Ever feel like your calendar is running you and meetings are draining the life (and creativity) out of your team? This week on Your Permission to Pause, Jo Cowlin gets real about tackling ‘death by meetings’ and shifting your workplace culture, so every meeting actually matters.

You’ll dive into the science behind why bad meetings do more than waste time, they impact your team’s nervous system, energy, and ability to do great work. Expect actionable strategies to create meetings where people feel valued, psychological safety is prioritised, and connection trumps just ticking off agenda points.

If you’re a leader who’s tired of endless video calls and wants their team to work smarter not harder, this episode delivers real steps you can use straight away.

Here are the highlights:

00:00 Why your meeting culture is shaping your team more than you think

00:54 Too many meetings make your team feel exhausted, unproductive, and undervalued

02:03 The neuroscience of bad meetings (and why your brain holds back) 03:00 What happens when meetings dysregulate the nervous system

04:06 Five practical strategies for meetings that energise

10:43 How connection before content changes teamwork

12:24 Quick tactics for more inclusive, engaging meetings

13:36 Watch influence and ownership rise as meeting culture shifts

15:28 Audit your meetings and implement the 24-hour rule

Meet your host Jo Cowlin

Jo Cowlin keeps it real.

Some people might like to call her ‘a motivational people development expert’ but Jo would rather you didn’t.

Jo is a no-nonsense, straight-talking northerner

She is also a transformational coach, facilitator and game changer. She has a passion for results and is dedicated to helping leaders realise their aspirations without compromising their wellbeing.

She dares individuals to be different by eliminating corporate BS, life coaching, and hand-holding, and instead encourages breaking through barriers to gain clarity and step into personal power for a life without limits.

Resilience and a proactive approach to mental wellbeing is at the core of all of her work which is predominantly aimed at helping leaders and their teams refocus, regroup and rapidly adjust to change. With a background in pharmaceutical leadership and expertise across various sectors, she offers coaching and leadership programs tailored to individual and organisational needs.

When Jo isn’t transforming company cultures, you’ll find her managing her 3 teenage girls’ busy social calendars. She’s a dab hand in the kitchen and true to form, loves to keep her food real. And if she isn’t doing either of those you will find her out in nature walking her dog or lifting a barbell in the gym.

Find out more about Jo here: https://jocowlin.com/

Connect with Jo:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jocowlin/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-cowlin/

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

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