Strategy & Tragedy: CEO Stories with Steph Melodia

Ready to make one day, day one? Launch and scale your business with the support of 1:1 mentorship and a dedicated community - all while getting an MBA with Oneday: https://bit.ly/stephanie-melodiaWant Steph to mentor you? Apply for 1:1 support here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchRTqGNNhrN8xph4Gh4RuVJNU_mc31cT8bl08nXRQeM6rd8Q/viewformIn this week's episode, Stephanie Melodia interviews Farah Kabir, the Co-Founder & CEO of HANX, the first condom brand marketed to women. Now encompassing a variety of sexual wellness and weight management products, HANX is connecting the major life stages of women’s health for a 100,000+ strong community. Available online and in retailers such as Sainsbury's, Tesco and Boots: https://www.hanxofficial.com/In this episode, Steph and Farah discuss:- Identifying and validating a market gap - Overcoming *significant* barriers to entry - Customer-led expansion strategy - Fundraising challenges as female founders- Community as marketing cornerstone- Work-life balance strugglesWhat resonated most with you from this episode? Leave a comment below or get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Apply to work with Steph here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchRTqGNNhrN8xph4Gh4RuVJNU_mc31cT8bl08nXRQeM6rd8Q/viewform?usp=headerStephanie Melodia interviews Jodie Jackson, a neuroencoding specialist who trains entrepreneurs to engineer their psychology for success so they can think better, feel better and achieve more, effortlessly. Discover more here: https://jodiejackson.com/masteryourmindIn this week's episode, Steph and Jodie discuss:- How media shapes our psychology- Why you need to do a "media diet audit" NOW - The power of focusing on solutions, not just problems- How to hack your brain's filtering system- Emotional neutralisation, not elimination- Your mind is programmable by designLet us know what resonated most with you from this conversation! Leave a comment or get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Ready to make one day, day one? Launch and scale your business with the support of 1:1 mentorship and a dedicated community - all while getting an MBA with Oneday - where both Stephanie Melodia and Daniil Shcherbakov mentor: https://bit.ly/stephanie-melodiaDaniil Shcherbakov is the Co-Founder & CEO of TonTon Games where he succeeded in raising $1M in pre-seed investment. He is a serial entrepreneur and mentor, a vocal advocate for mental health with refreshing perspectives on all things entrepreneurship. He is also a passionate gamer, startup mentor & lecturer at Cambridge.In this week’s conversation, Steph and Daniil cover:- Daniil’s early entrepreneurial ventures (aged just 19!) - and the lessons learned from the failures- The importance of having a North Star- Bold networking in Silicon Valley- And so much more.Get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

65% of startups fail because of founder fall-outs. Nicole Posner is here to put an end to that. She works with Conflict-Avoidant Leaders, helping them to speak up calmly, confidently and courageously in moments that matter. She is also the Creator of The Difficult Conversation Code and author of 'and BREATHE…' (Purchase here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Breathe-Difficult-Leadership-Conversations-Business/dp/1913728927)Other resources mentioned in the interview:Tune into Steph's interview with Alex Merry: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1XXH8jkdZcSVp2FfYeLK62?si=a5c7a02987644fe2Get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Ready to make one day, day one? Launch and scale your business alongside an MBA with Oneday, where both Stephanie Melodia mentors: https://bit.ly/stephanie-melodiaSelina Ho is a GTM strategist, founder of Re:Closeted, a conscious fashion consultancy, and host of the Confessions of a Conscious CEO podcast:https://open.spotify.com/show/08wqIjbkYUCbGTKMnOZfGvTune into hear about:Selina's unforgettable $10k mistakeExpertise in GTM and finding product-market fitTurning a side hustle into a fully-fledged businessHeadwinds & tailwinds as a multi-cultural, second-generation female immigrant And moreBook recommended:'Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away' by Annie Dukehttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60097435-quitGet involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Turn your sales conversations into your competitive advantage with Gong.io:https://www.gong.io/demo/?utm_campaign=demo&utm_medium=tpv&utm_source=ceo-st-podcast Nick Telson-Sillett is the exited Co-Founder of DesignMyNight (acquired for $30M) and now Co-Founder of Trumpet, a buyer enablement tool for sales teams.Tune in to hear about...