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Aunty Treacle

Aunty Treacle

Written 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.



Anna Keen and Stuart Hughes Careers Economics Personal Success
Episodes
  • Reflections from the Treacle Tin - Season 1

    Reflections from the Treacle Tin - Season 1
    Nov 26 2025
    In this special wrap-up episode, Anna and Stuart look back on ten sticky questions, ten brilliant guests, and the community that has powered Season 1 of Aunty Treacle.

    Together, they revisit why Aunty Treacle began, as an “agony aunt for the safety professional” and anyone feeling stuck at work, and what they’ve learned from the conversations that followed. From imposter feelings and people leadership to overwhelm, paperwork, and resistance to change, this episode pulls out the golden threads that have run through the season.

    This time there’s no guest in the Treacle Seat, just the hosts sharing honest reflections, favourite moments, and the phrases that might just become tattoos (looking at you, “Go where you’re celebrated, not tolerated”).
    Key Topics Covered
    • Why Aunty Treacle exists
      The original idea: an agony aunt for safety and work, crowdsourcing wisdom so people don’t feel alone with sticky problems.
    • The power of community
      How listener questions and shared advice have fuelled the series – and given Anna and Stuart the energy to keep going through very busy years.
    • Owning the room (Episode 1 – Zoe Hayes)
      Introversion as a superpower, preparation, positioning yourself in the room, and building allies in the “back channel.”
    • Living with your inner critic (Episode 2 – David Filshie)
      Imposter feelings, naming your inner voice (“Brenda”), and seeing confidence as the outcome of action, not a prerequisite.
    • Credit without arrogance (Episode 3 – Ruth Denyer)
      Talking about your work with humility, using “we” not “I,” and why real visibility comes from doing the work with people, not above them.
    • Setting up for success (Episode 4 – Gareth Evans)
      “Assume good intent,” connect before you direct, listen first, and shift from doing to thinking and orchestrating.
    • Is safety still for me? (Episode 5 – Steph Camm)
      Knowing your worth, realising sometimes it’s the environment not the profession, and treating job moves a bit more like dating.
    • The Sticky Middle of leadership (Episode 6 – Oli Sanandres)
      Moving from peer to leader, letting go of being the hero, redefining success through others, and making time to think as part of the job.
    • Overwhelm & capacity (Episode 8 – Helen Davitt)
      Normalising overwhelm without accepting it as “forever,” having honest conversations about capacity, and remembering “you can’t fix a secret.”
    • “I feel like a filing cabinet” (Episode 9 – Helen Rawlinson)
      Challenging paperwork that doesn’t keep people safe, starting small with micro-experiments, and designing safety around real work, not just systems.
    • Change, resistance & self-worth (Episode 10 – Crystal Danbury)
      Conscious vs unconscious change, changing your approach not your purpose, intentional language and metrics, and the big one:
      “Go where you’re celebrated, not where you’re tolerated.”
    • Personal growth behind the mic
      How hosting has stretched both Anna and Stuart, in holding space, listening, and trusting themselves – and why they’re proud simply to have finished a thing.

    Resources & References
    • Themes & tools revisited from across the season:
      • Confidence as action, not personality
      • “Connect before you direct” & assume good intent
      • Balcony vs dance floor perspectives on work
      • Micro-experiments and “start small, prove it works”
      • Language shifts: from accidents & compliance to harm, care & impact
      • “Go where you’re celebrated, not tolerated”
    • Guests from Season 1:
      • Zoe Hayes – being heard as an introvert
      • David Filshie – imposter syndrome & self-belief
      • Ruth Denyer – visibility with humility
      • Gareth Evans – stepping into big leadership roles
      • Steph Camm – purpose and staying (or leaving) safety
      • Oli Sanandres – the sticky middle of people leadership
      • Helen Davitt – overwhelm and prioritisation
      • Helen Rawlinson – paperwork, bureaucracy & real safety
      • Crystal Danbury – influence, change & knowing your worth

    We’d Love Your Feedback!

    Which episode stuck with you most?

    What have you tried?

    What’s still feeling sticky?

    Share your reflections, experiments, or new questions with us at ask@auntytreacle.com or tag us on socials. The Aunty Treacle inbox stays open between seasons.
    Next Episode Teaser Season 2 - coming soon.

