Speaking Business Podcast

My guest is a futurist, philosopher, and a leading expert in futurism and emerging technologies. He is a populariser, commentator, and influencer of all things futuristic. He is the host of the techno-philosophy YouTube series FUTURISTIC NOW and is listed in the top twenty must-watch futurism shows on YouTube. He has spoken at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre, Boston University, The London Business School, and 2016 International Judicial Symposium in Korea held by the Supreme Court of Korea.  He has appeared on CBS This Morning, Discovery Channel, History Channel, Yahoo news, and many other TV shows and news outlets around the world in his quest to popularise futurism.  My guest is Gray Scott. Bio Gray Scott is a futurist, techno-philosopher and one of the world’s leading experts in the field of emerging technology. Gray has appeared on Discovery Channel Canada, History Channel, CBS This Morning, FOX News, Cheddar News, Yahoo News, as well as in several documentaries including The Future of Work and Death. Gray’s

Sir Chris Hoy MBE, multiple world and Olympic champion track cyclist, is one of Great Britain’s most successful Olympic athletes, with six gold medals and one silver. Chris retired from competitive cycling in 2013 and his achievements throughout his career make him Scotland’s most successful Olympian, the first Briton since 1908 to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games, and one of the most successful Olympic male cyclists of all time. In June 2016 Chris added to his record list of achievements when he finished the world’s most demanding motorsport endurance race, the Le Mans 24 Hours, on his debut. Following his retirement Chris successfully launched a range of kid’s bikes, HOY bikes, as well as publishing a series of children’s books – Flying Fergus. Chris is now a main stay amongst sporting commentary and punditry in the UK having been an integral part of the BBC’s team covering the 2016 Rio Olympics, the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the 2018 European Championships and the Tour de

Claire Young was made famous by her role as the highly driven runner up of series four of ‘The Apprentice’ where was dubbed a ‘Rottweiler’ by Lord Sugar for her tenacious approach in the boardroom and drive not to quit. She beat 40,000 candidates to reach the final and this experience inspired Claire to set up ‘School Speakers an award-winning business. It is the UK’s No 1 speaking agency working alongside schools, colleges and universities across the world to provide talks to students and staff. She also works within the media as a journalist & radio presenter in addition to advising the government on a range of projects supporting young people and women. She studied Equine Science at the University of Bristol and remains a keen rider with her Irish Sports horse.  She has won several business awards and combines her busy career with being a mum to her young daughter Eva. In January 2018 she become a Leadership Fellow of St George’s House, Windsor Castle. Bio Claire Young was made famous by her role as th

I’ve delved back into the archives this week to bring you a very special lady. She is in fact the first and only woman to drive a world rally car.  She’s got an amazing mindset and in today’s competitive world when only the best will do, she has perfected the art of Psychologically-Powered performance to bring out the very best in us.  I’m bringing you again the wonderful Penny Mallory. Penny tells us how from an early age she wanted to become a rally driver, how this led her into presenting and why speaking is such a passion. She talks about her love for boxing and how techniques used by Muhammad Ali inspired her to get into the boxing ring at the age of 42. Penny also admits to how many points she has on her driving licence!! Bio Motorsport and TV fans know Penny Mallory as the first and only woman to drive a World Rally Car. Penny knows how to compete and beat the odds, but she also knows top performance requires even more than sacrifice and maximum commitment. It also takes heart, insight and the courage

My guest this week describes himself as a very ordinary person - in fact, even more ordinary than everyone else.  For his first job, he was a geography high-school teacher, but he was so low in confidence, his kids misbehaved very badly.  He then chose to try and learn how to live a better life. He left the classroom, flew to Siberia with his bicycle, and spent three years cycling home to London, via Papua New Guinea, Australia and Afghanistan. After that, he went on other adventures, including cycling across America on a tandem with his wife and walking the length of China.  National Geographic has made two television series about his journeys, and he’s the author of two books. He now lives in Hong Kong - he speaks all over the world, but especially at events in the Asia Pacific Region.  Through his experiences, he has discovered a new outlook on life - but he says he is still very ordinary.   Please welcome adventurer and author Rob Lilwall.  Recorded on:  21st November 2019 Bio Rob Lilwall is an adventurer

