Speech Bubbles with Charlotte Otter Podcast By Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard cover art

Speech Bubbles with Charlotte Otter

Speech Bubbles with Charlotte Otter

By: Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard
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Be seen and heard as the leader you are. A podcast that has conversations about reputation, diversity, and leadership with leaders from diverse backgrounds and diverse identities so that we can normalise their success, accept new models of leadership, take back power, and start to change the leadership status quo once and for all.Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard Economics
Episodes
  • Leadership Stems from Being not Doing with Tanmay Vora

    Leadership Stems from Being not Doing with Tanmay Vora
    Apr 2 2026
    Making the case for leadership as a practice, not a performance.

    In this episode, Charlotte Otter talks to Tanmay Vora about leadership, visual storytelling, non-linear careers, and what it really takes to build a meaningful reputation. Tanmay is a founder, visual leadership facilitator, TEDx speaker, author, blogger, and former software executive who has spent more than 25 years helping people and organisations make sense of complexity.

    Tanmay’s believes that brevity is a gift. He shares how blogging and Twitter’s old 140-character limit taught him to sharpen his thinking, communicate clearly, and distil complex ideas into something people can actually absorb. That discipline eventually led him into visual storytelling, sketch notes, and illustrating bestselling books, including titles by Tiffany Bova.

    Charlotte and Tanmay explore the power of discipline over motivation, and why showing up consistently matters more than waiting to feel inspired. They also talk about non-linear careers and why purpose should be seen not as a prison, but as a playground. Tanmay’s metaphor of human beings as diamonds with multiple facets rather than coins with two sides is one of the standout ideas in this episode, especially in a world where work and careers are changing fast.

    The conversation also goes deep on modern leadership. Tanmay makes the case for leadership as a practice, not a performance. Instead of command-and-control, he argues for grace, decency, curiosity, inclusion, and wayfinding together. His line that leadership stems from your being, not your doing is one of the most powerful moments in the episode.

    Charlotte and Tanmay also discuss personal reputation, how to build trust by working out loud, and why real influence is a byproduct of character, generosity, and consistency.

    If you care about leadership communication, personal brand, visual thinking, career development, or changing outdated leadership archetypes, this episode is full of insight. It’s thoughtful, practical, and deeply human.

    In this episode, you’ll hear about:
    * Visual storytelling and why it matters in a distracted world
    * Why discipline beats motivation
    * Non-linear careers and tiny experiments
    * Leadership as grace, not performance
    * Reputation, trust, and working out loud Follow Tanmay on LinkedIn · Tanmay's work · Tanmay's books · · Follow Charlotte on LinkedIn · Subscribe to Speech Bubbles the newsletter · Link to buy We Need New Leaders
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    44 mins
  • Crossing Borders with Kave Bulambo

    Crossing Borders with Kave Bulambo
    Mar 17 2026
    Building leadership across borders, systems, and cultures.

    In this episode, Charlotte Otter speaks with Kave Bulambo: founder, TEDx speaker, talent expert, and cultural transformation advocate. Kave is the force behind BlackInTech Berlin, the first community of people of African descent in tech in Germany, and the founder of Talent Diverse, which connects diverse talent with inclusive organisations.

    Born in Congo, raised in Durban, South Africa, and now based in Berlin, Kave brings a rich and deeply human perspective to leadership, diversity, and work. She shares how crossing borders geographically, socially, and professionally shaped her ability to connect with people from all walks of life and gave her the confidence to become a natural bridge builder.

    Together, Charlotte and Kave explore one of the biggest myths in the diversity conversation: that Europe lacks underrepresented talent. Kave argues the real problem is not talent, but systems. Too many organisations still lack the structures, promotion pathways, and inclusive hiring practices needed to bring diverse talent in and help it thrive once inside.

    This is a warm, thoughtful conversation about leadership, inclusion, personal branding, community building, and changing the old archetype of who gets to lead.

    In this episode, you’ll hear:
    * Why underrepresented talent is being failed by systems, not ambition
    * What inclusive organisations do differently
    * How to think about personal branding and reputation with integrity
    * Why leadership often begins before anyone officially gives you the title

    This episode is for anyone interested in leadership, diversity, inclusion, reputation, women in tech, underrepresented talent, career growth, and building a more human future of work. Follow Kave on LinkedIn · BlackInTech Berlin · Check out the Emerging Women Leaders Conference · · Follow Charlotte on LinkedIn · Subscribe to Speech Bubbles the newsletter · Link to buy We Need New Leaders
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    35 mins
  • Fixing Credibility with Debbie Jenkins

    Fixing Credibility with Debbie Jenkins
    Mar 2 2026
    (And using AI to write your book won't help)

    In this episode of Speech Bubbles, host Charlotte Otter is joined by Debbie Jenkins - founder, publisher, author, marketing strategist, Stevie Award winner, and self-described horse tickler and wine enthusiast. Jenkins has written 18 books under her own name (plus ghostwritten others) and has been mentoring authors since 2004. Her company Intellectual Perspective Press is one of many businesses she runs.

    Debbie's central message around AI and publishing is clear: Faster isn’t better, it’s just faster.

    Charlotte and Debbie explore what AI is doing to publishing, leadership, and credibility and why the biggest risk isn’t speed, but reputation. Debbie says that when authors outsource their words to AI, they risk creating work they can’t defend over time. If someone can’t stand behind what they publish in 10 years, they may be building a trust liability rather than a lasting asset.

    The conversation also celebrates the messy creative process: nonlinear thinking, detours, doubt, and effort. She describes this as ideas being forged in fire - where the struggle is not a bug, but the source of authenticity, depth, and value.

    Debbie shares insights from her award-winning book Stop the Credibility Crisis, which introduces a practical framework: credibility sits at the intersection of trust and desirability. In a world where AI can fake both, she encourages genuine experts and leaders to take control of their trust and desirability clues.

    To get better leaders, we must become better followers, says Debbie. The onus is on us to be more discerning about who we elevate in an age of manufactured personas. Follow Debbie on LinkedIn · More about Debbie · Find Debbie's books · · Follow Charlotte on LinkedIn · Subscribe to Speech Bubbles the newsletter · Link to buy We Need New Leaders
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    37 mins
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