Born in a two-bed terrace in Salford, Ryan Hughes grew up surrounded by grafters, chaos, and community. The street taught him everything — how to read people, how to graft, and how to make choices that defined his future. While one childhood friend ended up behind bars, another chased overtime and stability. Ryan stood somewhere in between, determined to find his own version of freedom.

Kicked out of school at fifteen, he swapped classrooms for construction sites, carrying bricks and dreams in equal measure. When an estate agent failed to show up one day, Ryan stepped in to handle the viewing himself — and never looked back. From there came years of lessons in grit, mentorship, and business, building from painting student flats to managing a £50 million portfolio before walking away from the comfort of a salary to build Mr Investa from scratch.

This conversation traces the mindset that carried him through every turn — why he chose clarity over alcohol, respect over shortcuts, and purpose over status. For Ryan, the real measure of success isn’t money or material things, but the freedom to build something that’s yours.

From her Stockport roots in a hard-working, working-class family to the boardrooms of some of the UK’s biggest brands, Nicola Collister’s story is one of relentless curiosity and reinvention. In this episode, Nicola reflects on the choices that defined her path-from turning down a grammar school place as a teenager, to walking away from university in pursuit of independence, to breaking barriers at the RAC as one of its first female managers. She shares what it was like to lead through transformation at the height of the dot-com boom and why curiosity – not comfort – drove her decision to step out of corporate life and start her own consultancy. Nicola also opens up about the leap into investing, what she looks for in founders, and why passion and energy matter just as much as product. Along the way, she reveals the hardest lessons of scaling, the challenges of letting go, and the values that continue to guide her through every reinvention.

In this episode of Greater Manchester’s Greatest Minds, Eddie sits down with Michelle Coulson — founder of Remote Rebellion — for a conversation about burnout, breakups, Bali, and building a life that actually feels like yours.

Michelle’s journey begins in Bolton, then moves through a wild childhood in Spain, a career in corporate recruitment, and a dramatic decision to call off her wedding just weeks before the big day. But it was a solo bike trip through Europe and a spontaneous move to Bali that really shifted her course.

When the ‘return to office’ email came in 2021, Michelle chose a different path — quitting her job, going all-in on remote work, and eventually launching Remote Rebellion. Her platform now helps others escape the grind, land flexible roles, and reconnect with what actually makes them happy.

🔗 Michelle's Links

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/remoterebellion/

https://remoterebellion.com/