The Human Edge

Sam has been my coach for many years now and while our conversations have often been profound, I've usually been the subject of them! So it was an absolute joy to have Sam in the 'hot seat' and I loved every minute of it.

The Human Edge returns!

And what better way to celebrate the new edition of the podcast than an interview with my Dad.

This is a conversation I've wanted to have for a long time, for two reasons - first it's the creation of a family artefact; and, second, to have a deep dive into my Dad's early years, and to ask (some of) the questions I might not be able to have answered in years to come.

I may be biased, but this was a fascinating conversation. From humble beginnings in a lower middle class upbringing in Liverpool, all the way to becoming a QC (KC since the death of the Queen) and then a Judge. 

My Dad achieved a huge amount of success, and like all successful people, did so in spite of insecurity and self-doubt. Success gave him so much, but also came at a cost, and regrets that he carries to this day.

There's so much I learned from this conversation - about the man, about overcoming the obstacles that life puts in front of you, and about living a life of purpose.

Paul van Zyl first came to prominence in the 1990s as part of the team supporting South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, working alongside figures such as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. The Commission focused on uncovering the truth about apartheid-era crimes, offering a model that prioritised truth-telling and accountability alongside the possibility of amnesty.

Following this, Paul co-founded the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), where he served as Executive Vice President. Through ICTJ, he worked with governments, civil society groups, and international bodies in countries including Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, and Afghanistan—supporting efforts to address past abuses through mechanisms such as truth commissions, reparations programmes, and institutional reform.

He later moved into the private sector as a co-founder of Vérité, focusing on human rights within global supply chains. In that role, he worked with major multinational companies, NGOs, and institutions to tackle issues such as forced labour and worker exploitation.

Today, Paul is co-founder and CEO of The Conduit, a members’ platform designed to bring together leaders across business, policy, activism, and philanthropy to tackle global challenges. The Conduit blends elements of a private members’ club, an ideas forum, and an impact network, hosting events, partnerships, and initiatives focused on issues like climate, inequality, and economic inclusion.

This conversation was a fascinating exploration of leadership as a force for good, how leadership can unite even in the most fractured of societies, and a salient reminder of what is - and still can be - possible.  

Pete Maiden is the founder and CEO of CHEXS, a Hertfordshire-based charity that’s been making a quiet but powerful impact since 2011. 

His career began in the Royal Navy, where he developed the kind of discipline and leadership skills that would later shape his approach to community work. After leaving the military, Pete turned his attention to supporting young people and families, driven by a belief that small, consistent changes can lead to meaningful transformation.

Through CHEXS, he’s helped hundreds of young people each year—particularly those aged 8 to 16—through a unique GROWTH programme that blends coaching, outdoor learning, and personal development. Alongside that, he’s built a robust family support service, offering everything from parenting workshops to one-to-one sessions tailored to each family’s needs.

Pete is more than a charity leader—he’s a recognised champion of social mobility and was awarded the Broxbourne Civic Award for his outstanding service to the community. 

The work he does is really inspiring and so is his story, from humble beginnings, his adventures in the Navy, learning how to live with significant dyslexia, to founding and running CHEXS. It is full of twists and turns including some pretty frightening health issues! It made for a fascinating conversation, which I loved and I hope you do too.

To find out more about CHEXS, go to www.chexs.co.uk 

Nicolas Trindade is a Senior Portfolio Manager at AXA Investment Managers, responsible for managing global and sterling credit portfolios running into hundreds of millions of pounds.

If you're thinking "this is going to be a dry episode" - think again! It was a very rich (no pun intended) conversation, talking about: 

- Nic's immigrant background (his Portuguese parents were immigrants to France and Nic is a Frenchman living in London) and the values that come with that
- his love for acting and improvisation and how those skills have served him in the business world
- how to build trust and long-lasting relationships
- what great leadership looks like
- his role as a father of two young children,
- and so much more!

Nic's story is a wonderful advert for the value of immigration and for good, old-fashioned values. I'm really grateful that Nic came to talk to me despite suffering with back pain and I hope you get as much from the episode as I did!

You can learn more about Nic here - https://www.axa-im.co.uk/research-and-insights/experts/nicolas-trindade

David Brown is a life coach, a former Antarctic research scientist, and a martial arts instructor. David is also founder of the Institute of Sovereign Leadership.

