The Independent Minds

Doing good business does not have to involve creating a negative impact on employees, customers, suppliers, society, or environment.

Bessie Graham is a co-founder of Benefit Capital, and a strategic advisor to C-suite leaders in midsize businesses and large non-profits across the globe. She is a former advisor to the Australian Federal Government and the Obama Foundation’s Emerging Leaders Program.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Bessie and host Michael Millward discuss how changes in the way people work demands that employers of all kinds adopt a more purposeful approach to making and using money.

Their conversation covers how

• History impacts our perception of the present and future.
• Employee attitudes toward work are changing
• Treating people, customers, suppliers well results in win-win relationships
• Business plans should include a section on how the business will do business

Originally published in February 2025, twelve months on this conversation is increasingly relevant in 2026 to how businesses need to change.

Discover more about Bessie Graham and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

Further reading

• Milton Friedman
• Maya Angelou
• Pamela Hartigan
• The Quakers: Money and Morals
• The ToyotaWay

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance. Use our discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

Experience based team building brings remote workers together

Daniel O’Sullivan is the founder of Team Building Experiences.co.uk which does what its name suggests, providing team building experiences for every size and type of company.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Daniel and host Michael Millward discuss how changes in the way people work and socialise is changing how teams form and build at work.

Their conversation covers

• How smaller businesses are seeing the value of experience-based team building activities.
• Changing work patterns can create isolated and lonely workers
• How employee attitudes toward work are changing
• How social connections at work can improve work performance
• How the ‘know’ ‘like’ trust’ sales model applies to work relationships
• Changes in employee approaches to team building
• The barriers employers create that hinder team building.
• The team building that Daniel provides for his team

Discover more about Daniel O’Sillivan and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.x

Exploring some of the benefits of sharing knowledge and building connections by being a guest on a podcast.

Anthony Markey helps businesses to find money they didn’t know they qualified for and then connects those businesses with the right people who can ensure they use it well. He is also the host of the I Know a Guy podcast, on which he showcases interesting people who are experts in their field.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Anthony and host Michael Millward discuss how being a guest on a podcast can be an effective way to make connections that help to grow a business.

Their conversation covers

• The power of helping others to be successful
• What they look for in a good guest
• The importance of being interested in every guest and listening to them
• The power of making connections
• How podcasts can build communities
• The successes that Anthony has had
• The unusual experiences being a The pleasure of being a podcast host
• What the future looks like for I know a Guy

Discover more about Anthony Markey and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

Exploring the role of ethics in marketing.

Dr. Thomas Trautmannis the founder of Happy Brains a neuro marketing consultancy. He is also the author of several books on ethical marketing, ethical persuasion and human relationships

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Thomas describes to host Michael Millward how he used ethical marketing techniques to grow his motor cycle tour business by 400%.

Their conversation covers

• A definition of neuro-marketing and ethical persuasion.
• How human beings make decisions
• Why human connection is important in decision making
• The role of ration and emotional brains in decision making
• How removing pain for a customer will result in a sale
• Genuine empathy and maintaining relationships
• The role of AI in customer service

Discover more about Dr Thomas Trautmann and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

Buy books by Dr Thomas Trautmann

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

To maximise profits, you need to have a strategy that makes you stand out as an ideal supplier.

Jeanne Omlor is a solo parent at home, and a team player in business. Faced with the challenges of raising a child alone she searched for ways to make a secure income. Learning how to grow a brand organically opened opportunities for her to sell a service that helps her clients make lots of money.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Jeanne describes how she realised that conventional ways of marketing were not working for her target market, coaches and business consultants.

Jeanne explains to host Michael Millward the organic approach that she developed for her own coaching business, which she eventually turned in to a business to support other coaches and consultants. A business that Jeanne structured around the Henry Ford approach to management of surrounding herself with experts and letting them get on with their work.

Their conversation covers

• How convention networking and referral programmes are not sustainable
• The new approach requires research into potential clients before reaching out to them
• How to create compelling messages that will create connections with great clients
• The content you need on your website to support your marketing activities

Discover more about Jeanne Omlor and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

It is amazing what you can achieve if you can avoid the distractions of modern life

Steve Puri, had a career in the entertainment industry with DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox, before becoming an entrepreneur and setting-up a series of technology businesses. The latest is TheSukha.co.

TheSukha.co is an APP that helps people achieve more by removing the constant distractions of modern life.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Steve describes to host Michael Millward the inspiration for TheSukha.co happened on an Alaskan Airways flight from Austin Texas to San Francisco.

Steve, explains

• That effective and efficient work starts with hiring the right people, 
• Why your people must share the vision of the company, because that is why they want to work with you.
• How everything about the company must support the fulfilment of that vision.
• That the best work is achieved when workers achieve what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described as a Flow State.
• Why remote workers still need to feel connected to each other.

