IMPACTFUL Teamwork

Julia Felton argues that the UK has a leadership problem driven by chronic, unrelenting pressure that the nervous system isn’t designed to sustain, leading to slower decisions, reduced trust, political caution, and emotional exhaustion.

She contrasts short-term pressure (where humans perform well) with long-term dysregulation that organisations often suppress through policies and norms, creating numbness that looks like professionalism.

Felton explains why AI cannot solve trust deficits or poor collaboration, citing Gallup engagement data and failure rates tied to silos, and notes AI can’t “read the room” or detect safety and withdrawal. She describe...

On the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, host Julia Felton interviews sales-team coach Luke Jorgenson, who spent 10 years in US door-to-door solar sales, about resilience, coaching, and building high-performing sales teams.

Luke explains how repeated rejection builds a “sales muscle” and says leaders should help new hires break fear quickly by getting them in the field with support and mentoring. He argues coaching should be normalised in business, as in sports, to accelerate learning and uncover blind spots.

Luke shares his “Proven Five Sales Systems” framework—compensation, incentives, sales training, team culture, and leadership mentoring—emphasising a holistic app...

The episode argues that teamwork is a key competitive advantage and explores why work often gets stuck departments due to unclear ownership and accountability.

Drawing on Deloitte’s 2026 Human Capital Survey, it highlights that 66% of C-suite leaders say pushing beyond traditional functions (HR, finance, IT, legal, procurement) is critical, yet only 7% report real progress, creating a 59-point gap. It describes simultaneous pressures on functions—cost-cutting via shared services and automation, alongside executive calls for substantial reinvention—while noting structure and “turf” impede change.

Using a horse herd and the diamond model of shared leadership as an analogy...

Host Julia Felton welcomes high-performance coach and breathwork expert Lucas Kulbis to discuss how breathwork helps leaders regulate stress and improve team performance.

Lucas shares his journey from an AI-focused computer science path and startup burnout to discovering breath as a foundational tool for state control, presence, and resilience. They explain how shallow breathing can reinforce anxiety and how intentional breathing can shift the nervous system from fight-or-flight (amygdala-driven) to calmer, clearer decision-making (prefrontal cortex), supporting emotional regulation and co-regulation with others.

Lucas teaches practical techniques including the physiological sigh for rapid resets, a bedtime...

This episode of the Impactful Teamwork podcast explores “decision drag,” where routine decisions climb back up the hierarchy and leave leaders returning from holiday to a backlog of unresolved calls.

Citing McKinsey research that executives spend 37% of their time on decisions that could be made lower down, the host explains how leaders inadvertently train teams to wait, creating an accountability trap that limits scale.

Julia reframes accountability as proactive ownership of outcomes (not blame), distinguishes it from responsibility, and outlines three levels—individual (clarity, capability, psychological safety), team (mutual investment or “teamship”), and organizational (systems that rewar...

In this episode of the Impactful Teamwork podcast, Julia interviews senior retail and quick-service restaurant veteran Nate Robinson about building customer-centric teams and improving the customer journey.

Nate explains his “Three I” framework—Inspire, Invest, Innovate—sharing how leaders can learn employees’ “why,” invest in team development, and use creative training methods (including games like Diner Dash) to build skills like urgency.

They discuss how leadership requires adapting to individuals rather than following a one-size-fits-all playbook, the importance of culture and authenticity, and the challenges middle managers face balancing KPIs with increasing coaching and wellbeing expectations...

In this Impactful Teamwork episode, Julia Felton explores what nature teaches about regenerative leadership, inspired by adopting a lamb named Charlie and observing Canadian geese offspring.

Using Yellowstone’s trophic cascade, she explains how removing wolves collapsed ecosystem relationships and how reintroducing them restored balance—paralleling how organisations remove key relationships and then wonder why performance collapses.

She critiques extractive, command-and-control leadership that fuels silos, poor collaboration, CEO bottlenecks, and change fatigue, citing data on business failure and cross-functional unity.

Drawing on lichen and horse herds, she highlights interdependence, rhythm over relentlessness, and rela...

In this Impactful Teamwork episode, Julia Felton talks with neuroscience-based mindfulness expert Kelly Corbett about the inner game of leadership and how mindfulness improves presence, connection, creativity, and decision-making.

