In this episode, Angela speaks with Mairead McCarthy, about stepping away from a corporate career without knowing exactly what would come next. What began as a decision to “try something for a year” gradually evolved into an award winning wellbeing business working with organisations across Ireland.

Together they explore what happens when a role no longer fits, how small decisions can lead to bigger change, and why building something sustainable often starts with taking a step rather than making a leap.

• Why leaving corporate is often a “push” rather than a “pull”.

• The impact of leadership and management changes on career decisions.

• The idea of “trying it for a year” instead of committing long-term.

• Turning a side interest into a business over time.

• The difference between wellbeing as a cost vs an investment.

• The reality of running a business and doing everything at the start.

• Creating boundaries and building something that actually fits your life.

Mairead McCarthy is the founder of WellPlace Workplace Wellbeing Services. After more than 16 years working in corporate roles across training, project and programme management, she stepped away to explore a long-standing interest in yoga and wellbeing.

What started as a small step into self-employment has grown into a business supporting organisations with a broader approach to workplace wellbeing, working with a network of specialists to deliver flexible, tailored programmes.

Website: https://wellplace.ie LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mairead-mccarthy Instagram: instagram.com/wellplaceireland

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angelajscottuk/

Instagram: instagram.com/iam_angelajoy

Email: angela@joynergi.com

Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/angelajoyscott

This is a short solo episode recorded after two very different events this week, one in person and one online, where the same underlying pattern kept showing up in different ways. I wanted to capture it while it was still fresh. I explore the tension between “all or nothing” and “enough” and how the standards we hold can shape whether we move forward or get stuck.

I talk about why this happens, what’s usually sitting underneath it, and how it shows up across work, business and life more broadly. And I introduce a different way of thinking about it. If you’ve ever felt the pressure to do everything properly, to have it all figured out before you start, or to wait until you can do something “right”, this will likely resonate.

I’ve chosen not to run ads or sponsors on this podcast. If you’d like to support Change Unfiltered, there’s a Buy Me a Coffee link below. You can make a one-off contribution or set up a small monthly amount. There’s absolutely no expectation but every little helps cover production costs and keeps the podcast independent.

Connect and show support:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angelajscottuk/

Instagram: instagram.com/iam_angelajoy

Email: angela@joynergi.com

Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/angelajoyscott

Leadership often looks clear and confident from the outside. But inside complex organisations, the reality can feel very different.

In this episode, Angela speaks with organisational psychologist and leadership practitioner Leah Stockley about the gap between what leadership looks like on paper and how it actually feels in practice. Drawing on more than three decades inside large organisations, Leah shares what happens when culture shifts, values get overridden and even senior leaders realise they have far less control than people assume.

Together they explore why the system often wins, how identity gets tangled up in leadership roles, and what it takes to create meaningful momentum without burning people out.

• The hidden constraints senior leaders face inside organisations

• Why leadership culture can shift faster than people realise

• The illusion of control in complex corporate systems

• What happens when a role you believed in stops aligning with your values

• Why small, intentional actions often drive the most meaningful change

Leah Stockley is an organisational psychologist, leadership practitioner and founder of Let’s Flow. With more than 30 years of experience across global banks, consultancies, FinTech and start-ups, she has led large teams across both business and technology.

After completing an MSc in Organisational Psychology mid-career, Leah now focuses on helping leaders create meaningful momentum through small, intentional actions that improve both business outcomes and the human experience of work.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/leahstockley Website: letsflow.sg/

If you enjoy Change Unfiltered, the best way to support the show is to:

• Follow or subscribe on your podcast platform

• Share the episode with someone who might find it useful

You can also support the podcast directly at:

buymeacoffee.com/AngelaJoyScott

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angelajscottuk/

Instagram: instagram.com/iam_angelajoy

A couple of years ago, Thomas Voigt found himself in a place many high-performing professionals quietly fear. Redundant, again. But this time, instead of rushing back into the safety of corporate life, he asked a harder question.

If you only had ten working years left, would you keep doing this?

Thomas began his career in media research in Germany, moved into global customer success roles in London and built a reputation in CS leadership. Yet underneath the titles and salary was a recurring tension. The sense that something wasn’t fully aligned.

