Debbie Airey’s career has been anything but ordinary.

From starting out in telesales to becoming the youngest team leader in the country at Vodafone, Debbie built her career through hard graft, curiosity and a willingness to throw herself into new environments.

In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Debbie Airey to explore her journey through sales, leadership, industrial sectors and STEM. Debbie shares how her early experience taught her how to read people, communicate with confidence and develop others through coaching and mentoring.

She also opens up about the darker side of her career, including discrimination, harassment and the behaviours she has seen across different industries. These experiences led her to create Kicking the Door Down, a podcast and platform designed to give people space to talk openly, educate others and support women in STEM and beyond.

James brings his own perspective into the conversation, sharing what he has seen through leadership development, women in construction, male allyship and why real change needs to focus on mindset and behaviour, not just tick-box training.

Key moments include: ✔️ Starting out in telesales and learning how to read the room ✔️ Becoming the youngest team leader in the country at Vodafone ✔️ Moving into industrial sectors and finding a love for engineering environments ✔️ Facing discrimination and harassment throughout her career ✔️ Why silence and lack of support keep bad behaviour alive ✔️ Creating Kicking the Door Down for women in STEM ✔️ Opening conversations around male allyship, menopause and workplace culture ✔️ The problem with tick-box corporate training ✔️ Why core values and boundaries come before authenticity ✔️ Being unapologetically yourself in business and life

Follow James Fleming LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/successorexcusespodcast YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/

Follow Debbie Airey Podcast → ‘Kicking the Door Down; by Deb Airey on Spotify and Apple LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-airey-43026110/

Company LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/safe-monitoring-group/

Timestamps [00:00] Introduction to Debbie Airey [00:01:00] Debbie’s background and early career in telesales [00:03:10] Learning sales, communication and how to read the room [00:05:20] Working in a traditional office and logistics environment [00:07:00] Moving into Vodafone and becoming a team leader [00:08:00] Developing coaching, mentoring and recruitment skills [00:10:00] Moving into industrial sectors and gas [00:11:00] Recognising discrimination and harassment in the workplace [00:14:10] Why Debbie started Kicking the Door Down [00:16:00] Creating a safe space for women in STEM and beyond [00:18:40] James reflects on women in leadership and construction [00:20:00] Workplace harassment, support and accountability [00:23:00] Conversations that changed Debbie’s perspective [00:28:40] James shares what he has learned from women in leadership [00:30:40] Debbie on being judged differently as a woman at work [00:34:20] Why some men react defensively to being challenged [00:37:40] The problem with tick-box corporate training [00:40:40] James on mindset, behaviour and lasting change [00:41:50] Debbie’s top three pieces of advice [00:46:10] Where to find Debbie and Kicking the Door Down

Bob Keiller’s career has taken him from engineering and the energy industry to leading, buying, growing and selling businesses.

In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Bob Keiller to explore leadership, culture, communication and the power of storytelling. Bob shares how he moved from corporate life into leading a business, the brave decision to offer to buy part of Halliburton, and how storytelling helped him secure support and funding.

He also speaks about building a business where values weren’t just words on a wall, but the foundation for decision-making, culture and growth. From turning down work that didn’t fit their values to helping save Glen Craft in Aberdeen, Bob explains how culture became a real business differentiator.

James brings his own perspective into the conversation, sharing how storytelling has shaped the way he communicates leadership, mindset and belief through The Power Within Training.

Key moments include: ✔️ Bob’s journey from art and engineering into business leadership ✔️ Moving from corporate life into running his own business ✔️ The “boat underwater” strategy presentation ✔️ Offering to buy part of Halliburton ✔️ Raising funding through storytelling ✔️ Building a business around core values and culture ✔️ Turning down work when it didn’t align with their values ✔️ How culture helped grow the value of the business ✔️ The role of storytelling in leadership and communication ✔️ Bob’s work helping charities, entrepreneurs and Aberdeen city centre ✔️ Advice on being prepared, communicating clearly and creating culture

Follow James Fleming LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/successorexcusespodcast YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/

Follow Bob Keiller LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobkeiller/

