Career Risks, Finding Balance & Leading with Purpose | Inside the Mind of a Chief People Officer

Why It Matters

Embracing proactive risk and purpose‑focused leadership equips HR leaders to design more engaging, resilient workplaces, directly impacting talent attraction and business performance.

Key Takeaways

• Take calculated risks; relocation can accelerate career advancement
• Build a support village to maintain work‑life balance
• Schedule personal development like meetings; protect time fiercely
• Career progression isn’t tenure‑based; self‑directed goals drive growth
• Show up with intent, focusing on impact over task lists

Summary

The Work in Progress podcast episode features Nadia Stone, Euro Monitor’s Chief People and Impact Officer, who shares how career risks, purposeful leadership, and personal balance shape her role.

Stone recounts moving from the U.S. to London after Avon’s headquarters shifted, and taking a senior regional interview while caring for a four‑week‑old infant—illustrating her belief that bold moves unlock opportunity. She emphasizes that career paths are rarely linear, often requiring sideways or backward steps, and that progress depends on self‑directed goals rather than tenure.

Key moments include her mantra, “If you don’t take the risk, you lose the chance,” and the concept of a “to‑be” list over a traditional to‑do list. She also stresses rallying a village of support, scheduling personal development like any meeting, and rejecting the myth that promotions are time‑based.

For leaders and talent professionals, Stone’s insights underscore the need to cultivate intentional risk‑taking, embed support networks, and prioritize purpose‑driven employee experiences—practices that can boost engagement, retention, and organizational agility.

Original Description

Feeling stuck, stretched or ready for your next step? In this episode, Helen Gilbert chats with Nadia Strone about the tough decisions, unexpected detours and intentional habits that shape a fulfilling career. Whether you're levelling up, starting over or simply trying to balance it all, this is the guidance you didn’t know you needed.

⭐ In this episode, we discuss:

The unexpected career twists that shaped Nadia’s journey

How to make confident decisions at major career crossroads

Balancing work, life and personal wellbeing in a high-pressure role

Why career progression is not about tenure

The importance of building your support network

Creating time for personal growth when you’re busy

What “showing up well” really means

Shifting from a to‑do list to a to‑be list mindset

🎤 Guest:

Nadia Strone

Global Head of People & Impact, Euromonitor

About Euromonitor

Euromonitor International leads the world in global market intelligence into industries, companies, economies and consumers. With over 50 years at the cutting edge of the industry, we blend deep human expertise with AI technology and analytics, to deliver insights that drive confident, high-stakes decisions—at speed and scale. Our global network and proprietary data empower you to unlock growth opportunities and navigate change.

We have specialist teams in 16 offices around the world and a network of on-the-ground analysts in over 100 countries, providing cultural and business nuances others miss. We research 210 countries &j urisdictions and 99.9% of the world’s consumers, helping our clients to make sense of global markets.

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