The Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast: Recent Episodes
Chris O'Connell
The Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast is the place that helps you communicate, engage and lead with purpose.We lift the lid on what it takes to be a great leader and our guests share tips, principles, wins and failures that will educate and inspire you to lead your own team and business with purpose.
Baiju Solanki is a performance psychologist, mentor, author and TEDx speaker for high-performing individuals and teams.
In this episode, Baiju discusses how a single book on body language changed his entire life, focussing on himself after his divorce, mental health struggles and more!
This was such an insightful episode to record, so I hope you enjoy listening to it.
You can find Baiju here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baijusolanki-performance-psychologist/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
Find My People here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mypeople-group/
Sally Wynter went from graduating with a Film and English Literature degree, to a 7-figure-exit from her CBD infused gin business.
In this episode, Sally shares how she developed the idea of combining CBD with Gin, the struggles she faced as a young entrepreneur, being on a shoe-string budget and how she's dealt with becoming a millionaire in her mid-20s.
I really enjoyed recording this episode with Sally, so I hope you enjoy listening to it.
You can find Sally here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-wynter/.
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
Find My People here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mypeople-group/
It's easy to say you have a 'good culture' when everyone comes from the same background.
Or when everyone agrees all the time.
The TRUE test of a 'good culture' is when you can have multiple viewpoints, backgrounds, and personalities, and everyone STILL feels welcome.
I really enjoyed this conversation with Lee Chambers - a British psychologist, coach, and entrepreneur on everything culture.
He shares some invaluable wisdom that I know every business owner will benefit from listening to and applying to create a workplace people actually enjoy without having to all be the same person.
Hope you enjoy it!
Find Lee here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leechambers-1/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
You can choose to be a victim.
Or you can choose to remind yourself that something good can always come out of something sh*t, even if it takes a little while to reveal itself.
I have learned far more from my dark times than from my successes.
I really enjoyed this candid and empowering chat with @Geraldine Spurway - A High-Level Business Mentor, HypnoBreathwork® Facilitator and a Reiki Master.
She's a Success Catalyst for Soulful Leaders and High–Performers ready to have it all.
I'm so excited for you to listen to this episode - let me know your favourite moment from this week's episode on my socials!
Find Geraldine here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gespurway/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
In recruitment, you deal with people every.single.day. And yet, for such a people-focused process, it rarely takes into account what 'being a person' means and all of the nuances that come with it.
Which is why there is still so much work to do on DE&I in the recruitment space.
Because a person writes up the job description.
And it's a person that "shortlists" the lucky 10 people.
And it's another person who is the person between the interviewee person and the person who's actually hiring.
And then that person has to work (and hopefully enjoy) that job they've just fought other people for - in an office full of other people.
Basically, there's a lot of people involved.
And so it only makes sense that we're as openminded and accepting as humanly possible.
Thanks Jo for an amazing episode.
Find Jo here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jomajordiversityinrecruitment/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
Losing someone is never easy; losing someone to suicide brings an entirely different set of challenges.
I feel incredibly honoured to have had Paul Mcgregor on the podcast this week, a mental health advocate, and the founder of EveryMindAtWork.
We talk about how he turned his grief from losing his Dad to suicide into an impactful mental health organisation helping companies educate and support their employees' mental health.
In 2020, Everymind at Work was born. His mission is to help businesses tackle the stigma of mental health at work and provide proactive support to employees.
The support his Dad never had.
What then started as an idea driven by personal loss, is now a mental wellbeing partner supporting 100s of organisations in their fight against mental health stigma.
Suicide is currently the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK.
I've personally been there.
I know many other men who have been there.
And I know that something has to change.
I applaud Paul for his vulnerability on this podcast and for sharing so openly about his bereavement journey and the associated challenges of losing someone to suicide.
This is an episode you do NOT want to miss.
Find Paul here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmcgregorcom/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
On this week of Purpose-Led Leadership Jane Kisnica talks to me about pretty much...everything!
This episode is full of tips on how to help you help yourself.
So rather than trying to condense it down to a short description, if any of the following sounds like a bit of you, take a listen:
Clinical depression
Relationships
Anxiety
Anger Issues
Medication
Personal Brand
Social Anxiety
Mental Health
Therapy
Trust Issues
Childhood Trauma
Bullying
Not having children
Love
Soloprenuership
Super excited for this one - I strongly believe in listening to your mind and your body, and letting that guide you.
