In the final episode of Series 5 of the Bet On Yourself podcast, I speak to global HR consultant Paul Falcone. He has worked at some of Hollywood's leading companies, including Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, and is now setting about writing and publishing a five-book series on workplace leadership. His HR career started by chance at an executive search firm, and while it wasn't his first calling, his attitude and outlook took him to the top. Paul has some incredible stories to tell from his time in Hollywood, as well as some valuable lessons to pass on.
In this week's episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast I am joined by Sun Yi, the founder of award-winning web agency Night Owls. Sun has done it all – from 9-to-5 jobs to starting and leaving his own companies – and is now looking to create a community by way of mentorship, sharing what he has learned with the world in a scalable way.
Sun's self-confessed biggest weakness might have stopped anybody else from pursuing a creative career, but he soon realized it was in fact his biggest strength. Since then, he has used his scientific, analytical approach to build successful teams and take budding creators to the next level, helped along by his experience working in a whole host of different roles throughout his career.
In this week's episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast, I am once again joined by two guests as I speak to Dr Randal Pinkett and Dr Jeffrey Robisnon, the authors of Black Faces in High Places. Published a decade after their first book, Black Faces in White Places, their latest work look at how people must not only fight for their place at the table, but use it to the benefit of others once they are there. Drawing on the examples of Carol Dweck and Barack Obama, among others, the authors talk to me about their experiences of academia, their careers and how they went about writing their newest book.
On this week's episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast, I speak to Sage Ke'alohilani Quiamno, Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Amazon Prime Video and Studios. Having wanted to be a lawyer as a child, Sage has always sought justice in the world and has since dedicated her career to ensuring that businesses – both brand-new startups and large, global corporates – are representative of the communities they serve. She is also now using her platform to give back to the people of Hawaii through trust-based philanthropy, as a board member of the Hawaii People's Fund. Sage's story from international canoe paddling competitions to boardrooms across America is as colourful as it is moving, and I can't wait to share it with you today.
On this week's episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast, I am joined by not one, but two amazing guests in Liane Katz and Rumbi Pfende of MAMA.Codes, a coding school for toddlers and children in the UK. Their business was born out of frustration – children were not getting the digital education they needed to survive in tomorrow's world. That frustration aligned with passions and interests in STEM subjects to create the perfect storm, and MAMA.Codes was born. Having had the foresight to take things online just before the pandemic hit, business boomed as parents were stuck at home with their children and now they've got their sights set on the next chapter of their story.
On this week's episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast, I speak to Rick Pastoor. Having mastered his own time management, Rick wrote an internal guide for employees at his start-up, Blendle, on how to be more efficient with their own. After making it public, GRIP became an overnight best-seller in the Netherlands, which saw it go on to be published internationally. Rick admits that his principles are nothing new, but the way in which he presents the ideas in GRIP has meant they have landed with people in a way that has completely transformed their lives – personally and professionally.
This week on the Bet On Yourself podcast I'm speaking to Maria Brito, author of How Creativity Rules The World. I have been itching to sit down with Maria because she is the ultimate example of betting on yourself, having left behind a successful legal career to pursue her passion – art. Now she is a Curator, a Collector and a Consultant to a long list of impressive names, from chart-topping singers to Fortune 500 companies. But how did she step out on to Wall Street one day and leave it all behind, before finding her new path? And how can you channel your creativity to enable success in the world of business? Well, she's here to tell us.
I speak to Joe Haslam in this week's episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast, who has spent his entire career starting and building businesses and is now passing his wisdom on to the next generation of business leaders. Joe has seen several businesses scale from their infancy to having multi-million dollar balance sheets, and has an unrivalled insight into what it takes to overcome the inevitable imposter syndrome and create win-win situations for you and your bosses. Returning to his roots in academia, Joe is now leading the Owners' Scaleup Program at IE Business School in Madrid, Spain, teaching students how to not only find, but to create success.
In the latest episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast, I spoke to former CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg news anchor Nicole Lapin to talk about how she flipped her career on its head, leaving the news desk behind to become a best-selling author. Despite not coming from a background in finance, Nicole has overcome her sense of imposter syndrome to master the money conversation, making finance a more accessible and transparent topic for her readers. Already a four-time published author, Nicole now has a seven-book deal in the pipeline as she continues sharing her incredible stories and insight with the world.
This episode with Kathryn Finney, the Budget Fashionista turned entrepreneur, investor and author, examines how identifying opportunity can lead to untold success – but this isn't just Kathryn's story. Her own father's career change gave her a "lesson on living", and from there she has gone on to make a hugely positive impact on the world, and as a result has a beautiful, compelling and engaging story to tell.
This episode with David Siegel, CEO of Meetup, explores finding your "why" and then the "how" in order to create new career opportunities and engineer serendipity. We also talk about David’s new book, Decide & Conquer, his relationship with WeWork’s Adam Neumann and how growing up in a tight-knit community shaped his career path.
I am thrilled to have Jessica Bataille as my guest this week. She is an incredible entrepreneur and dear friend.