In this conversation, he speaks with Angela about why going “back” sometimes feels like failure, the public moment he declared himself open to work and then realised it wasn’t the path he wanted and the daily reality of building something of his own.

They explore money, identity, status and the honesty required to dismantle old belief systems. Thomas shares how he reframed success, what he misses from corporate life and why bravery often looks and feels different than we imagine.

If you’re wondering whether it’s too late to rethink your direction, or whether starting again is reckless, this episode will help you sit in the grey zone rather than rushing straight to an answer.

Connect with Thomas:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thomas-voigt/

Website: thecsconsulting.net/

Newsletter: thecsconsulting.net/newsletter

Connect and show support:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angelajscottuk/

Instagram: instagram.com/iam_angelajoy

Email: angela@joynergi.com

Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/angelajoyscott

This is a short solo episode to mark the start of 2026 and to reset how Change Unfiltered will work going forward.

There are no new seasons and no fixed cadence, just conversations with people I meet along the way, and occasional solo reflections, recorded when there’s something worth saying.

I’ve chosen not to run ads or sponsors on this podcast. If you’d like to support Change Unfiltered, there’s a Buy Me a Coffee link below. You can make a one-off contribution or set up a small monthly amount. There’s absolutely no expectation but every little helps cover production costs and keeps the podcast independent.

Connect and show support:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angelajscottuk/

Instagram: instagram.com/iam_angelajoy

Email: angela@joynergi.com

Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/angelajoyscott

40 second trailer for what's in store for Change Unfiltered in 2026.

Jennifer Bryan has spent much of her career helping organisations navigate transformation but her own story of change began long before boardrooms and leadership roles. Growing up in an environment where her voice was often dismissed, she learned early what it meant to push back, trust herself and carve out space in a world that wanted her to play smaller. Dance became her first liberation and years later, it shaped the way she leads people through change.

In this conversation, she speaks with Angela about what happens when you finally realise you’re allowed to rewrite the story you’ve been living. From a theatrical beginning to 25 years in organisational change, Jennifer brings a deeply human lens to the emotions leaders try to avoid, the moments that spark reinvention, and the creative discipline behind writing her book The Emotional Side of Organisational Change.

She shares openly about voice, courage, self-doubt and the quiet decisions that change the direction of a life. The writing retreat, the unexpected clarity of thought leadership and the freedom that comes from trusting your own ideas.

If you’re standing in a moment where the old script no longer fits, this episode will remind you that you’re simply at the place where a new chapter is ready to begin.

Connect with Jennifer:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennifer-l-bryan/

Website: jenniferlbryan.com

Instagram:

The Emotional Side of Organisational Change: How to Survive and Thrive (out on 22nd January 2026): amzn.eu/d/eqRu158

Connect and show support:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angelajscottuk/

Instagram: instagram.com/angelajoyunfiltered

Email: angela@joynergi.com

Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/angelajoyscott

Ann-Marie Plumb was living the life she thought she was supposed to want. A solid career, a relationship that looked promising, a rhythm that felt familiar and safe. But after losing her mum and facing an unexpected breakup, she reached a point many mid-career women quietly recognise. The point where “fine” is no longer enough.

In this conversation, she speaks with Angela about the moment she realised she needed to start again, the decision to quit her job, pack up her flat, and book a one-way ticket out of the UK, and what two years of travelling the world has taught her about identity, confidence and what really matters.

Ann-Marie shares the emotional and practical realities of rebuilding life from the ground up, choosing to be single and child-free in her late thirties, and why freedom becomes possible the moment you stop waiting for life to happen and start living it on your own terms.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re too old, too late, or too settled to choose a completely different path, this episode will remind you that you’re not. Sometimes the beginning you’ve been waiting for arrives disguised as the ending you didn’t expect.

Connect with Ann-Marie:

Instagram: instagram.com/areuokay_annie

Website: areuokayannie.com

Connect and show support:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angelajscottuk/

Instagram: instagram.com/angelajoyunfiltered

Email: angela@joynergi.com

Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/angelajoyscott