🎙️ In this powerful episode of the Inspiring Leadership Podcast, we welcome Sam Smith — trailblazing entrepreneur, board advisor, and the founding CEO of finnCap, the City’s first female-led stockbroking firm.

Over 24 years, Sam built what is now Cavendish Financial into a £50m+ investment bank, backing hundreds of high-growth companies. Her leadership journey is defined by empathy, inclusion, and purpose-driven governance — themes she explores in her bestselling book The Secret Sauce.

Sam reflects on what it takes to scale a business while staying true to your values, the mindset behind lasting success, and how to navigate critical pivot points with resilience. She shares the vision behind The SuperScalers, a global initiative she co-founded to help underrepresented founders grow their businesses from £1m to £50m+, and how this movement is shifting the narrative of who gets to build big.

As a respected non-executive director across multiple sectors and a passionate advocate for equity in entrepreneurship, Sam is also championing a campaign to bring entrepreneurship into the school curriculum — ensuring every young person, regardless of background, has the tools to shape their own future.

🎧 Tune in for a conversation full of insight, inspiration, and practical wisdom from one of the UK’s most impactful business leaders.

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🎖️ Major Scotty Mills is a former Royal Marines Commando Officer and Head of Performance for all 6,500 of Britain’s elite Green Berets.

From the backstreets of South London to leading battlefield missions alongside US Navy SEALs, Scotty’s life is a powerful story of resilience, leadership, and human potential.

As Commanding Officer, he led recovery teams transforming the lives of injured and traumatised service personnel across the UK’s Armed Forces. A world record holder and London 2012 Olympic Flag Bearer, he later became a trusted advisor to elite sports teams—most notably helping Gareth Southgate and the England Football Team forge a winning culture under pressure ⚽.

Named the most inspirational serviceman in the UK, Scotty is now a globally sought-after motivational speaker, performance coach, and author of Never Give In: 12 Commando Rules for Life. His mission? To help people and teams around the world unlock the courage to achieve their impossible dreams.

🎧 Tune in now to hear Scotty’s incredible journey—from combat zones to coaching world champions—and discover the leadership lessons that will change how you show up in life and work.

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✈️ Emma Henderson MBE is a transformative speaker, award-winning CEO, and one of fewer than 500 female airline captains worldwide.

With over 30 years of aviation experience, she brings powerful, real-world lessons on resilient leadership, high-stakes decision-making, and leading teams through turbulence—both literal and figurative.

From flying aircraft at 37,000 feet to founding the celebrated Project Wingman during the pandemic, Emma has become a trusted voice in developing authentic, human-centric leadership cultures. Her "captain's mindset" equips leaders to make fast, confident decisions, build trust, and adapt in high-pressure environments.

Her bestselling book GROUNDED distills these lessons into a practical framework for success in business and life. As an Aviation Ambassador and MBE honouree for services to charity, she’s inspired top organisations like NatWest, EDF, Boeing, and the NHS.

🚀 Tune in now to hear how Emma turns cockpit wisdom into boardroom brilliance—and walk away with the tools to lead with clarity, courage, and resilience.

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🎙️ Chris Duncan is a seasoned media leader with over 25 years of experience driving transformation and growth across the agency, national newspaper, and magazine sectors. He’s led strategic change in complex global environments for UK, US, and European businesses.

From doubling revenue at a cloud CRM startup to launching the first iPad edition of The Times, Chris has consistently delivered innovation and impact. As Chief Customer Officer at NewsCorp, he spearheaded marketing and business development across UK brands, and as MD of The Times, he scaled its digital subscriptions to record highs.

As CEO of Bauer Media UK Publishing, he oversaw 80 brands and 800 people, driving profitability and double-digit digital growth 📈. Today, he leads Seedelta, a media consultancy helping companies align strategy, technology, people, and processes to achieve sustainable revenue growth.

🎧 Tune in now to hear Chris’s inspiring journey and powerful leadership insights that will challenge your thinking and spark new ideas.