Jessica Bataille has been in the world of interior design for more than two decades. She was born in Holland, to a Dutch father and a Lebanese mother, and moved to Jávea, Spain when she was 12 which has been her base and inspiration ever since. She is a lover of the beauty of simplicity and master of the Mediterranean lifestyle.
Her career in interior design began in 1996 when she was a salesperson in a small shop in Pedreguer. In our conversation Jessica shares how she took just one tiny corner of that shop and made it her own. She got noticed for her signature style when she bucked against the design trends of the day and did something unexpected and fresh selling Mexican furniture that was vibrant and cohesive with her signature mediterranean style. She also shares a fun story about going the extra mile for these early customers that really set her apart.
She left 2 years later, in 1998, to establish her first shop and has grown astronomically ever since. Her company has grown into several brand divisions and to 50 employees.
What really stands out to me in this conversation is not only her passion for her work and making the dreams of her clients come true - but sharing this with her larger community through her sustainable recycling and upcycling materials sourced from local artisans.
She is truly mission, vision and value driven! And her passion is contagious! I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
On this bonus episode, we’re carrying on from last week as I’m sharing with you some behind the scenes stories of becoming an author and the creative process I went through went writing my first book, Bet On Yourself. I’m also sharing with you the non-linear journey this took and why I decided to write it!
You’ll hear the story, some context around it with some key takeaways, as well as actionable advice for you to implement into your life today. Have you ever thought about writing a book but not sure you have the time? Listen to the incredible story in this episode and you might think differently.
If you wrote a book, what would your write about? What stories would you tell? What wisdom would you share?
This week on the podcast, we’re doing things a little differently. I’m going to be talking about my newly launched book, Bet On Yourself. This is going to be a summary reminder for those who already have the book, and a teaser for those who haven’t received it yet.
I’m also sharing some brand new content that none of you have heard before, some behind the scenes stories and three of my favorite excerpts!
Have you read Bet On Yourself? I’d love to hear what your favorite parts are and what resonated most with you!
Today’s episode is with Kevin Brown - author, speaker and business exec.
As you’ll hear in this conversation Kevin’s unconventional path to success taught him that winning in business and in life requires anything but conventional thinking.
He grew up in Michigan where his blue-collar roots taught him the value of hard work and determination. He spent the last 20 years of his corporate career as part of a leadership team that built a little known family business into the #1 franchise in their industry with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion dollars.
What really stood out to me in our conversation was Kevin’s willingness to let go of an accomplished dream and put himself out there into the unknown and take on something new.
Since 2016, Kevin Brown has traveled the world pursuing a mission to share The HERO Effect® message with as many people and organizations as possible. I was intrigued by how he empathized that speaking isn’t his passion - but his gift.
In his newly published book, Unleashing Your Hero, Kevin shares how the heroes who transformed his life are people just like you. We talk about the inspiration behind writing the book and some of the key concepts he writes about. I was mind blown by his definition of ‘’heroes’’ and think you might be too.
My guest today is Molly Masters who founded Books That Matter in 2017, while still in her second year at university studying English Literature. She is hugely passionate about women’s writing, feminism and activism. Molly created this subscription box company as a way to raise up the voices of women writers and creatives (including transgender and non-binary persons), and to create a platform for social change and empowerment.
Today’s conversation is not one to be missed!
Molly’s story is the definition of humble beginnings. I first met her at a networking event in Bristol, which she couldn’t afford to attend but managed to hustle her way in. I immediately knew she was special! We talked about all the learnings, pivots and adventures of launching her start up, Books That Matter, thanks to a competition hosted by her university. You’ll want to hear her tell you how she not only was the only non-MBA student to apply but she was the first female winner in the history of the competition.
We go into the messy details of starting a business and how you can fill in those knowledge gaps. Molly walks us through the exponential growth she’s experienced since launching and throughout the pandemic (growing from her apartment floor, to an outdoor storage container to a full fulfillment center). She’s gone from countless rejections and packing the boxes herself, to becoming one of the biggest book subscription boxes in the UK!
We also talked about recognizing the need to start building a team and what that looked like for Books That Matter. Spoiler alert: Passion alignment is *everything*! Finally, Molly talks us through the biggest challenges she’s faced so far! You don’t want to miss this episode.
Let’s dive in!
My guest today is Garrett Peek. Garrett is a Team Lead in Garmin Labs working on disruptive product innovation. He is responsible for guiding the research, design, development, launch and growth of new products with hundreds of millions of enthusiastic customers..
Before joining Garmin, Garrett cofounded several startups and worked for Zynga after the acquisition of OMGPOP, where he designed the hit mobile game Draw Something.
As you’ll hear in this conversation, Garrett's career has been a wild ride. I can tell you now that things didn’t always go according to plan.
From a young age, he was known for his building and creating, whether it be lego or painting. He spent a lot of time thinking how he might be able to use or apply these skills in the ‘’real’’ world. After graduating, Garret decided he wanted to move to Boston to be closer to a friend, but after 28 job applications, 1 response and no job offers, he had to reassess.