Kelly explains “beginner’s mind” as approaching meetings without labels or fixed assumptions, and shares evidence that mindfulness/meditation strengthens the prefrontal cortex and executive function.

She describes how reframing problems can unlock innovation, including a company that replaced harmful chemicals with water by rethinking industry standards. Practical tactics include mindful breathing—especially the “cyclic sigh” technique—to calm the nervous system, plus walking meditation and time in nature...

Host Julia Felton shares why teamwork is a competitive advantage and argues businesses are in a full-scale reset driven by AI, citing widespread company failures, declining revenues, layoffs, and the reality that team members now face around 10 major changes at once.

She explains that success now depends less on pressure and more on the pace of reinvention, as companies must reinvent roughly every three years rather than optimise old models.

Drawing on insights from the Reinvention Academy and shifts in consulting, she outlines 15 practical areas for reinvention—products/services, platforms, holistic solutions, ideal customers, customer ex...

Host Julia Felton welcomes Ryan Ware, CEO of Connective Consulting Group, to discuss why curiosity is essential in business, especially in construction where teams and conditions constantly change.

Ryan explains how “hand-me-down” answers and routines can prevent validation and learning, and how fear on both sides of change can block curiosity, making psychological safety critical. They explore connecting the human side of work to technology and process shifts (including AI), building relationships as social capital, and reducing judgment through asking better questions.

Ryan shares an example of leading a change-fatigued team by apologising for past chur...

in this episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, Julia Felton explores how leaders can scale without becoming the business bottleneck by shifting from control to coaching.

She explains how leaders become the “answer person,” creating dependence, decision drag, mental clutter, and stalled momentum even though they appear busy and visible.

Using herd leadership and “Teamship” as a model, she contrasts compliance-driven control with capability-building coaching, emphasing that the goal is transferring judgment, not just delegating tasks. Practical coaching prompts and a meeting reset question (“What’s stuck and what needs to happen for it to move?”) help...

On the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, Julia Felton interviews Anthony Garone, founder of Edify Content, which helps B2B tech companies create sales and marketing content.

Anthony shares how he discovered writing as his “superpower” after years in IT leadership and a company acquisition, then went all-in on content when COVID ended face-to-face selling.

The conversation focuses on authentic leadership, helping team members bring their whole selves to work, and building strong relationships to uncover hidden talents. Anthony argues many leaders get stuck playing a role, and advises subtracting what isn’t essential to better serve custom...

This Impactful Teamwork Podcast episode, inspired by Ron Friedman’s Harvard Business Review article “How to Build a Super Team that Keeps Getting Better,” explains how top “super teams” improve over time and links the ideas to the host’s Unbridled Teamship roadmap (trust, contribution, adaptability).

Drawing on research from 6,000+ knowledge workers, it highlights that super teams manage time/energy/attention well, make one another feel better, and continually build skills. The episode focuses on seven practices: run more small experiments and reward intelligent risk-taking; model curiosity and admit what you don’t know to build psychological safety; ask “w...

Host Julia welcomes transformational coach Sheila Belanger to discuss how leaders can resource themselves as business paradigms shift and old models become unfit.

Sheila emphasises reconnecting with nature and activating “other ways of knowing” beneath the strategic mind: body/gut instinct, heart wisdom and emotional intelligence, and imagination. She offers practical steps such as breathing before meetings, feeling feet on the ground, and briefly touching the heart to regulate and sense the room.

Sheila also introduces “inner team” stewardship—tracking who has “the keys to the car” (e.g., wounded or reactive parts) and returning leadership to...

This episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast focuses on “Reward the Try” and how psychological safety enables innovation, decision-making velocity, retention, and accountability in frenetic, uncertain business conditions.

The host argues most teams have a “psychological safety debt,” causing risk avoidance, silence, politics, and leader dependency, and asks listeners to rate how safe their teams feel to experiment.

Drawing on Amy Edmondson’s definition and Google’s Project Aristotle findings, the episode explains that psychological safety supports learning, high standards with low fear, and effective team dynamics.

Four practices are offered: frame work as learning...

In this special Podcaston Week episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, host Julia Felton speaks with Simon Errington, CEO of Children in Distress, about the charity’s 35-year journey from supporting Romanian children after the fall of communism to evolving its focus toward funding grassroots projects in the UK while maintaining legacy work in Romania.

