Ambitious Minds

Imposter Syndrome is a common trait among high achievers and has been a recurring theme with many of the guests I’ve interviewed so far, and there's a good chance you’ve experienced this at some point in your life. That's why, in this week’s episode, I’m excited to welcome Romy van der Merwe, an imposter syndrome and career coach. Romy shares her own journey of battling imposter syndrome, despite...

In this week's episode, I’m joined by… ME. I've received a number of questions about my story, so to mark this significant milestone of 20 episodes, I thought I would turn the spotlight onto me. I talk about my career journey, how and why I started a podcast, the surprising barriers to entry, reflecting on how I can improve, my unsustainable work-life balance, my opinion on university, plus my adv...

In this week's episode, I’m joined by Adam Ashe, a former professional rugby player and co-founder of Puresport. Adam shares his journey, which includes the physical hurdles he overcame as a professional athlete, and how the discipline and resilience he developed in sports paved the way for his success in business. This episode is a perfect example of how solving personal problems can lead to grea...

In this week's episode, I’m joined by Charlotte Lafferty, the owner and founder of Think Talent Partners. Charlotte has a fascinating career that began in a cold-calling recruitment role and eventually led her to Amsterdam, where she started her own business advising startups and scale up to build successful teams. Charlotte shares her journey, which includes the challenges she faced as a recruitm...

In this week's episode, I’m joined by Patrick Watts - Author, Financial Adviser, Business Founder and Academic. Patrick, the author of 'The End of the American Empire', was recently named as Author of the Month by Graham Hancock. In our discussion, we dive into the contents of Patrick's book, exploring his perspectives on American politics, his views on Donald Trump re-entering the presidential ra...

In this week’s episode. I’m thrilled to be joined by my good friend Rich Hine, the founder of British Polo Gin, an organic gin company based in the Cotswolds. I’ve been looking forward to recording this episode for a while, as Rich and I have been discussing business ideas since we met in 2019. In fact, he was a significant influence on my decision to start this podcast. Rich is the epitome of a d...

If you'd told me 10 years ago that my old colleague who worked in finance with me would be cutting my hair before recording a podcast together, I would have called you crazy! But in this week's episode, I am excited to be joined by Liam Leahy, the Mustdash Barber, who made a bold decision at the age of 28 to quit his job working in the city and train to become a barber.  In this conversation,...

As transformations go, there aren’t many more inspiring stories than Brad’s; a creative individual who found himself stifled working in the finance industry.  It was actually a holiday in the Philippines that inspired him to change career and become a freelance photographer. Within just 4 years, his portfolio includes photos of will.i.am, Demi Lovato, Matthew McConaughey, The Foo Fighters,&nb...

If you’ve heard the term lab-grown diamond but you’re curious or even skeptical about what they are, I’ve got a great guest for you in this week’s episode of the Ambitious Minds podcast. I am very excited to be joined by Akhil Bakhai, Managing Director at Labon, a supplier of lab grown diamonds to the European diamond industry. Labon has a great story, having partnered with a 100% renewable diamon...

Have you ever found yourself in a negative spiral, but wondered how you got there? Mind Data is a tech startup that helps people track their mental health trends and provide real-time insights, helping individuals, corporations and universities to take data-driven and proactive steps to improve mental wellbeing. In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Sean Ruane, Mind Data's Founder and CEO. Sean’s...

This week, I’m delighted to be joined by Lisa Meller, a former solicitor who made a career change to become a financial advisor, driven by her own challenges in finding somebody relatable, with only 1 in 6 financial advisors being female. In this conversation, Lisa shares her approach to financial advice, which is centred around her passion for trying to bridge the financial gender gap. But L...

In this week’s episode, I’m excited to be joined by Daniel Smith, a serial entrepreneur with business ventures spanning home security, property, glazing, sliding doors, solar and green technology.  Having grown up in an entrepreneurial family, Dan didn’t see any other option once he left university and jumped straight into the world of business at the age of 21. This episode perfectly encapsu...

In this episode, I’m joined by Sam Brearey, former elite athlete and co-founder of Accessercise, a fitness app specifically designed to improve health and fitness within the disabled community. Astonishingly, around 15% of the global population suffer from disabilities, which is more than 1 billion people and Accessercise is on a mission to improve access and resources for a healthier and longer l...

In this episode, I’m excited to share the story of Rory MacFadyen, co-founder of Reflo, a sustainable sports apparel company that transforms plastic into high-performance sportswear. As a day job, Rory is also the Chief Marketing Officer of Icons Series, a concept that brings together world class athletes from various sports to compete in a unique golf tournament. It’s so inspiring listening to Ro...

How many times have we heard the expression “it’s not rocket science”? Well, in this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Alessandro Ferreri, a real-life rocket scientist. I’ve been looking forward to this episode for a while. Ale has one of the coolest and unique jobs on the planet and he is working in the field of space engineering at such an exciting time for the industry. It wa...

Sam Slack is a 2x British Natural Bodybuilding Champion and Online Coach. Sam's story is a testament to the power of mindset and determination. He has a truly motivational story, starting his journey working as a delivery driver before taking the leap into entrepreneurship. His journey took an unexpected turn when he discovered he was about to become a father just as he embarked on his business ve...

In this episode, I am excited to be joined by Giovina, the founder of Tapistelar, a rug company that combines Colombian craftsmanship and tradition with Italian luxury design. Giovina’s story is as unique as it is inspiring, starting as a holiday which led to her working and living in Colombia. It was here that she fell in love with the artisan skillset of rug making, and saw an opportunity to bri...

In this episode I have the absolute pleasure of sitting down with my brother, George Lawrence, AKA Studio Lawrence, who turned his side-hustle into a full-time business.  George was working in the fashion industry but decided to pursue his passion for painting during the pandemic and his artwork can now be found in the homes of many of the world’s most recognisable musicians, footballers and...

In this episode I sit down with Ashley Bailey, the personal trainer who turned his passion for weight training into a dream career, sculpting the bodies of celebrity Hollywood actors. When the pandemic disrupted life as we knew it, Ashley found himself living on a movie set and training the cast of Jurassic World Dominion. Earning a reputation for delivering results for his clients, he organically...

Giulia has an incredibly impressive CV, having worked for three of the Premier League’s most successful football clubs; Manchester Utd, Manchester City and Arsenal, as well as Italian and European giant AC Milan. Giulia has experienced exponential career growth by embracing new challenges every few years. She was voted one of the 30 under 30 NextGen Leaders in the Sports Industry. She’s a force of...

At just 30 years old, Tom was already living off the passive income from his property portfolio. Yet, he found himself craving more. Now he's starting a fresh chapter, on the journey to building a successful Financial Advisory business from scratch. Expect to learn what books have been influential in Tom's journey, whether income from property is actually passive, Tom's advice for starting a busin...