The ActionCOACH Podcast

Hosted by James Vincent

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Jul 2026

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The ultimate resource for business owners, leaders, entrepreneurs, and personal development junkies. This podcast is all about YOU and YOUR success. Bringing the world's best business experts and thought leaders into your environment, giving you the tools and knowledge you need to increase your capability and shape the person you become. Business Excellence is about taking you to the top of your game and achieving excellence in both business and life. And we don't just talk the talk – we walk the walk. Powered by ActionCOACH , the World's Number 1 Business Coaching Firm. It’s not about theoretical knowledge – it’s about giving you practical action steps to implement in your business and life right away. So what are you waiting for? Subscribe to the Business Growth Podcast and enjoy your future success. Prepare to take action, become the person you want to be and attract the business and life you want to have. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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July 9, 20261 hr 5 min

The Calculated Risk That Separates the Rich From Everyone Else

The Calculated Risk That Separates the Rich From Everyone Else | Danny McFarlane Wealth Adviser InterviewMost people think wealthy clients obsess over money. Danny McFarlane has spent 30 years advising the ultra-wealthy, and his observation is the opposite: the richest people he knows never chased money at all. In this episode of the Business Growth Podcast, powered by ActionCOACH UK, he explains what actually separates those who earn well from those who build deep wealth — and what most people get badly wrong about risk.Danny built his career without ever drawing a salary, growing one of the UK's most respected client books with near-100% retention — losing just 2 clients in 30 years he didn't choose to lose. He has since sold his firm and now coaches financial advisers and business owners on how to connect business, money, and life into one coherent plan.What You'll Learn:- Why the Wealthy Don't Chase Money: Danny's wealthiest clients focused on success, passion, or a cause — money arrived as a byproduct. Chase it directly, he says, and it runs away.- How to Set Goals That Actually Work: Real wealth starts with numbers-based goals, reverse-engineered into milestones. Realistic but stretching — too easy and it's demotivating, too ambitious and it's paralysing.- The Difference Between Earning and Deep Wealth: Making good money is not the same as building lasting wealth. The gap is knowing what to do with money, and — critically — when to take calculated risk.- The One Rule Danny Swears By on Risk: Never sell the roof over your head. Borrow against almost anything else, take on debt strategically — but not that.- Why "Boring" Is the Strategy: For clients who've made it, Danny manages their money in the most boring way possible. Lower risk, steady returns, no drama. The thrill-seeking is for earlier stages.- When to Get a Coach vs a Financial Planner: Start with a coach to build the business. Once money is coming in, bring in the financial planner — ideally connected with your coach, with no referral fees involved.- The Time Out Discipline: Danny's most powerful habit is going off-radar — at minimum a full day, ideally a week — two to three times a year. Phone off, email off, no exceptions. He credits it with more clarity than any seminar he ever attended.Danny McFarlane's Background:Danny McFarlane is a wealth adviser and business coach with 30 years of experience at the top of the financial planning industry. He built his career without ever drawing a salary, growing one of the UK's most respected client books with near-100% retention — losing just 2 clients in 30 years he didn't choose to lose. He has since sold his firm and now coaches financial advisers and business owners, including the team at Westminster Wealth, helping them connect strategy, money, and life into a plan that actually gets followed.If You're Already Building Wealth: Get a trusted financial planner alongside your coach — someone with at least five to seven years' experience, a client profile similar to yours, and a relationship style that suits you. And build a bucket list. Most people don't have one.For Everyone: Take time out. At minimum, a full day off-radar — no phone, no email, no people. Go somewhere different. Ask yourself what you were doing when things were going well that you've since stopped doing. Then go back to doing it.Whether you're just starting out, building momentum, or already wondering what comes next, this conversation will reframe how you think about money, risk, and the life wealth is supposed to buy. Subscribe for weekly conversations with people who've actually done it.Brought to you by Actioncoach UK | The World Number 1 in Business CoachingLearn more at: actioncoach.co.ukThis Episode is sponsored by YESS Foundation | Offering free 17-Week Business Education for Ages 12-22Discover YESS at: www.yessfoundation.org.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 2, 202638 min

Rory Sutherland: Stop Marketing to Customers that Do Not Exist!

