40 Minute Mentor

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Co-Founder and CEO of Amazing If, Co-Author of best-seller ‘The Squiggly Career’, and Co-Host of the popular Squiggly Careers podcast (a JBM favourite!), Helen Tupper.

Helen has enjoyed a hugely successful career at some of the biggest companies in the world – Virgin, Microsoft, BP and Capital One, to name a few – but decided to take the leap into the world of entrepreneurship together with her friend Sarah Ellis and start Amazing If – an award-winning training consultancy.

At a time when so many of us are reassessing our post-pandemic careers, finding happiness and fulfilment at work has never felt more important. And that’s where Helen and Sarah come in with their incredible coaching skills and resources.

Speaking to Helen in today’s episode was an absolute joy. She shares so many great insights and speaks with so much passion and enthusiasm about making work better for everyone.

We cover a lot of ground in this episode, covering topics including:

Why the traditional linear career ladder isn’t a realistic “one size fits all” career development strategy anymore and what companies need to do to support their teams’ development better.

What a squiggly career actually looks like and how it will help with employee retention, when supported in the right way.

And what it’s really like to build a successful business with a friend, without compromising your friendship.

No matter what stage you’re at in your career and whether you’re in a big corporate or a Founder yourself, we know you’ll take so much great advice from this episode with Helen.

And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series – Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa’s most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi.

Enjoyed this episode?

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at [email protected]

If you want to find out more about Helen, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/helentupper/

If you want to find out more about Amazing If, head over to – https://www.amazingif.com/

For the Squiggly Career podcast, simply head to - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/squiggly-careers/id1202842065

And to pre-order their new book ‘You Coach You’, ask in your local bookshop or head over to - https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Coach-Overcome-Challenges-Control/dp/024150273X

Enjoyed this episode?

Keep up to date with all our latest episodes by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review.

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Ben Stephenson, the Founder and CEO of the ground-breaking travel platform Impala.

Ben has raised millions in funding for Impala over the last five years from some of the best VCs out there, including Lakestar which previously invested in Airbnb. He’s seen his staff mushroom to over 100 people, and he made the company remote-first way back in 2017, when having remote teams wasn’t something people looked too favourably upon.

A true problem-solver in every way - whether the problem is how to rebuild travel-booking infrastructure from the ground up, to how to create exactly the right culture at work – Ben has made it his mission to improve the industry.

Speaking to Ben was truly inspiring and we cover some really interesting topics, including:

How Impala has grown to a team of over 100 people and raised millions in funding in just five years.

The secrets behind Impala’s outstanding culture DNA, including Ben’s advice for anyone looking to build a remote-first team.

And why the best Founders are the ones who don’t try to do everything themselves but hire talent that compliments their skills.

If you’re a Founder yourself looking to support your remote or hybrid teams, or you’re looking to get into the travel industry – this episode is packed with great advice and honest anecdotes from Impala’s inspiring growth journey.

A special thank you to our sponsors for this Series – Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa’s most valuable Startup.

To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi.

Enjoyed this episode?

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at [email protected]

If you want to find out more about Ben, take a look at his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-stephenson-13032b33/

If you want to find out more about Impala, head over to - https://impala.travel/en-gb

Enjoyed this episode?

Keep up to date with all our latest episodes by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review.

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by journalist, broadcaster, TV presenter, Podcast host of ‘The Solo Collective’ and author, Rebecca Seal.

Rebecca’s had a hugely varied career so far, including working as a journalist at The Observer, featuring as a Food and Drink expert on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, writing and publishing multiple books, including her latest best seller: “Solo: How to Work Alone(and Not Lose Your Mind)” and working as a Freelance journalist and author for over 10 years.

We absolutely loved having Rebecca as a 40 Minute Mentor and know you’ll learn so much from her advice in this episode, including:

What it takes to have a successful career in broadcasting and what to expect from your initial years in the industry.

What solo working actually does to the human mind and how you can combat loneliness with a simple change in environment.

