403: Resilience, reinvention and rising to the moment with Charmain Manning
Women Who Lead is more than a podcast—it’s a movement, a mindset, and a space for transformation. It’s a platform for real, raw, and radically honest conversations with women who are redefining leadership on their own terms. Rooted in the belief that true leadership begins within, these Women Who Lead invite us to break free from outdated models of power and success.
Through storytelling, coaching, and a soulful newsletter that follows the rhythm of the seasons, it supports women to rise—courageously, unapologetically, and as their whole selves. This is a space for women ready to lead with more self-trust, more softness, and more power. Learn more at https://ourtimetobloom.com/.
Season 4, Episode 3: Resilience, reinvention and rising to the moment – with Charmain Manning
This week, I’m joined by the brilliant Charmain Manning—CEO of Urban, and a leader whose journey is a masterclass in adaptability, vision, and heart-led leadership.
After building her career across strategy, finance, M&A, and consulting at Deloitte, Pearson and the Financial Times, Charmain joined Urban as CFO just before the world shut down. What followed was nothing short of transformational—navigating the business through Covid, expanding into new cities, launching new wellness offerings, and ultimately stepping into the CEO role in 2023.
Urban is now the UK’s leading platform for on-demand massage and wellness treatments at home, and Charmain’s leadership is helping shape its next chapter with purpose and clarity.
In this conversation, we talk about what it means to grow through disruption, the evolution from CFO to CEO, and how to lead with both operational rigour and deep care. Charmain shares insights on confidence, self-trust, burnout, and the inner work that sustains long-term leadership.
It’s a conversation full of wisdom, warmth, and the kind of grounded ambition that truly inspires.
Timestamps:
01:32 | What does it mean to you to be ‘in Bloom’ in work and life?
02:59 | How do you define success without sacrificing well-being?
03:29 | What are your top strategies for preventing burnout while staying driven?
06:00 | Which season of your career shaped you the most, and how did it impact you?
09:45 | What challenges did you face as a woman in the male-dominated world of work, and how did you navigate them?
14:22 | How did you create and maintain confidence and authenticity in environments where those traits might be tested?
16:30 | What’s your relationship like with your feminine energy? How do you balance masculine and feminine energies in leadership?
19:07 | We can’t possibly Bloom all of the time, how do you bounce back from setbacks or failures stronger than before?
20:18 | How has understanding the connection between mind and body influenced your life and career growth?
22:33 | What advice would you give to women on building confidence and asking for what they deserve?
