Alchemy Podcast

Martin Stapleton spent 12 years as a Royal Marine Commando before becoming a professional MMA world champion, but as a teenager, he struggled with confidence and finding where he belonged.

In this episode of the Alchemy Podcast, Jonathan sits down with Martin inside the octagon at SBG Rochdale to talk about military life, fighting, entrepreneurship, fatherhood and the experiences that shaped his approach to resilience.

Martin takes us back to joining the Royal Marines at 17, serving in Northern Ireland and deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.

He shares what it felt like to enter Iraq by helicopter under fire, the camaraderie within his team and the reality of losing a teammate while still having a job to do and others to keep alive.

He also reflects on how he remembers the friends he lost, and why making the most of his own life has become part of honouring theirs.

The conversation follows his move into MMA, from practising techniques on old mats aboard a ship to competing on The Ultimate Fighter and becoming a BAMMA world champion.

Martin explains why staying composed takes practice, why being willing to lose in training matters and how learning from failure helped him develop as a fighter.

Away from competition, he speaks openly about opening a gym while building his fighting career and raising two children, alongside the financial pressure of keeping the business going through lockdown.

He also shares why he returned to fighting in his forties to finish his career on his own terms, before discussing his next chapter helping men develop resilience through coaching, physical challenges and community.

It’s a conversation about the demands of military service, professional sport and business, alongside the family, friendships and sense of purpose that have guided Martin through each stage.

Key moments

• Finding direction and confidence through the Royal Marines
• Joining at 17 and serving in Northern Ireland
• Entering Iraq by helicopter under fire
• The realities of serving in Afghanistan
• Losing teammates and carrying on while others depend on you
• Honouring friends by living life to its fullest
• Becoming a Royal Marines physical training instructor
• Discovering MMA and competing on The Ultimate Fighter
• Embracing failure and practising composure in training
• Building a gym while fighting professionally and raising a family
• Keeping the business going through lockdown
• Returning to competition and retiring on his own terms
• Helping men build resilience through coaching, challenge and community

Subscribe to the Alchemy Podcast for more honest, thought-provoking conversations, powerful personal stories and fresh perspectives that challenge the way we think about life, success and what really matters.

Content note: This episode includes strong language and discussion of combat, military bereavement and references to child sexual abuse.

Connect & Follow

Alchemy Podcast:
📸 Instagram: @alchemypodcastofficial
▶️ YouTube: @jonathanmills_alchemyhub

Jonathan Mills:
💼 LinkedIn: Jonathan Mills
📸 Instagram: @alchemyhubofficial
🌐 Website: alchemyhub.co.uk

Martin Stapleton:
📸 Instagram: stapes_50cal_resilience_coach
💪 Resilience: @resilience_headquarters

Kat Martin has spent years helping businesses understand what their brand really stands for, but her own career began in a very different world. 

In this episode of the Alchemy Podcast, Jonathan sits down with the founder of Theodore to talk about branding, marketing, entrepreneurship and the personal reality behind building a business. 

Before launching her own agency, Kat worked closely with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Simon Cowell, Calvin Harris, Mark Ronson, Westlife, Groove Armada and the Backstreet Boys. 

She shares what that world taught her about standards, detail and reputation, alongside some of the more unpredictable moments behind the scenes, including a meeting where Jay Kay threw a computer out of the window. 

Today, Kat brings those lessons into the work she does with businesses through Theodore. 

She challenges one of the biggest mistakes companies make with marketing: jumping straight into tactics without understanding what they are trying to achieve, who they are speaking to or why anyone should care. 

The conversation also becomes much more personal. 

Kat speaks openly about building a business as a single parent, the pressure and overwhelm that can come with entrepreneurship and her experience of perimenopause, including periods of intense anxiety that made even everyday tasks feel difficult. 

It’s a conversation about branding and business, but also about the human being behind the strategy and why clarity matters both professionally and personally.

