Women in Transport

The Fundamentals of Human Performance: Resilience in Leadership with Kai-Nneka Townsend and Sharon Pickering

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Episode notes

In this episode of Women in Transport, we’re speaking to Kai-Nneka Townsend and Sharon Pickering about the fundamentals of human performance and resilience in leadership. 

Kai-Nneka shares her experience with workplace burnout and the importance of leaders building resilience to manage stress and support their teams. Sharon emphasizes the holistic approach to human performance, integrating physiological, cognitive, and emotional elements. They discuss the critical health and safety issues in transport, such as public interaction and emotional well-being. Both stress the importance of negotiation, self-reflection, and adaptability in leadership to foster a supportive work environment.

Kai-Nneka is a dedicated Leadership Resilience and Burnout Consultant whose primary mission is to empower leaders and their teams with the resilience and stress management strategies necessary to foster a sustainable and thriving work environment. She provides tailored workshops, one-on-one coaching, and evidence-based interventions that empower leaders to recognise and address the early signs of burnout. Her inclusive approach is rooted in evidence-based techniques designed to help leaders set boundaries, advocate for their well-being, and sustain their unique leadership style in industries where they are often underrepresented. By equipping her clients with the right tools, Kai-Nneka helps leaders stay resilient, confident, and aligned with their personal values, all while excelling in their careers.

Kai-Nneka is also a certified DiSC® Practitioner, using this powerful assessment tool to enhance organisational teamwork, communication, and productivity. Through her work, she inspires cultural and behavioural shifts that drive long-term, positive change in the workplace.

Sharon Pickering is an internationally recognised Human Factors expert with extensive experience across safety critical industries. Her multidisciplinary education, flying experience, and expertise in state-of-the-art technology integration uniquely places her to understand and solve Human Factors challenges. Her global career has spanned NASA Ames, aircraft manufacturers, and Warwick Medical School. She has personally observed extraordinary people skills in complex settings like air-to-air refueling and brain surgery, leading to the design and implementation of successful and sustainable improvement initiatives. 

Sharon is an accomplished author, a scientist, a human performance training creator, and a HealthTech / MedTech innovation developer and advisor. As the Founder and CEO of sp Human Elements LTD, optimising human performance is at the forefront of Sharon’s mission to prevent health-state decline and save lives. She appreciates first-hand the importance of innovation and continually strives to inspire and impact pioneering work whilst ensuring that the human remains as the core element through relatable and accessible Human Factors Integration and tools.

Find out more about the Women in Transport Intersectionality Programme www.womenintransport.com/intersectionality

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Women in Transport is presented by Shireen Ali-Khan from Women in Transport.

The series is produced by Emily Crosby Media with editing assistance from Liam Heffernan.