    More sticky questions, more Spoonfuls, more cans of sanity and solutions , and more voices from a community that’s determined to make work better.
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    54 mins
  • They Won’t Adopt My Idea

    They Won’t Adopt My Idea
    Nov 5 2025
    In this episode, Anna, Stuart, and guest Crystal Danbury tackle a challenge many professionals will recognise:

    “Dear Aunty Treacle, I’m struggling to drive change in an organisation that seems deeply resistant to it. I have ideas to improve safety and even have support from colleagues, but senior operational leaders won’t listen. They’re not open to experimenting, even with low-risk suggestions. I keep hitting a wall and it’s wearing me down. How do I influence change when the resistance is coming from powerful leaders? How do I keep going, or is this a sign I should stop trying?”

    Crystal brings honesty and hard-won experience from complex, high-stakes environments to explore how to build influence, create momentum and protect your energy when the door won’t budge (yet). Together, they unpack practical ways to connect your ideas to what the business cares about, and when to persist, pivot or pause.

    Key Topics Covered:
    • Conscious vs. unconscious change - creating want/need and shifting language, not just launching projects
    • Start with their win - link your proposal to the organisation’s mission, metrics and pain points
    • Stakeholder conversations that land - ask what success looks like for them and map the change curve
    • Change your approach, not your purpose - adapt pace and style without losing who you are
    • From resistance to curiosity - exploring fear, fatigue, timing and trade-offs beneath a “no”
    • Micro-experiments - small, low-risk trials (and when to ask forgiveness, not permission)
    • Metrics that matter - brief, human-centred reporting (harm and care over pages of data)
    • Go where you’re celebrated (not tolerated) - know when to move on


    Resources & References:

    • How to Be More Pirate – Sam Conniff (principled, practical rebellion)
    • Change curve models for leaders and teams
    • Stakeholder interview prompts (purpose, success, constraints, timing)
    • Language reframes for reporting (harm, care, recoverable vs. life-changing injuries)


    We’d Love Your Feedback!

    Tried a micro-experiment that worked, or hit a wall? Tell us at ask@auntytreacle.com or tag us on socials.

    Next Episode Teaser: Season 1 Wrap-Up (Hosts’ Special) - the stickiest lessons, favourite Spoonfuls, and what’s coming next.
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    57 mins
  • Is All This Paperwork Actually Keeping People Safe?

    Is All This Paperwork Actually Keeping People Safe?
    Oct 14 2025
    In this episode, Anna, Stuart, and guest Helen Rawlinson tackle a question that hits close to home for many safety professionals:

    “Dear Aunty Treacle, I feel like a filing cabinet. I’m full of paperwork and have no room for the human interactions I believe are critical for keeping people from harm and understanding what’s really happening in my workplace. So quite simply, is all this paperwork actually keeping people safe?”

    Helen brings honesty and humour to a lively conversation about bureaucracy, systems and red tape, exploring whether endless forms and checklists actually make work safer, or simply make us feel safe.

    Together, they unpack how to cut through the noise, challenge outdated practices, and focus on what truly matters: meaningful conversations and human connection.

    Key Topics Covered:

    • The “filing cabinet” feeling – bureaucracy overload and burnout
    • The 80/20 fallacy – most systems go far beyond what’s legally needed
    • The illusion of accountability – paperwork vs. purpose
    • How to start challenging and simplifying safely
    • Shifting from expert to conduit – facilitating rather than controlling
    • Practical ways to bring curiosity and critical thinking into your work
    • When to stop doing things that don’t add value
    • Replacing compliance comfort with real conversations

    Resources & References:

    • Paper Safe by Greg Smith – a must-read for safety professionals
    • Work as Imagined vs. Work as Done – Steve Shorrock
    • Deloitte research on compliance vs. impact
    • Normal Work Reviews – learning by doing, not auditing
    • Hierarchy of Control – remembering PPE sits at the bottom

    We’d Love Your Feedback!

    Feeling buried in bureaucracy or fighting the same battle? Tell us your story at ask@auntytreacle.com or tag us on socials.

    Next Episode Teaser: They Won’t Adopt My Idea - how to influence change when the resistance is coming from the top.
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
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