My guest this week came to the world's attention in January 1991, when he was captured by the Iraqis and his bruised and battered face became a potent symbol of Saddam Hussein's ruthless aggression. His war was not at all as he expected – it became a seven-week ordeal of torture and interrogation testing him to the absolute limit and bringing him close to death. During his RAF career he flew Tornado GR1 on various squadrons and then, within the MoD, led programmes on leadership, safety and human error in aviation. He has written two best-selling books and a documentary; ‘Tornado Down’, which was Independent Documentary of the Year and a BAFTA Award Nominee. He retired from the RAF as a Squadron Leader and now focuses on helping senior teams and Boards by providing business critical development, consulting and coaching – through a leadership lens. Let’s give a huge Speaking Business welcome to this week’s guest John Peters Recorded on:  18th December 2019 Bio Fighter pilot, businessman and business adviser.  J

My guest this dedicates his life to connecting people with their own ideas. He does this via his award-winning ideas company 7billionideas, which he founded in 2012 and which operates in both the education and the corporate sector.  He made the leap from the corporate world to become an entrepreneur after spending the best part of a decade working for the technology giant IBM.  He truly believes that every single person on this planet has an amazing imagination and can change the world.  Please welcome my guest this week, entrepreneur, author and speaker, David Harkin. Recorded on:  12th December 2019 Bio David J Harkin inspires organisations in adopting a mindset of relentless innovation and intrapreneurship through a people centric bottoms-up approach for radical in-house innovation and growth. David has had the privilege of speaking globally to audiences for the last 5 years. He is an entrepreneur, proud Tedx speaker and author who dedicates his life to connecting people with their own ideas. He does this

This week I’ve gone back to the archives again because there are some jewels in there.  Here is one of the early episodes, my guest was Caspar Craven, who is an entrepreneur and adventurer. Caspar has had oodles of experience, building teams and organisations, creating high growth strategies for business.  He’s also an award-winning yachter.  He combined his business skills (leadership and teambuilding) and yachting skills when he took his family on his toughest challenge by far making them into a team to sail around the world, he, his wife and three children, then aged 9, 7, and 2. There were so many amazing lessons for business, for teams, for families, for relationships, about leadership, growth, work/life balance and working out what your true colours are. Caspar tells us about his first business at the age of 14 selling crabs by the sea, his amazing adventure sailing around the world with his family. What he discovered about home schooling his children and sharing the lessons he learnt on his adventure t

My guest this week is unusual; he is a businessperson working in energy transition who also writes books for general audiences. His next book will be published in January 2020 and will provide a short guide to each sector of the economy and what needs to be done to completely decarbonise. He was, until recently, chair of a rapidly growing electric vehicle charging company which was then sold to the French energy multinational Engie. He has a variety of angel investments in electricity generation and energy efficiency.  He speaks frequently to business and general audiences across Europe on all things relating to climate change and energy transition. And he practices what he preaches, he takes the train. It is my pleasure to welcome this week’s guest, Chris Goodall Bio Chris Goodall is the author of several successful books and writer for Guardian Environment Network and other energy websites, such as Abundance and The Ecologist. His latest book, The Switch, covers the unstoppable rise of solar power. Addition

My guest this week is one of the leading Food, Drink and Hospitality brand and marketing minds in business. He has over 20 years Brand, Marketing, Digital and Social Media experience holding senior positions at lastminute.com, Barclaycard, YO! Sushi and Pret A Manger. He co-founded Brand and Marketing agency, WE ARE Spectacular in 2012 and now runs Premium Brand and Marketing Strategy consultancy Supersonic Inc. based in London and Brighton where he helps C-Suite level Marketers and Executives amplify their business across multiple sectors. In 2018, Mark began podcasting and his Mark McC Supersonic Food Marketing Podcast has reached number 20 in the iTunes business charts and is a regular top 100 podcast.  My guest this week is Mark McCulloch. Bio Mark McCulloch is a Senior Brand, Marketing, Digital and Social Media Executive with a career spanning 20 years working for and with brands such as Pret a Manger, lastminute.com, Barclaycard, Costa Coffee, Accor Hotels, The Independent, Viz, NME, Loaded Magazine, YO

