The Unconventionalists with Mark Leruste

Back in the summer of 2010, Dan Keeley suffered a full blown manic episode in Italy that made him believe he was ‘the chosen one’. Soon after, he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Now he’s running 1250 miles from Rome to Home to share his story, raise awareness of bipolar and mental health issues and keep men alive by talking. In today’s episode, Dan shares his inspiring journey with us, from t...

Unless you've lived in a cave for the past few years, you're probably familiar with Britain's most popular TV baking show, the Great British Bake Off, aka GBBO. Where amateur bakers come together to compete for the sweetest title of all. But if you thought that a Great British Bake Off competitor only cares about cakes and bread, you’d be wrong. In this episode I talk to Tom Gilliford from the 201...

According to Forbes magazine, work is more often a source of frustration than one of fulfillment for nearly 90% of the world’s workers. That sounds pretty awful if you ask me. So does that mean we're all doomed to be miserable at work? Thankfully, far from it. Enter Samantha Clarke, a happiness consultant who's worked with an impressive list of clients including American Express, The Guardian, Inn...

In 2013 Seb Broster was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer. As a result of a combination of chemotherapy and steroids, he suddenly ballooned to 135kgs and lost all his hair.  That's when we first met in London. The thing that struck me most about Seb back then was how positive he was and just how funny he was. "A black sense of humour is what got me through this whole journey. You've...

It can feel a little daunting to imagine yourself stuck in the same job for the rest of your life. Especially if it's all you've done. One of the questions I get asked a lot is, "is it too late to change?". And the answer is NO. Meet Ravinol Chambers, founder of Be Inspired Films who's literally re-invented himself over, and over again. From being a broker to a monk to getting his MBA and setting...

Over the last decade, Denis Duvauchelle has launched more businesses than anyone I know. Including Twoodo, the productivity app for teams that was successfully accepted in one of Europe's most sought after startup accelerators and raised two rounds of funding. But then along came Slack. And Denis had to face one of the toughest experiences any entrepreneur and CEO must one day face: failure. In to...

What's one of your crazy dreams? Mine was to give a TEDx talk. And three weeks ago, that dream came true. But it wasn't an easy ride. I can still remember saying my big crazy dream out loud for the first time. It was seven years ago, back in 2010, when half way through a coaching session with my life coach at the time, Roya Ferdows, I started visualising and imagining myself speaking on stage, in...

David Baker returns on The Unconventionalists podcast for a second time to share with us how work can be used as a force for good. A true fan favourite, David's previous episode (#57), "What you need to know about the future of work" (https://www.theunconventionalists.com/episode/57) is one of the most downloaded episodes of all time. David's worked for 12 years for the Financial Times, was the la...

Nerea Carryon is the founder and CEO of The Happy World Company and in today's episode Nerea shares her amazing story of how she went from being stuck working in finance to becoming a full time entrepreneur making people smile for a living. If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to share it with your friends! Mark Subscribe now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/unconventionalists-ma...

Wouldn't it be nice if you could supplement your monthly income with a side hustle? Problem is, how do you start? And how do you decide what it should be? Enter Chris Guillebeau, New York Times Best Selling Author of four books, host of the daily podcast #SideHustleSchool, the man behind the annual festival in Portland, "World Domination Summit" and who by the age of 35 had visited every single co...

Do you ever feel like a loser? Like you're the only one struggling and everyone else seems to have all their sh*t together? I sure know I do sometimes. In today's episode I share with you why I believe it's time for us to stop buying into this bull stupid idea that becoming an entrepreneur is the ultimate gateway to happiness. It's not. In fact, it really sucks sometimes. It's by far one of the ha...

Today's guest believes that "when we feel good, we do good." And she's got a point! I certainly know what it feels like to grab comfort food when I feel like crap. And then feel even worse off for it... It's a vicious circle right? So how do you get out of the habit of reaching out for food instead of dealing with your emotions? Especially when you're an entrepreneur and you're under a lot of stre...

