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This week, we spotlight community impact with Aberdeen FC Community Trust. MINDSET Development Officer Murray Collie explains how the Trust uses the power of football to deliver a 12-week programme that helps pupils aged 10 to 14 build confidence, manage anxiety, take positive risks and strengthen their support networks.

We dig into the structure of winning words, how teachers weave sessions into PSE, and why early, preventive work matters. Murray shares outcomes schools are seeing, including more pupils seeking help when they need it and a stronger understanding of empathy and resilience, plus how the programme could scale with other club foundations across Scotland. If you are in HR, in education, or care about youth wellbeing, this is a must-listen.

Guest: Murray Collie, MINDSET Development Officer, Aberdeen FC Community Trust.

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What happens when a professional executive coach looks at the leadership development gap and decides to do something about it at scale?

In this episode, Ewan is joined by Kirsty Bathgate, founder of Gearing for Growth and co-founder of Bravyn, an AI-powered coaching platform designed to bring meaningful leadership development to the people who need it most — early and mid-stage leaders who rarely get access to coaching at all.

Kirsty makes a compelling case: 80% of new leaders receive no formal leadership training. 70% of people who leave jobs leave their manager, not their company. And disengaged teams are costing the global economy close to a trillion dollars a year. Bravyn was built to tackle that problem head on.

But this isn't a story about replacing coaches with chatbots. Kirsty is an accredited executive coach of 15 years, and she's built Bravyn to coach — properly coach — using accredited competencies, rigorous ethics standards, and technology that asks the questions rather than hands out the answers.

In this conversation, Ewan and Kirsty cover:

• Why AI coaching done badly is making people worse at thinking for themselves
• How Bravyn personalises every coaching conversation to the individual's goals, role, and employer
• The trust and data privacy considerations that matter to HR leaders
• How organisations can measure real ROI from coaching at scale
• Kirsty's three must-ask questions before adopting any AI coaching tool
• If you're in HR, lead a growing team, or just want to understand where AI fits in the future of leadership — this one is well worth your time.

Connect with Kirsty on LinkedIn or visit bravyn.ai to find out more.

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In this conversation, Ewan and Daniel get practical about mental health at work: the real drivers of stress and burnout, the hybrid balance, and why visibility beats the classic “open door policy”.

You’ll hear how to use the Wellness Action Plan, build manager confidence, and measure impact beyond absence, plus ideas for smaller teams without big budgets.

You’ll learn:
• Visibility vs accessibility (and why it matters)
• Simple early‑warning check‑ins that feel safe
• Practical tools: Wellness Action Plan, HSE stress toolkit, peer networks
• What leadership can do tomorrow to set the tone

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and leave a review, it really helps others find the show.

Resources

• https://www.samh.org.uk/get-involved/workplace/workplace-wellness-action-plans
• https://www.samh.org.uk/about-mental-health/samh-publications/publications-workplace

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Wellness at work continues to dominate conversations in HR and leadership, but many organisations are still missing the point.

In this episode of Recruitment and Beyond, Fiona McKee, founder of The HR Practice, joins us to discuss why wellbeing at work remains a challenge in 2025 and why surface-level solutions often fail. Fiona shares insight into the real drivers of stress and burnout, including job design, workload pressure, management capability, and organisational culture.

We explore common misconceptions around mental health at work, the limits of wellbeing perks, and what it truly means to create a human-centred workplace. Fiona also explains the commercial impact of getting wellbeing wrong and why leaders and managers must take ownership, rather than passing responsibility to HR alone.

This episode is packed with practical insight for leaders, managers, and HR professionals looking to build healthier, more sustainable workplaces where people feel supported and able to perform at their best.

Fiona McKee

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-mckee-5312508/

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Welcome to Episode 2 of The Recruitment and Beyond Podcast.

