Tales from the Departure Lounge

#26 Leanne Linacre (A Brave New World)

• Andy Plant & Nick Cuthbert • Season 2 • Episode 26

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Do you want to change the world? Or at least leave it a little bit better than how you found it? Well then you need to get your hands dirty.

Leanne Linacre (LILA* Liverpool, Lead5050) shares her epic journey with us, from a transformational experience as a backpacker to being CEO of a company whose mission it is to create a fairer world for everyone - via teaching English overseas and forgetting, well, nearly everything.

We cover a lot of ground:

- What makes Liverpool so....Liverpool?
- Are the younger generation more responsible?
- Who actually goes running on a business trip?

Final boarding call: Thailand

If you want to find out about Lead5050 as mentioned in the episode visit: https://www.lead5050.com/

This episode is sponsored by Duolingo. Today over 4500 institutions including Yale, Imperial and Trinity College Dublin have adopted the Duolingo English Test. If your university wants to join them then get in touch at www.englishtest.duolingo.com

Tales from the Departure Lounge is a Type Nine production for The PIE www.thepienews.com

Andy:

You look worried. Don't worry.

Nick:

We don't talk about that.

Andy:

We're just incredibly unprofessional.

Nick:

Welcome to Tales from the Departure Lounge. This is a podcast about travel for business, for pleasure, or for study. My name's Nick and I'm joined by my co-pilot, Andy. And together we're gonna be talking to some amazing guests about how travel has transformed their. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey. Welcome to the podcast.

Andy:

Today on the show we're joined by Leanne Lineker. She's a serial entrepreneur, co founder of Lyla in Liverpool, chair of Alto, the Association of Language Travel Operators, and she jointly set up Lead5050, a company focused on gender parity in the workplace. she had a realisation early in her career that opportunities weren't the same for men and women,

Nick:

So we talked about What it means to be a female traveller, but also what it means to be a female leader

Andy:

She had a really transformative experience in Southeast Asia that she describes, and then following on from that, she went on to teach in Greece and other countries. And that led her into the world of language schools.

Nick:

she's very privileged to welcome students to Liverpool, and she described the backpacker experience. The moment you go off, beyond your horizon and explore the world.

Andy:

She's the entrepreneur who's on a mission to rebalance the world. She leaves her running shoes at home, but also leaves her entire wardrobe in hotel rooms. An adrenaline junkie who likes to risk embarrassment for the sake of growth. Let's get some tales from the departure lounge, from Leanne Lineker.

Leanne:

we try and make sure that our students feel comfortable and safe and looked after because we've been in situations Every single bit of my clothing was still in the wardrobe. I hadn't packed anything, Every woman, I know, at some point has felt scared, vulnerable, like they might be subject to some kind of unwanted advance attack. I've given up taking my running shoes. Because that never, ever, ever happens. She came up out of the washroom. She was absolutely covered in leeches.

So before we get into the episode, a quick word about our sponsor. Have you noticed how tech is advancing so quickly? It's impacting all of our lives in unexpected ways. From robot vacuums to GPT recipes through to English language testing. Advances in AI now make it possible to offer secure, intelligent testing that's accessible anywhere and at a much reduced cost. Meaning everyone has access and who doesn't want that? Do you willing goes leading the way with their Duolingo English test? I personally am fascinated in how they're using generative AI to create tests that automatically adapt to a test takers abilities. Meaning tests don't need to last for hours for the sake of it. No more putting test takers through unnecessary repetitive questions. In fact, you would never get the same test item twice. It's efficient. I also allows Duolingo to eliminate the ways test takers, fake their identity or cheat on tests. And they're all counter validated by human proctors as well. But for me, it's because the test can be taken remotely and it's a third of the cost of traditional pen and paper tests. This means it removes barriers that prevent students from progressing with their education. No need to book slots that are oversubscribed or might be in a different country. Uh, pay high fees just for the privilege. Today, over 4,500 institutions like Yale, like Imperial and Trinity college, Dublin. have adopted the Duolingo English test. So if your university wants to join them, please click on the link in the episode notes and find out more and get in touch. Now let's get on with the episode

Andy:

Leanne, great to have you on. Welcome to the show.

Leanne:

all my stories to do with either being drunk, hungover, disorganized, scatty.

