40 Minute Mentor

If there’s one thing that became obvious during the pandemic and the various different lockdowns, it’s the importance of human connection.  But what happens to us when we get disconnected from our peers?  How do we build actually lasting connections?  And what are the best ways for team leaders to facilitate and create opportunities for human connection in an increasingly hybrid world?  To answer...

“You need to recognise that your mental health is a muscle and it’s not a case of doing a 30 day cleanse and mediations and you’re all good. That’s not how it works.”  What started off as a new way to eliminate the daily stresses of life in the city, turned into the UK’s favourite soft drinks brand.  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Olivia Ferdi, the Co-Founder of popular CBD brand, TRIP.  Coming f...

Public speaking - an instrumental skill to perfect for any Founder and executive.  It’s also one of the most dreaded aspects of being a business leader.  To help make your next presentation a less stressful experience, we’re joined by Alex Merry,  former COO, turned public speaking coach.   Alex doesn’t only help leaders deliver high-stakes presentations at work and globally recognised conferences...

“I don’t want Gaia to be seen as a women’s health business. 50% of the cases that we see are male factor infertility. This is a family building problem that affects men and women equally.”  1 in 6 couples are affected by fertility issues, but with aspiring parents spending over £14k on average on their treatment, only 1 in 7 people in the UK who require IVF, end up accessing it.  One Founder on a...

One of the biggest trends we’ve seen in hiring over the last year has been the rise of fractional careers.  It doesn’t just give talent more flexibility and freedom, but also gives Founders the opportunity to hire highly experienced operators at a fraction of the cost, and even try before they buy.  To discuss how you actually build a fractional career, the benefits to both talent and employers, p...

“If I’m doing exactly the same things this year, in exactly the same ways that I did last year, then I’m failing.” It’s been a turbulent year for the energy sector and many of us have seen the aftermath in our energy bills. To get first-hand insights into the energy crisis and the movement towards greener and more sustainable energy sources, we’re joined by Zoisa North-Bond, the CEO of Octopus Ene...

For this week’s bit-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Amir Nooriala, the Managing Partner of Aurias.  Amir has previously joined us on the podcast, sharing his experience as COO of Callsign and OakNorth Bank.  This time, he’s telling us more about his new venture, Aurias, offering business owners a retirement pathway that ensures the legacy of their company and employees.  In today’s...

“Plastic has its use cases. In the medical industry, it saves lives every day. But for takeaway uses, where it’s used for a short amount of time, that’s where it’s a real issue.”  For today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Pierre Paslier, the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Notpla, a sustainable packaging startup.  To this day, Notpla have partnered with the likes of Lucozade, to replace singl...

Following on from our pledge last year to continue shining a light on History’s influential black voices, beyond Black History Month, we welcome back Samuel Tholley, the Founder of Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  Today, and in continuation of celebrating International Women’s Day, beyond March 8th, Samuel sh...

“The only way that the world will see women and diversity differently, is when we create something that is so big and transformational that people will never underestimate women again.”  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, and to mark this year’s International Women’s Day, we’re joined by Sue Fennessy, the Founder & CEO of WeAre8.  WeAre8 is a hate-free community that is built upon the idea that...

Recruitment and Tech are both not industries with the best reputation when it comes to Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity.  That’s why JBM and 40 Minute Mentor are on a mission to change that. With our podcast specifically, we’re always looking to feature unique and inspiring stories, especially giving underrepresented voices a platform to share theirs.  We’re very much still a work in progress and...

“The best way of treating people is not as if they're a resource, but by working with them to create something amazing.”  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Anouk Agussol, the Founder and CEO of Unleashed.  Unleashed are on a mission to gear up early stage and scaling companies for speedy and sustainable success, through people and culture. They help create thriving businesses an...

In today’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re taking a look back on some of our most popular 40 Minute Mentor author episodes. Just in time for World Book Day, later this week, we’re going to hear about the journeys our 40 Minute Mentor authors have been on and how they’ve taken their best-selling books from ideation to launch, and all the ups and downs in between. Whether you’re thinking...