And Rebecca’s approach to juggling many competing priorities, without falling into the traps of over-working.

So, whether you’re a Freelancer yourself or you’re navigating a hybrid or fully remote work model, we know you’ll find this episode hugely valuable.

A special thank you to our sponsors for this Series – Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa’s most valuable Start up. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi.

Enjoyed this episode?

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratehthispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at [email protected]

If you want to find out more about Rebecca, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaseal/

If you want to buy a copy of her book Solo: How to Work Alone (and Not Lose Your Mind), head over to – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Solo-Work-Alone-Lose-Your/dp/1788164857

Enjoyed this episode?

Keep up to date with all our latest episodes by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review.

In this 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by a real-life child prodigy, Co-Founder and CEO of Stemettes, and Host of the Evening Standard’s Women Tech Charge podcast, Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE.

Anne-Marie was one of the youngest to pass two GCEs in two different subjects while in primary school and completed her master’s degree from the University of Oxford by the age of 20.

Since those days, she’s been knocking down walls and inspiring the next generation of women in STEM, through her work with Stemettes – a social enterprise promoting women in STEM careers. And if you haven’t heard of Stemettes or listened to the Women Tech Charge podcast, you might have seen Anne-Marie on Channel 4’s Countdown ‘Black To Front’ initiative earlier this year, where she filled in for no other than the queen of numbers, Rachel Riley.

Anne-Marie speaks with such humility and honesty – we could have talked for hours. In today’s episode, you’ll learn more about:

-How Stemettes has developed from a side-hustle to the success it is today, opening doors to careers in STEM for girls all over the UK

-What businesses in the Tech sector need to do to attract and retain more diverse talent

-And how listening to understand, rather than to answer questions is an often neglected skill by leaders.

Whether you work in Tech or are simply looking for some mid-week inspiration, we know you’ll learn so much from Anne-Marie in this episode.

And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series - Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa's most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi.

Enjoyed this episode?

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at [email protected]

If you want to find out more about Anne-Marie, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimafidon/

If you want to find out more about Stemettes, head over to – https://stemettes.org/

Enjoyed this episode?

Keep up to date with all our latest episodes by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review.

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Founder and CEO of Walking on Earth, Reeva Misra.

Reeva has made it her mission to tackle the epidemic of stress in the modern world – with Walking on Earth taking a holistic approach to health, focusing on the interaction between mind, body, and the environment to elevate happiness, particularly at work.

It’s certainly been a fascinating journey for the business so far, not least because it was launched just two months before the global pandemic. Reeva quickly pivoted the business, launching a series of Zoom sessions with practitioners at a time when stress levels nationwide were going through the roof.

We absolutely loved having Reeva as our 40 Minute Mentor for this episode and cover some fascinating topics, including:

Reeva shares so many great insights in this episode, so if you’re a Founder or someone building high-performing teams, you won’t want to miss this episode.

And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series - Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa's most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi.

Enjoyed this episode?

If you want to find out more about Reeva, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/reeva-misra/

If you want to find out more about Walking on Earth, head over to – https://www.walkingonearth.com/

Enjoyed this episode?

Keep up to date with all our latest episodes by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review.

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Co-founder and CEO of Chipper Cash, Ham Serunjogi.

Chipper Cash aren’t just our Sponsors for this 40 Minute Mentor Series but are also widely considered to be Africa’s most valuable Startup. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far, with many more coming soon.

Ham’s success is testament to the power of taking the road less travelled and despite the amazing success of Chipper Cash, he remains incredibly humble and focused on their ultimate mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa – one transaction at a time.

We loved having Ham on the podcast and discuss some fascinating topics with him, including:

If you’re a Founder looking to scale your business, you’ll get priceless insights from Ham in this episode.

Enjoyed this episode?

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at [email protected]

If you want to find out more about Ham, take a look at his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamserunjogi/

And if you want to find out more about Chipper Cash, head over to – https://chippercash.com/

Enjoyed this episode?

Keep up to date with all our latest episodes by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review.

