In this episode Jane & Liv chat with Wendy Gardner
Wendy is a Glasgow-born transformation leader who's proving that your greatest power lies in being unapologetically yourself. From humble beginnings to corporate boardrooms, her journey challenges everything we think we know about success.
Raised by incredibly young parents, Wendy's early years were pure magic until age 11, when the world started trying to mould her into their proper box. Instead of conforming, she headed to London armed with Glasgow grit and her signature laugh. She redesigned the corporate ladder, going from buying assistant to transformation director by refusing to stay in her assigned lane.
At Tesco, she orchestrated £50 billion transformation programmes, becoming the go-to fixer for ‘corporate heart and lung transplants.’ But success came at a cost. Through profound personal challenges – losing her first daughter Hannah, navigating single motherhood, supporting her daughter through mental health struggles – Wendy learned that being bulletproof isn't sustainable.
Her wake-up call came when her husband noted she looked twenty years older than she was. The corporate machine was running perfectly, but the human inside was burning out. At Salesforce, she finally found a culture that celebrated authenticity, teaching her that leadership is about making people feel safe.
Now, as founder of Ohana Foundation, Wendy's taking on her biggest transformation yet. While everyone focuses on economic and environmental sustainability, she's championing "human sustainability" – teaching leaders the true value of self-love.
Through Ohana, she's creating safe spaces where people can drop their corporate masks and reconnect with their authentic selves. In Wendy's world, true transformation starts when you stop trying to fix everything and start feeling everything.
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Links: For information of Jane’s company Little Voices head to http://www.littlevoices.org.uk
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Disclaimer: All views expressed in this podcast are of the participants themselves. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. We are just a mum and daughter, sharing their thoughts and chatting with guests that we really respect and sharing our personal stories and insights. Please seek professional advice if you need it.
This episode is edited by Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real
