Live & Linking with Ashley Leeds

Live & Linking #92 with Louise McDonnell This week, I’m joined by Louise McDonnell BOOM!!!She is a marketing strategist, agency owner, and all-around expert in helping service-based businesses turn their social media into a sales machine.  Based in Ireland, Louise has been in the marketing game since before Facebook was even a thing, and she’s still ahead of the curve. We explore Louise’s five...

Live & Linking #92 with David Cook Here’s our latest episode of Live & Linking, and this week I’m joined by David Cook, a former CFO who swapped boardrooms for bootstrapping when he bought Practice Flow. This is a practice management tool built specifically for accountants and bookkeepers.  What makes this story even more inspiring? David did it to help create a meaningful job for his auti...

Live & Linking #91 with Karen Eckstien This episode is a resilience masterclass with Karen Ekstein — business growth and resilience expert, speaker, and all-around superstar  If you're feeling the weight of year-end pressure, facing challenges in business or life, or just need a bit of a boost, this one is for you. Karen shares her incredible personal journey through 30 surgeries, near leg...

Live & Linking #90 with Dave and Karen Meadows What do you do when life gives you a massive nudge?  You build something brilliant.  That’s exactly what Karen and Dave did when ITV made them both redundant. With a baby on the way, no job, and a whole lot of courage, they poured their redundancy pay into a cabin at the bottom of their garden, and started PUSHED, a now award-winning animation com...

Live & Linking #89 with Tom Griffiths If you're a small business owner who avoids looking at your numbers, this episode is for you. I'm joined by Tom Griffiths, a fractional CFO who's on a mission to demystify the numbers and help business owners make smarter decisions.  We cover the difference between profit and cash (it’s not what you think), why so many people get into trouble w...

Live & Linking #88 with Jeff Wenberg If your website or pitch isn’t turning heads or getting results, this week’s episode of Live & Linking is going to help you fix that. I’m joined by Jeff Wenberg, a full-stack marketer who’s helped scale some seriously big online businesses.  These days, he’s working with coaches and entrepreneurs to rebuild demand for their offers without changing a thi...

Live & Linking #87 with Anjie Carless What colour are you?  This week, I chat with the ever-insightful Anjie Carless, founder of Cortex Training Ltd and a seasoned coach with a passion for helping people understand themselves and each other.  Anjie uses Insights Discovery.  This is a colour-based personality profiling tool rooted in Jungian psychology.  She uses it to help teams communicate be...

What happens if LinkedIn locks you out? That’s exactly what happened to Melanie Goodman—and she had no idea why. In this episode, Melanie shares how her account was suddenly restricted, the hoops she had to jump through with support, and why it took over two months to get her profile back. For anyone worried about losing access to their LinkedIn, this is a must-listen. We get into the common trigg...

In this episode of Live & Linking , I’m joined by Helen Young, Marketing Officer at the Growth Hub Helen is someone who truly understands what it takes to support small businesses across Devon and Somerset. They have even supported me.  And you’ll hear all about it during the show. We dive into Helen’s journey from running a family holiday home business to shaping marketing for one of the most...

Taming the AI Overwhelm - Live & Linking #84 with Wendy Rogers In this episode, I’m joined by Wendy Rogers, an AI and tech tools expert helping small businesses reduce overwhelm and feel more confident with all this newfangled tech.  Based in Liverpool, Wendy breaks it down without the jargon and shows us that you don’t have to be a techie to make AI work for you. We dig into the stress a lot...

Money Confidence Starts With A Conversation   Here’s another cracking episode from the Live & Linking show, and this week I’m joined by Abby Birch.  She is a financial wellbeing coach, motivational speaker, and all-round money mindset champion. We’re talking honestly (and practically) about something that affects all of us: money. Abby shares why money is still a taboo in the UK, how shame pla...

Live & Linking #81 with Stephanie Marshall IIn this episode of Live & Linking, I chat with the unstoppable Stephanie Marshall.  She is a multi-award-winning bookkeeper, accountant, podcaster, author, and community builder. If you’ve ever felt like you’re juggling too much, Stephanie’s story will resonate with you in all the best ways. We dive into how she built her thriving practice ABCSUK...

Do you prefer the buzz of a massive flagship show—or the magic of a local, friendly one-day event? In this episode, I’m joined (for the 16th time!) by the brilliant Caroline Hobden , the powerhouse behind Accountex .  We’re talking all things Accountex Manchester 2025 and why it’s not just a smaller version of London, but a different beast entirely. Think more connection, more community, and less...