“I was finally getting all of these jobs that I always wanted, but I was always more passionate about my own business and would keep working on it outside of my normal hours.”  Landing a role at Google as a graduate will make most people put thoughts about their next moves on hold. Not for today’s 40 Minute Mentor.  We’re joined by the brilliant Simmy Dhillon, Founder of Simmer, the meal subscript...

In this week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re looking at a role which has gained increasing popularity within the Startup and Scaleup world over the last 12 months - the Chief of Staff role.  To help us explore more of the day to day and the skills any aspiring CoS needs, we’re joined by:  📌 Emily Good, Chief of Staff at Lantum.  📌 Libby Dangoor, Chief of Staff at Multiverse.  📌 Sim...

“It’s sad when you go into something with the idea of building a legacy and then that gets cut off. You have to realise, this is happening because you take risks, and that’s a good thing.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Abadesi Osunsade, DE&I leader and Founder & CEO of Hustle Crew, a inclusion education provider on a mission to create a world in which businesses are cen...

Following International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’re looking back on two 40 Minute Mentor episodes with two absolute trailblazers - Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon and Amali de Alwis.  Anne-Marie is the Co-Founder and CEO of Stemettes, an award-winning social enterprise working to inspire and support girls, young women and non-binary people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths c...

“A lot of people expected me and Joe to go off the rails. We almost had permission because of our childhood. Because of that, there was always a part of me that wanted to prove people wrong.”  In this inaugural episode of 40 Minute Mentor’s 9th Series, we’re joined by Nikki Wicks, the CEO of the legendary global fitness brand, The Body Coach.  There won’t be a lot of you who haven’t heard of Joe W...

To commemorate this year’s World Cancer Day, we’re looking back on one of our all-time favourite episodes, featuring the late Catherine Wines.  Catherine was the Co-Founder of WorldRemit, one of the fastest growing FinTechs in the UK, allowing people to send money to friends and family living abroad. Catherine was one of the most high-profile female leaders in FinTech and it came as a real shock t...

Your pocket-sized career mentor is back with a brand new Series.  40 Minute Mentor was created to make business mentorship more accessible and raise aspirations. We do this, by interviewing the most brilliant leaders who are building exceptional, category-defining businesses.  Our guests have ranged from Tech CEO’s to Sustainability Entrepreneurs and from Investors to Olympic Gold Medallists.  And...

“Why is there a need to prove ourselves? Why are we in a situation where we’re not being treated equally as smart as any other ethnicity, especially when we’ve done all this great stuff throughout history?”  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor feature episode, we’re joined by Samuel Tholley, a History Teacher and Founder of Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources expl...

“The key is to be niche on an audience, but fairly liberal in what’s the best way for you to interact with them. And particularly with how to monetise that audience.”  In this week’s ‘Where Are They Now’ feature episode, we’re joined by James McClure - experienced C-level Tech Exec, Angel Investor, Advisor and Executive Coach.  James has grown big names, like Airbnb and Google, internationally and...

“This idea of a lone genius that has all the answers does not solve anything, it only makes things worse.”  We’re back with a fresh episode of our ‘Where Are They Now’ feature Series, where we invite some of our most popular 40 Minute Mentors back on the podcast to discuss their latest news and insights.  This time, we’re joined by Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, Co-Founder and CEO of Stemettes, Author, P...

“The recession period felt awful, but actually during that time, even as a small business, we got to be the UK market leader, and all that with only five people working for us, at the time.”  To kick off 2023, we’re looking back on the latest Series of 40 Minute Mentor and hand pick some of the great advice our mentors shared with us, this time focused on the economic downturn and fundraising.  Th...

As 2022 is coming to an end, we take the chance to look back and reflect on the last 12 months of 40 Minute Mentor.  We did this, by asking some of the JBM team, our series sponsors and 40 Minute Mentor ambassadors for their favourite episodes of the year.  To listen back to the episodes mentioned in today’s episode, click through the list below:  🎧 Amali de Alwis: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-...