Welcome back to Founder Diaries, a RecTalk podcast hosted by Nitin Sharma, founder of Rectools.io — the only whole-of-market directory for recruitment suppliers.

This week, Nitin sits down with Taylor James — Co-Founder of Twentytwo Productions, award-winning podcast host, producer, and creator of The Waffle Shop. Taylor’s journey is anything but ordinary, and in this deeply real and refreshingly honest conversation, he opens up about:

🔥 What We Dive Into

• How a darkest-hour moment became the catalyst for Taylor starting a podcast.
• Nearly losing his mum, becoming a full-time carer overnight, and the emotional impact that shaped the next five years of his life.
• Why creating The Waffle Shop became his therapy — and how it evolved into a platform with global guests and millions of downloads.
• The truth behind podcast charts, vanity metrics, and the social-media illusion many creators fall into.
• How podcasting helped him rediscover purpose, community, empowerment, and his personal voice.
• Why he chose to step back from mental-health content despite its success — and what the next chapter looks like.
• Advice for anyone thinking of starting a podcast: testing concepts, not chasing numbers, and understanding your why.
• The emotional and psychological weight of becoming “the mental health guy” — and learning to protect your own wellbeing.
• Empowerment, resilience, and the mindset shift needed to build a life on your own terms.

This episode is raw, inspiring, emotional, funny, and full of perspective. Whether you're at a crossroads or building something from scratch, Taylor’s story hits home.

🎯 Who This Episode Is For

• Founders navigating tough transitions
• Creators or entrepreneurs battling imposter syndrome
• Anyone considering starting a podcast
• People interested in resilience, mental health, and personal reinvention
• Solo founders building from rock bottom
• Anyone who wants a brutally honest look at what “success” really means

🔗 Connect with the guest

Taylor James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorpattinson/

Twentytwo Productions: https://twentytwo.productions/

The Waffle Shop: https://open.spotify.com/show/60C1ePAB4tZJkwpBMAQCib

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, plus Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

New episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — drop on Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Matt Fox — Exitus Advisory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fox-50b10311/

SourceFlow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sourceflow/

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Carl Jones — Konquest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-jones-66093722/

#FounderDiaries #RecTalk #TaylorJames #TwentytwoProductions #TheWaffleShop #PodcastingTips #EntrepreneurJourney #MentalHealthMatters #Resilience #StartYourPodcast #ContentCreators #NitinSharma #Rectools #CreativeEntrepreneurship #RealConversations #EmpowermentJourney

Welcome back to The Mixed Grill, the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club hosted by Nitin Sharma and Bobby Banerjee — where recruitment chat meets curry-fuelled chaos.

Fresh out of a Diwali dinner in Northwest London, Nitin and Bobby jump into the car for a late-night debrief and dive head-first into the spicy stuff recruiters don’t usually say out loud.

Here’s what they dig into:

• Recruitment “icks” — from junior recruiters’ cringe LinkedIn clichés to Wolf of Wall Street wannabe leaders still stuck in 2010.
• TA vs Agency — who actually has the harder job? And why the conversation has more layers than a perfectly made biryani.
• AI Nonsense & Cash-Grab Vendors — calling out the companies flogging AI as a magic silver bullet while selling solutions with a 6-month shelf life.
• Mediocrity in Recruitment — shortcuts, quick wins, lazy posting, and why the industry deserves better.
• LinkedIn Over-Personalisation — from “Hey, we both breathe air!” DMs to the awkward oversharing epidemic.
• Future-Proofing Recruitment — 360 vs 180 models, skill gaps, operating models, and what the industry actually needs to survive to 2030 and beyond.
• Diwali, family culture, tanning, old Facebook memories, hangovers (or lack of them) — and other wonderfully chaotic tangents that only a post-curry recording can deliver.

Fun, raw, opinionated — and very, very Mixed Grill.

Who This Episode Is For

• Recruiters who love the industry but can’t stand its nonsense.
• Talent Acquisition pros who want their seat at the table respected.
• Founders and recruitment leaders trying to modernise their operating model.
• Anyone confused (or exhausted) by the current AI hype cycle.
• LinkedIn warriors who need a gentle nudge to stop oversharing.
• Fans of casual, funny, no-BS chat after a good curry.