Find Jane here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-kisnica-graphic-designer/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
This episode is really close to my heart. Isaac reached out to me after hearing my story on reaching the lowest point of my life.
The conversation that followed blew me away.
No text can do Isaac's story justice, so listen instead!
Find Isaac here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaacharvey-videoeditor/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
Lisa Haggar is a highly influential HR leader, named Linkedin’s Queen of HR and top HR Voice.
And in this episode, she takes no prisoners when talking about the current state of HR in 2023. Not to mention the impact a lack of HR (or good HR!) has on your bottom line.
Find Lisa here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-haggar-540a68117/
Find Vincere: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
Chris Lomas is an advocate for the weak, a defender of the poor, and a guardian of the oppressed.
His work is equally as hopeful as it is heartbreaking. Because he really is out there making a different to those who need it.
Chris is doing all of this through Hope4.
Hope4 is one of the fastest growing not-for-profit organisations in the world, with offices both in the UK and Moldova. When you support Hope4, you are immediately impacting lives tragically effected by hunger, trafficking and war, with every penny raised making a radical difference to men, women and children across Moldova and Ukraine.
Listen more about what Chris and Hope4 do - and how you can help.
Find Chris here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lomas/
Find Vincere: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
In this podcast, I talk to Zee Petula about the importance of a successful mindset.
I’m sure we can agree in the post-pandemic world, people grossly undervalue the importance of the human connection and how those humans may manage stress, anxiety, and confidence from the other side of a computer screen.
And coming from a person who’s coached so many people into understanding how to manage their stress and THRIVE in their environment, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.
Find Zee here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zee-p-78453b126/
Find Vincere: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
I exited by £25 million recruitment business in 2014 and since then I have been helping other recruitment agency owners scale and sell their businesses. In this episode, I go through some of the strategies I use to help my clients increase their new business by an average of 137%, and increase their fees by an average of 14% and increase their repeat business by repeat business by 73%.
What else would you like to hear from me? Let me know by sending me a DM on LinkedIn!
DM me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itschrisoconnell/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Celestia Barby is an entrepreneur, confidence coach, inspirational speaker, host, and author of best-selling books How to find your real soul and become a boss, 365 role model quotes and the life coaching gateway - but her life wasn't always a "success".
From drugs and alcohol, drunk driving bans and stealing from friends and family - Celestia sat down with me to talk me through her tough journey to finding her purpose and shared some incredible lessons that we can all take something from.
Find Celestia here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celestia-barby-4a0930127/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
Mark Enlow has over 40 years of business and executive recruitment experience. Having placed over 5,000 people and worked with the likes of Fortune 100's GE, and Honeywell, Mark's business accolades speak before he does.
But that isn't why I've invited Mark on as a guest. His approach to business is one that I am so aligned with - he describes his core values as Faith, Family, Fitness and Finance. Principals that I too can relate to. A true purpose-led leader, Mark's mission in life is to make a positive impact in the world to help those who can’t help themselves.
Find Mark here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markenlow/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
Natalie Costa has worked with over 10,000 children worldwide and has helped families develop a deeper understanding of their children, discovering the habits to feel happier, calmer and more confident in themselves. But this conversation wasn't just about how we can help our children - it was about how we can find confidence and purpose in ourselves too.
This was an incredibly enlightening conversation, and I hope you enjoyed listening to it as much as I enjoyed having it.
Find Natalie here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/powerthoughts
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Elliott Rae is an author, speaker and founder of MusicFootballFatherhood.com (MFF) - the UK's most exciting parenting & lifestyle platform for men. Elliot founded MFF in 2016 after suffering from PTSD after the traumatic birth of his daughter and the platform, called the 'Dad's version of Mumsnet' by the BBC, is the online community for fathers.
This conversation is honest, and vulnerable and really takes a look at what the challenges of being a modern father - and man really are.
Find Elliot here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliott-rae-a3a469144/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
In this episode of The Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast we look back at the very 1st podcast I recorded with Andrew Sillitoe. Listen to Andrew and I talk about discovering our real purpose once we'd lost it all - and rebuilding a life we love without worrying too much about the money.