 Key moments:

• Working with Simon Cowell and major names in the music industry 
• What Simon Cowell taught Kat about attention to detail 
• The meeting where Jay Kay threw a computer out of the window 
• Why most businesses misunderstand branding and marketing 
• The importance of asking why before choosing marketing tactics 
• Building Theodore and creating a business around her own values 
• Scaling a business as a single parent 
• The reality of overwhelm behind entrepreneurship 
• Kat’s experience of perimenopause and anxiety 
• Why strong brands begin with clarity, not content 

Subscribe to the Alchemy Podcast for more honest, thought provoking conversations, powerful personal stories and fresh perspectives that challenge the way we think about life, success and what really matters. 

Content note: This episode includes discussion of anxiety and perimenopause. 

Connect & Follow

Alchemy Podcast:
📸 Instagram: @alchemypodcastofficial
▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jonathanmills_alchemyhub?si=PERNkuThtSRg5j4T

Jonathan Mills:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmillsalchemyhub
📸 Instagram: @alchemyhubofficial
🌐 Website: https://www.alchemyhub.co.uk/

Kat Martin / Theodore:

🌐 Website: https://theodore.ltd/

For years, Conor Meyler believed that becoming the best footballer he could be meant giving everything else a lower priority. 

In this episode of the Alchemy Podcast, Jonathan sits down with the 2021 All Ireland winner and All Star to talk about elite performance, identity, control and what happens when ambition starts to consume too much of your life. 

Conor reached the highest level of Gaelic football with Tyrone, performing in front of more than 80,000 people and helping his county win the All Ireland Championship in 2021. 

That success demanded enormous commitment. At times, however, football became so important that relationships, family and even parts of his own personality began to move into the background. 

Conor reflects on the belief that high performance required total obsession and how his approach changed as he learned to let go of the need to control every outcome. 

Preparation still mattered. Standards still mattered. The difference was learning to trust the work he had already done rather than becoming trapped in overthinking and fear. 

As his inter county career began moving towards its end, another question became more important: who was Conor without football? 

That transition has taken him into entrepreneurship and the creation of VEYO, where he is applying lessons from elite sport to breathing, recovery and performance. 

It’s a thoughtful conversation about ambition, identity and learning that performing at your best does not always mean doing more. 

Key moments: 

• Growing up in a culture where football could shape your identity 
• Becoming a 2021 All Ireland winner and All Star with Tyrone 
• Performing in front of more than 80,000 people 
• When dedication to football became unhealthy obsession 
• Neglecting relationships in pursuit of performance 
• Why preparation can become a problem when it turns into control 
• Learning to trust yourself and perform with more freedom 
• Why “letting go” became an important part of Conor’s approach 
• Separating identity from sport and achievement 
• Finding purpose beyond inter county football 
• Taking lessons from elite sport into entrepreneurship 
• Building VEYO around breathing, recovery and performance 

Subscribe to the Alchemy Podcast for more honest, thought provoking conversations, powerful personal stories and fresh perspectives that challenge the way we think about life, success and what really matters. 

Connect & Follow 

Alchemy Podcast:
📸 Instagram: @alchemypodcastofficial
▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jonathanmills_alchemyhub?si=PERNkuThtSRg5j4T

Jonathan Mills:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmillsalchemyhub
📸 Instagram: @alchemyhubofficial
🌐 Website: https://www.alchemyhub.co.uk/

Conor Meyler / VEYO:

📸 Instagram: @conormeyler 

🌐 Website: https://www.veyobreathing.com/

Joe Sharp built his business from a point where his bank balance had effectively hit zero. 

In this episode of the Alchemy Podcast, Jonathan sits down with the physiotherapist and entrepreneur to talk about resilience, business, communication and what it takes to rebuild when the plan falls apart. 

Joe had worked in professional football and private practice, but after leaving one role and being misled over another opportunity, he found himself out of work, under financial pressure and unsure what came next. 

At his lowest point, he drove from Doncaster to Sheffield with almost no fuel, discovered he had no money in his account and had to call his mum in case he could not get home. 