Andy:

Perfect, you're relatable. So the first question we always ask our guests is, if you could take our listeners anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Leanne:

one of the, most eye opening, beautiful, life changing journeys I did was, quite a long time ago. Was that when I was a backpacker? After I'd, been teaching a little bit in South Korea, me and my husband went, and did the, classic Southeast Asia. And we flew from a very... Wet, rainy, grey Manchester into Bangkok and took an overnight sleeper train down to the south of Thailand before we went over onto one of the islands and, and you pull out of Bangkok and it's all really, noisy, grimy, dusty, gorgeous, all those things, but just like absolute cacophony of noise and hustle and bustle. And, as the train pulls out of the station, it gets, a bit more countrysidey, a bit more peaceful. And then when we woke up in the morning. We were amongst palm trees and, oh my God, it was just so beautiful. And then we had to get on, a little boat over to one of the islands. And then, everyone piled on the back of a pickup truck. And, know, it was just so chaotic, but gorgeous and hectic. Um, when we got to our destination, which was a little, beach. on the remote part of Koh Phangan, I just burst into tears. It was so beautiful. I've never seen anything like it in my entire life. From of 48 hours ago being in Manchester to ending up in Koh Phangan and it was just absolutely gorgeous and I'd absolutely recommend that to anybody.

Andy:

this before Leonardo DiCaprio starred in The Beach?

Leanne:

About the same time, yeah.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

And did it feel like you were going to some secret paradise?

Leanne:

definitely. It was just such a massive adventure. And, of everyone helping each other with their backpacks and the excitement of getting there and the fact that it was just so different to anything I'd ever seen before.

Andy:

Any,, full moon parties?

Leanne:

Yep! There was the full moon parties, yeah, but there was some waterfall parties as well, you had to walk through the jungle to get to the party and there was a little bridge that took you from one side to the other and the river opened up into a pool and, a girl jumped into the pool and I thought, oh my God, I want to go in, I want to go in, and then just as I was about to Strip off and jump in. She came up out of the washroom. She was absolutely covered in leeches.

Andy:

Wow.

Leanne:

But it wasn't me.

Andy:

Well that sucks. Yeah. It is the, it is one of those places that's so magical and it's sort of shared experience that you have at that age as well. Everyone's so enthusiastic, everyone's so helpful. They're on this adventure together.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

Such a rite of passage in the 90s and noughties. It was like the thing to do.

Leanne:

I loved it. Absolutely loved it. But when I finished university, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do and I was just looking in the newspaper and found a little tiny job advert for an English teacher in Greece. And a lot of my friends had done gap years and been backpacking. Friends at university, not friends from back home in Middlesbrough. that. And it just seemed to me something that, was... Kind of out of my reach at the time because there's no way my mum and dad would have had a couple of grand to give me to go off for a year backpacking. So I saw the job advert Greece and I thought, well, it's a way to go and experience a different culture, but earn some money at the same time. And I went with my little, A to Z, got the train to London, then out to Croydon, and it was basically a job interview at some bloke in his terraced house. Sat there and had the job interview, he said, I can get you a job in Greece, you can be on a plane, and the next three weeks I went to Greece, and I was just talking to my friend about it recently. I think, I must have phoned my mum and dad about three or four times because there wasn't a phone in the house. We used to write letters, I went home at Christmas, but apart from that, I didn't see any of my friends, I didn't see any of my family. Because we weren't constantly connected by mobile phones and WhatsApp, we were a lot more independent back then. I've got two daughters now. And. We're just in constant, constant communication. It's, it, it never ends, apart from when they're asleep. We didn't have that kind of level of communication with anybody, so, it wasn't as mad as it sounds, just going off and being off grid. It's just, there wasn't a grid to be on.

Andy:

there wasn't an expectation because it wasn't possible. So check in when you can. And if you don't hear anything, it's okay.

Leanne:

no news is good news. You just, assume everyone's alright unless you hear something bad about it.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

when you look back at that now, as a young woman travelling, obviously there was some benefit to this bloke in Croydon sending you to Greece, do you feel that you were vulnerable, or do you feel that it was a really incredible opportunity?