This didn’t last for long, as before he knew it he struck lucky and was helping put together pitches for Super Bowl commercials. Garrett talked about how the moment you realize that you’re hitting your comfort zone, is the moment you’re prime for disruption - I loved this!
Garrett discusses the common themes to success throughout his career, which he says come down to three things: 1- what teams would I be useful on, 2- how do I make myself indispensable, and 3- what is FUN to me. He’s also pretty good at reading the room, but I’ll let him tell you that story.
Garret also highlights the importance of interviewing the company, as well as being interviewed by them. Have you ever asked what you are going in to solve during an interview?
Like most of our guests, Garrett didn’t have a plan and only now, looking back retrospectively, has he been able to connect the dots! I think this episode is sure to become a fan favorite!
My guest today, Vanessa Vallely, embodies everything we celebrate on this podcast! I am thrilled to introduce her to you.
Vanessa Vallely is the CEO and founder of WeAreTheCity.com, which has 140,000 female members. Vanessa's corporate experience stems from a 25 year career in Banking, holding roles such as Head of Governance, Business Management & COO across nine financial institutions.
Vanessa has won 22 awards for her work in finance, gender equality, entrepreneurship and charity - including OBE - which stands for the order of the British Empire award - for her services to Women and the Economy 2018. Vanessa is an accomplished founder, entrepreneur and global speaker.
In this episode, we discussed so many incredible things!
First, we discuss one of my favorite topics, creating opportunities even when they appear limited. Vanessa’s story really illustrates the art of punching above your weight and being brave enough to raise your hand. Vanessa also tells us about how she dreamt about working in the financial industry and how she made that happen, despite not having the typical academic background. Yes, she faced her fair amount of ‘'no's'' along the way.
If you want to hear more, you'll have to listen to the episode!
Matt Teper is the Editorial Director at Google, where he is the leader and cofounder of the Google Ink editorial team. The team is responsible for defining and refining the Google voice on all of Google’s primary content platforms, including the Keyword blog and social channels, as well as in major speeches, executive presentations, op-ed's, and all manner of creative and editorial work. (You know, it’s just a small job! I’m tired just reciting all of that!)
Matt came to Google in 2012, from the White House, where he served as then-Vice President Joe Biden's chief speechwriter for the first three-plus years of the Obama administration. He has no plans to go back to Washington, but he wishes his former boss well in his new job. For Matt’s next job, he hopes to become the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. He has a bachelor’s of journalism degree from the University of Texas and a JD from the University of Wisconsin. Matt lives in Palo Alto with his wife Jaime, daughters Devin and Peri, and a truly ridiculous dog named Mona.
This episode has MANY highlights, here are my favorites:
-Matt kicks off the conversation talking about his unconventional path to success - bartending, backpacking around Europe, food critiquing and attending law school before moving to DC and ending up essentially living on Air Force 2 as a speech writer for Vice President Biden. This is just a teaser of what’s to come in this episode!
-We discuss how being open to and taking a chance on opportunities that came his way created an unexpected career pathway for him. He’s not afraid to admit that luck and timing has been a huge part of his journey.
-After his time at the White House, he decided to take on a new adventure. He was told that with his experience, he could literally ''go anywhere and do anything’’. He realized his childhood dream of playing in the NBA probably wasn’t a viable option and settled on working at Google, where he wouldn’t have to ever wear a suit and tie again.
FYI if you are listening with little ones around that this episode is unbeeped to preserve the original, carefree spirit of the conversation.
This is the final episode of Season 3. I know! Where has the time gone? I’ve learned so much and been so inspired! I think this episode is a great capstone to the season!
My guest today is Jonathan Fields, who you might know as the Good Life Guy who delivers insights that spark purpose, possibility, and potential. I think Jonathan and I are kindred spirits as he too is on a decades-long quest to discover what makes people come fully alive.
Jonathan’s list of accomplishments and accolades is long! He is an award-winning author, Webby-nominated producer, business innovator, and host of one of the world’s top podcasts, Good Life Project (of which I am a big fan!). But you don’t have to take just my word for it! The Wall Street Journal named Good Life Project one of the top self-development podcasts, and Apple featured it on-stage during its legendary annual product event.
Jonathan is featured widely in the media, including The New York Times, FastCompany, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, CNN, The Guardian, O Magazine, SELF, Allure, Outside, Elle, Vogue, Fitness, and thousands of other outlets. (I messed up right here twice - hope it;s an easy cut in editing!) In addition to writing award-winning and bestselling books like, Sparked: Discover Your Unique Imprint for Work that Makes You Come Alive, How to Live a Good Life, and Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt Into Fuel For Brilliance, Jonathan has founded several companies with a focus on maximizing human potential.
The most recent is Spark Endeavors, where he is the chief architect and driving force behind the world’s first purpose, engagement, and flow archetypes–the Sparketypes®. This powerful tool has been tapped by over 500,000 individuals and organizations, generating a rapidly growing, global data-set, and insight-based solutions to help transform how we work, lead and live.