Project Possible with Rich Leigh - interviews that might just change your life

This week's guest is magician James Phelan.

His uncle was Paul Daniels. His aunt is Debbie McGee. So you’d assume he grew up being taught every trick in the book.

Nope - Paul only directly taught him one.

But he did give James a piece of advice that stuck:

“You’ve got to be the first you, not the second me.”

James talks about building a career beyond a famous family connection, the years of work people don’t see, and the frustration of being told his success must have been handed to him.

We get into Britain’s Got Talent, why television fame doesn’t necessarily sell tickets, and the live lottery prediction that got him into trouble.

Plus... the teacher who told him he’d never make anything of himself, then turned up in the front row of his show.

We also talk about confidence, relationships and surrounding yourself with people who believe in you, but still keep your feet on the ground.

James is ambitious. He wants to keep growing. But he can also say something that plenty of successful people struggle to:

He’s already living the life he once dreamed of.

A conversation about proving yourself, becoming your own person, and recognising what you’ve built while you’re still chasing what’s next.

Find out more about James and see him live: https://manwhowasmagic.com

Follw him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phelanmagician

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richleighpod

=====

"It's like Diary of a CEO, but for people that have to do the school run."

After my younger brother Jordan took his own life last year, I sold the business I’d spent a decade building and decided to go all-in on creating something meaningful.

This podcast is the result.

Project Possible is about success through adversity. Motivation. Resilience. Second chances, and what's truly possible.

Because your past doesn't define your future. You do.

Expect interviews with famous faces and unsung heroes. Entrepreneurs. Athletes. Entertainers. Academics. Amazing people, and even more incredible stories.

Subscribe now, wherever you watch or listen.

=====

Sign up now to the free weekly newsletter at: https://projectpossible.substack.com

For behind the scenes, giveaways, ways to get involved and more.

=====

Email: [email protected]

More about Project Possible here: https://www.richleigh.co/podcast

This week's guest is adventurer, world-record holder, author and filmmaker Sean Burch.

Sean has climbed Everest solo, set eight world records and made first ascents of 140 previously unclimbed mountains. He’s also won National Geographic’s Ultimate Survival Alaska and spent decades testing himself in some of the world’s most extreme environments.

But there was something all that achievement couldn’t give him.

Peace.

Sean thought climbing Everest would finally leave him feeling fulfilled. He’d reach the summit, achieve his dream and get on with the rest of his life.

Instead, he found himself chasing the next challenge. And then the next.

Years later, he realised that none of those achievements could do the work he needed to do within himself.

He talks openly about divorce, the sudden death of a close friend, and a period when he was drinking not to celebrate, but to stop feeling. He also shares what helped him change direction, from focusing on his son to building a daily practice of meditation and gratitude.

We talk about the grandfather whose regrets changed his life, martial arts, surviving falls into crevasses, fatherhood, the Sherpas behind his documentary The Icefall Doctor, and the difference between being successful and feeling enough.

Because you don’t have to climb Everest to recognise the feeling of reaching a goal and wondering why you still don’t feel the way you thought you would.

Find out more about Sean: https://www.seanburch.com

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richleighpod

=====

"It's like Diary of a CEO, but for people that have to do the school run."

After my younger brother Jordan took his own life last year, I sold the business I’d spent a decade building and decided to go all-in on creating something meaningful.

This podcast is the result.

Project Possible is about success through adversity. Motivation. Resilience. Second chances, and what's truly possible.

Because your past doesn't define your future. You do.

Expect interviews with famous faces and unsung heroes. Entrepreneurs. Athletes. Entertainers. Academics. Amazing people, and even more incredible stories.

Subscribe now, wherever you watch or listen.

=====

Sign up now to the free weekly newsletter at: https://projectpossible.substack.com

For behind the scenes, giveaways, ways to get involved and more.

=====

Email: [email protected]

More about Project Possible here: https://www.richleigh.co/podcast

This week's guest is the Queen of Cooking for Kids - Annabel Karmel MBE.

Annabel is the UK’s number-one children’s cookery author and one of the most trusted names in baby and family food.

She has written 50 books, sold millions of copies and built an international brand that has helped generations of parents feed their children - including me.

