What’s The Next Step?

Join me and my 10 year old daughter, Daisy, for a conversation about the most incredible and precious life experience which is also, for many, the most challenging - motherhood. We talk about how the role of a mum differs from the role of a dad, the love languages and the highs and lows of life as a 10 year old. We also talk about how hard it is as a mum not to try and fix everything for your child, but that it is really important to let them figure out their own problems sometimes.

Lisa is an experienced private chef with a career that has taken her from super yachts to privately owned estates in the Cotswolds. We talk about her very own Below Deck experiences, how she keeps her cool in the kitchen, and her flexibility when it comes to cooking for the latest exclusion diets. Website - www.lisacotswoldchef.co.uk Instagram - @cheflisatiesteel Kimchee - Vadasz

Jon Stokes, a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and leadership coach, shares his thoughts on leadership in today's world, how coaching differs from psychology and the importance of asking for feedback in order to understand oneself. You can find out more about Jon's work, and contact him through www.stokesjolly.com We talk about his book 'Changing Gear' which is well worth a read.

Guy Smith tells us about his struggles with alcoholism and his recent diagnosis of ADHD. We talk about some of his darkest times and now his experience of attending AA, including the daily work to keep sober and live a positive life. He talks about the reality of living with ADHD and how learning of this diagnosis as an adult has helped him make sense of so much that has happened over the years.

Francesca Segal is a multi award winning writer with three excellent novels and an incredibly moving memoir under her belt. We talk about what it meant to win the 'Costa Book Award for First Novel' with The Innocents, and how you can quickly be brought down to earth with an unhelpful review. Francesca tells us about her latest novel, Welcome to Glorious Tuga - an uplifting and joyful escape set in a remote South Atlantic island, and her memoir Mother Ship - a heart wrenching and incredibly touching day by day account of the two months her premature twins were in hospital.

Adam Cox is a holistic health expert. He is passionate about helping people manage their pain through improved gut health, doing the 'right' exercise and resetting the nervous system. We hear top tips on how to make our guts happier as well as how, through working with Adam, we can all understand our nervous system better and start our own 'treatment' at home. You can contact Adam and find out more on his website www.movementlifestyle.com Simon Frost can be reached on Facebook and Instagram

Guy Harris is one of the ~1.2 million wheelchair users in the UK and he is using this experience, as well as his knowledge from a career in the property world, to help address the UK's accessible housing crisis. We have a conversation about the importance of inclusion and community, and Guy shares his views and personal experiences on what it's like to be a wheelchair user in this country today. You can find out more about accessible living and get in touch with Guy through his website - www.accessibleprs.co.uk

Welcome to season 3 of 'What's The Next Step?' with me Sarah Harper. Please join me and my fascinating guest each week as we discuss a wide variety of interesting topics - including life as a private chef on a super yacht, one man's story of recovering from alcoholism, leadership in todays world and a ground-breaking new method for long term pain management. Be prepared to be inspired as you take the next step in life. What's The Next Step? Theme composed by Alex Nicholls-Lee

Michael Woodford talks about how his journey as a salesman began when he was a child and how his career at Olympus came to an end when he, as President and CEO, uncovered huge fraud. His book, Exposure: from President to Whistleblower at Olympus, tells the full story. We also talk about his passion and commitment to saving lives through working with governments all over world to improve conditions for cyclists on roads.

As First Deputy Commissioner for NYC’s Office of Emergency Management, Christina is at the helm of coordinating the response to crises in one of the world’s largest cities. In this episode, she shares her motivations for pursuing a career in public service, a day in the life of an emergency manager, insights into some of the lesser known threats being prepared for as well as how she’s managed to juggle her own family commitments whilst being the first woman to hold this position.

Pippa Letchworth is a Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Imperial College NHS Trust, but her special interest in global maternal health and subsequent education and volunteer work has seen her career impact extend beyond multiple international borders. In this episode, Pippa talks about what motivated her to pursue this career path and lifts the lid on some of the real challenges associated with women giving birth in areas of conflict and countries with less access to medical care. We also talk about her leadership experiences during COVID and it’s impact on the NHS.

