The BEYOND Podcast

Emma Taylor, an actor-trained public speaking coach with 21 years of experience, joins Aleksandra King on The BEYOND Podcast to prove that confident communication is a skill you can learn, not a talent you are born with. Emma has coached everyone from MPs, CEOs and lawyers to chess champions and nervous parents at school events, and she has seen every speaking mistake there is. Together she and Aleksandra work through the moments that trip most of us up, from wedding toasts and boardroom pitches to simply unmuting on a Zoom call. If you have ever gone blank in a meeting or avoided an opportunity because of nerves, this Emma Taylor podcast conversation shows how to build a stronger speaking muscle at any age.

In this conversation:
Why every speech should feel like a considered gift.
The biggest public speaking mistake and how to fix it instantly.
Using eye contact to hold a room, in person and on Zoom.
Cutting filler words, calming nerves and steadying a shaking voice.
Structuring a thirty to sixty second contribution people remember.

Full episode page: https://www.thebeyondpodcast.com/stop-being-boring-an-experts-guide-to-confident-communication-emma-taylor/
Aleksandra King, host and producer.

Deborah Mitchell, founder of Heaven Skincare, joins Aleksandra King on The BEYOND Podcast to tell the story of how a bullied, dyslexic girl from Shropshire turned kitchen-table facial experiments into a world-renowned luxury skincare brand. From mixing anti-ageing formulas in a converted disabled toilet to being dubbed the Bee Venom Queen and treating Queen Camilla herself, Deborah's journey runs from heartbreak to royal treatment. In this Deborah Mitchell podcast conversation, she and Aleksandra dig into the grit, belief and sheer resilience it takes to keep going when nobody yet believes in you, and why being sensitive, or starting late, rules nobody out.

In this conversation:
What happened when her skincare formulas were stolen.
How she built a multi-million pound brand with no investors.
The moment the palace came calling and how she handled it.
Why resilience beats perfection and how to build your own.
How Victoria Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow became fans.

Full episode page: https://www.thebeyondpodcast.com/she-didnt-find-heaven-she-built-it-deborah-mitchell-heavan-skincare/
Aleksandra King, host and producer.

Andrew Jenkins was pronounced dead at 21 after a catastrophic car crash, and doctors told him he would never walk again. The BBC Traitors UK season two finalist joins Aleksandra King on The BEYOND Podcast to talk about what came next: relearning to walk after four weeks in a coma, walking 1,200 km across four countries, and leaving a safe career in banking and insurance to live on his own terms.

Together they go beyond reality television and into identity, grief, men's mental health and the quiet courage it takes to start over. If you are searching for an Andrew Jenkins podcast conversation that goes deeper than the round table, this is it.

In this conversation:
The day everything stopped at 21, and the first steps back to walking
How mindset, micro goals and pain tolerance beat the medical predictions
Why burying his feelings nearly broke him, and how vulnerability became a strength
The hidden pressure of reality TV and herd mentality at the round table
Leaving a safe career to build a life driven by purpose

Full episode page: https://www.thebeyondpodcast.com/andrew-jenkins-traitors-on-surviving-death-and-rebuilding-life/
Aleksandra King, host and producer

Robin Deller went from a failed apprenticeship to founding Imagine Cruising, a global travel business worth over £200 million and part owned by The Emirates Group. He joins Aleksandra King on The BEYOND Podcast to unpack what it really takes to scale without selling your soul.

From borrowing £65,000 from family to selling companies to Virgin Holidays, Robin shares the risks, reinventions and radical honesty behind his journey, including the traffic light system that keeps his decisions clear and fast. With offices across the UK, Australia and South Africa, his thinking on hiring, money and loyalty is as practical as it is inspiring. For anyone looking for a Robin Deller podcast conversation on honest leadership, start here.

In this conversation:
How a £65,000 family loan became unstoppable drive
The failed apprenticeship and early lessons that redirected his career
Building on three continents while keeping culture first
What selling to Virgin Holidays taught him about corporate partnerships
Why CVs take a back seat to honesty and instinct when he hires

Full episode page: https://www.thebeyondpodcast.com/from-failed-apprenticeship-to-travel-empire/
Aleksandra King, host and producer

Gavin Stone is a former intelligence officer and body language expert who spent his career reading people for a living. He joins Aleksandra King on The BEYOND Podcast for a masterclass in human behaviour: the animal instincts behind influence, from bold lioness energy and chameleon adaptability to the wolf that refuses to be trained.

