The emPOWER Breakfast Podcast with Lucy Hudson Is Out

The latest episode of The emPOWER Breakfast podcast, hosted by Athene Parker, is now live and features a profoundly moving and important conversation with Lucy Hudson, managing director of McCann Birmingham.

In this episode, Lucy shares her personal and professional journey following the loss of her first child, Poppy, to a brain tumour. With remarkable honesty and strength, she reflects on how grief has reshaped her leadership style, deepened her commitment to authenticity in the workplace, and driven her mission to help organisations better support employees navigating bereavement.

It’s an incredibly important conversation about how the advertising and media industry must evolve to become more empathetic, human-centred workplaces. From leadership during crisis to building supportive cultures, the episode offers deeply relevant insights for agency leaders, people teams, and anyone managing through or supporting others in the face of profound personal challenges.

Lucy also discusses practical strategies for leaders: what to say (and what not to say), how to support teams beyond the immediate aftermath of loss, and why authentic vulnerability can be a superpower in leadership—not a weakness.

The full emPOWER Breakfast Podcast Series One, Episode Eight with Lucy has just dropped, so be sure to find it where you listen to your podcasts, subscribe and please leave comments and feedback.

The emPOWER team would like to say a huge thank you to their podcast sponsors String & Tins, and to the incredible all-female production team behind this episode - producer Esi Jonuzi and engineer Livy Wicks, who also composed the beautiful theme music.