It was a genuine delight to sit down with Charlotte Talmage — founder of Uuna and a kind and formidable force in the world of Change and Transformation. Charlotte has spent over 20 years leading change across some of the world’s best-known organisations before setting out to build something of her own. But what stays with you after speaking with her isn’t the career history — it’s the values beneath it: the Yorkshire upbringing, the belief that success was never about status but about making a positive impact with and for people.

This was one of those conversations that reminds me why I do similar work. Change and transformation can be demanding, even exhausting — but at its heart, it has always been about people and leaving a place, a system, or a culture better than we found it.

If you’d like to connect with Charlotte, you can do so Uuna

If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

I would describe myself as heart-led, passionate, and positive.

At my core, I’m someone who gets enormous fulfilment from meaningful human connections and helping people thrive. My Clifton Strengths assessment identified empathy, positivity, and maximiser as my top strengths, which resonated deeply with me. I am naturally drawn to understanding people, bringing energy to challenges and building on what is already working well.

I grew up in Barnsley in Yorkshire. My parents taught me timeless values around kindness, generosity and happiness. They always told me that success wasn’t about status or titles—it was about being happy and being a great person.

Those values have stayed with me throughout my journey, from Oxford University and a corporate career spanning over 20 years, to founding Uuna. Everything I do is grounded in the belief that people matter most and that business can be a force for good.

What led you into the field of Change and Transformation?

I’ve always been fascinated by people and motivated by making things better.

My first significant experience in change and transformation came during my time on the Boots graduate scheme, where I had the opportunity to work on a major merger and acquisition programme following the integration of Alliance Pharmacy. I found myself immersed in the world of transformation and quickly realised how much I enjoyed helping organisations and people navigate change.

Over the last 20 years, I’ve worked across a wide range of organisations—from global brands such as Barclays, Roche, GSK, Takeda and Rolls-Royce through to fast-growing businesses and purpose-led organisations.

What has remained constant is that while every organisation is unique, the human experience of change is remarkably similar. People want to be heard, understood and supported. That’s what drew me to change management and continues to inspire me today.

At Uuna, our approach is built around helping organisations create positive change by building on strengths, not focusing solely on what’s broken.

What experiences have shaped the way you show kindness today?

Kindness has always been part of my upbringing, thanks to the example set by my parents.

My dad is incredibly generous, always looking for ways to help others, while my mum, a yoga teacher, has shown me the value of compassion, gratitude and simple human connection.

There have also been challenging experiences that shaped me. During my final year at school, I experienced bullying. Looking back, it was painful, but it taught me an important lesson: when you know what it feels like not to be treated with kindness, you become determined to ensure others don’t experience the same.

Early in my career, I also had a manager who told me I wasn’t cut out for business. Fortunately, another leader saw something different. He invested in me, mentored me and changed the trajectory of my career. That experience reinforced how much impact one person’s belief and kindness can have on another person’s future.

“I’ve learned that our experiences can push us in one of two directions. They can make us bitter, or they can make us better. I’ve always tried to choose the latter”

When has kindness been hardest for you to practise?

The hardest moments have probably come during my journey of building Uuna.

As a founder, you’re emotionally invested in every client, every project and every relationship. There have been occasions where consultants have stepped away from projects unexpectedly or circumstances have changed in ways that created challenges for the business.

In those moments, it’s easy to react emotionally because you’ve invested so much of yourself into what you’re building.

What I’ve learned is that kindness doesn’t mean avoiding difficult conversations. It means taking a step back, seeking to understand the situation from the other person’s perspective and responding thoughtfully rather than reactively.

I’ve developed a habit of sleeping on difficult situations, giving myself time to process my emotions and then returning to the conversation with empathy and clarity.

I’ve found that preserving relationships almost always leads to a better outcome. Life and business are ultimately built on trust, relationships and shared experiences. Maintaining those connections matters far more than winning a momentary disagreement.

How do you see kindness playing a role in Change and Transformation?

For me, kindness sits at the very heart of effective change management.

At Uuna, our purpose is “Positive Change for Positive Lives.” We believe that every organisational change ultimately impacts people, and how we treat those people matters enormously.

“One of the biggest shifts in my thinking has been moving away from the concept of “resistance to change”. I now believe people don’t resist change—they respond to it”

Every response is valid because it is shaped by an individual’s circumstances, experiences and responsibilities. The single parent returning to the office after remote working will experience that change very differently from someone whose personal circumstances make office working easier.

Our role as change professionals is not to manage resistance. It is to understand responses, create space for dialogue and help people move through change with respect and support.

Even during difficult transformations or redundancies, kindness matters. You can still create a positive and respectful experience. You can still listen. You can still involve people. You can still treat people like adults.

Ultimately, organisations achieve better outcomes when they focus on people. Kindness isn’t separate from successful transformation—it’s one of the things that enables it.

What philosophy guides your approach to leadership and change?

One principle that guides me is simple:

“Be the light”

When difficult situations arise, I try to remember that everyone is carrying challenges, pressures and experiences that we can’t always see. Often, people’s behaviour has far more to do with what’s happening in their world than anything we have done.

I try to lead with curiosity rather than judgement and understanding rather than assumption.

I also believe that life is fundamentally about relationships. At the end of our careers, it’s not projects, budgets or business cases that matter most. It’s the people we’ve connected with, supported and positively impacted.

If we can make someone’s experience of work even 1% better during a difficult period of change, that positivity extends beyond the workplace into their families, communities and lives.

For me, that’s what meaningful leadership looks like.

Why is your business called Uuna?

Uuna comes from the Latin word meaning “together.”I chose the name because meaningful change can never be delivered by one person alone.

It takes leaders, managers, employees, stakeholders, and communities working together towards a shared goal. In many ways, change is like raising a family or supporting a village—it requires collaboration, trust and collective effort.

That belief sits at the heart of everything we do.

“Positive change happens when people come together. That’s what Una stands for”

Thanks for reading x

Charlotte