What does success really look like when life forces you to slow down?

In this episode of the Different Hats Podcast, I sit down with founder and HERstory creator Stephanie Prior at a pivotal moment in her life, 33 weeks pregnant, scaling her business, and learning to let go of control.

But this isn’t just a conversation about pregnancy or entrepreneurship.

It’s about identity.

It’s about leadership.

It’s about redefining success beyond performance, perfection and proving yourself.

Stephanie opens up about:

• Growing up navigating identity, belonging and racism
• The turning point at 16 that reshaped her path
• From pageantry to public life, and what representation really means
• Building HERstory into one of Sussex’s leading women-in-business platforms
• The fear of losing control as a founder
• Delegation, leadership and commercialising her business
• Why success isn’t just money, it’s self-belief, gratitude and legacy

As Stephanie prepares for motherhood, she reflects on ambition, vulnerability and what it means to build something that doesn’t depend entirely on you.

This is a powerful case study in redefining success in real time.

00:00 – Introduction

02:24 – Delegation, leadership and commercialising the business

07:41 – Early career, mentorship and full-circle moments

14:09 – What does success really mean?

18:34 – Identity, school, and finding perspective

21:10 – The Gambia trip that changed everything

29:00 – Belonging, racism and confidence

36:45 – Pageantry and representation

44:22 – The origin of HERstory

49:48 – Creating space in business

1:03:29 – Entrepreneurship wasn’t the plan

1:13:19 – Pregnancy, control and fear

1:25:22 – Ambition, motherhood and the next chapter

1:30:36 – What she’d tell her younger self

🎧 LISTEN TO MORE DIFFERENT HATS EPISODES:

👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast

🔗 Connect with Stephanie Prior

Website: https://prior-media.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missstephanieprior/

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-prior-67903b84

💡 If this episode resonated with you, please like, share, and comment below. Your support helps us spread this important message and change the narrative around success and mental health.

Rivervale – https://www.rivervale.co.uk

Brown Bear Studios – https://www.brownbearstudio.co.uk

Carpenter Box – https://www.carpenterbox.com

🎬 PRODUCED BY:

H2 Productions – https://h2productions.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this deeply honest episode, I sit down with Laura Beddoe (Soul Speaks) to talk about what happens behind the “successful” exterior, the stories we run in our heads, the pain we hide, and the moment you decide: enough.

Laura shares her journey from a chaotic childhood, people-pleasing and toxic relationships, to homelessness and standing on the edge… and the tiny glimmers that helped her choose life, rebuild her identity, and create real freedom, not just money and “nice things,” but freedom of mind, presence, and self-worth.

This is a conversation about mental health, addiction, boundaries, self-love, emotional literacy, parenting, and hope, and why the most powerful success is the one you feel on the inside.

If you’re struggling right now, please hear this: nothing is permanent, and you don’t have to carry it alone.

00:00 – Introduction

02:16 – Check-in: Year of the Snake, shedding what no longer serves you

05:19 – Why we avoid silence (and how emotions move through the body)

07:40 – Therapy, stigma, and the generational shift around emotions

09:20 – School, control, and teaching kids emotional literacy

15:10 – Laura’s definition of success: freedom of mind & freedom of choice

19:30 – Choosing change (without needing to hit rock bottom)

28:50 – Laura’s childhood, adoption, “the naughty girl” identity & ADHD

34:57 – Breaking cycles: responsibility, boundaries, and saying “no”

39:08 – Presence, anxiety vs depression, and catching the old story returning

47:38 – Practical tools: mindfulness, journaling, EFT tapping

53:15 – Laura’s rock bottom: coercive control, debt, homelessness

01:01:07 – The moment that snapped: “This is your wake-up call”

01:05:52 – Hope, glimmers, and not knowing what beautiful future you might miss

01:15:43 – Patterns, addiction, compassion, and choosing better inputs

01:35:03 – Vulnerability vs oversharing (and asking permission)

01:41:23 – People-pleasing, self-abandonment, and new standards

01:44:10 – Storytelling card: staying emotionally present with loved ones

01:45:35 – Closing reflections + Laura’s free gift

• “Uncomfortable emotions” don’t last forever — but avoidance keeps them alive
• Confidence isn’t loud… it’s self-trust
• Boundaries aren’t selfish — they’re self-respect
• Addiction often masks pain; healing requires compassion and accountability
• The future can hold what you can’t imagine — if you stay

“The 9 Reasons Why You’re Not Getting Paid To Speak” (free download)

Laura references her work through Soul Speaks, and supports clients with visibility, public speaking, mindset and transformation.

