Ricky Richards Represents: Charlotte Austin, Behavioural Psychologist & Executive Coach
Listen in as Ricky Richards, Creative Director and Podcast Host, interviews Charlotte Austin, Behavioural Psychologist and Executive Coach, as part of his series of talking to leading figures of creativity and innovation. Using her understanding of human behaviour and years of experience in communication, behaviour change, engagement, motivation and positively influencing people, Charlotte sets out to support people in understanding themselves and those around them better.
After meeting in a professional environment, when Ricky was working for AKQA in his first advertising job, Ricky has seen first-hand how Charlotte’s advice can improve your skills in confidence and communication. Delving into her philosophy on high performance, leadership and how to live a good life, this interview explores personal development, its sustainability and how to align your behaviour with your values. As Charlotte and Ricky both recognise it’s not always easy, but there are certain ways you can approach your choices and emotions.
“If we are connected to ourselves, we are able to connect to other people authentically, not through trying to be someone we think we should be, but through really knowing ourselves and therefore being able to represent ourselves in a truthful way. People can feel that. If you’re for real... or faking it... it comes across… Honesty, being honest about how we think and feel... Authenticity, that’s alignment with our beliefs and how we behave, and therefore the results we get and the relationships we build... And then trust is super important. I think if we trust each other we are able to do great things, and if there’s mistrust, or miscommunication and doubt, we feel nervous. And when we’re nervous, we can’t perform at our best because we’re kind of watching our back and wondering what’s going to happen, so I think trust is key to making people relax and therefore more creative.”
An image that stood out for us in this interview was thinking of your emotions as a pendulum, swinging from fear and darkness to thrill and excitement, and then proceeding to imagining yourself as at the top of the pendulum, conscious of the two directions, and trying to find calm, peace, and self awareness. If this resonates in any way with you, and if a philosophy on how to live a good life based on connection, honesty, authenticity, and trust aligns with your way of thinking, we would recommend a listen!
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