Leanne:

an incredible opportunity. I mean, there were times when if I thought my daughters were doing some of the things, like even just when, when I got to Greece, it was late at night to a train station and phoned the woman that was going to work for. And she said, Oh, I've changed my mind. You need to go to the bus station. I was like, Oh my God. Um, had to get across from the train station to the bus station. So I had to find somebody who could help me. Finally got on the right bus, but the bus driver, Um, let me sit with him right near the front and when we stopped for know, the toilet breaks, he took me into the service station and bought me a cup of coffee and a massive plate of fruit and some cake and just looked after me. You're probably a bit vulnerable, but most people are alright. Most people are nice and kind and want to help and look after you. And I, I always remember. that guy on the bus helping me and how reassured I was. now when we've got the language school, me and my sister, we try and make sure that our students feel comfortable and safe and looked after because we've been in situations we can put ourselves in the shoes of the student

Andy:

We keep coming back to this theme that the world is full of nice people who genuinely want to help

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

you're talking about the moment that a young person steps out beyond the horizon the boundaries of their world., and it's okay,

Leanne:

it really is. And I'd really encourage anyone to do it. I feel a bit, sorry for people when I read that more and more people are choosing to stay at home instead of going away to university. and I know that costs a huge factor and it's a lot more expensive than it was like back in the day when I went to university. but that allows you to dip your toe into being independent, away from your family, I think it's a rite of passage that every young person should have access to and it's a shame that they're increasingly don't these days you don't necessarily need to go To Greece, or to Thailand, going from Middlesbrough to Hull was a massive adventure for me. I loved every minute of it.

Andy:

Do you think your daughters are more responsible than you were at their age?

Leanne:

yes, I do. on. I think, a lot of it's to do with the fact that everything they do is so visible, and recorded, and monitored. I wouldn't want them to be reckless and irresponsible and certainly wouldn't ever want them to put themselves in danger. But I think the fact that they know that they could be filmed it doesn't go away, does it? I feel like it's a shame for them really.

Andy:

That girl you were talking about who jumped into the waterfall covered in leeches. Somebody now would record that and she would be called Leech Girl for the rest of her life.

Leanne:

She'd be a meme, wouldn't she?

Andy:

Yeah.

Leanne:

They've certainly travelled a lot more than I did when I was their age. we did of the classic family package holidays, whereas they've been to... to Brazil and done a little bit more adventurous stuff,

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

and do they ever help out at the language school?

Leanne:

They've grown up with it. we posted students. All their lives, we've had students staying at the house from all over the world and they love that, we've had students from, God's Korea, Russia, Spain, Germany, Italy, all over We had a couple of girls from Brazil this summer and the girls love it. It's nice. It's good. Meeting people from different cultures and from all over the world is a brilliant leveler because you realize that everybody's. The same.

Andy:

You mentioned that you taught English in South Korea. How did that happen and what was that like?

Leanne:

I did a year in Greece and assumed that would be pretty much it really, me of doing the travel thing. Then I went to live in London. I had some friends that were living in London. Thinking would be the start of a proper career. And I got a job working in TV production as a runner and then production coordinator. but as much as I loved it was probably my first. experience of the fact that women's career opportunities and men's career opportunities were different because I was working for independent TV production companies. all of the ones I worked for were owned by men. The men were directors, the men were the producers, the men were the researchers, and the women were the production coordinators. the people of pulled the operations together and never got an opportunity to travel. So we were doing all the work behind the scenes, getting all the, equipment, the crews, the kits, booking the hotels, the flights, the accommodation, getting all the interviewees on board. And then all the men would go off to Vegas. Or New York, or wherever, to do the filming. And I was being a bit like, uh, when? I might get a chance to go. And I didn't really know how to change that status quo to change the situation at the time, and after a couple of years, I started thinking, maybe it's not me the career I thought I was going to have in it because I wanted to be the of the producer, the director, not stuck in the office, was talking to one of my sisters about going away again and she'd seen an opportunity to teach English in Korea and I thought, I'll have another, go at that. Me and my sister and my now husband went to Korea for a year to teach English and then I fell into teaching properly and that led on to the career I have now today.

Andy:

before this, I googled you. I did notice that you were on, IMDB, the, the movie site where it lists, production of TV and film. And your name is listed under, a guide to happiness. A TV program, a guide to happiness. Which is ironic, because it was, a guide to unhappiness.

Leanne:

Yeah, so that, was probably one of the last ones I worked on, actually. It was a six part, documentary series. It was a philosophy series with Alain de Botton. But that's a perfect example, because they went to Greece, to Italy, traveled all over the world and I was back in the offices in Kensington setting it all the confidence to push back a little bit more, I think. And, me and Ella started Lead 5050, which is really, to have some actual impact on gender equality and the opportunities women and men have in the workplace. Not just talking about it and complaining about it, but to actually, make a difference and level the playing field, because it needs a lot of leveling.

Andy:

For sure. The next section of the podcast is called Any Laptops, Liquids, or Sharp Objects? So when you go traveling, what do you have to take with you? Or do you have any travel hacks?

