Running Into the Void: Leading With Empathy When Life Changes Everything - Episode 12 with Jamie Ward

What does it really mean to lead with empathy—especially when life rewrites your story? It’s Jamie’s personal story that makes this conversation unforgettable. After experiencing sight loss, he shares how learning to accept help transformed his independence, deepened his empathy, and reshaped how he supports others—especially leaders managing pressure, people, and performance in the “squeezed middle.”

In this powerful episode of The Empowered Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Jamie Ward, Head of Talent & Learning at Channel 4, to talk about human-first leadership, resilience, and the kind of authenticity you can’t fake. Jamie’s career journey is extraordinary—from selling banknote paper across the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe during a period of huge historical change, to shaping leaders inside one of the UK’s most iconic broadcasters.

Together Jamie and I explore:

• What empathy actually looks like at work (and what to avoid)

• Why people don’t need “fixing”—they need to be heard

• The leadership power of coaching skills, open questions, and presence

• How Channel 4 uses real employee stories to build genuinely empathetic leaders

• Resilience lessons from running a half marathon with a guide runner—“running into the void”

• A joyful closing on what genre Jamie’s life story would be (plus his dream actor!)