🔗 Connect with the hosts

Bobby Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbybanerjee/

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Get your fill of curry, banter, and brilliant recruitment minds at The Recruitment Curry Club:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Look out for more episodes of The Mixed Grill dropping on Thursdays.

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

#TheMixedGrill #RecTalk #RecruitmentCurryClub #RecruitmentPodcast #RecruitmentLife #TalentAcquisition #RecruitmentIcks #LinkedInFails #AIinRecruitment #FutureOfRecruitment #NitinSharma #BobbyBanerjee

Inside the Paraform Revolution: Recruiter Stories, AI Breakthroughs & Marketplace Mastery — Live from Hedsor House

In this special live edition of RecTalk, hosts Nitin Sharma and Bobby Banerjee sit down with recruiters, founders, and the Paraform leadership team at the spectacular Paraform UK Recruiter Gala at Hedsor House.

Across the evening, they speak with marketplace veterans, top billers, brand-new joiners, and the Paraform team themselves — exploring how the platform has transformed earning potential, workflows, and the future of independent recruiting.

Featuring:

Wayne Zhou • Kat Kingshott • Marco Navarro • Neil Patel • Jeffrey Li • Sam Bracey • George Valentine • Tilly Dack • Jev Wray • Louise Ogilvy

🔥 What’s Inside

1. Paraform’s Origin, Pain Points & Breakthroughs

Wayne and Kat share how Paraform evolved from a basic referral tool into a high-growth recruiter marketplace — built through honest feedback, failed experiments, and learning from early mistakes.

2. When Recruiters Build Agencies Through Marketplaces

Marco & Neil of Inkorp reveal how they went from skepticism → first 3 placements → scaling to a four-person team in under a year thanks to volume, speed and Paraform support.

3. AI Matching, Talent Routing & Future Vision

Paraform CTO Jeffrey Li breaks down:

• why almost half of hires now involve Paraform AI
• how candidates can be cross-matched to multiple companies
• the shift from quantity to quality-first recruiting
• building an ATS-grade experience directly into the marketplace

4. Real Recruiter Stories: The Earnings, Challenges & Wins

• Oakland Search discuss the learning curve for UK recruiters entering US markets and how Paraform accelerates junior development.
• Louise Ogilvy shares why she left the platform years ago — then returned to bill ~$480k, with 60% coming from Paraform.
• Jev Wray explains why he calls Paraform “a rocket ship” after billing 300k+ as a solo.

🎯 Who This Episode Is For

• Recruiters curious about Paraform or marketplace models
• Solo recruiters wanting to increase earnings without heavy BD
• Agency owners scaling teams in the UK & US markets
• RecTech fans interested in AI-driven hiring
• Anyone exploring the future of decentralised recruitment

Check out Paraform: https://www.paraform.com/

🔗 Connect with the guests

Wayne Zhou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-y-zhou/

Kat Kingshott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katkingshott/

Marco Navarro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-navarro-b12689a3/

Neil Patel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilinkorp/

Jeffrey Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lijeffrey39/

Sam Bracey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sambracey/

George Valentine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-valentine-aa3267171/

Tilly Dack: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tilly-dack-45605a2a9/

Jev Wray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jev-wray/

Louise Ogilvy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devtools-recruitment/

🔗 Connect with the hosts

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Bobby Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbybanerjee/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Also look out for The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on a Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Matt Fox — Exitus Advisory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fox-50b10311/

SourceFlow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sourceflow/

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Carl Jones — Konquest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-jones-66093722/

#RecTalk #Paraform #RecruitmentMarketplace #RecruitmentPodcast #Rectech #AIRecruiting #AgencyOwners #RecruiterLife #HedsorHouse #FutureOfRecruitment

In this special on-location episode of RecTalk, recorded at the iconic Hedsor House ahead of the Paraform UK Recruiter Gala, Nitin Sharma and guest co-host Bobby Banerjee sit down with Wayne Zhou and Kat Kingshott to deep-dive into the realities of scaling recruitment across the US, UK, and global markets.

Wayne and Kat share the unfiltered story of Paraform — how the company began as a scrappy agency, discovered its true product-market fit through hard lessons, and evolved into a high-growth marketplace connecting elite recruiters with top US tech and healthcare companies.