Find Andrew here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-sillitoe/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
I came across Erica whilst scrolling through TikTok. Erica has amassed over 4.4 million likes and over 200k followers, all organically on the platform, whilst simultaneously promoting her brand BroDough. She has built a community around her business by making the brand amusing, entertaining - human.
And now, she consults with other brands to help them achieve the same. In this podcast, Erica talks about what it takes to grow a community - and a business online.
Find Erica here: https://www.tiktok.com/@brodoughcanada?lang=en
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
On this week's episode, I am joined by Trauma expert, Rebecca Fox. After growing up with an abusive, narcissistic mother Rebecca found herself falling in and out of relationships with narcissists as an adult. After suffering unbelievable trauma at the hands of the people she was in those relationships with, Rebecca has now dedicated her life to helping people heal and move on from toxic relationships.
Find Rebecca here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-fox252/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
It’s the greatest time to be an entrepreneur. There’s more funding, resources, and opportunities than ever before. Most importantly, there are lots of big problems that can be solved with entrepreneurial thinking and innovation. But there are a LOT of people thinking the same thing... so how do you stand out?
Today's guest is Daniel Priestly, founder of Dent - a company that develops entrepreneurs who stand out, scale up and make a positive impact, using their personal brand. Being influential in your industry has never been more important and today Daniel talks me through why that is true and what to do about it.
Find Daniel here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielpriestley/ Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
John describes himself as a relentlessly helpful LinkedIn nerd. His goal is to help as many people as possible leverage LinkedIn to drive inbound leads through better content.
And that is how I met John - at another LinkedIn Creator's (Lea Turner) meet-up. John's attitude of gratitude and giving away a tonne of helpful insights about the platform on LinkedIn has meant he's amassed a huge following - and built a business in doing so.
John talks to me about how best to use LinkedIn to drive inbound business and what to avoid at all costs.
Find John here: https://uk.linkedin.com › johnespirian
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
A lot of companies see HR as just another department or facility within the company's wider scheme. Gulneet Chadha and her company are changing that narrative. They are helping companies see that HR should be at the forefront of the organisation's goals and objectives. Specifically, they help companies see that HR should be at the "Driver's Seat" in any organisation, while still helping companies meet their bottom line and increase productivity.
In this podcast, Gulneet talks at length about putting the human being back into HR and gives us wisdom and lessons that EVERY purpose-led leader needs to talk onboard.
Find Gulneet here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gulneetchadha/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
Kelly Tucker is the MD and founder of HR Star - An HR consultancy on a mission to reinvent HR's lame reputation. I think it's fair to say that HR has got one... a lame reputation that is. It's often seen as the Employer-owned bulldog that gets brought in only when the proverbial hits the fan. But Kelly doesn't see HR that way - she believes that HR is there to support the very thing they're designed to, human beings.
In this podcast we talk about why it's so important for businesses to have strong values - not just ones that are written on a wall, the challenges that every business has with hiring and retention and how building a business can impact your relationships - including your marriage. Kelly is practical, up front and no bullshit - and this podcast is nothing less.
Find Kelly here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-tucker-hr/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Loren Greiff is the Founder of PortfolioRocket. Launched in the shadow of the global pandemic, Loren and her business help people get hired 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆. And 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒖𝒑.
And on the face of it, what Loren does is uplift others, empower them to be their best selves and find careers they love. But the wisdom to do so hasn't come without her own personal challenges, adversities and heartbreaks. This conversation was so uplifting and inspiring to have, I hope you feel the same way listening to it.
Find Loren here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
"How can I scale my recruitment business?", "How do I exit my business?" - Two of the most-asked questions I get as a NED. I started my recruitment career at SThree and it wasn't long before I was the Top Biller, globally and getting itchy feet to do something on my own.
Fast forward to 2003 and I co-founded Timothy James Consulting and over the course of 10 years scaled the business to, £25 million in revenue - £1.8 million in EBITA and eventually exited in 2014. In this podcast, I walk through HOW we did that and what steps I now advise my clients to take when scaling and preparing for an exit.
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
This episode is special for me. Not just because my guest, Warren Ryan, is a special guy - but because it's two men having a real, honest, vulnerable - and emotional conversation and sharing it with the world. Two men who have been raised to "man up" and take life on the chin, proving that you can be masculine and still be open with how you're feeling.
