The Inspiration North Podcast: Recent Episodes
James Eves and Michelle Minnikin
Inspiring stories from inspirational people, who have found their passion: their true north!
Take inspiration from people who have been there, experienced the same, and taken action to create a more fulfilling life in line with their values and passion. Learn about what helped them and what they did to create the momentum.
Change takes time but listen to our weekly episodes for a shot of inspiration!
There are so many toxic messages around what success looks like, which can leave us feeling unsatisfied and overwhelmed.
At Inspiration North, we've created inspirational resources and programmes to help you find your True North.
You can go from living someone else's life to living your life full of meaning, purpose and joy.
#148 Sheri-Leigh Miles - Playing around at the edges
Sheri-Leigh talks to us about the joy of playing around at the edges.
We talk about:
- The power of making sure you’re doing what you enjoy.
- Knowing environmental science was her thing, before it was a thing.
- And learning all she needs to know about rocks in a week!
Sheri-Leigh is Co-Founder and Director of NETpositive Futures. She helps organisations, teams and networks understand how sustainability links to organisational excellence. Her Master’s degree is in Education for Sustainability and her career has focused on learning and education in its broadest sense.
She was involved in the development of the UKs first sector-level sustainability strategies and spent 7 years on the Board of the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges alongside her main role as part of the award-winning Ecoversity team at the University of Bradford, the first whole-institution sustainability engagement programme in the UK.
She was invited to become a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) in 2018 in recognition of her sustainability work in the education sector. She teaches sustainability on Newcastle University Business School’s Executive Education programmes as a visiting lecturer and collaborates with the team on an innovative project to embed the Sustainable Development Goals into their programme.
She is also Director of a Social Enterprise and Worker’s Co-operative called 4Seasons which supports individuals who are differently able to ‘live the life they choose’, primarily through supported employment linked to the outdoors.
She has recently become an ‘accidental software developer’ and her current focus is based around the NETpositive Software developed to support sustainability engagement across complex organisations.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Sheri-Leigh on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheri-leigh/
NETpositive Futures Website - https://netpositivefutures.co.uk/
#147 Shelley Farnham & Julia Harris - Complex Strengths and Complex Connexions
Shelley and Julia talk to us about navigating complex strengths and the importance of connections!
We talk about:
- Julia navigating school when neurodivergent and feeling that her ‘soul was too loud’.
- The importance of authenticity and being able to be themselves.
- And what they would choose to eat if they were invited to lunch with the Queen!
Julia (JuliaArtsJulia) is a neurodivergent (ADHD+) mum of two neurodivergent/not-so-typical sons. An artist, children's entertainer, and also neurodiversity mentor, educator and trainer at - Complex Strengths and The Neurodiverse Universe.
Shelley worked as a teacher in South Africa and then as a Teaching Assistant and SEN Support in the UK. She also has a son who is Autistic and ADHD. She started Complex Connexions as she is passionate about supporting other parents to focus on understanding, communicating and so, most importantly, on building connection with their neurodivergent child.
Julia and Shelley have combined their strengths to create and deliver their fabulous 'All on Board for Families' course, a 5-week group coaching course to support parents of neurodivergent children. The course uses the analogy of the family being the crew on board a ship, moving from the overwhelm and confusion of struggle rock towards calm.
Full Bios
Julia Harris (JuliaArtsJulia) is a neurodivergent (ADHD+) mum of two neurodivergent/not-so-typical sons. An artist, children's entertainer, and also neurodiversity mentor, educator and trainer at - Complex Strengths and The Neurodiverse Universe.
Julia has about over 30 years' experience of supporting neurodivergent individuals both professionally and personally, which adds to her personal experience of over 50 neurodivergent years.
Driven by a passionate belief, present since childhood, that much was amiss about how adults interact with Young People, Julia has independently studied many modalities that explore human traits and behaviours, and how to heal the many relationships that are part of human life.
Shelley Farnham worked as a teacher in South Africa and then as a Teaching Assistant and SEN Support in the UK. She also has a son who is Autistic and ADHD.
Although she had a teaching degree and worked in education, when her son began to experience difficulties at home and school, she had to embark on a steep learning curve - with little information and support available at the time, this was very self-directed and involved a lot of late night googling!
When she began a course for parents of neurodivergent young people and realised how much it was helping her as a parent and also as an educator, she knew she had to share its principles and so Complex Connexions was created! She wants to support other parents to focus on understanding, communicating and so, most importantly, on building connection with their neurodivergent child.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Julia on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaartsjulia/
Julia Arts Website - https://juliaarts.co.uk/
The Neurodiverse Universe Website - https://www.theneurodiverseuniverse.com/
Complex Strengths and The Neurodiverse Universe on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ComplexStrengths
All On-Board Families Course - https://www.theneurodiverseuniverse.com/all-on-board-families
Complex Connexions Website - https://www.complexconnexions.co.uk/
Shelley on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shelley.farnham/
Shelley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyfarnham/
Complex Connexions on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/complexconnexions
Shelley’s previous Inspiration North Podcast - https://www.inspirationnorth.com/podcast/episode/363b735b/75-shelley-and-jess-farnham-dont-judge-a-person-by-what-you-see
#146 Michelle Jones - A world where kindness is currency
Michelle talks to us about imagining a world where kindness is currency.
We talk about:
- How being content in the moment is a huge gift.
- How in helping others we can help ourselves.
- And watching Father of the Bride so many times!
Michelle is the Founder and Director of Kind Currency, she also owns a successful wedding consultancy and has had other businesses.
She’s a Champion of Kindness, A believer in the power of community and an eternal optimist who is always smiling.
As a North East Entrepreneur, Charity Worker & Volunteer - Michelle was recently awarded with a 'Friendship Bench' for her social impact work.
She’s incredibly Resilient and describes herself as a Chronic Illness, Mental Health and Invisible Disabilities Warrior.
Michelle is also an Ambassador for Inclusion - working with local and national movements such as BE HEARD and Northern Power Women.
And most importantly, she is Wife to Steven and Mam to Dylan and Isla.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Kind Currency Website - https://www.kindcurrency.co.uk/
Michelle Jones Weddings Website - https://www.mjweddingplanner.co.uk/
Michelle on Twitter - https://twitter.com/shellskindworld
Michelle on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kindnessmakestheworldsparkle/
Kind Currency on Twitter - https://twitter.com/KindCurrencyCIC
Kind Currency on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kindcurrencyclub/
Kind Currency on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kindcurrencyclub/
Kind Currency on Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kindcurrencyclub
Michelle Jones Weddings on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mjweddingplanner/
#145 Kev Price - It all ends up good
Kev talks to us about how it all ends up good!
We talk about:
- His hard-won entrepreneurial lessons.
- The importance of finding great people to work with.
- And how he found his current adventure!
Kev has more than 15 years of business experience. From co-founding a full-service digital agency in 2007 he then transitioned to digital tech products co-founding back to back start-ups. Both companies, Reframed and Ricochet, were backed by investment from both angels and VCs, the latter being successfully acquired in December 2020.
Prior to founding businesses Kev got a degree in Physics, worked freelance as a developer/programmer and online marketer then went on to work at a few digital agencies in the North East.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Kev on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevprice/
Kev on Twitter - https://twitter.com/KevPrice
Sub 10 platform sign up - https://sub-10.co.uk/safeguarding/
Sub 10 on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SUB10Learning
#144 Linzi Trafford - Say yes and see what happens
Linzi talks to us about saying yes and seeing what happens.
We talk about:
- Going on holiday to Thailand and deciding to stay there for 13 years and counting.
- Being in the right place at the right time.
- And the absolute joy of salt & vinegar crisps!
Linzi is a passionate writer and content marketer specialising in creating original and engaging web copy and blog articles.
She hates bad grammar, but loves a good pun. She likes to travel, but sucks at packing. She laughs loudly and often, and her spirit animal is a zebra.
When she’s not at her keyboard, you’ll find her hiking in the jungle, scuba diving, sunset gazing, or running around on the beach with her rescue dog, Blix.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Linzi on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/linzi.trafford
Palm Tree Digital on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PalmTreeDigi
Linzi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/linzi-trafford-b106591b5/
#143 Maria Watson - Creating order from chaos
Maria talks to us about the joy of creating order from chaos
We talk about:
- Not really having any ideas about what she wanted to do when she was little.
- How to make a living doing something she is great at.
- And her hunt for the perfect Chinese takeaway!
Maria Watson - The Details Director - helps creative-minded solo business owners find simple ways to bring calm, order & organisation to their life & business so that they can get more done with less stress.
After 18 years in Accountancy, working with hundreds of small businesses, she took her love of details, deadlines and talent for improving efficiency and created her own small business which is in its 7th year. Originally from Lancashire, Maria now lives in Cornwall working remotely with clients across the UK and the globe but she remains a no-nonsense Northerner who has an innate ability to bring calm and clarity to any business project, and that’s what her clients love.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Maria’s Website - www.thedetailsdirector.com
Maria on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/maria-watson
#142 Suzi Payton - Listen, accept, commit!
Suzi talks to us about how the 3 golden rules of comedy improvisation also help with life!
We talk about:
- Her childhood dream of wanting to be a stunt woman!
- How making stuff up is the best thing in the world.
- And how reward charts are not just for children!
A dynamic life coach, comedian/improv teacher and neurodiversity trainer; Suzi supports amazing people to access their strengths, build confidence and achieve their goals.
She spreads the joy of comedy improvisation and helps absolute beginners to take their first steps into a world where we make short scenes up 'on the spot', play and have SO MUCH FUN!
As an autistic ADHDer, Suzi is passionate about delivering meaningful autism and ADHD training where outdated stereotypes are kicked out of the window! She promotes a strengths based approach where ND people are accepted and understood and not 'encouraged/made' to be neurotypical.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Suzi’s website - www.suzipayton.com
Suzi on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/suzipayton_coach_comedian/
Suzi on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/suzipaytonadhdwarrior
Suzi’s Driven ADHD+ mindset warriors Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/353964556132593
#141 Fiona Kearns - Being CEO confident
Fiona talks to us about being CEO confident
We talk about:
- How we should all work at being good at public speaking.
- Becoming self employed during the pandemic.
- And what her hilarious DJ name would be!
Fiona Kearns is a Business Psychologist who helps people get rid of self-doubt, own their skillset and feel confident about playing huge in life and work. She is experienced in the IT/Telecom and non-profit worlds.
Fiona is a member of the Association for Business Psychology and author of ‘How to Increase your Confidence’. She specialises in helping leaders fulfil their potential in business. She loves the thrill of helping clients manage their imposter syndrome to become confident, visible and more impactful.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Fiona’s Website - https://kearnsconsultancy.com/
Fiona on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionakearns/
Fiona on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KearnsConsultancyGlobal/
Fiona on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kearnsconsultancy/
Fiona on Twitter - https://twitter.com/FionaFKearns
Create Your Signature Talk - https://kearnsconsultancy.thinkific.com/courses/createyoursignaturetalk
Fiona’s book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07VP8Y4RP/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
#140 Adna Sablyich - Living life gracefully
Adna talks to us about how to live life gracefully.
We talk about:
- Coming to the UK from Bosnia as an 18-year old au pair to escape the war.
- How acting to her is the juice of exploring the limits of our humanity.
- And her son’s awesome business idea!
Adna Sablyich is an actress and coach, who uses the expressive and collaborative properties of drama and stage performance, to heal the post-lockdown traumas of isolation. With over a decade in the arts and entertainment industry and as long in education, Adna brings her own brand of understanding of the benefits of drama and acting, as transformative human engagements, which surpass the narrow boundaries of arts consumption we have been accustomed to for decades of the pre-pandemic life.
Under the flagship statement: 'improvisation is the antidote to isolation', Adna brings together adults from all walks of life, to a shared experience of awakening and recovery, at a new level of interactive fun. Check out her blogsite, to find out more about her dramatic performance expertise acourseingrace.weebly.com.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Adna’s Website - acourseingrace.weebly.com
Adna on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/adna.sablyich/
Adna on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/adnacadabra/
Adna on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ACourseInGrace
#139 Paula Donnelly & James Hanson - The importance of building business relationships
Paula and James talk to us about the importance of building relationships.
We talk about:
- The value of critical thinking and different skill sets in business.
- Good design doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel.
- And how their 2 dream clients involve pizzas and fighting.
James and Paula met at the Campus North, a (now closed) digital coworking space based in Newcastle, when James first founded Layers in 2016. Now 5 years old, Layers is growing with a team of 8 and serving clients internationally.
They both love their work and believe that anyone can be good at something with enough practice but to be truly great at something you need to love what you do.
They believe that having an end solution that looks great should be a given and functionality doesn’t need to be sacrificed for aesthetics. Their mantra is to work collaboratively with clients to deliver purpose-driven solutions, not just pretty pictures.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Layers Website - https://layers.studio/
Layers on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/layers-studio
Layers on Twitter - https://twitter.com/LayersStudio
Layers on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/layers.studio/
Layers on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/layersstudio/
James on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-hanson-17407b105/
James on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JamesGHanson
James on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jamesyhanson/
Paula on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-donnelly/
Paula on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Paula_Mae_Donn
Paula on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/paulamae90/
#138 Dr Rebecca Williams Dinsdale - Counting your blessings and being the blessing
Dr Rebecca talks to us about the importance of counting your blessings and being the blessing.
We talk about:
- Helping others to see their own goodness and capability.
- How to keep going and be courageous in the face of challenge.
- And what brings her the most joy in life.
And here’s a poem about her that her dad wrote!
There is a writer we know, whose books are perceptive,
Wisdom abounds, for those if receptive,
Dr Bec is her name, her mentoring renowned,
Coping and thriving, all problems she’ll confound.
So she’s your solution, whatever the task.
She’ll make your day brighter, as soon as you ask.
Dr Rebecca is a prize-winning triple graduate whose work is to encourage your Lifejoy through beautiful books, kindly coaching and tremendous talks.
Her unique combination of education, empathy and experience is used to help you to shine ever brighter.
She took her first school assembly at just seven years old and has been inspiring audiences ever since.
She has become an expert in adversity after severe chronic illness resulted in 12-40 weeks a year in bed or housebound for more than twenty years.
Her education was disrupted continually but she learned her Lifejoy strategies to build immense resilience.
The University asked her to give motivating talks to their new Post-Graduate students. When they responded so well, she knew this was her purpose.
As well as offering a range of inspiring talks, she worked as a Celebrant where she led almost a thousand loving funeral services.
Dr Rebecca is now an author, coach and speaker with her latest book entitled: Your Lifejoy Year ~ An Enriching Thought for Every Day.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Rebecca’s Website - www.drrebecca.org.uk
Rebecca on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/drrebeccad
Rebecca’s Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/667353417187728
Rebecca on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dr_rebecca_w_dinsdale/
Rebecca on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rebecca-williams-dinsdale-b514824b/
#138 Dr Rebecca Williams Dinsdale - Counting your blessings and being the blessing
Dr Rebecca talks to us about the importance of counting your blessings and being the blessing.
We talk about:
- Helping others to see their own goodness and capability.
- How to keep going and be courageous in the face of challenge.
- And what brings her the most joy in life.
And here’s a poem about her that her dad wrote!
There is a writer we know, whose books are perceptive,
Wisdom abounds, for those if receptive,
Dr Bec is her name, her mentoring renowned,
Coping and thriving, all problems she’ll confound.
So she’s your solution, whatever the task.
She’ll make your day brighter, as soon as you ask.
Dr Rebecca is a prize-winning triple graduate whose work is to encourage your Lifejoy through beautiful books, kindly coaching and tremendous talks.
Her unique combination of education, empathy and experience is used to help you to shine ever brighter.
She took her first school assembly at just seven years old and has been inspiring audiences ever since.
She has become an expert in adversity after severe chronic illness resulted in 12-40 weeks a year in bed or housebound for more than twenty years.
Her education was disrupted continually but she learned her Lifejoy strategies to build immense resilience.
The University asked her to give motivating talks to their new Post-Graduate students. When they responded so well, she knew this was her purpose.
As well as offering a range of inspiring talks, she worked as a Celebrant where she led almost a thousand loving funeral services.
Dr Rebecca is now an author, coach and speaker with her latest book entitled: Your Lifejoy Year ~ An Enriching Thought for Every Day.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Rebecca’s Website - www.drrebecca.org.uk
Rebecca on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/drrebeccad
Rebecca’s Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/667353417187728
Rebecca on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dr_rebecca_w_dinsdale/
Rebecca on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rebecca-williams-dinsdale-b514824b/
#137 Dr Hannah Bryan - Unhook from trauma and get back to your life
Hannah talks to us about the importance of unhooking from trauma and getting back to your life.
We talk about:
- Getting feedback from her daughter that led to leaving the NHS after almost 2 decades.
- The challenge of deciding which clients to work with after being institutionalised in her focus.
- And hear all about her non-cheesy tunes.
Dr Hannah Bryan is a passionate and enthusiastic Clinical Psychologist and EMDR Consultant and Facilitator. After working in the mental health field for 24 years Hannah recognises that trauma is something that many people sadly experience throughout their life. She strongly believes that just because people have been through these tough times they can still live a fulfilling, rewarding life.
Hannah supports clients that have experienced trauma by providing therapy. She also offers coaching helping her clients work through their performance blocks and struggles so they can realise their potential and be their best.
Hannah supports clinicians who are passionate about working in the field of trauma by providing supervision, online webinars and facilitating on EMDR trainings (EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing).
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Hannah’s Therapy/Coaching - https://drhannahbryan.com/
Hannah on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/trauma_psychologist/
Hannah’s Supervision and Training - https://theemdrsupervisor.com/
The EMDR Supervisor on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theemdrsupervisor/
#137 Dr Hannah Bryan - Unhook from trauma and get back to your life
Hannah talks to us about the importance of unhooking from trauma and getting back to your life.
We talk about:
- Getting feedback from her daughter that led to leaving the NHS after almost 2 decades.
- The challenge of deciding which clients to work with after being institutionalised in her focus.
- And hear all about her non-cheesy tunes.
Dr Hannah Bryan is a passionate and enthusiastic Clinical Psychologist and EMDR Consultant and Facilitator. After working in the mental health field for 24 years Hannah recognises that trauma is something that many people sadly experience throughout their life. She strongly believes that just because people have been through these tough times they can still live a fulfilling, rewarding life.
Hannah supports clients that have experienced trauma by providing therapy. She also offers coaching helping her clients work through their performance blocks and struggles so they can realise their potential and be their best.
Hannah supports clinicians who are passionate about working in the field of trauma by providing supervision, online webinars and facilitating on EMDR trainings (EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing).
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Hannah’s Therapy/Coaching - https://drhannahbryan.com/
Hannah on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/trauma_psychologist/
Hannah’s Supervision and Training - https://theemdrsupervisor.com/
The EMDR Supervisor on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theemdrsupervisor/
#136 Becca Brighty - Everyone can be happy and brilliant at work
Becca talks to us about how everyone can be happy and brilliant at work.
We talk about:
- How doing a coaching qualification was transformational.
- How we all need to stop, reflect and take in what we’re doing in life.
- And studying psychology as her dad wouldn’t fund a photography degree.
Becca Brighty is a Business Psychologist and Coach. She helps driven professionals to understand their purpose, achieve their potential and live successful and balanced lives. She strongly believes that everyone can and should be happy and brilliant at work: It’s just a matter of them understanding and playing to their strengths and finding the right environment.
Becca has collected many qualifications over the years (a Degree in Psychology, Masters degree in Organisational Psychology, several psychometric testing qualifications, a post graduate certificate in business and personal coaching etc), but it is her personal experience of workplace misery, generalised anxiety disorder, imposter syndrome and difficulty identifying her purpose that helps her really connect with and empathise with her clients.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Brighty People Website - https://brightypeople.com
Coaching in the workplace - https://brightypeople.com/employee-coaching-in-the-workplace/
Becca on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/beccabrighty/
#135 Nicola Jayne Little - Building a MINT community
Nicola Jayne Little talks to us about building a MINT community.
We talk about:
- Taking 10 years to work out what she wanted to do.
- Her starting new things super power.
- And the importance of “merch”.
Working for yourself takes courage. The members of Nicola’s business club work for themselves. They are MINT and the Club was named after them.
People are Nicola’s joy, and every day she gets to do what she loves most; support the small business community to help their businesses thrive.
She has worked with 1000s of business people from the North East and Yorkshire and they continually inspire her.
MINT is the membership club for solo and micro business owners who want to keep learning, keep growing and be part of a community of people who just ‘get it’.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
MINT Website - www.mintbusinessclub.co.uk
MINT on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MINTBizClub
MINT on Instagram - www.instagram.com/mintbizclub
MINT on I LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolajaynelittle/
MINT on Twitter - https://twitter.com/mintbizclub
#134 Melissa Armstrong and Marie Ranson - The importance of well-being
Melissa and Marie talk to us about the importance of well-being.