That same day, he treated former player Craig Davies for £40. He used half for fuel, half for food and made a decision: he was going to build something of his own.

Joe rented a tiny room in Bawtry for £50 a week, contacted former patients and filled his diary within three months. Six years later, that one room had grown into three clinics, a growing team and a media brand with more than 100,000 YouTube subscribers. 

The conversation also goes beyond the comeback story. Joe explains why communication matters more than technical ability alone, how strong systems drive growth and why success often comes from doing the basics consistently for longer than everyone else. 

It’s a practical conversation about entrepreneurship, resilience and turning a difficult moment into the starting point for something much bigger. 

Key moments:

• Going from professional football environments to having no clear next step 
• Discovering he had no money in his bank account 
• Treating Craig Davies for £40 to pay for fuel and food 
• Renting his first clinic room for £50 a week 
• Getting around 20 patients in his first week 
• Filling his diary within three months 
• Growing from one room to three clinics 
• Why communication comes before technical ability and experience 
• Building systems around patient care and retention 
• Reaching more than 100,000 YouTube subscribers 
• Why “success is boring” when the fundamentals are done properly 

Subscribe to the Alchemy Podcast for more honest, thought provoking conversations, powerful personal stories and fresh perspectives that challenge the way we think about life, success and what really matters. 

Connect & Follow 

Alchemy Podcast:
📸 Instagram: @alchemypodcastofficial
▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jonathanmills_alchemyhub?si=PERNkuThtSRg5j4T

Jonathan Mills:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmillsalchemyhub
📸 Instagram: @alchemyhubofficial
🌐 Website: https://www.alchemyhub.co.uk/

Joe Sharp:

📸 Instagram: @thejoesharp 

🌐 Website: https://joesharp.com/ 

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialJoeSharp 

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejoesharp

James Ashford built and sold a successful software business, but the biggest surprise came after the deal was done. 

In this episode of the Alchemy Podcast, Jonathan sits down with the entrepreneur, investor and author to talk about business, identity, ambition and what happens when you finally achieve the outcome you have spent years chasing. 

James built GoProposal into a highly successful software company before selling it in an eight figure deal. The sale should have felt like the ultimate finish line. Instead, the actual moment was strangely anticlimactic. 

More difficult was what came afterwards. 

James had gained money and freedom, but he had also lost the team, responsibility, recognition and sense of being needed that had become part of his identity. 

The conversation explores the psychology behind entrepreneurship, why founders often become the bottleneck in their own businesses and how fear, imposter syndrome and the feeling of not being good enough can influence the decisions they make. 

James also shares the experiences that changed the way he thinks about growth, including investing heavily in his own development, paying thousands for time with Gary Vaynerchuk and travelling to Necker Island after initially questioning whether he even belonged there. 

It’s an honest conversation about success, identity and recognising that building a bigger business does not automatically answer the bigger questions in your life.

 Key moments:

• Building GoProposal and selling the business 
• Why the moment of the sale felt anticlimactic 
• Losing purpose and identity after exiting 
• Why founders can become the biggest bottleneck in their business 
• The role fear and imposter syndrome play in decision making 
• Why James believes the best marketing gives valuable ideas away 
• Paying around £4,000 for 15 minutes with Gary Vaynerchuk 
• Being invited to Necker Island and questioning whether he belonged there 
• What spending time around Richard Branson changed for him 
• Learning to recognise which version of yourself is making a decision 
• Turning his experiences into the book Scale Fast, Exit Big 

Subscribe to the Alchemy Podcast for more honest, thought provoking conversations, powerful personal stories and fresh perspectives that challenge the way we think about life, success and what really matters. 

Connect & Follow 

Alchemy Podcast:
📸 Instagram: @alchemypodcastofficial
▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jonathanmills_alchemyhub?si=PERNkuThtSRg5j4T

Jonathan Mills:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmillsalchemyhub
📸 Instagram: @alchemyhubofficial
🌐 Website: https://www.alchemyhub.co.uk/

James Ashford: 

📸 Instagram: @thejamesashford 

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesashford/ 

🌐 Website: https://jamesashford.com/

Gil Dudson reached the highest level of rugby league, but some of his toughest battles happened away from the pitch. 