In this episode, host Ewan Anderson, Marketing Director at Eden Scott, sits down with Gemma Burns, founder of Lilibet Coaching, for an in‑depth conversation on empathetic leadership and leading people through uncertainty. With more than 20 years of experience in HR across a range of industries, Gemma brings a practical and grounded perspective to one of the most important leadership topics facing organisations today.

Why does empathy matter more now than ever? How can leaders support their teams through anxiety, change and workforce challenges when they don’t have all the answers themselves? Gemma shares insights drawn from her career in HR and coaching, exploring why psychological safety has become a core leadership capability and how a leader’s self‑awareness and communication style can shape engagement, performance and retention.

Listeners will gain practical takeaways on how to lead with honesty and clarity without sugar‑coating reality, how vulnerability can build trust rather than weaken credibility, and how coaching‑style conversations can help leaders listen more effectively and navigate difficult moments with confidence and compassion.

Whether you’re an HR professional, a people manager or a senior leader, this episode offers thoughtful reflections and real‑world guidance on building stronger relationships at work and creating environments where people feel valued, supported and motivated to perform at their best.

Gemma Burns – LinkedIn

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Welcome to Season Three of The Recruitment and Beyond Podcast!
In this opening episode, host Ewan Anderson, Marketing Director at Eden Scott, sits down with Graham Clarke, an experienced leadership coach who has worked with some of the world’s most recognised brands, including Mars, Diageo, and Britvic. Together, they dive into one of the most critical yet often overlooked aspects of business success: succession planning.

Why does succession planning matter? What happens when a key team member leaves, or gets promoted, and there’s no plan in place? Graham shares practical insights drawn from decades of experience, highlighting the ripple effects poor planning can have on performance, morale, and growth. You’ll learn why succession planning isn’t just about replacing roles, but about building resilience, fostering potential, and aligning talent strategy with long-term business goals.

Listeners will take away actionable steps for creating a proactive succession strategy, tips for identifying future leaders, and how HR can play a pivotal role in bridging performance and potential. Whether you’re scaling fast or navigating uncertain times, this episode offers a roadmap to keep your business agile, engaged, and ready for the future.

Graham Clarke - LinkedIn

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In this episode, Ewan Anderson is joined by Hannah Gardiner, Talent Account Director at LinkedIn, for a deep dive into the evolving world of recruitment, data-driven hiring, and how businesses can stay ahead of the curve.

With over a decade of experience in recruitment and talent strategy — from start-ups to international staffing firms — Hannah shares her journey and why LinkedIn’s 1.1 billion-member platform is more than just a job board.

You’ll hear:

✅ Why LinkedIn’s 5 million data points per minute matter for recruitment strategy
✅ The rise of behavioural skills like adaptability and emotional intelligence in the AI era
✅ How skills-first hiring can expand your talent pool and drive better performance
✅ The importance of personal and employer branding — especially for business leaders
✅ Practical advice on how to make the most of LinkedIn as a strategic partner, not just a tool

Whether you're a recruiter, business leader or simply curious about where the world of work is headed, this episode is packed with insights to help you attract, retain, and grow the best talent.

👉 Subscribe now and tune in — it's time to move beyond the job board and tap into LinkedIn's full potential.

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How do you turn redundancy, a new mortgage, and zero HR experience into a 20-year journey at the heart of Scotland’s people profession?

In this milestone episode, we sit down with Lee Turner, founder of the HR Network, to explore how one man’s vision helped transform Scotland’s HR landscape. From humble beginnings to building an award-winning community of HR professionals, Lee shares the highs, the hurdles, and the human stories behind one of the most respected platforms in the sector.

Expect insights on:

• How Scotland’s HR community evolved over two decades
• Why local networks matter more than ever
• The real impact of celebrating success through authentic awards
• What the future holds for HR in an era of constant change

Whether you’re starting out in HR, leading at board level, or simply curious about how to build communities that last, this episode is packed with real stories, inspiration and practical wisdom.

💡 Key takeaway: “Networking isn't something you pick up and put down – it’s the secret ingredient for long-term success.”

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