FOUNDER DIARIES - Joe O’Mahoney on People-First Leadership, Mental Health, and Rebuilding a Life

Welcome back to Founder Diaries, a RecTalk podcast hosted by Nitin Sharma — founder of Rectools.io, the whole-of-market directory for recruitment tools.In today’s powerful and deeply human episode, Nitin sits down with Joe O’Mahoney — a people-focused Change Management Leader and Coach whose career spans E.ON, Hastings Direct, and Three Mobile, where he oversaw a £1.6bn portfolio ahead of the Vodafone merger.This conversation goes far beyond change frameworks and leadership theory. Joe opens up about:The difference between managing tasks and leading people — and why most organisations still get this wrongHow culture, psychological safety, and empathy shape organisational performanceWhy employee engagement surveys often fail and how AI-driven analysis is changing the gameHelping scale-ups bring their people along for the ride during high-velocity growthThe hidden emotional cost of change and how leaders can support teams through uncertaintyJoe’s personal 20-year struggle with mental health, misdiagnosis, manic episodes triggered by medication, and finally receiving a life-changing bipolar diagnosisLosing everything and rebuilding from scratch — the moment he sat alone in an empty house and chose to stand back upFatherhood as his greatest achievement and how being present shapes his purposeThe lesson he learned too late: the power of truly listeningThis is one of the rawest, most honest conversations on Founder Diaries — a must-listen for anyone leading people, going through change, or navigating their own internal battles.✨ Who This Episode Is ForFounders and leaders building and scaling teamsHR, change, and transformation professionalsAnyone interested in mental health, neurodiversity, and human behaviourNew managers learning the difference between leadership and managementIndividuals navigating personal or professional changeAnyone who needs reminding that failure, struggle, and rebuilding are part of the journey🔗 Connect with the guestJoe O’Mahoney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-omahoney/Videre Coaching & Consulting: https://www.videreconsults.co.uk/🔗 Connect with the hostNitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/New episodes of RecTalk, plus Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.New episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping every Thursday.https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliersRoss Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/Matt Fox — Exitus Advisory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fox-50b10311/SourceFlow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sourceflow/Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/Carl Jones — Konquest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-jones-66093722/#FounderDiaries #RecTalk #Leadership #ChangeManagement #PeopleFirst #MentalHealthAwareness #BipolarAwareness #ScaleUp #OrganisationalCulture #EmployeeExperience #Coaching #Mentorship #HumanBehaviour