Warren is an incredible man. From growing up in what he describes as a "broken home", care, depression, grief - sleeping in his care, to where he is today. A happy, healthy and secure human being. This episode is special because of the impact it's had on me. I hope it has the same impact on you listening.
Find Warren here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warreninspireryan/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
Andy Morrell is the CEO of Oscar Technology, a 200-person, £45 million revenue recruitment business headquartered in Manchester. Andy joined the business nearly 15 years ago to - in his words "turn it around and get out of there". Over a decade later, he's helped grow the business to be a Sunday Times #1 Ranked Recruitment Co to work for 3 years in a row and record-breaking revenues.
Andy is the epitome of purpose-led leadership and it was a pleasure to dive into his story and leadership style on The Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast.
I met Laura-Jane at a party in Manchester and since meeting I've been fascinated with her work in relationships, intimacy and childhood trauma. Laura-Jane helps unhappy women in unhappy relationships find their happiness - and themselves again. But we talk about so much more than relationships on this episode of The Purpose Led Leadership Podcast.
Laura-Jane Hand: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurajanehand/
Vincere: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Elise Michaels helps men find purpose and passion by healing subconscious trauma. But she does this great work through experiencing trauma of her own. Elise is a friend, a coach of mine - and today, my podcast guest. We talk about her overcoming a childhood with two parents in and out of jail, bouts with bankruptcy and how she's healed the childhood version of herself by helping others heal too. Elise is a force and having this conversation was an honour.
Find Elise here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elise-micheals/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
This wasn't a conversation I was expecting to have with Hung Lee. Hung is someone most people know in recruitment. Founder of Recruitment Brainfood and Workshape - a talent matching service for Startups... So naturally, I expected to spend 100% of this conversation discussing the industry.
But what we started off with is Hung's accident and how that one moment in his life shaped everything. This was an incredibly raw, insightful and honest conversation. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed having it.
Find Hung here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunglee/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
This week's episode isn't my usual episode because this week, my podcast guest is me. I've posted a lot of snippets about my rise and fall as a multi-million-pound recruitment business owner - and the journey I've taken to rediscover myself, but I never really told the story from the start. I believe a huge part of being a purpose-led leader is having the strength to be vulnerable, so here is me - being vulnerable and telling my story.
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
When Mitch started out in recruitment 30 years ago, he did the normal contingency consultant thing. He quickly realised there was a better way of doing things - After a move to Geneva, Mitch set up a different kind of search agency. One that used innovative recruitment communications as it's primary source of recruiting - something that proved very popular with the people they were trying to recruit! The agency combined hard-nosed commercial consultancy with creative recruitment marketing and led Mitch to where he is today.
If you've not come across Mitch on LinkedIn, I highly recommend you give him a follow. He'll teach you a thing or two about your copy to candidates and clients, but his sarcastic and satirical take on the industry will make you howl!
Find Mitch here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchsullivan/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
When Eloise started her career in recruitment in 2006, I don't think even she could have imagined what the industry and her life had in store for her. Fast forward 16 years later, and Eloise heads up Vincere, the recruitment operating system loved by over 25,000 recruiters.
But Eloise isn't just a business owner; she's also a mum. And the things she has been through as a mum and in her personal life are just as inspiring as what she's achieved professionally.
Find Eloise here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eloisefromvincere/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
Cat Philp - CEO, Founder, Young Entrepreneur of the Year and social media marketing expert who herself gets over 2 million views on LinkedIn per month. Cat is only 20 years old, but regardless of her age what she has achieved is impressive. Alongside running her marketing agency, Everything Sales Marketing she's also completing her master's degree.
In this podcast, we talk about how Cat 'fell' into marketing, how she's built her business and what leadership means to her.
Find Cat here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catphilp/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Martin Pemberton. Footballer. Mentor and creator of the Men -ally Fit Programme. In this podcast, we talk about Martin's career in football - the rejection and redirection he found throughout his career and the lack of mental health support for men.
Martin's mission to get men talking is one that I wholeheartedly stand by and I think after listening to this podcast, it will be one you get behind too.
Find Martin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-pemberton-856b0812b/
Find Vincere here: https://vincere.io/chrisoconnell/
Adam Posner. Host of The Pozcast, a 200-strong episode podcast series and founder of Probably Nothing Talent.
