What does elite talent really look like in conservation — and why do most hiring systems miss it completely?

Rowan Martin is a walking contradiction to the sector’s stereotypes. A PhD scientist in butterfly vision. A mountain biker with an instinctive grasp of risk. An estate manager running real land, real projects, and real decisions in West Wales. A mother, creator, and operator who refuses to separate who she is from how she works.

This conversation goes far beyond ecology. We get into why CV-led recruitment fails, how high-performance cultures are actually built, and why character, standards, and mindset matter more than tidy career paths. Rowan shares her journey from academia to action, how she balances leadership with authenticity, and why conservation done properly is uncomfortable, physical, and deeply human.

We also explore risk — on the bike, on the land, and in business — community trust, volunteer culture, and what happens when you give exceptional people the freedom to be fully themselves.

This isn’t a story about fitting in. It’s about raising the bar.

If you care about talent, leadership, or how the future of nature is really being built — this one matters.

British politics has a problem — and it isn’t policy. It’s belief.

Ben Gascoigne has lived at the heart of the machine. From Downing Street to the House of Lords, he’s seen how power is won, how it’s lost, and why so many leaders fail to hold the country’s attention once they get there.

This conversation cuts straight through the spin. Why politics feels empty. Why no one’s listening. Why authenticity beats caution every time. And why playing it safe might be the most dangerous strategy in modern leadership.

We talk about the realignment reshaping British politics, the growing appeal of figures who say what they think, and the vacuum left when leaders refuse to own a vision. From Brexit to Farage, Starmer to Blair, this is an unfiltered look at what actually moves people — and what doesn’t.

But this isn’t just about elections. It’s about pressure, sacrifice, and the personal cost of life inside the system. The adrenaline. The burnout. And the moment when politics stops being abstract and starts hitting home.

If you want to understand why British politics feels stuck — and what it would take to change it — this conversation doesn’t look away.

Britain’s food system looks calm on the surface. Underneath, it’s under strain.

Tom Bradshaw, President of the NFU, sits down with Rich Stockdale for a raw, wide-ranging conversation about what it really takes to feed 70 million people — and why UK farming is being pushed to the edge. From balancing family life with national leadership, to fighting for farmers inside Westminster, Tom pulls back the curtain on the political, economic, and emotional realities of modern agriculture.

This isn’t nostalgia for farming’s past. It’s a hard look at its future.

They dig into why UK farmers are exposed to global markets without the protections enjoyed elsewhere, how trade deals and regulation are quietly reshaping what we grow, and why food security should be treated with the same seriousness as defence and energy. Tom challenges the idea that cheap food is a success story — and explains the real cost it’s storing up for the country.

The conversation moves beyond policy into purpose: what farmers stand for, why public trust matters, and how resilience — economic, environmental, and human — is the only way forward.

And just days before Christmas, that pressure finally broke through. Following sustained NFU campaigning, industry-wide backing, and direct engagement with the Prime Minister, the government confirmed a major shift on inheritance tax. The threshold will now rise to £2.5 million — or up to £5 million when spousal transfers are included — meaning most family farms will be able to pass to the next generation intact. It’s not perfect, and the fight isn’t over, but for many farmers it’s a decisive step back from the brink.

As Tom puts it: farming stood together when it mattered — and it will keep pushing until the system finally works for those who produce our food.

Alok Sama has lived where most people only speculate. Inside Morgan Stanley. Inside SoftBank. Inside the long, lonely thinking of Masayoshi Son.

Rich and Alok strip away the mythology of success — the status, the deals, the adrenaline — and examine what’s left when the noise dies down. From the absurd rituals of high finance to the quiet psychological cost of ambition, this is an unvarnished look at what it really takes to operate at the edge of global power.

They explore how language shapes truth in books, why self-deception might be a prerequisite for building anything meaningful, and why the world’s great outliers, Son, Musk, tech’s true visionaries, look ridiculous right up until they bend reality. AI enters the frame not as hype, but as a force already reshaping work, value, and intellectual relevance.

The conversation also turns inward: leaving a high-adrenaline career, stepping into writing, and discovering that reflection can be more confronting than any boardroom battle.

English wine didn’t evolve — it accelerated. And now it’s facing the consequences.

Ed Mansel-Lewis, Head of Viticulture at Knight Frank, joins Rich Stockdale for a wide-ranging conversation about what really determines success in modern wine — and why the industry is quietly shifting from rapid expansion to ruthless consolidation.

From Champagne houses planting vines in Kent, to £30 non-alcoholic wines generating eye-watering margins, to marketing stunts that outperform heritage overnight, this episode pulls back the curtain on the economics, branding, and power dynamics shaping the future of wine.

