Evolve to Succeed

Sam de Reya, Deputy Chief Constable for Dorset Police, talks about the pleasures and pressures of leadership in law enforcement. Also addressed are topics around self-development, public responsibilities, how Covid affected crime, and her time at the FBI National Academy. And, we had to ask—how do police dramas on TV compare to the real thing?

Rosie Radwell recently marked her 20th year as MD at the Marsham Court Hotel in Bournemouth. During that time, both the hotel and Rosie herself have won multiple awards, and Marsham Court continues to be a flagship venue on the south coast.

Rosie's family have been hoteliers in Bournemouth for 70 years, and she talks about the impact this has had on her, and about the pleasures and pressures of continuing that proud family legacy.

Also covered are the importance of building loyalty with guests, staff and contractors, how she competes with the big hotel chains, coping with the upheavals of post-Covid travel, and what she learned from a significant period of family loss and turbulence.

Ben Morton is a former British Army captain who served two tours in Iraq and now works as a leadership mentor and performance coach.

Following his time in the army, Ben entered the corporate world and soon realised that a lot of the leadership training he witnessed was heavily focused on using tools and models in what he terms a 'leadership by numbers' approach. Perturbed by this lack of authenticity and individuality, Ben left the corporate world to transfer the leadership principles he learned in the army into business leadership and team building.

Richard North is the co-founder and CEO of Wow! Stuff, whose innovative tech-toys are sold in major retailers around the world, from Hamleys in London to Walmart in the US.

In 2001, Richard had a car accident that saw him counting from ten to zero and back again just to stay alive. It was a moment that naturally changed Richard's life profoundly. Part of this episode focuses on how he overcame his injuries and the lessons he learned from the experience, while we also hear about the joys and legal challenges of the toy industry .

Matt Desmier—currently business engagement and knowledge exchange manager for the faculty of media and communication at Bournemouth University—is renowned for his special blend of creativity and business acumen. He was instrumental in establishing one of the UK's leading creative and digital economies in Bournemouth, and his time at the incubator Enterprise Pavilion saw an astonishing 75 businesses launched within five years, with those businesses experiencing a 95% survival rate.

Dave Chedgy went from Premiership rugby player, to 24 years as a high-paced City trader and then co-founder of Dynamic Health—a boutique personal training studio in Lilliput, which he runs with his wife Natasha. Dave and Natasha have also founded The Escape Plan—a platform for better financial and physical freedom.

Sandra Palmer-Snellin is director at Farmer Palmers—a fun park based in Poole—and Staglers, an eco-friendly dog chew. Both of these businesses are family owned and run. Sandra talks about managing the dynamics in a family business, what some of the joys, challenges and unique pressures are, and the inheritance of work ethic.

Following complications after a back injury in 2007, Dean Skivington fell into a cycle of addiction and mental health problems that nearly cost him his life. Then he discovered cold therapy and cold showers, and believes this saved him.

Lysette Offley, speaker, author and founder of The Genius Principles and Genius Material, discusses the use of neurolinguistic programming, cognitive behavioural therapy, and both positive and evolutionary psychology, to guide you towards realising your full potential.

Leadership coach and NDE Chris O'Connell charts his compelling journey of building a £25-million recruitment business to losing it all and trying to commit suicide several times. He now uses what he learned from that turbulent period to teach others how to be better leaders, professionals and human beings.