Together they explore spy grade tools for negotiation, leadership and sales, and how deception detection can give you more control in the boardroom and beyond. If you want a Gavin Stone podcast episode that turns espionage honed skills into everyday advantage, this is the one.

In this conversation:
Why a single cue means little, and how clusters of three or more signals expose real lies
How to baseline someone's normal behaviour before judging anything as deceptive
A ten second trick for reading the power balance in any room
What blink rate and breathing reveal about stress, and why a polygraph only detects stress, not lies
The difference between answers that pacify and answers that truly deny

Full episode page: https://www.thebeyondpodcast.com/gavin-stone-spy-secrets-of-human-behaviour-reading-people-power-the-animal-instincts-of-influe/
Aleksandra King, host and producer

Brande Roderick joins Aleksandra King on The BEYOND Podcast for an unapologetic conversation about attraction, power and reinvention. From Baywatch to Playboy Playmate of the Year, from Hugh Hefner's inner circle to Celebrity Apprentice, and now film director and entrepreneur, Brande has lived several careers in one.

From late nights at the Playboy Mansion to Hollywood casting rooms and reality TV, Brande and Aleksandra King explore what women really want in men, why confidence is the ultimate turn-on, and how she rebuilt herself as a businesswoman and director with her film Wineville. If you want a Brande Roderick podcast conversation that gets past the image to the woman behind the headlines, this is it.

In this conversation:
How Brande handled being cast as the fantasy and kept hold of her real identity
What life with Hugh Hefner was really like behind the glamour and gossip
Why confidence, clarity and direction beat looks and money
Proving herself beyond the blonde stereotype in Hollywood, business and on Celebrity Apprentice
Whether men are now too scared to be masculine, and what healthy strength looks like

Full episode page: https://www.thebeyondpodcast.com/baywatch-playboy-life-with-hugh-hefner-brande-roderick/
Aleksandra King, host and producer

Michael Howard joins Aleksandra King on The BEYOND Podcast to talk about what really keeps a founder moving when the pressure mounts, the numbers wobble and other people's livelihoods sit on their shoulders. The CEO of one of the UK's most respected interiors firms quietly scaled a seven-person team into a 250-strong, multi-million-pound company without chasing fame or validation.

From a broken home and brief homelessness at 17 to building a business that lasts, Michael and Aleksandra King explore the unfiltered realities of entrepreneurship: the maths, the mindset and the sacrifice that sits behind the inspirational quotes. If you have been looking for a Michael Howard podcast conversation with grounded, no-fluff business thinking, this is it.

In this conversation:
How a chaotic start in life shaped Michael's hunger and standards
Why some entrepreneurs are driven more by what they refuse to go back to
Business as maths: capacity, conversion and repeat custom
Hiring for character, and building a culture where people admit mistakes
Leading under pressure when the stress never really stops

Full episode page: https://www.thebeyondpodcast.com/michael-howard-the-truth-about-building-a-business-pressure-pain-profit/
Aleksandra King, host and producer

Rebecca Nwankwo joins Aleksandra King on The BEYOND Podcast to decode how top leaders turn mindset into their ultimate performance advantage. The author of The Lies We Tell Ourselves and Global Executive MBA graduate from IESE Business School studied across seven countries and four continents, working with leaders from 27 nations, and she brings that world into practical reach.

What if the loudest thing holding you back is not the economy, your boss or your skills, but your own mind? Rebecca and Aleksandra King unpack how to silence self-doubt, reprogramme your thinking and apply elite MBA principles to real life, from limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome to visualisation and time management. This Rebecca Nwankwo podcast conversation is a practical roadmap for anyone who keeps getting in their own way.

In this conversation:
Spotting the toxic inner voice that quietly sabotages ambition
Turning rejection and failure into fuel instead of shame
Using visualisation like a top performer rather than a daydreamer
Militant time management, so results become non-negotiable
The shared patterns that make high achievers feel unstoppable

Full episode page: https://www.thebeyondpodcast.com/the-lies-we-tell-ourselves-with-rebecca-nwankwo-breaking-mental-barriers-and-the-mba-mindset/
Aleksandra King, host and producer