Why Rory Sutherland Thinks You're Wrong (The Average Trap) Rory Sutherland Ogilvy InterviewMost businesses design for the "average" customer. Rory Sutherland, vice chairman of Ogilvy, explains why this leaves everyone dissatisfied. In this ActionCOACH podcast episode recorded at BizX 2026, host Neil Martin explores how to escape the average trap and think like your customers actually think.When the US Air Force designed fighter jet seats for the "average" pilot, virtually nobody fit. Few people are average across multiple dimensions at once. Rory built his reputation at Ogilvy challenging finance-driven thinking and revealing why psychological factors often matter more than practical features.What You'll Learn:Why Designing for Average Fails: The fighter jet seat story proves adjustability beats one-size-fits-all thinking across product design, customer service, and business strategy.Marketing as Probabilistic Discipline: Why finance executives struggle to value marketing. You're making probabilistic bets on future outcomes like a casino, not controlling internal operations like finance.The Data Paradox: Nearly all business data comes from the past. You're driving whilst looking in the rear-view mirror, missing opportunities that don't show up in historical data.The 70-20-10 Experimentation Framework: 70% proven tactics, 20% incremental improvement, 10% blue-sky experiments where failure should be your goal. Breakthrough ideas contain illogical elements that data would reject.Psychological Friction Blocks Sales: Emotional barriers prevent purchases more often than practical problems. Examples from caravan design to luxury watch brands show how removing psychological friction creates breakthroughs spreadsheets miss.Capitalism's Genius Is Variety: Why exploring 18 different solutions beats optimising one "perfect" average solution. Competition creates better outcomes by testing multiple approaches simultaneously.Marketing as Mindset, Not Function: Sell marketing as a way of thinking rather than defending what marketing departments do. This customer-perspective thinking prevents boards from making internally rational decisions that look foolish to actual buyers.Brought to you by Actioncoach UK | The World Number 1 in Business CoachingLearn more at: actioncoach.co.ukThis Episode is sponsored by Santander x Worldpay | Providing business and corporate clients with secure, in-store, and e-commerce payment solutions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 25, 20261 hr 28 min

Sara Davies on Why Being Yourself is Your Biggest Advantage

Sara Davies MBE on Why Authenticity Wins in Business and Leadership | Dragons' Den Star InterviewWhen the BBC asked Sara Davies to be "more dragon-like" before her Dragons' Den audition, she made a choice. She walked into that meeting as herself, legs crossed, warm demeanour, Northern accent intact, and told commissioners exactly what they'd get. That decision transformed her career.Sara Davies MBE is founder and CEO of Crafter's Companion, a £40 million craft business. She became the youngest woman ever on Dragon's Den, where she's been an investor for six years, and is one of the UK's most recognisable entrepreneurs.In this episode, Sara explains why being authentically yourself is your biggest business advantage. She spent her 20s shape-shifting to fit each room until her husband asked which version was the real her. That question changed everything.If You're Building Your Personal Brand: Know what you stand for, then show up as that person consistently.If You're Managing through Decline: Accept the situation, make the hard decisions fast, and stop using money as an excuse to delay.If You're Leading a Team: Read what isn't being said. Pair direct feedback with genuine care for growth.This conversation cuts through the noise with genuine insights on why authenticity works, how to make hard decisions fast, and why emotional intelligence matters as you scale.Brought to you by Actioncoach UK | The World Number 1 in Business CoachingLearn more at: actioncoach.co.ukThis Episode is Brought to you by Santander x Worldpay | Providing business and corporate clients with secure, in-store, and e-commerce payment solutions.This Episode is Sponsored by TrueTalent | Connecting Talent for events, campaigns and more. True Talent are passionate about bringing together the best suited Talent with brands.Learn more at: wearetruetalent.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 17, 202636 min

Pipeline is Life: Why Every Entrepreneur Must Become Chief Sales Officer

Sales: You're Already Selling (Here's Why That Matters) | Jeb Blount Fanatical Prospecting Author InterviewMost entrepreneurs think they're not in sales. Jeb Blount knows better. In this backstage episode of the Business Growth Podcast at BizX 2026, we reveal why every business owner must become their company's chief sales officer and how keeping your pipeline full changes everything about how you sell, close, negotiate, and choose customers. Jeb built a 1.2 million-person email list over 20 years, hosts the Sales Gravy podcast (top 10 in its category), and has written 18 bestselling books including Fanatical Prospecting.What You'll Learn:Why Pipeline Is Life: A full pipeline makes you better at every aspect of selling. When you have options, you close better, negotiate stronger, and select the right customers instead of taking anyone who says yes.Selling as Consulting: The value bridge concept reframes selling from pushing products to guiding people toward their goals. Start with integrity, ask better questions, and position yourself as an interpreter who helps buyers reach their desired future state.Multi-Touch Prospecting That Actually Works: Phone calls, voicemail, email, LinkedIn messages, in-person visits, newsletters, and podcasts combine to create powerful sequences. Single-channel approaches fail because no one channel works alone anymore.Why AI Is Breaking Email: Salespeople send 8 times more email than 4 years ago but get one-eighth the results. AI-generated messages have saturated inboxes, forcing email providers to filter aggressively.Bold Calling Is Back: In-person prospecting is experiencing a resurgence. Jeb shares how he scaled a chain-link fence past 'Beware of Dog' signs, met a business owner, and later closed a $1.2 million deal.Key Quotes:"Pipeline is life. When you have a full pipeline, you're better at selling, you're better at closing, you're better at negotiating, and you're better at choosing the right customers.""Selling is helping people get what they want. If you start with integrity and don't sell people things they don't need, you're just guiding them toward their goals.""The phone still works. Nobody answers a phone that doesn't ring. Pick it up."Jeb Blount's Background:Jeb Blount is a sales trainer, author of Fanatical Prospecting and 17 other bestselling books, and founder of the Sales Gravy podcast (top 10 in its category). He built a 1.2 million-person email list over 20 years and runs a 34-person consulting firm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 11, 20261 hr 14 min

