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Most of us rely on our strengths every day without naming them. But what happens when a strength goes into overdrive?

In this bonus episode, Valerie interviews Julia on how character strengths shape the way leaders make decisions, handle pressure and respond to change. They explore what it really means to ask, “What are you leading with?”, how strengths can become overused and quietly lead to burnout, and why sometimes the missing piece isn’t more capability, but better balance.

If you’re feeling stuck, stretched or questioning your next move, this episode will help you spot the patterns driving your working life.

Includes a free tool to help you identify your own strengths.

We are thrilled to share 'The Secrets of Learning and Development' Podcast has won Podcast of the Year 2025

A heartfelt THANK YOU to all our listeners for your encouragement, shares and support. It means the world.

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In this bonus episode, Julia Bend explores why coaching still matters in a world where AI can offer ideas, prompts and polished answers in seconds. Together with Valerie Merrill, she unpacks the difference between information and insight, showing why career crossroads are rarely just about options and far more often about identity, values, self-trust and the version of success someone is no longer willing to chase. It is a thoughtful conversation about discernment, human presence and why, when the stakes feel personal, honest reflection still matters more than fast answers.

We are thrilled to share 'The Secrets of Learning and Development' Podcast has won Podcast of the Year 2025

A heartfelt THANK YOU to all our listeners for your encouragement, shares and support. It means the world.

Support the show

Support the Show
Help us continue making great content and get a shout-out on the show!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2389736/support

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you!

Nigel Lowe’s career did not begin with a fast track or a perfect plan. It began with starting where he could, learning quickly and saying yes to opportunities that stretched him.

In this episode, Nigel Lowe, Partner at PA Consulting, reflects on returning to the UK at 22 after being raised in Jamaica, building resilience early and then working his way up from an administrative role in government to writing policy for ministers. He shares the pivotal moments that shifted his trajectory: a consultant who showed him what ‘real clarity’ looks like in practice, and an appraisal conversation where a manager challenged him to aim higher, leading to a funded MBA, which he completed with a distinction.

Nigel also speaks openly about being ‘the only one in the room’, navigating difference in senior environments, and taking on the assignments others avoided because he felt he could not afford to miss his chance. The result is a grounded conversation about integrity, ambition, mentorship and how success is rarely a solo effort, it is often shaped by the handful of people who believed in you before you fully believed in yourself.

Key Learnings

One person’s belief can change the size of your life.
Nigel credits “a handful of people” who saw potential he could not yet name, from the appraisal conversation that opened the door to a funded MBA, to the mentor who gave him a clear steer. The learning is not just ‘mentors matter’, it is that being properly seen can reset your ambitions and your standards overnight, because once you can picture what is possible, you cannot go back to a smaller version of yourself.

Integrity is not a trait, it is a practice with a memory.
Nigel describes three promises he was asked to make when he was offered the MBA opportunity: use it for good, keep developing yourself and contribute back, never use it to gain power over others. What makes this profound is how he describes it working in real life: when leadership tempts you to ‘flex’, he can still hear those promises, acting like a guide rail. The learning is that values only matter when they are specific enough to steer your behaviour in the moments where it would be easy to justify the opposite.

Guest Information:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-lowe-87710a2

We are thrilled to share 'The Secrets of Learning and Development' Podcast has won Podcast of the Year 2025

A heartfelt THANK YOU to all our listeners for your encouragement, shares and support. It means the world.

Support the show

Support the Show
Help us continue making great content and get a shout-out on the show!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2389736/support