The Unlock Moment: find your purpose for leadership and life

Some moments don’t arrive gently. They shake you awake and force you to see the world differently. For Professor Arad Reisberg, that clarity began in childhood, sitting on “whites only” benches in apartheid-era South Africa and feeling, long before he had language for it, that something was deeply wrong. Growing up openly gay, Jewish and a migrant, he learned early what it meant to move through the world as both insider and outsider. Years later, a quiet moment at home changed everything. His husband, a cardiologist, listened to his chest, paused, and said the words that led to a life-altering diagnosis and open-heart surgery. Recovery brought its own lessons - about invisible struggles, misplaced expectations and the humanity we all rely on but rarely talk about. Emerging from that experience, Arad found a clarity he hadn’t had before. A sharper sense of what matters, what doesn’t, and why lived experience is often the most powerful form of leadership. And he understood that real change, whether in education, healthcare or society, starts with empathy, courage and the willingness to truly listen. This conversation is a reminder that purpose isn’t discovered in titles or achievements … but in the moments that break the script and show us who we really are.

In a time when companies talk about culture but struggle to live it, one truth stands out: culture doesn’t happen by accident … it happens by design. Father and daughter James and Krista White have spent their careers on opposite ends of the leadership spectrum - James in the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies, Krista in the world of purpose-driven strategy and social impact. Together, they’ve written Culture by Design, a blueprint for building organisations that are high-performing, human and intentional. We talk about leading across generations, the role of empathy as a true leadership skill, and how to close the gap between what companies say they value and what people actually experience every day. Their story is a powerful reminder that great culture isn’t inherited … it’s created, moment by moment, choice by choice, by leaders who dare to design it.

We all carry an inner fear of failure ... of getting it wrong, falling short, or not becoming who we thought we should be. But what if the moments you label as “failure” are actually the turning points that reveal who you truly are? In this Box of Keys episode, I explore the quiet power of failure - not as the opposite of success, but as the path that shapes it. I share the story of Retail Trust CEO Chris Brook-Carter, who experienced a career-shaking setback that ultimately transformed his leadership. And I reflect on my own moment of feeling like I’d failed when I stepped away from medicine … only to discover, years later, that leaving was the most important Unlock Moment of my life. Failure doesn’t diminish you. It redirects you. It teaches you who you are, where you thrive, and what matters most. If you’ve been holding on to a moment you wish had gone differently, this key is for you ... because the part of your story you’re most reluctant to revisit might just be the chapter that changed everything.

We tell ourselves there’s always time ... time to start the dream project, make the change, take the leap. But when life throws us a wake-up call, we realise how fragile that assumption is. In this Box of Keys episode, I reflect on the moving story of Hayley Thomas, who, after her husband’s cancer diagnosis at 40, chose to stop waiting for the “right” moment and launch their fashion business, Eleven Loves, right in the middle of his treatment. Their courage is a reminder that the best time to begin isn’t someday ... it’s now. Because when we truly understand that time isn’t infinite, we stop procrastinating and start prioritising what matters most.

Stepping into leadership can feel overwhelming ... especially when you’re looking around at how everyone else does it. But here’s the truth: no-one else leads like you, because no-one else is you. In this Box of Keys episode, I discuss why the best leaders don’t copy someone else’s style - they lean into their own strengths and lead in a way that feels authentic. Drawing on Gallup research and years of coaching experience, I share why self-awareness is the key to confident, effective leadership, and how to let go of comparison so you can inspire others in a way that only you can. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “doing leadership right”, this conversation will remind you that your unique approach is exactly what your team needs.

What if disagreement is exactly what your team needs? In this Box of Keys episode, I explore why pushing too hard for total agreement can actually hold your team back. When everyone feels pressured to nod along with the strategy, what you often get is hidden tension, quiet resentment, and a lack of true engagement. But disagreement isn’t a problem to eliminate ... it’s an opportunity to explore. When we create space for dissent and ask questions like “tell me more about why you disagree,” we uncover blind spots, surface fresh ideas, and build strategies that people truly believe in. This episode is a reflection on how leaders can turn moments of tension into moments of clarity. By leaning into disagreement with curiosity, we transform conflict into creativity, invite real collaboration, and ultimately move the team forward together with greater energy and commitment.

You can’t fix what no one feels safe to say out loud. In this episode, I sit down with astronaut Dr Charles Camarda to explore the cultural roots of catastrophic failure ... and how even the most advanced organisations can lose their way. We talk about the moments that led to the Columbia tragedy, the silence that surrounded it, and what Charlie learned when he was removed from his role after speaking out. This is a conversation about what real leadership looks like in high-pressure environments. Not just launching missions - but creating space for truth, dissent, and critical thinking at every level of a team. Charlie Camarda is a former NASA astronaut, research engineer, and Director of Engineering. He’s spent nearly five decades working at the intersection of innovation and risk ... and he’s on a mission to help leaders learn from the failures we don’t talk about enough.