From 1 Million to Half a Billion: John Hutmacher's Proven System for Scaling Success

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June 5, 202632 min

Peter Sutcliffe Killed His Mother. He Chose to Help Others | Richard McCann

Richard McCann - Peter Sutcliffe Killed His Mother. He Chose to Help OthersRichard McCann grew up in Scotthall, a deprived area of Leeds, with his mother's alcohol struggles, a violent boyfriend involved in drugs, and constant chaos. Just before his sixth birthday, his mother went out and never came home. At 5:30 the next morning, Richard and his sister Sonia searched for her at a bus stop. Police took them to a children's home: "Mum's been taken to heaven." She'd been murdered by Peter Sutcliffe.Six-year-old Richard reframed the tragedy. His mother was no longer suffering. He and his sisters had a fresh start. That survival mechanism -what psychologists call "explanatory style" -kept him afloat for decades. The meaning you apply to a situation creates your reality. But self-doubt followed. He looked in the mirror and saw an "ugly kid." He felt unworthy of relationships or success.From age 16, Richard sought relationships to feel worthy. His subconscious didn't believe he deserved them, so he'd self-sabotage. He'd push people away, see things that weren't there, and accuse his girlfriend of being with another guy when she was with a friend. He joined the army and lied about his mother because he was ashamed. They discovered the truth after a year. He was discharged following a drunken rampage. Then came drug dealing, arrest, and imprisonment in the same jail that held Peter Sutcliffe 29 years earlier.Rock bottom came after his release in July 1997. He faced house repossession with six weeks to find a job. After five weeks with nothing, he attempted suicide. Nobody would hire him because he had a criminal record.What changed? His sister Sonia stabbed her violent boyfriend and faced prison. Richard impulsively decided to write a book to defend her. He had no qualifications but got "Just a Boy" published. The book led to TV appearances and liberated him. He didn't need to be ashamed of his mother's behaviour.Speaking invitations followed. He was shocking at first, reading from the book with no understanding of how storytelling works. After two years, he realised he could make more of a difference through speaking than through social work. He was getting letters from people he'd helped.Richard discovered that turning trauma into purpose didn't erase the pain. His story became a blueprint for post-traumatic growth -you can grow because of trauma. Lose your job but find work you love. End a relationship, then meet someone you have children with. His workshop helps people identify their first setback and how they grew from it, building belief in their ability to handle future setbacks.Today, Richard helps others reframe struggles using his "bounce back graph." You cycle between red (setback) and green (recovery). He teaches that self-doubt can be challenged with evidence. His process: identify thoughts that aren't serving you, write them down, ask "Where's the evidence?" Use the reticular activation system -when you believe something, you see it everywhere. Henry Ford said it: "Whether you believe you can or you can't, you're right."His younger sister passed away from lung cancer just before the pandemic. Grief doesn't diminish. But he had belief: "You'll get through this." During the pandemic, his business ground to a halt. He earned £400 in April 2020. Pain and love never disappear because that's part of being human.He's written "Teach Me Gently" to help parents support anxious children. His own daughter had six months of school refusal due to anxiety. His key advice: children need to feel safe before any reasoning. When a child is anxious, they're in fight or flight -you can't reason with that. It might take two hours to make them feel safe, but that's the foundation.Richard still lives in Leeds. He had mentors like Stuart Hardy, his boss before prison, who gave him belief and treated him like a son. His core message remains simple: the emotional pain of loss never disappears, yet neither do you have to stay in the red. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 28, 202642 min