➡️ Add links here:

• Website: https://www.laurabeddoe.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura_beddoe_coach.mentor/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-beddoe-collins/

👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast

💡 If this episode resonated with you, please like, share, and comment below. Your support helps us spread this important message and change the narrative around success and mental health.

This episode includes discussion of suicidal ideation, domestic abuse, addiction, and mental health crises.

If you’re in the UK & Ireland and you need someone right now:

• Samaritans (24/7): 116 123
• Text SHOUT to 85258 (UK, 24/7):
• If you or someone is in immediate danger, call 999.
• NHS guidance on urgent mental health help: CLICK HERE

Rivervale – https://www.rivervale.co.uk

Brown Bear Studios – https://www.brownbearstudio.co.uk

Carpenter Box – https://www.carpenterbox.com

🎬 PRODUCED BY:

H2 Productions – https://h2productions.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, I sit down with Charlotte Ricca, performance psychologist, former journalist, sea swimmer, horse rider, and passionate advocate for emotional literacy, to explore what success really means when life feels overwhelming.

This episode goes far beyond high performance.

Charlotte shares candidly about:

• navigating burnout, anxiety, and periods of depression
• changing her relationship with alcohol
• learning to sit with discomfort rather than mask it
• balancing ambition, motherhood, identity, and self-worth
• and why choosing connection over being right can transform relationships

This is an honest conversation about:

✨ mental health

✨ parenting

✨ redefining success

✨ suicide prevention

✨ emotional resilience

✨ values, purpose, and presence

If you’ve ever felt pressure to “hold it together”, to perform, or to keep going when things feel heavy — this episode will land.

00:00 – Introduction

02:30 – “Are you alright… really?” and showing up authentically

07:00 – Finding glimmers: joy, nature, sea swimming & presence

11:00 – Alcohol, identity & changing coping mechanisms

18:30 – Masking discomfort vs sitting with emotions

22:30 – Why confidence follows action (not the other way around)

27:00 – Anxiety, fear & reframing pressure as privilege

32:00 – Emotional literacy, parenting & allowing children to feel

39:00 – Guilt, self-care & choosing yourself without shame

45:00 – Identity beyond roles: parent, athlete, professional

52:00 – Success, money & redefining what “enough” really means

59:00 – Career pivots, purpose & living without regret

1:05:00 – Overwhelm, burnout & taking one small step at a time

1:12:00 – Depression, hope & why feelings always pass

1:18:00 – Suicide prevention: asking the hard questions

1:26:00 – Teaching kids emotional regulation & resilience

1:34:00 – Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation

1:41:00 – Living in alignment with your values

1:56:00 – Advice to younger self

2:04:00 – Final question: choosing connection over being right

You don’t need to fix everything.

You don’t need to feel “on” all the time.

Sometimes, staying alive, staying present, and taking one small step is success.

🎧 LISTEN TO MORE DIFFERENT HATS EPISODES:

👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast

🔗 Connect with Charlotte Ricca

Website: https://kindabrilliant.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlottericca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-ricca/

💡 If this episode resonated with you, please like, share, and comment below. Your support helps us spread this important message and change the narrative around success and mental health.

Rivervale – https://www.rivervale.co.uk

Brown Bear Studios – https://www.brownbearstudio.co.uk

Carpenter Box – https://www.carpenterbox.com

🎬 PRODUCED BY:

H2 Productions – https://h2productions.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I thought my 100th podcast episode was the start of my journey.

I didn’t realise it would change everything.

Recorded the day after my 47th birthday, this 18-minute solo episode reflects on the most transformative year of my life, not the easiest, not the most “successful,” but the most honest.

A year of silence.

Sobriety.

Relationships changing shape.

Asking for help.

And finally facing the question I’d spent years avoiding:

Why am I not enough?

In this episode, I share the lessons I learnt, the breakdowns, and the moments that rebuilt me.

We explore:

• Redefining success beyond money and status
• The Five Pillars of Success as lived experience
• Male mental health, vulnerability, and asking for help
• Sobriety, self-worth, and sitting with discomfort
• Why connection, not achievement, saved me

This episode marks a shift.

From building businesses to building a movement.

From push motivation to pull motivation.

From wearing many hats… to finally choosing the right one.

If you’re navigating change, feeling lost, or quietly struggling, this episode isn’t here to give you answers.

It’s here to give you permission.

