Lise Kaye- Bell professional speaker

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really takes to create sustainable change in organisations.

My worlds of organisational development and running a social enterprise have started to overlap in a powerful way.

Because I keep seeing the same thing:

OD professionals are often brought in to “fix a problem.”

But surface-level fixes rarely deal with what’s really going on underneath.

Real change doesn’t come from policy,processes or frameworks alone.

It comes from getting into the hearts and minds of people. People drive change.

That’s where buy-in lives. And that’s where change becomes real.

When I set up , my goal was simple but bold: to create large-scale behavioural change in young people around healthy relationships. I wanted world domination (in a positive way).

People laughed at me.

“How will a theatre show change behaviour at scale?”
“What do you know about education from a corporate background?”

People! I understand people!

What people didn’t see was the foundation behind it: systems thinking and behaviour change, winning hearts and minds- even when they come in the form of thousands of grumpy teenagers.

Because if you want reach and impact, you can’t work in isolation.
People have to be ready for change.

Part of that is helping them be ready. You need to work with others.

For me, that looks like:

✅ Diagnose what’s really happening? Who else is this a problem for?

✅ Align perspectives across the organisation. What’s important to each group and where are the connecting factors?

✅Build collective agreement so people care and create a ripple effect.

✅Collaborate so change is shared, not imposed. This often means that ego has to be put aside. Collaborating for a greater good than individual gain.

And crucially, it’s not a two-week training programme.

It’s a human process. Built in stages. Built on trust.

Did I achieve what I set out to do?

Yes, in part. Not quite world domination but pretty impressive.

Soundproofbox impacted over 29,000 lives in just 3 years. People are using words they’ve learnt in our session in their normal vocabulary.

Some are calling out bad behaviour amongst their peers.

We’ve scaled up by introducing a licenced trainer network in the UK, we are selling our licenced materials in USA 🇺🇸.

All run through partners, freelancers and a very limited budget.

Heaps of discretional effort from those who care, have passion and a whole lot of seeing the bigger mission is why we’ve achieved what we have.

It’s not perfect but it is success and a master class in creating change programmes that work.

I’m offering my insight from both worlds of 25 years in organisational development and as founder of a social enterprise.

Want to know more about change management?

Want to know how I can support your teams?

Contact me
[email protected]



Soundproof Box

Is silence hiding your biggest risk?

Being polite isn't always a sign of compliance.
For many employees, not speaking up, not being themselves, or not saying what's really happening isn't a sign that everything is fine. It may be a sign they're working in a fear-based environment.

When people don't feel psychologically safe, they learn to keep their heads down. They nod in agreement, stay quiet in meetings and avoid challenging decisions.

The danger is that leaders mistake silence for alignment.

Meanwhile:
• Mistakes go undetected until it's too late.
• Risks remain hidden.
• Opportunities are missed.
• Innovation stalls.
• Talented people disengage.

Too much reliance on policies, KPIs and governance can create the illusion of control while masking what's really happening beneath the surface.

How will you know what ideas someone has if they're afraid to voice them?

How will you spot a problem if people are covering it up?

How will you avert a disaster if no one feels safe enough to challenge the status quo?

That's what happens when people don't feel psychologically safe.
- You get surface-level compliance.
- Surface-level connection.
And you lose a heap of potential.

So here's the question:
How psychologically safe is your workplace?

Want to know more about how I can support your teams?
Contact [email protected]

For the past 25 years, my professional work has quietly focused on organisational development, leadership, culture, and helping businesses create environments where people can thrive. Loudly I've been promoting Soundproof Box, which is amazing. I've created content, written scripts, directed and created an online learning platform. However, it doesn't pay the bills and as we only receive project costs so I can't run it full time (which in itself is a shame).

Going forward, I'll be sharing more insights, experiences, and ideas from the org development side of my career.

If you follow me primarily for Soundproofbox, our creative and theatre-based programmes, and our work with young people, please continue to follow , where that content will remain front and centre. We have a great new team of licenced trainers and licencees who will be operationally supporting our mission across the country and even in the USA. I will continue as founder and non exec director.

I've realised that my personal brand has become a little confusing because it spans several different areas of expertise. I'm now taking steps to create greater clarity by positioning myself more firmly within the leadership and organisational development space.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me get some balance between my two passions. I will continue to do both, you just might see more on the development side of things.

