Why we all need to slow down in 2026 - Emma Harris
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
This episode features Emma Harris, former Marketing and Sales Director at Eurostar and founder of Glow London, in a deeply personal conversation about burnout, success, and the life-altering cardiac arrest that changed everything. (22:30) Harris shares her decade-long journey at Eurostar, where she achieved ten consecutive years of record growth while navigating multiple crises including tunnel fires and train breakdowns. The conversation takes a profound turn when she discusses her cardiac arrest in New York in 2022, which sparked her mission to help professionals "slow the f*ck down" and prioritize wellbeing over relentless hustle culture.
- Core themes include the dangerous intersection of ambition and burnout, building resilient teams through people-first leadership, and the critical importance of slowing down to achieve sustainable success in both business and life.
Speakers
Emma Harris
Emma Harris spent a decade revolutionising Eurostar as its Marketing and Sales Director, leading the brand through years of success and navigating multiple crises including tunnel fires and train breakdowns. She achieved ten consecutive years of record growth during her tenure. Now the Founder and Chief of Glow London, she works with clients around the world to build brands that are deeply connected to their people and culture, with a particular focus on helping organizations and individuals "slow the f*ck down" for better performance and wellbeing.
Key Takeaways
Start with Customer Problems, Not Solutions
Harris emphasizes that her sales background gave her an obsession with customer needs rather than just marketing tactics. (05:23) She explains that sales isn't about convincing people to buy things they don't need, but about finding customer problems and solving them. This approach means always starting with the problem first as a marketer, ensuring everything you do "gets buns on seats" rather than just doing activities for the sake of it. This customer-first mentality was crucial to achieving ten years of record growth at Eurostar.
Align Sales and Marketing for Maximum Impact
The most powerful insight from Harris's Eurostar experience was the seamless integration between sales and marketing teams. (04:21) She worked closely with her "work husband" in marketing, functioning as one unified team rather than separate departments. They developed a system where maverick ideas would be strategically presented through the sales leader to gain board approval. This eliminated the typical tension between commercial and marketing teams, leading to faster decision-making and unified direction.
Crisis Communication: Say Sorry, Fix It, Move On
When dealing with major crises like trains stuck in tunnels, Harris learned critical lessons about crisis communication. (09:39) The instinct is to keep apologizing and over-explaining, but customers actually want you to stop talking about the problem and return to being trustworthy. Her behavioral psychologist advisor told them to "stop talking about it" once they'd apologized and focus on getting back to reliable service. This approach helped them achieve record growth even during crisis years.
People Experience Should Match Customer Experience
Harris discovered that most companies meticulously map customer experience but completely neglect people experience. (14:56) She advocates for applying the same energy to employee experience from employer branding through recruitment to the "yes to desk" period and beyond. Every touchpoint should be loaded with brand messages and promises, ensuring employees know how to show up and deliver the brand from day one. This alignment makes decisions faster and gets everyone "on the bus."
Slow Down to Speed Up - Break the Fear Cycle
The core message from Harris's cardiac arrest experience is that 95% of behavior is unconscious and 85% of our 65,000 daily thoughts are negative. (26:23) Our unconscious minds don't distinguish between imaginary fears and reality, leading to constant stress and poor decision-making. "Slow the f*ck down" isn't about doing less - it's about taking a breath before responding to recognize the choices you're making and ensure they're right for you. This creates clarity, better decisions, and ultimately better performance.
Statistics & Facts
- 91% of people who have a cardiac arrest die, and of the 9% who survive, 60% suffer brain damage - making Harris part of less than 4% who make a full recovery. (23:23)
- 95% of human behavior is unconscious, and 85% of our 65,000 daily thoughts are negative, according to Harris's research into human performance. (26:23)
- Harris achieved ten consecutive years of record sales growth at Eurostar, including during crisis years like 2008 recession and multiple tunnel incidents. (06:05)
