What happens when you’re trying to perform at work while also being a present, patient and emotionally available parent at home?

In Episode 30, we sit down with Natalie Costa to explore emotional fitness in families, schools and workplaces. Natalie shares her mission to help raise a generation of connected humans by supporting the adults around them - parents, teachers and leaders alike.

From childhood anxiety and classroom breakthroughs to parental guilt, emotional regulation and the pressure modern families face, this is a thoughtful, practical and deeply human conversation about what children really need, what parents are carrying, and how workplaces can better support the people raising the next generation.

It’s an episode about pressure, repair, resilience and the courage to stay steady when life feels anything but.

1. Emotional fitness in children and adults
2. Parenting under pressure
3. Childhood anxiety and self-belief
4. Neuroplasticity and changing old patterns
5. Parent guilt and the “mental load”
6. Why connection matters more than ever
7. How leaders can better support working parents

1. Children need adults to be their substitute prefrontal cortex
2. There is only room for one adult in the parent-child relationship
3. You can’t parent perfectly, but you can repair
4. Emotional regulation is a skill, not a personality trait
5. Neuroplasticity means we can build new emotional habits at any age
6. Modern parenting is harder because many families are raising children without a village
7. Connection with children often starts by taking an interest in their world
8. Great leadership at work starts with seeing the human behind the behaviour
9. Supporting parents at work is not a perk — it’s a culture and performance issue

1. “We are more connected than ever before, but more emotionally disconnected than ever before.”
2. “We need to support the people raising the next generation.”
3. “There’s only space for one adult in the relationship — and it’s not your child.”
4. “You can’t get it wrong if you are repairing and taking ownership.”
5. “Neuroplasticity is the muscle of our mind.”
6. “What are the keys to your kid’s kingdom?”
7. “Connect before you correct.”
8. “We’re all big kids walking around trying to run companies.”
9. “A lot of guilt is really just being pulled between things we value.”

1. 00:00 – Welcome to Episode 30
2. 00:57 – Natalie’s mission: raising connected humans
3. 02:34 – From teaching to emotional fitness
4. 06:16 – The classroom moment that changed everything
5. 09:16 – Teaching kids what to do with big feelings
6. 14:17 – Why the work has to include parents
7. 17:25 – Old stories, childhood beliefs and change
8. 21:46 – What neuroplasticity actually means
9. 25:35 – Is it harder than ever to be a parent?
10. 27:52 – Simple ways to reconnect with your kids
11. 31:31 – What workplace support for parents should look like
12. 35:58 – Does the work start with children or adults?
13. 40:22 – Emotional fitness and sitting with discomfort
14. 45:14 – What to do at 2am when your mind won’t stop
15. 48:06 – Progressive leadership for working parents
16. 51:16 – Final takeaways

After 28 episodes, a live event, and a growing Wit + Grit community, we sit down for a proper catch-up.

This one is honest, reflective and full of the stuff that sits behind the scenes - what we’ve learned, what’s surprised us, what we’re building, and why Wit + Grit is starting to feel like something much bigger than a podcast.

We talk about opportunity, identity, grief, ambition, structure, startup energy, and the importance of creating real conversations in a noisy world.

If you’ve ever started something, doubted yourself, or wondered whether to just press go, this one’s for you. Bring it on.

Key Takeaways

Press go first, learn later.

Opportunity changes everything.

You don’t need all the answers to start.

Identity matters.

Human connection is becoming more valuable, not less.

Structure matters when things start working.

Community compounds.

Success looks different now.

Keywords

Wit and Grit, PJ Ellis, Andy Dawson, Birmingham podcast, business podcast UK, human skills, opportunity, personal growth, startup journey, live testing, podcast alumni, community building, leadership, resilience, identity, grief, ambition, entrepreneurship, confidence, AI and identity, young people, future of work, Birmingham business, talent pipeline, real conversations

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Peaky Blinders Premiere

02:44 The Growth of the Podcast and Its Impact

05:21 Personal Journeys and Backgrounds

07:49 Lessons Learned and Insights from the Podcast

10:13 Opportunities and Future Directions

12:51 The Importance of Structure and Discipline

15:31 Looking Ahead: Technology and Growth

18:26 Ambition and Growth in Podcasting

20:32 Creating Opportunities for Young People

22:08 Navigating Challenges in Today's World

24:33 The Impact of Technology on Youth

27:42 Finding Balance in a Chaotic World

31:18 Measuring Success and Impact

Hannah Tyers is one of the world’s youngest female chartered surveyors - but her real story sits under the surface.

At 21 years of age, Hannah lost her mum to alcoholism. Her journey has forced Hannah to grow up fast, build resilience early, and learn emotional skills most of us were never taught.

In this episode, Hannah shares what grief taught her about life moving on, why “success” can feel complicated, and how those late-night Googles for support became the spark for Soulful Co - a platform designed to help people find the right help faster and feel less alone in the process.

We get into confidence vs the “self-confidence mask”, creating spaces where teenagers actually talk, why rest is a non-negotiable (especially for founders), and what it really takes to choose who you want to be - rather than living as a victim of circumstance.

Key takeaways

• Life moves on after grief - you grow into it.

• Success can feel hollow if you’ve got no one to tell.

• The feeling of “I’m not alone” is sometimes the first step to healing.

• Active listening is simple… and strangely hard.

• Teenagers don’t open up on demand - they open up in motion.

• Rest is a strategy, not a reward (especially for founders).

• You learn most at the edge of the unknown.

• If not now, when? If not you, who?

Chapters

00:00 – Meet Hannah Tyers (the “iceberg” intro)

02:00 – Youngest chartered surveyor + the story underneath

04:30 – 18-year-old Hannah in a male-dominated industry

07:00 – Losing her mum mid-studies + “life moves on”

09:00 – The chartership moment + “success can feel empty”

11:20 – Alcoholism, childhood, and growing up fast

14:30 – Why most adults don’t talk about feelings

16:00 – How to actually get teenagers to talk

17:30 – What Soulful is and why it exists

20:50 – Redefining success (time, family, purpose)

23:00 – Her brother, men in construction, and opening up

26:00 – Entrepreneurship: “press go, learn on the way”

28:45 – Burnout prevention + rest as a non-negotiable

32:10 – How Soulful works (free platform + events + business offer)

36:20 – Making wellbeing “not embarrassing” for young men

40:00 – If not now, when? If not me, who?

41:35 – One small moment for anyone overwhelmed

42:25 – Choosing who you want to be (not victimhood)

44:30 – Rapid-fire takeaways + close