We tackle the perennial problem of self-confidence and why many of us need an occasional, or more general, boost to our levels of it.

Emma speaks to Dame Inga Beale, ex-CEO of Lloyd’s of London, and a woman who has very much learned how to get ahead in a male-dominated sector. She also hears the advice of leadership coach Muriel Wilkins of Paravis Partners in the US, who has a new book called Leadership Unblocked, published by Harvard Business Review Press. She's also the host of Harvard Business Review's Coaching Real Leaders podcast. Emma also speaks to Anita Phagura, who is highly experienced in the world of project management and is now a leadership development and culture coach, particularly around inclusion.

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Emma is joined by Nigel Cann (Sizewell C), Stuart McLaren (WSP) and Carol Tansley (X-energy). They discuss the future of nuclear energy projects in the UK, including new technologies and the government’s wider strategy for clean energy. The guests share why collaboration between various nuclear utilities will be critical in this new world, the necessity for modularisation and standardisation, and the need for a “demand signal” for investment.

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Read Nigel’s blog on the APM website here. You can also read more from Nigel in the autumn 2025 edition of Project journal, exclusively for APM members

Emma meets Dr Paul Chapman, Senior Fellow at Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, and Gordon MacKay, Project Management Capability Lead at Sellafield, who also provided specialist knowledge for a new APM Learning module on leadership of self, which is coming out soon. Gordon and Paul delve deep into their experience and research to pass on their advice on what it takes to be a great project leader in 2025.

Gordon’s APM book Evolving Project Leadership is available here.

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Emma meets Amy Morley ChPP, APM’s new Chair and a Programme Management Senior Director at AECOM, an industry leader in programme management services for large, complex infrastructure programmes. Amy discusses everything from what the future might hold for APM and the project profession to her career lessons.

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Managing stress, maintaining work-life balance and avoiding burnout is a modern preoccupation. But let's not forget that the right level of stress can be enjoyable and motivating for many of you working in project management. To unpick these issues, Emma is joined by Dr Clara Cheung (University of Manchester), Veronica Sikombe (Mott MacDonald) and Rochelle Sampson-Clarke (NHS South, Central and West CSU). Veronica and Rochelle are both members of APM’s Women in Project Management Interest Network, and are active in its wellbeing subgroups. Clara is co-author of the APM report The Wellbeing of Project Professionals (2019). Find the Workplace Wellbeing Profile on the APM website here.

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Emma meets Jonathan Simcock, a highly experienced and respected project leader who has held executive roles in the oil and gas, energy, utilities and telecommunication sectors. In 2007, he took over what became the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (and is now NISTA). Until last year, he was chair of the Submarine Delivery Agency in the MOD. His book, The Delivery Gap: Why government projects really fail and what can be done about it will be published on 22 September 2025.

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APM CEO Professor Adam Boddison is joined by Steve Langbridge, Director of Programmes at SEA, a company based in South-west England which specialises in developing and delivering defence solutions to a global customer base. Its business areas include naval ship and fleet protection, and undersea surveillance systems. Steve was appointed to his Director role in July, having previously been Head of Project Management Office. Steve shares what it’s like to deliver projects and programmes in the defence sector – including the challenges of working in such a fast-evolving and complex space.

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Find out more about SEA at sea.co.uk

Emma goes behind the scenes at London's Natural History Museum, which is an APM Corporate Partner. The museum will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2031 and has therefore kicked off a programme that includes the creation of six new permanent galleries within the iconic museum building in South Kensington.

The first gallery has already opened, and that's where Emma headed. It's called ‘Fixing Our Broken Planet’ and focuses on the planetary emergency and the solutions that scientists, including those at the Natural History Museum, are working on. Listen to hear Emma interview the project professionals who delivered the new gallery.

Contact us: apmpodcast@thinkpublishing.co.uk