In this episode of the Alchemy Podcast, Jonathan sits down with the Welsh international to talk about self sabotage, alcohol, pressure, faith and what it took to rebuild his life while still competing professionally. 

Gil’s career included playing for Wigan Warriors, representing Wales and winning major honours. Early on, however, he struggled with imposter syndrome and repeatedly put opportunities at risk through his behaviour off the field. 

Alcohol became part of that pattern. 

At one stage, Gil was drinking one or two bottles of wine after games simply to switch off. Later, during Covid, a three day drinking binge pushed things to breaking point when his wife told him she could no longer live with who he had become. 

Gil describes that moment as his rock bottom. 

He stopped drinking and began confronting the habits and behaviours he had spent years avoiding. Alongside that came panic attacks, burnout, financial pressure and the reality that even while playing professional rugby, he needed a second job to support his family. 

Faith also became an increasingly important part of his life, changing the way he approached pressure, anger, uncertainty and the decisions ahead of him. 

It’s a raw conversation about self sabotage, sobriety, masculinity and what happens when success on the outside hides a very different reality underneath. 

Key moments: 

• Breaking into professional rugby and representing Wales 
• Joining Wigan Warriors and struggling with imposter syndrome 
• Nearly losing his opportunity before making his debut 
• Using alcohol to decompress after games 
• Working a second job while playing professional rugby 
• Burning out and experiencing panic attacks 
• The three day binge that nearly cost him his marriage 
• Finally admitting that alcohol had become a problem 
• Choosing sobriety and rebuilding his life 
• How faith changed his perspective on pressure and control 
• Learning who he was beyond rugby 

Subscribe to the Alchemy Podcast for more honest, thought provoking conversations, powerful personal stories and fresh perspectives that challenge the way we think about life, success and what really matters. 

Content note: This episode includes discussion of alcohol misuse, panic attacks and addiction. 

Connect & Follow 

Alchemy Podcast:
📸 Instagram: @alchemypodcastofficial
▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jonathanmills_alchemyhub?si=PERNkuThtSRg5j4T

Jonathan Mills:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmillsalchemyhub
📸 Instagram: @alchemyhubofficial
🌐 Website: https://www.alchemyhub.co.uk/

Gil Dudson:

📸 Instagram: @gildudson

Carla Raads did not set out to build a career as an artist. In many ways, art found her when she needed it most.

In this episode of the Alchemy Podcast, Jonathan sits down with Carla to talk about creativity, motherhood, identity and how one of the most difficult periods of her life became the beginning of something completely new. 

Carla grew up in South Africa before moving to the UK at 15. She studied art and interior design, spent time apprenticing with artist Phil Aird and later built a 12 year career in modelling. 

After a three year IVF journey, Carla became a mum. A few months later, she began experiencing severe postnatal depression and anxiety. Sleep disappeared, fear took over and everyday life became increasingly difficult. 

Unable to switch her mind off, Carla started going into the garage at night. 

With no proper canvases, no brushes and little equipment, she built frames from wood and fabric, used household emulsion and started painting with her hands. For the first time in months, her mind became quiet. 

That instinctive escape gradually became a new career. 

Carla’s work has since been exhibited in luxury hotels, collected internationally and featured in collaborations with brands including Porsche. A collection displayed at a Jumeirah resort sold out, opening the door to an increasingly international audience. 

It’s a powerful conversation about creativity, mental health, motherhood and why some of the most important changes in our lives can begin before we fully understand where they are taking us. 

Key moments: 

• Growing up on the Eastern Cape coast of South Africa 
• Moving to the UK at 15 and starting again 
• Studying art and working with artist Phil Aird 
• Building a 12 year modelling career 
• Going through three years of IVF 
• Experiencing postnatal depression and severe anxiety 
• Painting alone in the garage through the night 
• Why she began painting with her hands 
• Turning an emotional outlet into a professional art career 
• Selling out a collection at a Jumeirah resort 
• Working on creative projects with Porsche 

Subscribe to the Alchemy Podcast for more honest, thought provoking conversations, powerful personal stories and fresh perspectives that challenge the way we think about life, success and what really matters. 

