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:
This 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 Gaga
Track 2 – Stormy Clouds - The Verve
Track 3 – Heart and Soul - David Gray
Track 4 – Fever to the Form - Nick Mulvey
Track 5 – When I Close My Eyes - Benjamin Amaru
The 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:
James 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.
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