- Side-hustling with DesignMyNight whilst working his day job at L'Oréal- Finding PMF, scaling up, and ultimately selling the biz in The Craziest Exit Day in History™ (you need to listen to the story 👀🫨😂)- Life post-exit - angel investing and starting trumpet 🎺And so much more.Get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Turn your sales conversations into your competitive advantage with Gong.io: https://www.gong.io/demo/?utm_campaign=demo&utm_medium=tpv&utm_source=ceo-st-podcast Stephanie Melodia interviews Mike Bandar, founder & CEO of Waybook - an onboarding, training and knowledge tool for businesses to turn what they know into scalable systems, providing a single source of truth for growing teams. He is also the co-founder of Hopper, a social media scheduling tool; the founding partner of Turn Partners, a startup studio, and; owner of ToyBoy Warehouse, the UK’s largest dating site for older women and younger men. Mike Bandar is also a lecturer in Entrepreneurship at UCL and proponent of effectual thinking, especially in entrepreneurship.Watch the full interview where Steph and Mike discuss:- Can entrepreneurship be taught?- Effectual thinking in entrepreneurship- Building the right entrepreneurial environment- Wartime vs peacetime leadership: how Mike has navigated through the inevitable ups & downs of business- Building multiple businesses without EVER having raising external capital- And so much more.Get involved in the conversation - we want to hear from you!🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Ready to make one day, day one? Launch and scale your business with the support of 1:1 mentorship and a dedicated community - all while getting an MBA with Oneday: https://bit.ly/stephanie-melodiaLauren Currie is the 6X serial entrepreneur now founder of UPFRONT, upskilling 10 million women to be more confident and visible. (BOND 10 starts 3rd Nov! https://www.weareupfront.com/)Lauren's work has been featured in The Guardian, Design Week, and Creative Review, She was also awarded an OBE for services to design and diversity. She is also the newly-published children’s book author of 'Taylor Meets The Trick' (BUY HERE: https://the-trick.co/)Tune in to hear Steph and Lauren discuss:🧨 The systemic confidence problem and Lauren's mission to upskill 10M women🧨 "Micro reps" for building confidence and the Taylor Swift confidence strategy🧨 Bias towards action over perfection in entrepreneurship🧨 The problem with tall poppy syndrome🧨 Lauren's new children's book, 'Taylor Meets The Trick'🧨 And much more.Get involved in the conversation - we'd love to hear from you!🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Turn your sales conversations into your competitive advantage with Gong.io:https://www.gong.io/demo/?utm_campaign=demo&utm_medium=tpv&utm_source=ceo-st-podcast Ben Coomber is a multi-award winning high performance coach, bestselling author of 'How to Live an Awesome Life,' and the Founder & CEO of Awesome Supplements. (Strategy & Tragedy listeners get an exclusive 15% off all orders with the code S&T15*: https://awesomesupplements.co.uk/discount/S&T15)Tune into hear about:- Ben's viral open letter calling out health misinformation from Steven Bartlett on his show, Diary of a CEO- Personal brand strategy in 2025, Ben's consistency rule, and lessons building successful businesses in FMCG health- Ben's health crisis pivot, and much more.Get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!*Valid for 60 days from episode publish date

Ready to turn your sales conversations into your competitive advantage? Check out Gong.io and see why thousands of revenue teams trust their growth to Revenue AI.https://www.gong.io/demo/?utm_campaign=demo&utm_medium=tpv&utm_source=ceo-st-podcastDigital Voices was named the 13th fastest-growing agency by AdWeek, and is officially the fastest-growing Influencer Marketing agency in the world. Starting out with just £500 personal investment, Digital Voices now turns over more than $20M in annual recurring revenue with 94% ownership retained by founder Jennifer Quigley-Jones, Digital Voices is the only UK-based influencer agency of its scale led by a female CEO. Tune in to hear about...Starting a business aged just 26Revenue-funded growth to $20MThe secret to hyper-scale growthBuilding a proprietary tech platform as a non-technical founderEthics in influencer marketingAnd so much more.Book recommended in the