We talk about:
- Starting their working relationship as coach and client.
- Figuring out how to help as many people as possible.
- And how mental health is as important as physical health.
Melissa and Marie are the Co-founders of Key Wellbeing, a Workforce Wellbeing Company.
They are passionate about helping employees to be healthier, happier and more productive at work.
They achieve this by delivering bespoke wellbeing programmes and initiatives, enabling employers to support their staff.
Their flagship service 'The Key Wellbeing Hub' is an on-demand platform offering a wide range of video e-learning, audio guides and downloadable resources to support employees with their mental and physical wellbeing.
With their diverse backgrounds, ranging from training to therapy, to providing change management support, guidance and solutions to organisations, they have the tools required to assist with this ever-growing problem of ‘workplace burnout’.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Key Wellbeing Website - https://www.keywellbeing.co.uk/
Key Wellbeing on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/key-wellbeing/
Key Wellbeing on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/keywellbeing/
#133 Jez Kay - Flying the flag for effective communication
Jez talks to us about flying the flag for effective communication.
We talk about:
- How his first job could have been the inspiration for the tv series The Office.
- His first Pirate stance in wearing ‘weird’ suits to the City.
- And going viral on TikTok.
Where is Jez at?
During the day he’s a communication coach and helps business leaders to put their message across.
He’s the Founder of My True Talent, a portal for talented working individuals who want to improve their communication skills.
Jez wrote Peter True, The Early Years, the story of what happens to a young boy who's sent to a girls' school.
He has a modest fanbase on TikTok, where his daughter Theo teaches him to dance. But he’s a Dad so he can't dance.
Jez has also produced a local TV show The Chair - interviews with inspiring people.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Peter True Website - http:/thisispetertrue.com
My True Talent Website - http://mytruetalent.co.uk
Jez on TikTok - http://tiktok.com/@jezandtheo
Jez on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jezkay/
Jez on Twitter - https://twitter.com/
#132 Emma Baylin - Creating a business around your passions
Emma talks to us about creating a business around her passions!
We talk about:
- The importance of investing in staff happiness and wellbeing.
- The physiological response we have when we sing.
- And how things feel easy when you’re on the right track.
Emma’s passions include the power of human connection, improving health & wellbeing and singing.
She is a highly recognised trainer and facilitator with 30 years’ experience delivering on a range of organisational development topics. She has developed national programmes for clients including NHS England / Improvement.
Emma specialises in helping organisations address complex challenges and implement solutions by guiding participants through an experiential journey, applying learning to their own practice and developing clear actions.
With Shared Harmonies CIC, she has worked with some of the UK’s leading companies including Nissan, Hermes, Royal Canin, Pinsent Masons and PwC.
Shared Harmonies reinvests profits into community programmes for participants affected by health & wellbeing conditions.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Shared Harmonies Website - https://www.sharedharmonies.co.uk/
Shared Harmonies on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SharedHarmonies
Shared Harmonies on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SharedHarmonies/
Shared Harmonies on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sharedharmonies/
#131 Sonya Morton-Firth - Finding fulfilment
Sonya talks to us about the importance of finding fulfilment
We talk about:
- Being told she’ll never amount to anything and doing everything to prove them wrong.
- How the best way to get good at something is to give it a try.
- And the importance of exploring your gifts and who you really are.
Sonya grew up in a single parent family, in Newcastle in the seventies where divorce and children of mixed race were not the norm. After many fights in the playground with school bullies she was told that she would never amount to anything and would be lucky to even make it to higher education.
Sonya worked as a high-flying sales executive in the City for many years, travelling between London, New York, and Miami, and enjoying the challenge of the fast-paced, high-pressured lifestyle; A woman in a man’s world, Sonya’s passion and enthusiasm always drove her to be the best, she was successful but felt unfulfilled, the ultimate failure.
Sonya left the rat race, the corporate lifestyle, to become an Entrepreneur and pursue her passion of health, wellbeing, and personal fulfilment. She qualified in fitness and nutrition, launched a brand of glamourous fitness wear for women; and competed on stage in Physique competitions. By bringing her focus to healthy nutrition and disciplined training, Sonya went from Briefcase to Bikini, proving that it’s never too late to change the way you look and feel. She is dedicated to body building and the benefits that weight training brings for women in confidence in mind and body.
As well as being an Entrepreneur, Sonya is a property investor and has built a multi-million-pound property portfolio that gives her the financial freedom most people dream of.
They say you must reach a break down before you make a breakthrough and Sonya reached this point after a relationship breakdown, finding herself jobless and homeless all within the same week.
What followed was a true transformation and Sonya reinvented herself again. She qualified as an Executive coach and became leader of the largest personal growth community in the UK where she organised large events and was MC on stage with some world class Speakers.
Now Host of her YouTube channel and Podcast ‘The Sonya Morton Firth Show’, she has interviewed over 100 inspiring guests from Amir Khan to Dr John Demartini.
Entrepreneur, speaker, coach, and Bikini Athlete, Sonya Morton-Firth is the Queen of transformation!
“When you learn to understand your mind, you will realise that happiness is a choice. That you do not have to depend on the external world to experience happiness and inner peace, but you can cultivate it from within. When you master that skill, you will start to enjoy everything that life presents to you. Life is amazing when you learn to see its beauty.” – Sonya Morton-Firth
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Sonya’s Website - https://www.sonyamortonfirth.com
Sonya on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thesonyamortonfirthshow
Sonya on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesonyamortonfirthshow
Sonya on LinkedIn - https://www.instagram.com/thesonyamortonfirthshow
Sonya on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheSonyaMortonFirthShow
#130 Jacqui Marson - Know who you are and speak your truth!
Jacqui talks to us about the importance of knowing who you are and speaking your truth.
We talk about:
- Being very good at persuading people to do things.
- How being a martyr doesn’t serve anyone.
- And how Newcastle is the best city in the world.
Jacqui Marson was one of the first female independent war reporters in the UK. She set up Wildcat Films in the North East with cameraman David Baillie when she was 26, and they went on to win numerous awards for exclusive reports from remote and hostile locations.
She covered previously unreported wars in Pakistan’s Siachen Glacier, in South Sudan with the rebel army and Nicaragua with the Sandinistas. After becoming a mother she sold the company and retrained as a Chartered Psychologist, working with women in Holloway prison and then in private practice. Jacqui wrote the worldwide bestseller The Curse of Lovely: How to break free from the demands of others and learn to say No, and appears regularly on TV and radio.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Jacqui on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxt2Eugj9bKMppNbA8V_55g
Jacqui on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/marsonjacqui/
#129 Bethany Wright - Don’t shy away from who you are and what you want
Bethany talks to us about not shying away from who you are and what you want!
We talk about:
- Being authentic without the fear of what others think.
- Being willing to explore and experiment.
- Deciding she didn’t want to be a fashion designer after cutting up her Nana’s clothes!
Bethany Wright is a Next Step Career Coach at her female-oriented coaching and e-commerce brand Her Empowerment Room, which she launched last year during the pandemic alongside her high level marketing job.
Drawing on her own savviness and experiences, she is on a mission to help ambitious women at a crossroads in their career to navigate their next step with clarity, courage, confidence and ease. Gone are the days of waking up to your alarm to seize yet another lifeless cup of corporate ambition to simply pay the bills.
Bethany empowers women to redefine their path to success, whether that be a career shift or entrepreneurship, through the use of her signature FIRE Process.
Family girl first, Bethany channels the mantra “woman first, work second” each and every day – a musing inspired by the words of one of her biggest inspirations in the industry, Cara Alwill.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Bethany on Instagram - www.instagram.com/herempowermentroom
Bethany on Facebook - www.facebook.com/herempowermentroom
Book in to chat - https://calendly.com/herempowermentroom/complimentary-call
#128 Brian Bush - Don’t be a lemming!
Brian talks to us about the importance of forging your own path.
We talk about:
- The value of networks and connecting people.
- How he has a purpose not a career.
- And the joy of embarrassing Porsche drivers at headlights in his Rally version Skoda.
Brian is a sales/business development and relationship specialist having worked in a number of areas across the private and public sectors. From involvement in growing business (small to large) to creating and growing his own ventures Brian has a real passion for business.
Driven by purpose, able to motivate and inspire others, Brian brings connection to a team or business ensuring a positive culture can exist to enhance efficiency and therefore profit.
A very well networked individual Brian always brings his extensive connections to all projects and businesses that he works with and uses strategic partnerships to drive forward opportunity.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Brian’s website - https://bbushonline.co.uk/
Brian on LinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/in/bbushonline
Brian on Twitter - https://twitter.com/bbushonline
Brian on Clubhouse - @bbushonline
#127 Sakshi Bansal - Doing Something Different
Sakshi talks to us about the joy of doing something different.
We talk about:
- Having a rebellious streak growing up.
- The challenge of calculating the effect of the ripples of kindness.
- And her next move towards humanitarian psychology.
The meaning of the word Sakshi in Hindi is "witness". After moving to the UK to finish her masters in Occupational Psychology, Sakshi has witnessed her name transform into "Saskia", "Siski", "Sexy". That does not bother her. What bothers her is the lack of diversity & inclusion in the field of psychology; the lack of support for international students, the needs of youth volunteers around the world and of course the weather!
Sakshi likes working on 10 projects at a time, is a passionate solo-traveller, a total linked-in nerd and claims she once drank more beer than an Irishman!
Since 2018, she is a "UNESCO Kindness Leader" and is just discovering what that means in the world of business, psychology and change.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Project Leap Website - http://www.theprojectleap.org/
Sakshi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sakshi-bansal/
Project Leap on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/project_leap/
#126 Lorna Helps - Making hybrid working work
Lorna talks to us about the importance of making hybrid working work.
We talk about:
- Wanting to go to Newcastle University way more than becoming a Doctor.
- Cutting through challenges in workshops by painting pottery.
- And being told she couldn’t start a business as didn’t have the entrepreneur gene!
Lorna Helps is the founder of Vibrant Thinking which helps organisations implement hybrid working to transform their workplace.
Prior to starting her own business she worked at Procter and Gamble for 17 years. She was based in Newcastle but was part of teams based in London and Geneva so has some understanding of the challenges of hybrid working where teams are not in the same physical location.
With Vibrant Thinking she combines her experience at P&G with unlocking creativity and innovative thinking within people to get better solutions for the client organisation.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Lorna’s Website - www.vibrant-thinking.com
Lorna on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lornawatkinsonvibrantthinking/
Lorna’s Facebook Group Vibrant Thinking for Hybrid Working : https://www.facebook.com/groups/279814446471530
Sarah on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vibrant_thinking/
Sarah on Twitter - https://twitter.com/VibrantThinkUk
Management today conference link: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/reinventing-the-workforce/agenda
#125 Sarah Taylor - Take the leap and see what happens
Sarah talks to us about the importance of taking the leap and seeing what happens.
We talk about:
- Being environmentally conscious from a young age.
- The importance of being who you are and being proud of it.
- And hear all about the backstory of the Pamoja name.
Sarah Taylor is a trained skincare formulator and founder of Pamoja, a multi-award winning sustainable skincare brand based in Newcastle upon Tyne. During an eight-year career break, Sarah experienced skin allergies and set out on a journey to understand what she was putting on her skin. She found a solution and her purpose.
Sarah is passionate about helping busy Mums achieve happy, healthy glowing skin and a moment of calm - daily self-care that can help us to bring the best version of ourselves to everything we do.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Sarah’s Website - https://pamojaskincare.com/
Sarah on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pamojaskincare/
Sarah on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pamojaskincare
#124 Claire Walton - Making a Difference
Claire talks to us about the importance of making a difference.
We talk about:
- The commendable job HR professionals have done during the pandemic.
- How we should all ask for help when needed.
- And her wanting to be Wonder Woman growing up.
Claire is a High-Performance Coach and Author. Previously an Executive Director, Claire is now focussed on coaching Executive and C-Suite leaders to improve their performance, and that of their teams and organisations.
Claire has an Advanced Diploma in Leadership Performance Coaching from Northumbria University and an MBA with Distinction from Newcastle University, amongst many coaching qualifications.
Claire’s first book, Super Neuro You is on sale on Amazon April 22nd.
Claire is an active Sponsor of ‘My Sister’s Place’, a North East Charity supporting women suffering from domestic abuse. She is a volunteer mentor for The Girl’s Network and mum to Emily.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Claire’s Website: www.leadersaremad.co.uk
Claire on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadersaremad/
Claire on Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/leadersaremad
Claire on Twitter - https://twitter.com/leadersaremad
Claire on LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/clairewaltonchangeagent
#123 Dr. Becky Quicke - The menstrual cycle holds all the wisdom.
Becky talks to us about how the menstrual cycle holds all the wisdom.
We talk about:
- How becoming a psychologist always felt right.
- Setting up a business to be the psychologist and Mum she wanted to be.
- And becoming a free range human.
Dr. Becky Quicke is passionate about sharing scientifically proven psychological skills to help other women let go of anxiety and have the self belief to flourish and fly.
She empowers women who experience anxiety during the menopause to slow down, let go of worries and live with more joy and ease.
Becky delivers online courses, workplace workshops and a monthly membership to help women navigate their way through the psychological storms of perimenopause so they can step forward with more peace and confidence. She also supports a small number of women who want personalised 1:1 guidance through coaching and therapy.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Becky’s Website - https://www.beckyquicke.com/
Becky on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/menopausepsychologist/
Becky on Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/beckyquicke
Becky on Twitter - https://twitter.com/BeckyQuicke
Becky on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-becky-quicke%E2%9C%A8menopause-psychologist-965268b5/
#122 Cameron Shaw - Small changes, big difference
Cameron talks about making small changes can make a big difference
We talk about:
- How small businesses have the power of big corporates by taking small actions together.
- Why the first steps into entrepreneurship can be the most difficult.
- And how a hotel slogan of “so good, so clean” can be fairly misleading!
Cameron is an innovation expert specialising in the creation of value focusing on the end user's needs. Cameron has recently founded The Eco-Agency which helps SME’s take their first steps into sustainability. Cameron is an avid traveler as well a coffee addict.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
The Eco Agency website - www.theecoagency.com
Cameron on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-shaw-59b65ba2/
#121 Gwen Young - Bringing courage and culinary creations to people at home.
Gwen talks about how she is bringing courage and culinary creations to people at home.
We talk about:
- Being into IT from a young age.
- Her abilities in intertwingling recipes thanks to her project management skills.
- And her strategic pregnancy that helped her leave teaching.
Gwen's portfolio career is currently in stage 3, food.
Stage 1 was as an IT professional and stage 2 was in education.
Having sold her last food business (an organic food delivery scheme) in June 2020 she has created It's From Scratch Ltd with a mission to make recipes a reality. She hopes to get everyone cooking by removing ingredient, time and skill barriers.
When people ask for volunteers Gwen has to sit on her hands, she sings in a choir and is in an unofficial clothes swap arrangement/battle with her teenagers.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Gwen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gwendolineyoung/
It’s From Scratch website - www.itsfromscratch.co.uk
It’s From Scratch on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/fromscratchfood
It’s From Scratch on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/its_fromscratch/
It’s From Scratch on LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/itsfromscratch
#120 Jeni Smith - Networking is making friends for grown ups.
Jeni talks about how Networking is making friends for grown ups!
We talk about:
- How we need the small talk and awkwardness of networking.
- The challenge of showing ROI to managers for networking activities.
- And having proper banter with Prince William about Smurfs!
Jeni is passionate about connecting people. When people come together powerful things happen: relationships are built, knowledge is shared and sparks of innovation are fired. With fifteen years’ experience in the networking industry, Jeni now teaches networking skills and creates networking strategies to help people come together and build effective, long-term relationships.
During her career she has won several awards in enterprise including being named within the ‘Future 100 Young Entrepreneurs’ in the UK in 2010, and ‘Growth Accelerator Programme’ winner 2012.
Between 2017-19 she conducted two rounds of academic research with Durham University, exploring her unique strategic business networking model. The research results spurred her on to launch Networking KnoWho, a new networking consultancy, to help individuals and businesses become more confident, efficient, and strategic networkers.
Jeni truly believes that networking has the ability to change people’s lives, unlock hidden potential, spark world-changing ideas and be the catalyst for positive change: all starting with a simple "Hello".
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Networking KnoWho on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NknoWho
Jeni on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jeni_Smith_
Networking KnoWho on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/networking-knowho
Jeni on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeni-smith/
Networking KnoWho on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NetworkingKnoWho
#119 Ben Hulme - Sales Piracy and Good Trouble
Ben talks about his journey to sales piracy and good trouble.
We talk about:
- How being a disruptor is now cool but wasn’t at school.
- Why supporting others to build their dreams is one of his measures of success.
- And hear all about his very romantic story!
Ben has spent 22 years in leadership, sales, business development and relationship management across healthcare, technology, HR, consultancy and services.
Seeing how slow and complicated the health and care system can be, and the missed opportunity because big corporate companies are… too big and too corporate. He founded Hulme Redwood to give innovators and start-ups access to the experience and skills to grow, and work in a way that is healthy and rewarding for all. They called him disruptive at school, but he hears that’s bang on trend now. He calls it Sales Piracy
Ben lives in Preston, Lancs, with his lovely Claire and their four teen-angels. Out of hours he is at his happiest up a mountain or in a lake somewhere..
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Ben on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benphulme/
Ben on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hulmeredwood
#118 Hülya Erdal - It’s the journey, not the destination that matters
Hülya talks about how it’s the journey, not the destination that matters!
We talk about:
- How Cypriot life revolves around food and the kitchen.
- Unlearning our social conditioning.
- And listen to her pitch for an awesome new tv series!
Hülya is a Chef, Transformation coach, REBT practitioner and Mindfulness Teacher. Using her unique blend of cooking and coaching style, she helps you challenge and crush old belief patterns replacing them with a fresh, uplifting outlook on yourself and your life. Empowering you to change the way you see who you are and what you are capable of becoming. Changing your behaviours and thoughts so you live a more fulfilled, happy and successful life.
"The road to your dreams is in the journey to yourself." Hülya - The Recipe For Life.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
The Recipe For Life Website - https://www.therecipeforlife.com/
The Recipe For Life Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/_therecipeforlife_/
The Recipe For Life Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/The-Recipe-For-Life-104230001648332
Made By The Chef Website - http://www.madebythechef.com/
Made By The Chef on Twitter - https://twitter.com/madebythechef
#117 Carmen Rose - Finding Your Authentic Voice
Carmen talks about how important it is to find your authentic voice!
We talk about:
- Coming from a very musical family.
- Hearing the beauty in anyone’s voice.
- And what the street name would be for coffee if it was illegal.
Carmen Rose is a passionate, energetic and dedicated performer, with a vocal talent stemming from her vibrant personality. With a desire to inspire, entertain and ignite joy to her audiences and students, Carmen specialises in singing, song-writing, performing and teaching. Trained in performing arts, she’s had extensive experience on the UK music circuit, performing across many musical styles; Gospel, Rock, Soul, Blues, Metal, Country, Classical and Musical Theatre. Carmen has a developed an 4 octave range which consists of a whistle register.
Her repertoire includes: Performances at The BBC, The Roundhouse, The Richmix, The Royal Albert Hall, Parliament, Canterbury Cathedral, The Queens Jubilee as well as Wembley to name a few.
She has performed internationally around Asia and Europe. Carmen Rose has had the pleasure of performing alongside Brett Manning, Foreign Beggars, Ben Lochrie, Kele La Roc, Ed Skrein, A Noise Next Door and many more. She has gleaned from epic musicians like Stevie Vann, Jenny May and Stanton Moore and has enjoyed every minute of it.
Carmen has been trained in the following disciplines: Husler, Classical, Opera, Belt, Gospel, Speech Level Singing (SLS), CVT, Method Acting, Musical Theatre, Brecht, Belly Dancing, Stage Presence, Public Speaking, Live Performance Singing and Mic Control, Studio Vocal Recording, Business Pitching.
Carmen is enthusiastic about the success and well-being of her vocal students, through Vitality Vocals. She continues to learn about the voice daily and enjoys sharing her knowledge and helping people reach their goals.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Vitality Vocals Website - https://vitalityvocals.com/
Carmen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmen-rose-0711314b
Vitality Vocals on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vitalityvocals/
Vitality Vocals on Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/vitalityvocals/
#115 Darren Tate - Suiting Up to Help Others
Darren talks about how he helps others by suiting them up!
We talk about:
- The difference wearing a suit can make to how we feel.
- Filling his mum and dad’s garage and attic with suits.
- And the dangers of 5-a-side football.
Darren was approached in 2019 by one of his participants on the Moving On Tyne and Wear programme asking for help finding suitable clothing for an interview. He had secured his first interview and didn’t have anything suitable, or any money to buy any.
