Anatomy of a Leader with Maria Hvorostovsky

Dr Brennan Jacoby is a philosopher specialising in Trust (he wrote his PhD on betrayal). He is the Founder of Philosophy at Work, a company helping businesses ‘think their best’. He is one of the most interesting people to talk about curiosity, trust and how we can apply thousands of years of philosophy to doing business and working. He also made a huge impact on me personally when it comes to com...

“Be the philosopher in the room.” Dr Brennan Jacoby is a philosopher specialising in Trust (he wrote his PhD on betrayal). He is the Founder of Philosophy at Work, a company helping businesses ‘think their best’. He is one of the most interesting people to talk about curiosity, trust and how we can apply thousands of years of philosophy to doing business and working. He also made a huge impact on...

Eva Alexandridis, the Founder of 111SKIN is eloquent, elegant and enlightened. Growing up in Bulgaria with limited access to beauty products she, together with her husband Yannis - a plastic surgeon, created a skincare brand that now offers a luxurious, sensorial experience and is stocked in some of the most iconic stores in the world. We spoke about the long, difficult journey of building the bra...

“Once the person earns your trust, let them shine. No brands are built by one person.” In Episode #19 I spoke with Eva Alexandridis, Founder of 111SKIN about her upbringing in Bulgaria, creating 111SKIN with her plastic surgeon husband Yannis, trusting her team and on being burnt. EPISODE #19: You can listen to the full episode here OR WATCH it on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC-YIz5...

In Episode #18 I spoke with Simon Whitehouse, the CEO of Eco-Age, who was also the first CEO of JW Anderson (I may have had something to do with that). We talked about being and acting yourself, parents as role models, empathy, taking a moral path, fairness, men crying at home and at work, leading with your conscience, the most valuable function in a team, being a first time CEO, the dynamic of be...

“The chain is as strong as its weakest link” In Episode #18 I spoke with Simon Whitehouse, the CEO of Eco-Age, who was also the first CEO of JW Anderson (I may have had something to do with that). We talked about being and acting yourself, parents as role models, empathy, taking a moral path, fairness, men crying at home and at work, leading with your conscience, the most valuable function in a te...

Vanessa Jacobs is all about action, grabbing the tiger by the tail and taking that first step. After a career in investment banking and consulting, she started what she calls her side ‘mummy hustle’. Little did she know that this would turn into a full on successful startup The Restory - a leading luxury aftercare company providing services for the likes of Harrods, Harvey Nichols and most recentl...

“Once I commit myself, I'm really all in. And I'm, as I said, a bit of a masochist about it” Vanessa Jacobs is all about action, grabbing the tiger by the tail and taking that first step. After a career in investment banking and consulting, she started what she calls her side ‘mummy hustle’. Little did she know that this would turn into a full on successful startup The Restory - a leading luxury a...

Steve Dennis is a retail industry veteran, keynote speaker on retail innovation, podcast host, and has recently revised his bestselling book “ Remarkable Retail - How to Win & Keep Customers in The Age of Disruption”. Steve is President of Sageberry Consulting, Strategic Advisor, Senior Forbes Contributor and holds an MBA from The Harvard School of Business. In Episode 16 we talk about the cur...

“The main reason I wrote the book was for that retailer who is slowly sinking into oblivion, and thinking that a slightly better version of mediocre is enough to win” Steve Dennis is a retail industry veteran, keynote speaker on retail innovation, podcast host, and has recently revised his bestselling book “ Remarkable Retail - How to Win & Keep Customers in The Age of Disruption”. Steve is Pr...

Grace Fodor is an age warrior, brand strategist, and founder of Studio 10 cosmetics, leading the pro-age revolution. In this time of ageism, she inspires, empowers and encourages women across the globe to appreciate their unique blend of beauty, experience and vibrance. In Episode 15 we have a heart-to-heart about struggles, perceptions and decisions of midlife women in the workplace. We also disc...

“Focus on yourself. Compete against yourself." In Episode 15 I speak with Grace Fodor, an Age Warrior, Brand Strategist, and Founder of Studio 10 cosmetics. Grace is a leader in the pro-age revolution. In this time of ageism, she inspires, empowers and encourages women across the globe to appreciate their unique blend of beauty, experience and vibrance. We have a heart-to-heart about struggles, pe...