Simon shares current initiatives including Casa Maria in Bucharest for children with neurological and physical disabilities, an annual 5,000-shoebox Christmas campaign, and UK pilot programs in Hull that build community, education, and confidence through cooking clubs and heritage-language learning.

He di...

Host Julia Felton welcomes health and fitness expert Brian Parana to discuss how leaders’ physical and mental fitness affects business performance, team energy, and credibility. They argue self-care must be treated like a business department and built through systems and processes rather than relying on discipline or willpower.

Brian explains how health influences confidence, clarity, and professional outcomes, sharing an example of a client who lost 13 pounds and secured a $65,000 higher salary.

Practical foundations include adequate hydration, daily movement (10K steps), strength training 2–3 times weekly, 6–7+ hours of sleep, and nutrition focused on food quality and portio...

In this 100th birthday episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, host Julia Felton reflects emotionally on reaching 100 episodes, her love of lifelong learning, and why she keeps guest conversations organic amid concerns about losing human connection to AI.

She shares her backstory as an award-winning business owner, Amazon bestselling author, and creator of the Unbridled Business Blueprint and Unbridled Teamship roadmap, inspired by nature and equine-assisted leadership.

Julia recounts building a global hospitality data analytics business inside Arthur Andersen/Deloitte, the impact of the Enron scandal on trust and stability, and her eventual burnout. A...

Welcome to the Impactful Teamwork Podcast with your host Julia Felton. In this episode, Julia is joined by Steve Frazier, a serial entrepreneur, self-sabotage coach, and author of 'Release the Coffee Cuffs.'

Steve shares his entrepreneurial journey, from starting as a paperboy to building multiple restaurants and battling self-sabotage. He highlights key strategies for overcoming physical and mental self-sabotage, the importance of passion and motivation in business, and the necessity of detailed business planning.

Steve also discusses how to maintain a positive mindset, the value of journaling, and the power of positive affirmations for...

Recorded for Chinese New Year on 17 February 2026, this episode marks the start of the Fire Horse year and explores what that shift means for leadership and business.

The host contrasts the previous Year of the Snake—focused on shedding, refinement, truth-seeing, and releasing what no longer serves—with the Fire Horse invitation for clean, aligned action, courage, and momentum without chaos or burnout. Using lessons from working with horses as “leadership mirrors,” the episode emphasises leading as a living system rather than managing like a machine, highlighting how teams (like herds) read energy, respond to clarity, and need saf...

In this episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, host Julia Felton welcomes Victor Martinez, President and Founder of Elite Life Coaching. Together, they discuss the transformative power of teamwork, leadership in high-stakes environments, and strategies for eliminating excuses to achieve excellence.

Martinez shares insightful lessons from his military career, emphasizing trust, loyalty, and effective communication within teams. The discussion also explores how these principles can be applied to business settings to create high-performing, cohesive teams. Tune in for actionable advice on building trust, managing team dynamics, and fostering a productive work environment.

00:00 Introduction to Impactful...

In this episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, host Julia Felton dives into the critical importance of reinvention in business.

Using the historical example of the Titanic's sinking, Julia highlights six warning signs that went unnoticed, leading to the disaster. These lessons are directly applied to modern business practices, emphasising the need for proper handovers, correct equipment, safety drills, adequate resources, prioritising the right tasks, and not relying solely on past successes.

Julia introduces the concept of 'Titanic Syndrome' and encourages businesses to stay vigilant and adaptable to avoid their own potential downfalls.

00:00...

Welcome to this week's edition of Impactful Teamwork!

Join us as we talk to Brian Vogel, the founder of Sun Dog Coaching and co-founder of Sensible HR. With 25 years of HR experience, Brian shares his journey into coaching, elaborating on how he shifted his career to focus on leadership coaching and mental fitness.

Discover how his background as a swim coach has influenced his approach to HR and coaching, and gain valuable insights into developing coaching skills, the importance of one-on-ones, and affirming and adjusting team behaviours.

Brian also introduces tools like the...

In this episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, host Julia Felton delves into the crucial topic of reinvention and its importance for businesses in 2026 and beyond.

Julia discusses the concept of reinvention as a mindset shift akin to moving from a fixed to a growth mindset. She provides insights on how reinvention can serve as a systemic approach to thriving in chaos, much like nature continually adapts.

