Scaling Stories Unfiltered

In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered, we sit down with Celia Pool, co-founder of DAME,  the sustainable period care brand that’s disrupting an industry rooted in stigma, silence, and single-use plastic. From pitching to investors, to facing rejection after rejection from people who “just didn’t get it,” Celia shares what it really takes to bring a purpose-driven product to life and keep g...

In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , we sit down with James Chappell , co-founder of Digital Shadows, a cybersecurity company that grew from an idea between two friends into a business acquired for over £150M. With a calm, methodical approach to growth, James shares the real story behind building a tech company from scratch, navigating leadership through scale, and staying grounded in t...

In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , we sit down with Sam Moyo , founder of Morning Gloryville, the pioneering sober rave movement that reshaped how people experience joy, connection, and community. From her childhood in Zimbabwe surrounded by Ubuntu values, to building a worldwide experiential movement across 23 cities, Sam’s story is one of courage, creativity, and heart-led leadershi...

What if the future of leadership development isn’t top-down, but built from the ground up? In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , we sit down with Elisa Krantz , co-founder & CEO of MindBeat , a coaching and leadership development platform that’s redefining how organisations grow their leaders. From her early entrepreneurial influences to leaving a successful consulting career to buil...

What if the best business ideas start with a mistake? In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , we sit down with Ed Heaver , co-founder of Serve Legal, the UK’s leading age-verification testing company to explore how a costly licensing failure in a pub became the catalyst for building a national compliance powerhouse. From running pubs in London’s East End to scaling a data-driven business w...

What if the best leaders aren’t the loudest but the ones who listen? In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , we sit down with Monica Collings, a leadership advisor and transformation expert whose career path is anything but linear. From building her own business to leading complex integrations in multi-billion-pound energy firms, Monica has navigated startups, scale-ups, and corporate gian...

In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , we speak to Pete Cowan, founder of Westfield Insurance (now Everywhen under Ardonagh Advisory), about what it really takes to build a business when you didn’t mean to but backed yourself anyway. Pete didn’t set out to be a founder. He was happily employed for 15+ years until redundancy forced his hand. What followed wasn’t a flashy startup story, but...

What if kindness isn’t soft—but your most strategic business advantage? In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , we speak to Stella Smith, award-winning FinTech founder and CEO of pirkx , a platform making wellbeing benefits affordable and accessible to the workers most often left out. Stella shares the unfiltered story of leaving school at 16, rising quickly through the banking world, and...

What if trusting your team, even when it feels risky, is exactly what unlocks performance? In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , we speak to Renaud Vandewalle, executive coach, AI innovator, and founder of Anti-Hero Management. Renaud shares the unfiltered story of how he led a business on the brink of collapse, not by taking control, but by letting go. His decision to trust a team he di...

What makes a founder truly scale-ready? It’s about mindset, clarity, and knowing what not to do. In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , we speak to Andrew Priestley, award-winning business coach, author, and trusted advisor to hundreds of business leaders across the UK, Australia, and beyond. Andrew brings decades of experience helping founders cut through the noise, steady the ship, and...

What does it really take to grow a business across sectors and ownership models, while staying grounded in clarity, culture, and commercial focus? From private equity to listed companies, Colin’s approach to growth is shaped by structure, listening, and putting the right people in the right seats.   In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , Colin Sykes shares what he's learned from lead...

What does it really take to build and scale a tech company? In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , Christian Nagele, founder of CentraStage and now Chief Strategy Officer at inforcer, shares the full, unfiltered journey from remortgaging his house and hiring his first team, to acquisition, merger, IPO and beyond. This one isn’t about overnight success. It’s about building value the long w...

What Drives Dan Martin: Grit, Great Partnerships and Getting It Done How do you go from 16-year-old apprentice electrician to founder of one of the UK’s fastest-growing EV infrastructure businesses? In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , Dan Martin, co-founder of Elmtronics and now Black Bee Rum, shares the real story behind his entrepreneurial journey — and it’s not your typical “start-u...

What does it really take to step down as a founder-CEO— on your terms ? In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , I sit down with Evgeny Shadchnev , co-founder of Makers Academy and author of Startup CEO Succession , to talk about one of the biggest decisions a founder can make: handing over the reins. Evgeny built one of Europe’s first coding bootcamps, helped thousands launch tech careers,...

Scaling a business isn’t about glossy headlines, it’s about grit, purpose, and solving problems that matter. In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , I’m joined by Tessa Clarke , Co-Founder and CEO of Olio , the app tackling food waste by connecting neighbours & businesses to share surplus food and household items. With over 7 million users and 100 million meals saved , Olio proves you...

Scaling isn’t about throwing more people at a problem—it’s about getting the right ones in the right roles, at the right time. In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , I’m joined by Jaimie Stewart, Chief of Staff at Newsflare, who’s scaled teams across some of the UK’s most recognisable brands—Tom Dixon, Whistles, and Cath Kidston included. Jaimie shares why traditional hiring models are br...

Scaling a consultancy isn’t about growing as fast as possible or chasing investors—it’s about building something that lasts, delivers real value, and reflects what you actually want from your business. In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , I’m joined by Phil Brown, co-founder of OneGTM, who shares the real journey behind growing a strategic consultancy from zero to a successful exit. Phi...

Episode 3: The Dark Side of Scaling – Hard Truths Every Founder Must Know with Spencer Ayres Scaling a business isn’t just about hiring fast, raising capital, or chasing exponential growth—it’s about making the right moves at the right time. When businesses get this wrong, it leads to hiring mistakes, client dependency, and even painful layoffs. In this episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , I si...

📢 Scaling Stories Unfiltered - Episode 2 Scaling a business comes with tough decisions—and one of the biggest is how to get tech leadership right. Should you hire a full-time CTO, or would a Fractional CTO be the smarter move? 💡 Making the wrong tech decisions can slow you down—or worse, break your business. In this episode, I sit down with Graham Roberts , a Fractional CTO who has helped scale...

The Hard Truth About Scaling, Hiring, Funding & Navigating Growth 📢 Scaling Stories Unfiltered - Episode 1 Scaling a business isn’t just about glossy headlines and overnight success—it’s messy, challenging, and full of lessons no one warns you about. In this first episode of Scaling Stories Unfiltered , I sit down with Jon Cornwell , CEO & Co-Founder of Newsflare , one of the world's...