What if one of the most powerful leadership development tools you've ever encountered came in a small plastic brick? And what if the most important quality any leader could cultivate had nothing to do with strategy, performance, or productivity but with the ability to forgive themselves?

In this episode of the Pink Nest Podcast, Nika sits down with Dr. Alan Richards, founder of Tangencia, for a conversation that is thoughtful, surprising, and deeply human. Alan brings a rare combination to his work, rigorous academic grounding and real-world industry experience, and the result is a coaching philosophy that bridges the gap between theory and practice in ways that actually land.

He opens up about the childhood freedom that quietly shaped his approach to leadership, the cultural nuances he's encountered working with organisations across the world, and why the distance between what we teach in academia and what leaders actually need in the room is still a gap worth closing.

At the heart of this conversation is something unexpected: LEGO. Alan shares how LEGO Serious Play has become one of the most transformative tools in his leadership work, unlocking creativity, fostering genuine collaboration, and giving people a language for ideas they struggle to put into words. Playful on the surface. Profoundly serious underneath.

And then there's the moment that stayed with us most. Alan's quiet, compelling reminder that great leaders aren't the ones who always get it right, they're the ones who make decisions with the information they have, learn from what follows, and don't let guilt slowly erode their confidence over time. "Forgive yourself. Learn from it, but forgive yourself. You didn't do anything wrong. You did what you could in the time you could with the information you had." Carry that with you.

IN THIS EPISODE
* How childhood freedom shaped Alan's philosophy on leadership and learning
* The story behind Tangencia and Alan's journey from academia to industry
* What LEGO Serious Play is and why it works so powerfully in leadership development
* Breakthrough moments Alan has witnessed using LEGO in training rooms
* The hybrid model of learning and why it's changing executive coaching
* Balancing depth with urgency how to design training that actually sticks
* Cultural differences in leadership and why they're often less pronounced than we assume
* How to design programmes that work across diverse cultures and organisations
* The evolution of training from passive delivery to interactive, engaging experiences
* Why self-forgiveness is one of the most important tools any leader can develop
* The role of nature and personal life in sustaining professional well-being

Get in touch with Alan!
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tangencia/

☕ This podcast runs on coffee and quiet confidence that different minds build better worlds. Buy me a coffee : https://buymeacoffee.com/nikabrunet.

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ℹ️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pink Nest Podcast.