A Little Bit Radical: Business | People | Planet

In this conversation, Jo Haywood, founder of Skylark Media, discusses her journey as a former BBC producer and her mission to use video as a force for good. She shares her early inspiration from her biologist mother and her desire to make a positive impact on the environment. Jo reflects on her work producing groundbreaking films on climate change in the early 90s and the challenges of raising awa...

David Schluter, founder of Fluid IT, shares his journey from his early life influences to founding his company and the challenges he faced along the way. He discusses the importance of mental health and his experience with burnout, as well as the impact of hiring people from challenging backgrounds. He also highlights the role of Lord Evans, former head of MI5, on his advisory board. In this conve...

Richard Dickson, co-founder of Play It Green, discusses the importance of questioning the status quo. He shares his experience with neurodiversity and how it has shaped his perspective. Richard also talks about becoming more radical and overcoming challenges in his personal and professional life, including stepping into the MMA ring in his 40s. He introduces Play It Green and its mission to help b...

Join us for this inspiring episode as we dive into the fascinating world of Emma Locke, Change and Communications Lead at Perfetti Van Melle. Emma shares her unique insights on driving diversity, equity, and inclusion in a global company, her passions outside of work, and how these experiences shape her approach to leadership. We discuss: (00:01) Introduction to Emma Locke and Her Commitment to Di...

How much coffee have you drunk today? We had the pleasure of sitting down with Holly Kragiopoulos, co-founder of Northstar Coffee, who shared her powerful story of forging a new path for the coffee industry amid looming shortages and environmental challenges. Our conversation traversed her personal journey, from the influence of her father's research to her transformative experiences in Austra...

Amy Polly is the self-styled 'Mindfulness Rebel'. In a world of very serious, very blue, mental health information, she is a welcome shot of pink. She's the former Strategic Lead for Mental Health & Wellbeing for the Fire Service, and has since worked with organisations like Heineken, Bupa, Sweaty Betty, National Grid and many others. She's on a mission to make mindfulness more...

Surf’s up! Often called the ‘British Patagonia’, Finisterre are one of the most respected names in sustainable fashion. Headquartered in St Agnes, Cornwall, Finisterre produce long-lasting, repairable products inspired by the sea. We’re joined by CMO Bronwen Foster Butler for this episode. She discusses: The dramatic circumstances of her birth in the Canadian wilderness The effect of having a pecu...

Without people you don’t have a business. Higson, are a people consultancy, working with organisations to create progressive work cultures with high productivity and high happiness. Augusta Vivian, is the founder and joins us for this interview where she discusses: How she feels we are all entitled to have fun at work Her personal values of fun, kindness, curiosity, and stubbornness and how her ea...

Sally runs Something Big, a B Corp, employee-owned agency based in Surrey that punches above its weight. Having won briefs against agency heavyweights like Ogilvy, Something Big specialises in employee communications with a particular focus on DEI initiatives. Clients include DHL, Telefonica, and IAG. In this conversation we discuss: How she’s always been the ‘odd one out’ from her school days  He...

Timpson has been a fixture on our high streets since 1865 in the UK. In recent years, they've received acclaim for their approach to hiring ex-offenders. Now, 10% of their workforce have been given an opportunity after a criminal conviction. A unique 'upside-down' company, Timpson eschews many traditional business practices. For example, they don't have a marketing and communicatio...

How is your mental health right now? According to MIND, 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health challenge this year. For this episode, we meet Paul Smith, MD of JAAQ at Work. JAAQ is a free online platform that provides access to experts in mental health, wellbeing, disability, diversity and many more topics. Founded by Danny Gray, the platform also features the stories of high profile celebr...

Is the world waking up to refillable? From local refill stores, to refill stations in supermarkets, the movement is gathering momentum. Ahead of the curve on this was Phill Kalli of FillRefill, a company committed to making cleaning products for home, hair and body that are good for you and the planet. As the name suggests, all of FillRefill’s products are refillable, making them a great example o...

We order over 6 billion takeaways a year in the UK. Many of those are ordered on Deliveroo. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, and operating in 10 countries.  Our guest, Elena Devis, is former Head of Vegan Category at Deliveroo, now a consultant in the plant based space. In this conversation she discusses: Her adventurous spirit from a young age, including travelling overseas by herself at 13...