This is one of my favourite conversations to date. I loved David's thoughtful and articulate responses to my questions about his work around sovereign leadership, his journey as a leader, how he's overcome setbacks in life (including the death of his brother), and of course what his 'edge' is and how he's leaning into that.

Watching the episode back and re-living our conversation was an absolute pleasure and I urge you to spend an hour or so in David's company.

Read more about David here https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-brown-institute-of-sovereign-leadership/

Amanda Craig is a British novelist, short-story writer and critic. Born in South Africa in 1959, she grew up in Italy, where her parents worked for the UN, and was educated at Bedales School and Clare College Cambridge.

After a brief time in advertising and PR, she became a journalist for newspapers such as The Sunday Times, the Observer, The Daily Telegraph and the Independent, winning both the Young Journalist of the Year and the Catherine Pakenham Award. She still reviews children’s books for The New Statesman, and literary fiction for The Observer, but is now a full-time novelist. 

Her seventh novel, Hearts And Minds, was long-listed for the Bailey’s Prize for Women’s Fiction, and her eighth, The Lie of the Land, was a Radio 4 Book At Bedtime, a YOU Magazine Book Club choice and picked by six national newspapers as a Book of the Year in 2018. Her latest novel, The Three Graces, was published on 8th June 2023 by Abacus. Described as My Brilliant Friend meets A Room With a View, The Three Graces has just been optioned for TV serialisation by Alison Owen at Momentum Pictures after a three-way auction.

My conversation with Amanda ranged far and wide, and among many topics, we talked about growing up in Italy, the state of the publishing industry, her advice for aspiring writers, the immense struggles she had in the early years of her career while raising children, and of course her writing (including a sneak preview about what she's working on at the moment). 

Amanda is such an articulate and thoughtful guest and I loved listening to her talk - I hope you do too!

If you want to know more about Amanda - https://www.amandacraig.com and @amandapcraig on X

Sometimes you meet someone in life who has such an extraordinary journey that you want to have them share it with you. 

Euphemia began life in a small village in Ghana and now leads the legal team for Kraft Heinz’s Northern Europe business, managing legal operations for a $1.2 billion revenue region.

Her journey is characterised by courage, resilience and positivity and I'm thrilled to be able to share it here. 

Among other things, we talked about overcoming the challenges of being separated from her mother at the age of 13, being a black woman in a majority white male environment and balancing the demands of a high-profile role with raising two young daughters (both born during Covid to boot)

This is one of my favourite conversations so far and I hope you get as much out of it as I did!

Conor Gearty KC is a founder member of Matrix Chambers. His practice as a barrister is primarily in human rights law and in public law, together with work in the field of corporate social responsibility. 

Apart from his work as a barrister, Conor is Professor of Human Rights Law at the London School of Economics (LSE) where he has been Director of its Centre for the Study of Human Rights and LSE’s Institute of Public Affairs. Gearty is also a published author, with the acclaimed book on human rights law, On Fantasy Island (Oxford University Press) and Homeland Insecurity. The Rise and Rise of Global Anti-terrorism Law, which was published in 2024.

This was a shorter conversation that many, but no less engrossing for it! It's always a thrill for me when sitting down with someone so intelligent and articulate. His life story, which took Conor from Ireland to the heart of the English establishment, is absolutely fascinating - as are his musings on his own vulnerabilities (or lack of them).

As my editor said to me: "the clarity and precision of his mind is exhilarating." I hope you think so too! 

Madeleine Holt is a filmmaker, entrepreneur and campaigner in education. Formerly culture correspondent on BBC Newsnight, she makes films about innovative, community-minded comprehensive schools through her enterprise, Schools on Screen. She runs the pioneering Meet the Parents project in North London, encouraging all families to support their local, non-selective secondary schools. In 2019 she won the Fred and Anne Jarvis Award for education campaigning, subsequently won by Marcus Rashford.

In this conversation, Madeleine and I talk about her career as a BBC journalist, her transition from journalism to education activism, what innovation in education can look like, the drawbacks of the current English education system and whether university really is the key to a successful career and life.

If you've got school age kids (and even if you haven't!), this is a must-watch.