The Phoenix Conversations

In this episode, I’m joined by Suman Randhawa, Chief Commercial Officer at ATOMIC, award-winning sales consultant, keynote speaker and author. With 30 years of sales experience, Suman has led teams at The Mirror, FHM, Heat magazine and Harrods, and now helps founder-led businesses turn audiences into customers. We talk about redundancy, reinvention, resilience and the career shifts that eventually...

In this episode, I’m joined by Ben Price for a fascinating conversation about identity, masculinity and the beliefs we absorb without even realising it. Ben shares how childhood, military life and the world of entrepreneurship each shaped his sense of who he thought he had to be. We talk about the cost of self-sacrifice, the pressure to perform success, and what changed when Ben found a mentor who...

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Jacalyn Kerbeck, founder of USA GLOBAL TV and Radio, executive coach and internationally known listening mentor. We talk about the many reinventions that have shaped her life, from growing up in an entrepreneurial family and building a successful corporate career to stepping away and creating something completely different. Jacalyn also shares how living with ulce...

In this episode, I’m joined by Geoff Sober, coach, entrepreneur and lifelong learner, to talk about the many reinventions that have shaped his life. Geoff tells us how watching his father turn down opportunities through fear of failure influenced his own determination to say yes, take risks and keep moving towards something bigger. We also talk about teaching, business, property, coaching and the...

In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Piddington, health and safety consultant and founder of Safe and Well Together. Sarah shares how a traumatic childhood, a near-death experience in her early twenties and a move from Australia to London became the catalyst for a completely new chapter in her life. We also talk about reinventing her career, building a business around a more human approach to heal...

In this episode, I’m joined by Daniel Acutt, founder of profiletest.ai, whose career has taken him from South Africa to Switzerland, hospitality, entrepreneurship, sales, behavioural profiling and now AI. Daniel shares the turning points that shaped his journey, including career setbacks, starting again from scratch and learning to follow opportunities without always knowing exactly where they wou...

In this episode, I’m joined by Andrea McLean, a high-profile British broadcaster, multiple Sunday Times bestselling author and TV favourite, best known for 13 years on Loose Women and 11 years on GMTV. Andrea shares the story behind some of her biggest reinventions, from building a 24-year television career and interviewing stars including Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé and Ariana Grande, to leaving TV, l...

I’m joined by Francis Rodino, AI growth architect, author and founder of the Leads Machine framework. After more than 20 years in digital marketing, including work with the BBC and PlayStation, Francis left corporate life to help service businesses build more predictable sales systems. Francis shares how creativity, technology, entrepreneurship and personal development have shaped his journey, inc...

I’m joined by Jeannie McGillivray, co-founder and CEO of Remote and co-founder of Autumn, an AI-powered operational intelligence platform. Jeannie shares how a working-class childhood, an art degree, a pottery apprenticeship and a record label all became part of an extraordinary route into technology and entrepreneurship. We also talk about building a business with her husband, turning a website p...

In this episode, I’m joined by Chris Daems, Chartered Financial Planner, Fellow of the Personal Financial Society and director of Cervello Financial Planning. Chris believes financial planning should have one simple purpose: helping people achieve their goals so they can live the life they want. We talk about his journey from nearly being sacked at the bank to building a successful, values-led bus...

In this episode, I speak with Sharon Eden, the Spiritual Psychotherapist Coach who helps midlife businesswomen and leaders move from ‘There has to be more to life than this’ to knowing who they are now, where they are going and what truly lights them up. Sharon shares how a traumatic childhood, early motherhood and years of feeling like a misfit became the foundation for more than 40 years of prof...

Paul Cameron’s grand life plan is simple: to become gloriously eccentric by retirement, and he is already way ahead of schedule. Once a session drummer, professor of music and performer with the Royal Opera House, London Symphony Orchestra and Royal National Theatre, he now spends his days creating treehouses, rope bridges, treetop walkways and tree nets around the world. In this episode, I’m talk...

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...