Together, they unpack:

• 🚀 The origin story of Paraform and why they pivoted from agency → referral model → today’s high-performance recruiter marketplace.
• 🌍 Why UK recruiters are uniquely successful in the US — urgency, maturity, speed, and commercial sharpness.
• 📉 The biggest challenges recruiters face when expanding into the US market (BD, legalities, niche specialisms, and client qualification).
• 💰 How Paraform helps smaller agencies scale fast by providing vetted roles, support, AM teams, community, and fair marketplace dynamics.
• 🧪 What “good” looks like: the behavioural traits and experience Paraform looks for when vetting recruiters.
• 🛠️ Why the platform isn’t the “easy way to make money” — and why those who love the game can double revenue by specialising.
• 📉 When it doesn’t work — transparency around missteps, early platform issues, and how they course-corrected.
• 🧭 Future-proofing recruiting beyond the AI boom: healthcare, consulting, legal, gov-tech and other elastic-demand sectors.

This episode is an honest, energetic and hilarious look at the realities of building a recruiter marketplace, the differences between UK/US hiring cultures, and what it really takes to succeed as a specialist external recruiter today.

Who This Episode Is For

• Recruiters considering expanding into the US tech or healthcare market
• UK-based agencies wanting a BD engine without the legwork
• Solo recruiters seeking community, support and higher-value roles
• Founders exploring marketplace models or recruiter enablement tools
• Anyone curious about how Paraform actually works behind the scenes

🔗 Connect with the guests

Wayne Zhou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-y-zhou/

Kat Kingshott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katkingshott/

Check out Paraform: https://www.paraform.com/

🔗 Connect with the hosts

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Bobby Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbybanerjee/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Also look out for The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on a Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Matt Fox — Exitus Advisory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fox-50b10311/

SourceFlow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sourceflow/

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Carl Jones — Konquest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-jones-66093722/

#RecTalk #RecruitmentPodcast #Paraform #USRecruitment #UKRecruiters #ScalingAgencies #RecruitmentTech #MarketplaceHiring #TalentAcquisition #HedsorHouse #RecruiterGala #Rectools

In this episode of Founder Diaries, host Nitin Sharma sits down with the brilliant and brutally honest Rich Evans — entrepreneur, investor, advisor, and the man with more pies than fingers.

Rich’s journey is anything but typical. From wanting to be a PE teacher… to knocking doors selling TV packages… to running recruitment teams… to building and exiting Bold Identities… and now advising and investing across B2B service businesses. His story is a masterclass in resilience, timing, people, and the real traits that matter in entrepreneurship.

🔥 In this episode, we dive into:

• How Rich accidentally fell into sales, recruitment, entrepreneurship — and why “no master plan” can still win
• The reality of building and exiting a service-led business (including when early offers aren’t enough)
• How he used his exit to create long-term generational wealth
• Why Rich backs founders, not products — and what traits he looks for before investing his own money and time
• The importance of bias for action, resilience, resourcefulness, and “doing the basics well”
• Why B2B service businesses win when they communicate better than everyone else
• The future of recruitment tech, human vs. automated touchpoints, and why candidate care still sucks
• Rich’s prediction for 2026 and the real impact of AI on business and employment
• Founders’ psychology: mindset, positivity, ownership, controlling the controllables
• His biggest lessons, biggest failures, and why showing up as a parent is his proudest achievement

This is one of the most honest deep-dives into what real founders actually experience — the pivots, the hits to the face, the doubts, the wins, the mindset shifts, and the relentless work behind the scenes.

🎧 Who This Episode Is For

• Founders and early-stage entrepreneurs
• Recruitment agency owners and service-based business leaders
• Investors/advisors who want to understand founder psychology
• Anyone navigating AI, market uncertainty, or big strategic decisions
• People who need a mindset reset and some raw, real talk from someone who’s lived it

🔗 Connect with the guest

Rich Evans: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richarde1/

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, plus Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

New episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping every Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Matt Fox — Exitus Advisory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fox-50b10311/

SourceFlow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sourceflow/

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Carl Jones — Konquest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-jones-66093722/

#FounderDiaries #RecTalk #Entrepreneurship #RecruitmentIndustry #ServiceBusiness #BusinessMindset #FounderJourney #B2BLeadership #Investing #RecruitmentTech #AIinRecruitment #MindsetMatters

Welcome back to The Mixed Grill, the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club, hosted by Nitin Sharma and Bobby Banerjee.

