ScaleX™ Insider Podcast

Why Fewer Than 1% of SME Leaders Ever Achieve Scale — with Jim Murphy (Inner Excellence) Why do fewer than 1% of SME leaders ever achieve scale? The answer isn't better strategy or more capital — it's inner excellence . In this transformative conversation, performance coach Jim Murphy , creator of the ground-breaking Inner Excellence philosophy, reveals that the path to peak performance under pres...

Technology is numbing your soul and hollowing out humanity. Rasmus Hougaard reveals the crisis of purpose, why we're pacified by tech, and how AI can paradoxically make leaders MORE human through intentionality. The uncomfortable truth: Technology has taken over our lives, feeding us content we don't need but that satisfies surface hunger. We're pacified when we should be protesting. People don't...

70% of leaders will be UNQUALIFIED to lead in a few years if they don't learn to work with AI. Rasmus Hougaard reveals 95% of AI investments fail because leaders lack 3 human qualities, not technical skills. Paul Doherty, Chief AI Officer of Accenture (world's biggest tech firm), says companies are buying high-end Ferraris without drivers qualified to operate them. The brutal breakdown: 24% of lea...

In this episode of the  ScaleX™ Insider podcast, Brendan McGurgan sits down with Rasmus Hougaard — founder and CEO of Potential Project, Thinkers 50-nominated leadership expert, and author of Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way and More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead (Harvard Business Review Press, 2025). Rasmus joins the show to explore what i...

Money mindset blocks keeping you stuck? One entrepreneur went from $500K plateau to $1 million months by shifting ONE childhood belief. Serial entrepreneur Allison Maslan reveals the journaling work that uncovers hidden money blocks—and why strategy alone will never work if you're sabotaging yourself. Kita from Loosely Tea Market was stuck at $500K in revenue. Every strategy failed. Why? A hidden...

Imprisoned by your business? Can't see growth opportunities? Serial entrepreneur Allison Maslan explains why even successful founders need outside perspective to scale—and how her father's fashion empire taught her this lesson early. Allison Maslan built 10 companies and exited 4, but she still works with mentors today. Why? Because as she learned from her father—who built the largest privately-ow...

In this episode of the  ScaleX™ Insider podcast, Brendan McGurgan sits down with Allison Maslan — CEO and founder of Pinnacle Global Networ k, WSJ Best-Selling Author of Scale or Fail, and a serial entrepreneur who has scaled 10 companies since the age of 19. Alison has been recognised by Forbes as one of the Top 10 Women to Watch and is a regular contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine, with feature...

In this episode of the  ScaleX™ Insider podcast, Brendan McGurgan sits down with Ranjay Gulati — Harvard Business School professor, leadership and organisational growth expert, and author of seven books including Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies. Ranjay joins the show to explore what it truly means to scale with purpose, how leaders can cultivate courage in themselves...

Scaling with purpose, leadership under pressure, and building a global SaaS platform from Belfast— Liam McStravick shares the raw truth about entrepreneurship in this episode of the ScaleX™ Insider podcast.   Liam McStravick, Co-Founder and CEO of TeamFeePay, has founded seven businesses, remortgaged his house to fund his vision, and scaled from £1M to £5M ARR while growing his team from 20 to 70...

In this episode of the ScaleX™ Insider podcast, Brendan McGurgan is joined by Kim Scott — bestselling author of Radical Candor : Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity and Radical Respect: How to Work Together Better. Kim is also the co-founder of Radical Candor, a company helping leaders worldwide put her frameworks into practice. Previously a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, an...

Scaling with Purpose: Adam Coffey on Private Equity, Empire Building & SME Growth. In this ScaleX Insider podcast, host Brendan McGurgan sits down with bestselling author, entrepreneur, and private equity expert Adam Coffey to uncover the playbook for scaling SMEs with purpose. From buy-and-build strategies to unit-level economics, Adam shares timeless takeaways on wealth creation, private equity...

In this episode of the  ScaleX™ Insider podcast , Brendan McGurgan sits down once again with Claire Colvin — business partner, leadership strategist, and expert in scaling people-centred businesses. As Season 17 comes to a close, Claire reflects on the most powerful themes, insights, and lessons from the season, highlighting what truly drives leaders to scale with purpose. With extensive experienc...

In this episode of the  ScaleX™ Insider podcast, Brendan McGurgan sits down once again with Nick Bradley — entrepreneur, private equity veteran, and host of Scale Up Your Business . Nick returns to the show to discuss his brand-new book Exit for Millions: The Private Equity Blueprint for Scaling and Selling Your Business for Maximum Value . We dive deep into: What scaling with purpose means in 202...