Michael mentions the Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times.

Discover more about Steve Puri and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

Film producer Peter Samuelson recounts the story behind the founding and growth of The Starlight Children’s Foundation, and the First Star charity.

When Hollywood film producer Peter Samuelson received a telephone call from his cousin, the actress Emma Samms he did not expect to be setting up The Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Even if you have never heard the name, you will know what Starlight does. It is the charity that makes the dreams of seriously sick children come true.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Peter recounts that phone call, and describes to host Michael Millward the meetings with Steven Spielberg and then General Norman Schwarzkopf that resulted in a Foundation that has raised and spent over a billion dollars on making sick kids happy.

Peter describes his negotiation with Steven Spielberg and the management lessons he learnt from General Schwarzkopf.

By any measure this is an inspirational story told in an entertaining way.

Read more about the founding of Starlight, and the other charities that Peter has founded in his book Finding Happy.

Peter also talks about First Star and the support it provides to children who are growing up in care to create better life chances.

Watch Michael in The Magician.

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds

Buy Finding Happy from Amazon or Bookshop.org

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fmis where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

Hair transplant specialist Dr Matee Rajput explains how he built a successful hair transplant business by normalising a medical treatment that many people did not want to admit they had had.

Dr Matee Rajput is a specialist in hair transplant and the creator of the MinSim FUE™ technique, and founder of a chain of hair transplant clinics.

He was training to be a neuro surgeon when a random request to help another doctor perform a hair transplant led to a fascination with the impact hair restoration had on patients.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Dr Matee explains to host Michael Millward how that fascination led to a change of specialism and then frustration with how the hair transplant industry operated. He resolved to change the way hair transplants were performed in the UK and how patients experienced the process.

Dr Matee describes how he

• Converted his passion into a consistent process that could be replicated by others.
• Designed a patient experience that focused on why the person wanted the treatment
• Used lessons from retail to ensure customer satisfaction
• Changed perceptions of hair loss with younger people to normalise treatments options
• Devised payment options to give more people access to treatments

More information about Dr Matee and Michael Millward is available at abeceder.

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds – Please help us to keep The Independent Minds free to listen to.

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

If you would like to try podcasting using Zencastr visit zencastr.com/pricing.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices on flights, hotels, trains, and many more travel related purchases.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

How to protect the commercial value of your brand.

Anita Mar is a trademark agent and the founder of Trademark Angel, a company that helps entrepreneurs and businesses around the world to protect their intellectual property including their brand names.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Anita explains to host Michael Millward what a brand is, the commercial advantages of having a recognisable brand and the process of registering a brand name or trade mark. She also explains some of the limits on trademark protection.

Anita describes the Abeceder brand name as brilliant and invites Michael to share how he created it.

More information about Anita Mar and Michael Millward is available at abeceder.

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds – Please help us to keep The Independent Minds free to listen to.

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

If you would like to try podcasting using Zencastr visit zencastr.com/pricing.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices on flights, hotels, trains, and many more travel related purchases.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.

Leading in a way that makes people feel led.

Gitte Madelaire had a successful corporate career, who is now a board member, futurist and author of Energetic Leadership a book in which she proposes that as the world changes at an increasingly rapid pace the world also needs a different form of leadership.

In this episode of the Abeceder podcast The Independent Minds Gitte explains to host Michael Millward what she thinks that approach to leadership should be.

Their discussion covers

• ·The psychological aspects of work and life that limit how we all think
• The importance of psychological safety in creating the confidence to think outside the box.
• Leading so that people feel led
• Authentic curiosity about the future
• The nine trends in leadership

More information about Gitte Madelaire and Michael Millward is available at abeceder.

Audience Offers – listings include links that may create a small commission for The Independent Minds – Please help us to keep The Independent Minds free to listen to.

Buy Energetic Leadership from Amazon

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr, because as the all-in-one podcasting platform, Zencastr really does make creating content so easy.

If you would like to try podcasting using Zencastr visit zencastr.com/pricing.

Travel – With discounted membership of the Ultimate Travel Club, you can travel anywhere at trade prices on flights, hotels, trains, and many more travel related purchases.

Fit For Work We recommend The Annual Health Test from York Test; a 39-health marker Annual Health Test conducted by an experienced phlebotomist with hospital standard tests carried out in a UKAS-accredited and CQC-compliant laboratory.

A secure Personal Wellness Hub provides easy-to-understand results and lifestyle guidance

Visit York Test and use this discount code MIND25.

Visit Three for information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three, and the special offers available when you quote my referral code WPFNUQHU.

Being a Guest

We recommend the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if you have something interesting to say Matchmaker.fmis where great guests and great hosts are matched and great podcasts are hatched. Use our offer code MILW10 for a discount on membership.

We appreciate every like, download, and subscriber.

Thank you for listening.