The Phoenix Conversations

In this episode, I talk to Penny Power OBE, one of the UK’s most experienced voices on human connection in business and the co‑founder of Ecademy, the world’s first online business network. Penny shares her journey from a lively, unconventional childhood and early corporate success in tech, through the rise and painful fall of Ecademy, to rebuilding her life and work after losing both her business...

Nick Ayton has reinvented himself more times than most of us could imagine. From professional tennis and technology to property, fintech, Bitcoin, writing and public speaking, his story is a masterclass in resilience, adaptability and getting back up when life changes without warning. We talk about the business collapses that wiped him out, the cost of becoming a whistleblower, and the opportuniti...

In this episode, I’m joined by Helen Bligh, a former NHS dietitian, life sciences professional, coach, and now author, to talk about reinvention, women’s health, and the changing conversation around obesity and GLP-1 medications. Helen shares how redundancy, motherhood, coaching, and a lifelong interest in science all shaped the work she is doing today. We also talk honestly about shame, willpower...

In this episode, I’m talking to Paul Dykes, a man who has reinvented himself so many times he has turned it into a way of life. From employed school-leaver to IT engineer, live music entrepreneur, corporate leader, business founder, coach, trustee, app creator and drummer, Paul’s story is not a neat career plan. It is a gradual unfolding of curiosity, courage and asking, “who am I now?” when life...

In this episode, I’m joined by Dani Wallace, founder of IATQB Ltd and fearless leader of the I Am The Queen Bee movement. Dani’s story moves from growing up on the council estates of Preston, through domestic violence, homelessness and single parenthood, to becoming one of the UK’s most powerful voices in empowerment, speaking and visibility. We talk about reinvention, survival patterns, self-sabo...

In this episode of The Phoenix Conversations , I’m talking to Kevin Mark-Watts, a business coach and author of The 10-Minute Rules . Kevin’s story begins with a childhood love of football, a knock to his confidence at school, and an unexpected discovery that he was very good with people, sales and human connection. We talk about retail, redundancy, Crystal Palace Football Club, community sports ed...

In this episode of The Phoenix Conversations , I’m talking to Patty Azzarello, author, speaker and business advisor, whose latest book Why is SHE Still Here? My Ungraceful Journey from the Playground to the Boardroom is out now. Patty’s story is sharp, funny and incredibly honest, from childhood bullying and fear to becoming the youngest general manager at Hewlett-Packard at thirty-three. We talk...

In this episode of The Phoenix Conversations , I’m joined by Chris Ducker, keynote speaker, bestselling author and leadership advisor. For more than 15 years, Chris has worked with leaders and organisations navigating pressure, complexity and constant change, helping them sustain performance, make better decisions under pressure and lead with clarity over the long term. We talk about Chris’s entre...

In this episode, I’m talking to Susan Quilliam about a life shaped by courage, curiosity and a deep interest in people. We explore the threads that have run through her journey from childhood, writing, psychology and teaching, through to publishing, coaching and relationship work. What I love about this conversation is how thoughtful and wide-ranging it is. Susan shares the reinventions that took...

In this episode, I’m talking to Elliot Kay about what it means to keep rebuilding yourself when life never seems to hand you the neat, obvious path. We talk about feeling different as a child, wanting to belong, and the moments that pushed him to change direction and back himself properly. What I love about this conversation is how honest and human it is. Elliot shares the reinventions that took h...

In this episode, I’m talking to Margaret Brown about what it really takes to rebuild your life when it feels like everything has been stacked against you. We talk about childhood wounds, self-worth, difficult relationships, and the moments that force you to decide who you want to become next. Margaret shares her journey with real honesty, and it is both moving and deeply inspiring. We also talk ab...

In this episode, I’m joined by Stuart Grant, founder of Digital Authors Toolkit and one of the publishing industry’s leading website designers for authors. Stuart is a specialist in GEO, SEO and author tools, has created over 400 author websites, and is the highest rated author web designer on Reedsy. We talk about his work helping authors get discovered online, grow their audience, and build webs...

