Lucy Westlake is the youngest North American woman to summit Mount Everest. But this episode isn’t just about climbing mountains. It’s about what happens when a father-daughter relationship evolves from guide and follower to peers… and eventually to independence. We talk about Denali, Kilimanjaro, and summiting every U.S. high point together. But more importantly, we explore what it means to choose your own path, follow your passions, and step forward when it’s time to climb on your own. A powerful conversation about growth, identity, and the courage to chart your own course.

In this episode of Disruption Lab, I sit down with James Patterson, one of the world’s most prolific and widely read authors, to talk about the ideas behind our New York Times bestselling book Disrupt Everything and Win.

This conversation is less of an interview and more of a back-and-forth dialogue. We discuss why we took on this project, what we discovered along the way, and why disruption is not something to fear but something to engage with intentionally.

We also explore what it means to disrupt your life for good: making choices that align with what matters most, challenging the status quo in thoughtful ways, and taking ownership of the path ahead.

If you are looking to think differently about change, leadership, and how to create a life of meaning and impact, this conversation offers a practical and personal starting point.

“What if leadership isn’t about driving results, but about caring for people?

On this episode of The Disruption Lab, Patrick Leddin sits down with Bob Chapman, Chairman and former CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, to explore a radically different approach to leading people and building organizations.

Bob has spent decades transforming a $3.6 billion global company by embracing what he calls “Truly Human Leadership”—a philosophy grounded in a simple but profound belief: every person in your organization is “somebody’s precious child,” entrusted to your care.

In this conversation, Bob shares the pivotal moment that forced him to rethink everything he believed about leadership, moving from a traditional, numbers-driven mindset to one centered on stewardship, dignity, and human impact. He reflects on what he had to unlearn, the resistance he faced, and how this shift didn’t just change culture—it improved performance.

Patrick and Bob also discuss the newly expanded 10th-anniversary edition of Everybody Matters, now re-released with new stories, insights, and data from another decade of applying these ideas in the real world.”

The way people behave at work does not stay at work.

The way we are treated by our boss, our colleagues, and the people we lead changes how we show up everywhere else. It shapes our mood, our confidence, and the way we interact with the people we care about most. In other words, behavior at work creates ripple effects far beyond the office.

In this episode of Disruption Lab, Patrick Leddin sits down with Ashley Herd, former Head of HR for McKinsey & Company and the founder of Manager Method. Ashley has spent her career helping organizations rethink how managers lead and how workplaces shape the people inside them.

Ashley shares insights from her work and her book The Manager Method, explaining why management is one of the most underestimated forces shaping culture, performance, and people's daily experience at work. She also discusses how small shifts in leadership behavior can disrupt unhealthy patterns and create environments where people perform better and live better.

This conversation explores a simple but powerful idea: when leaders change how they treat people at work, they change how those people show up everywhere else in life.

In this episode of the Disruption Lab podcast, Patrick Leddin sits down with Serena Ainslie, founder of Girl Math Capital, to explore how she’s rewriting the rules of investing and entrepreneurship. Serena shares her unconventional path into the world of venture capital and the mission behind Girl Math Capital—empowering women to confidently step into the financial arena and build companies that disrupt the status quo.

They discuss the unique challenges female founders face in raising capital, why redefining risk is key to innovation, and how data, intuition, and courage come together in the investment process.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, an investor, or someone curious about the future of finance, this conversation will challenge the way you think about disruption, opportunity, and leadership. Learn more at www.girlmath.capital

In this episode of the Disruption Lab podcast, Patrick Leddin sits down with Jim Murphy, author of Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life. Jim shares his remarkable journey—from professional baseball and FedEx, to years of solitude in the desert, to coaching world-class athletes and leaders.

They discuss what true success really means, why purpose must come before self-focus, and how to perform under pressure with clarity and courage. Jim also tells the incredible story of how his book went from selling just a couple copies a day to more than 200,000 nearly overnight—after Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown was spotted reading it during a playoff game.

Along the way, Jim even coaches Patrick through some of his own current challenges—reminding us all that opportunities, fears, and growth are part of every journey.

Whether you’re an athlete, a leader, or simply someone navigating disruption in life, this conversation will challenge and inspire you to live with greater purpose. Learn more at www.innerexcellence.com

What would you do if every decision you made had to be right, and you had less than a second to make it?

In this episode of The Disruption Lab, Patrick Leddin sits down with professional GT and sportscar driver Phiroze Bilimoria to explore what it takes to perform when the pace is relentless and the pressure is high. Phiroze shares how he manages split-second decisions, works seamlessly with his team, and turns disruption on the track into fuel for success. Whether you lead from the boardroom or the driver’s seat, you’ll walk away with practical lessons on staying calm under pressure, executing with precision, and using challenges as a catalyst for growth.

To learn more about Phiroze you can visit www.phirozeracing.co.uk