Embracing Full Potential

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Clare Payne, a law firm partner, tribunal judge and mediator, to explore what it really means to embrace your full potential—personally and in the workplace.

Clare reflects on her fast rise in the corporate legal world, the frustration of repetitive leadership conversations, and what she learned by comparing organisations that had similar diversity “numbers” but very different outcomes. The difference, she argues, is culture: whether people are genuinely able to bring themselves to work and contribute their perspectives.

Using wolves as an unexpected but vivid metaphor, Clare describes how healthy packs rely on varied roles and perspectives rather than rigid “alpha” hierarchy—and what that can teach leaders about collaboration, innovation and belonging. The conversation also touches on nervous system regulation, how modern stress keeps people stuck in fight/flight/freeze, and why that state makes difference feel threatening rather than valuable.

Together they explore practical shifts leaders can make: creating environments where people can ask questions, reflect after trying things, and learn from mistakes without fear. Clare shares experiential approaches she uses with leaders—designed to stretch comfort zones without overwhelming people—and explains the difference between pushing through stress and expanding capability through supported growth.

The episode closes on themes of intrinsic self-worth, the tension between fitting in and belonging, and how mediation, emotional processing and restorative approaches can reduce conflict and help people move forward with more connection and clarity.