Darryl Praill was asked to write his own obituary in the middle of his marketing career and the impact this had on him still shapes his leadership style today. As CMO of Agorapulse, Darryl teaches the importance of branding and public perception to everyone that he leads, but today we find out how he carefully curated his own self-image as a CMO.

In this episode we figure out why Darryl reluctantly takes on the role of “the bad guy” for a lot of people in his life. We talk about how the struggles that he’s had with his wife and kids have manifested in his professional life and what lead him to have a nervous breakdown at what seemed like the peak of his professional career.

Today we learn why the good guy pretends to be the bad guy, in order to help people.

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1:36 - Who is Darryl Praill?

4:19 - Why Darryl thinks people call him a "d*ck"

10:25 - Holding people accountable in relationships

16:37 - How Darryl learned a new skill set that was the complete opposite of his natural tendencies

20:43 - The mask that Darryl wears

22:32 - How Darryl met his wife & the impact she's had on his life

24:46 The challenges that Darryl's family have faced

27:24 - Salesloft Ad

28:44 - Bryan's recap of the conversation so far

29:45 - Darryl's take on sales and marketing

31:12 - How Darryl was driven to a nervous breakdown

37:17 - The current version of Darryl and how he's spending his life

40:00 - Darryl’s "Why"

46:12 - Is Darryl happy?

47:23 - Wrap up

48:28 - Darryl gets his own back on me

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Darryl’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olliesharpe

Darryl’s Twitter Handle: @ohpinion8ted

Bryan’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bryanmulry

Ollie Sharpe has been through some sh*t so you don't have to.

Today's guest, Ollie Sharpe is a London based sales leader, known for the care and attention that he gives his employees. He’s a giant in the UK tech sales space, but who knew that Ollie’s massive success stemmed from an inner concern with boring others?

Ollie is a caring, compassionate and thoughtful family man, and these traits spill over into his professional life. Having spent 3 years building the fantastic culture of Salesloft’s EMEA offices, Ollie now helps UK tech sales leaders be thoughtful and intentional with their leadership.

Ollie is very mindful of others, and in this episode we learn that his success stems from his desire to help, facilitate and support others.

Today we learn why Ollie Sharpe, one of the world’s best sales and business leaders, spends more time supporting others than supporting himself.

Time Stamps:

0:01 - intro + how Ollie tricked me

2:10 - my apology

3:00 - who is Ollie Sharpe? How he describes himself and how others describe him

9:43 - what Ollie cares about and then hat he needs

15:04 - Ollie's wife and the impact his family has had on his life

17:40 - How Ollie's challenges changed his view of work

20:52 - Ollie's three-legged-stool and what he's been prioritising lately

23:07 - Salesloft Advert

24:29 - How miscarriages and cancer changed Ollie's world view

28:48 - How this has affected Ollie's leadership style

32:15 - How Ollie's experiences helped him to develop a unique company culture

36:30 - how to understand your own values and the impact they can have on your life

43:20 - How to break out of the "workaholic" mindset

45:33 - Ollie's Why

49:45 - conclusion

Ollie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olliesharpe/

Bryan’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bryanmulry

In this final episode of season 1, we reflect on the stories that we have told over the last few months on this podcast. We revisit the lives of my guests who were vulnerable enough to share their stories over the last few weeks and talk about what we can learn from these stories.

This episode is dedicated to reflection - we recap the stories that we have heard, the nuggets of wisdom that we have been given and talk about how we might implement this advice into our own lives. We also talk about the future of the podcast and what you might expect from season 2.

So, after 10 totally different stories, are you any closer to knowing why you do what you do?

In our final look at the life of Gabrielle Blackwell, we go back to her very first description of herself - a "Hippy Witch"

In this episode, we talk about Gabrielle's religious journey, how she lost her faith and how she began to find her own spiritual path as a result. We talk about the impact that this journey has had on her relationships with other people and how it has shaped her relationship with herself.

I also go back to a question that I asked Gabrielle in our very first conversation - this time she gives a different answer...

I hope that this episode has made you wonder what impact spirituality/ religion has had on your own life and maybe you're one step closer to knowing why you do what you do.

This week's episode is longer than normal for a good reason...

I initially ran this episode like any other, but after an hour of footage we eventually touched on a topic that needed to be discussed, and that took time. Today's episode is different in 2 ways:

1) It is the first audio-only episode of the series

2) It is the first heavily edited episode of the podcast.

Today we learn about what pushed Gabrielle Blackwell to the edge of her own mental state and what lead to the breakdown that she described in episode 1 of this 3-part series. We learn about how somebody deconstructs their own mind in order to challenge their own self-deprecating beliefs and what happens when we turn all of our focus 100% inward. We then hit on a topic that is too important not to discuss and a story that is all too common in a very specific community.

Gabrielle shows us why she lived the way she did pre-breakdown and my main question for you is, are living the same way?

This is the beginning of a three part deep-dive into the life and learnings of Gabrielle Blackwell. Gabrielle has lived multiple lives across multiple countries and I was lucky enough to catch her at a time in her life when she has been reflecting on the last few years.

Today we talk about everything from magic and crystals to absent fathers and mental breakdowns. Even though she is still quite young, the nuggets of wisdom and insight come thick and fast in this episode.

If you ever wanted to know what happens when somebody goes through multiple traumatic events and comes out all the better for it, then this is the episode for you! Gabrielle is still discovering why she does what she does, maybe this will help you if you find yourself in the same boat.

Today we talk to Joachim (Joe) Van Erps, serial business builder and international salesperson about what it's like living life in the "fast lane".

I was very lucky to have caught Joe when I did, he was just moving through a time of transition and as a result, he had already been reflecting on the previous chapter of his life. This made for a fantastic conversation about "the rat race", professionalism, priorities and relationships.

Joe used to be someone with a one-track mind and today's conversation will be particularly useful for those of us who push ourselves to be the "best" and have high expectations of ourselves. It's not a cautionary tale, just food for thought.

Joe is now rediscovering his "why" - what's yours?

Holly Allen is a young, ambitious, hungry and driven salesperson living in London. At 24 years of age, she has already had to rebuild her life after being diagnosed with a life-changing illness at a young age and fighting through it to become the young woman that she is today.

Most people know Holly from her social selling skills on LinkedIn - today we talk about who she really is, why she has chosen the path that she is on and the impact her sickness has had on her perspective.

I learned a lot about perseverance and drive from this conversation, I hope you do too!

In this episode of "Life with a Y" we interview Daniel Kyne, CEO and founder of OpinionX (Go google that company, it's really cool!)

Daniel is one of those young CEOs that exude confidence and success, and today we find out why he is so impressive.

We talk about how he started in entrepreneurship, the value of "failures", how to test yourself in a safe environment and why everyone needs to get into a room with a bunch of strangers and start something new.

Daniel knows why he does what he does and who he wants to surround himself with - do you?

The last few years of James' life have been less tumultuous but by no means less formative. Today we talk about how he set up this new life for himself and formed healthier habits in a new lifestyle.

We spend a lot of time today talking about family and the impact that a supportive family has had on James' life.

I also try and see if James has any controversial opinions (we do find some in the end) and see what advice he would give to a younger self.

This is the episode where we learn why James chose to rebuild his life in this way and how that has lead to his happiness - enjoy!

This is the final episode of the 3 part series dedicated to the life of James Buckley - this podcast tries to understand why people do what they do and I hope that understanding James' "why" has made you think about your own