In this week’s episode, Nitin and Bobby dive into a hilarious and surprisingly insightful phone-in special (well… voice-note special because it’s 2025 and nobody wants a real phone-in on a Friday at 1:55pm). Expect unfiltered nonsense, actual recruitment wisdom, and more unsolicited life advice than anyone asked for.

From Mike’s morphine-fuelled messages, Sarah from NumberMill’s party trick interrogation, and mystery questions about makeup artists, to the genuinely thoughtful discussions on:

• Why AI panic and AI hype are both missing the point
• The “human premium” and why recruitment is splitting into two very distinct camps
• KPI myths, the curse of 360 obsession, and why putting the right humans in the right roles fixes most problems
• Why billing managers don’t work
• Why recruiters should stop lying to themselves about “the good old days”
• The biggest and most expensive mistakes recruitment owners make (hint: cars, offices, tax, and ego)
• Cultural fit, sorting-hat recruitment, and why some great recruiters fail in the wrong environments
• What movie best describes their careers (spoiler: The Goonies and Pulp Fiction both get a shout)

This episode is unfiltered and absolutely packed with the kind of fun, chaos, and surprisingly sharp recruitment conversation that makes the Recruitment Curry Club community what it is.

🔥 Who This Episode Is For

• Recruiters who love the industry but refuse to take it too seriously
• Recruitment founders wanting honest talk without LinkedIn fluff
• L&D, enablement and ops folks who want to understand behavioural fit
• Anyone curious about AI’s real impact on recruitment
• Fans of chaotic humour, cultural references, and two blokes oversharing
• Curry Club members who know exactly why this WhatsApp group is so special

🔗 Connect with the hosts

Bobby Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbybanerjee/

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Get your fill of curry, banter, and brilliant recruitment minds at The Recruitment Curry Club:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

New episodes of The Mixed Grill drop every Thursday.

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

#MixedGrillPodcast #RecruitmentCurryClub #RecTalk #RecruitmentPodcast #RecruitmentLife #RecruitmentHumour #RecruiterCommunity #AIInRecruitment #RecruiterEnablement #WorkCulture #PeopleFirstRecruitment #Rectools #NitinSharma #BobbyBanerjee

Welcome to a special roundtable masterclass edition of RecTalk, hosted by Nitin Sharma. Get ready for pure, unfiltered industry knowledge from five of the most respected brains in recruitment… and Bobby. 😉

In this honest (and hilarious) discussion, Nitin is joined by:

• Keith Davidson – Recruitment Funding Solutions
• Bobby Banerjee – Elev8 Learning
• Stewart Roberts – Mayachi
• Christian Mather – One Day Wealth
• Kan Mallawathantri – Avensys Tech

This masterclass digs into what recruitment leaders are really facing in 2025 — from market nerves to founder burnout, tech chaos, and financial blind spots. Expect a perfect mix of insight, humour, real-life horror stories, and actionable advice.

Key Topics Include:

• 📉 Is the market bad… or just back to normal? Why negativity is creeping in and what’s actually happening behind the scenes.
• 🚀 The rise of new starts: Why top billers are leaving big agencies due to commission changes and choosing to build lifestyle-led micro-agencies.
• 💸 Founders going bust: The hidden reasons agencies collapse — and what experienced suppliers are seeing every day.
• 🧮 Accounting disasters: From directors misunderstanding VAT to accountants who don’t understand recruitment — and how it destroys businesses.
• 🧪 1-to-1 vs 360 models, tech stacks, funding models: Why agency blueprints no longer exist — and how owners can choose the right structure.
• 🤝 How to tell a good supplier from a terrible one: Social proof, reputation, referrals, and why “leaflet marketing logic” actually makes sense.
• 🧠 Consultative selling > desperation selling: Why humans sniff out urgency — and why giving value first always wins.

And much more...

