The Room Where It Happened

Is the next global financial crisis not just possible, but overdue? Former Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO Lloyd Blankfein didn’t just survive the 2008 financial crash; he steered the firm through it by trading the ego of a "warrior" for the "professional paranoia" of a worrier. In this episode, Lloyd explains why the "kindling" for the next global crisis is already building on the forest floor and...

When football meets finance, the real story often sits behind the headlines. In this episode, Stefan Borson takes us inside the financial reality of the Premier League, from Everton's point deduction to the ongoing Manchester City case and what a “win” actually means for the league. Drawing on his background advising clubs and now analysing them from the outside, Stefan breaks down the decisions,...

Before athletes became global brands, there were a handful of people shaping the strategy behind the scenes. In this episode, founder and CEO of ARETÉ Simon Bayliff takes us inside the decisions that built “Brand Beckham,” and the close working relationship that underpinned it; built on trust, alignment, and a shared focus on performance first. He breaks down how Beckham’s brand was carefully cons...

How does a £20,000 family loan turn into a £300 million global brand? For Tom Beahon, it all began with his parents remortgaging their home to support him and his brother’s dream of creating Castore. That early sacrifice sparked a relentless drive to succeed and made failure not an option. Tom Beahon takes us through the early hustle, from hiding in train toilets to avoid paying fares, to camping...

Spencer Matthews’ journey from reality TV star to the founder of a £100M business is a story of transformation, grit, and resilience. In this episode, Spencer talks about his personal evolution from battling alcohol to building Clean Co, a brand that’s revolutionizing the alcohol-free space.  He takes us through the defining moments that changed everything, including the £1M investment offer...

With Toy Story 5 & Hoppers releasing this year, The Chief Creative Officer of PIXAR, Pete Docter, joins The Room Where It Happened to break down 40 years of Pixar's history. Pete directed Monsters Inc., Up, Inside Out, & Soul, and has worked with some of animation and technology's biggest icons, including, John Lasseter, Steve Jobs, and Andrew Stanton, just to name a few. In this episode w...

What’s stopping Gen Z from becoming millionaires? In this eye-opening conversation, Tim Armoo uncovers the harsh realities young entrepreneurs face, from crushing competition to a rapidly shifting landscape. Have side hustles truly replaced traditional entrepreneurship, or are they just a distraction? Tim reveals why the road to success is harder than ever and how the game is changing for the next...

Jeff Mostyn didn’t set out to become the savior of a football club, but that’s exactly what he did when a single nod saved Bournemouth from liquidation. In this episode, Jeff takes us back to that moment, when he committed another £100,000 despite promising his wife he wouldn’t, and reflects on how that spontaneous decision set the course for a 17-year journey with the club. From the highs of crea...

Victor Bengtsson’s journey with Sidemen began with a single, unexpected interview, where instead of touting credentials, he cracked a joke that showed he understood their world. In this episode, Victor takes us through how he went from that first conversation to building Side+ in just 75 days, a challenge that became the blueprint for a new approach to content creation and distribution. From the r...

CEO of Kurt Geiger Neil Clifford reflects on the moments and challenges that shaped his journey from a department store floor to leading a global fashion brand. He shares how early setbacks, including the loss of his father and living with dyslexia, influenced his leadership style, turning perceived limitations into creative strengths. Neil also discusses the lessons learned through private equity...

How does a personal space flight spark a mission to reshape humanity’s future? For Dylan Taylor, it started with a transcendent experience in orbit, which led him to found Space for Humanity, a non-profit dedicated to expanding access to space travel. His vision grew from a desire to unlock space’s transformative potential for solving Earth’s most pressing issues, and today, he’s helping to shape...

From washing dishes in a chaotic hotel kitchen at 13 to leading a global software company, Mark Moffat traces a leadership journey shaped by humility, curiosity, and learning from the ground up.. Mark opens up about his evolving relationship with AI, from early scepticism to using it practically in everyday life and high-stakes business decisions, and why industrial AI represents one of the bigges...

