Different Hats Podcast

This weeks episode is from the 24 hour podcast with the inspirational Austin Okolo. Austin is an Award-winning serial entrepreneur, the Co-founder & CEO of The Gen Z Club, founder of readingwithaustin.com and Borntostandoutldn.com.

He is an individual that has always thought he stood out and has recently learned to embrace his differences and what made him unique. He learnt that those differences were his strengths. He is now on a mission to help other people stand out through his premium fashion brand borntostandoutldn.com.

He has also co founded another company called ‘The Gen Z Club’ which has brought together over 2000 gen z’s through motivating and engaging networking events. Since launching in August 2021 he has a reach of 500,000 and the Gen Z Club have hosted over 14 events in 4 different cities and have also helped leading corporations such as Barclays UK effectively target Gen Z. Finally reading with Austin is a book club he started in early 2022 which is a monthly subscription business that helps people improve their lives through books!

Some key takeaways:

💥 Failing Fast Failing Forward

💥 Encouraging Independent Thought

💥 Being Curious and Adventurous

💥 Be the best you can be

For someone so young Austin blew me away with his wisdom, knowledge and insights into the world of business but ultimately life in general. A grounded, humble yet curious and ambition individual who certainly became my teacher during this episode. We discuss how he started a fashion brand whilst studying for a degree, his thoughts around the hustle culture narrative as well as his passion for wanting to learn and be curious. Austin is shinning example of what can be achieved if you put your mind to it and a real credit to the Gen Z generation, he is certainly one to watch now, as well as in the future.

Everyone has a story to tell... Happy Listening 🎧

💥 'To have real impact on the world we need to encourage independent thought'

Watch the episode on YouTube ➡️ https://youtu.be/tnX5OrnyK1A

You can find out more about Austin Okolo here ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-okolo/

OUR SPONSORS

Creative Pod ➡️ https://www.creativepod.uk.com/

EMC Corporate Finance ➡️ https://www.emcltd.co.uk/

Preston Insurance Brokers ➡️ https://prestoninsurancebrokers.co.uk/

Plus X ➡️ https://plusx.space/

Produced by H2 Productions ➡️ https://h2productions.co.uk/

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

This weeks episode is from the 24 hour podcast with special guest Steven Edwards. Steven is best known for winning the 6th series of MasterChef: The Professionals in 2013 becoming one of the youngest ever winners of the competition at the age of 26.

Double Michelin starred chef Michel Roux Jnr. commented: "His food is lovely. He makes food that is great to eat, expertly cooked, presented with a certain elegance, clean lines, and it works — fault-free."

We discuss:

💥 Where his passion for hospitality and food comes from

💥 What his favourite dish is

💥 The challenges he faced during the pandemic

💥 The power of positivity

As a real foodie this was personally a real highlight for me, a brilliant conversation with someone that you can tell has a real passion for the industry, and providing a magical service and experience for all those that visit Etch and Steven Edwards at the Bingham. He also gives us an insight into what is next for this talented chef.. An absolute must listen for any foodie or people in hospitality.

Everyone has a story to tell... Happy Listening 🎧

💥 'I think positivity is my biggest thing, I always try and put a positive spin on it'

Watch the episode on YouTube ➡️ https://youtu.be/l-KbTe0GC-M

You can find out more about Steven Edwards ➡️ https://www.steven-edwards.co.uk/home#/about/

OUR SPONSORS

Creative Pod ➡️ https://www.creativepod.uk.com/

EMC Corporate Finance ➡️ https://www.emcltd.co.uk/

Preston Insurance Brokers ➡️ https://prestoninsurancebrokers.co.uk/

Plus X ➡️ https://plusx.space/

Produced by H2 Productions ➡️ https://h2productions.co.uk/

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

This weeks episode is from the live show of the 24 hour podcast with the founder of the Tiny Box Company and Dragon Slayer, Rachel Watkyn. Rachel's incredible story is one of resilience, determination and overcoming huge amounts of adversity and trauma to never give up.

We discuss:

💥 Her traumatic childhood

💥 Overcoming severe illness

💥 Being diagnosed with Cancer twice

💥 Winning investment on Dragons Den

💥 Building a multi million pound company

Listening to some of the horrific experiences life has thrown at Rachel, it really helps to gain some perspective on where you are right now, and if you are facing challenges remember 'You always have a choice'. Ultimately a choice about how we face those challenges and the path and mindset we choose to take. She explains what it was like to hit rock bottom, but as long as you have hope you can get through anything. Her incredible story can not fail to inspire you...

