Former Team GB boxer and European gold medalist Lesley Sackey and founder of Fight Forward, talks about her journey to success which is a powerful testament to resilience, reinvention, and purpose. Lesley shared her unconventional path into boxing, discovering the sport in her twenties and quickly rising to elite level despite early setbacks. Through boxing, she developed a deep understanding of discipline, adaptability, and the power of mindset, lessons that would later shape her life beyond the ring.

Behind her professional success, Lesley navigated personal challenges and this experience became the catalyst for founding Fight Forward, a social enterprise that uses boxing to support women recovering from abusive relationships, helping them rebuild confidence, reconnect with their bodies, and move from survival to thriving.

Lesley also discusses her entrepreneurial drive and her latest venture, Pillow, a digital platform designed to provide tailored support and resources for women post-crisis. Throughout the conversation, she reflects on leadership, risk-taking, and the importance of purpose, emphasising that true resilience lies not just in getting back up, but in trusting yourself to find a way forward.

What does leadership really look like inside one of the most high-pressure institutions in the country?

In this episode, Neil Basu, a former Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations for the Metropolitan Police Service and national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing from 2018-2021 discusses his book 'Turmoil: 30 Years of Policing, Politics and Prejudice', sharing hard-earned lessons from leading in crisis environments, navigating institutional resistance, and challenging cultures built on fear.

You’ll hear behind-the-scenes insight into how leadership operates in command-and-control systems, and why he believes fear may drive short-term performance but ultimately damages trust, wellbeing, and long-term effectiveness. He contrasts traditional “heroic” leadership with a more compassionate, team-centred approach, explaining how leaders can get the best from people without breaking them.

The conversation also explores the personal and professional cost of speaking up. He talks openly about experiencing institutional racism, being labelled “too woke,” and the career consequences of pushing for change from inside the system. There’s powerful discussion about representation, confidence, and the pressure of being the only one in the room, as well as the toll a policing career can take on family life and mental health.

You’ll also hear operational insights from his time leading major investigations and national counter-terrorism work, including why public trust and community relationships are essential to effective policing.

This is a candid conversation about power, courage, culture, and legacy and what leaders in any sector can learn from 30 years spent making high-stakes decisions when there’s no room for error.

This episode, I am joined by Tamara Box, Partner at Reed Smith, where we explore the forces reshaping the legal profession: the backlash against DEI, the rise of AI, and how leadership programmes, working styles, and billable hours are shaping gender equity.

We ask: are firms drawing hard lines, or compromising in the name of business?

Please listen if you'd like to hear a conversation on where the profession is heading, and what it will take to lead with both principle and impact.

Host: Geraldine Gallacher

Producer: Holly Ashton