In Episode #14, I spoke with Nicolai Chen Nielsen, Co-author of Return on Ambition about what ambition is, how to be intentional with your ambition, how to see yourself as an investment, the dark side of our strengths (in his book he calls them the 7 Frenemies) and how wellbeing and growth are inextricably linked to achievement. Nicolai is the director of transformation services at Peakon/Workday,...

“Ambition is a desire and drive to reach a future state that's different from today, challenging to get to, and personally meaningful.” In Episode #14 I spoke with Nicolai, Co-author of Return on Ambition about what ambition is, how to see yourself as an investment, how to work out your return on ambition, the dark side of our strengths (in his book he calls them the 7 Frenemies) and how wellbeing...

Miriam is an entrepreneur, NED, and advisor to early stage companies.  She has spent her career growing companies such as eBay, Figleaves, navabi, TJX and NET-A-PORTER. In Episode 13 we talk about how behavioural science can help create lasting positive change within companies, the importance of psychological safety and thinking about who is not at the table. It was fascinating to hear Miriam...

“Never take a job you know you can do.“ In Episode #13 I spoke with Miriam Lahage, who is an entrepreneur, advisor to early stage companies and co-Founder of Aequip (previously at eBay, Figleaves, navabi, TJX and NET-A-PORTER). It was fascinating to hear Miriam’s perspective of being a woman in business and a female CEO at that, the role models that showed her the power of leading with the heart a...

Millie Kendall MBE, is the CEO of the British Beauty Council, founder of a PR agency Brandstand Communications and Millie of the beauty Brand Ruby & Millie. Millie is humble, but a true risk-taker, someone who thinks nothing is impossible. In Episode 12 we talk about her frustrations with the beauty industry, about her inspiring survivor grandmother and the fun stories about her life - includi...

“Surround yourself with experts. You'll never be an expert in everything.” In Episode #12 I spoke with Millie Kendall MBE, CEO British Beauty Council, founder of a PR agency Brandstand Communications and Millie of the beauty Brand Ruby & Millie. We talked about her frustrations with the beauty industry, her inspiring survivor grandmother and the fun stories about her life - including receiving...

Ceanne Fernandes-Wong, the CEO & co-founder of Cocoon, a luxury handbag subscription service, is smart, unassuming and so humble. In this episode, we talked about doing impossible things like leading the way in creating circularity in fashion, starting a business just before a pandemic and yet securing a powerful investor like Kering - a global luxury giant. We talked about vulnerability in le...

“The adoption of circular business models, widespread by the industry, has to happen.” In Episode #11, I spoke with Ceanne Fernandes-Wong, the CEO & co-founder of Cocoon, a luxury handbag subscription service. We talked about doing impossible things like leading the way in creating circularity in fashion, starting a business just before a pandemic and yet securing a powerful investor like Keri...

Riccardo Sciutto, the CEO of Sergio Rossi, which has recently been acquired by Fosun Fashion Group, is bold and unwavering and has managed to balance traditional shoe maker values with modernity by embracing technology and digital. We talked about how to act in a crisis, how to surround yourself with intrapreneurs even in big organisations, and the secret sauce to making a heritage brand modern. W...

“Think Heritage, Play Digital” In Episode #10 I spoke with Riccardo Sciutto, the CEO of Sergio Rossi, which has recently been acquired by Fosun Fashion Group. We talked about how to act in a crisis, how to surround yourself with intrapreneurs even in big organisations, and the secret sauce to making a heritage brand modern. We discussed Audacity, making big moves as well as big mistakes and the do...

Dr. Mark Goulston is a storyteller with a psychic ability to read minds. He coaches many women (including me) and he is a master of scripts for life - there’s several in this episode but many more in his book "Just Listen".    In this episode, I had a huge honour of speaking with Dr. Mark Goulston, psychiatrist for over 40 years, Marshall Goldsmith 100 top coaches and author of many book...

"Here is what you need to know. Investors when they smile, it's not a 'yes'"  In this episode, I had a huge honour of speaking with Dr. Mark Goulston, psychiatrist for over 40 years, Marshall Goldsmith 100 top coaches and author of many books including "Just Listen", "Get Out of Your Own Way", and "Trauma to Triumph". We talked about becoming a first-class noticer, how to tune in to what othe...

Whitney Hawkings is determined, head strong and laser focused.  After spending 18 years working with Tom Ford at Gucci, Whitney took the plunge and founded FLOWERBX, growing it to become the first global flower brand.   Working with (and shopping from) luxury brands online she observed that everything was branded except for flowers and this became her mission: to deliver fresh, quality f...