the truth. 6) Why silence is the first lesson in a speaking course This surprised me too. Julian starts his course with silence because silence is the baseline for real listening. If you can’t listen properly, you can’t speak into what people actually need. Speaking and listening aren’t separate skills, they feed each other in real time. He drops a question I’m stealing forever: “What’s the listening I’m speaking into?” Different room, different time of day, different culture, different mood. If you don’t adapt to that, you’re basically performing at people, not communicating with them. 7) Handling disagreement without getting defensive This part was gold. Julian says most of our defensiveness comes from two addictions: wanting to look goodwanting to be rightBoth are understandable. Both will sabotage you in front of a group. The better move is curiosity: “I don’t agree, but I want to understand how you got there.” He talks about listening with compassion and recognising that people’s assumptions are shaped by their history. Same interaction, totally different interpretation. Links and resources mentionedJulian’s book: How to Be HeardFree listening exercises via Julian’s website: juliantreasure.comJulian’s course: speaking and listening course at speaklistenbe.com (Julian mentions it’s discounted at time of recording) Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame. Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com P.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help: Watch My 2025 Speaker Reel: Let's energise your next event.Get My Book: Design your workshops fast using The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint.  Let's connect on all the channels: Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn Leanne Hughes on Instagram Visit my website: leannehughes.com Email me: hello@leannehughes.com Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

    45 min

  5. 4D AGO

    🌴354. Return on reps feat. Ronsley Vaz (Weekend Rewind)

    Ronsley was the person who told me, years ago, “If you want to start a podcast, start one about something you want to learn.” That advice is the reason this show exists. In this final interview, we don’t talk tactics. We talk identity, energy, reps, and why preparation is not the same thing as control. We unpack why Ronsley doesn’t see himself as a “facilitator” even though he absolutely is one, how he creates rooms people want to be in, and why return on luck is really return on reps. We talk about: Why great facilitation is about standing back, not stepping upHow treating everyone as equal changes the energy of a room instantlyWhy clarity usually arrives late and that’s normalThe difference between winging it and being deeply preparedWhy audio strips away posturing and exposes truth fastHow reps compound quietly while everyone else is chasing shortcutsThis episode is about trusting the process without pretending you’re in charge of it. If you facilitate rooms, lead conversations, host sessions, or feel yourself in the middle of a professional skin-shedding phase, this one will land. Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame. Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com P.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help: Watch My 2025 Speaker Reel: Let's energise your next event.Get My Book: Design your workshops fast using The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint.  Let's connect on all the channels: Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn Leanne Hughes on Instagram Visit my website: leannehughes.com Email me: hello@leannehughes.com Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

    35 min

  6. 5D AGO

    🌴353. The buy-in move most leaders skip

    I’ve just delivered my final webinar of the year and, honestly, I’m not gliding into the finish line. There’s still work on the table. In today’s episode, I want to share something simple that worked beautifully in a live client session. A practical way to get buy-in without overcomplicating things. The move is this “Here’s what you said.” That’s it. This team had been involved earlier in the year, sharing input on their future direction and identity. The leadership team took that raw input away, did the hard thinking, and came back with something clear, sharp, and aspirational. And instead of opening with “Here’s what we’ve decided,” the leader opened with a slide that said, Here’s what you said. That one move changed the energy in the room. People could see themselves in the work. They could recognise their language, their intent, their concerns. It showed respect for the process and for their contribution. And importantly, it didn’t try to include everything. It highlighted patterns, not noise. There’s a myth that if you ask for feedback, you have to use all of it. You don’t. What you do need to do is acknowledge it, synthesise it, and show how it informed the direction you’re taking. Even if you ultimately choose a different path, transparency earns trust. This is also a timing lesson. If you gather input and then disappear, you do more damage than if you’d never asked at all. Feedback needs a visible return loop. As we head into the end of the year, when energy is patchy and attention is stretched, this is one of those low-effort, high-impact moves that actually works. I’m heading into a writing-heavy summer, with fewer client interruptions and, let’s be honest, a bit of sloth mode sprinkled in. We’ll see how disciplined I am. Thanks for listening. I’ll speak to you tomorrow. Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame. Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com P.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help: Watch My 2025 Speaker Reel: Let's energise your next event.Get My Book: Design your workshops fast using The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint.  Let's connect on all the channels: Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn Leanne Hughes on Instagram Visit my website: leannehughes.com Email me: hello@leannehughes.com Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