Content note: This episode includes discussion of IVF, postnatal depression and anxiety. 

Connect & Follow 

Alchemy Podcast:
📸 Instagram: @alchemypodcastofficial
▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jonathanmills_alchemyhub?si=PERNkuThtSRg5j4T

Jonathan Mills:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmillsalchemyhub
📸 Instagram: @alchemyhubofficial
🌐 Website: https://www.alchemyhub.co.uk/

Carla Raads: 

📸 Instagram: @Carla_Raads 

🌐 Website: https://artbyraads.com/

Dean Howell’s career has been defined by reinvention.

In this episode of the Alchemy Podcast, Jonathan sits down with the former professional footballer turned entrepreneur to talk about injury, identity, resilience and building a second career in health and nutrition. 

Dean made more than 300 professional appearances and experienced some of the biggest highs the game can offer, including promotions and an FA Cup tie at Old Trafford against Manchester United. 

The lows were very different. 

After leaving Colchester injured and without a contract, Dean found himself struggling financially and staying with his friend Jermaine Pennant. While Jermaine was thriving at Birmingham City, Dean was driving him to training and watching someone else live the football career he desperately wanted back. 

Rather than accept that his own career might be finished, Dean rebuilt himself physically, returned to the game and went on to enjoy some of the strongest years of his career. 

Away from football, another chapter was already beginning. 

The loss of his grandmother to cancer changed the way Dean thought about health and nutrition. While still playing professionally, he invested in his first nutrition business with two childhood friends, starting with just a handful of products from a garage. 

That journey eventually led to The Real Health Store, a business Dean created after walking away from his previous company and choosing to build on his own terms.

It’s a conversation about rebuilding when your identity is challenged, backing your own values and knowing when it is time to start again. 

Key moments: 

• Making more than 300 appearances in professional football 
• Driving Jermaine Pennant to training while trying to rebuild his own career
• Returning from injury and producing some of his best football 
• Playing Manchester United at Old Trafford 
• How losing his grandmother changed his relationship with health
• Starting his first nutrition business from a garage
• Walking away from his previous company
• Building The Real Health Store on his own terms 

Subscribe to the Alchemy Podcast for more honest, thought provoking conversations, powerful personal stories and fresh perspectives that challenge the way we think about life, success and what really matters. 

Connect & Follow 

Alchemy Podcast:

 📸 Instagram: @alchemypodcastofficial

 ▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jonathanmills_alchemyhub?si=PERNkuThtSRg5j4T 

Jonathan Mills:

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmillsalchemyhub 

📸 Instagram: @alchemyhubofficial 

🌐 Website: https://www.alchemyhub.co.uk/ 

Dean Howell / The Real Health Store:

📸 Instagram: @deanhowellofficial 

📸 Instagram: @therealhealthstore 

🌐 Website: https://www.therealhealthstore.com/

Jordan Smith has spent much of his life saying yes first and working out the details afterwards.

In this episode of the Alchemy Podcast, Jonathan sits down with the Creative Director of Seven Studios to unpack a journey that has taken Jordan from competitive golf and marine engineering to Dubai, America, global travel and eventually building a creative business in Doncaster.

Jordan’s career has rarely followed a straight line. At 19, he emailed his way into the marine industry with almost no experience and went on to work across 96 countries. Years later, he left his auntie’s wedding, borrowed someone else’s golf club and won a long-drive competition with a 362-yard drive. That single decision eventually opened the door to a job in golf media in Dubai. 

The same pattern appears again and again. Jordan sees an opportunity, asks the question and backs himself before he feels fully ready. 

That mindset eventually led to Seven Studios. 

