About This Storm

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May 2024

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About This Storm

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May 2, 202442 min

Episode 15. Mike Lever

The banking crash of 2007/8 was the most severe global financial crisis since the Great Depression, but what was it like to be on the inside of it? Mike Lever was there. Sitting around war tables, trying to rebuild a bank - Northern Rock - that was on its knees. At the same time, Mike and his wife were living with repeated rounds of failed IVF, and whilst taking a shower one Saturday ended with Mike in intensive care having had a massive brain haemorrhage.What happens when you wake up in intensive care and just how does a brain haemorrhage change you? Can you live well after such a life changing brain injury? And what is Neuroeconomics? You’re going to love this sarcastic, funny, but powerful conversation with Mike, Sales Performance Expert, Speaker and Children’s Author. Enjoy! You can Subscribe to Mike’s newsletter, “Your Brain Sells” on LinkedIn Or follow him on the platorm instead

April 26, 20241 hr 11 min

Episode 14. Lee Fitzpatrick

Lee Fitzpatrick started his first company aged 17, but by 23 his award winning business was insolvent, and he was on the hook for £100k. That kicked off an amazing entrepreneurial journey that has seen Lee start and run a property company, protein bar brand, gym, digital agency and now a hugely successful regenerative strategy and marketing company. This conversation is deep, thoughtful and enlightening. We cover the way your emotions get bundled up with your financial health, whether or not your identity should be tied to your business, mental health, parenthood, and the need for Zebra’s not Unicorns. Lee, is wonderfully honest, humble but wise. Enjoy! Learn more about Lee If you're interested in working with Zebra, drop them a line Or connect with Lee over on Linkedin

April 19, 20241 hr 5 min

Episode 13. Barry Fearn

Abandoning ideas of journalism and uni, Barry Fearn started work at 16 in the .com Boom. He was lucky enough to be given opportunities in almost every business department before a move into Digital Marketing and Media proved to be his calling. Barry has run Media and Marketing agencies up and down the UK ever since, and has been the Managing Director of internationally award winning Lane Media, for over 8 years. We have a brilliant chat about how Barry’s experiences have shaped his approach to business and appetite for risk, the perspective his wife - an NHS nurse - gives him when he’s stressed about work, his passion for football and coaching kids as they start out in the sport. Enjoy! Find out more about the LaneOr connect with Barry over on Linkedin

April 12, 20241 hr 1 min

Episode 12. Donnie Maclean

Donnie Maclean is pathologically tenacious, he will literally never give up. Whether that's in an endurance race, hitting 7kms on a space hopper, or the dogged pursuit to make his food business - Eat Balanced - successful. Donnie's business journey has been a true rollercoaster, from winning his first contract and securing an exceptional manufacturing partner, to losing his house as the business struggled. In our conversation we explore the challenges of building a million pound food business and the challenges of our food industry. We also discuss how the loss of his best friend changed his life, mental health, endurance challenges, and how to get more oxygen into your lungs - I should probably mention he’s also a qualified breathwork coach. Enjoy! Check out Eat Balanced Learn more about Breath Work

March 25, 20241 hr 11 min

Episode 11. Justine Mitchell

Justine Mitchell has been a successful lawyer, property developer and spa founder, she co-owned Dundee United Football Club, and is now an in-demand business consultant. But her successful career and family life became headline news when her husband was killed in a motorbike accident, three days before her dad died of Cancer. Justine is incredibly honest and open in this powerful conversation, it’s a wild story.We discuss grief, finding your feet, rebuilding, stepping away, jumping into different business sectors and finding love mid-pandemic! I’m so pleased Justine agreed to sit down and chat - this is one not to be missed. Hit play. Find out more about Quirky Chocolate Want to join WeDo Scotland? Check them out! You can learn more about Justine on her Linkedin page.

March 13, 202459 min

Episode 10. Thor Holt

Thor Holt is a Performance Coach, Non Exec Director and Podcast Host. When I ask him to define success he replies “Having a laugh. Because life is too short not to have a laugh with your clients.”Humour is one of the bedrocks in life for Thor, who has also been known to tread the boards of a comedy club or two.Wow, does this conversation cover a lot of topics - plant medicine, the tenets of coaching, speaking with courage - also the name of his podcast (formerly the Hippie Hut) - Thor’s upbringing on Shetland and the Tarlov Cyst on his spine which doesn’t return anything nice when you give it a Google. This chat is full of intelligence, thought provoking approaches to life, and naturally, a lot of laughter. Enjoy! You can find Thor's Podcast, Speaking With Courage on Spoify If you're interested in working with Thor, he invites you to connect on Linkedin.

March 7, 20241 hr 7 min

Episode 9. Richard Simpson

Richard Simpson has been at Tayburn - the renowned powerhouse of a brand and design agency - for over 15 years. In that time he’s ascended from Head of Business Development to co-owner and Managing Director, in a journey of major ups and downs.Our conversation is pretty awesome, we cover wild challenges, huge wins and the time he came exceptionally close to quitting. The ways he has achieved consistency in life and business are really interesting. We also chat about mindset and the importance your beliefs have in your success - or failures. Ever heard of hemi-sync meditation? Nope me neither! But if you fancy it, grab this free meditation to try! Check out Tayburn's latest work If you fancy reading the artists way - grab a copy here.

March 1, 20241 hr 0 min

Episode 8. Kaye Moors

Let’s be honest, covid, lockdowns, 2020 was not a brilliant year and the first six months were no different for Kaye Moors, Managing Director of Drum. After months of home schooling the summer holidays couldn’t have come soon enough, but two days in Kaye had a massive brain hemorrhage, which would eventually lead to a second, months in hospital and years of rehab. How do you rebuild your business after that, is it even possible? What was it really like living inside a locked hospital during a global pandemic? As a result of the two brain hemorrhages, and a 19 hour brain surgery, Kaye’s left handside is paralysed and she has trigeminal neuralgia - also known as "the suicide disease” because of the intense pain it causes. Kaye’s story is remarkable. She continues to run Drum as MD, having made specific adjustments to let her continue which she explains in our conversation. Kaye is also an award nominated disability campaigner and digital inclusivity champion. You can find out all about Kaye's activism by following her on Linkedin. And learn more about the work that Drum do by checking out their website.

March 1, 20242 min

Season 2. Trailer

Welcome to Season 2 of About This Storm! I am delighted to welcome another amazing selection of guests, everyone a business owner, leader, or founder, each with their own challenging story. Everyone is once again, incredibly honest, sharing their lived wisdom and bags of positivity - despite everything they've been through. Enjoy!

June 27, 20231 hr 3 min

Ep 7. David Johnstone

David didn’t found the first agency he started running, and in his own words, he inherited quite the mess. But if failure breeds success he’s the proof. He’s just completed a successful M&A and grown his agency - After Digital - to run with a recurring revenue rate of 70%. We had such a load of fun recording this conversation because David is as funny as he is eloquent about all things business. We cover a lot of topics in this episode, including the risks and successes of niching into a sector, international growth, creating a people-first culture, the loss of a co-Director, mental health, and office dog Noodle the Golden Doodle! Jump onto the website to learn more about After Digital Read all about the merger between Peppered and After Digital, announced just after we recorded this episode back in April.