    5 min

  7. 6D AGO

    🌴352. I landed a Wiley book deal

    I negotiated a book deal with Wiley. What I coverWho I’m writing this book for: an earlier version of me, sitting on a train in South Bank three months into a “dream job on paper” that I hated.The trap I fell into: job hunting as avoidance. I thought a new role would fix it. It didn’t.A line I can’t unhear: “The grass isn’t greener… it’s just another shade of brown.” Every job has brown patches. The question is what you do about it.The premise of the book: it’s not about finding your dream job. It’s about making your job a dream through personal agency and deliberate moves.Practical toolkits I’m planning to include: reaching out to people, getting meetings, hosting lunch and learns, building reputation, and understanding what “value” actually means.The deadline pressure: aiming for an October 2026 release, with structure and a couple of chapters due early January.The provocative opening (current working idea): why “be so good they can’t ignore you” is a lie. Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame. Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com P.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help: Watch My 2025 Speaker Reel: Let's energise your next event.Get My Book: Design your workshops fast using The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint.  Let's connect on all the channels: Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn Leanne Hughes on Instagram Visit my website: leannehughes.com Email me: hello@leannehughes.com Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

    5 min

  8. DEC 16

    🌴351. Is recognition a trap?

    Today’s episode started with a simple client conversation about recognition. . I shared a moment I’ll never forget from a workshop I ran in India with 30 construction leaders. One card said, “I’d be happy if my leader just said thank you.” That card stopped the room. Everyone stood up. That memory took me straight back to a book I keep coming back to, The Courage to Be Disliked. It’s easily the most annotated book on my Kindle, and honestly, it feels like one long highlight. I read out passages that question our obsession with recognition, approval, and being liked. The book makes a brutal point: when your sense of contribution depends on recognition, you are no longer free. You start shaping your life around other people’s expectations. You end up loyal to everyone and owned by all of them. I also touch on workaholism as a “life lie” – using work to avoid other responsibilities and parts of life that feel harder to face. That one stings for a lot of high performers. The thread that ties it all together is this: Real contribution doesn’t need applause. If you genuinely know you’re useful, you stop chasing validation. This episode is part reflection, part reading, part uncomfortable mirror. If recognition is driving your decisions more than you’d like to admit, this one will land. Sign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame. Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com P.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help: Watch My 2025 Speaker Reel: Let's energise your next event.Get My Book: Design your workshops fast using The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint.  Let's connect on all the channels: Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn Leanne Hughes on Instagram Visit my website: leannehughes.com Email me: hello@leannehughes.com Would you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

    5 min
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About

Leanne on Demand is your unfiltered backstage pass to bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and the messy magic of life beyond the boardroom. Think of it as your daily dose of scrappy creativity, served up while I’m walking, working in public, or just living out loud.Every day, I’ll bring you real-time reflections on business, leadership, and the random sparks of inspiration that pop up along the way. From behind-the-scenes peeks into my work to off-the-cuff chats with brilliant minds (or solo rants while I’m on a run), these bite-sized episodes are all about keeping it raw, relatable, and ridiculously actionable.This isn’t your typical polished business podcast – no overthinking, and no-fluff.Perfect for big thinkers, go-getters, and anyone itching for a fresh perspective on how to show up, take action, and make moves.New episodes drop daily. Grab your headphones and let’s take this outside.

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