Here’s Episode 79 of the Live & Linking podcast, and this week I’m joined by Craig Allen—aka the Black Knight—for a bold and brilliant conversation on mindset, growth, and leadership.  Craig is the founder of Different Mindset, where he helps business owners develop what he calls the Five Pillars Growth Method. If you’ve ever felt stuck, doubted yourself, or just wanted someone to give you a k...

LinkedIn can be the biggest and best networking event you ever attend, and you do not even have to leave your house. In this conversation with Tim Duncan from Profit First Professionals UK & Ireland, I explain how accountants, bookkeepers, and coaches can use just 15 minutes a day to grow their network, build trust, and attract clients. We explore why LinkedIn works exactly like a great in-per...

This week on Live & Linking , I’m chatting with the brilliant Judith Rafferty She is a copywriter and content strategist who’s been quietly using my LinkedIn post ideas since 2022… without me knowing! When we finally met, she showed me her spreadsheets, and I knew we had to bring her on the show.  Judith’s been in marketing for over 30 years, working across hospitality, events, and beyond, and...

Marketing Isn’t Magic. It’s a Process If marketing feels like a mystery or just another thing on your to-do list, this episode will clear the fog.  This week I’m joined by Mags Bradshaw, the founder of My Marketing Button and Red Button Marketing Training. She’s built a career showing businesses (especially accountants!) that marketing doesn’t need to be complicated. We just need a proper process....

How to Lead with AI Without Losing Your Humanity – with Jamie Bykov-Brett What if the future of AI isn't about robots taking over, but about helping humans thrive? In this episode, I’m joined by Jamie Bykov-Brett, an award-winning social impact entrepreneur, global innovation expert, and founder of the Executive AI Institute and Netropolitan Academy. Jamie has worked with leaders across the wo...

Live & Linking #75 | How to Run Webinars That Actually Sell, with Simone Vincenzi Ever delivered a webinar that got great feedback but zero sales? This episode is for you. Ashley is joined by Simone Vincenzi, founder of GTEx and a globally recognised expert in webinar strategy. With over 1,000 live events behind him, Simone shares how he went from running 25 webinars without a single sale to b...

If you’ve ever doubted yourself, felt stuck, or told yourself “I’m just not confident”... this episode is for you. This week I was joined by Jasmine Navarro , a certified family wellbeing expert and seasoned educator who now helps people around the world find their voice, build resilience, and feel enough—just as they are.  Together, we break down what confidence really means, why journaling and s...

When Opportunity Knocks: Show Up and Say YesReal Talk, Real People, Real LinkedIn – with G Haridy This episode is full of warmth, laughter, and the kind of honest conversation you only get when two people genuinely click. Ashley sits down with the brilliant and refreshingly real Gehan “G” Haridy-Ardanowski to chat LinkedIn, showing up as your true self, and why we’ve got to stop overcomplicating i...

What do you do when your planned guest cancels just hours before going live? In this very real and unscripted episode, Ashley Leeds is joined by Tracy Irwin, the dynamic Time Freedom Alchemist, who stepped up at the last minute—and delivered pure gold. Together, they dive into the power of accountability, the magic of saying yes to opportunity, and the mindset needed to grow your business with cou...

Brutally Honest. Totally Human. – with Nick Elston How do you turn pain into power—and use your story to inspire others? In this episode, I’m joined by Nick Elston, one of the UK’s most sought-after speakers on the lived experience of mental health. Described as “a BIG man with a BIG story and a BIG heart,” Nick brings raw honesty and insight to every stage he steps on. We dig into how adversity c...

In this powerful episode, I chat with Sam Flynn—digital wellbeing specialist and social media trainer—about how to use social media without it taking over your life. We’re talking phone addiction, digital burnout, and what it really takes to create a healthier relationship with your devices (without throwing your phone in the sea). If you’re always “on,” struggling to switch off, or just want more...

Episode Title: Training That Hits Different – with Gill Brabner Description What if workplace training didn’t just tell you what to do—but showed you what it looks like in real life? In this episode, I’m joined by Gill Brabner , founder of Resound Training, forum theatre specialist, and passionate advocate for bringing more empathy, care, and action into the workplace. Gill flips the script (liter...