But, before any of that, Annabel was a professional harpist. She performed internationally, appeared on television in front of 16 million people and even worked with Boy George.

Then her daughter Natasha died, in her arms, at just three months old.

Her life was forever changed. Annabel never played the harp again.

Instead, she turned her grief into a book that was rejected by 15 publishers - before selling five million copies and launching a career that has now lasted more than 35 years.

We talk about Natasha, losing music, starting again, motherhood, ambition, money, becoming 'Nanabel', and why Annabel is still building for the future.

Follow Annabel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabelkarmel

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richleighpod

=====

"It's like Diary of a CEO, but for people that have to do the school run."

After my younger brother Jordan took his own life last year, I sold the business I’d spent a decade building and decided to go all-in on creating something meaningful.

This podcast is the result.

Project Possible is about success through adversity. Motivation. Resilience. Second chances, and what's truly possible.

Because your past doesn't define your future. You do.

Expect interviews with famous faces and unsung heroes. Entrepreneurs. Athletes. Entertainers. Academics. Amazing people, and even more incredible stories.

Subscribe now, wherever you watch or listen.

=====

Sign up now to the free weekly newsletter at: https://projectpossible.substack.com

For behind the scenes, giveaways, ways to get involved and more.

=====

Email: [email protected]

More about Project Possible here: https://www.richleigh.co/podcast

For this special milestone episode 100 of Project Possible, I look back on a year of throwing myself at the podcast, and the impact these conversations have had on my life, my outlook and my hope to be of service to others.

I talk about why building and selling a business didn’t leave me feeling fulfilled, learning to enjoy life again after losing my brother Jordan to suicide, fatherhood, health, money, and what success means to me as I turn 39.

I get into finding my own lane in a sea of podcasts - and recognising that asking life's bigger questions and having ambition doesn't stop just because you have responsibilities.

I also share some of the friendships and opportunities that have come from just saying yes, and my pride in joining the advisory panel of Dr Susie Bennett’s new charity, Action on Male Suicide.

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richleighpod

=====

"It's like Diary of a CEO, but for people that have to do the school run."

After my younger brother Jordan took his own life last year, I sold the business I’d spent a decade building and decided to go all-in on creating something meaningful.

This podcast is the result.

Project Possible is about success through adversity. Motivation. Resilience. Second chances, and what's truly possible.

Because your past doesn't define your future. You do.

Expect interviews with famous faces and unsung heroes. Entrepreneurs. Athletes. Entertainers. Academics. Amazing people, and even more incredible stories.

Subscribe now, wherever you watch or listen.

=====

Sign up now to the free weekly newsletter at: https://projectpossible.substack.com

for behind the scenes, giveaways, ways to get involved and more.

=====

Email: [email protected]

More about Project Possible here: https://www.richleigh.co/podcast

Claire Sisk is a content creator, disability and accessibility advocate. You might recognise her as ITV’s This Morning's first blind chef.

She's built a large and loyal following online as Can See Can’t See, showing people how she accomplishes daily tasks others might take for granted, having lost her sight at the age of 37.

I sat down with Claire to talk about having two strokes at 29, being told she would be blind by 40, and learning to cook her daughter’s favourite meals blindfolded while she could still see.

We talk about motherhood, feeling like a burden, accepting help and her bid to find a new career after more than 250 unsuccessful job applications. She talks about how she believes ticking the disability box meant an instant no - and gives a shocking example.

We also get into her love of boy bands, making concerts more accessible, and the three choices she gives herself on difficult days: give in, give up or give it your all.

Follow Claire on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canseecantsee_

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richleighpod

=====

"It's like Diary of a CEO, but for people that have to do the school run."

After my younger brother Jordan took his own life last year, I sold the business I’d spent a decade building and decided to go all-in on creating something meaningful.

This podcast is the result.

Project Possible is about success through adversity. Motivation. Resilience. Second chances, and what's truly possible.

Because your past doesn't define your future. You do.

Expect interviews with famous faces and unsung heroes. Entrepreneurs. Athletes. Entertainers. Academics. Amazing people, and even more incredible stories.

Subscribe now, wherever you watch or listen.

=====

Sign up now to the free weekly newsletter at:

https://projectpossible.substack.com

for behind the scenes, giveaways, ways to get involved and more.

