Never Too Late to Dream

Paul Smith (aka Smiffy) runs Paul Helps People because people have always been at the heart of everything he does. Born with cerebral palsy and a visual impairment, Paul has faced many challenges that have given him a genuine empathy and understanding to help other people face their own battles, many of which are invisible to the outside world. Paul wears two hats as an independent travel agent which he has done for the last 43 years, and as a Utility Warehouse advisor for residential, commercial energy and the telecoms sector.

In episode five of Never Too Late to Dream, Caroline chats with Paul Smith. Paul shares his journey of overcoming physical challenges to build a successful career in travel and utilities. Born with cerebral palsy which resulted in a weaker right side and coping with a former speech impediment, Paul credits his parents' refusal to accept a medical diagnosis as the foundation for his strength and resilience. Success for him is defined by proving what he is capable of rather than monetary gain. He advises others to break large dreams into manageable "chapters" or chunks and to use visual aids to maintain focus. Paul's dream theme song is This is Me from the Greatest Showman because it represents being proud of his identity and achievements.

What do you do?

(0:01:43) "I'm an independent travel agent and have been doing that for 43 years this year... I've become a utilities advisor not only for residential people but for commercial energy and telecoms as well."

What challenges did you face growing up?

(0:03:53) "I was born with cerebral palsy, which affects me through a blockage in the left hand side of my brain... My parents wouldn't accept the diagnosis that I would be quote unquote a vegetable... positivity has been a very big factor in my life."

What has been the main thing that got you unstuck?

(0:09:47) "Having parents who believed in me — that was the main thing... if you can believe in yourself, then that is half the battle."

What advice would you give your younger self?

(0:11:40) "Don't give up. Don't allow the people in your life to tell you what you can't do. Go out and show them what you can do, and focus on the positives, not the negatives."

What does success mean to you?

(0:15:48) "Success is not necessarily monetary. It's about showing myself what I'm actually capable of doing... more importantly, yourself what you can and are capable of."

Where do you see yourself in the future?

(0:20:24) "Within the Utility Warehouse business, I want to reach the top... I have to break it down into manageable chunks."

What would you say to someone who has put their dream on the back burner?

(0:22:55) "Give yourself some time to sit down and revisit it. Break it down into manageable chunks... don't let it out of your sight."

• Email: [email protected]
• Book a chat: https://calendly.com/paulhelpspeople/30min
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulhelpspeople
• FaceBook: https://facebook.com/paulsmithphp
• UW Linktree: https://linktr.ee/paulhelpspeople
• Travel Linketree: https://linktr.ee/wottravel

This is Me - Keala Settle (from The Greatest Showman)

Rafiat Adekunle (Ep6): https://freetosoarcoaching.com/

Keith Blakemore-Noble is The Overachiever's Coach. For over sixteen years, he has worked with driven, capable individuals to identify and resolve the internal patterns that keep them stuck despite their success. A former Chartered IT Professional and Fellow of the British Computer Society, Keith brings a logical and methodical precision to mindset change.

He is the founder of The Overachievers Club, host of The Overachievers Podcast, author of six published books (so far), an award winning international speaker, and trainer. He uses Mindset Mastery, his bespoke blend of hypnosis, NLP, and coaching, to help create rapid, deep and lasting change.

In episode four of Never Too Late to Dream, Caroline chats with Keith Blakemore-Noble, a coach and best-selling author. Keith shares his journey from a shy IT professional to a successful coach, overcoming social anxiety and personal development challenges. He emphasises the importance of tools like NLP and hypnosis in his transformation. Keith's theme song is The Show Must Go On by Queen, reflecting his resilience. He advises listeners to pursue their dreams, suggesting gradual steps and not delaying. Keith's future aspirations include a world cruise, resuming live training sessions and writing a fiction book.

What do you do?

(0:01:50) "I tend to work with overachievers...perfectionism, imposter syndrome, all of these sorts of things...I help them to get out of their head, and clear out all the stuff that's stopping them from being who they truly can be."

