Your Time With James Sweetman

Episode 189 Why are we meeting?

We’ve all left meetings wondering -‘What was the point of that?’ This week, I share 10 practical strategies for making meetings efficient, engaging, and worthwhile. I also explore how meetings are culture in action, the power of questions over statements, and why a meeting without psychological safety is a performance, not a conversation. And if you’ve never heard of ‘the meeting within the meeting,’ the unspoken dynamics that tell you everything about leadership and team health, you’ll want to tune in.

Episode 188 Change, fear and the power of feeling safe

Change isn’t just a strategic challenge, it’s an emotional one. This week I’m exploring why so many change initiatives fail before they even begin, namely because of the absence of psychological safety.

I’ll also look at the emotional barriers to change, the common pitfalls to avoid, and how leaders can create environments where growth feels safe. I’ll go beyond the workplace too, because personal change also needs safety. As I say in the episode- self-compassion is the psychological safety of personal change.

So if you’re navigating change, within your team or in your own life, this is an episode I’m sure you’ll find worthwhile.

Episode 187 Resilience - from 'why me' to 'let me'

This week I’m exploring the topic of resilience, not as an heroic soundtrack moment, but as a soft, steady strength, a whisper that helps us move from ‘why me’ to ‘let me.’ We’ll look at how resilience helps us navigate uncertain times and why it’s less about bouncing back and more about recalculating, like your inner GPS when life takes an unexpected turn.

I share practical tips for building resilience in everyday life. There’s many reflection questions to ponder too, including ‘when was the last time I surprised myself with my own resilience?’ Because chances are you already have!

Episode 186 How to deal with a difficult co-worker - whilst keeping your cool!

We’ve all encountered people who drain our energy, test our patience, or trigger us in ways we can’t always explain. This week, I’m sharing tools, insights, and fresh perspectives to help you deal with a difficult co-worker. I’ll show you how to respond rather than react, and how to protect your peace of mind without losing your integrity. We’ll explore how to reclaim your power in difficult dynamics and how sometimes our most challenging colleagues can become unlikely teachers. So if you’re navigating a tricky relationship, or just want to feel more grounded when things get tense, this episode is for you.

Episode 185 I met my younger self for coffee

This week’s episode was inspired by a beautiful poem ‘I met my younger self for coffee at 10.15’ by Jennae Cecelia. I imagine sitting down with my 18-year-old self, the one just out of school, starting his first job and full of questions. It began as a private journaling exercise, but the more I wrote, the more I felt it might resonate with others. It’s a reflection on choices, resilience, and self-acceptance, an internal conversation that many of us rarely pause to have. Let it be a reminder that sometimes the person we most need to hear from is ourselves.

Episode 184 Is it confidence you're lacking - or permission?

We often think we need confidence before we can act, to speak up, to take a risk, to try something new. But what if it’s not confidence we’re lacking. What if it’s permission?

This week, I look at how we’ve been conditioned to seek permission from others, but how real change happens when we stop waiting for approval, and start giving ourselves permission to begin.

I also delve into the quiet but powerful role of willingness, the force that precedes courage. Willingness is what nudges us forward when confidence hasn’t yet arrived.

I also explore what it means to move from inner waiting to inner agency and how small acts of bravery can stretch our comfort zones and shift our lives.

Episode 183 Know thyself - cultivating self-awareness

This week, I’m unpacking self-awareness not just as a concept, but as a practice. I explore how self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence and I make the distinction between the small ‘s’ self and the capital ‘S’ Self and how self-awareness helps us move beyond ego and reconnect with our authentic nature. And of course I share ways to help you enhance your levels of self-awareness. It’s said that ignorance is bliss, but is it really? True growth begins the moment we step out of autopilot and start seeing ourselves clearly. Because the more you know yourself, the more power you have to shape your life with intention.

Episode 182 The power of doing nothing

What if the key to greater clarity, creativity, and leadership isn’t doing more, but doing less? In our fast-paced world, we glorify the grind, chasing the next goal and filling every moment with activity or distraction. But what if the real breakthroughs happen in the gaps, in the space where we allow new ideas to emerge? This week, I look at why stillness isn’t laziness, but a strategy for better decision-making and deeper insights. I take you through the different types of rest we all need but rarely prioritise and I invite you to participate in a short experiment that I call “embracing the pause”. If you’ve ever felt guilty for slowing down, this episode is for you.

Episode 181 Will we ever break free from power-based leadership?

We’re all familiar with power-based leadership, where authority comes from titles and roles. But what about authentic leadership that is grounded in integrity, and character? This week, I explore the difference between role-based power and human-centred leadership. I look at why we seek certainty in times of crisis and how leading with authenticity fosters trust, inspires growth, and creates lasting impact especially in times of uncertainty.

Episode 180 The Courage Project: A Conversation with Carol Mannion

What does it mean to be courageous? This week, I’m joined by Carol Mannion, co-founder of The Courage Project. We discuss how to walk with fear rather than be held back by it, as well as the quiet, everyday acts of bravery that often go unnoticed. Carol shares many insights including the enablers of courage—perspective, power, purpose, and presence. It’s a conversation packed with inspiration, and practical wisdom.