=====

Email: [email protected]

More about Project Possible here: https://www.richleigh.co/podcast

Loz Antonenko is a mindset coach, dubbed The Mojo Mentor, entrepreneur and author of Get the F*** Unstuck.

After losing her first husband to suicide, Loz began questioning a life built around achievement and other people’s approval. In 2024, she sold the business she’d run for 17 years, describing it as “the safety net that strangled me”.

We talk about grief, family estrangement, losing friendships, chronic illness, the pressure to look successful, and whether losing control can be the thing that sets you free.

There’s also ADHD, 13 bodybuilding shows in 14 months, the problem with self-help gurus, finding love again, and a childhood video that helped her recognise herself after years of trying to be someone else.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide, bereavement and family violence.

Follow Loz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lozantonenko

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richleighpod

=====

"It's like Diary of a CEO, but for people that have to do the school run."

After my younger brother Jordan took his own life last year, I sold the business I’d spent a decade building and decided to go all-in on creating something meaningful.

This podcast is the result.

Project Possible is about success through adversity. Motivation. Resilience. Second chances, and what's truly possible.

Because your past doesn't define your future. You do.

Expect interviews with famous faces and unsung heroes. Entrepreneurs. Athletes. Entertainers. Academics. Amazing people, and even more incredible stories.

Subscribe now, wherever you watch or listen.

=====

Sign up now to the free weekly newsletter at:

https://projectpossible.substack.com

for behind the scenes, giveaways, ways to get involved and more.

=====

Email: [email protected]

More about Project Possible here: https://www.richleigh.co/podcast

James Constantinou is the founder of Prestige Pawnbrokers and star of Channel 4’s Posh Pawn.

Expelled from school at 15 and told he’d never amount to anything, he spent nights sleeping in a car boot. Years later, he was lending £1 million against a collection of art and artefacts.

We talk about building businesses, taking risks, spotting a con, the fear of being poor again, raising children with money, and why some of his happiest memories come from when he had nothing.

There’s also the story behind Posh Pawn, Queen Victoria’s knickers, an offer involving Nigerian fighter jets, and why he’d put Lord Sugar in Downing Street.

Follow James on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesposhpawn

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richleighpod

=====

"It's like Diary of a CEO, but for people that have to do the school run."

After my younger brother Jordan took his own life last year, I sold the business I’d spent a decade building and decided to go all-in on creating something meaningful.

This podcast is the result.

Project Possible is about success through adversity. Motivation. Resilience. Second chances, and what's truly possible.

Because your past doesn't define your future. You do.

Expect interviews with famous faces and unsung heroes. Entrepreneurs. Athletes. Entertainers. Academics. Amazing people, and even more incredible stories.

Subscribe now, wherever you watch or listen.

=====

Sign up now to the free weekly newsletter at: https://projectpossible.substack.com

for behind the scenes, giveaways, ways to get involved and more.

=====

Email: [email protected]

More about Project Possible here: https://www.richleigh.co/podcast

Liberty Mills has lived about five different lives.

She was an international model, a young single mum, a woman so badly affected by lupus that she needed a Zimmer frame, a health coach and author who rebuilt her life, and then, at 44, a woman who became pregnant naturally after being given around a 0.7% chance of conceiving with her own eggs.

She talks about the darker side of the modelling industry, including being weighed and measured before being paid, having money docked if her measurements changed, and being made to walk around in her underwear as punishment.

She talks about becoming seriously ill, losing her hair, her independence and much of the identity she had built around being healthy and successful, and the moment her daughter asked: “When you die, how will I pay the mortgage?”

We also get into fertility, miscarriage, IVF, stress, relationships, male fertility, and what it does to a couple when having a child starts to feel impossible.

And Liberty explains why she refuses to let a diagnosis, statistic or label decide who she is or what happens next.

This is a conversation about fertility, but really, it’s about reinvention, agency, and refusing to believe your future has already been written.

Follow Liberty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mills.liberty

Follow me on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/richleighpod

=====

"It's like Diary of a CEO, but for people that have to do the school run."

After my younger brother Jordan took his own life last year, I sold the business I’d spent a decade building and decided to go all-in on creating something meaningful.

This podcast is the result.

Project Possible is about success through adversity. Motivation. Resilience. Second chances, and what's truly possible.