Darren was aware of a brilliant service for women called Smartworks who offer free interview clothing but there wasn’t anything set up for men within the North East.
Following this, he donated his own suit for him to wear when attending his interview and he was successful.
Suitability was born.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Suitability on Twitter - https://twitter.com/suit_ability
Suitability on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/suitability
Suitability on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/suitabilitycic/
#115 Mark Pitcher - Lighting A Spark In People
Mark talks about how he loves to light a spark in people in his work.
We talk about:
- Not being afraid of the dark but always going for the light.
- A family trauma that instantly shifted his purpose.
- What he’d do if he could slow down time.
Mark is the Founder of Holistic Adventures, an offline (& sometimes online) experience that helps men and women release emotional pain and trauma. Part holistic retreat, part coaching workshop, part adventure camp, the experience offers Connection, Healing, Purpose & Escape in a safe environment. Mark is married with 4 children and divides his time between London, Cornwall & Barcelona.
Mark says; “Dealing with painful emotions and trauma doesn’t have to be done exclusively within the white walls of a therapist’s office. Getting together outdoors in nature and finding connection with other like-minded people can also help ease trauma, release stress and improve one’s overall quality of life in so many areas.”
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Mark on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/holisticadventuresMarkPitcher
Mark on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markpitcher_holisticadventures/
Mark on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-pitcher-🌳🌊☯%EF%B8%8F🔥-88529a2/
Contact Mark on email - mark@holistic-adventures.com
And his website that he is currently working on will be www.holistic-adventures.com
#114 Richard Tubb - Being a Go-Giver
Richard talks about how it is more important to be a go-giver than a go-getter!
We talk about:
- Learning to ask for help.
- Making a living from sharing his mistakes.
- Getting a lovely bear hug in a lift in Las Vegas.
Richard is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Website: https://tubblog.co.uk
Podcast: http://tubb.co/TubbTalk
Email: richard@tubblog.co.uk
Twitter: @tubblog
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/tubblogMSP
LinkedIn Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/richardtubb
YouTube Channel: http://tubb.co/TubbTube
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tubblog
#113 Alex Barker - How To Be More Pirate
Alex talks about her journey to becoming more pirate!
We talk about:
- Having childhood dreams of exploration.
- Her initial scepticism of Be More Pirate, but this benefitting the movement.
- And how her first book was a little bit shit.
Alex is a speaker, facilitator, writer and community builder. And a Pirate Captain.
She joined Sam in 2019 to give life to Be More Pirate as something beyond a book. Before piracy she was Communications Manager at the RSA (Royal Society of Arts), and has spent a decade or so in the non-profit sector building networks and supporting social entrepreneurs. Alex leads the network and would like nothing more than to see a less conventional approach to social change take root.
In September 2020 Alex and Sam’s new book How to: Be More Pirate was published – an update on the original which dives much deeper into how to effectively rebel & rewrite ‘the rules’.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Alex’s Website - https://alexbarker.co.uk/
Be More Pirate Website - https://www.bemorepirate.com/
Alex on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alexandrabrkr/
Alex on Twitter - https://twitter.com/alexebarker
Alex on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-barker-46745471/
And Sam’s Podcast - https://www.inspirationnorth.com/podcast/episode/c41c6386/17-sam-conniff-allende-there-is-no-greater-tragedy-in-the-world-than-a-life-half-lived
#112 Debbie Haynes - Follow your heart, not your head
Debbie talks about how she has learned to follow her heart and not her head!
We talk about:
- Growing a business from £500k to £24 million.
- Bringing her son to a meeting for a volunteering project then signing up herself.
- This being her first job where she hasn’t taken all of her holidays.
Initially working as a Wildlife SOS volunteer in 2018, Debbie was inspired and moved to see how the Wildlife SOS team makes such a positive contribution to the protection of wildlife and the environment.
And so, after 25 years in the commercial arena, she took a leap, putting her skillset in Sales, Management and as a company Director into an organisation where she truly believes she can make a difference. The challenges are huge but the gains beyond words. Debbie wanted to be a part of the change that we humans must make, and now she is!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Debbie on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-haynes-8a1b4a64
Wildlife SOS Website - https://wildlifesos.org/
Wildlife SOS on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wildlifesosindia/
Wildlife SOS on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wildlifesos/
Wildlife SOS on Twitter - https://twitter.com/WildlifeSOS
Wildlife SOS on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClDVWIdbYk0mCnL9nkRHSxw
#111 Martin Gillespie - Thriving through adversity!
Martin talks about how he has been able to thrive through adversity.
We talk about:
- Using his stage four cancer to become a better person.
- His Mum knitting him a jumper to stay warm in Australia.
- And being known as the “Bud Stud!”
Martin is a Holistic Coach with a focus on the wellbeing of men. Ditching the corporate blazer after 25 years to become a trailblazer in wellness, growth and developing into an empathetic human.
Martin addresses his purpose of combining nutrition, meditation, epigenetics and questioning the programmed mindset. He is a resilient, charismatic and successful strategic leader, having overcome mental challenges including personal trauma and healing from cancer.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Martin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillespiemartin/
Martin on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/martin.gillespie.581
Email Martin - martinegimartin@gemwellnesswarriors.com.au
#110 Rebecca Deller - Laughter is the best medicine
Rebecca speaks to us about how laughter is the best medicine
We talk about:
- What laughter yoga is.
- A serendipitous trip to China that led to a job in Japan.
- And why she forgot that we like to queue in England.
They say ‘Laughter is the best medicine’ and a phrase that motivated Rebecca Deller to run laughter workshops during 2020. Rebecca is a Well-being Consultant, Laughter Facilitator and Chief Happiness Officer who works with organisations to help them thrive by helping them to invest in the well-being and happiness of their employees.
Rebecca’s background spans 12 years working in learning and development teams three years of which were spent in Japan and France. Her specialisms include people management, mentoring and coaching. Her passion for well-being was ignited when living and travelling around Asia. A trip to India inspired an interest in yoga and Ayurveda where she even got to star in a Bollywood film.
Rebecca likes to take the road less travelled which makes for a bumpy road at times but it is certainly full of adventure!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Rebecca on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-deller-5221932/
Rebecca on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/l1febalance
Rebecca’s blog - https://rebeccalifecoach.wordpress.com
#109 - James Eves & Michelle Minnikin - Focus on what you can control and look for the positives!
In today’s podcast - our 2nd anniversary edition - we reflect on the lowlights and highlights of 2020, our lessons learned and what’s next!
We talk about:
- Creating even more authentic relationships.
- James’s new secret identity being revealed.
- And Michelle using Twitter as a baby monitor to check in on the US during the elections.
We are co-founders of Inspiration North and we’re on a mission to help people live happier, more fulfilling lives.
James is a Gallup® Certified Strengths Coach, Inspiration North Podcast Host, Co-Captain of Work Pirates, and a happiness spreader. He gets energy from helping people discover and develop their talents to perform at their best.
Michelle is a Chartered Psychologist, Inspiration North Podcast Host, Co-Captain of Work Pirates, and a happiness spreader. She loves helping people and organisations fulfil their potential.
Key Resources:
Year in Review Workbook - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IFqown37OfnZFZcZJ8tsoZ5K9a4qX06O/view?usp=sharing
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
James on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameseves/
Michelle on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mminnikin/
Zira Life Website - https://www.ziralife.com
Work Pirates Website - https://www.workpirates.com/
#108 - Shamshad Shah - It’s not luck - it’s what we make of it
Shamshad talks to us about how it’s not luck - it’s what we make of it.
We talk about:
- Being who she was expected to be versus who she was authentically.
- Connecting with your emotions, gut and heart to make life changing steps to reach bigger goals.
- And how the world is your oyster but you don’t have to eat them.
Shamshad is an expert in helping you to transform your wellbeing, by giving you a toolkit to create simple daily habits and understand your behaviours to live your best life.
Prior to establishing Simply Wellbeing UK Shamshad worked in the NHS for 27 years as a specialist Dietitian. She also utilised her teaching degree to create innovative Nutrition courses.
Highly experienced in intuitively listening and creating a holistic map to navigate your wellbeing journey, Shamshad created the 3 steps to Vitality System giving you everything you need to transform your wellbeing.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Shamshad on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ShamshadShah
Simply Wellbeing Group on Facebook - www.facebook.com/groups/wellbeingwishes/
Simply Wellbeing on Facebook - www.facebook.com/simplywellbeinguk/
Simply Wellbeing Group on Instagram - www.instagram.com/simplywellbeinguk
#107 - Niall Tudor McKay-Mount (AKA Mr Chimp) - Merry Chimpmas!
Niall talks to us about how he got to be Mr Chimp!
We talk about:
- The name of his first sauce for a chicken wing eating competition.
- Finding the meaning of life at 42.
- And how his funky dance moves got the attention of Mrs Chimp.
This is Niall’s 43rd job since leaving school in 1990.
In 2015, he was suffering from depression and needed serious help. His friend Paul kindly gave him some of his chilli seedlings and said, “Grow them mate, they may take your mind off things!”
A few months later his sister asked him to make a “Man Vs Food” challenge sauce. He made a chilli sauce that went down so well that shortly after that Screaming Chimp was born!
They provide a range of chilli sauces that are perfectly paired with all the meat you can eat or fish you can dish. From their County Durham home, they grow a variety of chillies which go into every one of their sauces. There are seven sauces in the range, from mild to wild!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Screaming Chimp website - https://www.screamingchimp.com/
Screaming Chimp on Twitter - https://twitter.com/screaming_chimp
Screaming Chimp on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHxCjO5-VlI0lWV4eMRao_g
Screaming Chimp on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/screamingchimp1/
Screaming Chimp on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/screamingchimp/
#106 - Laura Rothwell - Understanding people and making connections
Laura speaks to us about how marketing is all about understanding people and making connections.
We talk about:
- Wanting to make a difference.
- Not growing the business for the sake of growth; exploring what is “enough.”
- And how her famously weak wrists became a twist of fate in her career.
“Clearly not afraid to give opinions via professional social media accounts” and “If you want to succeed you’re going to have to forget about your principles” are two of the pieces of feedback Laura has had, which probably tells you everything you need to know.
She didn’t forget about her principles and she swears a lot on Twitter.
Laura is an accidental marketer of 17 years and founded Crystallised in 2013 to do marketing ethically, honestly and creatively. They work with socially or culturally minded organisations to create beautiful conversations and change the world.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Crystallised Website: www.crystallised.co.uk
Crystallised on Twitter - https://twitter.com/crystalliseduk
Crystallised on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/crystalliseduk/
Crystallised on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/crystalliseduk
Laura on Twitter - https://twitter.com/_laurarothwell_
Laura on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurarothwellmcbeth/
Laura on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/_laurarothwell_/
#105 - Nicole Johnston - From the wrong side of the tracks to Downing Street
Nicole tells us her story about how she went from the wrong side of the tracks to Downing Street.
We talk about:
- Wanting to be Australia’s Prime Minister when she was five years old.
- Her first meeting with Gordon Brown and White House officials.
- And her advice for Donald Trump.
Nicole had a misspent youth in politics and government advising senior ministers in the UK and Australia, including Gordon Brown and Boris. She loved working in government. She felt she could change the world.
Nicole is now an author, ghostwriter and book coach. She loves helping people finish their books – whether business or fiction. She is a passionate believer in the healing capacity of writing. Seth Godin is right – the book that will change our lives is the one we write ourselves. Her latest book, co-authored with the amazing Anna McAfee, launched on 10th September and her crime novel, is with her editor.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Writing Tribe Website: www.writingtribe.com
Nicole on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/novelnicole1
Nicole on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nicolejohnstoncomms/
Nicole on on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-johnston-communications/
Nicole on Twitter - https://twitter.com/nicolejcomms
#104 Neina Sheldon - Helping others to live their fullest lives all year round
Neina talks to us about helping others to live their fullest lives all year round.
We talk about:
- Building your life and work around your light needs.
- How self care, boundaries and looking after your own needs are important.
- And how she used to feel like Tigger and Eeyore at different times of the year.
Neina was diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in 2003 and now helps people and organisations understand how light impacts on health as the Founder and Director of Lightopia CIC, the home of light nutrition.
With a third of UK adults experiencing SAD and Winter Blues for up to six months every year and many experiencing Vitamin D deficiency, sleep problems and social jetlag, the reality is that many of us aren't enjoying the full quality of life that we deserve. Lightopia aims to change this, encouraging everyone to make positive behavioural and environmental changes to 'live your light ideal'.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Lightopia Website: https://www.lightopia.co.uk
Lightopia on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LightopiaUK
Lightopia on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lightopiauk/
Lightopia on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightopiauk/
Lightopia on Twitter - https://twitter.com/LightopiaUK
#103 Philip Lancaster - Helping people to achieve their life goals
Philip talks to us about helping people to achieve their life goals!
We talk about:
- How money is almost a taboo dinner table topic.
- Delivering financial education masterclasses in schools.
- And his tendency to flee the country when big decisions need to be made.
Phil has been described as a modern-day saint, a red-haired version of Ryan Gosling, and an everyday superhero. All by his mum (so we’re told) who we assume loves him unconditionally and hasn’t yet listened to this podcast.
In reality, Phil’s someone who didn’t know what he wanted to be when he was younger and has taken time out to travel and enjoy himself at important stages in his life before jumping into university, jobs, and uprooting his long-suffering wife to move back up North.
As a financial adviser, Phil is passionate about financial education at an early age, supporting young entrepreneurs and professionals who may have never thought about planning, and helping charities with both his expertise and his time.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Philip’s Website - partnership.sjp.co.uk/partner/philiplancaster
Philip on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-lancaster-90a54839/
#102 Eldon Jobe - The risks worth taking
Eldon talks to us about the risks worth taking!
We talk about:
- Just winging it in his first business but still managing to do well.
- Raising £1.2 million in VC money to get a business going.
- And how he is still able to do a wheelie and bunny hops on his son’s BMX!
Eldon is a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded several tech and recruitment businesses over the last 20 years. From recruiting in software and tech to founding an IT recruitment company, Eldon's journey then took him on to co-found a software company designed to help the recruitment industry.
After several years of working in Software, Eldon got the urge to return to Recruitment and co-founded a niche recruitment business specialising in IT infrastructure, Software and Cybersecurity.
In every business Eldon has been involved in, there was one recurring theme. The mysterious dark art of cybersecurity was always both expensive and difficult to get right, yet was becoming increasingly important, yet overly complicated. This became the driving force behind Eldon Co-Founding Melius Cyber.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Melius Cyber Website - www.meliuscyber.com
Eldon on LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/eldonjobe
#101 Phil Jackman - You don’t have to always follow the rules
Phil talks to us about how you don’t have to always follow the rules!
We talk about:
- Crafting a different approach to management.
- How you should trust people and allow them to do what they’re good at.
- And how people doing things the same way they’ve always done them, keeps Phil in employment!
Phil is a Guerrilla Worker, strategic thinker, occasional maverick and reluctant over-achiever with an interest in culture change, creative opportunities and regional development.
He is Director of Guerrilla Working Ltd consultancy working at the point where technology meets the organisation’s people. Phil is a Director of Dynamo North East, an industry-led initiative focusing on growing the tech sector in the North East where he leads on the CyberNorth cyber cluster including the delivery of #CyberFest.
Phil is also a Director of North East Initiative on Business Ethics, working to make the North East the most ethical place to do business.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Guerrilla Working website - https://guerrillaworking.com/
Phil on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/philjackman/
Phil on Twitter - https://twitter.com/PhilJackman
#100 Lisa Shaw - Don’t be afraid to say yes to opportunities!
Lisa talks to us about how you shouldn’t be afraid to say yes to opportunities
We talk about:
- Her career being a bit of an accident.
- The privilege of being part of listeners’ lives each day.
- And her embarrassing Russell Crowe story.
A County Durham lass through and through, Lisa has a radio career of over 20 years in the North East. Having worked on several of the regions commercial radio stations, winning a Sony Gold Award for co-presenting The Best Breakfast Show in 2012, she now presents the Mid-Morning Show, (the best of all the radio shows) on BBC Radio Newcastle.
She is also an event host and Voice Over and is married and has a son. She pretends she enjoys cooking, but really just likes watching other people do it on her TV.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Lisa on Twitter - https://twitter.com/lisashawradio
Lisa on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisashawradio
Lisa on BBC Radio Newcastle - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p044vxpr
#99 James Ibbitson - Recognising your Yoda moment
James talks to us about recognising your Yoda moment!
We talk about:
- How he never set out to run his own business.
- The importance of mindset and resilience for entrepreneurs.
- And hear all about his Mexican Mind Monkey!
James runs a video marketing agency Visual Punch. They create exciting and engaging video content for their clients.
James in a past life was a forklift truck driver and a flat roof installer to mention a few of his previous career choices before having his Yoda moment.
Fast forward several years, a degree later, and noticing a gap in the market James started his own business. Visual Punch has since gone from strength to strength
Visual Punch specialises in creating video content that allows their clients to communicate with their target audience quickly, clearly, and concisely. With exciting new services being launched they are excited to work with you on your video journey.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
James on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesibbitson/
Visual Punch Website - https:/www.visualpunch.co.uk
Visual Punch on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VisualPunch/
Visual Punch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/visual_punch
Visual Punch on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/visualpunchvideo/
Visual Punch on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQvO2qBwBmg1LWoQNieDHaQ
#98 Amin Sorour - Driven by the idea of making change.
Amin talks to us about how he is driven by the idea of making change.
We talk about:
- You don’t always have to get things done - just feel like there is progress.
- Choosing training from a strengths focus.
- And how he sees the Pyramids every day but never goes there.
Amin stands at the forefront of the fast-changing Organisation Development; Human Resources sector, known for his tireless work ethic and hands-on approach to organisation and people development.
With more than 15 years experience in HR, Amin currently works as Regional HR Manager, responsible for the Middle East and North Africa, for a European pharmaceutical company.
He has a profound interest and passion to contribute immensely to the strength-based
movement and the notion of self-managed teams, devoting himself to promote autonomy, intrapreneurship, and collective intelligence as key drivers of organisational growth and human performance.
Amin is a committed and proud husband and father of twin boys.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Amin on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amin-sorour-1804b212/
Amin on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AMEN.M.SOROUR
Amin on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SorourAmin
Amin on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amensorour/
Amin on Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/user93630096
#97 - Ellen Hedley - Back yourself and be confident in what you’re doing!
Ellen talks to us about how you should back yourself and be confident in what you’re doing.
We talk about:
- Having the confidence to say no to things.
- How managing humans is one of the most difficult things to do.
- And is there anything annoying about Henry?
Ellen runs digital agency Vida Creative alongside her partner Henry. Currently a team of six, they deliver creative solutions to client problems.
After starting a career in higher education marketing, Ellen left her comfortable job and ventured into self employment. All in the name of creative freedom!
At this point Ellen and Henry moved into a campervan, working and travelling around Europe for the next 18 months.
Fast forward to today and Vida Creative specialises in branding, website design and marketing for innovative businesses. And they’re not finished yet… with plans to grow the business over the next 12 months.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Ellen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-hedley/
Vida Creative Website - https://vidacreative.co.uk/
Vida Creative on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/vida-creative-uk
Vida Creative on Twitter - https://twitter.com/vidacreativeuk/
Vida Creative on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vidacreativeuk
Vida Creative on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vidacreativeuk/
#96 - Drew Rowlands - Apply yourself to life in the best way that you can.
Drew talks to us about how you should apply yourself to life in the best way that you can.
We talk about:
- How all of the world’s ails can be solved by human creativity.
- Why entrepreneurship will become more common in the years ahead.
- And how he was a very ugly baby but with lovely hands!
Drew Rowlands, is Deputy Chief Executive of Leeds Based We Are IVE, leading their commercial strand of work and being responsible for design and delivery of Creative Leadership training programmes. He is a qualified teacher with over 26 years of classroom experience combined with over 30 years’ experience of leading professional training within a wide range of different contexts. He has held senior leadership roles for the past 28 years, all of which have been underpinned by his expert knowledge of creativity and creative practice. Drew now works with leaders from a range of sectors, unlocking imagination so that problems can be seen as challenges and embracing creativity as a means of driving productivity.
Drew sits on Leeds Chamber of Commerce Leadership Group; is Chair of Education on the board of Shakespeare North; Vice Chair of a through school in Leeds and a member of the British Actors Equity Association. Drew is also a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, Manufacturing and Commerce.
As well as writing a number of blogs and white papers for IVE, in his spare time, Drew is a keen writer having written a number of plays and musicals over the years, and had his first novel ‘Tales of an Ordinary Man’ published in 2014.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Drew on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-rowlands-69340360/
Drew’s book (on Amazon) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tales-Ordinary-Childhood-Years-part/dp/1494933950
We are IVE - https://weareive.org/
#95 - CiCi Reagan Twining - Life is really weird
CiCi talks to us about how life is really weird.
