Podcast: Passion to purpose

Jacob Howard, Founder of Financial Marketing Insights, interviews Janet Du Chenne, Founder of ThoughtTree Lab on why movement matters for modern leadership

Listen and watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LL-_lFHwWmY

Janet: Welcome to the Passion to Purpose podcast!

My name is Janet Du Chenne and I'm founder of ThoughtTree Lab and your host. I'll be interviewing executives to talk about their careers and their passions, in particular physical movement and other passion pursuits that reveal values that drive us at work, enabling us to connect to something greater. It's about authenticity, communication and creating stories that resonate.  

To set the scene and give you a little insight into me, I’ll be hopping into the guest seat for this first episode. And I've asked my ex colleague at Deutsche Bank’s marketing team, Jacob Howard, who is founder of his own business and podcast, both called Financial Marketing Insights to hop into the interviewer seat for this inaugural episode. Hi, Jacob!

Hi, Janet! Yeah, happy to do this, very honoured to be asked to jump into your seat to be the interviewer for this inaugural episode. So shall we get cracking? So to introduce you, I know that you've had over 25 years in marketing with multinational financial institutions, and you're also a well known journalist and public speaker for leading magazines. So given all that, what prompted the move to do something quite different with ThoughtTree Lab?

Thank you very much for that lovely intro, Jacob. So after 10 years working on thought leadership projects at financial institutions, I observed a pivotal turning point in 2024 where financial institutions responded to rapid change through what we know as the year of the rebrand. 

We saw countless messages, buzzwords and catchphrases about purpose and culture flooding multiple platforms. But amid this noise, it became clear that traditional corporate narratives and AI weren’t cutting through. So what was missing? Its authentic human driven narratives that enable executives to stand out because fundamentally, people buy from people.

When we connect physical movement and active pursuits with our professional communication, we reveal values that drive us at work, enabling us to align with something great and create these stories that resonate. And when those values align with a company values, it enables those leaders to demonstrate purpose and performance, which elevates their thought leadership beyond generic corporate speak. 

Jacob: So how does getting up at 6 a.m. to run help leaders to communicate better? 

Janet: Yes, thankfully, you don't have to be a great thought leader to wake up at the crack of dawn. I enjoy running, it's my preference. The key is identifying what drives you and extracting the transferable values from that. So if we take a senior executive who is leading massive financial market change in Europe, who I'm working with currently, he's also a huge fan of mountain climbing. That reveals perseverance and resilience and collaborative team work, which are exactly the qualities that make his high level strategic and very technical content compelling and engaging to stakeholders.

Another chief executive in capital markets is passionate about human connection. With thirty years in client-facing and HR roles, her genuine care for people infuses her thought leadership with authenticity. This enables her to champion client-centricity externally while bridging brand gaps across internal teams.

For me, running generates the creative flow I need to craft compelling content and speeches for others. It’s about unlocking ideas and maintaining the mental clarity essential for strategic thinking in high-pressure environments.

Jacob: You’re doing something completely different in our industry—connecting running and movement to executive communication. How do you address the skeptics who may think this is too soft for financial services?

Janet: It’s a question I’ve been asked before. In fact when I took the idea to CMOs, senior executives and talent leaders. I was aware they were accustomed to traditional ways of doing things in a corporate environment. So, saying “let’s talk about running and your digital transformation, or sailing and how you’re navigating industry trends” opened me up to all kinds of interesting responses!

For those who are skeptical and think this approach is unconventional or “out there,” I’d say that it is, but that’s the secret sauce. It addresses a critical gap I observed: the disconnect between senior executives’ personal brands and their thought leadership. Too many leaders default to the same generic corporate messaging on their channels.

But when someone shares insights that weave together their industry expertise with values driven by their genuine passions, the engagement transforms dramatically. This approach makes them memorable and relatable, whether they’re walking into a boardroom or addressing an audience. Their communication becomes infused with both professional experience and personal authenticity, creating a distinctive voice in a crowded marketplace.

The confidence came from seeing the results: when executives connect these dots, they don’t just communicate better and publish great content—they become the leader others remember and trust.

Jacob: You’ve helped senior executives I know personally. Without naming names, can you walk me through what actually changes when someone connects their movement to their professional presence?

Janet: There’s an aha moment that usually comes after a journalistic-style interview, during which we explore their experience, passions, driving motivations, and the industry problems they’re uniquely positioned to solve.

Then I reflect back what stands out about their authentic essence. This is when they begin connecting the dots between their professional expertise and the personal values created through what they enjoy doing, which makes them relatable and memorable.

The breakthrough moment? They discover their distinctive voice—that unique combination of high-level strategic thinking and technical depth that they want to be known for in the market. This authentic voice helps close the brand gap between who they are as leaders and how they show up across departments and teams.

Jacob: In our industry, everything has to show ROI. How do you measure whether this approach actually works? What should executives expect to see?

Janet: The metrics are both quantitative and qualitative. Quantitatively, we track engagement rates on thought leadership content, speaking opportunities, and internal feedback on communication effectiveness.

Qualitatively—and often more importantly—executives report increased confidence in their unique value proposition, clearer personal branding, and stronger stakeholder relationships. They become the leader people remember from meetings, the voice that stands out in industry conversations.

The ROI manifests as enhanced professional presence, improved team alignment around authentic leadership, and ultimately, career advancement opportunities that align with their genuine strengths and values.

Jacob: For listeners who, like me, are intrigued but perhaps a little skeptical, what’ss one small step they could take this week to test whether movement actually improves their professional communication?

Janet: Choose one physical activity you’ll do this week—it could be as simple as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Afterward, ask yourself one question: What did I just prove to myself about my capabilities? Then find one opportunity to share that insight in a professional context. You’ll be surprised how this simple connection between movement and mindset can transform your communication from ordinary to memorable. 

Jacob: Brilliant.Thanks so much, Janet. I'm looking forward to hearing more episodes in the series.