Aunty Treacle Podcast By Anna Keen and Stuart Hughes cover art

Aunty Treacle

Aunty Treacle

By: Anna Keen and Stuart Hughes
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 Feeling Stuck in Your Career or Impact Journey? Ask Aunty Treacle…





Welcome to Aunty Treacle, the go-to resource for professionals looking to make an impact in their careers. Whether you’re facing a career crossroads, navigating workplace challenges, or striving to lead with purpose, Aunty Treacle is here to help you get unstuck. By crowdsourcing advice from a diverse network of impact-driven professionals, we aim to provide you with a wealth of perspectives and ideas to help you move forward in your career and create meaningful change.

We believe there’s no single right answer. Every individual and situation is unique, and by offering multiple insights, we encourage you to explore different approaches to unlock your potential and make a difference in your work.



Copyright Anna Keen and Stuart Hughes Career Success Economics
Episodes
  • Setting Up for Success

    Setting Up for Success
    Jun 11 2025
    In this episode, Anna, Stuart, and guest Gareth Evans tackle a challenge that will resonate with anyone stepping into a big new role, especially those leading change:

    “Dear Aunty Treacle, I’ve recently accepted a Health and Safety Director role in a new company, and I’m a mix of excited and terrified. The mission is to move health and safety from compliance to care. Any advice on what I should be focusing on to make a real difference?”

    Gareth shares lessons from his own experience leading in global, fast-moving organisations, offering insight into what really matters in those first few months. Spoiler: it’s less about action and more about connection, curiosity, and courage.

    Together, they explore how to lead with intention, manage the pressure to perform, and move from compliance to care in a way that’s meaningful and sustainable.

    Key Topics Covered:
    • Why your first priority isn’t action, it’s listening
    • “Connect before you direct”- how relationships build results
    • The bathtub analogy - building stock with your allies before making withdrawals
    • Mapping your stakeholders: power, influence, and the unexpected allies
    • The myth of the perfect plan - why failure is part of learning
    • Adding less, subtracting more - cutting the clutter to focus your energy
    • Becoming the conductor - making the shift from doer to strategic leader
    • Trust, adaptation, and building a team that can run without you
    • Reconnecting with your why - care and compassion at the heart of leadership
    🔗 Resources to Explore:
    • Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows – essential reading on complexity and change
    • The “Nando’s Scale” – a relatable model to gauge and warm up stakeholder relationships
    • Stakeholder mapping frameworks to identify influence beyond job titles
    • 4D Site Engagement Tool – Done, Different, Difficult, Dangerous
    • Subtraction as a strategy – why doing less can achieve more
    • Reflection questions for new leaders:
      • What am I assuming?
      • Who do I need to build trust with?
      • What does this business really need from me right now?
    💬 We'd Love Your Feedback!

    Are you in a new role or planning a big step? What resonated with you from this episode?
    Share your stories, reflections, or future questions at ask@auntytreacle.com or tag us on socials. We’d love to hear how you're getting unstuck.

    Next Episode Teaser:
    🌟 Is Safety Still For Me?

    Join us and guest Steph Camm as we explore what it means to face a career crossroad. Whether you're working in health and safety or questioning your broader professional path, this is a compassionate, clear-eyed look at how to move forward when purpose feels out of reach.
    Show more Show less
    50 mins
  • Credit Without Arrogance

    Credit Without Arrogance
    May 21 2025
    In this episode, Anna and Stuart are joined by special guest Ruth Denyer to unpack a listener’s powerful question:

    "Dear Aunty Treacle, over the last 12 months I have been working on a project to bring efficiency to the way we do safety on my site. In an ideal world, I would now see this rolled out over all our projects, but I am struggling with getting the balance right between promoting it as my idea and not wanting to come across as arrogant or like I’m craving recognition. Ultimately, I think this work could make a difference, so I want to be successful – but as a woman in a male-dominated environment, I want to make sure I don’t undersell myself. Can you give me some advice please?" Together, they get into the messy middle of visibility and humility, and why promoting your work doesn’t have to mean promoting yourself in a way that feels uncomfortable. Expect reflections on confidence, ego, gender dynamics, and how to let your work speak for you, without letting it get lost. There’s also practical advice on handling trust dynamics in organisations, building allyship, and speaking about team efforts with honesty and clarity.

    Key Topics Covered:

    • Why the ick around self-promotion is real and common
    • The difference between confidence and ego
    • How to speak about your work with integrity
    • Building visibility without losing humility
    • The power of team language: using “we” over “I”
    • Socialising your ideas through others
    • How gender and environment can shape how we show up
    • Creating a “success folder” to boost self-belief
    • Why trust and intent are the foundations of influence

    This episode also features crowdsourced advice from our community, because when it comes to sticky situations like this, there’s never just one right answer.

    Special guest: Ruth Denyer – Safety and risk leader in the creative industries, with a long track record of speaking up, sharing insight, and helping others lead with purpose and perspective.

    Want to get involved?

    Got a sticky situation you'd love us to unpack?

    Drop us a note at ask@auntytreacle.com – you might hear it featured in a future episode.

    Next Episode Teaser:

    Setting Up for Success – with Gareth Evans. What are the small things you can do early on to build confidence, credibility and momentum in a new role or challenge?

    Aunty Treacle is proudly supported by HSE Global Series – a platform committed to advancing global conversations in health, safety and environment. Learn more at HSEGlobalSeries.com
    Show more Show less
    46 mins
  • Am I enough?

    Am I enough?
    Apr 30 2025
    🎙️ Aunty Treacle - Episode 2: Am I Enough? Tackling Imposter Syndrome

    In this heartfelt episode, Anna, Stuart, and guest David Filshie take on a listener’s powerful question:

    "Even though I’ve been working in my profession for a while, I’m often crippled by imposter syndrome. How do I move forward?"

    Together they explore what imposter syndrome really is, why it's so common, and how it can actually signal that you care deeply about your work. They share practical tools to reflect, reframe, and take action, even when self-doubt creeps in. This conversation offers a supportive, practical path for anyone wrestling with the question: Am I enough? (Spoiler: You are.) Key Topics Covered:
    • What imposter syndrome really is and what it isn’t
    • Why feelings of "not enough" often arise when we’re visible, different, or doing something new
    • The myth of being "ready" and why confidence follows action
    • The power of reflection, feedback, and building self-awareness
    • How to find your people and create a supportive tribe
    • Strategies for navigating discomfort and reframing failure
    • How to bring your authentic self into every space, from shop floor to boardroom
    🔗 Resources and Mentions:
    • Emma Reed Turrell - Best Friend Therapy podcast – Episodes on Imposters Syndrome and Transactional Analysis
    • Jessamy Hibbard - The Imposter Cure book
    • Simple self-reflection frameworks ("What went well, what didn’t, what next?")
    • Building confidence through feedback and small wins
    💬 We'd Love Your Feedback!

    Share what resonated, what you'd like more of, and how we can keep helping people get unstuck.
    Got a story to share or a question for a future episode? Drop us a line at ask@auntytreacle.com!

    Next Episode Teaser:

    🌟 Credit Without Arrogance — how to own your achievements without losing your humility.
    Show more Show less
    52 mins
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