Because sometimes the bravest thing you can say is:

"Help"

00:00 – Introduction

01:45 – Stripping Life Back: Silence & Sobriety

03:20 – The Five Pillars of Success

05:40 – When Relationships Change Shape

07:50 – “Why Am I Not Enough?”

10:20 – When It Got Dark

12:40 – Asking for Help

14:30 – Clarity, Purpose & Letting Go

15:50 – From Business to Movement

17:00 – I Am Enough

🎧 MORE EPISODES:

👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast

💡 If this resonated, please like, share, and comment, it helps spread this message and challenge how we define success.

SPONSORED BY:

Carpenter Box | Brown Bear Studios | Rivervale | Plus X

SPECIAL EPISODE PRODUCED BY:

Matt Cheney - Brown Bear Studios

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this deep, thoughtful conversation, I am joined by entrepreneur, technologist and systems-thinker Neil Witten to explore what success really means, and why so many of us feel disconnected from the lives we’re building.

Neil has spent years questioning the systems we’re told to follow in education, work, entrepreneurship and culture, and asking a more human question instead:

“What am I uniquely designed to do?”

Together, Neil and I explore:

• Why success has become overly defined by money, status and productivity
• The hidden cost of ignoring curiosity, play and soft skills
• Why many people wait for crisis before changing their lives
• The role parents, schools and culture play in shaping identity
• Why self-awareness may be the most important skill of the future

This is not a conversation about hacks or shortcuts.

It’s about listening to your gut, working on yourself, and choosing alignment over approval.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re climbing the wrong ladder…

If you’ve questioned the systems you’ve inherited…

Or if you’re quietly asking “Is this really it?” .. this episode is for you.

00:00 – Introduction

03:30 – Why we struggle to talk honestly (especially men)

10:45 – How culture hijacked our definition of success

18:40 – Purpose, play & being wired for something

30:15 – Education, neurodiversity & one-size-fits-all systems

42:10 – Soft skills, hiring & the future of work

55:30 – Childhood, curiosity & learning outside the system

1:10:45 – Entrepreneurship, risk & waiting for permission

1:28:20 – Parenting, autonomy & enabling potential

1:45:10 – Creating your own catalysts for change

2:02:30 – Letting go, evolution & redefining your role

2:18:40 – Final reflections: living true to yourself

🎧 LISTEN TO MORE DIFFERENT HATS EPISODES:

👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast

🔗 Connect with Neil Witten

Website: https://www.pigsinflight.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilwitten/

💡 If this episode resonated with you, please like, share, and comment below.

Your support helps us change the narrative around success and mental health.

Rivervale – https://www.rivervale.co.uk

Brown Bear Studios – https://www.brownbearstudio.co.uk

Carpenter Box – https://www.carpenterbox.com

🎙️ PRODUCED BY:

H2 Productions – https://h2productions.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you’ve done everything “right”… but still feel worthless, lost, and exhausted by your own mind?

In this deeply honest and moving episode of the Different Hats Podcast, I sit down with Matt Cheney, creative producer, storyteller, and someone who has quietly fought one of the hardest battles of all: the one inside his own head.

Matt opens up about late ADHD diagnosis, imposter syndrome, self-worth, burnout, grief, suicide attempts, and the masks many men wear just to survive. He shares how losing his father, his relationship, his career structure, his identity, and his sense of belonging brought him to rock bottom, and how a single moment, a run, and one unexpected email helped him choose to keep going.

This is not a story about “fixing yourself.”

It’s about learning how to live with yourself.

If you’ve ever:

• Felt like you weren’t enough

• Lived with a relentless inner critic

• Been successful on the outside but empty inside

• Struggled to accept love, compliments, or rest

• Wondered if it’s possible to keep going

This conversation will stay with you.

00:00 – Introduction

01:21 – “You Alright Mate?” check-in

02:54 – Shiny objects vs investing in yourself

07:35 – Redefining success beyond money

12:30 – Loving your work… but hating yourself

16:13 – Creativity, kids & permission to try

22:14 – Childhood, belonging & emotional safety

28:51 – Rugby, leadership & fear of failure

32:58 – ADHD, masking & self-worth

40:20 – Parents, caregiving & inherited patterns

49:05 – Imposter syndrome & burnout

56:00 – Relationships, vulnerability & being seen

1:06:51 – Injury, grief & losing everything

1:18:42 – Suicide attempts & the pain beneath them

1:19:34 – The email that changed everything

1:28:56 – “You are the sky, everything else is weather”

