The Unconventionalists with Mark Leruste

In this week's episode of #TheUnconventionalists podcast I sit down with former doctor turned mind reader and hypnotist Aaron Calvert, who traded his stethoscope for the stage.   After his grandmother bought him his first magic trick at 8 years old and seeing a comedy hypnotist live on stage for the first time at 15 years old, Aaron was hooked on the ability to create "miracles" in front...

Today’s guest is Fran Boorman, Co-Founder and CEO of Goal 17, an award winning mission driven business, who believes there isn’t a problem a partnership can’t fix.  After an unlikely meeting with Keith Mabbutt, an ex-footballer and founder of The Street Soccer Foundation, Fran and Keith decided to partner up and create Goal 17 to put an end to youth homelessness through the power of football....

It's been a while since I jumped in the studio behind the mic and shared with you what's been going on behind the scenes here at The Unconventionalists HQ. So ladies and gentlemen, time for you to put your headphones on, kick off your shoes and let me share with you all the exciting changes and launches taking place that you won't want to miss.  Spoiler alert, it includes a new website and a...

Four years ago to the day the very first episode of The Unconventionalists® podcast went live on iTunes. What started as a passion project on the side of my full time job quickly became something much, much bigger. To date, 110 thought leaders, entrepreneurs, disrupters and innovators have come on the show to share their inspiring stories and the lessons learned from both their failures and succes...

This week's guest is Colin Wright, the original minimalist who ditched his 6-figure salary, sold all his possessions to spend 7 years living out of a carry-on suitcase, letting his blog readers vote every 4 months which country he should go move to next. It's a powerful conversation that will challenge the way you see the world, as we went deep into what it means to create a life that is true for...

There's nothing worse than getting at the top of a career ladder only to realise you're on the wrong wall. When Claudia Colucci woke up one day and realised that being part of the top 5% of women in the advertising industry just wasn't going to cut it for her, she did one of the scariest things possible. She quit. In this week's episode I sit down with my friend, former student and Queen of Live E...

When it comes down to startups, organisations and businesses, it's great to have a set of values and a mission statement, right?  Especially when you actually believe in them and live by them. Problem is, the vast majority of organisations today still use these vital ingredients as mere condiments, and this negatively impacts team moral and overall performance.  But what if I told you th...

Here's a question for you. If all you had were three minutes to share your idea with the world, would you be confident in your ability to pitch it? If not, you're not alone. Whether you’re a solopreneur, startup founder or business leader, if you can’t pitch, you can’t survive.  That’s why when it comes down to learning how to harness the power of pitching your business in a compelling way to...

I'm so excited to share with you this week's episode, as we've done a world first here at Unconventionalists HQ! That's right, this week we’re going to do a little something different. You see, although I’m always doing my best to think of new ways to serve you, I’ve had pretty much the same format of The Unconventionalists show for the last four years now, so I thought it was about time we experi...

What do Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, the Obamas, Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg and Bradley Cooper have in common? They've all had the pleasure to sit down and taste Saima Khan's unique middle-eastern inspired food that tastes as delicious as it is beautiful. That's right in today's episode I sit down with Saima Khan, Founder of The Hampstead Kitchen who after bumping into one of the world's most...

Let's face it, the way we work is broken. Frederick Taylor and his concept of scientific management was invented over 100 years ago on a factory floor for a world that no longer exists. And yet the vast majority of organisations around the world are still obsessed with the idea of maximising efficiency and minimising productivity friction, at all costs. The crazy thing is that despite the ever gro...

What if I told you there was a mental health startup, here in the UK, who after just three years of starting, are on track to generate seven figures of revenue in 2019, without having the need to make ANY outreach sales calls, emails or cold messaging. Who not only don't have a sales team but who also don’t pretend to be bigger than they are, and aren’t afraid to tell a potential client, “actually...

When you think of stand-up comedians, the first thing that comes up to mind probably isn’t “case study for leadership”, is it? And yet, as weird as this may sound, I believe stand-up comedians hold some of the most powerful lessons to becoming a more compelling leader. That's right, it's time to put the LOL back into leadership. And I can't wait to hear what you think! Mark Subscribe and rate our...

Welcome to 2019! That's right people, you know how the saying goes, New Year...New You...or at least that's what marketing headlines would have us believe. Indeed, it's that time of the year again, when most of us look back over the last 365 days and reflect on what we accomplished, and more often than none, reflect on what we didn't end up doing. Even though we were so sure that this year would b...

Vix Anderton is the founder of The Practical Balance, a platform to promote the wellbeing and mental health of founders, freelancers and other multi-potentialites. She also helps organisations build more diverse and inclusive cultures and is an advocate for social and policy change. Vix started her career in the Royal Air Force, serving for nearly ten years as an intelligence officer, where she ga...

"I wish everybody could get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer." Jim Carrey On the surface it's easy to think that becoming an entrepreneur is the ultimate gateway to happiness, fame and success. It's no surprise then that Visa Europe found that one in three people dream of starting their own business. But in reality, only one in ten act...

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." —E.E. Cummings I read this quote a few weeks ago and it went straight to my heart. As I honestly believe that it captures the essence of what we stand for here at team Unconventionalists. To have the c...

When it comes down to starting a business, most people make up that what you need is to have everything figured out before you even begin. And I’m not just talking about a clear plan on how you’re going to generate revenue.  No. I mean most people think to start a business you need a great name, a perfect logo, a brand spanking website, shiny business cards, a catchy URL and of course, to sec...

Let’s be honest, when it comes down to out-dated preconceived ideas of how useless and hands off dad’s are, it’s time for a much needed update. I get it though, according to my mum, my dad  changed a whopping three nappies in his life. And as a kid, I don’t remember him being around that much because he either was at the office or in his music room rehearsing with his jazz band. It doesn’t me...

If the words machine learning, blockchain, AI or Bots send you in a panic attack, then you're in for a treat. That's right, I sat down with David Arnoux, Co-Founder of Growth Tribe, Europe's #1 Growth Academy who operate in six countries and whose mission is to teach progressive digital skills to 1,000,000 students globally. David also happens to be a childhood friend of mine. Recording in the mos...

Here's the deal. In every story there needs to be a constant tension between the yearning for the Hero to win the day, with also the possibility of the Hero failing in the process. It's what makes stories interesting. It's what makes us, the audience, want to cheer the Hero on. And in someway, it's what keeps us paying attention and wanting to help the Hero achieve their goal(s). Because there's a...

What if you could reverse engineer relationships to a point where you could predict what is most likely to cost you your relationship? What if I told you that writing up a prenup before you got married was the most romantic thing you could do? Now what if I told you that THE best gift you could give a couple thinking of getting married was a consultation with a divorce lawyer... Would you believe...

If you've ever experienced a burnout at work, felt like you didn't belong or knew it was time for you to pack your bags and hit the road, you're going to love today's episode. That's right, I sat down with Bella Zanesco who in 2014 decided to pack her bags and leave her native Australia to engage in a career transition experiment and call London home for a little while, in hopes to find her tribe....

This episode has been a long time coming. For the 3rd time since launching The Unconventionalists back in 2015, I sit down with nothing but a microphone and a willingness to open up and share with you what's been going on with my business and in my life. As you'll hear in today's episode, I'm also re-launching something that means a lot to me. Hope you'll be up for joining the ride. As always, let...

What if I told you your story mattered and the world needed to hear it? Would you think I'm crazy? Or would you swing for the fences? If you've been with me for a while then you'll know that I'm a BIG believer in saying that everyone's story matters. That there is a true transformative gift in sharing your story with the world that you can only appreciate once you start letting your story out. Bec...