In the early years of his career, Adam was flying. Working for brands like American Express - Adam was soon hired by the infamous Gary Vee. And fired shortly after. But it's the story that Adam has written for himself since then that has really made him a purpose-led leader. In this conversation, we talk about turning rejection into redirection and finding your feet after failure.
I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.
Find Adam here: https://www.linkedin.com/adamjposner/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Joel Lalgee is probably most famous for his biting statements and sarcastic tweets that can only relate to recruiters. But he is so much more than the 100k followers he has on LinkedIn.
In this podcast, we talk about his journey, his work and his following and how all have allowed him to build a life - and career he loves.
Joel is a bundle of energy, and I know that will translate as well as it did in person as it will to you listening.
Find Joel Here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebestrecruiter2/
Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu. Premier League Footballer. Welsh International. And someone who has suffered with crippling and chronic inflammation and pain for much of his life.
You'd be forgiven for plastering the traditional 'footballer' stereotype on Thomas, but he is anything but typical. After suffering for years which chronic inflammation, Thomas and his father decided to take matters into their own hands after modern medicine failed to cure Thomas of his ongoing pain. Fast forward to today, and their homemade tumeric shot is now fuelling sportspeople and professional footballers, globally and has become a full-blown business.
Thomas' approach to life and business is unique. And I hope in listening to him talking about finding his purpose that you can help find yours too.
Find Thomas here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-hal-robson-kanu-5b8786113/
James Reed is Chairman of Reed, the recruitment specialist which employs over 5000 staff with annual revenues in excess of £1bn.
Reed receives more than 40 million job applications a year and has delivered over 100 programmes helping more than 150,000 people who had been long-term unemployed back into work. The company’s purpose is ‘Improving lives through work’.
He is also the author of numerous best selling books and happens to be one of the most humble, charismatic, generous and purpose-led leaders I’ve had the pleasure to meet.
Russell Clements was the 2nd ever employee of the billion-pound business, SThree, when the business started in 1986.
When he left in 2012, he was CEO.
Russell believes that nice guys finish first. That a leaders' job is to inspire their people, not instil fear. To support, guide and nurture their employees - not tell them what to do. Russell was my boss when I was at SThree, and it's unsurprising that so many who worked under him have gone on start and scale successful businesses. We all learned from the best.
It is time to redress the imbalance of opportunity afforded to those labelled; ‘care leaver’, ‘disabled’, ‘gang member’, ‘black’, ‘uneducated’, ‘inexperienced’, ‘homeless’, ‘criminal’, or generally, just ‘not ‘good enough’... and that is what Emma Freivogal is doing with Radical Recruitment.
Radical Recruitment is the only not-for-profit recruitment agency in the UK and what Emma is doing in calling out businesses who talk a big game when it comes to their commitment to inclusion, equality and diversity but whose policies fail to translate into practice is incredible.
Emma is engaging, challenging - real. And I'll know you take as much value from this conversation as I did.
Find Radical Recruit here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmafreivogel/
Find Emma here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/radical-recruit/
I fired Verity Foss in 2014 from my business Timothy James. Since then, Verity Co-Founded Oowee, a vegan fast-food chain which she has grown to 8 sites, 2 delivery kitchens, 6 bricks and mortar restaurants in Manchester, Brighton, London and Bristol with over 130 staff with revenues in excess of £8m per year.
But Verity is so much more than a business owner, she's an incredible business leader. Her goals are centralised around her employees - something that is unheard of in the foodservice industry. And that is why I wanted to speak to her today. To learn about her authentic, vulnerable and positive leadership.
And I think in this podcast, she delivers.
Find Oowee here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/oowee-vegan/
Find Verity here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verity-foss-807969187/
I was nervous about launching this podcast because despite my confidence in business public speaking makes me incredibly clammy. Even worse, if I'm speaking online - it can be seen and judged by everyone.
But after 24 episodes and some incredible guests, The Purpose-Led leadership podcast is one of the best things I've ever done. I've learned so much from guests like:
- Andrew Sillitoe, High-Performance Coach.
- Sean Anderson, CEO Hoxo Media.
- Amelia Sordell, Founder at Klowt.