Everyone has a story to tell... Happy Listening 🎧

💥 'That is one of the gifts of life if you like, that at whatever point when you think, you know life's not great, you've got a choice'

Watch the episode on YouTube ➡️ https://youtu.be/Osy5anBVjhE

You can find out more about Rachel Watkyn ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelwatkyn/

OUR SPONSORS

Creative Pod ➡️ https://www.creativepod.uk.com/

EMC Corporate Finance ➡️ https://www.emcltd.co.uk/

Preston Insurance Brokers ➡️ https://prestoninsurancebrokers.co.uk/

Plus X ➡️ https://plusx.space/

Produced by H2 Productions ➡️ https://h2productions.co.uk/

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

I am delighted to share episode 11 of the 24 hour podcast this week with former Brighton & Hove Albion captain and Scottish International Gordon Greer. After watching Gordon lead the BHAFC team out at the Amex many times, especially that iconic first league game at the Amex v Doncaster Rovers, what Brighton fan could forget that. It was a real honour to chat with him about his career and now life after football.

We discussed a variety of topics:

💥 Career Highlights

💥 Leadership

💥 Strong Work Ethic and Resilience

💥 Life after football

It was a fascinating conversation as he spoke about walking out for the first time playing for his country and how it wasn't just for him, but his family and friends he grew up with. What it was like playing under Gus Poyet and his time at Brighton. Knowing Gordon for a few years now and watching him play many times, he is someone with an exceptional work ethic and a leader both on and off the pitch, as he still demonstrates today by supporting the next generation of players and sharing his experiences, in his role with BHAFC as pathway development manager. This is a cracking episode and a must listen for any football and especially Brighton fans.

Everyone has a story to tell... Happy Listening 🎧

💥 'The worst thing you could ever say to me is I didn't work hard enough'

Watch the episode on YouTube ➡️ https://youtu.be/yBZS1R_OWPk

You can find out more about Gordon Greer ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordon-greer-282996144/

OUR SPONSORS

Creative Pod ➡️ https://www.creativepod.uk.com/

EMC Corporate Finance ➡️ https://www.emcltd.co.uk/

Preston Insurance Brokers ➡️ https://prestoninsurancebrokers.co.uk/

Plus X ➡️ https://plusx.space/

Produced by H2 Productions ➡️ https://h2productions.co.uk/

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

That as they say is a wrap.. Series 3 is complete with 16 truly amazing conversations with 16 brilliant guests.

This series has been a real game changer for me. I am on a mission to try and change the narrative around how success is measured and that someone's success especially in business, should not be measured purely a financial metric. I tried to delve deep into what makes these exceptional individuals tick, many of who are very financially successful, but the overriding message is that ultimately we are all searching for fulfilment and contentment, and money and financial success although provides us with potential opportunities and the ability to buy more stuff, it doesn't give us purpose and certainly not fulfilment.

As we navigate through this crazy journey of life and I continue to learn from the amazing stories that people share with me on the podcast as well as my own expirences, I am continually reminded by everyone, that although it is a cliche and we all know I love a cliche, life is a journey and not a destination, getting up everyday and doing your best, whatever that looks like to you, enjoying the process and being present in the moment, that is the key to true success, happiness and fulfilment.

When listening to these episodes please ask yourself, how do you measure your success?

For me Charlie Macksey described it brilliantly in the book 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse'.

What do you think success is?' 'To love said the mole' ❤️

I would like to thank all my amazing 16 guests, Mark Wooley, Mike Monk, Jessica Freeman, Karen Dobres, Jo Child, Sam Murphy, Ed Chinn, Tom Hooper, Fiona Anderson, Marc Convey, Lindsey Clay, Chris Goodman, Ricky Whiting, Andy, Steve, Chris Tugwell, Julian Caddy, Dan Wade and Rob Starr. I am so grateful for your time, your openness, honesty and sharing your inspirational stories and journeys with me and our listeners.

Everyone has a story to tell... Happy Listening 🎧

You can watch the round up on YouTube ➡️ https://youtu.be/khedOp0MW3A

Powered By Picture Book Films ➡️ https://picturebookfilms.co.uk

Produced by H2 Productions ➡️ https://h2productions.co.uk/

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

Welcome to the final episode of 2022 and of series 3. And I could not think of a better way to round things off than with Rob Starr, CEO and founder of SEICO Group and Chairman of the Starr Trust Charity. Rob has swum the English channel, completed an Iron Man and at the start of this year in SBT we covered the beginning of his journey to complete 52 Olympic Triathlons in 2022. On 30th November, he completed his 52nd Triathlon in less than a year raising over £100,000 for the charity. I have it said it in many posts this year, that in life we meet people that have a true impact on us and inspire us, there is not many people I have met in my life who have had as much of an impact on me or inspired me more than Rob.