How to Build Deeper Relationships in a Disconnected World with Penny Power OBE

Significance in a Disconnected World | Penny Power OBE InterviewWe're more digitally connected than ever. Yet we're emotionally disconnected, anxious, and treating relationships like transactions. Penny Power OBE calls it what it is: a massive Silicon Valley psychological experiment that's changed how humans interact.Penny founded a social network in 1998 with her husband, Thomas Power. She built that business to a £60 million valuation before realising she was chasing someone else's dream. Now she runs a small business focused on helping business owners build deeper relationships with clients, staff, and family.Her core insight? Significance, making people feel they matter, is a human need we've forgotten in the age of personal brands and broadcast-driven social media. This episode, recorded at BizX 2026, is about getting it back.What You'll Learn:How Social Media Changed Human Behaviour: Penny contrasts early social networking (1998, meaningful connection) with social media post-2009 (broadcast, performance, comparison). We've shifted from building relationships to building audiences, and it's costing us our mental health.Why Significance Matters More Than Success: Significance means making others feel they matter. Contribution means giving meaningfully to the world. Individualism and a culture of personal branding conflict with our need for deeper relationships, leaving us isolated despite constant connectivity.The Dopamine Trap and Content Culture: Constant media consumption attacks your dopamine reward centres, worsens focus and ADHD symptoms, and feeds constant distraction through comparison.Fear-Based Thinking vs. Love-Based Thinking: People navigate toward fear (news addiction, scarcity marketing, pain-focused content) or love (abundance, community, contribution). This choice shapes your relationships, business decisions, and life outcomes.Why You Might Be Chasing Someone Else's Dream: After building to £60 million, Penny realised she was chasing scale when she actually wanted calm. Redefining wealth around time, values, and resilience made her happier and will likely add 20 years to her life.Define what success actually means to you, not what you think it should mean. Scale or calm? More time or more money? Write it down. If you're stuck, consider therapy or coaching. Understanding yourself is foundational to designing the life you want.Whether you're a business owner tired of transactional relationships, an entrepreneur chasing the wrong success, or a parent protecting your family from toxic content, this episode helps. Subscribe to the Business Growth Podcast for conversations that challenge how you think about business and life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 21, 202656 min

Is Community the New Power Move in Business?

The Community That Made The Rolling Stones Take Notice | Nick Keynes Tileyard Studios Founder InterviewNick Keynes built Tileyard Studios into a 150,000 square foot creative ecosystem housing 165 studios and 1,000 to 1,500 people daily by curating with authenticity, saying no when necessary, and leading through genuine relationships—attracting The Rolling Stones' Matt Clifford as the first tenant and growing companies like Spitfire Audio from £1 million turnover to a 120-person acquisition by Native Instruments.What You'll Learn:The Five-Point Blueprint for Community Growth: Nick breaks down the systematic approach that attracted Matt Clifford (Rolling Stones keyboard player) as the first tenant and built an ecosystem where companies like Spitfire Audio grew from £1 million turnover to a 120-person acquisition by Native Instruments.Why Shaping Your Environment Comes First: Discover how Paul Kemp's commitment to building only the highest-quality spaces created the foundation for attracting world-class talent. Quality environment signals quality community before a single member joins.The Art of Selective Curation: Learn Nick's A\&R approach to admitting members: only bring in people and businesses that add value beyond rent and create meaningful connections with others. Understanding when to say no protects the ecosystem's integrity.Relationship-Led Leadership as a Contact Sport: Understand why Nick spends every day on-site managing relationships rather than working remotely. Physical proximity creates daily collisions, spontaneous collaborations, and deeper trust that digital communities cannot replicate.From Community to Complete Ecosystem: Learn how Tileyard evolved beyond studios to address every route to market: collaborators, mixers, producers, labels, publishers, management companies. Creators need more than space; they need pathways to success.Key Quotes:"I'm curating in the same way I would A\&R. I'm signing things I believe in. With new artists, I ask: Do I like this person? Do I believe in them? Are they believable?""Replace the word 'networking' with 'friendship' in any business conversation, and you'll understand what actually works."Nick Keynes's Background:Nick co-founded Tileyard Studios in 2011 with Paul Kemp after Kemp purchased the King's Cross site in 2008. Before Tileyard, Nick was bassist in band Ultra, which appeared on Top of the Pops three times in the late 1990s and created the Top 10 hit 'Rescue Me'. This music industry background gives him genuine empathy for artists and credibility within the creative community. He manages the complex daily, curating tenants and maintaining the culture of fearlessness that defines Tileyard's ecosystem.Whether you're building a team, community, or seeking meaningful creative connections, discover the blueprint from someone who attracted The Rolling Stones through authentic relationship-led leadership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 14, 202655 min