- Kate McCarthy-Booth, Founder at McCarthy Recruitment...
That it seemed silly not to come back for season 2. And this season is going to be my best yet - I hope you enjoy listening to these conversations with these incredible leaders as much as I enjoyed having them.
Ginnette is the Founder and CEO of Harper & Gray, an executive search business. But Ginnette isn't just any recruiter. She's built a business that is based on ensuring there is diverse representation in all candidate shortlists and provides consulting and advisory to businesses to ensure that their hiring is diverse, but their culture is inclusive.
Ginnette is a wealth of knowledge and her own journey is an incredibly inspiring one. And in the second-to-last Purpose Led Leadership Podcast for this season, I hope you learn as much listening to this conversation as I did having it!
Find Ginnette here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginnetteharvey/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Growing up in an Indian family in Australia, education and career aspirations were everything.
So Niti studied hard, worked hard and it paid off. Soon she found herself working in the major law firms in Australia and London, but quickly found her calling was far beyond just the legal profession. A huge advocate for mental health and gender equality, in this week's episode Niti goes deep into what it was like growing up and why vulnerability is so important when leading a team. Enjoy!
Find Niti Nadarajah here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niti-nadarajah/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Andrew MacAskill is a career coach, LinkedIn change-maker and a previously redundant man on a mission to help end job search misery. Andrew's helped thousands of people through his weekly LinkedIn live's and online coaching platform, Executive Career Jump confidently become the CEOs of their own careers and create the life - and careers they deserve.
Find Andrew here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobsearchcoach/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Mike Mcgann. Founder. Content Creator. And the latest person to be permanently banned from LinkedIn. If you're a regular on the platform there is a good chance you've come across Mike. His sarcastic, tongue in cheek content is both funny and accurate. But his permanently ban has highlighted serious issues around the platforms policing and also raises questions around how - and where companies and people should be marketing their businesses online. Our conversation was epic, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did recording it.
Find IAMProductions here: https://iamproductions.studio/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Craig Brookes - Craig Brookes isn't everyone's cup of tea. And that is just the way he likes it. Craig's stratospheric rise to an influencer on LinkedIn has come off the back of his no BS approach to all things life and business... and sharing those thoughts on the platform.
Craig has proven that you don't need to be preachy, or corporate - or even talk only about business to build a personal brand on LinkedIn - you just have to have the confidence to be yourself. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.
Find Craig here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-brookes-24176310b/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Ami Rees is the Director of Elite Force Safety. A training and consultancy business, delivered by military personnel. Ami's approach to her business, leadership and life stems from her belief that good things come from action - not talk (or job titles). In this week's episode, Ami talks about growing up in a single-person household, what it's taught her about life and how she's grown from a timid, introverted child to a successful business owner. Enjoy!
Find Ami here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ami-rees-31343214b/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
How does a working-class lad from Preston, end up sitting down at Kensington Palace with the future king of this country? By being himself.
Jordan Wilson was featured in the documentary Prince William, Football and Our Mental Health. But the documentary only scratched the surface.
Jordan is a 28-year-old, CEO, entrepreneur and Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 finalist. And in my opinion, a role model to anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t fit in.
In our chat, we spoke about Jordan’s upbringing, his business and why he believes we need to embrace our poor mental health.
Find Jordan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdnwils/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Dom Joyce is the Global Talent Acquisition Manager at billion-dollar unicorn Klarna. But he's also a career coach, CV writer and LinkedIn influencer. On today's episode, Dom talks me through his journey; how he become a career coach and the turbulence in his own childhood that he now believes gave him all the tools to succeed as an adult. Enjoy!
Find Dom here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-joyce/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Rob Stephenson. TEDx speaker, mental health campaigner and founder of FormScore - The real-time wellbeing analytics app that allows businesses to track and measure their employee's wellbeing. But Rob isn't just a campaigner; he's someone who experienced the depths of what negative mental health can do to your life. From being diagnosed with Bipolar in his twenties to attempting to take his own life, in this week's episode, Rob takes us along his journey to discovering his purpose and gives tips and advice to help leaders and the like do it for themselves.
Find Rob here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robstephenson/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Niraj Kapur. Sales expert, LinkedIn Guru and this week's guest on The Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast.