interview:'No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention' by Reed Hastings & Erin Meyerhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49099937-no-rules-rulesOther episode mentioned: Stephanie Melodia’s interview with Daniel Hegarty of Habito:https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ccUscX1U5AkFelntshArs?si=90fb3a71d3e64b08https://youtu.be/ZnZVxTXf27E?si=PJkLa5hoGgQN-kNNGet involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Power up your commercial strategy with AI-powered insights driving every sales decision for predictable revenue growth with GONG: https://www.gong.io/demo/?utm_campaign=demo&utm_medium=tpv&utm_source=ceo-st-podcastIn this week's episode, Stephanie Melodia interviews Yang Li, the Co-Founder of Cosine - a multi-agent AI tool designed to do compound tasks in complex codebases with a 72% SOTA score on SWE-Lancer.In this episode, Steph and Yang cover:Is AI a bubble? And when will it burst? Yang's hot takes Meeting Tom Blomfield, Sam altman, Aaron Levie, and Michael SeibelBest advice for entrepreneurs in AI (hint: building for AI's "mediocre zone")HONEST thoughts on Y CombinatorHow we manufacture luckAnd more.Discover more about Cosine here: https://cosine.sh/Get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Power up your commercial strategy with AI-powered insights driving every sales decision for predictable revenue growth with GONG: https://www.gong.io/demo/?utm_campaign=demo&utm_medium=tpv&utm_source=ceo-st-podcastIn this week's episode, Stephanie Melodia interviews Tash Rebuck, the sales expert and founder of TR Sales Consultancy, specialising in B2B sales strategy and training for growth businesses whilst strengthening commercial teams. We cover:👉 The BIGGEST traps people fall into making sales👉 Cold-calling techniques (put to the test LIVE ON THE AIR!)👉 The art of the follow-up - how to get an edge over others👉 How acting helped Tash overcome sales blockers👉 And so much more sales goodness.Learn more about Tash's sales consultancy here: https://trsalesconsultancy.co.uk/Get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Crush sales with one tool that puts your LinkedIn & email outreach on autopilot with Dripify: https://try.dripify.com/hdoriziho14rIn this episode, Stephanie Melodia interviews Kat Thorne; the positive habits queen whose high-flying career made her crash & burn, forcing her to reassess how she was treating her own body. She now helps other high-performers achieve success in a sustainable way.Tune in to learn about:👉 The "untouchable" trap - High performers thinking they're superhuman👉 Move your body vs. exercise - The reframing that makes movement more accessible👉 The morning phone trap - Why checking emails immediately isn't effective👉 Success without sustainability fails - The core message about unsustainable success👉 The productivity paradox - How self-care actually improves performance👉 The 80/20 self-promise rule - Building self-respect through keeping commitments to yourselfWant more? Follow Kat on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katthorne/🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Automatically turn long videos into viral shorts in just one click with Opus: https://www.opus.pro/?via=dcec02In this week's episode, Stephanie Melodia interviews Saba Yussouf, exited founder and investor specialising in STEM revolutions - from reinventing food systems to democratising infection prevention and battling environmental threats. As a high-agency venture capitalist, Saba bets on founders who rewrite industries, not rules. Worked with institutions such as Cambridge University, American Express, and Harrods.Steph and Saba cover:- What it means to be high agency, how to get there, and what it looks like in practise- Saba's own entrepreneurial journey and how much market timings can affect success or failure- From founder to investor - how Saba developed her own investment thesis and what she looks for in a deal (Hint: High agency founders for one 😉) - Saba's "unhinged" neuro-backed time management hack- And so much more entrepreneur-focused goodness.Get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Automatically turn long videos into viral shorts in just one click with Opus: https://www.opus.pro/?via=dcec02Crush sales with a single LinkedIn & email autopilot tool - Dripify: https://try.dripify.com/hdoriziho14rBest known as the founder of Trunki, the iconic ride-on suitcase for kids, Rob Law turned one of the most famous rejections on BBC's Dragons' Den into a global success, selling over 5 million units across 100+ countries. He scaled up the business over 17 years (winning 120+ awards along the way) and exited in 2023.In this interview, Steph and Rob discuss:- Overcoming setbacks - from ridicule on national TV and a luggage ban - to deeper, personal issues like cystic fibrosis and losing his twin sister aged just 16- GTM strategy, positioning, and growth levers- The failed attempt to create a “tween” version of Trunki that intentional businessmen ended up wanting!