The Boardroom by Heather Elkington
The Boardroom is a podcast for managers navigating the challenging aspects of leadership that are often left unspoken. Host Heather Elkington facilitates real conversations about bias, boundaries, burnout, and building high-performing teams. The show provides insights and strategies for those in management roles.
Episodes
Working from home is hurting your career (6 tips to stay visible)
Are you doing great work from home but getting overlooked for pay rises and promotions?In this episode, Heather shares how to make working from home help your career rather than hold it back.Proximity bias is real. A UK study of more than 900 managers found they were 11% less likely to promote people who work fully from home, and 68% of employers say being in the office significantly affects promo
The 5 Business Rules That Built My £1M Company
Heather shares the 5 business rules behind the £1M she’s made since leaving her corporate job, with a team of three.Heather reveals that one of the best emails she’s received is from an angry customer. From there, she breaks down the principles that guide every decision in her business and her leadership.You’ll learn:How to take accountability, even when it's not your faultHow to handle criticism
How to Manage Up: Dealing with a Difficult Manager
What do you do when you have a difficult manager?Maybe they’re inconsistent, make empty promises, message you at all hours, fill your diary with unnecessary meetings, or make you feel like you’re constantly walking on eggshells.In this episode, Heather breaks down how to manage up and take back some control when you can’t control the person above you.You’ll learn how to:Give difficult feedback upw
Workplace Dilemmas: Friends, Resentment & Difficult Colleagues
We are back after a two week break, Heather is officially a married woman 💍 and we are finally answering some of the dilemmas you’ve emailed us at hello@theboardroompodcast.com.From navigating friendships at work and managing someone who could have had your job, to handling a difficult peer when you have no authority over them, Heather breaks down what she would actually do in each situation.We ge
How to Hire Incredible People: Steal This Interview Process
Hiring someone is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make as a manager, but how do you actually know who’s going to be great once they’re in the role?In this episode, Heather breaks down the interview process she uses to hire brilliant people, from attracting stronger candidates to making the final decision with confidence.She covers:The interview questions that help you spot great candidatesWhat
How to support your team's mental health without lowering standards
How do you support someone struggling with their mental health while still holding them accountable for their performance?In this episode, Heather shares:How to balance empathy and accountabilitySupporting mental health and burnoutWhen performance conversations are neededSupporting the team without becoming the therapistWhat ruinous empathy looks likeHow underperformance impacts team trustBecause
Will AI replace middle managers? My tips to stay valuable
Is AI really coming for middle management?Heather believes that is the wrong question.The better question is which parts of management AI will replace, and which human leadership skills are about to become more valuable than ever.In this episode, Heather covers:Why some parts of management are more vulnerable to AI than othersBeing a manager vs a leader at workHow to stay valuableBuild visibility
How to use Stoicism to become a better leader
Stoicism has changed the way I lead, handle failure, and respond when things don’t go to plan.In this episode, I’m sharing the Stoic principles I’ve used for years to become calmer, more resilient and more intentional in the way I lead.Breakdown of this episode:How to separate what you can control from what you can’tHow to respond when things go wrong instead of reacting emotionallyWhy failure and
Your 7 step guide to become a powerhouse manager
Becoming a manager is one of those career milestones everyone congratulates you on, but very few people actually prepare you for.Whether you’ve just become a manager, you’re about to step into your first leadership role, or you simply want to become better at leading your team, this episode is your practical guide to getting it right.You’ll learn the 7 foundations Heather believes make the biggest
My 4 biggest productivity hacks to avoid burnout
Being productive does not mean squeezing more work into every available hour.In this episode, Heather shares the four productivity rules that help her run two businesses while still protecting her health, relationships and life outside work. She also opens up about the period that pushed her dangerously close to burnout, and what she changed because of it.She explores:Why productivity is not about
How I manage Gen Z at work (without lowering my standards)
Is Gen Z really difficult to manage, or do they simply expect better management?Heather explores why Gen Z are often labelled lazy, entitled, or difficult to manage, and why the real problem may be the way workplaces try to lead them.In this episode, Heather covers:Why Gen Z are not as difficult to manage as people thinkHow to communicate with Gen Z more openly and honestlyWhy progression matters
How I smash public speaking at work (in meetings & presentations etc)
Do you know exactly what you want to say, but still freeze when all eyes are on you?In this episode, Heather shares how she went from being terrified to speak in front of her class at school to confidently presenting on stages in front of hundreds of people.In this episode:How to hook your audience within the first few secondsWhy stories, examples and questions make presentations more powerfulHow
How to manage difficult employees at work
Got a difficult employee in your team and no idea what to actually do about it?Before you jump straight to “do we fire them?”, Heather walks through the key steps every manager needs to take first and when it might be time to make a bigger decision.In this episode, Heather explores:How to work out whether someone is actually difficult, or whether the situation feels difficultWhy managers sometimes
How to say 'NO' more to protect your time
If you’re a manager who constantly feels like there are not enough hours in the day, this episode is for you.Heather breaks down how managers can start buying back their time, from cutting unnecessary meetings and setting stronger boundaries, to delegating properly and learning when to say no.In this episode, Heather explores:Why busy does not always mean productiveHow managers get trapped in urge
How to ask for a pay rise with confidence (I went from 85k to 120k)
Want to ask for a pay rise but have no idea where to start?In this episode, Heather breaks down how to prepare for the conversation, build a strong case, choose the right timing and ask with confidence.You’ll learn what to say, what not to say and how to follow up if the answer is “not yet”.In this episode:The exact steps Heather used to grow her salary from £85k to £120kWhy the pay rise conversat
Stop being nice at work (here’s how I stopped people pleasing)
If you’ve ever avoided a difficult conversation because you didn’t want to upset someone, this episode is for you.Heather explores the difference between being nice and being kind at work, and why people-pleasing can quietly hold you back as a manager and leader.She shares personal stories from her own career, including uncomfortable conversations she has had to start, feedback that was difficult
How I stop imposter syndrome getting in my way at work (the full guide)
You go into the conversation with a plan. Then they push back, and suddenly you’re convincing yourself you were wrong all along.In this episode, Heather gets into the part of leadership nobody prepares you for, the moment a difficult conversation goes sideways, and your confidence completely disappears.She covers:Why imposter syndrome hits hardest in difficult conversationsHow to hold your positio
The reasons your team will be accountable (or not)
Some people grow through pressure. Others spend their careers blaming everyone else for where they’re stuck.In this episode, Heather breaks down the “above the line vs below the line” framework, the quickest way to see who on your team is genuinely growing and who is stuck in blame, excuses, and denial.In this episode:The “above the line vs below the line” framework and how to use it as a litmus t
Managing friends at work gets messy (here’s how I made it work)
Most leaders won’t admit this. But Heather will.Nobody tells you that becoming “the manager” changes everything your friendships, your confidence, and how you show up every single day.In this episode, Heather gets real about the moment anxiety nearly stopped her in her tracks, and why asking for help turned out to be her biggest leadership superpower.Why asking for help is actually your biggest le
The Boardroom Trailer: The Conversations That Happen Behind Closed Doors with Heather Elkington
The Boardroom is the podcast for anyone navigating the messy, real, and often unspoken side of leadership. Hosted by Heather Elkington, someone who's been at the bottom, fought her way to the top, and never forgot what the hard parts actually felt like.Whether you're a first-time manager finding your feet, a senior leader feeling the pressure, or somewhere in between, this is the podcast that help
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