Ladder Down

In this episode Kate chats to Anna Jackson, known as ‘Always a Fashion Parade’ on Instagram, which is her personal style blog. Growing up Anna’s Mum told her to hurry up when she was getting ready and that it’s not a fashion parade. She says it’s ALWAYS a fashion parade! Kate is a huge fan of Anna's style which she says is very Carrie Bradshaw-esque! Kate and Anna chat all things personal styling as well as finding out about her route from advertising into styling. Connect with Anna on Instagram.

In this episode Kate meets Adrian Lomas who is Global Communications and Culture Director for OSF Digital – a global e-commerce sales business. They work with brands such as L’Oreal, Coca Cola, Gatwick Airport and the Victoria and Albert Museum as well as hundreds more…using the platform Salesforce to support the rapidly changing online retail environment. 

Adrian's true passion is people, not tech and Kate chats with him about how he engages employees across the 31 different countries that they operate in. Connect with Adrian on Linked in. 

Felicity Wingrove is one of the UK’s leading experts in the applied psychology of language, which means that she helps people leverage the art and science of persuasion and influence to achieve truly exceptional results. They benefit from compelling communications which align and resound with the people who matter the most to them, and that results in impressive media coverage, more share of voice, increased sales, and enviable stakeholder relationships.

She has studied psycholinguistics, neuro-linguistic programming, Influence and behavioural psychology. At the start of her career she worked with some of the nation's leading brands, organisations and associations before launching her own consultancy in 2007 - Zen Communications. She now helps clients to take positive control of how they’re perceived, truly own their space, and powerfully and ethically influence the people who matter the most to them. Connect with Felicity on Linked in or via her website: https://www.zen-communications.co.uk/ 

This episode is a twist on the Ladder Down concept as Kate chats to Imogen Maguire who is currently in Year 13 studying A levels in Maths, Business and Physical Education. 

She has played football since the age of 6 and now plays football for Birmingham City Under 21’s! She says her ambition is to enjoy football first and foremost and is hoping to play in the Women’s Premier Division next year.

Her main mission is to change the world and she aspires to be an entrepreneur which she is well on the way to being already since she set up her venture - Corner Bookmarks - when she was 12. The area of business she is most passionate about is the environment and rightly, she believes we all have a part to play.  

She is the Founder of Power Now, an app which allows Electric vehicle home charging point owners to rent out their home charging points in an easier and more efficient way than other apps in the market which saw her become a finalist in the Unloc and Verizon Young Entrepreneur competition. She had the idea after experiencing ‘range anxiety’ when her Mum got an electric car and sought a solution.

Tune in to hear Imogen talk about her ambitions and the future world of business. 

In this mini ladder lesson episode, Kate shares her strategies on keeping fears and worries at bay.

In this episode Kate chats to Steve Bennett, the Founder and Director of Transition Plus, a business which supports People & Business Development through senior level recruitment.

They help individuals manage and transition their careers, as well as providing Chair, Non-Executive Directors, business mentoring, coaching and commercial development support to business.

Steve is also Regional Chair of the Institute of Directors (IOD) for the North West UK. The IOD is the UK’s longest-running organisation for directors and future directors from all sectors, shapes and size of organisation, who exist to help their members become the best directors they can be.

Five years ago, Steve founded an annual ‘Business of Science’ conference. He has a passion for ‘paying it forward’ and helping people succeed in their career and business. In this episode he shares many nuggets of advice to help listeners on their climb. Connect with Steve on Linkedin or at http://transitionplus.co.uk/

In this episode Kate chats to Barry Leahey, MBE. Barry is CEO of Playdale Playgrounds Ltd who are the UK’s leading manufacturer and exporter of children’s playground equipment around the world.

Playdale has won several national Manufacturing and export awards for their work installing over 23,000 playgrounds in over 50 countries in the past 40 years! Barry personally received an MBE for services to International Trade on the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2017.  

In 2018 Barry was named Institute of Directors ‘Global Director of the Year’ and ‘Cumbria Business Person of the Year’, featuring in the ‘Telegraph’s Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders’ and ‘The Manufacturer Top 100 people in Manufacturing’. He is past Chair of the Institute of Directors in Cumbria and a Honorary Professor at Lancaster University Management School. You can connect with Barry on Linked in or via the Playdale website.

In this episode Kate chats to Rebecca Bonnington, founder and owner of Tricres Business Coaching and Consulting, which she runs with her brother. Rebecca is passionate about business and people fulfilling their potential. Tricres offers bespoke business coaching and consulting, and they are currently developing an App which will further revolutionise their offer.

Rebecca is an award-winning director with a wealth of experience in sales, executive coaching, business consulting and coaching, and corporate training. She’s been personally endorsed by Dr Richard Bandler, the co-creator of Neuro Linguistic Programming, and is the author of the acclaimed guide to getting ahead in your career, ‘How to Outshine the Rest’. Connect with Rebecca on Linked in or at www.tricres.com

In this episode Kate chats to career coach Natalie Fisher. Natalie helps people in a variety of different professions to help them get the self-confidence to create their own opportunities, even when it seems like there are none.

She helps them get over the fear of job interviews and support them to get paid better and increase their earning potential over the course of their lives. She also hosts her own podcast called ‘Get a 6 figure job you love!’.

She says too many people are living our lives based on fear - fear of failure, fear of being visible, fear of letting people down. She helps her clients overcome their fears and fulfil their potential. Connect with her on Linked in or http://nataliefisher.ca/ 

In this episode Kate chats to David Wafer, founder of a recruitment business called McIver Scott based in Liverpool. They pride themselves on being different because they use psychometric assessments to revolutionise the recruitment process. The difference is that they assess the clients to get to understand leadership styles, traits, preferences and culture of the business they are recruiting to. David believes this helps them to find the right people who will blossom in a company that is the ideal fit. They then headhunt the right people who can make a real difference to the efficiency, productivity and profitability of a business.

David is also Chair of the Liverpool institute of Directors. He’s recently joined the advisory board of the LFC Foundation and is also on the advisory board of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce – hence why Kate calls him Mr Liverpool! You can connect with David on Linked in.