Packed with stories, strategies, and plenty of banter — this is one of the most comprehensive “state of the industry” conversations recruitment leaders will hear all year.

🙋 Who This Episode Is For:

• Recruitment founders (new or seasoned)
• Aspiring agency owners
• Solo recruiters scaling for the first time
• Ops, L&D, finance, and back-office leaders
• Anyone trying to understand the real state of recruitment in 2025
• Anyone tired of hype and wanting straight-talking advice

🔗 Connect with the panel

Keith Davidson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-davidson-rfsqps/

Recruitment Funding Solutions: https://www.rectools.io/product/recruitment-funding-solutions-2/

Bobby Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbybanerjee/

Elev8 Learning: https://www.rectools.io/product/elev8-learning/

Stewart Roberts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewartroberts78/

Mayachi: https://www.rectools.io/product/mayachi-ltd/

Christian Mather: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianmather/

One Day Wealth: https://www.rectools.io/product/one-day-wealth/

Kan Mallawathantri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kan-avensystech/

Avensys Tech: https://www.rectools.io/product/avensys-tech/

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Also look out for The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on a Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Matt Fox — Exitus Advisory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fox-50b10311/

SourceFlow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sourceflow/

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Carl Jones — Konquest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-jones-66093722/

#Rectalk #RecruitmentPodcast #RecruitmentLeaders #RecruitmentTech #AgencyOwners #RecruitmentStartups #RecOps #RecruitmentFunding #L&D #ConsultativeSelling #AIinRecruitment #RecruitmentMarket #BDTips #RecruitmentTraining #HRTech #StaffingInsights #Rectools

In this special edition of RecTalk, host Nitin Sharma sits down with two returning favourites and Rectools Recommended suppliers — Poonam Mawani of Azuki Accounts and Christian Mather of One Day Wealth — for a deep and brutally honest conversation about what it actually takes to get both your business and yourself truly exit ready.

Most recruitment founders don’t think about selling until they’re burned out, facing partner issues, or dealing with a life-changing event. By then, it’s usually too late — and buyers know it. Poonam and Christian break down exactly why so many recruitment businesses end up as distressed sales, how to avoid the skeletons that kill deals during due diligence, and why your accounts, tax habits, personal finances, and “freedom number” matter far more than you think.

They also cover:

• Why planning your exit 2–5 years earlier can add huge value.
• The biggest red flags buyers spot instantly.
• Hidden liabilities, dodgy payroll setups, and messy accounts that slash valuations.
• The four types of recruitment business exits — Trade Sale, MBO, Private Equity & EOT — and which one fits different founders.
• Why most founders completely underestimate the emotional crash after selling.
• How to separate your personal life from your business to protect future value.
• Why paying a bit more tax now might save your business later.
• How to calculate your freedom number (and why it’s usually lower than you think).
• The truth about what founders REALLY do after selling (hint: almost nobody retires).

This is hands-down one of the most practical exit-planning conversations ever recorded for the recruitment industry — packed with real-world examples, financial traps to avoid, and honest advice from two people who help recruitment founders exit every single week.

If you’re running a 1–20 person recruitment business and wondering “Would anyone ever buy us?” — this is your episode.

Who This Episode Is For:

• Recruitment founders planning a future exit
• Owners of lifestyle recruitment businesses wanting to tidy up operations
• Solo recruiters aiming to scale sustainably
• Anyone stressed about valuations, due diligence, or long-term wealth
• Founders who want to protect their income, their families, and their sanity
• Those curious about selling via EOT, MBO, Trade Sale, or Private Equity

🔗 Connect with the guests

Poonam Mawani: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poonammawaniazuki/

Azuki Accounts: https://www.rectools.io/product/azuki-accounts/

Christian Mather: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianmather/

One Day Wealth: https://www.rectools.io/product/one-day-wealth/

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, plus Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

New episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping every Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Matt Fox — Exitus Advisory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fox-50b10311/

SourceFlow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sourceflow/

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Carl Jones — Konquest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-jones-66093722/

#RecTalk #RecruitmentPodcast #RecruitmentFounders #ExitPlanning #RecruitmentExit #RecruitmentBusiness #RecruitmentGrowth #MBO #EOT #PrivateEquity #TradeSale #AzukiAccounts #OneDayWealth #Rectools

Welcome back to Founder Diaries, a RecTalk podcast hosted by Nitin Sharma — founder of Rectools.io, the whole-of-market directory for recruitment tools.

