James Hayhurst, Ex-Agency MD on Parenting & Family Separation and Compassionate Leadership.

In this episode of the emPOWER Breakfast Podcast, Athene Parker is joined by former agency Managing Director James Hayhurst, founder of the Positive Parenting Alliance and creator of The Parents Promise, for a deeply moving and insightful conversation about compassionate leadership, family separation, parenting and emotional resilience.Drawing on his own personal experience, James shares how he transformed an incredibly difficult chapter of family life into a movement focused on supporting parents navigating separation with greater empathy, communication and understanding, helping families prioritise the emotional wellbeing of children during periods of change.Together, Athene and James explore the importance of building more compassionate workplace cultures and discuss the role employers can play in recognising major life events such as divorce, separation and family breakdown, experiences that profoundly impact both home life and professional performance, yet are rarely openly discussed within the workplace.The conversation also opens into a deeply personal dialogue around parenting and care, as both Athene and James reflect on their experiences as parent carers to non-speaking autistic children. With honesty, warmth and vulnerability, they discuss communication, emotional resilience, advocacy and the unseen realities faced by many families raising neurodivergent children.Together, Athene and James discuss:Compassionate leadership and emotional intelligenceFamily separation and co-parentingParenting neurodivergent and autistic childrenWorkplace wellbeing and supportive culturesMen’s mental health and vulnerabilityEmotional resilience and communicationAdvocacy, care and navigating adversityBuilding empathy at work and at homeThis is a powerful and compassionate conversation about leadership, parenting, humanity and creating spaces where difficult conversations can happen with honesty, care and understanding.The chat is woven around a trip down a musical memory lane. Sit back, relax and enjoy. 🎧✨Track 1 – Queen - Radio GagaTrack 2 – Stormy Clouds - The VerveTrack 3 – Heart and Soul - David GrayTrack 4 – Fever to the Form - Nick MulveyTrack 5 – When I Close My Eyes - Benjamin AmaruThe emPOWER Breakfast - James Hayhurst Spotify Playlist For those who’d like to explore the themes discussed in more depth, you can find resources and insights from the session in our accompanying PDF guide.You can also learn more about The Parents Promise and how to introduce its principles in your workplace here:www.theparentspromise.org.ukJames Hayhurst, Positive Parenting Alliance, The Parents Promise, compassionate leadership, co-parenting, family separation, divorce support, parenting autistic children, neurodiversity, autism advocacy, emotional intelligence, workplace wellbeing, men’s mental health, emotional resilience, leadership podcast, authentic leadership, parenting podcast, family wellbeing, vulnerability, empathy, neurodivergent families, Profound autism, non speaker, Pre Verbal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.