We talk about:
- Loving anything artistic, strange and weird as a child.
- Embracing your differences to stand out.
- And how much Harley the puppy helps with newsletter viewings!
CiCi Reagan Twining is a poet, certified Estate Planner, and American transplant.
After losing her mother at a young age to MND, she knows the true importance of Estate Planning. Her goal is that no other families need to experience the additional financial strain hers did during her mom’s illness.
Through her poetry she hopes to help inspire others who have struggled with addiction and abuse and to help them understand that they aren’t alone and recovery is possible.
She lives in Newcastle with her husband, Si, and Miniature English Bulldog, Harley.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
CiCi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cicireagan/
Brilliant Estate Planning Website - brilliantestateplanning.com
Brilliant Estate Planning Instagram - instagram.com/brilliantestateplanning
Brilliant Estate Planning Facebook - facebook.com/brilliantestateplanning
CiCi’s Poetry Website - reaganeyes.com
CiCi’s Poetry on Facebook - facebook.com/reaganeyes
CiCi’s Poetry on Instagram - instagram.com/cicireagan
#94 - Clare Talbot-Jones - Take risks, try new things and seize opportunities
Clare talks to us about how you should always be taking risks, trying new things and seizing opportunities.
We talk about:
- How she forgot to take risks, be bold, or be fearless for over a decade.
- Her journey from being a teacher to being voted the rising star in insurance.
- And how she loves selling her husband at networking events!
Clare loves all things Risk and Resilience. As co-founder and director of Gateshead-based chartered insurance brokerage Talbot Jones, her growing company supports charities, social enterprises and businesses to better understand and manage their risks, building confidence and resilience. She also brings her experience and passion to manage Talbot Jones Consultancy, offering Governance, Risk and Compliance advice.
Following an unusual career path into the industry, she was proud to be awarded the Insurance Business UK Rising Star title in 2019 and added to the Northern Power Women Futures list in 2020, having been recognised as a change-maker and disruptor, making positive changes in the region.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Clare on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ctalbotjones/
Talbot Jones Risk Solutions on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/talbot-jones-risk-solutions-ltd/
Talbot Jones Consultancy on LinkedIn -
https://www.linkedin.com/company/talbot-jones-consultancy-ltd/
Talbot Jones Risk Solutions on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TalbotJonesLtd
Talbot Jones Consultancy on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/talbotjonesconsultancy
Talbot Jones on Twitter - https://twitter.com/TalbotJonesLtd
#93 - Ele Barker - What have you done today to better yourself?
Ele asks us all - what have you done today to better yourself?
We talk about:
- Helping women to get their motivation and enthusiasm back again after giving birth.
- Being on the non-plan plan and experiencing life in all its different ways.
- And being asked to make sexy toast in the style of Nigella Lawson.
Fitness Guru, Ele Barker talks to us today about her enthusiasm for life!
Owner of Real Mum Fitness and Nutrition, Ele helps her clients to achieve a happier and healthier lifestyle. Her enthusiasm and passion for life is certainly notable in everything she does!
After having children, Ele felt that she had lost her confidence. Little did she know that the gym would be the place where she found her spark and kick-started her new career.
Real Mum Fitness was founded and the company grew from strength to strength as did her own confidence.
She recently took to the small screen with an appearance in the popular TV show Come Dine With Me! Highlighting her love of food and fun approach to family cooking.
And she feels now that this is only the beginning!!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Real Mum Fitness on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/realmum_fitness/?hl=en
Ele on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/elebarker/?hl=en
Real Mum Fitness on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/realmumfitness/
Ele on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ele.barker
#92 - Lucy Kendall - Trust in serendipity!
Lucy talks to us about how you should trust in serendipity.
We talk about:
- If you have a job that you love there is no reason to not do it.
- COCO’s Never More Needed campaign to support ongoing projects.
- And hear all about her secret talent!
Lucy is CEO of COCO (Comrades of Children Overseas) an International Charity based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Lucy has worked at COCO for 17 years, working her way up from volunteer to a position of leadership, shaping the development and direction of COCO’s fundraising, governance and project management. Her major interests are led by a passion for international relations, equality, education, development, poverty alleviation and commitment to accountability.
An advocate for skill sharing and authenticity, Lucy regularly takes part in activities for COCO including trekking Mount Kilimanjaro, running the Great North Run and Cycling across Maasai Land in Kenya.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Lucy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lphilipson/
Lucy on Twitter - https://twitter.com/lucy_kendall17
Lucy on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lucy_phil80/
Lucy on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lucyphilipson
COCO’s website - https://www.coco.org.uk/
COCO on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/coco-charity/
COCO on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/coco.charity
COCO on Twitter - https://twitter.com/COCO_Charity
COCO on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8dnZ7Y9WZ98ycflDP9uHhQ
#91 - Alan Green - Life through a lens
Alan talks to us about finding his passion, running with it and seeing life through a lens.
We talk about:
- The influence parents can have on career decisions.
- The importance of a mentor in getting started with his photography business.
- And how some photos of drag racing and polar bears led to him doing weddings!
Alan is a keen professional photographer, living near Newcastle upon Tyne. He started taking photographs at a young age and continues to love photography as his main hobby.
Alan’s aim is quite simply to produce the very best quality images, whatever the subject.
He feels very privileged to have been brought up in a loving family and to have a wonderful wife and 2 grown sons.
Although nicknamed “Grumpy” by his immediate family, he maintains a wacky sense of humour and loves to have a good laugh!! (One of his “other” hobbies!).
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Alan on LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/alangreenphotography
Alan’s website - www.alanagreenphotography.co.uk
Alan on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AlanGreenPhotography
Alan on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alangreenphotography/
#90 - Mark Hill MBE - Keep going, you’ll get there eventually
Mark talks to us about how you should keep going as you’ll get there eventually.
We talk about:
- The Army giving him the passion to learn languages.
- Moving house 19 times in 24 years.
- And his accidental STEM activity in Iraq that led to saving lives.
Mark joined the British Army at the age of 17, with 30 years’ Regular and Reserve service as a modern day Sergeant Major. He is passionate about developing his soldiers to be their best.
He’s had some fantastic opportunities, travelling the world, and learning to speak Arabic. He was awarded two operational commendations for distinguished service, and for exceptionally valuable service in support of operations. Being presented with an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen has been the highlight of his career.
He is now the Army’s Community Youth Engagement Officer within the North East and Yorkshire, inspiring others.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Mark on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhillmbe
Mark on Twitter - https://twitter.com/MarkHillMBE
Mark on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markhill_mbe
#89 - Joanne Lockwood - Lucky things happen to lucky people who do lucky things
Joanne talks to us about how lucky things happen to lucky people who do lucky things.
We talk about:
- Overcoming imposter syndrome and using her own experiences to help others.
- In two years going from not being able to get out of bed to being an international speaker.
- And how you should just keep winging it!
Joanne is a leading authority on Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging who engages with organisations to develop policy and best practice to be more inclusive for all people. By challenging biases, she helps them to develop a vision and strategy for conscious inclusion, with the aim of bringing about positive culture change and employee experience.
Additionally, she promotes transgender awareness and support to businesses and organisations throughout the UK, Europe and elsewhere developing allies’ programmes as assisting in policy and LGBTQ+ inclusion strategies.
As a sought-after Keynote Conference speaker, podcaster, blogger and panellist, Joanne delivers workshops, seminars, and training programmes through the UK, Europe and elsewhere on the topics of Culture Change, Employee Engagement and Experience. Often working with Talent Acquisition and HR teams she advises on building an inclusive employee lifecycle from hire to retire.
She is an Advisory Friend of The Institute of Equality & Diversity Professionals, a member of The Rotary Club and The Professional Speaking Association. Joanne sits as a subject matter expert for School of Health Sciences at Southampton University. As a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, she believes passionately that “people are people” and, no matter who they are, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
Joanne was a contributor and featured in a Channel 4 (UK) documentary called “The Making of Me”, broadcast in February 2019. This documentary was filmed over a 3-year period and detailed her own personal gender transition and its impact on those around her.
Joanne lives by the mantra of “Smile, Engage and Educate” in order to promote awareness and understanding to overcome people’s fear of getting it wrong, because the world isn’t only black and white!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
See Change Happen Website - https://seechangehappen.co.uk
See Change Happen on Twitter - https://twitter.com/seechangehappen
See Change Happen on Instagram - https://instagram.com/seechangehappen
Joanne on Instagram - https://instagram.com/jo_lockwood1965
Joanne on Twitter - https://twitter.com/jo_lockwood1965
Joanne on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolockwood/
#88 - Andrew Silver - Growing a business head and heart
Andrew talks to us about growing a business head and heart.
We talk about:
- How health, well-being and connections have become more important thanks to Covid.
- Working with those who have an inner purpose.
- And changing his dream from being a lumberjack to being a management consultant.
Andrew has extensive director and Board experience working with, and for, a number of SME’s over the last 30 years. With a law degree from Northumbria University and a post graduate in management from Sunderland University he has worked for companies such as Vaux plc, Virgin and Whitbread, amongst many others.
In 2005 he became Managing Director of a PE backed hotel venture where he was responsible for the delivery of an ambitious hotel growth plan and was part of the team that sold the business to Whitbread in 2007.
Moving back to the NE in 2011 he managed the restructure of a healthcare business as MD and then CEO. After 18 months as a business development consultant and a short period as Commercial director at Saddle Skedaddle Andrew set up 360 Growth Partners to support SMEs across the North East realise their business and personal vision.
Andrew is a mentor on the LEP mentoring programme, a member of the Northumbria University Business School advisory board and Chair of The Key, a NE youth charity.
He is married with 2 now self-sufficient sons(!) is a long suffering Leeds fan and loves spending time in their converted barn in the Yorkshire dales and outdoor swimming
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Andrew on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/asilver1/
360 Growth Partners Website - https://360growthpartners.co.uk/
360 Growth Partners on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/360growthpartnerslimited/
360 Growth Partners on Twitter - https://twitter.com/360GrowthP
#87 - Matt Atkinson - Understanding the art of the possible
Matt talks to us about understanding the art of the possible.
We talk about:
- him knowing every button on a Boeing 747 as a boy.
- What digital transformation actually is. And isn’t.
- And his small part in the TV show Tomorrow’s World.
Matt is an experienced digital leader and innovator, skilled in strategic business design and digital tech.
In his role as a digital transformation specialist he works with businesses to understand what's holding them back and to identify suitable solutions. He has cross-sector experience and has helped countless start-ups, SME’s and corporates to innovate and realise their ambitions.
Matt has been an engineer, systems specialist, project manager, team manager, process improvement consultant, change manager, sales director and digital strategist. As a result, he has a unique ability to identify opportunities for improvement and exploit digital technologies to deliver extraordinary results.
Not only that but...
- He's always smiling. ‘Positive’ is his middle name. (actually, it’s Steven, but…).
- He can translate ‘Geek’ into plain language.
- He has a passion for studying complex problems and finding practical solutions. He proclaims that he can find a solution to ANY problem.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Matt on LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/digital-transformation/
Radical Panda’s Website - https://www.radicalpanda.com/
Radical Panda on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RadicalPandaDX/
Radical Panda on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/radical-panda/about/
Radical Panda on Twitter - https://twitter.com/radicalpandadx
#86 - Anna McAfee - How a hashtag changed the world
Anna talks to us about how a hashtag changed the world.
We talk about:
- The official story of LinkedIn Local.
- Creating a sense of belonging and purpose.
- And developing authentic connections that humans crave in a digital world.
Anna McAfee is a Community Curator, LinkedIn Trainer and Author. She co-founded the #LinkedInLocal movement, an initiative to connect offline in real life that spread to more than 90 countries in 22 months, and has since been validated by LinkedIn.
She has co-authored an upcoming book, 'How a Hashtag Changed the World' which shares the stories, lessons and reflections from the LinkedInLocal movement.
She is driven to help individuals and businesses to build better and more authentic connections in a digital world. Anna empowers entrepreneurs and brands looking to create and scale their own communities. She has a unique background in social media and recruitment and is an accomplished LinkedIn Trainer and Speaker.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Anna on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/annamcafee/
Anna on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/annamcafeeofficial/
Anna on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/annamcafee/
Anna on Twitter - https://twitter.com/annamcafee
#85 - Hannah Brooke - finding out where you’re meant to be!
Hannah talks to us about finding out where you’re meant to be.
We talk about:
- How posting a photo of her children got things rolling.
- Meeting 270 families on their doorsteps thanks to lockdown.
- And how nobody has a global pandemic in their business plan!
Hannah is a Yorkshire based photographer, specialising in documenting families and weddings. Her photographs are joyful, expressive and warmhearted. She lives in Wetherby with her husband, 2 children aged 6 & 4, and a black Labrador.
She decided to go pro with her photography in 2017 after a poor return from maternity leave and a lightbulb moment that she could take a good photo! She built her business up for 2.5 years alongside a (different) day job and finally took the plunge into full time self employment in the midst of a global pandemic! No…she did not see that coming!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Hannah’s Website - www.hannahbrookephotography.co.uk
Hannah on Facebook - www.facebook.com/hannahbrookephoto
Hannah on Instagram - www.instagram.com/hannahbrookephoto
#84 - Cat Baverstock - Finding your inner knowing
Cat talks to us about how you should find your inner knowing!
We talk about:
- How magical things can happen when people overcome their limiting self beliefs.
- Her passion for working with people.
- And why she is known as the “witchy” psychologist.
Cat is a consultant clinical psychologist, yoga teacher and reiki practitioner. She has worked in the area of mental health and personal development for over 25 years. Having worked for many years in the NHS Cat now runs a successful private clinic in Sevenoaks Kent. She specialises in mind-body work using Eye Movement Desensitisation.
In 2018 Cat set up an empowerment project called ‘Grow with Your Flow’. The aim of the project is to support people to access their inner wisdom, overcome obstacles and follow their callings and passions in life. Cat uses a unique approach drawing on her experience across the disciplines of psychology, coaching and yoga/mediation and energy work helping people to connect to their talents, motivation and follow their dreams.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Cat’s Website - https://www.drcatherinebaverstock.co.uk/
Cat on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pg/DrCatherineBaverstock/about/
Cat on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/catherine_baverstock/
Cat on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcatherinebaverstock/
#83 - Lydia Laws - Turning a passion into a viable career
Lydia talks to us about how she turned her passion for music into a viable career!
We talk about:
- How she never thought she could get a career in music and doing something she loved.
- Her non-profit involvement to remove single use plastic from the music industry by 2025.
- And how being a trained marine mammal paramedic isn’t a chat up line.
Lydia Laws (LLPR, Bye Bye Plastic, LIFTING THE LYD) is the founder and director of Lydia Laws PR, an international boutique PR and communications agency specialising in electronic music. With seven years’ experience in the music industry, she offers artists, labels, events and brands an elite personalised service pitching to worldwide print, online and broadcast media, and has spoken on several panels e.g. at ADE, DJ Growth Conference and Electronic Sound Summit sharing her experience and expertise.
A passionate environmental advocate, Lydia is a founding member of BLOND:ISH’s world-known Bye Bye Plastic foundation, handling the brand’s communications and partnerships.
She’s also founder/host of podcast LIFTING THE LYD, where she lifts the lid on creative, inspiring achievers who follow their passions, from DJs, authors, sports figures, scientists, eco warriors, business entrepreneurs and beyond.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Lydia Laws Website - http://www.lydialawspr.com
Lydia on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lydiaenglishrose/
Lydia on Twitter - https://twitter.com/LydiaRoseLaws
Lydia on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydia-laws-pr/
#82 - Jen Tait - Keep going until you’ve got it right
Jen talks to us about how you have got to keep going until you’ve got it right
We talk about:
- Her love of talking in front of an audience and wanting to be a newsreader.
- How you should surround yourself with supporters.
- And hear our favourite German words.
Jen is Director of Rise Learning Group, a training consultancy based in the North East. Having spent 14 years in L&D, she has witnessed the transformation of the industry first hand. Jen has always loved public speaking and delivering engaging, value-adding training is her passion.
Jen believes that what cannot be taught can still be learned and that not all learning takes place in the classroom. She founded Rise Learning Group to give individuals the tools to turn downtime into learning opportunities.
Jen is a mum of girls and has spent the majority of her time in lockdown pretending to be Olaf, building dens and sledging down sand dunes!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Rise Learning Group Website - https://riselearninggroup.com/
Rise Learning Group on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/rise-learning-group/
Jen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferktait/
#81 - Lyndsey Britton-Lee & Lynsey Harbottle - Creating Equal Opportunities for Everyone
Lyndsey and Lynsey talk to us about creating equal opportunities for all.
We talk about:
- Having passion as a driver to get things done.
- How everybody has a role to play in diversity and inclusion.
- And what their best bad decisions were!
Lyndsey and Lynsey met at the first North East’s digital coworking space - Campus North, which Lyndsey Britton-Lee Co-Founded in 2013. They went on to develop education initiative Tech for Life CIC in 2016.
They are passionate about women and men accessing equal opportunities. To achieve equality, they believe both men and women must be involved in breaking down barriers, changing behaviours and company culture.
After they made the decision to close Campus North and focus on doing one thing, they set up 50:50 Future in February 2019.
Their 50:50 mission is to achieve gender equality in the workplace. For them it’s not about 50:50 ‘bums on seats’, it’s about equal opportunities…for all.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
50:50 Future Website - https://5050future.co.uk/virtual-training/
50:50 Future on Twitter - https://twitter.com/5050_Future
50:50 Future on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/5050future/
50:50 Future on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/5050Future/
Lyndsey Britton-Lee on Twitter - https://twitter.com/BrittonLyndsey
Lynsey Harbottle on Twitter - https://twitter.com/111Lynsey
#80 - Dean Fox - You are already all you need to be
Dean talks to us about how you are already all you need to be.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Growing up with the idea that he had to be the best at everything.
- Coming to a standstill physically and psychologically.
- And how you don’t have to be part of the 5am club!
By 2007 Dean had been a National Sales Manager for a Major Company and built a multi six figure property business, but just a few years later, he had lost the business, was bankrupt, almost killed in a car accident and contemplating suicide.
By immersing himself in personal development over the last decade Dean has built a coaching and speaking business and is now a leading international mindset coach, trainer, consultant and speaker.
Using his personal experience he works with Directors, Business owners and Entrepreneurs to eliminate their doubts, fears and procrastination, increasing self belief and unlocking their true potential.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Website - www.deanafox.com
Dean on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanafox
Dean on Twitter - https://twitter.com/IMDeanAFox
Dean on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/deanfoxcoaching/
Dean on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/deanfoxcoaching/
Email dean@deanafox.com
#79 - Paula Gardner - Being more visible and taking that step
Paula talks to us about being more visible and taking that next step.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- A date that led to her changing her thinking about studying business psychology.
- How being impatient can help you with achieving your goals.
- And how she literally chased her first client down the street.
Paula Gardner is a Careers Psychologist and coach who uses psychometrics to help those who are contemplating a mid-life career change or facing redundancy and wondering what to do next. She began her career in the music business, doing PR for clients such as George Michael and Bananarama, and then went on to found her own PR and marketing company, helping business owners learn how to do their own PR. In her forties she went back into University to do a Masters in Business Psychology, and from then specialised in careers using her own midlife career change as inspiration.
Paula's secret ingredient as a career coach is her previous background in PR and marketing which means she can help her clients raise their profile within their workplace or industry - visibility brings credibility!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Scarlett Thinking Website - https://www.scarletthinking.com/
Paula on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-gardner-executive-coach/
Paula on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Scarletthinking
Paula on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pg/scarletthinking
Paula on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scarletthinking/
#78 - Rachel McGuinness - Inspiring people to get healthy and change their lives
Rachel talks to us about how she inspires people to get healthy and change their lives.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Her OMGWTF moment in a hotel room in Barcelona.
- How we should get all the facts and just JFDI.
- And what she would do if appointed health minister.
Rachel is a workplace wellbeing expert. Up until 2004 she worked in marketing and events in the telecoms industry. Since then she’s been helping business people to get healthy and reclaim their energy, so they can get back on their game in a more sustainable way.
In the year 2000 she realised that her busy corporate life had caused her to become so unhealthy that she was heading for burnout and some serious health issues. She decided to completely change how she lived her life. She got into a proper sleep routine, adopted a cleaner approach to eating, got a handle on her stress levels and added regular exercise to her daily habits. Now she is just over 44lbs lighter and four dress sizes smaller.
She is trained in cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia, mental health first aid, nutrition, personal fitness training, stress management, neuro linguistic programming and hypnotherapy.