In this episode, I’m joined by Becca Mascull for a brilliant conversation about reinvention, creativity and what it means to keep choosing a new path, even when it feels uncertain. We talk about the long road from teaching to becoming a published novelist, the self-belief it takes to keep going, and why the thing quietly waiting in the background of your life might actually be the thing you are me...

In this episode, I’m joined by Baiju Solanki, psychologist, entrepreneur and leadership expert, for a rich conversation about reinvention, identity and what it means to stay human in an AI-driven world. As the founder of EnSpirit Global and EnSpirit AI Technologies, and the author of Human First and other influential books, Baiju helps individuals and organisations build human-first cultures roote...

In this episode, I’m doing something a little different and taking you behind the scenes of a very special day, receiving my MBE at Windsor Castle. After sharing a little of the story online, so many people wanted to know what the day was actually like, from the build-up and the nerves to the ceremony itself, that I thought I’d sit down and tell the full story properly. I talk about the campaign t...

In this episode, I’m joined by Susan Payton, who discovered the power of storytelling after sharing what she thought was a very ordinary story with 1,500 business owners in 2015. The response changed everything. That one moment reshaped her business and her life, and set her on the path to becoming the founder of The Business of Stories, an international bestselling author, podcast host, and trust...

When Safaraz Ali MBE failed every one of his GCSEs, he thought the factory floor was his future. What followed was a journey that took him from inner city Birmingham into financial services, then into social care, and ultimately into building businesses that now employ more than 1,300 people across the UK. In this conversation, Saf shares how a calculated commercial move into the care sector becam...

In this episode, I’m joined by Jude Jennison, Founder of Leaders by Nature, who empowers leadership teams to drive business growth and navigate change with confidence. After 17 years at IBM, where she managed a $1 billion budget and led UK, European and global teams, Jude stepped into a very different kind of leadership work. Today, she partners with blue chip companies and fast growing entreprene...

In this episode, I’m joined by Adam Witty, founder of Advantage Media, which he launched in 2005 from the spare bedroom of his home. What began as a done for you publishing system for busy business leaders has grown into a global authority building company serving thousands of clients across 50 US states and 13 countries. We explore how Adam’s innovative approach attracted Forbes, leading to the l...

In this episode, I’m joined by Heather Pownall, founder of Heather’s Media Hub, a purpose led digital strategy and communications consultancy working across healthcare, research, technology, cybersecurity and membership organisations. After nearly two decades in publishing, including 15 years in senior medical publishing roles, Heather made the bold decision in 2018 to leave corporate security and...

This conversation with David Horne is one of those episodes that stays with you. David is an award winning entrepreneur, founder of Add Then Multiply, and a former CFO who has raised over £120 million and bought or sold more than 30 companies. He’s also a bestselling author and advocate for fairer funding, particularly for female and underrepresented founders. But this episode isn’t about titles o...

This episode is a deeply moving conversation with Anne Whitehouse, a former Cambridge scientist turned power alchemist. Anne shares how burnout ended her career in university engineering and became the doorway into a completely different way of understanding health, power, and identity. We talk about subconscious conditioning, inherited patterns, and why burnout and self-silencing are not personal...

This conversation fascinated me. Joseph McGuire has spent decades studying how we read people, not just through words, but through faces, bodies and behaviour. He’s taught the ancient Chinese art of face reading and body language since the 1980s, blending it with modern negotiation and interrogation skills to help leaders make better decisions and avoid costly mistakes. We talk reinvention, intuit...

I’m joined by Dayna Byfield, a burnout prevention strategist and keynote speaker, to talk about the kind of burnout that hides in plain sight. The “I’m fine” burnout, where you keep performing, adapting, and carrying everyone else until there’s nothing left. Dayna shares how being visibly different as a kid shaped her drive, her resilience, and her default setting of becoming whoever the room need...

I’m joined by Lee Chambers, Founder and CEO of Male Allies UK, and honestly, his story is a masterclass in reinvention. We go all the way back to growing up on a council estate in Bolton, being the kid who couldn’t stand unfairness, and how that same “I’ll step in” energy shaped everything that came after. After a career spanning corporate finance and building and exiting a tech company, Lee now h...