Leanne:

God, I've given up taking my running shoes. Because that never, ever, ever happens. I'm sick of packing my trainers and getting home and looking at them having failed miserably.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

You're representing the silent majority, who, take their gym kit and never use it.

Leanne:

saved the space in my suitcase with the heels, basically. but I've learned, from, experience that one thing I absolutely do take in my hand luggage is a, Print out my boarding pass and the hotel I'm going to stay at because I had a really horrible experience Once in an airport where my phone nearly ran out of battery and had everything on my phone And my charger wasn't working so I had to run around and find a Curry's in an airport and ask them if they'd charge my phone up for me and you both travel a lot as well. You kind of forget where you're going to stay, don't you? It's like I'm sure I can remember the name of my hotel and then you get to the airport on the other side and think, oh shit, where am I going? Where am I staying? Which hotel have I booked?

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

You've been too relaxed about it

Leanne:

And I always take, a copy of my marketing materials with me in my hand luggage in case I get to the fair and my suitcase doesn't turn up.

Andy:

Don't you know it off by heart now? You know all your marketing materials inside out, surely. Back to front.

Leanne:

Do, but not everybody else does, unfortunately.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

I studied in Liverpool, I want to hear your sales pitch

Leanne:

I always say Liverpool is, a city that's small enough for you to get to know quickly and feel really familiar and at home with, but big enough that there's something different to do every single weekend. you can walk around Liverpool city centre in 20 minutes, half an hour, there's loads of bars, restaurants, clubs, cafes. The nightlife's excellent for students. It's really, cost effective. It's really safe. It's very friendly. the home of the Beatles. I read a quote somewhere, that Liverpool's the city that thinks every night's a Saturday night.

Andy:

My favourite quote that I heard recently was at a survey asking the people of Birmingham where they thought England's second city was. And the people of Birmingham said Birmingham. And then they asked the people of Manchester, and the people of Manchester said Manchester. And then they asked the people of Liverpool, and Liverpool said London. And I think Liverpool is one of those places that is culturally very different within England. It seems to be very rebellious, and have its own thing going on.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

I just don't know any other, set of people that have such a strong sense of self. And I absolutely, loved my time there.

Leanne:

Maybe Newcastle's the same as well, but the fact that it's on the coast, looking out, and Liverpool very much looks out to, Ireland and America.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

Yeah.

Leanne:

It doesn't look in so much. I think that they say, and I don't particularly like it, but they say, Scouse not English. I don't know how I feel about that, but they've taken our students and really welcomed them into their homes and hearts.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

oldest Chinatown in the UK, I think.

Leanne:

in Europe.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

And then. Anthony Gormley in another place. the sculpture exhibition at Formby Beach. Andy, have you ever been? You've got to go on a dog walk there.

Andy:

No, I've seen it on Instagram. So I'm good.

Leanne:

If You don't need to then, see it on Instagram.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

Don't bother, mate. One of the things that I was shocked about this podcast is travel stories from women and how so much revolved around safety. We had this whole thing with Rachel McSween and the door wedge and you said to me, every woman I know has a story like that.

Leanne:

I mean, it's not just in our industry. I mean, it's like literally. Every woman, I know, at some point has felt scared, vulnerable, like they might be subject to some kind of unwanted advance attack. They have been, it's not just a feeling, it's awful really because it's going to be my girls as well at some point. And it must have been my mom, you know, it's not a very nice thing to think about, but it's the reality of life for over 50 percent of the population and, other vulnerable or marginalized groups as well. we said earlier in this conversation that the majority of people are a nice, good, decent people. Um, and I think sometimes. It's alcohol fueled Men don't realize that you're at a bar. having a drink with your friends doesn't necessarily mean that you want to be approached or followed to a lift or followed to the toilet, which happens on numerous occasions. I kind of had a realisation once that somebody had deliberately waited till I'd gone in the lift by myself and followed me into the lift.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

but is that in some vague hope that they're gonna start up a conversation with you and, a chance to talk to you? Or do you think it's much more more

Leanne:

it was a conversation, they wouldn't, they'd have approached Wouldn't they, when you're with your friends.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

Yeah, yeah, that's true. Yeah, that, yeah, When you put it like that.

Andy:

It's just being nice. It's just being a nice predator.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

there's, there's the Margot Robbie films that have been out. Barbie, obviously. I have a daughter but I have two sons as well sometimes I worry about the impression that it gives that men are bad the identity around men as well as women is being redefined.