Growing up the son of Indian immigrant parents in Northern Ireland in the 1980s, Niraj's life was never going to be linear. And the 52 minutes I spent discussing his story wasn't nearly long enough.
From finding, losing and finding love again to rediscovering his spirituality and learning how to earn his way to success, Niraj is an inspiration. I hope you agree too.
Find Niraj here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nkapur/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Jo Major is a diversity, inclusion and equity specialist. A trainer, an advisor but most importantly, an ally. She believes that everybody has a right to a fulfilling and successful career and has taken that vision and turned it into a business, helping recruitment agencies become more inclusive both for their businesses and for their clients. Jo is a force, and I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.
Find Jo here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jomajordiversityinrecruitment/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
In this week's episode, I sat down with Sean Anderson. If you're a recruiter working in the UK, you will have come across Sean. Marketing agency owner, personal branding coach - Sean is a force in the recruitment, but there is a side to him that people don't see. The real, honest, vulnerable side. And that is the side I was honoured to explore in this episode. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I did having it.
Find Sean here: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sean-anderson-hoxo
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Kate McCarthy-Booth is an exceptional guest to me. A friend, a leader - Someone who I admire intensely. But we don't often get to see the vulnerable side to Kate. The side that reveals the childhood trauma and the bumpy road she's taken to found and scale an industry-leading recruitment business. This episode is remarkable - I hope you think so too.
Find Kate here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/operationsandmanagementconsultant/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
Lea Turner. You'd be hard-pressed to find a single corner of LinkedIn where they don't know who she is. Lea has gone from just 400 followers to over 85,000 in less than two years and, as a result, has pivoted her career - and redefined her purpose... But that's not the most exciting part of this podcast episode. This podcast episode lifts the lid on who Lea is and the journey she has been on to get there. Enjoy!
Find Lea here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
In this week's episode, I sat down with entrepreneur and personal branding expert Amelia Sordell to discuss her journey from a failed startup at 21 to founding her business Klowt in the middle of a pandemic and scaling it from 0 - 5 people in just 9 months.
Amelia is open, vulnerable and shares some of her failures, losses, challenges and wins along the way.
Find Amelia here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameliasordell/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
This week I am joined by Cheryl Thompson, a high-impact leader and coach. Cheryl’s story is a little different - From significant, physical and psychological bullying to finding her own courage and helping others find theirs. Cheryl says, “The bigger the trauma, the bigger the triumph.”
This is a special episode. Enjoy!
Find Cheryl here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylthompsoncoaching/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
On this week's episode, I sat down with Rebecca Locke. Former high-performance athlete turned coach, turned recruiter. Rebecca has been on both sides of performance and has dedicated her life to helping others achieve their potential.
Find Rebecca here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/purposeaftersport/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
On this weeks episode, I sat down with Paul Brown, founder of Baked Bean Media.
From leaving school at 16, working as a chef then co-founding a recruitment business and growing it to 100 heads, Paul talks candidly about the wins and failures of scaling your business - and your life.
Find Paul - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulbrownbakedbeanmedia/
Find Vincere - https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
On this weeks' episode, I am joined by Nick Raeburn, founder and creator at Vireal Media - A content media agency dedicated to creating exceptional video content. Nick talks about his struggles with his own Mental Health and discovering his why.
Find Nick here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thatvideonerd/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
On this week's episode, I am joined by Ryan McTaggart. A Mindset and Health Coach who helps high-achieving individuals to realise their inner peace, change their mindset - and lives for the better.
Find Ryan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themindsetmedic/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
After being Furloughed from work in April 2020, Gary set up Furlearn. A now award-winning, free online learning resource for those Furloughed and out of work due to the global COVID pandemic.
After successfully building Furlearn, Gary rediscovered his purpose and in November 2020 launched his own recruitment agency, Talent Today.
In this episode, Gary talks about his time not in work and how he regained his confidence and purpose to go on and start his own business.
Find Gary here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garywills/
Find Furlearn here: https://www.furlearn.com/
Find Talent Today here: https://www.talenttoday.co.uk/
Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell
One our first episode, we're joined by business psychologist, performance coach, public speaker and author Andrew Silitoe. A husband, father and former international athlete and coach, Andrew has overcome immense trauma and adversity and now helps business owners and executives across the planet become more confident in their business, body and relationships.