About this podcast
Frustrated & Exhausted explores the realities of leadership inside modern organisations.
Hosted by Ruth Wood, the podcast looks beyond individual capability to the conditions that shape how work really happens - from decision-making and team dynamics to trust, challenge and organisational culture.
Through solo episodes and conversations with senior leaders, it offers a thoughtful, practical perspective on what helps people and teams perform at their best - and what quietly gets in the way.”
Episodes
The newest 20 of 128 episodes
- When Meetings Become Theatre – Why We Perform At Work and What Makes Meetings Better · 18 min · Episode 127In this episode of Frustrated and Exhausted, Ruth dives deep into the performative nature of workplace meetings, exploring why so many of us feel compelled to "act" in these…
- Trusting Yourself: Building A Career Beyond Expectations with Naveli Ahuja-Mehta · 57 min · Episode 126In this episode, Ruth sits down with Naveli Ahuja-Mehta, an accomplished finance director whose career has spanned continents and industries—from India to Kenya to Austria to the…
- Niceness Is Not Trust: Why Disagreement Feels Risky at Work · 15 min · Episode 125In this episode, Ruth explores the underlying reasons why intelligent, experienced people often hold back from saying what they really think at work—especially on leadership…
- The Conditions That Make Change Possible with Kathryn Eade · 38 min · Episode 124In this episode, Ruth is joined by Kathryn Eade, Head of Strategic Change at the University of Salford and founder of the Female Leadership Collective. With over 20 years'…
- The Leadership Conditions Nobody Talks About: What Actually Drives Performance · 12 min · Episode 123In this episode, Ruth explores the hidden drivers behind team and organizational performance that are rarely discussed—conditions and systems rather than just individual…
- When To Push & When To Walk Away – How Leaders Decide Between Persistence & Pivoting with Tina Munglani · 35 min · Episode 122In this episode, Ruth is joined by Tina Muglani Siddiqui, whose dynamic career has spanned the aviation, hospitality, and construction industries, as well as her current role in…
- When Smart People Stop Speaking – Psychological Safety In Teams · 9 min · Episode 121In this episode, Ruth unpacks the subtle dynamics that emerge when highly capable people in organizations become hesitant to speak up in team settings. Drawing from a recent…
- Why Good People Feel Exhausted At Work · 10 min · Episode 120In this episode, Ruth dives into a pervasive issue she’s observed in high-performing organizations: why even the most capable, committed people end up feeling exhausted at work…
- A Quiet Shift For Frustrated & Exhausted · 6 min · Episode 119In this episode of "Frustrated and Exhausted," Ruth returns after a brief pause to reflect on what’s really at the root of burnout, frustration, and stagnation—especially for…
- When Leaders Mean Well · 11 min · Episode 118In this episode I explore a tough but hopeful topic: why trust can erode in organizations even when leaders have the best intentions. Drawing from real conversations and coaching…
- Too Nice to Trust? · 11 min · Episode 117Welcome to Frustrated and Exhausted, In this episode, we dig into an important leadership topic: the difference between genuine trust and simply being “nice” within senior teams…
- Why Leaders Avoid Clarity · 12 min · Episode 116Welcome back to another episode of Frustrated and Exhausted. In this episode, I dive deep into the reasons why leaders often shy away from clarity—and the real costs this can…
- Pointless Leadership Conversations · 12 min · Episode 115Welcome back to Frustrated and Exhausted! In this insightful episode, I dive into the reality behind those endlessly repetitive leadership conversations that never seem to spark…
- Belonging Is A Performance Issue · 12 min · Episode 114In this episode, I explore the often-overlooked connection between belonging and performance at work. Rather than framing belonging as something "nice" or optional, I make the…
- Living With The Cost Of Unreliable Leadership · 12 min · Episode 113In this episode of Frustrated and Exhausted, Speaker I dive into the powerful topic of how unreliable leadership impacts women, their well-being, and their performance at work…
- The Year We Carried · 11 min · Episode 112In this reflective year-end episode, I take listeners on a gentle pause to sit with the reality of the year they've just carried. It's not the polished, social-media version of…
- The Permission Slip · 7 min · Episode 111Welcome to "Frustrated and Exhausted, a podcast dedicated to empowering women in their careers and leadership journeys without compromising well-being or sanity. In this…
- The Inclusion Edit · 32 min · Episode 110Welcome to another episode of "Frustrated and Exhausted," where we talk all things women, career, and leadership without sacrificing well-being. This episode, “The Inclusion…
- The Purpose Edit · 25 min · Episode 109Welcome to the two-year anniversary of Frustrated and Exhausted! In this special “Purpose Edit” episode, we’re taking a grounded look at what purpose really means for women’s…
- The Resilience Edit · 22 min · Episode 108Welcome to a special two-year anniversary compilation episode of "Frustrated and Exhausted." This week, the focus is on resilience—but not in the “just carry on” sense. The…
