The Long Run: Navigating the Miles of Modern Leadership and Personal Growth

Most leadership thinking has moved from command-and-control toward psychological safety and emotional intelligence but it tends to stop at the mind and the nervous system. In this episode, nutrition-for-mental-wellbeing expert Laura Bryan makes the case for going one layer further: the gut-brain connection, and what happens when a workforce is properly fuelled, not just well-managed. Drawing on ten years working inside the housing sector, Laura shares what she's learned building wellbeing programmes that actually land, why so much workplace nutrition advice does more harm than good, and what leaders are missing when they treat wellbeing as a perk rather than infrastructure. You can find Laura Bryan on Linkedin or at mindnourishing.com

In leadership, just like in long‑distance running, you can go fast alone, but you only go far with the right crew.
In this 20‑minute episode of The Long Run, Martin explores what it really means to empower others and why surrounding yourself with the right people is essential for sustainable leadership.
You’ll hear about:
The difference between helping and empowering
Why leaders burn out when they over‑function
The three types of “crew members” every leader needs
A simple, practical framework for empowering others with clarity and trust
How to intentionally build a crew that supports your pace, your growth, and your wellbeing
Martin also shares a personal reflection on the moments when the right people made all the difference and how empowerment becomes reciprocal when we show up for each other.
A gentle question to take into your week: Who is in your crew and who might you empower next?

In this episode of Long Run: Navigating the Miles of Modern Leadership, Martin sits down with Elli Bliss — Co‑Founding Director of Mokita Training and Consultancy and practitioner working across anti‑racism, women’s health, and organisational change.
Elli’s work lives in the places where leadership becomes real: high‑stakes conversations, cultural safety, systemic blind spots, and the emotional labour of change. Together, we explore what leadership looks like when the evidence is incomplete, when the system is messy, and when the work requires both courage and care.
We cover:
How Elli’s leadership identity formed across healthcare, academia, and EDI
What accountable leadership looks like in anti‑racism and cultural safety
Why women’s health and menopause are leadership issues, not side topics
How to lead responsibly when the evidence base is evolving
The tension between systems change and individual change
What behaviours genuinely shift culture
What’s giving Elli hope in her work right now
This is a conversation for leaders who want to move beyond performative change and step into leadership that is grounded, human, and accountable.
If you’re navigating complexity, leading through uncertainty, or trying to build cultures where people can genuinely thrive — this episode is for you.
 
You can find Elli on instagram @oesa_periods_and_beyond and @mokita.training.
Elli mentioned the work by Dr. Louise Newson and you can listen to her podcast which is The Dr. Louise Newson Podcast www.drlouisenewson.co.uk/podcasts

Stable Ground in Moving Times: Leadership, AI, and the Human Need for Meaning
 
In a world where strategies shift weekly, technology evolves daily, and AI breakthroughs seem to land every morning, leaders are carrying a new kind of weight: the responsibility to create steadiness when nothing around them stands still.
This episode explores what today’s constant flux does to the human nervous system—and why predictability, identity, and purpose matter more than ever. We look at the leadership paradox of our time, the hidden psychological cost of perpetual transition, and the deeper reason people appear to “resist” change.
Then we turn to AI.
Not as a speed tool. Not as an efficiency engine. But as a potential stabiliser.
Used well, AI can reduce noise, absorb complexity, and help people see their value in a changing landscape. Used poorly, it erodes trust, dignity, and meaning. The difference lies in how leaders choose to use it.
Across six short sections, we explore:
Why humans struggle with constant change
The leadership paradox created by accelerating technology
How AI can support predictability, identity, and purpose
The ethical fault lines where stability is won or lost
The shift from control to coherence in modern leadership
What stability really means in a world that never stops moving
This is a conversation about leadership in permanent transition—and the question that matters most now:
What must remain human so people can remain whole?
If you’re a leader navigating complexity, guiding teams through uncertainty, or trying to create clarity in motion, this episode offers a grounded, reflective space to think.

In this episode, I catch up with Aisha Davies aka @bristolwiththeboys on Instagram. Aisha is a GP and a mother of 3 boys handling the responsibility like a pro. She talks to me about her honest approach to showcasing what her life is like and how it resonates with so many. This strangely mirrors a great approach to leadership which is probably very overlooked and underappreciated.

In this episode, I have a bit of a rant about how leadership is being shaped by the global political scene. I review how this might be bad for wellbeing of the employees. This episode is only 20 minutes long. 

In this episode, I explore the concept of Barefoot Parenting from the Barefoot Parent himself, Fred Ehressmann. We discuss how the idea of Parenting is flawed and manual driven but explore alternate paradigms. This ultimately linked back to what we can learn from Fred's experience and relate to leadership thought. A must listen and helpful for professionals looking after children in high pressured situations. To follow Fred, please visit @barefootparent on Instagram and Facebook. You can also get hold of Fred on substack at Barefoot Parent | Substack. For more about Long Run, please visit www.longruncoaching.com.

In this first episode, I lightly introduce the ideas that we will be discussing in the Long Run Podcast. A series that will be dedicated to exploring modern leadership and why old beliefs should be challenged. I discuss what I learned about leadership running a 100 mile ultramarathon. This is not only food for thought to challenge existing leadership cultures but a call to action to consider how we can be better to ourselves and others.