My guest this week was Professor of Psychology at University College London for 26 years. He is now Principal Psychologist at Stamford Associates, an asset management company. He has lectured widely abroad and held scholarships and visiting professorships around the world. Currently he is Adjunct Professor of Management at the Norwegian School of Management. He is also prolific writer and has written over 1300 scientific papers and 92 books. Like Noel Coward, he believes that work is more fun than fun and considers himself to be a well-adjusted workaholic. He rides a bicycle to work (as he has always done) very early in the morning. He enjoys writing popular articles, travelling to exotic countries, consulting on real-life problems, going to the theatre and arguing at dinner parties.  I have been a guest at a few of those dinner parties and I’ve lost everytime. So today I have the chance to talk about one of my favourite subjects with one of the world’s leading experts so let’s give a warm Speaking Business w

This week my guest has earned global acclaim as one of the world’s leading experts on the financial escapades of the underworld.  There is no one with more first-hand knowledge about how international banks and businesses cater to those who own the nearly 2 trillion dollars in criminal proceeds laundered annually.  For years, in the eyes of organised crime leaders he was a highly successful mob connected money launderer that helped them to manage their illicit fortunes.  His clients, some of the most famous and deadly drug cartel bosses, offered a $1/2 million price tag for his head when he was revealed to be a highly trained U.S. federal undercover agent.   He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Infiltrator, a memoir about his undercover life, much of which was spent acting as a conduit between ruthless drug barons and corrupt legitimate appearing senior executives that cleaned billions in blood stained money through otherwise respectable international banks and businesses. It is my honour to wel

This week I’ve gone back to the archives again and I’ve pulled out one of the early episodes again. This time it’s Philip Hesketh he is our go to guy on anything related to persuasion, influence and selling. Why now? In January 2020, in fact on the 20th January 2020, Phil and I will be running a full day training, we are calling it the Ultimate Sales Day for Professional Speakers and it is exactly that.  It is for any speaker that wants to get booked more and paid more.  So, come along, listen to how Phil has created a great full-time professional speaking business and made several million.  Listen to me from a bureau’s point of view as to how we get bookings for our speakers.  So, we hope to see you there, but in the meantime if you’d like a little sample of what Phil is all about, have a listen to his podcast. Bio Having built an acclaimed £48m business in 17 consecutive years of growth, Philip Hesketh now shares the psychology of influence and persuasion as a full-time professional speaker. Audiences world

My guest this week is a leader in the world of base jumping and wingsuit flying and since 1999 he has been part of the Red Bull team.   In addition to being an action sports athlete, he is a graduate of Applied Sports & High-Performance Psychology and a multi-linguist.  For years he has been providing his fellow professional athletes with a mental advantage and skillset required to reach their goals and unleash their full potential.   My guest is Cedric Dumont.  Bio Cedric Dumont is a leader in the world of base jumping and wingsuit flying and since 1999 has been part of the Red Bull team. Cedric Dumont was born in Brussels, Belgium and from a very young age participated in action and adventure sports. In addition to his standing as an action sports athlete, Cedric is a graduate of Applied Sports & High-Performance Psychology, and a multi-linguist who began by providing his fellow professional athletes with a mental advantage and skillset required to reach their goals and unleash their full potential.

We’re doing something a bit different on this week’s podcast. You know I like to shake things up, just to make sure you’re paying attention.  So, in addition to finding out more about my guest and getting a bit of an insight into his speeches we dissect his speaking business.  We find out how he got started as a speaker, how he started charging, where his paid gigs come from plus lots more.  We go deep stopping just short of asking him for his bank balance.   So, let’s roll the podcast ….  My guest this week is a young adventurer, author and fundraiser from Chester. At just 24 he’s already delivered over 170 talks to businesses, schools and events around the UK and Europe, and he’s also done a TEDx.  He’s made two attempts to climb Mount Everest, both ended in disaster.  He shares his unique experiences of redefining failure, embracing change and staying resilient through adversity.  He has just released his second book Another Peak and has set up a social enterprise supporting mental health through outdoors