In this episode of ScaleX Insider , we're joined by Robert Glazer , founder and Chairman of the Board of Acceleration Partners, the premier global partner marketing agency that has won over 30 awards for its world-class company culture. Leading a fully remote team of over 270 people, Robert shares his insights on building high-performance cultures, scaling businesses with purpose, and leading with...

In this episode of ScaleX Inside r , we're joined by Chad Jenkins and Dean Jackson to unpack the secrets of scaling businesses with purpose, impact, and clarity. Chad dives into his frameworks like Collaboration Currency and the IC3 formula , while Dean brings his decades of marketing wisdom as the co-creator of I Love Marketing , showing how vision, capability, and reach can be combined to create...

Is your career path really serving you — or is it time to rethink what "success" looks like? In this episode of the ScaleX Insider Podcast , Derek Coburn — entrepreneur, financial advisor, co-founder of CADRE , and bestselling author of Networking Is Not Working — shares his insights on building authentic professional connections, creating lasting value beyond the traditional networking playbook,...

Is your leadership and team performance stuck… or is it a purpose problem? In this episode of the ScaleX Insider Podcast, Sarah Rozenthuler — Chartered Psychologist, leadership coach, dialogue consultant, and author of Powered by Purpose — shares her insights on how connecting with purpose can energise people, transform teams, and scale your organisation with impact. From fostering authentic conve...

Is your marketing a traffic problem… or a belief problem? In this episode of the ScaleX Insider Podcast, Billy Broas — author of  Simple Marketing for Smart People — shares his Five Light Bulbs Framework for crafting marketing messages that build belief, cut through the noise, and scale your business. From shifting your mindset to creating a unique approach that differentiates you in crowded marke...

In this episode, Natasha Hawker — leading people strategist, workplace culture expert, and author of From Hire to Fire & Everything in Between — joins Brendan McGurgan on ScaleX Insider to explore how purpose-driven leadership, people-first practices, and courageous conversations drive sustainable business growth. With over 2 5 years of HR experience and as founder of Employee Matters, Natasha bri...

In this episode, Chad Jenkins — collaboration strategist, entrepreneur, and author of Friction Fuel and Just Add Zero — joins Brendan McGurgan to explore how visionary leaders unlock growth through purpose-driven collaboration. Chad shares the powerful frameworks behind SEEDSPARK CoLAB , including his signature models like Collaboration Currency, the IC3 formula, and Vision + Capability × Reach. W...

In this episode, Liz Wiseman — bestselling author of Multipliers and global leadership expert — joins Brendan McGurgan to explore how leaders scale teams, multiply impact, and unlock performance in fast-growing businesses. Liz shares insights from her work with Apple, Google, and Netflix, explaining how "diminisher" vs. "multiplier" behaviors impact business growth. You'll learn practical strategi...

In this episode of the ScaleX™ Insider Podcast , Brendan McGurgan speaks with Richard Harpin , founder of HomeServe and author of How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps . Richard shares his extraordinary journey from childhood entrepreneur to building a multi-billion-pound global business. Discover: ✅ The brutal lessons from near-bankruptcy ✅ How to copy, pivot, and find your magic business model...

In this heartfelt and high-value episode of the ScaleX™ Insider Podcast , host Brendan McGurgan sits down with sibling co-founders Clare and Paul Vallely of Kukoon , a global e-commerce business born out of humble beginnings in Northern Ireland. What started as a side hustle selling leftover rugs on eBay has transformed into a powerhouse business shipping 8,000+ rugs weekly to over 60 countries ,...

In this reflective and uplifting episode of the ScaleX™ Insider Podcast , host Brendan McGurgan is joined once again by Claire Colvin — strategic advisor, leadership coach, and longtime friend of the ScaleX community — to recap the standout moments, lessons, and voices from Season 16. From climbing 26 peaks across Ireland to raising £1.4 million for children affected by cancer, Claire brings her o...

How Navy SEAL Larry Yatch Trains Elite Leaders to Stay Calm Under Fire In this high-impact episode of the ScaleX™ Insider Podcast , host Brendan McGurgan speaks with Larry Yatch — retired Navy SEAL officer, elite leadership strategist, and founder of SEAL Team Leaders . After leading hundreds of critical missions, Larry now trains business leaders to think and operate under extreme pressure — with...