Finding Meaning in Life After 15 Years Battling Cancer | David Smith MBE

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What happens when everything you’ve built your identity around—success, strength, achievement—is suddenly stripped away?

In this deeply moving episode of The Business Growth Podcast, David Smith MBE shares his remarkable story of resilience, recovery, and rediscovery after 15 years of living with cancer.

David isn’t just a survivor. He’s a seven-time surgery veteran, a Paralympic gold medallist, and a man who’s redefined what it means to win at life.

From the outside, David’s story is about sport and survival.

But listen closer, and it’s about something even greater—how to find meaning, gratitude, and connection when life tests you to your core.

“Cancer stripped away my identity. It forced me to ask: Who am I when there’s nothing left to prove?”

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

- The truth about resilience – and why it’s not about strength, but surrender.

- How to live as a human being, not a human doing.

- The role of emotional intelligence in healing, leadership, and growth.

- Why awareness is the real gift—and how to use it to make better choices.

- The four legs of life – a simple model David uses to stay grounded.

- How to build a life that matters even when the plan falls apart.

David opens up about life in and out of hospital wards, the voices that kept him going, and the unexpected teachers he met along the way—including world-class coaches, Buddhist monks, and his own inner critic.

“I realised I’d spent my life trying to be somebody, when all I needed was to be me.”

For entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone facing uncertainty—this episode isn’t about illness.

It’s about living. About slowing down long enough to hear your own truth.

And about discovering that growth doesn’t always come from winning—it often comes from letting go.

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Episode #137 Mr Motivator's Blueprint for a Overcoming Adversity & Living a Fulfilling Life

What do you do when life knocks you down, again and again, but you refuse to stay there?

In this powerful episode of the ActionCOACH Business Growth Podcast, Derrick Errol Evans MBE, better known as Mr Motivator, shares a story that goes far beyond Lycra and lunges.

From sleeping in homeless shelters to becoming one of Britain’s most loved TV icons, Mr Motivator reveals what it really takes to bounce back, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually too.

At 72, he’s still full of energy, joy, and purpose. But his message today is about far more than fitness. It’s about finding peace, creating space, and making time for yourself and for others.

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What does it take to build a travel business from nothing?

How Two Backpackers Built A Travel Empire

In this powerful episode of The Business Growth Podcast, recorded live at Sky Studios, Alastair Donnelly and Simon King, co-founders of Inside Travel Group, share how they went from teaching English in Japan to leading an £80 million global company employing nearly 300 people and sending tens of thousands of travellers around the world each year.

This isn’t a story of overnight success. It’s a story of grit, friendship, purpose, and doing whatever it takes to survive.

Alistair and Simon open up about:

- The moment a life-changing trip inspired their business idea

- Building a company from a spare bedroom with no experience or money

- Surviving financial crashes, inefficiencies, and a pandemic that almost wiped them out

- Finding the right systems, advisors, and people to create sustainable growth

- How purpose and profit can coexist when you truly care about people

“Business is about people. You have to care about them - your customers, your team, your suppliers, your community. If you really care about people, success will follow.”

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Why Your Marketing Strategy Isn't About You - Lessons from Neil Martin

In this episode of the Business Growth Podcast, powered by ActionCOACH UK, host James Vincent speaks with Neil Martin, Director of Marketing & Edutainment at ActionCOACH UK, a multi-award-winning coach and author of Done Beats Perfect.

This is more than a conversation about marketing. It’s a deep dive into why most strategies fail, what really drives results, and how personal resilience shapes professional success. Neil opens up about his early life, the impact of losing his father, and the lessons he learned about building businesses that can survive without depending on a single person.

Alongside his personal story, Neil shares practical marketing strategies that every business owner can use today. From understanding attention spans to balancing creativity and analytics to building campaigns that connect through story, this episode is packed with insights you can put into action.

Key Insights from Neil Martin

On attention:

“Attention spans are shorter now than they’ve ever been. If you’ve got 4 million views and only 12 of them are your ideal customers, are those 4 million views worth anything other than vanity?”

On marketing as strategy, not chance:

“Marketing is like going to the casino, only this time the odds are stacked in your favour. But until you place your bet, you can’t win.”

On storytelling:

“The best presentations are built of two things: frameworks and stories. Frameworks give the structure, and stories fill in the gaps.”

