The Merri-Cast

Joining me on The Merri-Cast this week is the wonderful Katharine Plunkett . I first met Katharine around 25 years ago when we both worked for Haymarket Media Group . She made a big impression on me then - and continues to do so in this episode.  Katharine is an entrepreneur and commercial business leader with extensive international experience in global business growth. And today, she runs two bu...

Joining me this week is the fantastic Assim Ishaque . He is the Founder & Director of Envirup and Simbrix Ltd as well as being a Business Coach, Speaker, Inventor, Investor and NED.  Assim’s career journey is truly fascinating. From early redundancies, dyslexia and industry barriers to building multiple, successful business ventures, his story is one of true resilience, adaptability and innova...

What is the best possible question you can ask, when you're curious about someone or something? The #MerriCast is the podcast show that puts you on the fast track to business confidence. And this week I'm taking a more personal look on the role that curiosity played in building my confidence. When I was younger I lacked a lot of personal confidence. I developed it through asking lots of...

For our latest episode of The Merri-Cast podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Sandra Healy , Co-Founder and CEO of inclusio .  For 20 years, Sandra excelled in engineering and leadership roles in the global tech sector. She eventually took a leap and started inclusio , alongside her co-founders Deborah Murphy and Arthur Lubambo in 2020…just as the pandemic hit.  At one point, Sandra pitch...

Do you love what you do enough to do it for free? Most would probably say no. But our latest guest sees life differently… For our first episode of 2025, I’m delighted to be joined by the fantastic Bobby Dutton – Entrepreneur, Keynote Speaker, Performer and Philanthropist. Bobby’s entrepreneurial adventures are rooted in his purpose and passion. His first business GBM6 stems from his passion for mu...

Our final episode of The Merri-Cast podcast this year is now live! 😊 We’ve had some fantastic guests over the last 12 months, all with unique stories to tell and valuable advice on what it takes to be an entrepreneur. In this episode, we look back at a few of my favourite guest moments. A huge thank all our guests this year for your brilliant contributions, stories and insights: Adam Twidell &amp...

Our last guest of the year on The Merri-Cast Podcast is the fantastic Liz Barclay – Small Business Commissioner and entrepreneur.   Liz’s entrepreneurial spark has always been a part of her DNA. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, her work has always been centred around helping others and making a difference.  After spells in the voluntary sector and becoming an entrepreneur herself, Liz became...

Our 50th episode of The Merri-Cast podcast is now live! We’re thrilled that joining us on this milestone episode, is the brilliant Per Wimmer – entrepreneur, adventurer, philanthropist and recent winner at the Business Book Awards.  From working at prestigious organisations like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey, space training, skydiving over Mount Everest to founding multiple businesses including Wimme...

This week on The Merri-Cast, I’m joined by the brilliant Polly Barnfield OBE, CEO and Founder of Maybe* which helps companies save time and improve results through the use of AI.   Polly’s career started with riding horses and working for a web design company, before deciding that taking instructions from others wasn’t for her. After setting up various business and charitable ventures, she set up...

This week, I am joined by Adrian Moorhouse MBE - Entrepreneur and Consultant, co-founder and former Managing Director of Lane4 - and of course an Olympic Gold Medallist. Following a hugely successful swimming career as an individual, Adrian decided that he wanted to be part of something bigger in building a business. So, in 1995, he co-founded leadership development consultancy Lane4.  In this int...

On this week’s episode, I’m thrilled to be joined by Anne Fulton , Founder and CEO of Fuel50 , the business that helps clients create career pathways for their employees. She’s led the firm’s rapid growth to more than 100 employees – or “Fuellies” as she likes to call them – in supporting a number of world-class brands. A single moment, at the age of 14, led Anne on a lifelong journey to create a...

On this week’s episode of The Merri-Cast, I’m joined by my good friend, the brilliant Simon Shepard - Founder and CEO of Optima-Life .  Simon is a physiotherapist by training but has turned into a fantastic entrepreneur. In this episode, he shares his unique career journey and the lessons he’s learnt along the way. He’s also in the middle of an exciting new venture, which you’ll hear more about at...

On today’s episode, I’m joined by the brilliant Matthew Phelan - Co-Founder of The Happiness Index , an employee engagement and happiness platform. From working on a farm at a young age, to creating a business plan in Wetherspoons, and founding a business with friends - Matthew’s career journey is certainly unique. In this episode, Matthew shares the key moments which have led him on his own path...

