It’s not the change. It’s the load.
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Change isn’t hard because you’re bad at it — it’s hard because of the load it creates.
In this opening episode of Positiviq, Penny Ward explores why constant change at work and in life feels so heavy, even for capable, resilient people. Drawing on lived experience and behavioural science, she unpacks how stacked demands increase cognitive load, emotional labour and physiological stress — quietly draining our capacity over time.
This episode reframes change as a capacity issue, not a personal failure. It looks at what’s happening in the brain, the nervous system and everyday behaviour when change accumulates, and why women — particularly in midlife — often feel this pressure most acutely.
If you’re navigating complexity, feeling stretched, or wondering why change feels harder than it used to, this conversation offers clarity, reassurance and a grounded place to start.
Subscribe to positiviq for more conversations on navigating change without sacrificing wellbeing.
Making sense of change. The three clarity questions.
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When change is underway, clarity is often the first thing to disappear.
This episode introduces a simple yet powerful framework for making sense of change both at work and in life, through three essential questions:
What’s changing?
What’s not changing?
What needs to be let go?
Drawing on the psychology of change, behavioural science, and wellbeing, this conversation explores why uncertainty overloads the brain, how clarity reduces threat responses, and why stability and meaning are essential during times of transition.
You’ll learn how the three clarity questions:
reduce overwhelm and cognitive load
restore steadiness and predictability
support better decisions and leadership
help individuals and teams find their place in change
Whether you’re leading transformation or navigating personal change, this episode offers a practical way to create insight, intention, and impact, even when things feel uncertain.
Strengths in motion. How your best qualities shift during change.
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Strengths don’t disappear during change, they shift.
In this episode, Penny Ward explores how our best qualities naturally adapt under pressure, uncertainty, and transition.
You’ll learn how strengths amplify, accelerate, or narrow during times of change not as a problem to fix, but as information to notice.
The episode introduces strengths spotting as a way to build awareness and choice, and shows how strengths can be used as a practical leadership tool when things are moving.
The strengths families referenced are informed by the which groups strengths by how they show up in behaviour and engagement across contexts.
This episode is about awareness, not correction, and working with strengths as they move.