Because your past doesn't define your future. You do.

Expect interviews with famous faces and unsung heroes. Entrepreneurs. Athletes. Entertainers. Academics. Amazing people, and even more incredible stories.

Subscribe now, wherever you watch or listen.

=====

Sign up now to the free weekly newsletter at:

https://projectpossible.substack.com

for behind the scenes, giveaways, ways to get involved and more.

=====

Email: [email protected]

More about Project Possible here:

https://www.richleigh.co/podcast

Dr Leah Totton is a doctor, entrepreneur and winner of The Apprentice, where Lord Sugar invested £250,000 in her medical aesthetics business when she was just 24 years old.

She talks about being dismissed as “Dr Barbie” by the press. She talks about journalists following her to and from work, and how reporters would approach patients and colleagues while she was working in A&E in a bid to get dirt on her.

And, crazily, she told me how one tabloid even sent a journalist and her 14-year-old daughter undercover into her clinic in an attempt to catch her offering Botox to the teenager.

At its worst, Lord Sugar stepped in and threatened to sue one outlet over its treatment of Leah.

We also get into growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, the Omagh bombing that inspired her to become a doctor and the guilt and personal conflict she felt leaving traditional medicine for aesthetics.

She talks about building Dr Leah Clinics from scratch, working seven-day weeks, and more recently selling a majority stake in the business in what she calls a “life-changing” deal, and she told me why she believes luck and timing matter as much as hard work.

A rare interview with an incredibly impressive entrepreneur who is, by her own admission, extremely private.

This is Dr Leah Totton.

Follow Leah on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/drleahtotton

Follow me on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/richleighpod

=====

"It's like Diary of a CEO, but for people that have to do the school run."

After my younger brother Jordan took his own life last year, I sold the business I’d spent a decade building and decided to go all-in on creating something meaningful.

This podcast is the result.

Project Possible is about success through adversity. Motivation. Resilience. Second chances, and what's truly possible.

Because your past doesn't define your future. You do.

Expect interviews with famous faces and unsung heroes. Entrepreneurs. Athletes. Entertainers. Academics. Amazing people, and even more incredible stories.

Subscribe now, wherever you watch or listen.

=====

Sign up now to the free weekly newsletter at:

https://projectpossible.substack.com

for behind the scenes, giveaways, ways to get involved and more.

=====

Email: [email protected]

More about Project Possible here:

https://www.richleigh.co/podcast

This week, I’m joined by Pete Cohen.

Pete is best known as The People’s Coach, having spent more than a decade as the resident life coach on ITV’s GMTV, with regular appearances on This Morning.

For 30 years, he has helped people imagine a better life for themselves.

Then life forced him to face the one thing none of us can think our way out of: losing someone we love.

After his wife Hannah was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour, Pete began filming their life together.

Years later, after Hannah’s death, that footage became 'Hannah’s Story', a beautiful, devastating, award-winning documentary about love, hope, grief and what it means to keep going.

We talk about who Hannah was, the making of the film, its impact, Pete’s life, his career, his famous clients, success, purpose, peace, and the difference between being there and truly being present.

Then, at one stage, Pete does something I’ve never experienced in more than 100 interviews.

He turns the interview back on me.

It could have been uncomfortable.

Instead, it became one of the most powerful conversations I’ve ever recorded.

Watch Hannah’s Story: https://teamhannah.com

Follow Pete on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petecohen_

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richleighpod

=====

"It's like Diary of a CEO for people that have to do the school run."

Interviews that might just change your life.

And if not…? You’ll probably enjoy them anyway.

After my younger brother Jordan took his own life, I sold the PR agency I’d spent over a decade building and decided to go all-in on creating something meaningful.

This podcast is the result.

Project Possible is a podcast about success through adversity. About what's truly possible.

Expect famous faces and unsung heroes.

Hosted by me, Rich Leigh, each episode explores the lives, minds and experiences of extraordinary people from business, sport, entertainment, academia and beyond.

Subscribe wherever you watch or listen.

=====

Sign up now to the free weekly newsletter at https://projectpossible.substack.com for behind the scenes, giveaways, ways to get involved and more.

=====

Email: [email protected]

More about Project Possible here: https://www.richleigh.co/podcast