Long before cybersecurity became a daily concern for businesses, Danny Jenkins encountered a moment that changed his entire trajectory. A ransomware attack on a small company didn’t just expose a technical failure, it revealed how easily a lifetime of work could vanish overnight. In this episode, Danny unpacks the unlikely experiences that shaped his worldview, from a childhood where learning to c...

From a childhood helicopter dream to building and selling a £4.1bn company, Richard Harpin shares the moments that nearly ended, and ultimately defined,his journey as a founder. In this episode, Richard takes us inside the make-or-break decisions behind HomeServe, including the last-ditch mail shot that saved the business when they had just £10,000 left in the bank, and the devastating moment a pa...

What begins as a personal crisis quickly turns into a leap of faith. For Olivia Ferdi, everything changed seven weeks before her wedding, when a serious ACL injury forced her to confront her health, and her future, head on. In this episode, Olivia shares how that moment sparked an immediate decision to walk away from a career in law and commit fully to building something of her own. She takes us b...

When Heights hit a wall after rapid early growth, founder Dan Murray faced a brutal truth: the product wasn’t the problem, the story was.  In this episode, Dan takes us inside the moment everything changed, explaining how a simple rebrand unlocked a new phase of growth, and why founders often look for answers in the wrong places when momentum stalls. Dan is candid about the decisions that nea...

What starts as a side idea quickly becomes a full-scale obsession. For Will Shu, that obsession turned into Deliveroo, and it began with him delivering meals himself, learning the business from the pavement up. In this episode, Will takes us inside the early days of building a food delivery company from scratch, including the mistakes no one sees, the moments that tested his resolve, and the reali...

What happens when a career built on spreadsheets collides with a gut-level belief in great food? John Eckbert’s path to becoming CEO of Five Guys is anything but conventional, and it nearly didn’t happen at all. In this conversation, John unpacks the improbable steps that took him from banking into the heart of one of the world’s most recognisable fast-casual brands. He shares how a single moment...

Before it became a worldwide holiday staple, The Elf on the Shelf was simply a Pitts family tradition, one that Christa Pitts helped turn into a cultural phenomenon through grit, creativity, and unshakeable belief. In this episode, Christa looks back on the early days of being rejected by every publisher, the decision to self-publish with her family’s savings on the line, and the scrappy marketing...

From Top Gear to The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm, Andy Wilman has spent decades redefining what car television can be, and learning a few hard lessons along the way. In this episode, Andy opens up about the high-stakes Amazon deal that launched The Grand Tour, the legal and creative gymnastics of building something “like Top Gear, but not Top Gear,” and the spontaneous tent idea that became the...

From delivering coffees at 14 to becoming CEO of Matchroom Boxing, Frank Smith has lived every side of the fight game. In this episode, Frank reflects on the defining moments that shaped his career, from his first “final warning” as a teenager to leading global events watched by millions. He shares the unexpected twists behind major fights like Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul, the lessons learned fro...

In this week's notebook I discuss the importance of not just finding your why, but acting on it. I share the unexpected panic I felt travelling back from my interview with Robert Lewandowski because of the thought I might miss my flight home. That rising fear revealed something important: when your purpose shifts, your reactions shift too. For me, family has become my why, and anything that pulls...

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou joins us from Monaco to revisit the moment easyJet was created, beginning with the 1994 launch, where he persuaded his father to back his idea for a new kind of airline. He reflects on the early years of bold marketing stunts, legal battles with British Airways, and a fierce rivalry with Ryanair that pushed him to keep costs low, move fast and build a brand the public inst...

In this week's notebook, I talk about the fear I felt going into an interview with footballing superstar Robert Lewandowski, why we should enjoy our struggles, celebrate ourselves, and actively seek fear, not run from it. If you're currently feeling paralysed by fear or dissatisfied with everyday life, this episode's here to remind you that life's not meant to be perfect. Be proud of yourself and...

How does someone go from tinkering with computers in a small Manchester bedroom to leading Microsoft UK’s AI revolution? For Darren Hardman, it began with curiosity, hard work, and a lesson that changed his outlook forever: success isn’t about working more hours, it’s about working with purpose. In this episode, Darren shares the defining moments that shaped his leadership journey, from early sacr...