1:35:50 – Learning to live with the inner critic

1:46:29 – Giving without needing anything back

1:53:29 – Silence, endurance & the meaning of “keep going”

2:08:20 – Advice for anyone feeling lost

2:12:27 – A life well lived

• ADHD & late diagnosis

• Imposter syndrome

• Masculinity & emotional literacy

• Suicide, grief & recovery

• Self-worth vs external success

• Receiving love & compliments

• Identity beyond achievement

• Why “keeping going” matters

🎧 LISTEN TO MORE DIFFERENT HATS EPISODES:

👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast

🔗 Connect with Matt Cheney

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcheney1/

💡 If this episode resonated with you, please like, share, and comment. Your support helps us change the narrative around success and mental health.

Rivervale – https://www.rivervale.co.uk

Brown Bear Studios – https://www.brownbearstudio.co.uk

Carpenter Box – https://www.carpenterbox.com

🎙️ PRODUCED BY:

H2 Productions – https://h2productions.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when life forces you to face the one thing most of us avoid thinking about?

In this deeply honest and moving episode, I sit down with Gavin O’Donoghue, who shares his journey living with stage 4 metastatic melanoma, the reality of a terminal diagnosis, and the mindset shifts that have helped him keep showing up with hope, humour and heart.

This is a powerful conversation about presence, fatherhood, friendship, legacy, and what success really means when the “big stuff” is stripped away.

If you or someone you love is navigating illness, grief, anxiety, or simply feeling overwhelmed by life, this episode is a reminder that connection, love, and meaning are the real measures of a life well lived.

00:00:02 Introduction

00:00:47 Gavin’s honest answer: “Life is pretty tough right now”

00:08:12 Hope as a lifeline in dark moments

00:08:47 The power of presence + “the greatest Christmas ever”

00:09:58 Was Gavin always present, or did cancer change that?

00:10:36 Work, busyness, and the struggle to switch off

00:13:50 Society’s pressure, productivity, and the “success” trap

00:15:03 Gavin’s old definition of success vs. what it became

00:24:26 Leadership lessons: helping others win

00:26:34 Giving, reciprocity, and building a “personal board of directors”

00:36:07 Teaching kids success before crisis forces the lesson

00:37:56 What really matters at the end of life

00:44:35 Curiosity, learning, and taking control where you can

00:45:13 Mindset tools: breathwork, gratitude, and community support

00:54:38 Why vulnerability is strength (and isolation makes it harder)

00:57:04 “That’s what makes you rich” — relationships as real wealth

00:59:17 Men, friendship, banter, and why community matters

01:01:02 Creating legacy: recording stories for his boys

01:05:49 The balance between hope and realism

01:07:33 Why we avoid talking about death (and what we miss)

01:09:52 Gavin’s diagnosis story: from stage 2 to stage 4

01:25:16 How Gavin keeps going after setbacks

01:25:39 Purpose, therapy, goals, and finding reasons to keep moving

01:35:32 The Open qualifier: “my biggest f*** you to cancer”

01:39:13 The example he’s setting for his children

01:42:22 The “A-grade letter” exercise + “Go brave”

01:55:19 Paying it forward: Wolo, awareness, and impact

01:57:57 Biggest life lessons: love, honesty, vulnerability, meaning

02:13:14 Closing words + “Go brave”

• Living with terminal cancer and staying human in it
• Hope vs. realism: holding both at the same time
• Presence, gratitude, and the small moments that become everything
• Friendship, banter, love, and why men need community
• Legacy: creating memories for your children while you still can
• Redefining success beyond money, status and achievement
• Gavin’s life tools: curiosity, journaling, breathwork, therapy, humour

Gavin is an executive search consultant with 20 years’ experience in financial markets. Since 2019 he has been living with melanoma, and following a stage 4 diagnosis, he has endured multiple treatments while continuing to show up for his family, his friends, and his purpose with honesty, humour and heart.

“Success now is hugging my boys… being present… love… connection… the simple stuff.”

Please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs a bit of hope today.

And if you’re going through something right now send the text. Ask the question.

Those three words can matter more than we realise.

🎧 LISTEN TO MORE DIFFERENT HATS EPISODES:

👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast

🔗 Connect with Gavin O’Donoghue

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odonoghue.gavin/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-o-donoghue-12ba5312/

💡 If this episode resonated with you, please like, share, and comment below. Your support helps us spread this important message and change the narrative around success and mental health.