Feedback welcome

I’m going to test a theory and see what response I get.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on how much my work with Soundproofbox has shaped people’s perception of me professionally.

In building a social enterprise, I’ve created something I deeply care about. But I’m starting to wonder if I’ve become so associated with that work that people no longer see me for the organisational development work that has been my career for years.

The reality is: everything I’ve built with Soundproofbox has come from the skills I developed in business and organisational development systems thinking, culture transformation, psychological safety, human-centred leadership, and supporting organisations through change.

Yet I feel like I’m missing out on organisational development contracts, consulting opportunities, and speaking engagements because people don’t necessarily connect me with that expertise anymore. I feel like I’m losing out to people with less experience than me in these subjects.

The social enterprise work is meaningful and impactful. But organisational development is the work I’ve spent years building experience in and, honestly, it’s also the work that pays the bills.

So I’m curious:

What’s your perception of me and what I do professionally?

I’d genuinely value your honest perspective.

I’m going to test a theory and see what response I get.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on how much my work with Soundproofbox has shaped people’s perception of me professionally.

In building a social enterprise, I’ve created something I deeply care about. But I’m starting to wonder if I’ve become so associated with that work that people no longer see me for the organisational development work that has been my career for years.

The reality is: everything I’ve built with Soundproofbox has come from the skills I developed in business and organisational development systems thinking, culture transformation, psychological safety, human-centred leadership, and supporting organisations through change.

Yet I feel like I’m missing out on organisational development contracts, consulting opportunities, and speaking engagements because people don’t necessarily connect me with that expertise anymore. I feel like I’m losing out to people with less experience than me in these subjects.

The social enterprise work is meaningful and impactful. But organisational development is the work I’ve spent years building experience in and, honestly, it’s also the work that pays the bills.

So I’m curious:

What’s your perception of me and what I do professionally?

I’d genuinely value your honest perspective.

Today I’ll be speaking at the “Shescales” event at the Nat West Accelerator hub at York University.

The event runs from 10am-1pm and will be packed full of advice and inspiration for female founders.

If you you’d like to get a last minute ticket click below:

NatWest Accelerator: She Scales Launch Event

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/natwest-accelerator-she-scales-launch-event-tickets-1985918578929

See you all there!

Sometimes what sounds like discouragement is actually a quiet nudge toward something better.

A few years ago, I asked my daughter how she’d feel if I started speaking to young people about healthy relationships. She didn’t sugarcoat it-she told me they were tired of the same old talks.

That moment changed everything.

Instead of another presentation, I created a piece of theatre. Since then, it’s reached and impacted thousands of young people through our org Soundproofbox (over 29,000 to date).

Before that, plenty of adults told me it was a bad idea that there wasn’t a market for it. That I was diminishing domestic abuse. But that one honest comment pushed me to think differently, and it made all the difference.

What’s a piece of advice or criticism that ended up changing your path?

If you’re in the Bristol area on Thursday 7th May, I’ll be speaking at PSA South West.

I’ll be focusing on the power of PR in elevating a speaking business sharing practical insights on how visibility, storytelling, and strategic exposure can open doors, amplify impact, and position you as a leader in your field.

I’ll be joined by Peter Milligan, who will be covering:
• How to maintain a balanced perspective through life’s inevitable ups and downs
• How to handle doubt and confusion with greater confidence, while giving and receiving support
• A valuable roadmap outlining the stages every individual and organisation goes through to unlock more of their potential

To get your ticket, click below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/psa-south-west-may-2026-may-madness-tickets-1987133790660?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

For the past few years, I’ve built a portfolio career that reflects the different ways I support people and organisations. I run Soundproofbox , deliver leadership training programmes, coach, speak at events, and occasionally work with a small number of hypnotherapy clients.

Just this week alone I will be:

✅Delivering a systems thinking presentation to a civil engineering company

✅Negotiating licences for Red Flags theatre work in the USA

✅Performing three shows in schools

✅Facilitating a train-the-trainer workshop

✅ Mentoring a start up entrepreneur

We’re often told to “find a niche”

but is that still enough today? Or is there real value in being multi-skilled and adaptable?

The golden thread running through my work is human transformation.

The job market is depressing and I think people will start to have more than one job.
One of my actors has 5!!!

I’d love to hear from my network: what do you know me for?

And just as importantly, what are you known for?

Do you think people should be niche or have a range of work they offer?