Julia also introduces a practical framework—the four R's of reinvention: reflect, reimagine, recalibrate, and repeat. Highlighting significant statistics and offering practical tips, this podcast aims to equip yo...

In this episode of 'Impactful Teamwork,' host Julia Felton welcomes Maria Brink, founder and president of Zynergy International. The discussion centres on the need for a shift from traditional, hyper-masculine leadership models to more balanced, inclusive, and ecologically mindful approaches.

Maria shares insights from her book, 'The Leadership We Need,' emphasising the importance of incorporating diverse voices, widening circles of connection, and balancing masculine and feminine leadership traits.

The conversation also explores the concept of 'poly crises' and what can be learned from indigenous and animal leadership structures. Both Julia and Maria highlight...

In this episode of Impactful Teamwork, the host delves into the impact of AI in business, emphasising the importance of human vitality over machine functionality.

Drawing on insights from Daniel Priestley and ancient Stoic virtues, the discussion highlights how AI assumes repetitive tasks, leaving humans to bring their unique energy, authenticity, and leadership to the table. The episode encourages leaders to transition from managing tasks to fostering team vitality, using AI as a partner to enhance overall performance and overcome modern challenges like burnout and misalignment.

00:00 Introduction and New Year Greetings

00:11 Exploring the...

In this episode of Impactful Teamwork, host Julia Felton is joined by Stuart Webb, an expert in transforming businesses through scientific approaches. Stuart shares his journey from a scientific career to entrepreneurship, emphasising the power of applying scientific principles to business processes.

They delve into Stuart's innovative PATH system (Purpose, Action, Team, Harmony) and his structured four-step process for effective team management: feedback, one-on-one meetings, coaching, and delegation.

The discussion highlights the importance of starting small, giving consistent feedback, and the role of empathy in leadership. Stuart also emphasises the benefits of establishing systems and...

Join Julia Felton in this week's episode of Impactful Teamwork where she delves into the significance of gratitude and appreciation, especially during the year-end holiday season.

Reflecting on both personal and professional experiences, Julia emphasises the transformative impact of practicing daily gratitude on lowering stress levels and enhancing team performance. She shares insights, studies, and practical tips on how leaders can foster a culture of appreciation within their teams, leading to increased trust, energy, and productivity.

Julia invites listeners to adopt specific gratitude practices and challenges them to recognize and appreciate their team members' contributions...

In this heartfelt episode of 'Impactful Teamwork,' Julia shares her personal journey of rest, reflection, and reinvention from Thailand. Prompted by a series of personal losses and the realisation of unprocessed grief, Julia emphasises the necessity of taking time out from the daily grind to recharge physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Speaking from a detox retreat, Julia discusses the significance of health in achieving business success and offers insights into the value of self-care and finding one's identity post-retirement. Listeners are encouraged to carve out time for self-reflection to improve overall well-being and leadership efficacy.

Welcome to this week's episode of Impactful Teamwork! Join Julia Felton as she sits down with Alfred Poor, a keynote speaker and technology expert with a passion for virtual meetings.

In this episode, Alfred shares invaluable insights on how business leaders can improve their virtual presence and become more influential during online meetings. From enhancing lighting and sound quality to being intentional about your visual setup, Alfred covers essential tips to help you make a stronger impact in virtual settings.

Whether you're pitching to investors or collaborating with your team, these practical strategies will elevate...

Welcome to this week's episode of Impactful Teamwork! Join host Julia Felton as she interviews Teri Pruitt, a seasoned Broadway professional with experience on iconic shows like Wicked and The Lion King.

Teri shares fascinating insights on how the dynamics of backstage teamwork in theatre can be applied to business. From the necessity of having contingency plans to the importance of trust and adaptability, this episode is packed with practical analogies and tips.

Don't miss Teri's advice on creating a collaborative and highly motivated team environment, as well as the concept of 'shove with love...

In this episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, Julia Felton delves into the essential topic of trust in organisations, prompted by recent high-profile trust breaches like the BBC's reporting scandal and a CEO's public misconduct at the Coldplay concert..