Building it meant walking away from well-paid engineering work, investing heavily in the business and earning almost nothing from it for 18 months. At one point, after years of travelling the world and earning good money, his card declined while trying to buy a £4 meal deal. 

Jordan is also open about the less polished side of entrepreneurship. Losing clients, getting production wrong, making expensive mistakes and learning that building something better often starts with admitting when something has not worked. 

It’s an honest conversation about opportunity, risk, reinvention and what it really looks like to build a business before the success story has been written. 

Key moments: 

• Dropping out of college and struggling to find direction 
• Sending one email that led to a career across 96 countries • Working on superyachts, commercial ships and submarines 
• Leaving a wedding to enter a long-drive final with a borrowed club
• Winning with a 362-yard drive and being flown to Dubai
• Turning a chance opportunity into a job in golf media
• Walking away from a well-paid career to build Seven Studios
• Taking almost nothing from the business for 18 months
• Having his card declined while trying to buy a £4 meal deal
• Losing clients and learning from costly mistakes
• Why backing yourself before you feel ready can change everything 

Subscribe to the Alchemy Podcast for more honest, thought provoking conversations, powerful personal stories and fresh perspectives that challenge the way we think about life, success and what really matters. 

Connect & Follow

Alchemy Podcast:
📸 Instagram: @alchemypodcastofficial
▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jonathanmills_alchemyhub?si=PERNkuThtSRg5j4T

Jonathan Mills:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmillsalchemyhub
📸 Instagram: @alchemyhubofficial
🌐 Website: https://www.alchemyhub.co.uk/

Jordan Smith / Seven Studios:

📸 Instagram: @seven__studios 

🌐 Website: https://sevenstudios.co.uk/

Mike Brown spent 21 years in professional rugby, earned 72 England caps and became one of the most recognisable fullbacks of his generation. 

In this episode of the Alchemy Podcast, Jonathan sits down with Mike to talk about the mindset, pressure and preparation behind a career built on competitiveness and a relentless need to prove people wrong. 

That mentality helped take him to the highest level of the game, but it also came with criticism, pressure and moments where fear began to affect the way he performed. 

Mike reflects on England’s disastrous 2015 home World Cup, the public perception of his “Mr Angry” persona and the environments where the pressure to avoid mistakes became overwhelming. He also looks back on the feedback, setbacks and specialist coaching that helped him keep improving for more than two decades. 

One of the most revealing parts of the conversation comes after Newcastle. Mike spent around ten months without a club, watching his savings disappear while the rugby world appeared to have decided his career was over. 

Rather than accept it, he kept training, stayed ready and created his own opportunity. After spotting an injury while watching Leicester Tigers on television, Mike messaged the coach himself. At 37, after 72 England caps, he drove to Leicester for a trial, unsure whether he still belonged there. 

He earned the contract and extended his career. It’s a powerful conversation about resilience, criticism, preparation and what happens when the identity you have built over an entire career starts to disappear.

Key moments:

• Earning 72 England caps and becoming Six Nations Player of the Championship
• Why being disliked became part of Mike’s competitive identity
• What went wrong during England’s 2015 home World Cup
• The pressure and fear he experienced inside elite rugby environments
• Why feedback became fuel rather than something to avoid
• Spending ten months without a club and watching his savings disappear
• Messaging Leicester himself after spotting an opportunity on television
• Going on trial at 37 after an international career at the highest level
• The preparation and specialist coaching that helped him play for 21 years
• Building a new identity after professional sport 

Subscribe to the Alchemy Podcast for more honest, thought provoking conversations, powerful personal stories and fresh perspectives that challenge the way we think about life, success and what really matters. 

Connect & Follow 

Alchemy Podcast:
📸 Instagram: @alchemypodcastofficial
▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jonathanmills_alchemyhub?si=PERNkuThtSRg5j4T

Jonathan Mills:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmillsalchemyhub
📸 Instagram: @alchemyhubofficial
🌐 Website: https://www.alchemyhub.co.uk/

Mike Brown:

🌐 Website: https://mb15.co.uk/ 

📸 Instagram: @mikebrown_15