This week we are talking about language, but first let me give you a little bit of context. Most organisations don't connect with their customers and staff half as well as they could and as a result, they're losing customers and employees at a shocking rate.    My guest is the Language Strategist, he's helped companies like Vodafone, Allianz and Google to be more human and make that connection.  He's going to reveal how language is the key that'll unlock the door to a more authentic brand and happier customers.   My guest is Ben Afia. Bio Ben Afia is a consultant, writer and speaker, specialising in brand strategy and language. His claim to fame is helping Ronseal work out what to say on the tin. He’s helped companies manage their brand and tone of voice longer than most, starting in 2001 at Boots, when managing language was only just becoming a thing. He created a new tone and went on to help people across the business to get better results from agencies and freelancers. In 2005, with a first baby on the way

This week I’ve delved into the archives and I’ve pulled out an episode from the very early days in case you missed it, in case you’ve only just started listening recently and if you’ve heard it before it’s actually worth listening to again. My guest is one of today's foremost practitioners of performance enhancing psychology and is an expert in high performing teams. He’s ranked amongst the most influential figures in British sport as well as a powerful figure in the business community where he has worked with business leaders and companies helping them to fulfil their full potential by delivering change and performance programmes.  In sport, he’s worked with 5 Ryder Cup captains, Premier League footballers, Formula 1 racing drivers and the Ashes winning England Cricket team.  My guest is Jamil Qureshi. Bio Jamil Qureshi is one of today’s foremost practitioners of performance enhancing psychology and is an expert in high performing teams. As the co-founder of change agencies, We Do Things Differently, Loudhou

My guest this week is a millennial trust futurist, innovation strategist and speaker. His book, The Trust Economy, champions a new lens on trust and innovation in the digital age.  Please welcome Philipp Kristian Bio Philipp Kristian Diekhoener demystifies change by looking at trust as the engine of human advancement. Without it innovation is impossible, and the future remains imagination. With great energy, hard-hitting insight and a healthy dose of pragmatism, he unveils why designing and managing for trust is the new imperative for success in the digital age. Kristian’s keynotes explore the future of work, breakthrough technologies, smart cities, corporate innovation in the digital age, start-up ecosystems and the role of digital ethics and sustainability in shaping this progress. Distilling the complexity of our digital world into simple bold takeaways, he demonstrates that the future is a product of who, what and how we trust. This makes him go-to speaker on trust and digital innovation economy. Philipp

This week’s guest founded Shazam Entertainment, the world’s first mobile phone-based music recognition service which was acquired by Apple in 2018 for a reported $400 million.  In 2015 the Financial Times named him one of Europe’s Top 50 technology entrepreneurs. Previously he was Head of Banking Innovation at Virgin Money, responsible for developing new digital services for students in the UK. He has also worked in media, entertainment, technology and in charity at Save the Children. Now he is an angel investor in “Tech for Good” start-ups and a regular speaker on innovation, entrepreneurship and emerging technology.   My guest is Dhiraj Mukherjee. Bio Dhiraj Mukherjee is co-founder of Shazam and an experienced digital business executive and entrepreneur, with a proven track record in both corporate and start-up environments. Recognised by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s Top 50 technology entrepreneurs in 2015, Dhiraj Mukherjee was previously Head of Banking Innovation at Virgin Money, where he was re

Niall Breslin known as Bressie, is an Irish musician and former Westmeath Gaelic footballer and Leinster Rugby player. Breslin found success as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter with pop band The Blizzards, as a co-writer and producer with XIX Entertainment and as a solo artist. He was the winning coach on the first and third seasons of The Voice of Ireland. Bio One of Ireland’s most prominent mental health advocates and sought-after public speakers, Niall Breslin’s ability to communicate with inspiring candidness, expert knowledge and authenticity has helped to pioneer a sea change in the public perception and narrative on mental health and emotional well-being in Ireland. A dynamic, charismatic and compelling communicator, he has produced and written several documentaries about mental health and performance psychology, and has consulted with the Irish government and the EU parliament to further influence the discussion and development of future policy in the area of mental health including chairing