Brain Rot Killing Your Productivity? TJ Power Explains Why

Brain Rot Killing Your Productivity? | TJ Power The Dose Effect InterviewThe average person checks their phone 217 times per day, each check delivering a dopamine hit that wears out your reward system. TJ Power, author of The Dose Effect, explains why this stimulation addiction is killing your productivity and relationships, and what you can do about it.TJ has taken over 100,000 people through his DOSE neuroscience programme, teaching them how to fix their brain chemistry through understanding dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. His core insight: we're chasing dopamine when what we actually need is oxytocin, and boredom isn't the enemy; it's the solution.What You'll Learn:How Phones Hack Your Dopamine System: Discover why 217 daily phone checks create artificial dopamine spikes that wear out your reward system, leading to apathy, anxiety, and brain rot.The 15-Minute Boredom Barrier That Changes Everything: Learn why pushing through 15 minutes of boredom during phone-free walks activates your default mode network for self-projection and future planning.Healthy Dopamine, Willpower, and the AMCC Brain Region: Understand the difference between dopamine from completing important tasks versus scrolling, and how resisting phone checks strengthens your willpower muscle.The Five-Hug Daily Challenge You're Failing: Adults average just 1.2 hugs per day, and teenagers, only 0.4, but we need five proper hugs (three to five seconds each) for oxytocin.Serotonin, Gut Health, and Slow Living: Discover why 90% of your serotonin is produced in your gut, and how Greek yoghurt, eggs, and slow mornings support calm and clarity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 7, 20261 hr 2 min

How to Control the Room Without Saying a Word | Mark Bowden

Body Language - How to Control the Room Without Saying a Word | Mark Bowden Most business owners dread meetings. They run too long, people zone out, and nothing gets done. Mark Bowden knows the problem isn't the meeting itself - it's that nobody is actually listening. In this episode of the ActionCOACH podcast, host James Vincent sits down with Mark to reveal the precise techniques that transform chaotic gatherings into focused, productive sessions where everyone leaves knowing exactly what to do next.Mark Bowden is a body language and communication expert who has spent decades teaching leaders how to command attention without dominating the room. His approach isn't about reading minds or manipulating people. It's about creating the conditions where genuine listening happens, confusion evaporates, and action becomes inevitable.His secret? Take your own pulse before you try to read the room.What You'll Learn:The Anatomy of a Terrible Meeting: Discover why meetings fail when people leave confused, inactive, and unwilling to meet again due to poor listening.Reverse Engineering Great Meetings: Learn the three hallmarks of meetings that work: people feel understood, they know exactly what happens next, and they're genuinely motivated for the next step.Opening With Genuine Welcome: Understand why the first 30 seconds determine everything, including a detailed roleplay of opening a cashflow meeting.Cognitive Versus Emotional Empathy: Explore the critical difference between understanding what someone is thinking versus what they're feeling, and why cognitive empathy often supports clearer business thinking.Outcome Over Agenda: Stop boring people with tedious agenda lists and clarify the desired outcome in plain language instead.Reading the Room Starts With You: Master the technique of taking your own pulse before attempting to interpret a chaotic room and leading body language rather than reactively reading it.Using Check-Ins to Surface Value: Learn how frequent, strategic check-ins maintain focus and reveal what participants actually value without turning them into interrogations.Inviting People to Name Their Blockers: Discover the power of asking directly what might prevent someone from contributing fully and surface fears that would otherwise sabotage the meeting.Allowing Conflict Without Suppression: Understand why conflict is useful and should be welcomed, with specific techniques for managing dominant speakers using clear, named interruptions.Closing With Clear Actions: Master the structured wrap-up that extracts key takeaways, identifies next actions, and determines what support people need.Key Quotes:"A terrible meeting is one where people leave confused, inactive, and unwilling to meet again.""Take your own pulse before you try to read the room.""Lead body language rather than read it. You set the tone.""Conflict is useful. Don't suppress it. Manage it instead."Mark Bowden's Background:Mark Bowden is a globally recognised expert in body language, communication, and human behaviour. He has trained leaders across industries on how to command presence, build trust, and facilitate productive conversations without relying on dominance or manipulation.Action Steps:If You Haven't Started: Before your next meeting, write down the single outcome you want. Then craft a 30-second opening that welcomes people genuinely and states that outcome in plain language.If You're Already Running Meetings: Implement the pulse check technique. Before you walk into the room, take 10 seconds to notice your own breathing and physical state, then lead the energy you want to see.For Everyone: Add three check-in moments to your next meeting. Ask "What's valuable here?" or "What might block your contribution?" When someone dominates, use their name and a clear interruption: "John, I'm going to pause you there so we can hear from others." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.