Today's guest is the one and only JP Sears! The man behind the fictional-but-hilarious character Ultra Spiritual, who encourages healing and growth through his humorous and entertainingly informative videos (100millions views on YouTube) and now counts Tony Robbins, Tim Ferris and Lewis Howes as his mentors and peers. I loved sitting down with JP to talk about the importance of always being unapol...

If you're tired of seeing everyone's life filtered on social media and you've had enough of being sold 6-step processes to achieving your dreams, you're going to love today's guest. In 2013 Jens Lennartsson went viral online when he created 400 “GI Jens” action figurines of himself to send out as promotional materials to potential clients. It propelled his career to a whole new level. He traveled...

What do these statements all have in common? “Well great careers are really and truly for most people a matter of luck.” “People who pursue their passions are geniuses.” “I would do this but I’m not weird.” “Nice, normal people don’t have passion” They’re all real (and absurd) excuses people give for not doing what they need to do to have a great career. These excuses were exposed by self-confesse...

I get it, building a coaching business is hard work. Sooner or later you realise that it’s going to take a lot more than just passion to be successful. And when you start asking around, you quickly realise that not a lot of people are actually making any money from it. In fact, according to the International Coach Federation, half of the professional coaches make less than $25,000 a year. Meaning...

On the 1st September 2015, Ben Smith began one of the most challenging experiences of his life: to run 401 marathons in 401 days all around the UK. Not only did he manage to run the equivalent distance between London and Sydney, he also managed to raise £300,000 for two charities tackling bullying. Here is Ben's incredible true story.  Subscribe now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb...

It's time to crack open the curtains to give you a full access pass to behind the scenes of what it's really like to build The Unconventionalists. Let me know if you want to hear more #StartupConfessions in the coming episodes. Subscribe now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/unconventionalists-mark-leruste/id1029651449?mt=2 SHOW NOTES GA: https://generalassemb.ly/education/the-podcast...

Should our work even bring us meaning? Are we asking too much from our employers? What impact will Artificial Intelligence have on our jobs? If these are some of the questions you've been asking yourself, you're going to LOVE today's guest. Meet David Baker, who was the launch managing editor of Wired magazine in the UK, is a regular presenter on BBC Radio 4 and the World Service and teaches at Th...

Behind the glamorous social media posts hides an uncomfortable truth that many of us experience but are afraid to speak out loud: depression. In fact, according to a University of California study, 1 in 3 entrepreneur’s experiences depression. And yet talking about dealing with mental health issues is still considered as a big fat taboo. Up until now. Today's guest is Lauren Roerick, a holistic he...

Let's rewind the clock back to January 26th, 2004, when everything began... Today's episode kicks off a special mini series covering the origin story of The Unconventionalists podcast. We begin by diving deep into the trenches of forgotten archives. From the very first interview, ever, to the most pivotal moments that defined the interviewing style of Mark Leruste. Subscribe now on iTunes: https:/...

"New year, new you." The problem with that sentence is that we've heard it a thousand times before and we've all said it every year for the past decade. And yet, still fall short on our New Year's Resolutions come February 1st. So why is that? In today's episode I share with you my favourite five tips on what you can do right now to make sure you come up with your best resolutions yet. As always,...

From boxing legends to intergalactic princesses, 2016 basically wiped out half our favourite icons. With the after taste of Brexit and Trump still itching our throats, it's hard to look back at 2016 with a smile. Yet I'm here to say that 2016 has been a great year and I believe 2017 is going to be an ever better one. Don't believe me? Listen to today's episode and find out why I'm right. Listen, r...

If "drink less, eat healthier and move more" are topping your New Year's Resolution, may I suggest adding "become a productivity Ninja?" Today's guest is Graham Allcott, author of the global best-seller, "How to be a Productivity Ninja" and founder of Think Productive. One of the world's leading providers of personal productivity training and consultancy. His recently launched podcast "Beyond Busy...

Gina Barnett is the speaker coach for the MainStage TED Conference and is the author of "Play The Part: Master Body Signals to Connect and Communicate for Business Success." If you've ever wondered why some speakers come across more powerfully than others, or why TED talks are so special, Gina breaks it down for you by using simple language that we can all get behind. As a public speaker myself, I...