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the Head of Network & Community at BACKED VC, and the recently appointed COO of Diversity VC, the brilliant Daisy Onubogu.

So much of Daisy’s career has been driven by a clear fascination with human behaviour, figuring out what makes us tick individually, and how to match that personal ambition with making the world a better place. In recent years, she’s also been at the forefront of driving change in DE&I, recognising that it’s less a time for discourse and more a time for action.

We loved chatting with Daisy, she always talks with such clarity, honesty, and passion. It’s impossible not to be inspired by her. During our conversation in this episode, we cover some fascinating topics, including:

Whether you’re a Founder, an investor or someone passionate about DE&I – we know you’ll gain so much valuable insights from this episode.

And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series - Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa's most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at [email protected].

If you want to find out more about Daisy, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisyonubogu/

If you want to find out more about BACKED VC, head over to – https://www.backed.vc/

And if you want to find out more about Diversity VC, listen to our episode with their Founder Check Warner at https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/supporting-underrepresented-founders-with-check-warner/ or head over to https://www.diversity.vc/

Enjoyed this episode?

Keep up to date with all our latest episodes by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review.

To kick off Series 6 of our 40 Minute Mentor podcast, we’re joined by serial entrepreneur and Founder of The Stack World, Sharmadean Reid MBE.

From WAH London – a nail salon that mushroomed into a global mecca for aspiring entrepreneurs – to her latest venture, The Stack World, which combines leading editorial and beauty content with a marketplace for mission-driven women, Sharmadean has always placed female empowerment at the forefront of her work.

In today’s episode, Sharmadean speaks candidly about taking her first steps into entrepreneurialism at a time when there wasn’t a well-trodden path guiding digital Startups, and the many lessons she learned along the way, including:

The importance of having a definite plan when you launch a business, and not falling into the trap of saying yes to everything.

Why it’s so crucial to remove your ego from your work and focus on your business’ success.

And how, despite the shift in the right direction, we’re still a long way off from achieving gender equality in business and beyond.

It’s not every day you get the opportunity to speak to someone so humble and honest about the reality of launching your own business. That’s why we can’t wait for you to listen to this episode.

Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or someone driven to move the equality lever, we know you’ll get so much valuable insights from Sharmadean in this episode.

And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series - Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa's most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi.

Enjoyed this episode?

We’d love to hear your feedback on this episode, so please feel free to get in touch at [email protected] or leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm

If you want to find out more about Sharmadean, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharmadeanreid/

If you want to find out more about The Stack World, head over to – https://www.thestack.world/

Enjoyed this episode?

Keep up to date with all our latest episodes by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review.

40 Minute Mentor is back with a brand new series, filled with exclusive insights from CEOs, world class investors, purpose driven entrepreneurs and Olympic gold medallists.

To get a little preview of what's coming your way over the coming weeks, have a listen to this trailer.

And if you've enjoyed the past 5 series, please leave us a review on whichever podcast platform you listen to 40 Minute Mentor on or over at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm - we absolutely love hearing your feedback and really appreciate all the support we get from our listeners.

Enjoyed this episode?

Keep up to date with all our latest episodes by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review.

Ahead of launching Series 6 of the 40 Minute Mentor in September, we take another look back on some of our favourite episodes across all series so far.

If you’ve been listening to 40 Minute Mentor for a while, you’ll notice that we like to wrap up each episode with a couple of questions focused on mentorship – why it’s important and who some of our successful guests lean to when they’re looking for advice.

The answers are always beyond inspiring, so we’ve compiled our favourite ones in today’s roundup episode. You’ll hear from a range of our incredible guests over the last 5 series, including:

• Will Greenwood MBE – England Rugby legend and broadcaster

As firm believers in the power of mentorship, finding out who has inspired our guests is always so interesting to hear. This episode will also give you some ideas of who you can turn to and how to reach out to new mentors, which is a question we often get asked.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at [email protected] or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

Enjoyed this episode?

Keep up to date with all our latest episodes by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review.