Was coaching always your dream?

(0:02:46) "When I was maybe early teens, apparently I became fascinated with hypnosis...I'm going to become a hypnotist. And then I completely forgot about all of that for many, many years. And now hypnosis is one of the tools which I use to help people make these changes."

What stopped you from pursuing your dream?

(0:09:39) "Lack of confidence, painfully shy, social anxiety, social phobia...one of the things I'd fancied being was a performer in some way, but with all of their fears — no way I could have gone on stage."

What helped you get unstuck?

(0:10:35) "It was the NLP tools...as you go through that, you learn the techniques, and you then practice the techniques on each other. So you're learning the stuff, but you're also effectively getting a whole load of therapy and coaching included in it."

What advice would you give your younger self?

(0:13:07) "Realise that the things that are holding you back, they're not permanent. They're not set in stone...you weren't born with them. They're ones that you learned along the way, which means you can, with the right guidance and input, you can change them."

What does success mean to you?

(0:15:19) "Success basically means achieving what you set out to achieve in a way that makes you happy...doing what you want to do in a way that makes you and those around you happy. Doesn't have to be a big, huge, grand thing."

What would you say to someone who's put their dream on the back burner?

(0:21:48) "Those five years are going to pass anyway. The worst thing you could do is in five years' time go, 'Oh, I wish I'd started five years ago.' The best time to plant a tree is 30 years ago. The second best time is now."

• Website: https://keithblakemorenoble.com/
• The Overachievers Club: https://keithblakemorenoble.com/work-with-me/the-overachievers-club/
• Overachievers Quiz: https://keithblakemorenoble.com/work-with-me/the-overachievers-club/what-kind-of-achiever-are-you/#quiz
• The Overachievers Podcast: https://keithblakemorenoble.com/series/the-overachievers-podcast/
• All socials: https://KeithBN.link/

The Show Must Go On - Queen

Paul Smith (Ep5): Paul Helps People

Maria Newman is a coach who helps high-achieving professionals and business owners overcome the challenges in their lives so they move from feeling overwhelmed and overlooked to confident, fulfilled, and thriving. Some of her clients come with specific challenges — like a loss of confidence, tricky dynamics at work or home, or recovery after a major life shift. Others can't name it yet — they just know something doesn't feel right anymore. She designed her signature Shift Sessions as three focused conversations to get to the heart of what's really going on, to slow things down, name what's underneath, and create space to move forward with clarity and intention.

As well as coaching, Maria is a published author, podcast host of 'Rising From the Rubble', and host of online networking group YaaMas.

In episode three of Never Too Late to Dream, Caroline interviews Maria Newman, a coach who helps women overcome challenges. Maria shares her journey from a corporate career at Rolls Royce to starting her own business. Inspired by her life coach, Anna Duckworth, she transitioned from promoting local artists to coaching professionals and business owners. She emphasises the importance of setting boundaries, as her experience with her parents' business influenced her desire for a better work-life balance. Maria's advice includes embracing mindset shifts and making the most of your existing skills. She defines success as the freedom to choose her own path and dreams of a future in the countryside with her family and a beautiful kitchen. Her theme song is Freedom! '90 by George Michael.

What do you do?

(0:01:44) "I got to where I am today, which is helping professionals and business owners to become unstuck, and their unstuckness is usually tied up in their mindset because the one thing that will always stand in our way is ourselves."

What is your dream?

(0:03:54) "My dream, having gone through corporate, was to start my own business."

What stopped you from going for your dream?

(0:13:21) "It was the experience of living my parents' dream... the biggest hurdle for me actually coming around to starting my own business was based on the experience I'd already had, which is having to give up stuff, and I wasn't willing to give up anything."

How did you get unstuck?

(0:15:18) "It's all about boundaries, deciding how you want to live your life, and sticking very much to those boundaries."

What advice would you give your younger self?