Website→ https://www.ourunionstreet.com/

Timestamps [00:00] Introduction to Bob Keiller [00:00:57] Bob’s background in art, engineering and energy [00:03:30] Moving into a managing director role within Halliburton [00:05:30] The “boat underwater” strategy presentation [00:07:30] Deciding to offer to buy the business [00:11:10] Raising funding through the Scots pine story [00:13:00] Creating the new business in 2006 [00:14:10] Choosing culture as the business differentiator [00:14:40] Building the DNA and core values of the business [00:16:30] Turning down work that didn’t align with the values [00:17:20] Finding a better solution for a client [00:19:40] How culture helped double the value of the business [00:21:00] James on values, vision and living the culture [00:22:20] Bob on communication and setting conditions for success [00:24:20] Community impact through Bangladesh and Glen Craft [00:27:10] James on the power of stories in leadership [00:28:00] Bob’s journey into corporate storytelling [00:30:40] The storytelling template Bob now teaches [00:33:20] Bob’s current work with business leaders and entrepreneurs [00:34:10] Our Union Street and changing the story of Aberdeen city centre [00:36:30] Bob’s top three pieces of advice [00:40:30] Closing thoughts and where to connect with Bob

James Ashford always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but the journey wasn’t a straight line.

After trying different businesses, taking on different jobs and learning from other entrepreneurs, James eventually found his way into the accounting industry. He built a piece of software, bootstrapped the business with no investment, and within five years sold it for an eight-figure sum.

In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with James Ashford to explore entrepreneurship, mindset and what it really takes to scale a business. James Ashford shares how his early belief around business and freedom shaped his journey, why software became the route he took, and how solving sales problems became the foundation of his business.

He also speaks about belief systems, coachability, setting goals beyond your current capability, and why business owners often need to look deeper than strategy when they hit a sticking point. Alongside that, James Ashford reflects on health, relationships, self-awareness and the importance of building success across every area of life.

James Fleming brings his own perspective into the conversation, sharing his thoughts on mindset, goal setting, coaching, relationships, health and what it takes to stay at the top of your game.

Key moments include: ✔️ James Ashford’s early desire to become an entrepreneur ✔️ Trying different businesses before finding the right path ✔️ Building software for the accounting industry ✔️ Bootstrapping the business with no investment ✔️ Selling the software business for an eight-figure sum ✔️ Why sales problems sit at the heart of many business challenges ✔️ Mindset, belief systems and business foundations ✔️ The question business owners should ask when they hit a sticking point ✔️ What makes someone coachable ✔️ Committing fully to a goal ✔️ Why health and fitness matter in business and life ✔️ James Ashford’s top advice on accountability, learning and self-awareness ✔️ His book, Scale Strong Exit Big

Follow James Fleming LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/successorexcusespodcast YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/

Follow James Ashford LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesashford/ Website → https://jamesashford.com/

Timestamps [00:00] Introduction to James Ashford [00:00:54] James Ashford’s early desire to become an entrepreneur [00:01:30] Trying different businesses and learning from others [00:01:50] Building software in the accounting industry [00:02:00] Bootstrapping the business and selling it for an eight-figure sum [00:02:31] Why James Ashford moved into software [00:03:10] Solving sales problems inside businesses [00:05:30] James Fleming on entrepreneurial mindset and vision [00:06:06] Belief systems as the foundation of business growth [00:10:16] Hitting sticking points in business [00:11:20] Asking “who do I now need to be?” [00:13:16] Coachability and being open to difficult conversations [00:17:28] James Ashford’s entrepreneurial mindset and early commitment [00:19:50] Burning the safety net and going all in [00:20:30] Setting goals beyond current capability [00:23:18] James Fleming on dominant thoughts, goals and action [00:25:10] Achieving the goal and realising it’s about the climb [00:27:45] Building a complete game across life and business [00:28:00] James Fleming on relationships, health and feeding your mind [00:29:57] Why health comes first [00:32:52] James Ashford’s top three pieces of advice [00:38:05] James Ashford’s book, Scale Strong Exit Big [00:42:02] Where to connect with James Ashford [00:42:56] Closing thoughts