Augusta Vivian – Culture Starts in the Smallest Moments
Release Date: 03/03/2026
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info_outlineWhat if the culture your organisation is trying to build isn't hiding in a values poster or a strategy deck—but in the smallest things you do every single day?
In this warm, deeply practical episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan is joined by Augusta Vivian, CEO of Higson, a people development consultancy helping senior teams lead through change, build inclusive workplaces, and embed culture that actually lasts. Their conversation spans parenting and leadership, kindness as a performance tool, the hard work of real inclusion, and why stubborn values might be the most underrated leadership quality of all.
Augusta opens with something personal—how raising her 17-month-old daughter has sharpened her understanding of presence, trust, and the power of micro moments. From there, the conversation moves into the heart of her work: how the tiny, consistent behaviours we model become the architecture of how we treat each other at scale. She shares how Higson builds change-ready cultures, why clarity is an act of kindness, and how vulnerability from a leader doesn't weaken authority—it creates the conditions for real trust.
They also tackle inclusion head-on—unpacking the critical difference between diversity and inclusion, the unconscious bias we all carry, and how even the language we use with toddlers is quietly shaping future leaders. And Augusta makes a compelling case that fun, charity, and giving back aren't soft add-ons—they're non-negotiables, built into processes and calendars precisely because life is busy and good intentions alone don't get it done.
This is a conversation that will nudge you to look differently at how habits, tone, and attention shape the people around you—at home, in your community, and at work.
Episode Timeline:
00:04:18 Parenting as a leadership practice
00:06:41 Why micro moments are the real culture builders
00:09:31 Building a change culture, not just surviving change
00:12:59 The importance of kindness and vulnerability
00:18:02 Financial transparency, strategy days
00:21:24 Culture add, not culture fit
00:23:56 Core values of of Higson
00:29:06 Making the values a non-negotiable
00:34:38 The people behind the passion and authenticity
00:36:35 Stubbornness as a values-led superpower
00:41:14 The impact of her Oxford days
00:43:10 Diversity vs inclusion – what leaders get wrong
00:52:26 Why culture change stalls at the poster
00:58:44 Intelligent failure and the Rose, Thorn, Bud tool
01:04:57 What a parenting book teaches us about leadership
01:08:16 Boundaries over balance
Key Takeaway:
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Culture Lives in Behaviour, Not Slogans: Values on a wall mean nothing without the layer below them. Define what your values look like in practice, build them into how you hire, appraise and recognise people—then they become culture. Most organisations skip that step.
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Kindness is a Performance Tool, Not a Nice-to-Have: Honest communication, genuine recognition and psychological safety aren’t soft—they’re the foundation of high performance. Teams that trust their leader navigate change faster, stay longer and go further above and beyond.
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Diversity Gets People in the Room. Inclusion Keeps Them There: A diverse team without an inclusive culture doesn’t outperform—it underperforms. Around 70% of how included someone feels comes directly from their leader. Check your language, challenge your biases, and make sure people feel heard—not just present.
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If It Matters, Build It In—Don’t Just Intend It: Charity work, fun, wellbeing check-ins, strategy days—none of it happens on good intentions alone. If something is a value, make it a non-negotiable: schedule it, process it, protect it. Otherwise, busy wins.
About Augusta Vivian:
Augusta Vivian is a people development and organisational culture expert who works with leaders and teams to build inclusive, high-performing workplaces and lead through change. As Founder and CEO of the people consultancy Higson, she specialises in designing leadership frameworks, behavioural change programmes, and talent practices rooted in psychological insight that help organisations communicate better, innovate, and thrive. With a degree in Psychology from the University of Oxford, Augusta combines deep expertise in human behaviour with a mission to create positive social and environmental impact — including donating a significant portion of Higson’s profits to charity and achieving B Corp certification. Today, she partners with professionals who want to transform culture, strengthen leadership, and drive lasting results in their organisations.
Resources Mentioned:
The Right Kind of Wrong: https://a.co/054z87s9
The Whole-Brain Child: https://drdansiegel.com/book/the-whole-brain-child/
Connect with Augusta Vivian:
Website: https://consulthigson.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/augustavivian/
Connect with Cathleen O’Sullivan:
Business: https://cathleenosullivan.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-osullivan/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LegendaryLeaderswithCathleenOS
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