In today’s powerful and deeply human episode, Nitin sits down with Joe O’Mahoney — a people-focused Change Management Leader and Coach whose career spans E.ON, Hastings Direct, and Three Mobile, where he oversaw a £1.6bn portfolio ahead of the Vodafone merger.

This conversation goes far beyond change frameworks and leadership theory. Joe opens up about:

• The difference between managing tasks and leading people — and why most organisations still get this wrong
• How culture, psychological safety, and empathy shape organisational performance
• Why employee engagement surveys often fail and how AI-driven analysis is changing the game
• Helping scale-ups bring their people along for the ride during high-velocity growth
• The hidden emotional cost of change and how leaders can support teams through uncertainty
• Joe’s personal 20-year struggle with mental health, misdiagnosis, manic episodes triggered by medication, and finally receiving a life-changing bipolar diagnosis
• Losing everything and rebuilding from scratch — the moment he sat alone in an empty house and chose to stand back up
• Fatherhood as his greatest achievement and how being present shapes his purpose
• The lesson he learned too late: the power of truly listening

This is one of the rawest, most honest conversations on Founder Diaries — a must-listen for anyone leading people, going through change, or navigating their own internal battles.

✨ Who This Episode Is For

• Founders and leaders building and scaling teams
• HR, change, and transformation professionals
• Anyone interested in mental health, neurodiversity, and human behaviour
• New managers learning the difference between leadership and management
• Individuals navigating personal or professional change
• Anyone who needs reminding that failure, struggle, and rebuilding are part of the journey

🔗 Connect with the guest

Joe O’Mahoney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-omahoney/

Videre Coaching & Consulting: https://www.videreconsults.co.uk/

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, plus Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

New episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping every Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Matt Fox — Exitus Advisory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fox-50b10311/

SourceFlow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sourceflow/

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Carl Jones — Konquest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-jones-66093722/

#FounderDiaries #RecTalk #Leadership #ChangeManagement #PeopleFirst #MentalHealthAwareness #BipolarAwareness #ScaleUp #OrganisationalCulture #EmployeeExperience #Coaching #Mentorship #HumanBehaviour

Welcome back to The Mixed Grill, the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club—where your hosts Nitin Sharma and Bobby Banerjee simmer, roast and occasionally deep-fry the wildest parts of the recruitment industry.

In this episode, we dive straight into the absolute carnage of modern recruiting—from rogue speculative CVs to dodgy “send me my fee” emails, using the now-infamous LinkedIn post as a launchpad for a brutally honest chat about what service actually means in a service-based industry.

(Yes, recruiters: sending a random CV isn’t a service… shocking, we know. )

From there, it descends beautifully into chaos:

• A candidate who turned up to an interview on a unicycle
• Someone sending a Jehovah’s Witness pamphlet instead of a CV—intentionally
• A workplace plagued by a serial toilet-floor-sh*tter
• The recruiter-candidate who went full “professional stalker” during interview prep
• Homemade porn sent as “proof of address”
• And the teacher-turned-candidate with one of the darkest interview confessions ever recorded
  (Every single one... unbelievably real. )

Sprinkled in between the madness, you’ll hear Nitin and Bobby break down the real problem with legacy recruitment habits—why so many agencies copy outdated big-brand processes, why “transaction over relationship” still plagues the industry, and what modern recruiters should be doing instead.

A fun, wild, slightly unhinged episode… exactly why The Mixed Grill exists.

👂 Who This Episode Is For

• Recruiters who love a laugh at the absurdity of our industry
• Agency owners & billing managers wanting real talk about service vs. sales
• In-house talent teams who have definitely been sent unsolicited CVs
• Anyone who enjoys unbelievable-but-true workplace stories
• RCC members and curry-lovers who just want to hang with the community

🔗 Connect with the hosts

Bobby Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbybanerjee/

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Get your fill of curry, banter, and brilliant recruitment minds at The Recruitment Curry Club:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

New episodes of The Mixed Grill drop every Thursday.

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

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