Rachel works all over the UK and Europe, working with forward thinking businesses in the technology, health and travel sectors who understand the benefits of looking after the mental and physical wellbeing of their employees.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Wake Up With Zest Website - https://www.wakeupwithzest.com/
Rachel on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelmcguinness/
Rachel on Twitter - https://twitter.com/wakeupwithzest
Rachel on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wakeupwithzest/
#77 Wendy Kendall - Follow your passion and stay with it till it works out
Wendy talks to us about following your passion and staying with it till it works out
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Helping people embrace highly disruptive transitions.
- Inspiring psychologists to have valuable and sustainable practices.
- And how she announced at 5 that she was going to be a scientist.
Formerly a military psychologist, Wendy recognised key parallels between the strategies for high impact military leadership performance and transitioning influential corporate leaders across international borders. Her business, founded in 2003, creates executive leadership tools and programs for global companies enabling them to better capitalise on their employees' talents and measure talent return on investment.
In 2018, she started to mentor other psychologists through group and individual coaching to develop valuable, fulfilling, and sustainable practices that contribute to society. She now helps psychologists across the world to collaborate, innovate, and inspire the next generation of psychology practitioners.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Wendy’s website - https://wendykendall.com/
Grow your Psychology Practice website - https://www.growyourpsychologypractice.com/
Wendy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendyakendall/
Wendy on Twitter - https://twitter.com/GlobalisedMinds
Wendy on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/globalcareerpsychologist/
Grow your Psychology Practice on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growyourpsychologypractice/
Wendy’s group for Psychologists on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/valuablepsychologypractices
#76 Barbara Nixon - Give yourself permission to lead yourself first
Barbara talks to us about giving yourself permission to lead yourself first.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Needing to learn to say no and guarding her time.
- Busy does not equal important or productive.
- Going where the fun is.
Barbara helps Business Owners and Leaders, get unstuck, improve their mindset, grow their confidence and maximise their productivity so they can get the success they really want.
After 20+ years in the People Development arena and helping hundreds of people achieve their potential, Barbara is on a mission to help amazing people bust through their comfort zones, prime their mindsets for success and really step into their own power so they can achieve their goals.
Barbara is also a speaker, the author of The Boss Hat, and has been featured in Addicted2Success, Thrive Global and the BBC.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Barbara’s website - www.barbaranixon.co.uk
Barbara on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaranixon1/
Barbara on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/barbara___nixon/
Barbara on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/barbaranixongrowingleaders/
#75 Shelley and Jess Farnham - Don’t Judge A Person By What You See
Shelley and Jess talk to us about how you shouldn’t judge a person by what you see.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- How there is not enough awareness of neurodiversity.
- How to respond when your child has been given a diagnosis of ADHD.
- And we need to teach children that asking for help isn’t a weakness.
Shelley and Jess are mother and daughter- Shelley, most of her work in teaching of some kind, Jess, always interested in business and just beginning her career in that. They decided to start Complex Connexions together because they are both passionate about spreading awareness of neurodiversity in children and the challenges it brings to families.
They know about this firsthand as Shelley’s son and Jess’ 14 year old brother was diagnosed with ADHD three years ago. They want people to better understand the challenges these children and young people face and why they behave in certain ways but also to help parents and teachers find the best ways to support them and help them shine!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Sanity School - https://sanityschool.com/complexconnexions/
Complex Connexions on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/complexconnexions/
Complex Connexions on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ComplexConnex
Complex Connexions on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuDNSofGfWKuAHFA_zGW5yg
Shelley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-farnham-ab07931a1/
Jess on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-farnham-a1775515a/
#74 Kartick Satyanarayan - Getting To Live Your Dream
Kartick talks to us about how you have always got to live your dreams!
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- His decision to use his life to protect nature and give something back.
- Helping people to realise their dreams so they no longer need sloth bears to make a living.
- And getting infected by a disease called “Not knowing how to say no to an animal in distress!” – it’s very infectious and doesn’t let go of you.
Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-Founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS is often referred to as the ‘Bear Man of India’ for his efforts to put an end to the illegal practice of ‘dancing bears’ in India (TED talk). He is now focused on tackling Bear conservation issues through biodiversity conservation, protecting habitat and creating bear conservation and education programs to mitigate bear human conflict in India.
In 1995, he founded charity Wildlife SOS India (wildlifesos.org) with Geeta Seshamani that runs several projects to support Bear conservation in India including the largest rehabilitation center in the world for sloth bears. Wildlife SOS works with indigenous communities and in partnership with the Indian Government to tackle the increasing bear human conflict through awareness. Kartick is an Honorary Wildlife Warden of Delhi, member of the state wildlife advisory board, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, Member - Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Member - Central Zoo Authority, and Member of the Leopard Conflict committee of the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India. He is a recipient of the San Diego Zoo Global Conservation Medal for “Conservation in Action” (2018) and has been felicitated with The Maharana Udai Singh Award, 2019, for conservation, and community rehabilitation work
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Wildlife SOS Website - https://wildlifesos.org/
Wildlife SOS on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wildlifesosindia/
Wildlife SOS on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wildlifesos/
Wildlife SOS on Twitter - https://twitter.com/WildlifeSOS
The Refuse to Ride Campaign - https://www.refusetoride.org/
#73 - Jo Darby - Adapting, Eating Cake and Staying Sane
We talk to Jo about adapting, eating cake and staying sane
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- What happens when you lose all your business in a couple of days.
- How the whole world suddenly has to speak and lead through a screen.
- And how the world needs more human connection so don’t be a robot!
This is the second time we have done a podcast with Jo. We thought we would catch up to see how she is getting on.
Jo is an expert in effective communication and public speaking, Transforming teams and leaders into confident, authentic inspiring communicators.
Prior to establishing Voice in the Room she spent ten years practicing as a family and employment law barrister at Trinity Chambers in Newcastle. Before joining the Bar, she was a professional theatre director working for national and international companies, from Bristol Old Vic, to ATYP Sydney, Australia.
Highly experienced at helping others confidently craft their message and create powerful delivery that can connect with any audience, Jo believes we all have the potential to speak with impact when it matters most.
Voice in the Room works with a diverse range of clients in the private and public sector.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Jo’s website - www.voiceintheroom.com
You can reach her on hello@voiceintheroom.com
Jo on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodarbyvoiceintheroom/
Voice in the Room on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/voice-in-the-room/about/
#72 Anna Price - Trust your intuition and know that you’re enough
Anna talks to us about how you have got to trust your intuition and know that you’re enough.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- How a business can only be better for having people that are different.
- How being so open and honest can be difficult for people who are more guarded or political.
- And after you get kicked in the arse, you come back a little stronger!
A senior strategic Communications and Marketing professional, Anna has devoted her life and career to helping other businesses and people to reach their potential. She does this by working closely with organisations to establish their market position and understand how they can differentiate themselves from the competition by identifying, developing and capitalising on their strengths. She helps businesses to see things from a different perspective.
As co-founder and director of the highly successful Rural Business Awards (RBAs), along with its umbrella organisation the Rural Business Group, she is also passionate about small rural businesses and together with co-founder Jemma Clifford is proud of the RBAs’ considerable success in highlighting hard-working and innovative rurally based British business.
Anna was most recently Head of Strategic Communications for AIM listed Wealth Management business Mattioli Woods Plc, before leaving in March 2020 due to the Corona virus outbreak.
Anna is a passionate advocate for neurodiversity having been diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 42.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Anna on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-price-4678ab5/
Anna on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/annapr1c3/
Anna’s website - https://www.anna-price.co.uk/
Rural Business Group on Twitter - https://twitter.com/RuralRBG
Rural Business Awards on Twitter - https://twitter.com/RuralRBAs
Rural Business Group Website - https://www.ruralbusinessgroup.co.uk/
#71 Nathalie Paris - If you’re passionate, just have a go
We talk about how if you’re passionate about something, you should just go with it.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Her love for languages and how anyone can learn one.
- Becoming self-employed and making her family nervous.
- And how French cheese is, of course, the best!
Nathalie was a secondary school languages teacher for 19 years with responsibility for outreach, primary languages teaching and transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3.
Since 2014, she has been self-employed as a part-time primary languages teacher and she is the owner of Nattalingo: she has spent the past 5 years telling stories on her French mobile library, teaching football skills in French, training teachers, supporting them with their own language teaching, blogging, podcasting… and more!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Nathalie’s website - www.nattalingo.co.uk
Nathalie on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Nattalingo
Nathalie on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nattalingo/
Nathalie on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/parisnathalie/
#70 Andrea Newton - Having difficult conversations that matter in tough times
Andrea talks to us about having difficult conversations that matter in tough times
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Having the courage to walk away from anything that isn’t right for you.
- Having the balls to have crucial conversations that could be the difference between life or death.
- And just like we all have dental health, we all have mental health!
With over 25 years as a qualified trainer, combining leadership development skills with real life experience, Andrea helps organisations create and maintain mentally healthy workplaces where people can thrive and perform to a high standard.
Organisations who recognise that health and safety isn't just hard hat and hi viz, but realise that their duty of care extends to mental health and psychological safety too. Andrea works in a very practical, no nonsense way, helping people feel comfortable with subjects as sensitive as
suicide. Currently on a mission to help managers create a positive climate where people can flourish and deliver.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Andrea on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-newton-abdcct/
Andrea’s Website - https://andreanewton.com/
Andrea on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/abdcct/
Andrea on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NobodyIsImmune/
Andrea on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABDTraining
#69 Lynsey Walton - Things You Can Learn While Naked
Lynsey talks to us about the things you can learn while naked.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- How there’s a niche for everything.
- Getting good at sales after multiple rejections.
- You don’t have to please everyone. You get nowhere just being vanilla.
Lynsey is a HR leader and personal growth specialist who uses her unorthodox career path to create connections in unlikely places.
For over a decade she kept her corporate and strip club personas separate (like an X rated Hannah Montana) but it was when she finally allowed both worlds to collide that the magic really happened.
Since going it alone in 2015 Lynsey has delivered her own maverick blend of HR support specialising in start ups and small businesses, and worked with individuals to accelerate their own personal growth.
2020 saw the launch of her passion BARE - a sex positive, all inclusive, anti shame project that cuts through cultural stigma and empowers others through group mentoring and workshops.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Lynsey on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/elleobuoys/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WaltonHR1
Website - http://www.walton-hr.co.uk/
Email - lynsey@walton-hr.co.uk
#68 Naomi Woods - You have to keep evolving and growing
Naomi talks to us about how you have to keep evolving and growing.
Here’s what you’ll learn
- The missed opportunity of the apprenticeship levy for leadership development.
- How food manufacturing is taken for granted.
- Everyone needs support to grow and develop but they also have to want to.
Naomi has a passion for supporting people to flourish and grow at work, building personal and organisational capability that sticks. Her business, Maoni Consulting Ltd, delivers that purpose primarily through organisational and leadership development. Naomi’s experience is varied having done operational roles before stepping into people/organisational development and working in the FMCG, Engineering and education sectors.
Naomi’s current focus is on continuing to support organisations to develop and enable their leaders in this time of uncertainty and daily change. Personally she is growing her capability to deliver flexible and virtual people development. The ILM level 3 and 5 apprenticeship programmes are already seeing the benefit of staying connected and learning with the real life challenges that currently exist.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Naomi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-woods-8a31278/
Moani Consulting website - https://www.maoniconsulting.com/
Moani Consulting on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/maoniconsulting/about/
#67 Laura Cook - Start with what you want and then plan how to make that happen
Laura talks to us about how you should start with what you want and then plan to make that happen.
Here’s what you’ll learn
- How having a strong female leader as a boss opened her eyes as to what is possible.
- No matter what size of business there is always stress around money.
- And how the path of scaling rapidly doesn’t suit most businesses.
Laura Cook is a Business Finance Strategist for business owners who are ready to get serious and bring their CFO hat to the table.
Through her one-to-one strategic intensives, on demand trainings and honest blog posts, she’s here to help you set up the strategies and systems you need to simplify the money piece, get the best ROI and calm those mindset monkeys! So you can finally feel financial freedom.
Her customers have called her “refreshing” and “honest,” and one woman called her “a total money expert tied up with a ribbon of mindfulness and gentle calm.”
When she’s not empowering business owners, you can find her limbering up doing yoga, having one too many chai cuppa teas or with a paint brush in hand!
Meet Laura Cook and get ready to be empowered at laura-cook.com.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Laura’s website - http://laura-cook.com/
Laura on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/iamLauraCook
Laura on LinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/in/lacumming/
Laura on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iamlauracook/
#66 John Ryder - Make a career doing something you enjoy
John talks to us about how you should make a career doing something you enjoy
- Starting a business that is full of purpose.
- How much he loves solving problems.
- How the hardest part of building a company is practicing what you preach.
John Ryder founded Hive (HR) in 2016; creating HR technology to challenge the traditional corporate approach to employee surveys and employee engagement.
Product and service design has always been John’s forte. A Design Marketing graduate, John spent over a decade working in digital marketing, before landing the role as Head of Innovation at Teesside-based eCommerce firm, VisualSoft, where Hive was first conceived.
John’s true passions lie in Innovation, Technology and Organisational Culture.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
John on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnryder/
Hive’s website - https://www.hive.hr/
Hive on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hive_hr
Hive on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hiveapp
Hive on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hivehr/
Hive on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/hive-hr/
#65 Rob Baker - Job crafting and bringing your whole self to work
Rob talks to us about job crafting and bringing your whole self to work
- How you should focus on doing fun things where you don’t know what the outcome will be.
- Crafting his own jobs and working flexibly before it was fashionable.
- And sacking enough people to get his HR hands dirty (unsurprisingly, he didn’t enjoy this!).
Rob is a specialist in bringing positive psychology to life within organisations. He is the founder and Chief Positive Deviant of Tailored Thinking, a leading evidence-based positive psychology, wellbeing and HR consultancy.
Rob’s work, ideas and research on how people can personalise work and bring their whole and best selves to the workplace have been presented at academic and professional conferences around the globe. He is the author of Personalization at Work published by Kogan Page.
Rob continues to research and collaborate with academics from the University of Melbourne's Centre of Positive Psychology and is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and a Chartered Fellow of the Australian HR Institute.
An avid runner, Rob has previously competed on the international stage, having represented Great Britain in mountain running and orienteering. These days, Rob runs and cycles purely for fun and reflection and enjoys outdoor (mis)adventures with his family in Durham.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Tailored Thinking website - http://tailoredthinking.co.uk/
Personalisation at work website - http://www.personalisationatwork.com/
Rob on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjmbaker/
Rob on Twitter - https://twitter.com/BakerRJM
#64 Jacqueline Carson - Don’t listen to what other people have to say: It’s your life not theirs!
Jacqueline talks to us about how you shouldn’t always listen to what other people have to say: It’s your life not theirs.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- The effect on her health of 25 years of stress, working too many hours, and not looking after herself.
- How hypnotherapy helped with her cancer treatment.
- How working for herself is one of the best things she’s ever done.
Jacqueline is a qualified Social Worker and has worked in safeguarding (children) for 25 years.
In 2014, she found she had breast cancer on the first day of a new job. The diagnosis turned everything on its head and forced her to re-evaluate her life including her very stressful job.
After accessing hypnotherapy during cancer treatment, she decided this was the new career she needed and retrained. Since qualifying as a Clinical Hypnotherapist in 2016, Jacqueline has also trained in Reiki, EFT, NLP and Havening.
Jacqueline now runs her Hypnotherapy business full-time and has no regrets. She’s gone on to study meditation and plans to train as a yoga teacher.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Jacqueline’s Website - www.hypnotherapy-darlington.co.uk
Jacqueline on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jacquelinecarsonhypnotherapy
Jacqueline on Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/@hypnodarlington
Jacqueline on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/jacquelinecarson
Jacqueline on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jacquelinecarsonhypnotherapy
#63 Fiona Setch - You don’t have to be trapped in something you are unhappy in
Fiona talks to us about how you don’t have to be trapped in something you are unhappy in.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Her work in an AIDS Hospice.
- How she found a company that wanted to buy her enthusiasm.
- And how she’s been going for 18 years without a business plan.
Fiona is a passionate Geordie woman whose motto for life is ‘Carpe Diem’: Seize your day!
After a first career in nursing which she loved. Nursing people who were dying made her realise exactly what she wanted to do in her life; so in 1993, she retrained in teaching adults and moved into Learning & Development.
For the past 18 years she has been running her own Training and Coaching Business. She is passionate about helping people enjoy life and especially their working lives.
She does this through coaching, consultancy & designing inspiring training which she enjoys delivering!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Fiona’s website - http://www.fionasetch.co.uk/
Life coaching directory - https://www.lifecoach-directory.org.uk/
LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-setch
#62 Craig Smith - Being Born an Entrepreneur
Craig talks to us about how some people are born entrepreneurs!
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- How he realised in school he wasn’t like other kids.
- His ability to turn a fiver into a tenner.
- Taking a call from Coca Cola in his bedroom.
Craig Smith is the Founder and Director of The Printed Bag Shop: one of the UK’s Leading suppliers of printed bags and packaging.
Some of his entrepreneurial ventures include raffling 50p mix ups at school, and owning a van and market stall before he could drive. He also served his time as a pipefitter welder and worked in various bars and clubs as a door supervisor.
In 2007, he started an award winning business selling printed bags and packaging that now turns over in excess of £1.2 million with only 6 employees.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
The Printed Bag Shop Website - www.theprintedbagshop.co.uk
The Printed Bag Shop on Twitter - https://twitter.com/printedbagshop
The Printed Bag Shop on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theprintedbagshop/
The Printed Bag Shop on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theprintedbagshop/
The Printed Bag Shop on Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/PrintedBagShop
Craig on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-smith-🛍️-the-printed-bag-shop-🛍️-1b8b9b3/
#61 Rob & Kennedy - A Hypnotist and Mind Reader Started a Software Company
The Great Rob & Kennedy talk to us about how a hypnotist and mind reader started a software company.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Using their need to understand people to help others sell.
- The benefits of building email lists driven by surveys.
- And how one of them was heckled by a Macaw!
Rob and Kennedy are the most unlikely entrepreneurs you’ll ever meet.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if a hypnotist and a psychological mind reader used their skills for sales and marketing? No? Of course you haven’t. But that’s the unusual recipe for Rob and Kennedy’s success.
Sporting hairstyles that look like comic-book characters and backgrounds in psychology, hypnosis, and show-business – it’s hard to believe they’re serial entrepreneurs with an uncanny knack for building businesses by getting inside of customers’ heads.
Hosts of The Email Marketing Show podcast, founders of the revolutionary survey platform ResponseSuite and two of the most dynamic speakers on email marketing in the world.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
The Email Marketing Show – https://www.emailmarketingheroes.com/podcast/ (and on all podcast players)
Survey Software: https://www.responsesuite.com/
Email Marketing Blog – https://www.emailmarketingheroes.com/
Rob & Kennedy on Twitter - https://twitter.com/RobandKennedy
Rob & Kennedy on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/robandkennedy/
#60 Ceryn Rowntree - Just because no one else is doing it, doesn’t mean that you can’t!
Ceryn talks to us about how just because no one else is doing it, it doesn’t mean that you can’t.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Why everyone should have some time away from the daily grind to get perspective on life.
- How she counsels for the soul not just for the person in front of her.
- And hear all about her Divine Feminist Podcast.
Ceryn Rowntree is a Soul-Led Therapist, writer and guide based in Northumberland.
After beginning her career in corporate communications, Ceryn retrained as a counsellor after realising she needed more from her work…
Combining this with her experience in spiritual work, Ceryn married the two together to create Soul-Led Therapy, which she offers online to clients across the world.
Ceryn is the host of the Divine Feminist podcast, and author of the Teen Spirit Guide to Mediumship, with her second book due out this year.
Away from work Ceryn can usually be found walking in the woods with her dog Kali.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Ceryn’s Website - www.cerynrowntree.com
Ceryn on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/miss_cmr/
Ceryn on Facebook - www.facebook.com/cerynrowntree
Ceryn on Twitter - https://twitter.com/miss_cmr
#59 Paul Karter - Competition Is Important For All In Life
Paul talks to us about how competition is important for all in life.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- What Rec2Rec or Recruitment to Recruitment means.
- The great satisfaction he gets from making people happy and seeing them do well.
- And the story he’s dined out on for 30 years!
Paul is a locally educated individual who has worked his whole career in the recruitment industry. Having worked for a global recruitment organisation for over 20 years, he took the decision to move into the Rec2Rec sector and set up his own business. He prides himself on giving a bespoke recruitment service to his clients, focused on honesty and integrity. To date, Paul has worked with over 30 clients, primarily in the North East, placing recruitment professionals into their next role.
In his private life, Paul can be found at St James’ Park following his beloved Newcastle United (and occasionally spending time with his wife.)