This is a truly amazing episode packed with incredible insights. Rob takes us on a journey from leaving school with one O Level and being told he would be lucky if he would clear rubbish for a living, but on the other side he had his dad telling him 'You can do anything you want son and I believe in you' which highlights the power of having someone believe in you from a young age. This gave Rob the self belief to leave school, find a job and start his own business in his early 20's, and with his 'can do' attitude towards life he has been running the business for over 31 years. He tells us about the ups and downs of this journey with true openness, honesty and how he felt that 25 out of the 31 years he could have lost the business. We delve into the profound effect that losing his dad and best friend 16 years ago had on him and ultimately what led him to starting the Starr Trust with a £20,000 bank loan. We discuss Rob's many challenges including his channel swim and this years epic 52 Olympic Triathlons in 48 weeks that he completed on 30th November 2020.

Getting to know Rob has been one of the highlights of my year and once you listen to this episode you will get a glimpse of why and the mindset behind this inspirational, unique individual.

Rob's one rule for living a fulfilled life:

💥 'Be the best you can be'

Everyone has a story to tell... Happy listening 🎧

Watch the episode on YouTube ➡️ https://youtu.be/CJ7ps7faTM4

Find out more about Seico ➡️ https://www.seicogroup.co.uk/

Find out more about The Starr Trust ➡️ https://www.starrtrust.org/

Powered By Picture Book Films ➡️ https://picturebookfilms.co.uk

Produced by H2 Productions ➡️ https://h2productions.co.uk/

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

My guest this week is CEO of Rockinghorse Children's Charity, Donna Holland. Donna is responsible for the smooth running of Rockinghorse: ensuring that the strategy and plans meet the needs of children, young people and their families, and for ensuring that the charity can continue to support sick and disabled children across Sussex in the future. She has been in the charity sector for two decades working with a number of large and small charities and playing her part in having an impact and making a real difference.

This was the final episode of the 24 hour podcast and I could think of a better way to finish than with the CEO of the charity the event was raising money for. It was such an honour to interview Donna for the final episode. We talked about life growing up and her intrinsic desire to have a career with purpose and to really make a difference. She shared stories of her various roles within the charity sector working for large national charities including the 'Missing People' and how she was on call as the media person when Madeline McCann went missing. We delve into what life was like running a charity during a global pandemic and how she is creating a real team culture within Rockinghorse, where everyone plays their part. It was a fascinating conversation and a real insight into the mindset of someone who genuinely wants to make a difference, having an impact and helping to change peoples lives, as she says 'What makes her happy is there is a big job to be done and she has a small part to play and will play her part until the big job is done'

Everyone has a story to tell... Happy Listening 🎧

Donna's one rule for living a fulfilled life:

💥 'Do something that is bigger than you'

Watch the episode on YouTube ➡️ https://youtu.be/Vj6XCGl-meQ

You can find out more about Rockinghorse ➡️ https://www.rockinghorse.org.uk/meet-the-team/

OUR SPONSORS

Creative Pod ➡️ https://www.creativepod.uk.com/

EMC Corporate Finance ➡️ https://www.emcltd.co.uk/

Preston Insurance Brokers ➡️ https://prestoninsurancebrokers.co.uk/

Plus X ➡️ https://plusx.space/

Produced by H2 Productions➡️ https://h2productions.co.uk/

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

My guest this week former Sussex Cricketer, Lewis Hatchett. Founder of Sport Yogi, performance mindset & mindfulness coach for athletes, podcast host, yogi and student.

From achieving one of the most defiant careers in first-class cricket to it ending overnight. Lewis story began when his dream ended. Through the pain and uncertainty came a new understanding of what happens when you put everything on what you do and forget the power of the human being you want to be.

Through practice and introspection immerged a new perceptive built on mindfulness with a driven athlete mindset.

This was episode 6 of the 24 hour podcast and I could have honestly talked to Lewis for the full 24 hours, he shared:

💥 His drive, focus and determination from a young age to achieve his dream

💥 Achieving his dream against the odds

💥 The pain he suffered when that dream came to an abrupt end at just 25

💥 His search for who he really is

This is a brilliant episode with some great insights into the mindset of an incredible athlete, but ultimately an incredible human being. Lewis took me on an inspirational journey through the podcast discussing his drive and focus from a young age and the eutrophic moment of signing a contract with Sussex CCC and achieving his child hood dream. Then the devastation of that dream coming to an end at just 25 years old, but using his tool box of skills that he has learnt throughout his life and career to go on a journey of self discovery and ultimately ask himself that all important question.... Who am I? There are so many fantastic takeaways from this episode, especially the 'Human Knowing, Human Doing' exercise that I'll advise you all to give it a try..

