Shows
Un-Muddying the watersBoundaries, Boldness & Becoming: Leading from Limits🎙️ Unmuddying the Waters – Episode 8
Title: Boundaries, Boldness & Becoming: Leading from Limits
Guest: Cece Bosah (Early Years Leader, Singer-Songwriter)
Host: Joshua Okunlola
Duration: 20 mins
🔍 Episode Summary
In this heartfelt and powerful episode, Joshua sits down with early years educator and touring artist Cece Bosah to explore what it truly means to honour your boundaries in leadership, faith, and life.
Together, they unpack the internal conflict so many of us carry: the desire to be kind, the fear of causing offence, and the growing fatigue of being boundaryless. Cece shares her journey of navigating profession...2025-06-0920 min
Un-Muddying the watersHumility, Hiding & Honesty: Reclaiming What It Means to Lead with Truth🎙️ Unmuddying the Waters – Episode 7
Title: Humility, Hiding & Honesty: Reclaiming What It Means to Lead with Truth
Guest: Tonye Mack (Director, Producer, Editor)
Host: Joshua Okunlola
Duration: ~24 mins
🔍 Episode Summary
In this deeply personal and thought-provoking episode, Joshua is joined by longtime friend and creative powerhouse Tonye Mak to explore the evolving meaning of humility in leadership and life. Together, they unpack how humility has been misinterpreted as hiding, downplaying, or dimming one's light and reframe it as an act of truth-telling.
From the dual identity of “Tony vs. Sonya” to cultural and faith-based ex...2025-05-2024 minUn-Muddying the watersHumility, Hiding & Honesty: Reclaiming What It Means to Lead with Truth🎙️ Un-muddying the Waters – Episode 7
Title: Humility, Hiding & Honesty: Reclaiming What It Means to Lead with Truth
Guest: Tonye Mak (Director, Producer, Editor)
Host: Joshua Okunlola
Duration: ~24 mins
🔍 Episode Summary
In this deeply personal and thought-provoking episode, Joshua is joined by longtime friend and creative powerhouse Tonye Mak to explore the evolving meaning of humility in leadership and life. Together, they unpack how humility has been misinterpreted as hiding, downplaying, or dimming one's light and reframe it as an act of truth-telling.
From the dual identity of “Tonye vs. Sonia” to cultural and faith-based ex...2025-05-2024 min
Un-Muddying the watersEP6 - The courage to take a different vantage pointIn this episode, Joshua and Angela explore the metaphor of the spiral staircase to rethink how we experience learning and leadership growth. Angela shares insights from her 15-year journey in primary education and leadership—culminating in her role as deputy head during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—and recounts a powerful mentoring anecdote that illustrates how reflection, perspective and implementation drive deeper progress each time we revisit familiar challenges.
⏱️ Timestamps & Highlights
00:00 – 02:00 | Welcome & Introductions
Joshua welcomes Angela, who outlines her 15-year teaching career, leadership roles (phase leader → assistant head → deputy head in 2019–20) and current work mentoring early-career tea...2025-05-0928 minUn-Muddying the watersEP5 - The power of no
In episode five of the Un Muddy in the Waters podcast, host Joshua Okunlola dives into the crucial topic of setting boundaries as a leader. Joshua shares his personal struggles with being a people pleaser and the impact it had on his professional and personal life. He discusses the consequences of living by others' expectations and how it led to depletion, anxiety, and disconnection. By recounting his experiences, Joshua illustrates the importance of defining one’s own limits and the positive changes that come from saying no when necessary. He offers practical advice and reflective questions for listeners to evaluate th...2025-05-0210 minUn-Muddying the watersEP4 - Journey from Control to Connection in LeadershipIn this episode of the 'Un Muddying the Waters' podcast, host Joshua Okunlola discusses the pressure leaders often face to appear more confident and knowledgeable than they are.
He shares personal experiences from his early days as a facilitator and trainer, highlighting the costs of prioritising appearance and control over genuine connection and presence.
Joshua explains how he learned the importance of authenticity in leadership, trusting the process, and valuing the wisdom of the group. He urges listeners to reflect on areas where they may be seeking control, and to consider the benefits of leading w...2025-04-2510 minUn-Muddying the watersEP3- Who Are You at Work? Exploring Hidden Roles in LeadershipIn episode three of the Un-Muddying in the Waters podcast, host Joshua delves into the concept of unspoken and assumed leadership roles through the lens of Role Theory, developed by transactional analysis practitioner Bernd Schmid (2006) . Using role theory and a real-life story of a leader mirroring familiar dynamics in her professional life, Joshua illustrates how our past roles influence present behaviour. He poses reflective questions to help listeners identify and redefine their leadership roles for better clarity and effectiveness. The episode emphasises intentional leadership and the need to differentiate between roles from our personal lives and those required in professional...2025-04-2311 minUn-Muddying the watersEP2 - Uncovering Lies About Courage and LeadershipIn episode two of the 'Un Muddy in the Waters' podcast, host Joshua Okunlola discusses his misconceptions about courage, particularly in leadership. He reflects on his former belief that courage required loud, grand gestures and shares how he now sees it in the quiet admission of human vulnerability. Joshua speaks about his early leadership experience, struggles with asking for help, and the resultant burnout from trying to appear infallible. He emphasizes that real courage involves recognizing and embracing one's humanity, which includes asking for help and leading collaboratively. Joshua concludes by challenging listeners to reflect on the lies they...2025-04-1511 minUn-Muddying the watersIntro/Do it messy EP1What’s one area of your leadership where you’re waiting to be “ready”?
2025-04-0212 min