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Paul’s Website - https://www.pkrecruitmentservices.co.uk/
PK Recruitment Services on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pkrecruitmentservices.co.uk/
PK Recruitment Services on Twitter - https://twitter.com/PKRecruit1
PK Recruitment Services on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/pkrecservices/
#58 Yoga Hens - If You’ve Got A Body, You Can Do Yoga.
Stacey and Angela talk to us about how if you have a body, you can do yoga!
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- How their idea of success is helping people while staying well themselves.
- Why they’re making yoga inclusive, holistic and accessible!
- How we are supposed to rest and retreat but it doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s agenda.
Yoga Hens combines nursing skills with yoga, mindfulness & therapeutic coaching to deliver unique holistic wellbeing support, with a particular emphasis on bolstering mental health, reducing stress & developing resilience for the modern world.
Yoga Hens’ ethos is inclusion for ALL Bodies and founders Stacey and Angela have already created a storm within the local community with their ‘real yoga for real bodies’ sessions. The nursing duo aims to break down the barriers to yoga, whilst changing perspectives on what it means to be well and to encourage us to reconnect as a community in order to stay well.
The wellbeing consultancy business, which runs yoga and mindfulness wellbeing sessions from its studio in West Allotment also offers a range of retreats and workshops nationally and internationally as well as wellbeing support for business.
Stacey and Angela discovered the magic of yoga when they encountered their own personal health difficulties and found that it greatly supported them in their journeys to recovery. So they decided to train as yoga instructors so that they could pass on the yoga magic to others. Their passion is in supporting others with their key goal to make nurse-led evidence-based wellbeing support available to everyone!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Yoga Hens on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/yogahensltd/
Yoga Hens Website - https://www.yogahens.com/
#56 Michelle Minnikin - Harness The Inner Rebel
Michelle talks to James about how you should always harness your inner rebel!
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Why she had a Northern Irish accent and spoke French before English.
- How and why she keeps bad guys out of organisations.
- How volunteering opens doors, creates opportunities and makes a difference.
- And why she would love to do Donald Trump’s psychometric profiling!
Michelle is the Co-Founder of Inspiration North. She is a Chartered Business Psychologist, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and Founder of Insights Business Psychology – she helps organisations select awesome humans and loves helping awesome humans create awesome lives and careers. Michelle is fascinated with humans and loves transforming the world of work for both employees and employers and making everyone happier and more productive.
Changing people’s lives is the most rewarding part of her profession. Her mission is to help humans fulfil their potential in a positive, practical, simple and fun way. For her, the Inspiration North Podcast is a way of helping people realise that they have the power to change their lives and help them take action to help make the world a better place.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Michelle on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mminnikin/
Michelle on Twitter - https://twitter.com/MMinnikin
Michelle on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/michelleminnikin/
Insights Business Psychology Website - https://www.insightsbp.com/
Insights Business Psychology on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/insights-business-psychology
Insights Business Psychology on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/InsightsPsych
Insights Business Psychology on Twitter - https://twitter.com/InsightsPsych
#57 James Eves - Being Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
James talks to Michelle about how he got comfortable with being uncomfortable
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Why his first goal was to be international.
- How his passion and dedication to rugby transformed his life.
- What MBA really stands for!
- And see his skill performing monologues.
James Eves is the Co-Founder of Inspiration North and a Director of Insights Business Psychology. He has had an unusual career within Real Estate, Construction, Manufacturing and Training across 3 continents. He speaks 3 languages, has an MBA and his experience spans both the entrepreneurial start up and big corporate worlds. He has lived in New York, Stockholm, Hong Kong, La Rochelle and has returned to Newcastle to build his empire.
Inspiring humans to create happier, more fulfilling lives by taking action, James gets so much energy seeing people grow, develop, change direction and find their purpose. For him, The Inspiration North Podcast is a way of getting the message out to more people to inspire them to be their best selves.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
James on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameseves/
James on Twitter - https://twitter.com/james_eves_
James on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/james_eves/
Insights Business Psychology Website - https://www.insightsbp.com/
Insights Business Psychology on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/insights-business-psychology
Insights Business Psychology on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/InsightsPsych
Insights Business Psychology on Twitter - https://twitter.com/InsightsPsych
#55 Donna Elliott and Cheryl Lee - Having a Strong Why
Donna and Cheryl talk to us about how we all need a strong why!
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- How what’s going on inside your mind impacts your output.
- The fear of regretting not doing something being greater than the fear of taking the leap.
- And how they are helping people to live their best lives.
Donna and Cheryl are two powerhouse business women who’ve worked together for 10 years, having cut their teeth working in high level corporate leadership roles with the likes of Vodafone but they believe their real experience has come in their combined life lessons that have seen them overcome depression, grief and life changing illnesses to name just a few of the challenges that have been thrown their way in recent years.
Best friends and ‘soul sisters’ the duo believe that through sharing their life lessons with the world and being brave enough to be their authentic selves, alongside sharing their knowledge gained from their leadership roles, they will empower other successful career women to feel inspired enough to do the same as they grow their mission of supporting over 1 million women globally by 2021, who may have been faced with dark, difficult and challenging times to help more that see that ‘Now Is Your Time’.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Now is your Time Website - https://www.nowisyourtimeto.com/
Now is your Time on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nowisyourtimeto/
Now is your Time on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nowisyourtimeto
Now is your Time on Twitter - https://twitter.com/nowisyourtimeto
#54 Matt Bishop & Reece Gilkes from As Seen From The Side Car - The World is a Friendly Place!
Matt and Reece talks to us about how the world is a friendly place.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Holding the Guinness world record for the longest journey by scooter and sidecar (54,962 km).
- The trials and tribulations of their amazing journey around the world.
- Relying on the kindness of strangers.
- And Reece eventually tells us the punchline of his US border story.
Matt and Reece are the first people to ever circumnavigate the globe on a scooter with a sidecar. Having never sat in a sidecar and with zero experience of mechanics or overland travel, Matt and Reece took on a 34,000-mile journey through some of the world’s toughest environments, including a -40C Siberian winter.
The journey raised money and awareness for modern slavery charities around the world. The pair are now working on a short film and book that tells the stories of the people that carried them around the planet.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
As Seen From the Sidecar website - https://asseenfromthesidecar.org/
As Seen From the Sidecar Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AsSeenfromtheSidecar/
As Seen From the Sidecar Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/as_seen_from_the_sidecar/
As Seen From the Sidecar YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClN4eRpnidZ7n9rHhjfWJgw
#53 Laura Perry - Your Imagination is Your Limit
Laura talks to us about how the only limit is your imagination.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Having the job of her dreams - quite possibly the best job in the world.
- Her guiding principle of only ever doing things that are fun.
- And how she probably has some elf DNA!
Having worked as a professional Christmas decorator since 2013 and with more than 13 years' experience in the wider events industry, Laura is the youngest sole director of a Christmas Decorating company in the UK. She’s Half-Geordie but Yorkshire-born and raised... she’s a proud Northerner who happens to work all over the UK (and sometimes the World).
Team Festive is just over 2 years old and has been growing exclusively through word-of-mouth from wonderfully loyal clients, who have now become friends! It is the only independent Christmas Decorating company located between Edinburgh and York so the team covers a large part of Northern England and the Scottish Borders!
Keen on adventure sports, away from Christmas-time, Laura can usually be found climbing mountains, skiing down them or falling out of planes...
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Team Festive Website - https://www.teamfestive.com/
Team Festive on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TeamFestiveLtd/
#52 Andrew and Pete - Being in business with a friend
Andrew and Pete talk to us about being in business with a friend
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Which one is Andrew and which one is Pete.
- Cutting multiple income streams to one to ensure maximum growth.
- Focusing on things they enjoy, make the most money and are scalable.
- And what each of them want for Christmas!
Andrew and Pete are the fun business duo who help small business owners scale their business so they can stop swapping time for money. They have a weekly YouTube show and run one of the UK's leading marketing membership communities, called ATOMIC.
Winners of the 'Digital and Social Media Company of the Year Award', and also 'Business Personality of the Year Award'. As the authors of two hit books, 'The Hippo Campus' and 'Content Mavericks' they regularly keynote international conferences such as Social Media Marketing World and have been featured on sites such as Inc., Huffington Post, Social Media Examiner, Convince and Convert, Entrepreneur on Fire and Kim Garst.
They are ranked in the top 100 digital marketers in the world and host one of the Europe's largest small business growth conferences, ATOMICON happening in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. You can find out more about them at: www.andrewandpete.com
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Andrew and Pete's website - https://www.andrewandpete.com/
Andrew and Pete on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/andrewANDpeteTV
Andrew and Pete on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/andrewandpete/
Andrew and Pete on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/andrewandpete
Andrew and Pete on Twitter - https://twitter.com/AndrewAndPete
Andrew and Pete on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/andrew-and-pete
#51 Xeniya Jones - Being Obsessed with Perfection
Xeniya talks to us about her obsession with perfection (and the tastiest cakes we have ever eaten!)
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Finding her passion in Newcastle.
- Training with world-renowned chef Cédric Grolet.
- And her top tips for budding chefs and bakers.
Xeniya is a chef who immigrated to the UK from Kazakhstan. Having spent years traveling the world and attending masterclasses hosted by some of the world’s best chefs, she feels inspired to give back.
She makes the most delicious cakes (we can’t wait to share the photos!!) and is launching a multi-lingual online masterclass for learners looking to improve their baking skills or pursue a career in hospitality.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Xeniya on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sweetsbysavi
Xeniya on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sweetatelierbysavi/
Xeniya on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/xeniyajones-sweetatelier
#50 Michael Grahamslaw - Passion, Positivity and Persistence
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- His childhood dream of being a journalist.
- Being thrown in the deep end at the age of 21.
- And his passion to develop a magazine which showcases the best of the North East.
Michael is Managing Director of Northern Insight Magazine - a regional publication which provides a window into North East business & cultural life. The magazine gives local business a voice as well as showcasing the opportunities present in such a vibrant part of the country.
Michael himself has three decades' experience in the industry and has transcended print and digital eras. On the eve of the magazine's 54th edition, he talks to us about an eventful life in the media.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Northern Insight Website - https://www.northern-insight.co.uk/
Northern Insight on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/northerninsightmagazine/
Northern Insight on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/northerninsight/
Northern Insight on Twitter - https://twitter.com/NInsightmag
#49 Peter Lillie - It’s All About Understanding Your Why
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Having a role where you wake up happy every day.
- Sustainability, performance and profitability is a scalable model.
- And how any decision isn’t final - you’ve always got a choice.
Peter has over 25 years’ experience in implementing commercial strategies and partnerships for start-ups and large multi-national organisations across Europe.
For the last five years he’s been active as the Co-founder of GRN Sportswear Ltd and its co-brand Presca Teamwear which was formed to show that high performance and sustainability work hand in hand. In that time Presca/GRN has secured significant investment, supplied kit to professional cycling teams, been invited to number 10 and received numerous awards for its innovative approach to the performance sportswear market.
Peter is a keen cyclist and youth athletics coach with his local team based in Middlesbrough.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
GRN Sportswear Website - https://www.grnsportswear.com/
Presca Website - https://www.prescateamwear.com/
Peter on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-lillie-52aa56a2/
Presca on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/prescateamwear/
Presca on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PrescaTeamwear/
Presca on Twitter - https://twitter.com/prescateamwear
#48 Dom Platt (AKA Fat Lad to Fighter) - It’s just the beginning
Dom talks to us about how this is just the beginning!
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- The scary event that spurred him to take action to change.
- The dedication and support needed to be fight ready.
- If someone tells you, you can’t do something, prove them wrong.
- And how pretzels and pizzas are his biggest downfalls!
Dom is a 28 year old Muay Thai enthusiast who decided to try his hand at fighting. Venturing down a rabbit hole and embarking on a journey, dubbed ‘Fat Lad to Fighter,’ that saw him lose close to 30kg!
Dom was born in York and adopted the North East close to a decade ago. Rooted here now, he is looking forward to being able to share his small experiences and hopefully inspire and motivate other people to make positive life decisions.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Dom's Website - https://muaythaiblog.co.uk/
Dom on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fatladtofighter/
Dom on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/muaythai.blog
Dom on Twitter - https://twitter.com/fatladtofighter
#47 Carly Morgan - Embracing The Madness
Carly talks to us about how you should always embrace the madness and love your individuality.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- How you should always surprise and delight your audience.
- Disrupting her industry and the importance of sustainability.
- And how creating sprinkle mixes spawned a creative beast inside her!
Carly is the owner and founder of The Shire Bakery, an online store selling Giftable baking supplies, and over 150 colourful and fun sprinkle mixes. They also run a Sprinkle Subscription. Launched in 2014, the company has gone from strength to strength, and was recently crowned runner up for Food and Drink Business of the year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
The Shire Bakery is the world's first sprinkle company to be using plastic free packaging on their own branded products. This is something she is very passionate about, and extremely proud of.
Carly is a lover of all things colourful, and aims to continually surprise and delight her customers with inspiring recipes, sprinkles and hints and tips. She aims to inspire everyone to have the confidence to get into the kitchen and express themselves!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
The Shire Bakery Website - https://theshirebakery.com/
The Shire Bakery on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shirebakery/
The Shire Bakery on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheShireBakery/
The Shire Bakery on Twitter - https://twitter.com/shirebakery
#46 Lome Fa'atau - Self-Belief Is Key To Reaching The Top
Lome talks to us about how self-belief is the key to reaching the top
We talk about:
- Having a consistent mindset, keeping things simple and not succumbing to the pressure of being on a world stage.
- Transitioning from being a professional athlete to figuring out what’s next.
- The significance of Samoan traditions, the war dance, and tattoos.
Lome is a former professional athlete turned personal trainer. Born in New Zealand, he had the opportunity to play in 2 rugby World Cups representing a small island in the South Pacific, Samoa, where his parents came from.
Now he’s based in the UK with his little family of 5. As a personal trainer he works with people from all walks of life but he has an interest in working and mentoring young athletes. Inspiring, supporting and pushing them towards their goals is his way of giving back, not just to the sport of rugby that gave him a lot but also giving them the best chance of leaving no stones unturned.
Self-belief is one key component to being successful, and resistance training challenges you in many ways to bring out the best in you.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Lome on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lomefaatau/
Lome on Twitter - https://twitter.com/lome_faatau
Lome on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lomefaatau
#45 Greg Johnston - Always Moving Forwards
Greg talks to us about how no matter what, you need to always move forwards.
We talk about:
- A decision they made to ensure that Evie’s life has a positive impact on the world.
- Stopping and reflecting on how much you have achieved.
- Having compassion for yourself and others; you don’t know what they are going through.
- And the amazing impact Team Evie has had on the lives of thousands of children and families.
Greg was a primary school teacher in Cumbria, until the birth of his first daughter Evie. Evie was born with multiple serious cardiac, respiratory and digestive problems and after 6 months spent mainly in the RVI she sadly passed away. Greg, and his wife Jill, created the charity ‘Team Evie’ to ensure that Evie had a positive impact on the world, and to help families who face similar challenges to those they faced along with Evie.
Greg now works full time as Chief Executive of the charity, which over the 4 years since Evie died has raised over £300,000 and helped 1000s of sick children and their families in the North East and Cumbria.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Team Evie Website - www.teamevie.org
Team Evie on Facebook - www.facebook.com/teameviecharity
Team Evie on Twitter - www.twitter.com/teameviecharity
Team Evie on Instagram - www.instagram.com/teameviecharity
Team Evie on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/team-evie/
#44 Helena Sansum and Ian Blackburn - The most important skill you can learn is how to keep someone alive
Helena and Ian talk to us about how the most important skill you can learn is how to keep someone alive.
We talk about:
- Starting a business to have the flexibility to do what you want.
- How you should always know where your nearest defibrillator is.
- And how jelly babies fix everything!
Ian achieved a Law degree before honing his skills as an expert trainer in a variety of high profile management, training and development roles. Frustrated by the lack of quality First Aid training available, in 2012 Ian embarked upon a mission to create Life Saving Training - the award winning First Aid and Health and Safety organisation with a difference.
Helena achieved a degree in Psychology before a successful career within the public sector outsourcing industry as Operations Manager, delivering high profile government contracts. Helena is the Operations Manager for Life Saving Training and ensures that their service delivery is exceptional and consistent.
At Life Saving Training they are passionate about empowering people to save lives through their well designed, environment specific First Aid and Pre-Hospital Care training. They’re transforming the way people learn First Aid.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Life Saving Training Website - https://www.lifesavingtraining.co.uk/
Life Saving Training on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-saving-training-ltd/
Life Saving Training on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LifeSavingTraining/
Life Saving Training on Twitter - https://twitter.com/LSTFirstAid
Life Saving Training on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lifesavingtraining/
#43 Dee Coxon and Tracey Tait - Getting the conversation started about Menopause.
This is a special release for World Menopause Day
We talk about:
- The misunderstanding of menopause
- Busting myths and talking symptoms
- A company that isn’t open to having discussions will suffer more than the women going through it.
How are you looking after your people on #WorldMenopauseDay? Listen to our podcast with Dee Coxon and Tracey Tait and find out why these 2 “meno mavens” have joined forces to create Menocourse...... an online solution to managing menopause in the workplace.
Menocourse has been created for CEOs – Directors and Managers at every level because while women are generally very good at managing their own self care at home or away from work, the problems arise when there’s little or no support for them at work .
BUT as these two have discovered its not because leaders and managers don’t care..... its because they don't know enough about it or what to do.... and they’re avoiding finding out because they believe they have to attend a conference or live workshop that's going to be uncomfortable, clinical, and quite frankly icky.
Menocourse removes the "ick" and replaces it with an easy to follow, 5 step solution - for forward thinking leaders who want to get ahead of the game and show their people they matter.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Menocourse on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/menocourse/
Dee on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deecoxon/
Tracey on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/traceytait/
#42 Jimmy Armitage - You’ve only failed if you stop
We talk about:
- The benefits and lessons from playing rugby.
- How you treat others will come back to you.
- And why he was nicknamed Captain Dorito.
Jimmy has spent his 34 years on the planet becoming comfortable in his own skin, understanding what he enjoys, what he’s good at and what makes him happy.
His 3 main focuses presently are; Family, Martial Arts (a Rugby substitute) and his business Wavelength. He gets to live the values he holds most dear in all aspects of his life, simple, honest, impact, individual, positivity, fun and growth.
When you realise that by making yourself happy and content you can help others to become the same, life can be great.
Back yourself, what’s the worst that can happen.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Wavelength website - https://yourwavelength.co.uk/
Jimmy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-armitage-boxofjobs/
#41 Wajeeha Husain - You don’t have to be rich to be happy
We talk about
- Putting pressure and boundaries on ourselves.
- Dealing with criticism and learning from feedback.
- And how she sold her first bar of chocolate on national television!
Having worked in the automotive industry for 8 years after gaining a Computer Science degree at Northumbria University, she didn’t feel happy. Her passion for food, combined with the challenges of eating chocolate daily and having a high risk of developing diabetes drove her to quit her job to follow her dream.
She started Chocolateeha with a mission to create chocolate that can be enjoyed every day without all of the calories. Having just passed the two year mark she feels proud to have been on BBC2, converted hundreds of people to dark chocolate and moved into a commercial kitchen with the dreams of doing so much more.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Chocolateeha Website - https://chocolateeha.com/
Chocolateeha on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chocolateeha
Chocolateeha on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/chocolateeha/
40 Having Massive Goals - with Jessica Williams
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Surrounding yourself with amazing people.
- How much she loves Teesside.
- Maximising the time we have.
- And find out what time her alarm goes off!
Jessica is the Managing Director of Just Williams. She focuses on the key issue many businesses face, of how to increase sales consistently and effectively. She has worked in the sales industry for over 12 years, across a broad range of sectors, advising, managing and growing organisations through effectively implementing a structured sales strategy and developing relationships for long term growth.
Through working with businesses to achieve enhanced lead generation, understanding the barriers and addressing the impact of current sales performance against targeted growth, she is able to review your current strategy and offer advice and guidance for the coming financial year.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Just Williams Website - http://www.justwilliamsltd.co.uk/
Just Williams Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/justwilliamsoffice/
Just Williams Twitter - https://twitter.com/justwilliamsltd
Just Williams LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/just-williams-consultancy-ltd-trading-as-just-williams/
#39 Aim to be a world champion in life - with Tom Maley
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- The gift of having amazing role models.
- You’ve got to be thick skinned as art is subjective.
- If people don't like you, it doesn't matter how good your work is, they'll not buy it from you.
Tom was born in Northumberland in 1962, the fourth of five children. He is a designer, artist and sculptor.