SPONSORED BY:

Rivervale

Brown Bear Studios

Carpenter Box

PRODUCED BY: H2 Productions: https://h2productions.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the secret to better business, better parenting and better mental health was… letting go of control?

In this powerful, reflective conversation, I sit down with culture-change consultant and “buddish” thinker Jon Barnes (Pala) to talk about rewilding organisations, autonomy, depression, silent retreats, parenting, Buddhism, phones, presence and what it really means to be human.

We explore how to move from command-and-control to self-managing, autonomous teams, how tiny experiments can transform culture, and why CEOs often save two days a week when they stop making every decision.

Jon also shares openly about his dangerous depression, how a 10-day silent retreat changed his relationship with his thoughts, the difference between having anger vs being angry, and why he now calls himself “buddish”.

This episode weaves perfectly into the You Alright Mate? mission and my Five Pillars of Success, especially Presence, Balance, Authenticity and Relationships and asks how we can equip both adults and kids to sit with their emotions in a world designed to distract us.

• How Jon went from hierarchy to rewilding organisations and self-managed teams
• Why autonomy at work can save leaders days each week (and create happier teams)
• Simple culture shifts: meetings, decisions & information sharing as leverage points
• Parenting, failure and letting our kids do what lights them up
• Jon’s story of clinical depression, SSRIs and finding mindfulness
• What really happens on a 10-day silent meditation retreat
• Thoughts vs emotions – and learning to notice rather than be owned by them
• Phones, tech, attention & why boredom might be a superpower
• Being “buddish”: Buddhist psychology, compassion & reducing suffering
• “This too shall pass” as a life toolkit – for the highs and the lows

00:00 – “You alright mate?” check-in & intro to Jon Barnes

06:15 – From traditional schooling to autonomy & a Costa Rica jungle school

15:30 – Discovering self-managed teams & a new kind of leadership

26:40 – What autonomy really looks like at work (and why CEOs gain 2 days a week)

36:20 – Culture change as small experiments & the power of atomic habits

45:05 – Rewilding organisations: the Knepp Estate metaphor & letting go of control

55:40 – Parenting, autonomy for kids & reframing failure as learning

1:05:30 – Meetings, decisions & information sharing as the heart of culture

1:15:00 – Hitting the wall: depression, burnout and calling in sick to life

1:27:30 – Inside a 10-day silent retreat: thoughts, emotions & the noisy mind

1:40:10 – Tech Monopolies, smartphones & the attention economy

1:50:20 – Teaching presence & emotional literacy to children

2:00:00 – Peak experiences, the lake moment & “this too shall pass”

2:10:10 – Being “buddish”: compassion, suffering & altered traits

2:22:50 – Top Table card question on boundaries & closing reflections

Jon Barnes is a culture-change consultant, facilitator and co-founder of Pala, helping organisations move from rigid hierarchies to more autonomous, human-centred ways of working. His work draws on ideas from rewilding, permaculture, mindfulness and Buddhist psychology, and he’s the author of books including Tech Monopolies. Jon describes himself as “buddish” not religious, but deeply influenced by Buddhist thought and the practice of mindfulness.

🎧 LISTEN TO MORE DIFFERENT HATS EPISODES:

👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast

🔗 Connect with Jon Barnes

Website: https://teampala.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonbarnesdotme/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbarnesdotme/

💡 If this episode resonated with you, please like, share, and comment below. Your support helps us spread this important message and change the narrative around success and mental health.

Rivervale – www.rivervale.co.uk

Brown Bear Studios – https://brownbearstudios.co.uk/

Carpenter Box – https://www.carpenterbox.com/

PRODUCED BY: H2 Productions – https://h2productions.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this powerful episode, entrepreneur and endurance athlete Bruce Bignell joins me to share an honest, inspiring and deeply reflective journey, from childhood trauma and blended family life, to building a tech business, redefining leadership, and becoming the kind of man his younger self needed.

Bruce opens up about growing up between private school and state school, navigating complex family dynamics, searching for male role models, and the challenges young boys face today in a world of algorithms, screens and identity confusion. He explores how social media shapes validation, why kids are outsourcing self-worth to strangers online, and what parents must do to help them reconnect to real life, real people, and real values.

He also shares how a 3-month period of radical change, running ultramarathons, rowing the Channel, and transforming his nutrition, completely shifted his mindset and taught him how to back himself when everything felt impossible.