The episode explores the importance of trust as the foundational glue and lubricant that holds teams and businesses together. Julia discusses how trust is built and lost, using analogies from horse herds and discussing lessons from her book 'Unbridled Business.' She emphasises the role of authentic leadership and accountability in rebuilding trust, offering practical strategies and insights...

In this episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, host Julia Felton explores the role of creativity in business with Dr. Andre Walton, an expert in organisational creativity.

Dr. Walton shares insights into his creative journey, influenced by his artistic parents, and discusses the importance of balancing divergent and convergent thinking to prevent burnout. They delve into strategies for fostering creativity in the workplace, the necessity of embedding innovation as a core value, and the importance of creating a safe space for individuality. The episode also highlights practical steps leaders can take to balance their thinking and nurture...

In this episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, we delve into the critical role of mindset and beliefs in leadership.

Host Julia Felton discusses how success in business is 80% mindset and 20% skillset, influenced by her personal journey and recent training in Psych-K. She shares insights from Muriel Wilkins' book 'Leadership Unblocked,' exploring seven common 'hidden blockers' that impede leadership effectiveness, and offers practical steps on how to identify and reframe limiting beliefs to boost productivity and team dynamics.

Join us as we uncover the power of positive beliefs in shaping your leadership destiny.

In this episode of the 'Impactful Teamwork Podcast,' host Julia Felton welcomes Regina Bergman, co-founder of Holy Grail and CEO of Bridgeport Strategy.

Together, they discuss the significance of teamwork as a competitive advantage in business, exploring strategies for effective hiring and team management. Regina shares her expertise on behavioural interviewing, the importance of placing individuals in roles suited to their strengths, and the value of continuous team development.

They also touch on the challenges CEOs face when scaling their businesses and the emerging trend of co-CEO models for distributing leadership responsibilities. Regina provides...

In this episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, host Julia Felton explores the concept of 'flow,' an optimal state of consciousness where individuals perform at their best.

Drawing from her experiences with equine facilitated leadership retreats, Julia discusses the power of experiential learning and how working with horses provides instant feedback on leadership styles. She outlines the stages and triggers of flow, offers practical advice on achieving and maintaining this state, and emphasises the importance of creating distraction-free environments and intrinsic motivation.

Julia also highlights the benefits of group flow in enhancing team performance...

In this episode of Impactful Teamwork, host Julia Felton is joined by Karen Borain, a seasoned expert in the hospitality industry with 43 years of experience, including 35 years at Southern Sun Hotels.

They discuss the essential role of teamwork in hospitality, the dynamics of managing diverse teams, and the importance of self-awareness and communication for leaders.

Karen shares insights on overcoming hierarchical structures, promoting inter-departmental collaboration, and practical strategies for effective leadership, onboarding, and succession planning in an industry characterised by high turnover.

Listeners are encouraged to focus on clarifying their team's purpose and...

In this episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, host Julia Felton explores the concept of shared leadership and its impact on business success. Through case studies of major companies like Netflix, Comcast, and Oracle, Julia discusses the benefits and challenges of co-CEO models.

She introduces the Diamond Model of Leadership, emphasising the importance of distributing leadership roles to enhance productivity, creativity, and decision-making.

Julia also shares insights from her unique experience with horse herds to illustrate effective leadership dynamics. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their own leadership structures and consider implementing shared leadership within...

In this episode of the Impactful Teamwork podcast, Julia Felton explores how to deal with chaotic leadership that creates disruption rather than clarity. Drawing from her coaching experience and research by McKinsey and Gallup, Julia discusses the negative ripple effects a chaotic CEO can have on an organisation, including stifled innovation, lack of trust, and a toxic culture.

She presents five strategies to manage and mitigate these effects: manage up with intention, build agreements on communication and roles, amplify external voices, form a coalition with peers, and practice strategic patience.

Julia uses analogies from nature...

In this episode of the Impactful Teamwork Podcast, host Julia speaks with Ulli Hildebrand, a strategic talent architect from Pinpoint Solutions, about why teamwork and talent are the ultimate competitive advantages in business.

Ulli emphasises the importance of recognising talent, leadership mindset, and setting healthy boundaries. They discuss the often overlooked but crucial aspect of corporate culture and its impact on team dynamics and organisational success.

Ulli shares insights on effective leadership, the challenges companies face when scaling, and the necessity of empowering teams. The conversation also touches on personal lessons learned from working with...