Brilliance Talks

What really happens behind the scenes of celebrity marketing and brand partnerships? In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with Stacey Jones, founder and CEO of Hollywood Branded, a pop culture branded partnerships agency that has worked across more than 10,000 brand integrations involving movies, TV, streaming, celebrities and influencer culture. Stacey shares what nearly...

What happens when you stop trying to sell the problem and start selling the future? In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with James Trezona. James has built and sold multiple creative and strategy firms, including the UK's first B2B storytelling agency, and now works with startups and scale-ups in the clean tech and climate space. His central argument is powerful: Narr...

Is SEO dead? Sophie Brannon doesn't think so. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with Sophie Brannon, who leads StudioHawk's US operation, to explore how SEO is changing in the age of AI search. Sophie shares what she has learned from more than a decade in SEO and from building StudioHawk's US operation from the ground up. The conversation also goes behind th...

How many hours are you working every week? If the answer is 60, 70 or even 75 hours, you might not have a workload problem. You might have a founder dependency problem. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader speaks with leadership coach Katharine Halpin about why founders become the bottleneck in their own businesses. Katharine has spent nearly three decades helping founders and leade...

Mark Forstater has spent more than six decades in the film industry. After helping produce Monty Python and the Holy Grail, he went on to experience both major successes and failures, learning what makes a story last and what causes one to disappear. Now he's applying those lessons to AI filmmaking, Unreal Engine and the creator economy. 📝 Show Notes: 00:00 AI Filmmaking Is Changing Who Gets...

AI agents are moving beyond chat, they're beginning to execute real work. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Xena Ugrinsky explores what happens when AI agents become digital co-workers inside modern businesses. After two decades working with major organisations including KPMG and Booz Allen, Xena has shifted her focus toward agentic AI, building systems designed to execute workflows across...

What happens when a UX designer turns a freelance career into a global, fully remote agency? In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Marie Whittington, founder of Pepperplane, shares the lessons behind nine years of building a UX business across fintech, healthcare, security and technology. We talk about the transition from freelancer to founder, building a remote team, systemising a creative busines...

Sports sustainability isn't just about being environmentally responsible. It's about building stronger organisations, making better decisions and creating long-term strategic value. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with Pierluigi Zacheo, a strategic advisor specialising in sustainability, governance, climate resilience and social impact for sports organisations...

What if the biggest problem in your business isn't a lack of data, but a lack of insight? In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Dale Foong explains why Project Controls is one of the most misunderstood disciplines in business and how it helps leaders make better decisions. From moving to the UK with no long-term plan to helping build Movar into an award-winning consultancy working with major or...

Emotional Intelligence For CEOs is what separates leaders who burn out from leaders who last. In this episode, Dov Baron, the coach elite CEOs, political figures, and top performers call when success stops working, joins host Simac Konkader to unpack the hidden emotional patterns driving high achievers, why founders keep reaching for "more" instead of "meaning," and why the fut...

In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with the co-founder of Green & Black's, founder of Carbon Gold, and one of the pioneers of organic food and Fairtrade. Craig shares the incredible journey that started after nearly dying from hepatitis while travelling through India, eventually leading him to revolutionise the food industry. We discuss entrepreneurship, ethical...

Why do brilliant leaders still make terrible decisions? In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with Michael Farmer, former Bain and Boston Consulting Group consultant, to explore what separates exceptional business strategy from costly mistakes. They discuss leadership lessons from the US Navy, why consultants think differently from founders, AI's impact on business, age...

This podcast explores what it really takes to build a high-growth AI company without sacrificing sound leadership. Anthony Baker shares lessons from becoming a world champion athlete, living through 18 months without a salary, rejecting £2 million in funding, leveraging ADHD as a leadership advantage, and building 15 Group's ambitious vision toward a $500 million business. If you're a foun...

Emotional Intelligence in Construction is transforming leadership across one of the world's toughest industries. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac sits down with construction leadership expert Brent Donald to discuss emotional intelligence, burnout, neuroscience, accountability, leadership coaching, and why people, not processes, create high-performing construction companies. If you&#...

AI Architecture is redefining how buildings, cities, and communities are designed. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Francesca Silvi and Mattia Santi, co-founders of SASI Studio, share how they combine AI, Digital Twins, computational design, and human-centered architecture to create future-ready buildings around the world. They discuss entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, sustainability,...

Answer Engine Optimization is quickly becoming one of the most important skills in digital marketing. In this episode, Kevin Roy, founder of Green Banana, explains how businesses can rank in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and the next generation of AI search platforms. Kevin shares how he built a company from a severance check and three free websites into a $9M agency, survived a devastating lawsuit,...

Lisa Canning left home at 13, bought a business at 17, and eventually built a $10 million company. Then she made a shocking decision: she intentionally shrank the business. In this conversation, Lisa shares why growth almost destroyed her company, why bootstrapping beats venture capital, how she's trying to rebuild the music industry, and why human connection matters more than ever in the age...

Marcus Inman spent years in the military, experienced homelessness, and rebuilt his life from the ground up. Today, he leads CNH Holdings, a data infrastructure company transforming the Main Street M&A market. In this episode, Marcus explains why Human in the Loop AI is the future, why founders struggle with growth, and how operational discipline creates lasting success. From counting change f...

In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Shainul Kassam shares the reality of starting a law firm at 29 years old with no clients, no backup plan, and no shortcuts. We discuss founder psychology, scaling a boutique legal practice, hiring elite talent, leadership pressure, and the impact of AI on the legal industry. This conversation is essential listening for entrepreneurs, lawyers, founders, and anyo...

Tom Truitt is a pioneering Music Industry Headhunter who built a unique career helping music companies hire top executive talent. In this episode, Tom shares how he transitioned from tech recruiting into the music business, why money alone doesn’t create fulfillment, and how networking and culture fit drive success in entertainment. 📝 Show Notes: 01:10 Why the music industry needed headhunters 03...

Nicole is an author, financial planner, podcast host, and founder helping people rebuild financially after debt, burnout, and investment mistakes. Nicole Bremner built a portfolio of over 110 properties before losing millions during one of the toughest periods in the UK property market. In this episode, Nicole shares the brutal reality behind property investing, financial stress, wealth rebuilding...

In this podcast, Elizabeth Moore shares her journey from banking to co-founding one of London’s leading multidisciplinary health clinics. As Managing Director of Marylebone Health Group, Elizabeth reveals how elite sports medicine principles can improve everyday healthcare while scaling a clinic business without compromising patient trust or clinical quality. 📝 Show Notes: 00:18 From banking to b...

CEO mental health is one of the most ignored issues in modern business. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, we speak with Rob Watt, founder of Innisfree Therapy, a leading therapy practice working with CEOs, founders, and high-performing leaders whose private struggles are threatening their public success. 📝 Show Notes: 01:21 Control vs Intimacy in Leadership 03:17 Why Leadership Can Be Isolatin...

We’re more connected than ever... but feel more alone than ever. Adam Scott explains the engagement crisis and why cities, technology, and modern life are breaking human connection, and how we can fix it. 📝 Show Notes: 01:24 Early influence of storytelling in spaces 03:39 Narrative journeys in design 16:38 Designing with time 18:20 What is the engagement crisis? 20:12 Loneliness in modern society...

This episode breaks down a powerful B2B marketing strategy that most founders completely miss. Nate Burke, Co-Founder of Diginius, shares how he scaled a global marketing platform across 60+ countries and built one of Microsoft’s largest advertising partnerships, by focusing on strategy, not hype. We explore: → Why the best B2B marketing strategy avoids direct competition → How to build scalable s...