Designing campaigns for Patagonia, Selfridges, BMW, and Penguin Books, Forster Communications is an award-winning communications agency.  Our guest today is Peter Gilheany, Board Director at Forster. An employee-owned B Corp, Forster are a great example of how to live your values. They’ve turned down lucrative briefs from companies that refuse to declare a climate emergency, and have even set sust...

*Remember to follow A Little Bit Radical to help us land more awesome guests!* Matchable volunteering is revolutionising the way companies volunteer. Far from the days of painting fences and picking up litter, Matchable finds you a perfect volunteering opportunity for your interests, skillset, and time available. Boasting clients like Primark, Lululemon and Dentsu, Matchable has created over £2m+...

How did you sleep last night? Would you like to sleep better? Chances are you answered that with a resounding yes! Kaveh Memari is the Founder of sofi.health, a startup combining ancient plant medicine with cutting edge A.I. to improve your sleep and state of calm. Through a tailor-made spray, Sofi responds to your ongoing needs and feedback, using machine-learning to adjust dosage and blend as yo...

Blair Glencorse is the Founder and Executive Director of Accountability Lab, a global NGO focussing on empowering citizens to make changes they know are necessary in their communities. A global expert in citizen engagement and anti-corruption, Blair has a unique approach to improving governance and accountability across the world. Whether it's 'naming and faming' honest and trustworthy...

Many of us are conscious of making better choices in life, but what about better choices in death? Our guest today is Sarah Jones, founder of Full Circle Funerals. As well as offering a wide range of funeral options to suit each individual, Sarah commissioned the first piece of independent research into the environmental impact of the funeral industry. She discusses: The impact of moving around a...

You've probably heard of Patagonia. Their products adorn outdoor enthusiasts and conscious clothes buyers across the world. Often held up as THE responsible business, Patagonia champion progressive causes and activism across the world. Most radically, in September 2022, Patagonia's founder Yvon Chouinard, announced that he was transferring ownership of the company into a trust which would...

One + All make children's school uniforms, brilliant quality ones too. When you dig beneath the surface at One + All though, you'll find a seemingly never ending list of 'little bit radical' changes and initiatives. 100% employee owned, certified B Corp, pay differential limits, certified carbon neutral...the list goes on and on. It wasn't always like this though, the man that...

We love snacks! Especially in the UK, where 97% of us snack at least once a day. Over half of us snack 5 times a day! On a mission to transform the way we snack in public spaces and workplaces, Healthy Nibbles was founded by Sara Roberts, our guest today. A fiercely impressive entrepreneur and leader, she discusses: How her early life was full of radical moments, including moving to New Zealand as...

One of the biggest emitters in our world is the internet. In this episode we speak to Richard Kenny, MD of Interact. Interact are a real David in a world of Goliaths, developing some of the most innovative approaches to reducing the energy consumption of the world's data centres. They recently beat Microsoft to the award for Energy Impact at the Data Centre Design awards. Rich is down to earth...

In the mid-80s, Guy Singh-Watson left his cushty job as a management consultant to return to his roots (quite literally) as a he ploughed a few acres of his parents' farm and started growing organic vegetables. Over the 30 years since, Riverford Organic Farms has grown to become the most recognisable name in organic produce in the UK, turning over £100m + per year. The list of 'little bit...

Thank you so much to everyone who has listened to 'A Little Bit Radical' so far, we're frankly overwhelmed with how well it's going! We have more of the good stuff in season 2 with more big names in business who do things differently. Including: Guy Singh-Watson - Riverford Alex Beasley- Patagonia Katie Wilson - Octopus EVs Wai Foong Ng - Matchable Donald More - One + All Sara Robe...

How do you build a business with kindness at its heart? How do you give your employees a voice in your decision making? How do you do great work and create a great place to work at the same time? Jenny Kitchen is co-founder and CEO of Yoyo Design. Boasting an impressive list of clients, Yoyo regularly produce groundbreaking creative work. What's more, they are a B Corp and in the top 5% of B C...