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373. Tornado Down! Leading through Uncertainty - John Peters

🎙️ This week on the Inspiring Leadership Podcast, we welcome John Peters — a former RAF pilot who was shot down and captured during his first mission in the Gulf War of 1991. Held as a Prisoner of War for seven weeks, he endured brutal interrogation and torture—experiences that would ultimately shape a remarkable second chapter in his life.

Since leaving the RAF, John has become a respected leadership consultant, speaker, and author. He holds an MBA, has led executive education at top business schools, and founded the consultancy Monkey Business. His bestselling book Tornado Down and its award-nominated documentary brought his story to global attention.

In this powerful episode, John shares what captivity taught him about resilience, leadership, and transformation—and how those lessons now help others navigate uncertainty and lead with purpose.

Tune in to be inspired 🌍

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🎙️ Inspiring Leadership Podcast

In this episode of the Inspiring Leadership Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Ferri Abolhassan, Member of the Board of Management at Deutsche Telekom AG and CEO of T-Systems International GmbH, to explore what it takes to lead at the forefront of digital transformation.

With a PhD in Computer Science and a career spanning leadership roles at Siemens, IBM, SAP, and now Deutsche Telekom, Ferri brings deep insight into managing complexity, innovation, and scale. Currently leading a global team of 26,000, he shares lessons from overseeing IT, launching Telekom Security, and transforming customer service for 30,000+ employees.

Ferri also gives us a glimpse into his passion for the future of AI and research, as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and his involvement with the Max Planck Instituteand Atlantik-Brücke.

Tune in to hear a forward-thinking leader reflect on trust, tech, and the human side of transformation. 💡

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Mission-Driven Leadership: Turning Strategy into Action with Will Casselton

This week on the Inspiring Leadership Podcast, we welcome Will Casselton — CEO of McKinney Rogers and VP at GP Strategies — a visionary in strategy execution and leadership development. 🚀 With a background in Mission Leadership and a track record of transforming organizations, Will shares how he helps CEOs turn bold visions into real-world results. From pioneering tools like BEOS to guiding leaders through crisis and uncertainty, his insights are both timely and timeless. 🌍

Tune in and be inspired!

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🎙️ Inspiring Leadership – Mark Urban

Join us for a powerful episode with Mark Urban – journalist, historian, Podcaster and former BBC Newsnight Diplomatic Editor – as he shares insights from a career spent on the frontlines of global conflict.

Now a writer for The Sunday Times, and Podcast Cohost with former MP Amber Rudd (The Crisis Room) Mark has reported from the Gulf War to Afghanistan, served as a Royal Tank Regiment officer, and worked with EW teams such as Jonathan’s on the Cold War front. His bestselling books reveal the secret worlds of military operations and espionage.

Ahead of the release of his latest book TANK (out 5th June) and his new podcast (launching 28th May), Mark discusses the leaders, decisions, and intelligence efforts that shape modern warfare.

Don’t miss this episode with one of Britain’s most compelling voices on defence and leadership.

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Leading Wellbeing with Professor Sir Cary Cooper, CBE

Join us on the Inspiring Leadership Podcast as we welcome Professor Sir Cary Cooper, CBE, a global authority in organisational psychology and workplace wellbeing. As the 50th Anniversary Professor at Alliance Manchester Business School, Sir Cary has authored over 170 influential books and championed healthier, high-performing work cultures. With honours including a CBE and a Knighthood, his leadership legacy is both profound and practical. Don’t miss this inspiring episode on how wellbeing is the key to unlocking business success.

Tune in now to be inspired! 🎙️ 

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Turning Adversity into Action – Matt Gallagher’s Fight Against MND

In this powerful episode of the Inspiring Leadership Podcast, we sit down with Matt Gallagher, former Coventry rugby player and founder of the Matt Gallagher Foundation, created following his diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in October 2023.

Rather than stepping back, Matt has taken bold steps forward—raising over £600,000 through his foundation to support research, increase awareness, and provide hands-on support to the MND community. From charity runs and rugby matches to heartfelt public speaking and community engagement, Matt’s story is one of courage, resilience, and purpose.

Tune in to hear how Matt is transforming personal adversity into a powerful movement of hope and solidarity. 🏉

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