Tom originally trained as a design engineer making the switch to full time artist in 2000 with the unveiling of his first public commission, a statue of Wilf Mannion at Middlesbrough Football Club’s Riverside Stadium.
Since then, Tom has carried out several commissioned landmark sculptures as well as his own Pop Art pieces, this includes working for the likes of Newcastle United Football Club, Newcastle City Council, Welbeck Estates and Formula 1.
Tom is also involved in the production ‘Icarus Rising’, a short drama. Tom’s iconic Pop Art sculpture ‘1carus’ features in the film.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Tom’s website - http://www.tommaley.com
Tom on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-maley-b4a21513/
Tom on Twitter - https://twitter.com/MaleyTom
#38 Don’t sweat the small stuff with Steph Shilling
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- If you lose your passion for something, you can find another.
- Everyone does not have to like you.
- If you trust your intuition and follow your heart, things have a way of working out.
Steph is the creator and owner of Studio Velo, a boutique fitness studio close to the coast in Whitley Bay.
Having worked as a general dentist for 14 years Steph ceased practicing dentistry in March this year to teach Pilates and run the health and fitness studio she founded in October 2017.
A mum of three and lover of the coast, interiors, art and of course health and well-being; Steph hopes to make Pilates more accessible to health care professionals who so often suffer both physically and psychologically whilst giving so much to care for their patients.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Studio Velo’s Website - https://www.velofitness.co.uk/
Studio Velo on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/velohealthstudio
Studio Velo on Twitter - https://twitter.com/StudioVelo2
Studio Velo on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/studio_velo_fitness/
37 Kieran James - Go Big or Go Home
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Providing financial clarity.
- Leading a deliberate life.
- It’s ok to re-route to your destination.
Kieran James is a husband, father of two, amateur athlete, relentless reader and has a passion for education; particularly financial. He is Managing Director of Accountancy and training firm Stryde whose aim is to provide financial clarity to the franchise sector through services such as business plan creation, financial training, accountancy and supporting the automation of financial processes. He's also Non Executive Director of the Children's Activities Association, a not for profit organisation that helps parents, schools, nurseries and children's activities providers to raise the standard of children's activity provision.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Kieran on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/KieranStryde/
Stryde Website - Stryde.co.uk
Stryde on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/StrydeUK
Stryde on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Stryde_UK
36 Lisa Vescio - Listen to the whispers in your heart.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- How having a profession as a nurse enables you to travel the world.
- Seeing gaps in the level of care and creating a solution to meet patients’ needs.
- You can create a wonderful life after burnout.
Lisa Vescio is a qualified mental health professional with over 18 years of experience in mental health and 12 years as a company founder and managing director.
As ‘The Director Doctor’ she now works with senior leaders and business owners, helping them to unlock the triggers and causes of stress so they find can find a life balance that works for them.
A skilled and inspiring coach, Lisa has a lifelong passion for bringing out the best in people.
She is known as a leader in her field, thanks to her unique combination of senior-executive expertise and mental health training and experience.
This strong clinical and entrepreneurial background make her exceptionally well-placed to help clients manage stress, tackle its causes and take their business forward. This fresh and innovative approach allows clients to move into a place of personal and business growth.
Entrepreneur, Lisa Vescio has a distinguished career in business. Fuelled by the vision of providing high-quality, bespoke care that treats patients as individuals, she founded Milestones Hospital in Norfolk in 2006.
This innovative and independent hospital was designed to help female patients feel autonomous and valued, treating them with respect, dignity and sensitivity.
The business is a thriving project that continues to trade and expand. However, this all-encompassing project eventually took a toll on Lisa’s own mental health.
Stress and burn-out made Lisa decide to resign from her position as Managing Director at Milestones in 2018 so that she could rest and recover back in her home town in the North East. She subsequently made the decision to let go completely and left the company in May 2019.
Feeling regenerated and inspired after returning to the North East and taking time out to fully recover, Lisa now has a drive and passion to use her skills to help people.
Now a qualified master coach, Lisa is bringing her toolkit of amazing skills that she has developed over the years to help and inspire others.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Lisa’s Website - https://www.lisavescio.com/
Lisa on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-vescio/
Lisa on Instagram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-vescio/
Lisa on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheDirectorDoctor
The Director Doctor on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/auspiciousbusiness/
35 Nevil Tynemouth - There is nothing in life you have to do
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Having everything and not enjoying it
- The importance of doing things you really love when you have downtime
- And choosing a career based on the company car on offer
Nevil Tynemouth, director at New Results is an international speaker, author, and co-creator of the psychology of consumer and seller behaviour with 30 years of commercial acumen and experience. Nevil delivers high impact business techniques for organisations, teams and individuals.
He gives you real-world business advice about growing and developing your business and your people. He was involved in the sales launch of two of the UK’s most familiar brands in Dyson and BlackBerry. He built a significant sales coaching programme for BT. He supports a range of businesses from start-ups to international organisations in professional services through to IT and technology.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
New Results Website - https://newresults.co.uk/
Nevil on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/neviltynemouth/
Nevil on Twitter - https://twitter.com/NevNewResults
#34 Dennis Westgate - It’s never too late to work on your passion
Dennis speaks to us about how it’s never too late to work on your passion!
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Working as a Geordie in Yorkshire.
- The invention of the printing process for scratch cards.
- How an impromptu sales call changed his life and business.
- His love of musical theatre and his own writing.
- His desire to give young people an opportunity to perform original songs and musicals.
Dennis ‘Alfred’ Westgate’s story began in a very musical household in Byker, Newcastle and after a career spanning the railway, films, printing and running his own printing business he retired and began to work on his passion.
Now, Dennis is an 82yr old Composer, Lyricist,Playwright, Author and Founder of Tyne Music. He has received great reviews from previous productions at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York and Bridlington Spa Theatre, now he is collaborating with others to showcase his work to a wider audience.
Reviews of Dennis’s Work:
Broken Doll - "Very cleverly done through Mr Westgate's words and music, a very talented North East composer."
Ben Shepherd 'The Press'
A Christmas Carol - "Lovely harmonies and duets with a wonderful and memorable music score by Tyneside composer Dennis Westgate"
Francesca Foxtrot 'The Press'
Platform 9 - "Beautiful ballads. Big choruses and a 'little rock and roll'
Charles Hutchinson 'The Press'
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Dennis on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-westgate-40053575/
Tyne Music’s Website - https://tynemusic.com/
#33 Teresa Peters - Anything is possible
Teresa speaks to us about how anything is possible!
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Setting up a business post-recession, redundancy and having twins.
- What DiSC profiling is and how it can be used for coaching.
- Tips for running a business with your spouse.
Teresa Peters is a double business owner who wishes to share an honest personal account of running a business with 3 children, the obstacles she has overcome to get where she is today, and she has some great advice about how to run a successful business with your husband and business partner.
She started Relish Publications with her husband Duncan, 10 years ago, from their living room in Morpeth. They’ve grown an award-winning national business having showcased hundreds of highly acclaimed chefs and their recipes in over 30 beautiful hard-backed recipe books. Having recently launched ‘Relish North East and Yorkshire’
Teresa is also a DiSC communication style profiler, and an Accredited Performance and Executive Coach. She recently set up a second business ‘Accelerator Coaching’ where she facilitates women, chefs and teams to be the best they can be and maximise potential.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Teresa on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-peters-474a1827/
Relish Website - https://www.relishpublications.co.uk
Relish on Twitter - https://twitter.com/RELISH_COOKBOOK
Relish on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RelishRestaurantGuide
Relish on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/relish_cookbook/
Relish on Blogspot - http://relish-publications.blogspot.com/
Accelerator Coaching Website - https://www.acceleratorcoaching.co.uk
Accelerator Coaching Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/acceleratorcoaching/
Accelerator Coaching on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/acceleratorcoaching/
#32 Laura Currer - Redefine your story, reignite your sparkle, and create a life that you love
Laura speaks to us about how no matter what happens you can always redefine your story, reignite your sparkle and create a life you love!
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Using her experiences to improve current support services.
- Your story is what you make it.
- Choice, hope and empowerment are key messages surrounding sexual violence.
In 2015 Laura was raped. But that's just the beginning of her story. Since then, she has gone on to create a life she adores, building a business doing what she loves and helping other women to do the same. She has spread her message of positivity and hope to over 30 million people worldwide, helping people to own their power, tell their story their way, and build a life they love.
Through Sparkle, Laura shares her insights and experience, offers new ways to work with her and get involved, and most crucially, show you that there is a life after trauma. She is passionate about helping people to reach their full potential, own their power, and define their future their way.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Laura's Website - https://www.sparklewithlauracurrer.com/
Laura on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sparklewithlauracurrer/
#31 Mandy Barker - Don't ever follow convention because life's meant for taking risks!
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- A brand is not just a logo but what you stand for.
- Co-creating tribes and communities around brands.
- If you've got a skill and you’re a hard worker, you can create a sustainable business.
Mandy is a creative designer passionate about equality and activism. Working in various admin, retail and hospitality jobs from 16, she attended uni at 24 to follow her passion. She founded branding studio Sail Creative in 2016 with an aim to impact social change through creativity. Sail has grown over the last three years through a ruthless and dedicated work ethic and vision.
Mandy is passionate about collaboration and conversation, which has been a strong part of Sail’s impact and will continue to be a big part of the journey ahead.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Mandy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandybarker
Mandy on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mandybarkeruk
Mandy on Twitter - https://twitter.com/mandybarkeruk
Sail Creative Website - https://sailcreative.co.uk/
Sail Creative on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Sail_Creative
Sail Creative on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Sail_Creative/
Sail Creative on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sailcreativeUK/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Starting a business as a naturally conservative person.
- How it’s all about networking and building relationships.
- His creation of the joy sh*t scale!
Paul Cheetham is a big advocate of kindness. He loves his family and friends. And crisp sandwiches. Oh yes…and puns.
With over 30 years working in HR across a range of sectors, Paul finally took the plunge this year to follow his passion by setting up EightCoaching – which is a consultancy designed to help individuals, teams and organisations be their best selves and be more successful through the understanding and practice of emotional intelligence. His experience shows that finding your path and setting up a business is attainable for everyone
Paul is, in quotes, “bloody loving it!”
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Paul on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulcheetham1/
Paul on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Paul
Today’s special episode was recorded live at the PIE Project celebration and awards event in July 2019.
We talk with some of the children and teachers who took part. And hear about their experiences and their lessons learned.
We really enjoyed the day and well done to all the budding entrepreneurs who could teach us adults a thing or two.
The Primary Inspiration through Enterprise (PIE) Charity was established in 2013 when 4 primary schools in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne came together to set-up and run a shop. Since then the programme has grown and has worked with over 50 schools and 3000 pupils.
The PIE Project makes the connection between education and the world of work, enabling young people to develop the knowledge and attitudes they need to succeed.
The Patron is Sir John Hall, the President is Bill Midgley OBE and the founder is Ammar Mirza CBE. The charity works with a vast number of organisations that have kindly dedicated significant time, effort and in some cases money to make a difference to their local communities.
As you will hear, James was a PIE’oneer this time. Listen to hear how his school did.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- The three types of compassion.
- The cultural differences between the Swedish and British.
- And how she’s the worst Swede ever (she hates the cold).
Michaela Thomas is a Clinical Psychologist, Couples therapist and the Founder of The Thomas Connection - a private psychology company helping people find their purpose and perform better without the pressure of perfection. Compassion is her passion and she helps individuals, couples and companies.
Michaela is writing her first book, The Lasting Connection, on how to navigate love and strengthen the couple’s relationship with compassion. She is currently creating online courses and retreats for couples, and developing masterminds for anyone wanting to be less critical of themselves and reach their potential without perfectionism.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Thomas Connection Website - https://thethomasconnection.co.uk/
Michaela on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaela-thomas-51b38914/
The Thomas Connection on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_thomas_connection/
The Thomas Connection on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ThomasConnect
The Thomas Connection on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- How not to do leadership.
- You have to change the people or change the people.
- We need to be more confident about what we have in the North East.
In spite of having battled a debilitating illness for over 25 years, Graham has developed people and their businesses for over 30 years.
This included; growth from $30-300M of a corporate division in the US, and then as General Manager of an SME, taking it from 0 to £750k EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation) in 3 years. He then built his own businesses Improvement Architecture and more recently IA Growth in the North-East of England, where he and his partners now have a stable of fast-growing SMEs where he is a Non-Executive Director, strategic advisor or mentor to boards and senior leaders in the North-East, Glasgow and London.
He is a certified Corporate Executive Coach and Team Coach for Marshall Goldsmith (often voted No.1 Global Coaching brand), and in the last 3 years has used his knowledge to develop leaders of charities and social enterprises through his 202020vision which, to date, has impacted over 2,500 children in the North-East.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Improvement Architecture’s Website - www.improvementarchitecture.co.uk
IA Growth’s Website - www.iagrowth.co.uk
Graham on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamsleepuk
Improvement Architecture on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/improvement-architecture
IA Growth on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/ia-growth-limited
Graham on Twitter - https://twitter.com/graham_sleep
IA Growth on Twitter - https://twitter.com/IaGrowth
Improvement Architecture on Twitter - https://twitter.com/7SimpleQs
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Her battle to get well.
- The importance of asking if someone is ok!
- Mental health first aiders in the workplace need proper support.
Emily is a visionary and thought leader in the corporate mental health field. She is a corporate Mental Health Programme expert with 20 years’ experience and qualifications enabling her to work as a professional in the mental health, substance misuse and health and social care fields.
Emily has designed and delivered safe and ethical approaches to corporate mental health culture change with synergistic outcomes from changing lives to return on investment, creating mass mindset change to community impact. Emily's programmes have proven to work in all industries they have been embedded into, from emergency services and traditional male oriented industries to public services and blue-chip companies.
Emily has driven change throughout her career which all began after her own lived experience of severe mental health problems in her early 20s. Her recovery ignited her passion which has motivated her to provide education, support, treatment and guidance to thousands of people across the UK. From young people in secure and community settings, to adults with dual diagnosis and homelessness to four years ago focusing on employee mental health, bringing her 20 years of expertise in to the workplace.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Our Mind’s Work website - www.ourmindswork.com
Our Mind’s Work on Twitter - https://twitter.com/OurMindsWork1
Our Mind’s Work on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ourmindswork
Our Mind’s Work on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/ourmindswork/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Likeability and credibility.
- Knowing what good looks like and planning for success.
- Why Newcastle is a great place to start a business.
Born in Preston, Lancashire, Jon attended Sedbergh school in Cumbria where his rugby career took off. He signed his first professional rugby contract in '96 & spent the next 3 years juggling university life along with club, university & representative rugby.
Since 1999 Jon has been building and leading consumer & retail recruitment companies across the UK and Europe, supporting a vast portfolio of clients and candidates, from entrepreneurial SMEs through to many of the world’s leading brands.
Jon launched MacGregor Black in 2017, ‘The Complete Talent Partner’ to the consumer sector. With a head office in Newcastle, he has a specialist team of 14 in Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester & London.
When Jon is not busy with the family, he likes to find time to travel, watch a little Munster rugby, entertain friends and tend to his herd of Dexter cattle at home in Northumberland.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
MacGregor Black website - https://www.macgregorblack.com/
Jon on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-mcneish-a7a54a5/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- How using participation changes people’s lives.
- Why social enterprises are good businesses.
- And how getting thrown in the deep end, far out of your comfort zone increases confidence.
Gillian’s role at Livity is incredibly diverse. As the central point for youth engagement, she heads up Livity’s huge variety of youth programmes, which include work experience, mentoring, advice, skills, contacts and support, as well as personally working with hundreds of young people that come through Livity’s doors each month. She often devotes her time - inside and outside of work - to working tirelessly with young people. The young people Gillian has worked with, many of whom are not in education, employment or training (NEET), have gone on to be incredibly successful, working for the likes of NASA and the UN.
Gillian is currently spearheading the expansion of Livity’s nationwide youth engagement platforms, which will include the broadening of its youth network, cultural partnerships, an online opportunities hub for young people and an annual sponsorship fund for new talent.
Gillian’s background is in live events organising and outside of Livity, she also works on many solo projects, including her own company events initiative Disco Dodgeball.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Gillian on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-jackson-36596120/
Livity on LinkedIn - hthttps://www.linkedin.com/company/livity/
Livity on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LivityUK/
Livity on Twitter - https://twitter.com/LivityUK
Livity on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/livityuk/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- How she helps people find themselves quickly.
- The fear of failure and the fear of success.
- The more happy people we make – the better the world is going to get.
Mari works with professionals and high level talent. These people are smart, successful and doing well. However, they tend to have one or more areas which they know they could improve in, for example, confidence, micro managing, delegation issues or just over working and not switching off. These people want to find balance in their lives.
Mari also works with teams helping them become cohesive.
Mari is solution orientated and dynamic, whilst being human and relatable. She gets clients unstuck, happy and content. Mari’s goal is to enable leaders to find certainty and clarity from within so they create inspirational change in the world.
This transformation is underpinned from a background of Executive Coaching, Conflict Mediation, Cognitive Hypnotherapy, NLP, teaching and she is also a Mother of 5 children!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Inspiration North LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiration-north
Mari’s Website - https://www.mari-williams.com/
Mari on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariwilliams/
Mari on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Williamsthinks/
Mari on Twitter - https://twitter.com/WilliamsThinks
Mari on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mariwilliams.mindarchitect/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- How marketing is often seen as a dark art.
- Surrounding yourself with positive people.
- Kids need a positive role model and an activity that they love.
Niki Hutchison is a double business owner (The Simplicity Concept and Step It Up Dance) and marketing strategist. As well as constantly working on her own marketing, she also works with female founders teaching them how to use marketing to grow their businesses.
Niki has a free facebook group for female founders, Brilliant Business Builders, and also offers an online membership, 1-2-1 strategy packages, online courses, runs marketing campaigns for individual clients and hosts live events in Edinburgh.
She is married to John, a DJ and music producer, with whom she has two children, Ian & Anna. Her favourite place in the world is Ibiza, where she plans to move to with her family as soon as possible!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Niki’s online membership www.thesimplicityconcept.com/memberships
Brilliant Business Builders - https://www.facebook.com/groups/brilliantbusinessbuilderscommunity/
Simplicity Concept Website - www.thesimplicityconcept.com
Step it up Dance Website - www.stepitupdance.co.uk
Simplicity Concept on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thesconcept/
Simplicity Concept on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesconcept/
Step it Up Dance on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/StepItUpDance/
Step it Up Dance on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/stepitupdanceuk/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- The impact of working in an industry not aligned with her values.
- Taking the opportunities that scared her the most.
- Growing a global movement and community with no money.
By day, Alex coaches C-suite, consultants and entrepreneurs on how to get noticed on LinkedIn, grow their personal brand and leverage the platform to achieve their goals.
By night, she turns into a superhero LinkedIn blogger under the hashtag #AuthenticAlex. Every single thing that people would be scared of sharing publicly, she has either written, videoed or spoken about.
The reason she has chosen to share and discuss her difficulties is because in doing so we can disarm some of the social conventions that keep these topics taboo.
Alex also trains apprentices and graduates in corporates, creates digital content on employability skills and delivers keynotes at universities, career fairs and social mobility events.
She’s also a Co-Creator of a little side project called #LinkedInLocal that has turned into THE biggest hashtag campaign on LinkedIn. Creating communities in 90 countries and 1,000 cities in under two years before handing over the reins to LinkedIn.
With a knack for community building, she helped form LocalX with the other founders of #LinkedInLocal. A community consulting start-up, helping businesses and organisations create, nurture and scale their own communities.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Alex on LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/authenticalex
Alex on Twitter https://twitter.com/theauthenticale
Alex’s website http://www.authenticalex.com/
LocalX website https://localx.org/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- How there’s no wrong path.
- You have to harness the rebel!
- And everyone has personal responsibility for rising themselves up.
Claire is a coach specialising in helping women recover from emotional abuse, using neuro linguistic programming and her own particular brand of inspirational empowerment through her brand Rising Strong. Her work with clients focuses on bringing out the potential that she believes we all have within us to take us way beyond what we may perceive as possible, particularly if we have faced challenging circumstances or disempowering relationship dynamics. Claire's own journey has proven that it is possible to create a happier future, despite, or perhaps using energy derived from the adversities!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Claire’s Website: http://risingstrong.me/
Claire on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/risingstrong.me/
Claire on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RisingStrong.me/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Building a business around doing the things she loves.
- How we use coaching to prevent people burning out.
- And how her boob tried to kill her!
Jenn Fenwick is a career transition expert and part-time adventurer.
After a 14-year career working in STEM organisations to attract, retain and develop key talent, she created Rebel Road; the coaching solution to help leaders, and STEM organisations, navigate the complex world of onboarding and talent retention.
