Brilliant women. Broken systems.

In this special conversation, Nicky welcomes friends and co-founders Clare Radford and Harri Demetrios to introduce the Empow-her® Collective – a research-led collaboration reshaping how senior women are supported in leadership.

We explore why “fixing women” misses the point, the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways bias creeps in, and how psychologically safe, evidence-based development can unlock sustainable success.

You’ll hear the origin story (yes, it started over brunch), early themes from our study, and how to add your voice.

Why listen

You’re tired of advice that asks women to bend to broken systems.

You want research-backed, human-centred development that supports ambition and wellbeing.

You’re ready for practical micro-skills you can use this week.

You care about community, psychological safety, and real-world impact.

Episode at a glance (key takeaways):

– From “fixing women” to fixing systems: what that shift looks like in practice.

– Bias in performance reviews – how to spot and challenge it.

– Psychological safety fast-tracked: creating spaces where senior women can drop the mask and grow.

– Designing what works: how our research will shape time-smart, effective development for senior women.

About our guests

Clare Radford and Harri Demetrios are business psychologists and executive coaches with decades of experience across leadership, culture, and behaviour change. As co-founders of the Empow-her® Collective, they design research-led, human-centred programmes that help women lead sustainably while influencing system-level change.

Resources & links

Take the 6 minute survey

Join the results waitlist

Empower-her Collective

Call to action

Add your voice to the research and share this episode with a colleague who needs to hear it. Your experience helps shape solutions that work.

Read the transcript here.