"Get more comfortable with silence. There's an exercise in improv where you count from one to ten. It forces you to pause, process, form, and then speak."

This week on the How to Thrive podcast, Claire and Helen are joined by Jess Rogers, a conversations and improv trainer, and founder of Tama Learning. Jess will already be familiar to those who joined us at How to Thrive Manchester, where she brought the house down with her session on improv for managing change. She'll be doing it all again in London in October.

Her day job sits across a spectrum from classic learning and development, all the way through to performing and teaching pure improv with groups like Banana Hut Gang and Blanche Improv in London. Everything she does, she says, comes back to conversations.

In this episode, Claire and Helen talk to Jess about what improv actually is, why “yes and…” is widely misunderstood, and how accepting someone else's reality before adding your own perspective can transform the way you show up.

We also explore the surprising overlap between improv skills and the skills that underpin every high-performing team.

It's also one of the most joyful conversations we've recorded! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

More about Jess:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-rogers-she-her-86766ba2/
• Tama Learning: https://tamalearning.com/

With thanks to our sponsors:

Lewis Silkin — a full service law firm that works closely with organisations to help protect and enhance what matters most. Thoughtful, commercial and deeply human. Find out more at lewissilkin.com.

Lawyers on Demand — providing access to world-class flexible legal talent and innovative legal operations solutions for in-house legal teams around the world. Find out more at lawyersondemand.com.

Springbird — a modern intellectual property firm supporting ambitious, fast-growing businesses with trademark and design protection that's transparent, commercially focused and free from unnecessary complexity. Find out more at springbirdip.com.

How to Thrive events:

Our events are a chance to come together with other Community Members to network and share learnings in a safe space. All of our events are focussed on HOW to thrive and deliver practical skills that you can incorporate into your work and home lives. Visit our website to find out more.

Your How to Thrive hosts:

Claire Sanders, former Corporate Lawyer, General Counsel and Co-Founder of Being Human Consulting.

Helen Silver-MacMahon, Human Factors Specialist, Veterinary Nurse and Co-Founder of Being Human Consulting.

Music Credit: Lo-Fi Hip Hop (Never Old Fashioned) by Alex Kizenkov

Podcast Production: Anthony Zahra

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"The consultant said, mentally, it'll be a challenge. I smiled and said, mentally, it absolutely isn't going to be a challenge. You do what you need to do in terms of the treatment. I'll take care of this."

This week on the How to Thrive podcast, Claire and Helen are joined by Neil Edge - mental performance speaker, coach, and ultra endurance athlete.

Neil spent years studying psychology, CBT, NLP and acceptance commitment therapy, not because he planned to become a coach, but because he couldn't work out why he kept getting to the launch point of new businesses and turning back. What he eventually uncovered was imposter syndrome. And in solving it for himself, he found his calling in helping others do the same.

Claire and Helen talk to Neil about the remarkable story of his late-stage cancer diagnosis and how he got quite excited by the challenge it presented, and how every tool he'd spent years teaching others was suddenly on the line.

He also shares his RESET framework, why decision debt is a precursor to burnout, and why professional services teams are leaving enormous performance gains on the table by ignoring what elite sport figured out years ago.

More about Neil:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/neiledgespeaks

Website: neiledgespeaks.com

With thanks to our sponsors for this episode:

JHB & Partners: https://jhbandpartners.com/

Many of the in-house lawyers who listen will recognise Josh Blake as an expert in legal resourcing. Last year he established JHB & Partners and continues to support in-house legal teams to build, scale and optimise their legal functions.

With their extensive experience in resourcing and strategic insight, Josh and his team at JHB & Partners provide a real sense of calm and reassurance, which is exactly what you need whether you're hiring or looking for a role. You can find out lots more about Josh and his team at www.jhbandpartners.com. Get in touch and don't forget to mention the podcast when you do.

Summize: https://www.summize.com/

Summize is an AI-powered contract lifecycle management platform, designed to break the cycle of forgotten obligations, scattered intake, and contract chaos.

Meeting teams where they already work, embedding seamlessly into tools like Outlook, Teams, Slack, Salesforce, and HubSpot, Summize makes adoption simple. With self-serve contracting to reduce workload, seamless integrations to create structure, and powerful AI that supports and enhances legal expertise, Summize helps legal teams operate with confidence and clarity, freeing up that all-important capacity so that we humans can focus on the areas where we add unique value.

Get in touch with them at www.summize.com - and mention the How to Thrive podcast.

Your How to Thrive hosts:

Claire Sanders, former Corporate Lawyer, General Council and Co-Founder of .

Helen Silver-MacMahon, Human Factors Specialist, Veterinary Nurse and Co-Founder of Being Human Consulting.

Music Credit: Lo-Fi Hip Hop (Never Old Fashioned) by Alex Kizenkov

Podcast Production: Anthony Zahra

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the How to Thrive podcast, Claire and Helen are joined by Bonita Norris, mountaineer, keynote speaker, and the youngest British woman to reach the summit of Everest.

She was 22 years old, had never climbed a mountain before university, and the whole thing started with a hungover phone call.

Bonita talks candidly about making a mistake on her descent and carrying it for years, about returning to the Himalayas to climb Lhotse (the world's fourth highest peak) and about the moment she handed her record to the next generation.

Claire, Helen and Bonita discuss the team it takes to get one person to the top of the world, the surprising parallels between mountaineering and corporate life, and the power of a debrief.

Find out more about Bonita: www.bonita-norris.com

With thanks to our sponsors for this episode:

Lewis Silkin: https://www.lewissilkin.com

Lewis Silkin is a full-service law firm that works closely with organisations to help protect and enhance what matters most. Whether it's navigating an increasingly complex political and economic landscape or aligning legal strategy with broader business goals, their approach is thoughtful, commercial and deeply human.

Serious expertise delivered in a way that's engaging, practical and genuinely enjoyable to work alongside.

Find out more about their work at www.lewissilkin.com

Lawyers on Demand: https://www.lodlaw.com

Many of our listeners will be all too familiar with the increasing pressure to deliver more value, operate efficiently and bring meaningful insight into their organisations, often all at once. That's exactly where Lawyers on Demand comes in.

Working with in-house legal teams around the world, Lawyers on Demand provides access to world-class flexible legal talent and innovative legal operations solutions. They support teams to build legal functions that are not only efficient but truly strategic, responsive and ready for whatever comes next. And just as importantly, they're also creating opportunities for legal professionals to work in more flexible and fulfilling ways.

You can find out more about their amazing work at www.lawyersondemand.com

Springbird IP: https://www.springbirdip.com/

Springbird is a modern intellectual property firm supporting ambitious, fast growing businesses with trademark and design protection that's transparent, commercially focused and free from unnecessary complexity.

Working on a fixed fee and subscription basis, they ensure clients always know where they stand, no clock watching and no hidden surprises.

They act as an extension of your team, giving businesses the confidence and clarity to focus on creativity and innovation, giving them more time to work on the areas where they can add the greatest value.

You can find out more about their work at www.springbirdip.com

Your How to Thrive hosts:

Claire Sanders, former Corporate Lawyer, General Council and Co-Founder of .

Helen Silver-MacMahon, Human Factors Specialist, Veterinary Nurse and Co-Founder of Being Human Consulting.

Music Credit: Lo-Fi Hip Hop (Never Old Fashioned) by Alex Kizenkov

Podcast Production: Anthony Zahra

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.