But this isn’t just an industry conversation. Ed opens up about leadership, emotional intelligence, mentorship, and the personal cost of building under pressure — at work and at home.

Nye Gordon, Director at Guidehouse, joins Rich Stockdale PhD for a conversation that moves fast — from politics to engineering, from nature markets to climate resilience, from imposter syndrome to the dream of working from a lochside in Perthshire.

Nye argues that nature isn’t a backdrop to energy infrastructure — it is infrastructure. A tool for resilience. A shield for assets that are about to face more pressure than ever as the UK electrifies everything.

They dig into the cultural clash between engineers and sustainability teams, the missing incentives for networks to invest in nature, and the massive opportunity for energy companies to become true climate leaders rather than reluctant participants.

It’s practical. It’s provocative. And it’s a glimpse into a future where resilience-as-a-service, bold policy, and ambitious nature projects sit at the centre of how we power a country.

If you care about climate, infrastructure, or the enormous transition already unfolding beneath your feet — you’ll want to hear this one.

Tom Sobey built Origin Coffee long before specialty coffee became a trend — and long before the industry understood what “quality” actually meant. ☕️

This episode goes deep into the real story behind one of Europe’s most respected coffee brands: the early graft, the relentless focus on culture, the obsession with craft, and the uncomfortable decisions needed to scale without selling your soul.

We talk about the defining moments — losing Soho House after years of partnership, watching COVID wipe out wholesale overnight, then rebuilding through a digital surge that reshaped the entire business. We dive into why Tom chose to bring in outside investment for the first time, and how that move was really about unlocking opportunity and protecting Origin’s future in Cornwall.

Tom’s philosophy is disarmingly simple: surround yourself with people smarter than you, stay humble, and let quality lead every decision — even when it hurts. The result? A roastery with global credibility, a culture built on trust, and a brand that refuses to play the “race to the bottom” game.

This isn’t just a coffee story. It’s a blueprint for building something timeless in a world addicted to shortcuts. 🔥

Dryrobe didn’t just invent a product — they created a culture.

In this episode, Rich sits down with Tasmin Chilcott, the unstoppable force behind Dryrobe’s sustainability mission, to unpack how a cold-car-park problem became one of the most influential outdoor brands in the world. From a mum’s homemade prototype to GB Olympic kit, Dryrobe has become the Hoover, Dyson and Google of its category — and Tasmin reveals the real reason why.

They dive into the stories no one sees: the 100% recycled materials, the circular economy push, the packaging trials that cut eight tonnes of waste, and the battles inside a company trying to build gear that lasts forever in a world obsessed with buying again tomorrow. Tasmin opens up about her journey from ocean conservation to carbon accounting to shaping one of the UK’s most values-led brands — and why the climate crisis will force a radical rethink of everything we design and wear.

Community, restoration, wild swimming culture, charity partnerships, algae-based innovation, local hiring, B Corp ethics — it’s all here. And Tasmin doesn’t sugarcoat the challenge ahead.

If you want to understand what real sustainability looks like — and why Dryrobe keeps winning while everyone else greenwashes — this conversation will hit you harder than a winter swim.

What happens when an ecologist stops waiting for government — and builds the system himself?

Professor David Hill CBE, founder of Environment Bank and the architect of biodiversity net gain (BNG), joins Rich Stockdale PhD for a conversation that rewrites the rules of conservation.

From founding the UK’s first environmental consultancy to forcing Westminster to legislate for nature, David’s journey is proof that change doesn’t come from policy papers — it comes from people willing to fight the system.

They go deep on:

• How BNG became law — and why it almost didn’t.
• Why private investment is the only route to large-scale restoration.
• The £45 million surge in biodiversity markets.
• And the creation of The Foundation for Nature — a ratings agency for the planet.

This is not a polite discussion about the environment.

It’s about power, persistence, and the business of saving the natural world.

Neil Beamsley doesn’t just build homes — he builds habitats.

As Group Head of Biodiversity at Bellway Homes, Neil is leading one of the UK’s biggest housebuilders into uncharted territory: a world where development enhances nature, not erases it.

From his early days in archaeology and ecology to shaping national policy on Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), Neil’s story is one of balance — between progress and preservation, ambition and accountability.

He talks openly about Bellway’s decision to go beyond the legal minimum for BNG, the rise of off-site habitat banking, and why true sustainability starts with collaboration, not perfection.

This is a conversation about how nature, business, and regulation can finally work together — and what it takes to build a legacy that lasts longer than concrete.