On edutainment:

“All business needs some show business. People don’t just buy products; they buy emotions. Education through entertainment makes your message unforgettable.”

On ego in communication:

“If you make it about you and making yourself look good, it disconnects. Ego doesn’t connect. Confidence attracts, arrogance repels.”

On resilience and growth:

“My life has been both a warning and an example. Every morning, I remind myself, I want to live today as an example.”

On marketing’s true purpose:

“The purpose of marketing isn’t to sell. The purpose of marketing is to start the conversation. Sales is what sells—but you can’t sell to someone if they’re not talking to you.”

Why You Should Watch

This is more than marketing theory. Neil’s journey—from being made homeless at 18 after his father’s business collapsed, to later losing his dad at just 56, to becoming a successful entrepreneur and coach—shapes the way he sees business.

He reminds us that:

- Businesses too often depend on one person, and when that person goes, so does the business.

- Real marketing success isn’t about vanity metrics; it’s about connecting with your customer.

- The line between confidence and arrogance is intention, and people feel the difference.

- Success doesn’t guarantee happiness; you have to choose happiness along the way.

As Neil puts it:

“The hardest lesson I’ve had to learn is that it’s not about me.”

👉 Subscribe to the Business Growth Podcast for more conversations with leaders and experts.

👉 Share this episode with someone who needs to hear why marketing is never about them- it’s about their customer.

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Simon Squibb: Money is Not as Important as You Think | The Business Growth Podcast

What really matters in business and life - money, purpose, or freedom?

In this episode of The Business Growth Podcast, Simon Squibb shares the raw truth behind his entrepreneurial journey. From starting his first business at 15 to building, selling, and investing in over 100 companies, Simon brings decades of wisdom. But he insists: “Money is not as important as you think.”

Simon opens up about the biggest misconceptions entrepreneurs face:

Why most people believe you need money to make money, and why that belief is wrong.

How limiting beliefs, often shaped by education and society, stop people from taking risks.

Why purpose and freedom should come before profit.

He also unpacks his mission to fix the broken education system and why teaching financial literacy, creativity, and resilience matters more than traditional classroom learning. As Simon puts it: “School taught me nothing about money, but debt taught me everything.”

You’ll also hear Simon’s take on AI, the future of work, and why owning your time is the ultimate wealth. This is more than a conversation about business growth - it’s a roadmap for redefining success on your own terms.

Whether you’re a start-up founder, an experienced CEO, or someone questioning the way society defines success, Simon’s insights will challenge the way you think.

About Simon Squibb

Simon Squibb is an entrepreneur, angel investor, and the founder of HelpBnk. He is on a mission to give away his knowledge, network, and money to help others start businesses for free. With over 3 million followers across social platforms, Simon inspires people to challenge old systems and take control of their futures.

Some of his core beliefs include:

- Money is just a tool. What matters is how you use it.

- Freedom of time is real wealth.

- Entrepreneurship is for everyone. You don’t need permission, funding, or the perfect plan to start.

- Education needs disruption. Real-world experience and problem-solving matter more than rote learning.

Why Watch This Episode?

- To rethink your relationship with money.

- To learn why purpose-driven businesses outperform profit-driven ones.

- To discover how AI and technology will reshape entrepreneurship.

- To hear how community, role models, and love all tie into success.

As Simon says:

“If you want to change your life, change what you believe about money.”

💡 If you’re serious about business growth, purpose, and building a life on your own terms, this episode will give you insights you won’t find in textbooks.

🎧 Subscribe to The Business Growth Podcast for weekly conversations with top entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders.

This episode is sponsored by COnstant Contact: Digital & Email Marketing Platform.

https://www.constantcontact.com/uk

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AI: The Catalyst for Humanity's Next Leap Forward

In this episode of the Business Growth Podcast, we sit down with Ross Power, product strategist, entrepreneur, and the mind behind oversubscribed AI workshops in Bali. Ross delivers a refreshing perspective: AI isn’t here to replace us, it’s here to help us become more human.

Ross shares how AI can:

- Automate repetitive tasks so we can focus on creativity, empathy, and connection.

- Democratise access to tools that once required huge budgets or big teams.

- Act as the ultimate assistant, helping us think, decide, and work smarter.

From his live workshops where attendees build businesses in real time, to his views on privacy, ethics, and the rise of one-person businesses, Ross brings a mix of practical advice and big-picture thinking. His mantra? “Persistently be yourself” - because AI is just the latest tool in our long history of tools, and its true power lies in how it helps us express what makes us human.