Everyone has a story to tell... Happy Listening 🎧

Lewis's one rule for living a fulfilled life:

💥 'Be relentlessly, relentlessly your authentic self'

Watch the episode on YouTube ➡️ https://youtu.be/0ygmLmpQGrw

You can find out more about Lewis Hatchett ➡️ https://lewishatchett.com/about/

OUR SPONSORS

Creative Pod ➡️ https://www.creativepod.uk.com/

EMC Corporate Finance ➡️ https://www.emcltd.co.uk/

Preston Insurance Brokers ➡️ https://prestoninsurancebrokers.co.uk/

Plus X ➡️ https://plusx.space/

Produced by H2 Productions➡️ https://h2productions.co.uk/

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

This weeks bonus episode of the podcast is with the one and only Entrepreneur Roger Woodall (Dodge). Owner Bournemouth 7s Festival™️ & Event Crowd™️, Host Eventful Entrepreneur Podcast™️, Co Host Harry Redknapp Show™️ and a judge at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards™️

He has been an entrepreneur for as long as he can remember and for me is the perfect example of a true entrepreneur. Over the past 25 years has built many businesses and brands, and events has been his world. He has created, owned & promoted - 1,500 Live Music Events, 15 Sport & Music Festivals, Selling over 1+ Million tickets.

In this amazing episode we delve into:

💥 What life was like growing up, always making money from as young as 10

💥 What it was like to lose £1,000,000 during the pandemic

💥 Finding opportunities during adversity

💥 The importance of persistence, perseverance and resilience

This was a truly fascinating episode, I was blown away by Dodge's mindset, drive and self belief, to always find an opportunity even during extremely testing times. He discusses his love for business and always finding opportunities, whether that be at 10 years old on the door getting people into a nightclub to running festivals for over 30,000 attendees. It was a genuine privilege to have such an insightful conversation with someone that truly epitomises the word 'Entrepreneur', I think if you looked up the word in the dictionary there would be a picture of 'Dodge' Woodall right there.

Everyone has a story to tell... Happy Listening 🎧

Watch the episode on YouTube ➡️ https://youtu.be/tGFJQhMu-4E

You can follow Dodge on -

📸 Instagram.com/Dodge.Woodall

🤩 TikTok.com/@dodgewoodall

▶️ Youtube.com/c/DodgeWoodall

🎙 https://apple.co/3cLSQP0

OUR SPONSORS

Creative Pod ➡️ https://www.creativepod.uk.com/

EMC Corporate Finance ➡️ https://www.emcltd.co.uk/

Preston Insurance Brokers ➡️ https://prestoninsurancebrokers.co.uk/

Plus X ➡️ https://plusx.space/

Produced by H2 Productions➡️ https://h2productions.co.uk/

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

My guest this week is Dan Wade, New Practice Development Manager at WPA Healthcare Practice PLC and Co-Founder and Trustee at Table Talk Foundation. In 2015 and 2016 he was a finalist for the British Franchisee of the Year awards two years running, which put him in the top 15 franchise owngers in the UK where there are circa 45,000 franchise owners including brands like McDonalds, Vodafone, Subway, Dynorod to name a few. He is someone with a positive mindset and extremely strong work ethic and what he has achieved in business and now the charity sector is truly inspiring.

We discuss in this episode:

💥 How Dan developed a strong work ethic

💥 What his time in Hospitality taught him

💥 Starting a business at 19

💥 Why he founded a charity at 35, to support the hospitality industry and tackle childhood obesity

Dan talks about his earlier years working in kitchens, the banter, borderline bullying, but an amazing experience that taught him about the power of team work, to develop a thick skin and enhance his admirable strong work ethic. We discuss the lessons he learnt from that experience and playing sport that he took into business, starting his first franchise at just 19 years old and what it has been like growing a successful franchise over the past 16 years. Dan goes on to talk about why he decided to launch The Table Talk Foundation that supports an industry close to his heart as well as tackling the issues around childhood obesity. At 35 years old, he has achieved so much but continues to strive, thrive and make a real impact.. This is a fantastic episode from a truly inspiring businessmen.

Everyone has a story to tell... Happy listening 🎧

Watch the episode on YouTube ➡️ https://youtu.be/lbYFooIn5sQ

Find out more about WPA ➡️ https://www.wpa.org.uk

Find out more about Table Talk Foundation ➡️ https://www.tabletalk-foundation.com

Powered By Picture Book Films ➡️ https://picturebookfilms.co.uk

Produced by H2 Productions ➡️ https://h2productions.co.uk/

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