MRA’s Courageously Candid Coaching Podcast with Matthew Radley

In this episode, host Matthew Radley is joined by Louise McLean, Global HR Director at Subsea7, to explore what it really takes to make reverse mentoring meaningful, safe and effective.
Louise shares how Subsea7 developed a global reverse mentoring programme designed to help senior leaders better understand the lived experiences of colleagues across different generations, cultures and underrepresented groups.
The conversation explores the power dynamics at the heart of reverse mentoring, the importance of psychological safety and why both mentors and mentees need support before the relationship begins. Louise also reflects on the vulnerability required from senior leaders, the value of bringing very different people together as equals, and the risks of introducing reverse mentoring without genuine openness and commitment.
This episode offers practical insight for organisations looking to move beyond surface-level inclusion and create conversations that genuinely challenge assumptions, expose bias and change how leaders think.
Explore MRA’s coaching and leadership development programmes: https://mraexecutivecoaching.com/programmes/

In this episode, host Matthew Radley is joined by Paula Adamson, Partner Engagement Manager at Specsavers, to explore why gaining a professional coaching qualification should be viewed as the beginning of a coach’s development - not the end.
Paula reflects on the growth of Specsavers’ coaching programme, which has supported more than 100 leaders through professional coaching qualifications. She shares why the programme gained momentum through personal choice, recommendation and a genuine desire among leaders to develop their coaching practice.
The conversation focuses on the role of supervision and continued professional development in maintaining standards after qualification. Paula discusses the value of having a trusted community of coaches, creating time for reflection and learning from people with different levels and types of experience.
This episode also examines the risks of allowing coaching practice to drift: coaches losing momentum, falling into bad habits or stepping away from coaching altogether. Paula explains why organisations have both a professional and commercial reason to keep investing in the coaches they have already trained.
Explore MRA’s coaching and leadership development programmes: https://mraexecutivecoaching.com/programmes/

In this episode, host Matthew Radley is joined by Joel Sidney, General Manager for Benelux and the Nordics at Mattel EMEA, for an honest conversation about mental health, vulnerability and the responsibility leaders have to recognise when someone may be struggling.
Joel reflects on his own experiences of grief, mental health and leadership, including the fear he felt before sharing his personal story with his organisation. What friends and family warned could be “career suicide” instead became one of the most meaningful and rewarding decisions of his career.
The conversation explores why leaders need to understand their own mental health before they can effectively support others, how vulnerability can create psychological safety and why workplace support must begin before someone reaches crisis point.
Joel also shares how mental health awareness gave him the confidence and skills to intervene when someone he knew was considering taking their own life. His story is a powerful reminder that the right knowledge, a willingness to ask and the courage to get involved can have a life-changing impact.
This episode includes discussion of suicide, bereavement and mental ill health. Please listen with care.
Explore MRA’s coaching and leadership development programmes: https://mraexecutivecoaching.com/programmes/

In this episode, host Matthew Radley is joined by Shan Saba, Director at Brightwork, board member, founder, trustee and leadership coach, to explore the lack of diversity within the professional coaching industry and what needs to change.
Shan reflects on his own route into coaching through MRA’s first diversity and inclusion cohort. What began as an unfamiliar development opportunity became a life-changing experience that gave him greater confidence, purpose and a new way of supporting others.
The conversation challenges coaching organisations, professional bodies and business leaders to consider who currently has access to high-quality coaching and who is still being excluded. Shan argues that the profession does not adequately reflect the people who could benefit from it most - limiting its credibility, relevance and wider impact.
Shan also shares how he has used his coaching skills to support survivors of human trafficking, people seeking asylum and individuals rebuilding their confidence after exploitation. His experiences demonstrate how creating access to professional coaching can generate ripples far beyond the original qualification, reaching workplaces, charities and communities that may otherwise remain underserved.
This episode is a candid call for the coaching profession to move beyond policies and good intentions, open the door to a broader range of lived experiences and make inclusion part of its long-term identity.
Explore MRA’s coaching and leadership development programmes: https://mraexecutivecoaching.com/programmes/

In this episode, host Matthew Radley is joined by Orla Stone, gut health dietitian and science lead at Deeply Foods, to explore the powerful connection between the gut, the brain and our ability to perform well at work.
Orla explains how the gut microbiome influences stress, anxiety, emotional regulation, memory and decision-making through the gut–brain axis. She shares why physical health is not simply about how the body looks on the outside, but about what is happening internally, and how poor nutrition, disrupted sleep and chronic stress can quietly undermine resilience and leadership performance.
The conversation challenges organisations to move beyond one-off wellbeing initiatives and take a more proactive approach to physical and mental health. Orla and Matthew explore why nutrition, sleep and movement should form part of leadership development, and why coaches need a stronger understanding of physical health when supporting people experiencing stress, anxiety or reduced performance.
This episode offers a scientific but practical look at what healthy leadership really means, and why better performance may begin with looking after the gut microbiome.
Explore MRA’s coaching and leadership development programmes: https://mraexecutivecoaching.com/programmes/

In this episode, Matthew Radley is joined by Hilary Farrington and Sophie Taylor from MRA to explore one of the most important - and often underdeveloped - competencies in professional coaching: the ability to challenge.
Together, they examine why challenge can feel uncomfortable for both coaches and clients, and why that discomfort can cause coaches to lean too heavily into support. They discuss challenge as an act of care rather than confrontation, the importance of curiosity and positive intent, and the risk of allowing a coach’s own identity, ego or fear to shape the conversation.
The team also explores how challenge is developed through practice, supervision and continued professional development. They reflect on the “no-go zones” every coach may carry, the commercial risks of challenging clients and the difference between serving the client and simply proving that you are a challenging coach.
This episode is a candid discussion for qualified coaches and coaching leaders who want to move beyond comfortable conversations and create the conditions for meaningful growth.
Explore MRA’s coaching and leadership development programmes: https://mraexecutivecoaching.com/programmes/

In this episode, Matthew Radley is joined by Sophie Taylor and Lorna Miles from MRA to explore the shift from individual coaching into the very different discipline of team coaching.
Together, the team challenge the assumption that a qualified individual coach can simply apply the same skills to a team. They explore why team coaching requires a fundamental shift in mindset: moving away from coaching several individuals and instead working with the team as a single entity.
The conversation examines the importance of understanding the wider organisational system, contracting more deeply at the start of the work and being clear about what the team, the leader and the organisation actually expect from the process.
The team also discusses the risks of confusing team coaching with facilitation, team building or development. They reflect on the role of the team leader, the ethics of coaching both a leader and their team, and why specialist training and practice are essential if team coaching is going to create meaningful and systemic change.
Explore MRA’s coaching and leadership development programmes: https://mraexecutivecoaching.com/programmes/