On this week’s episode of The Merri-Cast podcast, I’m thrilled to be joined by the wonderful Karina Murray – Founder and CEO of Aunua Global . Karina’s mission with Aunua Global is incredibly inspiring and in this episode, she shares how the business came about and why she’s so passionate about helping young people. She also shares many valuable lessons including: •Finding your purpose and people...

On this week's episode, I’m delighted to be joined by the brilliant Solomon Thimothy - Co-Founder and CEO of OneIMS – Integrated Marketing Solutions and Clickx . He’s helped businesses increase their revenue using his 10X Framework and is also an expert in lead generation and customer acquisition. In this episode, Solomon’s passion is clear through his positivity and energy. He shares many va...

As entrepreneurs, it’s essential to have resilience but until we face certain challenges, we often don’t recognise how resilient we truly are.   Joining us this week is someone who’s resilience shines through – the brilliant Kelly Gilmour-Grassam , Founder and Director of Making You Content . Kelly had a passion for writing from an early age and rather than going straight into a job working with o...

On today’s episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Mark Goyder , Founder of Tomorrow’s Company – “a not-for-profit think tank that exists to inspire and enable business to be a force for good.” In this episode, Mark details his early career, particularly the four people who inspired him during this time. He also shares the story of how Tomorrow’s Company came to be and how the company has evolved o...

Today’s guests are Adam Twidell and Carol Cork – co-founders of Private Fly , a hugely successful aviation business that grew and grew until it was acquired a few years ago. In this episode, they share their entrepreneurial journey of Private Fly as well as all the work they’ve done since deciding to sell the business.  They also discuss: •Why you need to believe in what you do. •The importance of...

Our last episode of the year is now live and features the fantastic Chris Parke – Co-Founder of Talking Talent . In this episode, Chris shares some brilliant insights, including: 👏 The importance of purpose. 📈 Using data to build a business case. 👍 Making more good decisions than bad. 📆 Spending enough time on planning. 😊 Why you need to surround yourself with good people. 📞 The more convers...

On today’s episode, I am joined by the fantastic Kim Ades – President of Frame of Mind Coaching and Journal Engine Software and CEO of The Journal That Talks Back .  Kim’s career has been one full of variety – there’s not many interviews in which you fit a psychology degree, a balloon business, then a software entrepreneur.  Because of this variety, Kim offers a lot of great insights throughout th...

Welcome to our latest episode of The Merri-Cast podcast! We’ve covered so many subjects that every entrepreneur has faced on their business journey and now that we’re close to 40 episodes of the podcast, we’ve listened back and noticed some issues come up time and again. One of these is the subject of authenticity. So, we thought we’d make this week’s episode a little different - a mini Merri-Cast...

On this week’s episode of The Merri-Cast Podcast, I’m joined by the brilliant Jane Sunley –Co-founder of Hendrick & Hyde and a best-selling business author. Jane previously had a thriving career in hospitality. However, since turning to entrepreneurship, she has founded and co-founded four hugely successful businesses including Purple Cubed and Talent Toolbox.  In this episode, Jane discusses...

Having a career structure and plan is the driving force behind many people’s success. However, for my next guest on The Merri-Cast, having a largely instinctive career is what’s helped them the most. This week, I’m joined by the insightful Lucy McCarraher – Author, Keynote Speaker, Book Mentor & Publisher, and Founder of Rethink Press and The Business Book Awards . Lucy’s career has been large...

On this week's episode, I’m joined by the brilliant Rachel Turner . Rachel began her career as a music industry entrepreneur but over the last 20 years, has been a successful coach and leadership advisor. She is the Founder of ‘ Achieve Unlimited ’ and Co-Founder of VC Talent Lab “which aims to put leadership talent development at the heart of the VC ecosystem”. Rachel is also author of the #...

On today's episode, I'm joined by Lisa Michaels - CEO of ‘Lisa Michaels’, GeniusU Mentor, and Real Estate Investor. Lisa’s career speaks for itself with over 30 years of “soul-filled business and leadership experience”, an author of several books, 20+ years as an accelerated learning workshop facilitator, and more. Her first successful business experience was the owner of a 500+ pupil ba...