(0:19:12) "Just keep doing what feels right, and it'll all turn out well."

Is there anything you'd do differently?

(0:20:33) "I wasn't starting from zero. I may have been walking into being a business owner for the first time. However, I was bringing a wealth of knowledge and skills with me."

What does success mean to you?

(0:23:38) "Every morning when I get up, my day is shaped by the choices that I make, and I am free to make those choices."

Where do you see yourself in the future?

(0:26:22) "We want to buy a beautiful house in the countryside... a home, a beautiful kitchen... a kitchen that feeds people with love."

What would you say to someone who's put their dream on the back burner?

(0:28:06) "What are you waiting for?... If it's on the back burner, is it really a dream? Do you really want it? Why wait?"

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-newman/
• Ways to work with Maria: learn more
• Book a FREE Ignite Your Life Coaching Call: Book
• Get the Book 'Your New Chapter': Buy
• Complete your life assessment: Download
• Book onto a YaaMas online networking meeting : learn more

Freedom! '90 - George Michael

Keith Blakemore-Noble (Ep4): https://keithblakemorenoble.com

Robyn Harris is the founder of W·I·L·D® Wellbeing, author of Take a Walk on the W·I·L·D® Side, speaker, and complementary wellbeing practitioner. Through her unique W·I·L·D® approach - embracing the Wonder-full Intuitive Loving Dance of Life - Robyn supports people in understanding the deeper messages behind symptoms, stress, trauma, grief, and emotional overwhelm.

Combining lived experience, intuitive insight, nervous system awareness, and a holistic understanding of wellbeing, she helps people move from fear and self-judgement towards self-trust, compassion, healing, and joy. Her work encourages a gentler, more connected relationship with ourselves, our bodies, and life itself.

In episode two of Never Too Late to Dream, host Caroline interviews Robyn Harris from W·I·L·D® Wellbeing. Robyn shares her journey from feeling powerless and miserable to realising the transformative power of changing one's perspective. She emphasises the importance of self-regulation and supporting others to do the same. Robyn's dream theme song is Come Alive from The Greatest Showman, reflecting her personal transformation. She advises listeners to focus on their heart's desires, embrace growth, and not take life too seriously. Robyn also discusses her future plans, including collaborations in community wellbeing and the deaf community.

What do you do?

(0:01:36) "I realised I can't change any of those things, they're not under my control, but what is, is me, my thought processes, my perspectives, how I see myself, see the world, and engage with the world."

What stopped you from pursuing your dream at the beginning?

(0:06:51) "I felt I had so many limiting beliefs going on, and I just felt powerless to affect any change, and that sense of, well, it's never going to get any better."

How did you get unstuck?

(0:07:40) "I went to books and it was reading quotes like the Wayne Dyer one — "when we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change."

What advice would you give your younger self?

(0:14:46) "Don't take it all so seriously...don't worry so much about what other people are saying and doing and thinking and how they're behaving, because that's none of your business."

What does success mean for you?

(0:18:05) "Success for me is that I live by the lessons I've learned...to be who I was born to be, to step into that more and more and more."

What would you say to somebody who's put their dream on the back burner?

(0:22:29) "Focus on what your heart is calling you to, and do those little steps, and it will grow even without you realising it."

• Website: https://w-i-l-d.uk
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynharris-wildwellbeing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robyn.harris.wild.wellbeing
• Wild Whispers on Substack: https://wildrobyn.substack.com/
• The VIG Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@VIG-Podcast
• YouTube (Wild TV): https://www.youtube.com/@W-I-L-D-TV
• Take a Walk on the Wild Side Book: https://w-i-l-d.uk/Amazon

Come Alive - The Greatest Showman Cast

Caroline Buist is a content marketing strategist, ADHD-friendly VA and self-confessed music obsessive, born within earshot of the Bow Bells in London's East End. (It's Caro-lin, by the way. Silent e. She's been correcting people her whole life.)