Leanne:

Language matters. It really does. And I would hate to think that, your sons or my nephews felt like they were, being lumped into. this homogenous mass of bad men, because it's just simply not the case at all. And I think you've got to be careful with using things like male, pale and stale. I mean, it's, it's not nice as it's not a nice way to describe. We work in an industry with lots of men of a certain age who are perfectly lovely, work hard, they're good at their jobs, very respectful, nice people. Um, they've. Being able to get into positions of power and own their own businesses at a rate that women haven't because of know, society and the way it's been structured for centuries, not through any fault of their own. And I think now the important thing is. That people are open to dialogue and engaging and trying to change the leadership paradigm but, things aren't black and white, are they? There's a whole million shades of grey in between when we started Lead 50 50, we called it Lead 50 50 because we want to be, working together, men and women and we think that the way society has been doesn't serve men either, men experience strokes, heart attacks, burnout, because the traditionally had to be the heads of organizations or the breadwinner in the family, or they're not allowed to talk about their emotions and the statistics on male suicide are absolutely horrendous. So we're not about calling men out or calling anyone out. We want to call people into a conversation about a fairer, more inclusive world for everybody

Andy:

The industry that we're in often thinks that it's ahead of the curve in some of these areas. What do you think about education and where it is now and how it needs to change?

Leanne:

We've had so many conversations with, men who tell us there's no need for Lead 50 50. In education, and a lot of them say it. Our business owners who say, I employ loads of women. We don't need lead 50 50. It's like, yeah, but you're the boss and the people you have in the C suite with you are men, just because you employ loads of women. It doesn't mean there's equality. And people are starting to realize that what we've been talking about is, a reality. There are a lot of small schools and agents that are owner managed by women. And that's one of the reasons that got us thinking we needed to do something in the first place because I would be, at a workshop at ISEF Berlin and with people that were my peers, essentially. But my business was a hell of a lot smaller than the men that owned businesses. So I'd got an independent language school. In Liverpool, and it's a certain size, whereas the men that I was talking to were on their own businesses, had chains in, know, different territories. And I, how did they do it? And I can't, and they've just got different access to finance. They've got different access to, each other. They'd be like literally having conversations about how to crack this market. And I'd go off and I'd be like, Oh, that sounds interesting. And they'd stop talking about it. And not because they saw me as a competitor but because they didn't think I'd be interested in it.

Andy:

They didn't see you as a competitor. They saw you as not relevant to have the conversation with you. Which is far worse, isn't it?

Leanne:

Yeah. And they're nice people. They're not, trying to keep women down at all.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

Yeah,

Leanne:

So unless you're saying, look, this works for you, but you're a very small group, let's open it up and make it work for a lot more people.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

Unconscious bias, isn't it? There's an agency called Pickle Jar they used AI to go and look at all of the university websites and recreate a new website called the University of Anywhere. So the AI, the machine, looked at all the different elements and basically came up with a university website that looks like every other one. But one of the things the AI did was was create a bald, white, male, middle aged vice chancellor.

Leanne:

It's built in, it's sexism is built into AI because it's been programmed by human beings.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

On historical data, which, is skewed, because that's the way the society's been skewed. Leanne, how do you feel about two white privileged men having a podcast?

Leanne:

I love it. You're a nice, white, frivolous man. Do you know what I love as well? The fact that it's clear that you're making a conscious effort to get women on the podcast as well as men. So you're... Actively challenging your unconscious bias. I You're making an effort to make sure women are involved in the conversation as well, which hasn't gone unnoticed and it's appreciated.

Andy:

We thought, what does the podcast world need? Uh, two white men, just like us.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

having a chat.

Andy:

on. They're having a chat. Yeah. The next section of the podcast is called what's the purpose of your visit. So why do you do what you do

Leanne:

When I was thinking about why I do what I do and Why I want to work in areas that have a positive impact on people. I was thinking about the fact that when I was younger, I did a politics degree and I thought that I wanted to get into politics or journalism or something along those lines. and then fell into first of all, teaching English and then running a language school and a college, which does have a positive impact on people's lives, it's international education and bringing young people usually together and then the work with LEAD 5050 promoting gender equality and workplace equity and helping raise the profile of women in international education and other sectors as well. A couple of years ago, I was at an Alto conference and we had a speaker called Darren Martin, really amazing gregarious guy from Texas who was a fantastic speaker and he was telling us about all A moment that changed his life and was a little bit of an epiphany moment for me as well when he was telling us this story. Darren was at a conference in Texas and he was, speaking to some really high profile, a big group of CEOs and industry leaders. And on the break, he went into the bathroom and he came out, he was washing his hands at the sink and he was, saw, that one of the top CEOs in, I think it might have been in Silicon Valley, washing down the basin of the sink with some paper towels. And he was like, Oh, um, got a side hustle as a bathroom assistant. Have we cracked a bit of a joke with him? And the guy said to him, no, but I like to leave everything better than the way I found it. And the sink was a bit of a mess when I came in. So I'm just washing it down and tidying it up. So it's nicer for the next person. And Darren said, he just had a light bulb moment and thought, my God. If everybody lived their life that way, what an amazing place the world would be. And he went on to write a book with a guy called Walter Nussbaum and it's a bestseller. It's a little book. It's absolutely brilliant. I'd really recommend it. It's called The Sink, Radical Transformation with One Small Change. And I really, you know, we were all a bit blown away by it. I spoke to my husband about it, my kids, my team, when I got back to Lyla, because it's about giving more, paying attention to details and achieving results by leaving everything better than the way you found it. And I thought it was a really remarkable way to live your life, whether we're talking about your career, your family, your friends, life, the planet. And it's not just about clearing up your own mess, but it's about clearing up any mess, regardless of who made it. It's everybody's responsibility. And I just think that's a really, um, important thing to share. Because if we all do that, even in our little department, or in our home, then it will make life better for those around us. And I think that really is, I suppose, what I'm trying to do and how I'm trying to live my life. And I say it to my kids all the time, I know it's not your mess. we should all, we've all got a responsibility to, to clear the messes up.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

I love that. I genuinely love that. There's something called Creative Living that we can take something and Just make it a little bit better than when we first found it.

Leanne:

exactly. And if everybody's doing it, everybody's making these small changes or adding that little bit of extra value, it's really impactful.

Andy:

So, Leanne, have you got any travel stories that you want to share? this is the ones where you're drunk.

Leanne:

when I go away with Ella. who co founded Lead 5050 with me. We usually share a room because it's hilarious. and I left her in the hotel room. She was staying an extra night. So I got,, a little bit worse for wear. I thought I'd packed. Got in the taxi and halfway to the airport and she messaged me and said, Leanne, you've forgotten your boarding pass and I was like, oh my god. Never mind, I can live without them. I've got them on my phone. No problem. I think she went, she went to the wardrobe to start packing her stuff. She opened the door and every single bit of my clothing was still in the wardrobe. I hadn't packed anything, I don't know what I had in my suitcase, but then Stacey, who worked with Lila, had to do the Quality English Roadshow with all my stuff, so she had to go all around Europe lugging my clothes around with her,

Andy:

were you?

Leanne:

I think I was still drunk, that's the

Andy:

So the next section is called anything to declare. This is a free space for you to say whatever you like.

Leanne:

I think we've just had our philosophical moment, haven't we?

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

Describe what Lead5050 is and how people get involved.

Leanne:

Lead 50 50 originally started, as a networking association for women in international education And then we realized there was a bit of a need for professional development, so we started developing training, leadership programs, which we still do to this day. But we realized essentially the same group of women that was turning up and the onus was very much on women in organizations to lean in, take on the extra responsibility. And they were given the job of shifting the dial. And organizations were getting to say that they worked with LEAD 5050 without doing anything apart from giving women extra work to do. So we developed, a charter that, that organizations had to sign up to and say that we pledged to give women equal access to leadership positions. We've developed a certification, a data led research backed tool to help HR directors and D& I consultants shift the dial on workplace equity and close their gender pay gap. So if you want to get involved, if you, from an organizational point of view, then either drop me or Ella a line at lianaatlead5050. com. And, we can take it from there,

Andy:

sounds good to me. We can leave a link in the episode notes for everyone to follow.

Leanne:

thank you. And, because I've got my Lila hat on as well. If anyone's interested in all those good things we said about Liverpool and, wants to come and have a little look round and consider it as a place to continue your education, feel free to come and have a visit.

nick_2_10-10-2023_093255:

Love it.

Andy:

Awesome. Leanne, thanks so much for coming on the show. It's been great having you.

Leanne:

Oh, you're welcome. Thanks for having me. Really appreciate it. I've enjoyed the conversations.

Andy:

We have too.

Leanne:

Right, see you later.

Nick:

Hello everyone. Thank you so much for listening. As always. If you are a fan of the show. Please leave a review or emailers at sick bag, a tales from the departure lounge.com. Shout out as well to our sponsors, Duolingo. Tales from the Departure Lounge is a type nine production for the pie.

People on this episode

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Andy Plant

Host
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Nick Cuthbert

Host