Jenn lives in Edinburgh and works with clients across the globe to help leaders transition into new roles the right way. She provides “strategic headspace” away from the busy-ness of work, and life, so leaders can confidently navigate the challenges of new roles.
Working with her has been described as “rocket fuel”.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Jenn’s Website: http://www.rebelroadcoaching.com/
Jen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennfenwick/
Jenn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebelroadcoaching/
Jenn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therebelroad
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Happiness is the only measure of success.
- How terminal cancer was a wake-up call to start living her life.
- Does Fi’s cancer like Disney movies?
Fi Munro, Ph.D. is a specialist in helping people to turn their lives around and start living for today. As a best selling author, a multi award winning researcher, award winning blogger and public speaker recognised internationally for her presentations and articles on holistic health and the importance of living for today, she is renowned for inspiring people to change their lives
Fi was diagnosed with stage four b, non genetic, high grade serous ovarian cancer in January 2016. She was just 30 years old.
Since her diagnosis, Fi has dedicated her time to understanding everything she could about what predisposes people to physical, emotional and spiritual ‘dis-ease’. The more she researched, the more she uncovered about the possible causes of cancer and other modern diseases.
Today she is healthier and happier than ever before and believes cancer saved her life. She is currently training to be a shaman and is excited for what the future holds.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Website: https://fkmunro.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefkmunroblog/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fkmunro/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fkmunro
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fkmunro/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- You can’t really help anyone, but you can provide a platform for people to help themselves.
- Finding your passion is a problematic question.
- When someone asks you what your exit strategy is, show them the fire escape!
Sam is a multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur, with 10 successful start-ups to his name, including the Bafta Winning content agency; Don’t Panic, the genre defining interactive TV Series Dubplate Drama; and the industry leading Creative Youth Network; Livity.
He is also the best selling author of the MOST awesome book, Be More Pirate. A manifesto for each of us to create the sort of Good Trouble the world needs. It’s based on the true and untold strategy and success of the Golden Age of Pirates as agents of change, leadership and social innovation.
He’s a consultant to brands from Red Bull to Roald Dahl as well as Governments, think tanks and policy makers.
Sam has been a mentor to thousands of young entrepreneurs and is now a sought after public speaker on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Leadership and Youth.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Sam’s Website - https://www.samconniff.com
Be More Pirate Website - https://www.bemorepirate.com/
Sam on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/samconniff/
Sam on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SamConniff
Sam on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samconniff
Buy Be More Pirate - http://bit.ly/INPPirate
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Thinking bigger.
- Working on your business vs working in your business.
- What masterminding is and the effect it has on business growth.
Ross qualified from Teesside University in 1999, is an experienced MSK physiotherapist and expert in workplace health and ergonomics. Although still based in the North East of England he has a global focus and vision of improving health and wellbeing worldwide.
He started Therapy Direct Healthcare in 2006, became involved with remote medical services and virtual physiotherapy in 2014 and cofounded a unique Health & Fitness Retreat business, CF360 in 2017. His new passion is helping therapists worldwide to create successful businesses whilst improving their quality of life and working fewer hours.
He is a father of two and away from work he loves all things outdoors and regularly enjoys hiking, biking, white water rafting or canyoning and for those adrenaline fuelled moments, golf. If his wife would let him, he’d add skydiving to the list but for the moment at least it’s been vetoed.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Therapy Direct website www.therapydirect-uk.com
The Domino Effect - https://thedominoeffect.co.uk
Ross on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-tomkins-9a199747/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Shame and imposter syndrome are one and the same thing.
- Managing burnout imperfectly.
- Conversations around feelings and not processes are really important.
Claire is an impatient disruptor on roller skates with a mission to reclaim humankind from the *bs that gets in the way of our relationships with ourselves and each other, at home and in the workplace.
She believes that courage and a tolerance of uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure are hardcore skills that can be learnt by everyone. This is why she no longer apologises for being who she is!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Claire’s website - www.emanate-dev.com
Claire on LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/claire-robinson-22b33897
Claire on Facebook - www.facebook.com/emanatedevelopment
Claire on Twitter - https://twitter.com/PositivePumpkin
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Failure shouldn’t be your goal.
- Practice rather than preach.
- Having hope is one of the best things a human can have.
Ammar Mirza CBE is a serial entrepreneur with interests and investments across a number of sectors. Over a 15 year period he has helped establish several hundred new businesses within the North East. As chairman and founder of Asian Business Connexions, a not-for-profit social enterprise that aims to connect, support and promote the Asian wider community, Ammar has helped make a significant social and economic impact across the Globe.
He is the Founder of the charity - The PIE Project - Primary Inspiration through Enterprise. Whose mission is to build effective business education links to support the development of young people and strengthen communities. He launched the Primary to Prosperity campaign in 2018 giving people the mindset that we can achieve anything.
Amongst a load of other things, he is on the The Business Support Board with the North East LEP, a visiting professor of innovation and enterprise for Newcastle University Business School and he hosts a Business Show every Friday morning on Spice FM.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Ammar’s website - http://ammarmirza.co.uk/
Asian Business Connexions Website - http://abconnexions.org/
PIE Project Website - http://pieproject.uk/
Ammar on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ammar-mirza-cbe-mba-frsa-2132622/
Ammar on Twitter - https://twitter.com/AmmarMirza
Asian Business Connexions on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ABConnexions
PIE project on Twitter - https://twitter.com/PIEProjectUK
Here’s what you’ll learn in this special Mother’s Day episode:
- How to connect with and not control your children.
- How to respond to your child’s behaviour.
- The 7 habits that will improve your relationship and increase your influence.
- How to deal with supermarket meltdowns and screen addicted teenagers.
Lou Willis-Keeler has over 20 years’ experience of working with the hardest to engage young people who are disengaged from their families, education and employment and displaying very challenging and difficult behaviours. Working frontline both in the UK and Harlem, New York she has also managed teams and become a specialist behaviour and safeguarding consultant for national youth charities, government departments, and a range of educational institutes. Her background is in conflict resolution, NLP and behavioural psychology - Choice Theory which is the foundation of her work.
As a parent herself, she saw the value of her work and wanted to share it and support other parents to get the same results as she has both personally and professionally. It’s time to move away from the 'naughty step' and help a generation of children and their parents learn new ways to approach, challenge and change behaviour.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Parent Behaviour Coach Website - https://www.theparentbehaviourcoach.com
Psych-Logical Website - https://psych-logical.co.uk/
Lou Willis-Keeler on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lou-willis-keeler-344b2234/
Parent Behaviour Coach Twitter - https://twitter.com/parentsbehave
Parent Behaviour Coach Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/behaviourcoach/
Parent Behaviour Coach Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theparentbehaviour/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- The ingredients you need to create a vibrant community.
- The three types of people you require to make your idea a success.
- How taking action opens doors.
Paul Lancaster is an award-winning 'SuperConnector' helping to start & grow businesses in the North East of England.
After spending over 15yrs helping other people start and grow their businesses in the North East and across the UK whilst working for Generator, Project North East, Shell LiveWIRE, Sage and Tech North (part of Tech City UK / Tech Nation), Paul launched his own ‘Plan Digital’ business in 2016 to focus on making Newcastle and the wider North East of England the best place to start and grow a business in the UK.
He is the Founder & Event Producer of the annual 5-day ‘Newcastle Startup Week’ (13th May!) festival and 1-day ‘Newcastle Scaleup Summit’ in May which he uses as a platform for inspiring and supporting more people to start and grow their business in the North East of England, retain and attract talent, and encourage more inward investment too. He also runs monthly Founders Friday Meetups and and created the #ThisIsMINE campaign.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Newcastle Start Up Week - https://newcastlestartupweek.com/
Newcastle Start Up Week on Twitter - https://twitter.com/nclstartupweek
Plan Digital - https://plandigitaluk.com/
Paul on Twitter - https://twitter.com/lordlancaster
Paul on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lordlancaster/
Paul on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lordlancaster/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- What sustainability is.
- How pracademics are influencing society.
- Being happy in what you do.
Dr Jenny Davidson has been working in the field of sustainability for over 20 years within senior public and private sector roles. After moving to the North East in 2013 she took on her first academic role at Newcastle Business School becoming the Director for Learning and Teaching and MBA Director in the Corporate and Executive Education Dept.
In 2018, Jenny moved to work for Newcastle University Business School in the new Leadership Development and Organisation Futures Team, working in partnership to integrate the university’s world class core strengths into industrial and commercial applications.
Jenny is first and foremost a mum to three boys, a runner and (if she does so say herself) a pretty mean baker.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Jenny on LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/jenny-davidson-b34b1313
The Business School’s website https://www.ncl.ac.uk/business-school/about/
International Women’s Day Podcasts - https://www.ncl.ac.uk/business-school/events/podcasts/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Seeing a gap in the market, using her experience and doing something about it
- A less risky way into self employment
- Creating a multi-award-winning franchise from an airing cupboard
Rachel Fay always wanted to work with children, and she qualified as a primary school teacher in 2011. While on maternity leave from teaching in 2014 she began thinking about a themed, pre-school class that would help children avoid being overwhelmed by attempts at mark-making when starting school. After trialling classes, Rachel was delighted by their popularity - and how well running them fit around family life. She began to consider franchising so that the classes could be offered around the UK and opportunities provided for a worthwhile ‘family-friendly’ career.
In 2019, Little Learners has got 34 franchisees and they are growing fast! Rachel is proud of how close and supportive the Little Learners community is, and they have even got their very first Australian franchisee starting imminently!
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Rachel’s website is https://littlelearnersuk.com/
You can reach her on info@littlelearnersuk.com
Little Learners on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LittleLearnersUK/
Little Learners on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/littlelearnersuk/
Little Learners on Twitter https://twitter.com/LittleLearnerUK
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Finding your purpose and seeing what happens
- The stigma around failure
- Stealing the downing street cat
Lizzy is a one-woman force of nature: a tsunami of passion and commitment that typifies entrepreneurs. Her enormously ambitious and passionate vision and her proactive stance on Mental Health in entrepreneurs certainly helps to address a subject that is not always pushed into the limelight.
Lizzy originally fell in love with start up when starting her business, The Sweet Beet, which recently appeared on Dragons Den. She is often busy with public speaking and creating her new business as co-founder in myndr. For the last two years, she has won Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the North East. Her story shapes a narrative of true entrepreneurship and through that, a path to recovery, self-discovery and enlightenment.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Myndr’s website - www.myndr.co.uk
Myndr on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Myndruk
Myndr on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/myndrapp/
Myndr on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/myndruk/
Lizzy’s blog - www.weirdlyrelatable.com
Lizzy on Twitter - https://twitter.com/WeirdlyRelatabl
Lizzy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weirdlyrelatable/
Lizzy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weirdlyitsrelatable
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Becoming a surprise business owner
- Sustainability is really important
- Hedgehogs are really cute
Tamma is a Senior Environmental Consultant and the Director of Imvelo Ltd – her passion is STEM engagement and using her expertise to facilitate industry to meet the growing demands of sustainable practices.
She works with businesses in all sectors to ensure legal compliance, reduce environmental risk, prevent pollution and increase resource efficiency.
Imvelo stands out because it links sustainability in business with environmental needs. So not only will she advise on direct environmental issues such as natural resource requirements and waste management, she is able to support with staff engagement, financial savings and business resilience planning.
*UPDATE: The hedgehogs have had to go to a wildlife rescue centre to receive antibiotics for an infection. Once it is warm again and they are all better, the hope is to welcome them back into the garden to be released.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Tamma’s Accredited Environmental Training courses -
https://imveloltd.co.uk/environmental-training/iema-environmental-sustainability-skills-for-the-workplace
Get in touch with Tamma - hello@imveloltd.co.uk
Tamma’s website - www.imveloltd.co.uk
Tamma on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamma-carel/
Imvelo on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ImveloLtd
Imvelo on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImveloLtd/
Imvelo on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/imvelo-ltd-/
Link for Business Clinic - https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/business-services/engage-with-us/talent-and-insight/the-business-clinic/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Being an unintentional entrepreneur.
- Treat time as your currency.
- A cool way to scale a business when you are your brand.
Joshua began his career with disappointment in Grade 5 outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, when he was NOT permitted to perform in the schools annual Talent Show. Rather than letting him perform, the teaching staff decided they needed little Joshua to be the Master of Ceremonies and Compere the event, instead.
He probably would have been excited.....if he had any clue at all of what a Compere was.
He did eventually find out. He began his paid Compere career with Carnival Cruise Lines in 1998, gaining unparalleled experience in the Entertainment and Hospitality space, while also establishing himself as the Youngest Cruise Director in the company's history at 24. Charged with the Entertainment and Marketing/Promotions across the entire 4000 passenger ship, he also had his first management and leadership role overseeing the drama-free performers, which included the dancers, musicians, activities staff and technical crew. Working with other Cruise Lines such as Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, he eventually came back to land, where he piloted the new role of Director of FUN for Hotel Management Company, Starwood Resorts, whose portfolio included well-known brands such as Westin, Sheraton, W, Le Meridien and more.
In these roles, Joshua's Leadership skills were honed and invested in by the company. It was at this point that Joshua really began to focus on what Corporate Training, Personal Development and Staff Engagement was all about in a more traditional work environment. Particularly, the idea of a life/work balance. At this point, that concept was a foreign one. You see, on ships, Cruise Director is not a job or role, it's a lifestyle. You, literally, never leave work. So Joshua approached his land-based jobs the same way, which you can imagine, is a recipe for burnout.
Currently the Chief FUN Officer and Founder of FUNancial Services and joshuariffe.com, Joshua is known for his speaking and programs for personal development, productivity, customer service, and presentation/public speaking expertise.
While building his coaching & training business, he has focused on the scalability of a coaching practice and it's inherent challenges when you are your brand. As a result, Joshua has also created a new arm of FUNancial Services which creates and designs e-learning/intranet sites for companies and people to drive staff engagement and also monetize their own content.
While his speaking engagements have taken him literally around the world, Joshua is proud is proud to call Newcastle home with his wonderful wife Rebecca and little boy, Jude.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Joshua’s website is www.joshuariffe.com
He can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JoshuaRiffeFUNancialServices
Joshua on Twitter - https://twitter.com/joshuariffe
Joshua on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuariffe/
Joshua’s company on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/15195844/admin/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Everybody has the potential to be the voice in the room when it matters most.
- Being a great speaker is a skill that can be learned.
- Seeing the potential in others and how to reach it.
Jo Darby is the Founder of Voice in the Room, delivering public speaking and communication training that transforms teams and individuals into confident speakers and influential leaders so they can step up and nail the meeting, presentation, or pitch with authenticity and impact.
Jo is an expert in effective communication and public speaking. Prior to establishing Voice in the Room she spent ten years practicing as a family and employment law barrister at Trinity Chambers in Newcastle. Before joining the Bar, she was a professional theatre director working for national and international companies, from Bristol Old Vic, to ATYP Sydney, Australia. Highly experienced at helping others confidently craft their message and create powerful delivery that can connect with any audience, Jo believes we all have the potential to speak with impact when it matters most.
Voice in the Room works with a diverse range of clients in the private and public sector.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Jo’s website is www.voiceintheroom.com
You can reach her on hello@voiceintheroom.com
Jo on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodarbyvoiceintheroom/
Voice in the Room on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/voice-in-the-room/about/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- We all experience stress but can find tools to deal with this.
- Nicky will take us through a short breathing exercise.
- The difference between meditation and mindfulness.
Nicky is a respected leader and mentor, having spent the last 18 years in leadership positions in a number of Fortune 500 companies. She is a speaker and founder of Zendays, a movement created to help people combat stress and find their inner zen. She’s an ambassador and dedicated practitioner of Meditation and Mindfulness and on a mission to teach people the skills to improve their lives.
Stress affects us all, at different times, to different extents, and for a whole host of different reasons. The fact is we all need to have a way to deal with the stress we encounter on a day to day basis so that it doesn't grow into something that is unmanageable. The 2 major causes of chronic stress are our preoccupation with the future, and the time we spend living in the past, rehashing events that have been and gone and that we can't change. Meditation and mindfulness are the powerhouses of stress relief, because they help you to practice the skill of being "present", being in the NOW, instead of being caught up in the future or the past.
Meditation is quite often misunderstood. There are so many myths about it. Many people don't realise that meditation can positively impact every area of your life (mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually), and that there have been loads of scientific studies to prove those benefits - it can change your brain, improve your focus, concentration, memory, sense of wellbeing happiness, sleep etc. Nicky wants people to understand that it's not just for hippies, or monks sitting on a hilltop (!), it's for you and me, there are loads of different types, and it's simply about finding the shoe that fits.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Nicky’s free Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/nickyzendays/
Nicky’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iamzendays/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- His experiences of moving from a global company to a start up in a new sector.
- He describes how his success has been driven by relationships.
- It’s never too early to help your child explore the world of work.
Chris is a Yorkshireman by birth and is now an adopted Northumbrian living in Alnwick. Husband of 10 years to Helen and dad to Lyla & Theo (and latterly their dog Ziggy). He graduated from Newcastle University and started working life in the corporate world with Procter & Gamble. He’s currently part of the senior management team in a fast-growing SME recruitment business, Jackson Hogg.
Also, he is a non-exec director of a start-up and a trustee of the PIE Project charity (Primary Inspiration through Enterprise). Chris is passionate about the North East and achieving success through having a positive impact on the people, businesses and community around him.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Chris at work - www.jacksonhogg.com
The PIE project - www.pieproject.org
Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbeevers/
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Understand the critical voices in your head - imposter syndrome.
- Working harder than everybody else won’t necessarily lead to success.
- How coaching can have a big impact in a short time.
Steph coaches female leaders and entrepreneurs who are too busy juggling the competing demands of home and work, trying to do it all and focusing on everyone and everything but themselves. These women often feel like they’re constantly battling, fear that they are not good enough and that they are going to be found out and never have enough time to do what they need.
With real senior leadership experience from the NHS and statutory sector, Steph uses compassion, honesty and humour to support women to step into being a high value leader who is both competent and confident.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Steph’s Website is www.anewviewconsultancy.com
Steph on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-edusei-22b9283/
Steph on Twitter - https://twitter.com/a_newview
Steph on Facebook - www.facebook.com/anewviewltd
Steph on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anewviewsteph
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- How to make a career from your strengths.
- Creativity is not just about art.
- Hear about story based learning and positive psychology.
Born in Stockton on Tees, Mike is a fully paid up, card carrying Smoggie (someone from Teesside). His early career was spent in recruitment, before he progressed into leadership development with cpcr (an organisational development organisation). In 2004, inspired by his passion for coaching, he established Sogno. Along with one to one coaching, the business has developed to provide a wide range of leadership development programmes, often with the aim of helping organisations embed effective coaching into their leadership culture. Recently this has included using interactive, story-based learning to enable participants develop high level interpersonal skills. He recently set up a Business Book Group to share his love of reading and he is a Board Member of Dance City, a role that has been incredibly rewarding over the last few years.
Key Resources:
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Mike’s Website is www.sognoltd.com
Mike on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesogno/
Mike on Twitter - @mikesogno
Mike on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mike.cockburn2
In our 1st episode of the Inspiration North podcast, we are chatting to Dee Coxon. Dee is an author and Online Business Starter Coach for midlife women. When going after a career change in midlife Dee’s biggest fear was being judged by others.
Her new book Polish The Diamond In Your Heart, currently receiving 5 star reviews, is a recounting of her personal experiences in developing a heart centred business and in learning the art of success. Perhaps the most useful parts are the accounts of her failures along the way. In reading this book you will learn a great deal about what not to do in pursuit of your goals. This is a lot faster and less expensive than learning the hard way like she did.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Notice and listen to the signs that point to your calling.
- It’s never too late to start.
- Understand the difference between midlife crisis and midlife clarity.
Key Resources
Inspiration North Website - www.inspirationnorth.com
Inspiration North Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspirationnorth
Inspiration North Twitter - https://twitter.com/Inspirationorth
Inspiration North Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/inspiration_north/
Dee’s Website - www.deecoxon.com
Dee on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/deecoxon/
Dee on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/debracoxon
Dee Twitter - https://twitter.com/deecoxon/
“How to create a heart centred plan for your business” is a free download on www.deecoxon.com
Polish the Diamond in Your Heart on audible - https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Polish-the-Diamond-in-Your-Heart-Audiobook/B07M627XCK?ref=a_newreleas_c3_lProduct_5_2&pf_rd_p=58ab6d01-6df6-4aca-8e99-c449f3a52add&pf_rd_r=7F4A19DQ12R0EFSAFAD5&
Polish the Diamond in Your Heart on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Polish-Diamond-Your-Heart-brilliance/dp/1718050038
Polish the Diamond in Your Heart on Kindle - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Polish-Diamond-Your-Heart-brilliance-ebook/dp/B07G6BKGWN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=