After 30 years as an employee navigating toxic workplaces, imposter syndrome and the tragic loss of a friend, Caroline finally took the leap to start her own business. She launched Above & Beyond VA in 2020, supporting neurodivergent and creative business owners with tailored admin and content marketing services.

She's also the author of Sing Like No-One's Listening! (2026) — the practical, music-powered guide to following your dreams at any age. When she's not writing or podcasting, you'll find her singing in her local choir, borrowing dogs or absolutely nailing a sudoku puzzle.

Caroline Buist, host of the Never Too Late to Dream podcast, shares her late bloomer journey and her lifelong dream of wanting to be her own boss. Starting at 15 with aspirations of managing bands and artists, her path was derailed by failing A levels and the subsequent fear of going it alone. Music became her solace and a wake-up call in 2015 led her to start her first business in 2016. Despite initial failures and setbacks, she launched Above & Beyond VA in 2020, finding success and support from mentors. Caroline advises embracing failure as feedback and taking small steps towards your dreams. She plans to continue her podcast (as long as it's still fun) and is currently writing her second book.

What is your dream and why did you want it?

[0:01:48] "My dream, the one I've had since I was about 15 years old, was to be my own boss.

What is your dream's theme song?

[0:03:01] "That's easy. Freedom! '90 by George Michael. That song sums it all up for me.

What stopped you from pursuing your dream at the beginning?

[0:03:59] "Where do I start? Life mostly, the usual suspects.

How did you cope with these challenges?

[0:05:10] "Music, honestly, music has always been my therapy, my motivation, and my happy place

What advice would you give your younger self?

[0:06:52] "I think I'd say stop lip syncing to someone else's song, stop following the path that other people have mapped out for you, and start writing your own

Is there anything you'd do differently?

[0:07:50] "If I'm honest, I'd have started earlier, not at 15, I wasn't really ready then, but maybe in my 30s when I had a bit more life experience behind me.

What does success look like for you?

[0:08:35] "Freedom and flexibility. Full stop.

Where do you see yourself in the future? Any new dreams?

Timestamp: "Well, you're listening to one of them. This podcast... I'm also currently working on a second book

What would you say to someone who's put their dream on the back burner?

Timestamp: [0:11:37] "I'd say take it off the back burner right now, not next week, not after the kids have left home, not when the time is right, because the time is never right. You just have to go for it.

CAROLINE'S LINKS

· Sing Like No-One's Listening available from Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1806054337

· Website: https://abovebeyondva.co.uk

· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-buist-the-copy-queen/

SONGS MENTIONED

· Freedom! '90 by George Michael

· Careless Whisper by George Michael

· More Than Words by Extreme

NEXT GUEST

Robyn Harris from W·I·L·D® Wellbeing (Ep 2): https://w-i-l-d.uk

e 1EEpisode 1: Freedom to Finally Use My Voicepisode 1: Freedom to Finally Use My Voice: Freedom to Finally Use My Voice

Welcome to Never Too Late to Dream — the podcast for anyone who's ever shelved a dream, talked themselves out of one, or let fear, doubt or life itself get in the way. I'm your host Caroline Buist — writer, VA, choir member, dog borrower and lifelong lover of music.

Every episode, I'll be talking to real people — late bloomers, slow-burners and plot-twisters — who dared to pursue their dreams later than "supposed to".

We're talking about the messy middle, the wobbles, the moments of "what the hell am I doing?" and the extraordinary things that happen when you keep going anyway.

Because here's the thing: there's no expiry date on a dream. The world's full of people who found their groove in their forties, fifties, sixties and beyond. And they've got stories worth hearing.

Never Too Late to Dream launches in June 2026. Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss a note.

And if this is resonating with you — if you've got a dream that's been gathering dust — my book, Sing Like No-One's Listening, is out now and available from Amazon (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1806054337.

Because it's never too late. It really isn't.

I'll see you in the first episode where I tell my story. Bring your dreams. They're not too old, they're not too daft, and neither are you.

Let's go late bloomers!