We dive into:

• Success: health, wealth, wisdom
• Masculinity: raising boys, male role models & blended families
• Mental health: resilience, identity & future self thinking
• Leadership: calm in crisis, inspiring change, seeing opportunity
• Risk: starting Evolve during Covid, hitting £70 in the bank, rebuilding
• Childhood: class, trauma, intuition, grounding and learning
• Technology: AI, humanity & why people will always matter
• Personal growth: redefining how you want your story to go

Bruce’s story is emotional, practical, honest and incredibly useful for anyone navigating business, fatherhood, mental health or big life transitions.

00:00 – Introduction

03:17 – “You alright mate?” Bruce checks in

04:46 – Lessons from a tough year

06:54 – Success = health, wealth & wisdom

09:44 – Lifelong learning & curiosity

10:44 – Teenage Bruce: success, football & business

17:00 – Class, identity & bridging different worlds

20:42 – Male role models & blended families

24:32 – Masculinity & the Lost Boys

25:41 – Teens, rebellion & identity

31:31 – Social media & outsourcing validation

36:30 – Intrinsic vs extrinsic self-worth

41:04 – Early business exposure

46:04 – Sales, rejection & resilience

54:51 – Crisis, clarity & leadership

57:54 – What makes a true leader?

1:02:15 – Work Up & endurance challenges

1:07:51 – Nutrition & trusting his body

1:19:36 – Risk, money & resilience

1:23:03 – “There’s always another way”

1:31:03 – Building Evolve

1:35:49 – How we respond to life

1:47:00 – Future self vs current behaviour

2:00:40 – Advice to 16-year-old Bruce

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brucebignell

👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast

Brown Bear Audio 👉 https://brownbearstudios.co.uk/

Carpenter Box 👉 https://www.carpenterbox.com/

Rivervale 👉 rivervale.co.uk

Produced by: H2 Productions  www.h2productions.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does success really look like once you’ve “made it”?

In this powerful conversation, I sit down with entrepreneur and former RocketMill CEO Sam Garrity for a deep and emotional exploration of ambition, success, fear, leadership, culture, mental health and reinvention.

Sam shares how RocketMill grew from a Yellow Pages idea to a high-growth agency, built on people-first culture and relentless belief. He opens up about anxiety, panic attacks, childhood trauma and the fear of embarrassment that silently shaped his drive.

He reveals the benefits and the cost of being “all in”: the emotional load, the mental space it consumed, the presence he lost at home, and why selling the company brought grief and joy.

This episode dives into:

• Panic attacks, anxiety and the roots of self-belief

• The fierce drive behind RocketMill, and the application behind “All in” mentality

• Culture, leadership and why behaviours matter more than values on a wall

• The emotional reality of selling a company, the euphoria and the grief

• Rebuilding identity, relationships and purpose after the exit

• Breathwork, emotional release and healing old wounds

• Why pride, integrity and community now matter more than ever

It’s raw, human, inspiring and full of lessons for anyone chasing big goals, navigating change, or trying to understand what success really means.

0:00 – Introduction

5:13 – “You alright mate?” — honest check-in

7:28 – Redefining success through purpose

9:04 – Success evolving through childhood → adulthood

17:27 – Ambition vs purpose

19:09 – What really drives Sam

21:11 – Upbringing, instability & resilience

27:05 – Fear of failure & self-belief

31:12 – Embarrassment, failure & reframing it

42:26 – Early career: Express, Daily Mail & culture

55:36 – The birth of RocketMill

1:00:00 – Betting the farm & starting from nothing

1:02:07 – “Are we all in?” — the RocketMill mentality

1:07:32 – Sacrifice: being there but not present

1:12:32 – Advice to founders: be braver

1:13:59 – Pushing the boulder uphill

1:26:17 – COVID: guaranteeing 200 jobs

1:28:50 – People-first culture in action

1:30:17 – Selling the company — everyone wins

1:39:31 – Euphoria & grief after the sale

1:50:00 – Breathwork, emotion & healing

1:51:26 – Community, Samaritans & purpose

2:00:45 – Seek pride in everything you do

2:02:34 – Storytelling card

2:05:26 – Closing reflections

A profound conversation for founders, leaders, parents, creators, anyone striving to succeed while staying grounded, healthy and human.

Brown Bear Audio – Elite podcast studio. 👉 https://brownbearstudios.co.uk/

Carpenter Box – Accountancy & advisory specialists. 👉 https://www.carpenterbox.com/

Rivervale – Making motoring manageable. 👉 rivervale.co.uk

Produced by: H2 Productions – h2productions.co.uk

👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.