Mike Jibson takes a break from performing in the successful West End production of Stranger Things for a chat with us about life as an actor. His passion began when he joined an Amateur Dramatics group as a teen and he has gone from strength to strength since then, including being a two time Olivier Award nominee. He talks about the need to be able to take rejection well, how to deal with stage fright and the importance of looking after yourself physically if you want to stay in the game.

In 2023, Maddy Warren - aka the Queen of Dialysis - celebrated 25 years of not just surviving but thriving by doing nocturnal home haemodialysis after being diagnosed with kidney failure as a teenager. In this episode, she shares the inside track on how she dealt with this devastating diagnosis at such a young age and how she has gone on to thrive in both fulfilling her career ambitions, whilst managing her health. She also shares her advice for those managing a chronic health condition in the context of work as well as managers. It’s an inspiring conversation with an extraordinary person, which is sure to leave you with a reality check on the choices we all have available to us, in order to make the most of this thing called life.

Nigel Wood joins us for a fascinating conversation about his career as an RAF fighter pilot, lead test pilot and NASA astronaut. He shares what training at NASA entails, the enormity of everything that came with preparing to be the first Britain in space and the culture at NASA, including its flaws, which contributed to the Challenger explosion. We talk about what it takes to have a career as a fighter pilot and astronaut, given the potential risks involved, how he built himself back up when it was clear that he wasn’t going to get to space and the leadership lessons he has learnt along the way.

Dr Genevieve von Lob is a Clinical Psychologist by training. She has always worked with young people and is now leading the charge on a new approach to parenting as a Concious Parenting Coach. In this episode, she shares key moments in her life that led her to wanting to help others, and what her focus areas are today. These include her work with Highly Sensitive People, which she goes on to explain, as well as the importance of us working on ourselves in order to be the best parents we can be. Finally she shares her advice for those interested in exploring a career in psychology, no matter what stage in life you may be.

In this episode, we are joined by Matthew Westerman - a senior investment banker with a long career at both Goldman Sachs and then HSBC, who now runs his own investment business alongside his philanthropic work and board positions. We talk about the reputation of the investment banking industry, the 2008 global financial crisis, Matthew’s focus on inclusion and diversity, and what continues to motivate and drive him. He also gives some great career advice.

Candice Lake is a celebrity and portrait photographer, working with luxury brands such as Cartier and Jimmy Choo. Prior to this Candice was a model - appearing on catwalks for Louis Vuitton and Chanel as well as being the face of Versace and Ralph Lauren. In this episode, she talks about how her values have driven the decisions in her career which have led to some big and potentially risky career pivots. She tells us what it takes to be successful in her industry and how she continues to be flexible and adapt to the changing landscape around her.

James Uffindell - the founder and CEO of Bright Network - is a technology entrepreneur and one of the UK’s leading experts on the entry level talent market. He’s spent the last 20 years helping over one million students with their applications to both leading universities and global employers as well as being an expert on social mobility at the university level and the graduate job market amongst many other things. In this episode, James shares his motivations for pursuing a career as an entrepreneur, his views on what it takes to be successful and how he’s handled the inevitable setbacks. In addition, he provides an insight into the powerful purpose behind Bright Network and the work currently being undertaken to address some of the UK’s most pressing social mobility challenges.

In this, our final episode of season 1, we aim to demystify coaching. We talk about what it is, what it isn’t, the benefits of it, and how you go about finding the right coach for you. Coaching can be a life changing experience and we encourage all our listeners to consider when might be a good time for you all to engage with a coach. If anyone would like to contact us to explore coaching, we can both be found on LinkedIn as well as through our respective websites - www.sarahharper-consulting.com and www.rachelboydcoaching.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

In this episode, we answer some of the questions you have asked us throughout the series. We first tackle some which go back to the beginning of the season around people management. How do you manage a poor performer? And, what should you do as a manager when your client is rude to one of the team? We then explore how to work in a toxic environment before covering some themes which many of you asked about - increasing confidence at work, what to do when you feel stuck in a rut, and last but not least, how to set some 2024 goals.