Along the way, we dig into:

- The myths that stop people from embracing AI.

- The dangers of over-automation in areas like relationships.

- How persistence, deep work, and curiosity are the real success factors.

- Why “comparison is the thief of joy” and how to stay authentic in a noisy world.

Ross also unpacks his five definitions of freedom - time, location, people, mind, and creativity - and why authenticity and truthfulness are at the heart of entrepreneurial success.

If you’ve ever wondered whether AI will make us less human, this conversation flips that on its head.

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From Dopamine Overload to Mental Clarity: A Neuroscientist's Guide

In this episode of the Business Growth Podcast, powered by Action Coach UK, James Vincent welcomes TJ Power, a 28-year-old neuroscientist, speaker, and founder of Dose Lab.

TJ opens up about dopamine overload, the hidden cost of constant phone use, and why balancing your brain’s four key chemicals - dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins is essential for clarity, productivity, and happiness.

He shares the science behind addictive behaviours, explains why modern life leaves us mentally drained, and gives practical daily challenges you can use to reclaim your mind.

As TJ puts it:

“We live in a world that is hijacking our dopamine system… if you don’t understand how it works, you’ll spend your life chasing quick hits and feeling empty afterwards.”

What you’ll learn in this episode:

Why your smartphone and social feeds are designed to keep you hooked.

The evolutionary mismatch between modern technology and human biology.

How oxytocin creates real human connection and why likes and comments can’t replace it.

Simple changes to boost serotonin naturally, including gut health and diet.

The role of endorphins and why effortful activities matter more than quick wins.

How the Dose 30-Day Challenge can reset your brain chemistry in less than a month.

TJ doesn’t just share theory, he gives you tools. From gut-friendly food swaps to a 24-hour processed food challenge, to adding movement and connection back into your daily life.

“The point isn’t to remove dopamine. It’s to choose your dopamine… the stuff that’s harder but makes life more fulfilling.”

🔔 Subscribe to the Business Growth Podcast for weekly insights from world-class entrepreneurs, leaders, and thinkers.

This Episode is sponsored by CWCS

https://www.cwcs.co.uk/

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Personal Branding and Finding Your FLOW with Hannah Power - From Rock Bottom to Purpose-Driven Business:

What does it really take to build a personal brand that isn’t about likes or followers—but about purpose, impact, and flow?

In episode #131 of the ActionCOACH Business Growth Podcast, host James Vincent sits down with Hannah Power, personal brand coach, speaker, and author of The Power of You. Hannah reveals how to balance purpose and profit, shift into flow state, and consciously create the truest version of yourself.

From overcoming trauma and addiction to building a thriving business, Hannah shares her personal story with raw honesty. She explains her Dreamer, Achiever, Performer framework, showing entrepreneurs how to step into performer mode—the place of alignment, balance, and flow where “everything feels like magic.”

“Personal branding is the conscious creation of your best self and the sharing of that with the world. It’s not a LinkedIn profile—it’s much, much bigger than that.” – Hannah Power.

This episode is more than business—it’s about resilience, courage, and the power of turning pain into purpose. Hannah speaks openly about her darkest moments and how therapy, personal development, and faith gave her the perseverance to keep moving forward.

“It is not the breaking of you, it is the making of you… If you can overcome having that level of power taken away from you, you can ping your way up to the top of empowerment.” – Hannah Power.

Expect practical tools and deep insight on personal branding, flow, and modern entrepreneurship:

What you’ll learn in this episode

• How to shift from dreamer or achiever mode into performer mode and live in flow

• Why purpose and profit must go hand in hand for true success

• How to use affirmations and memory training to reprogram your thinking

• The role of therapy, resilience, and faith in overcoming trauma

• Why personal branding is personal development “on steroids”

• How authenticity and entertainment beat perfection in today’s digital world

Hannah also discusses:

The importance of resilience and perseverance in business

Why fun and playfulness matter in marketing today

How to stop caring what others think and step into who you truly are

If you’ve ever struggled with self-doubt, shame, or fear of being judged, this conversation will inspire you to see those struggles as the making of you—not the breaking.

This is a must-watch for entrepreneurs, coaches, creators, and leaders who want to succeed without losing themselves.

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