The Quiet Power of the Empathetic Leader with...

Team Simon here! While A Bit of Optimism is on a short break, we’re revisiting a few episodes you helped make some of our favorites. We’ll be back with brand-new conversations next week, on March 24th, 2026. In the meantime, we’re bringing back an episode that explores a word mos ...  Show more

Hello from Team Simon! We’re taking a short hiatus, but A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes March 24th. In the meantime, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes. Episodes that many of you who listened, shared them, and told us what resonated. This week, w ...  Show more

In this episode, our host Ash Bhardwaj speaks with CSgt Anwar Pitters, an experienced British Army leader whose career has been defined by his dedication to developing soldiers and maintaining the highest standards of leadership. With a wealth of operational experience and a p ...

A trigger warning- this podcast discusses combat operations in detail, talks about injury, death and the psychological impact of combat, you may want to skip this episode if this will affect you. In this episode, our Host Ash Bhardwaj, speaks with WO1 Aidan O’Brien, Regimental Se ...  Show more

Leadership can be a lonely business. They say you should be one with, not one OF the team. Leaders have so much pressure on them and it can be so difficult to navigate the journey on your own, especially as a new leader. I know, I have the battle scars to prove it. I spent the be ...  Show more

Shandy Welch: Leadership Coach Shandy Welch is an executive leadership coach. Her coaching focus is around humanizing leadership and re-engaging individuals and teams to inspire change and innovation. She is also a Coaching for Leaders Fellow. Most leaders find themselves — at le ...  Show more