- How Rob exercises his resilience muscle- The path to selling Trunki and what life looked like post-exit - Answering the questions he’s NEVER been asked in an interview before- New ventures and advice to his younger selfBook Rob to speak at your event: roblaw.com Help your children go to sleep with zeepy.coGrow your brand on Amazon with aphelion.agencyGet involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

This episode is dedicated to Kieran!Jodie Cook is the Forbes 30 Under 30 Founder of Coachvox, following the 7-figure exit of her own social media agency which she started fresh out of uni. Jodie is a Forbes senior contributor with 19M+ article reads. She has also competed in powerlifting for Team GB 9 times and lived in 35 cities as a digital nomad. (Everything she own fits in one suitcase!)In this interview, Steph and Jodie discuss...- Five surprising ways to achieve your goals- Jodie's business journey and key lessons learnt- The power of manifesting- Playing your ace cards- And so much more.Ready to scale beyond your time? Make the AI version of you at: https://coachvox.ai/Get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Mona Tiesler is an investor at tokentus, a leading VC firm in the German blockchain ecosystem, where she invests in startups that leverage blockchain technology globally. She has several years of experience in venture capital, and has been involved in pre-seed to Series A deals across Europe, USA, UAE and Asia.With a background in strategy consulting, venture building, and entrepreneurship, Mona has a passion for supporting innovators who are building the decentralized future of the internet.She has co-founded and led companies in Fintech, Edtech, and Foodtech, and has an MBA from INSEAD.In this episode, Mona and Steph discuss:- How to re-invent yourself while navigating huge career changes- The mental reframe required when facing rejection (after rejection, after rejection...) - Practical tips on learning the key skill *every* entrepreneur needs; SALES!- The importance of strategy and how each step helps the next- PLUS! What Mona looks for now as an investorMona is passionate about breaking down barriers to access - both for fundraising founders and equalising gender opportunities. In-line with her mission, Mona is a member of Global Women in VC, the world's largest community for women in venture capital to connect, collaborate, and create opportunities for each other. Discover more here:https://www.women-vc.com/Mona is also the Co-Founder of Distributed Funding, a platform for underrepresented founders in the Web3 space to submit pitch decks and a short survey in just a few minutes.Learn more here: https://roomy-tailor-258.notion.site/Distributed-Funding-b49508c6d2484d62b3c0calab286a132Fundraising? Learn more about what tokentus looks for in their investments here:https://tokentus.com/targetsEnjoyed this episode? Subscribe, rate, review, and share it with a friend!Want more?Follow Steph:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videosSupport the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Olivia Parkes is the Founder & CEO of Persi, making fashion personalisation actually personal! With Persi, retailers can deliver highly personalised product recommendations based on what each customer owns, loves, and actually wears.In this interview, you'll hear about...👗 The £176K post: How Olivia raised almost £200k from a single LinkedIn post for her female-first cap table👗 Resilience amidst a triple pivot to SEIS disaster recovery👗 Scrappy MVPs and non-technical founder success (before meeting her perfect co-founder match!)👗 Balancing motherhood & startup life (including pitching while pregnant and breastfeeding in the boardroom - normalising what it really takes to make it work as a working mother)👗 And so, so much more inspirational wisdom and practical tips...Discover more about Persi here: https://www.yourpersi.com/Get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Stuart Trevor is the founder of AllSaints, the high street brand he launched in 1994 and scaled to £15M turnover business & household brand name. Now, the fashion entrepreneur is on a mission to create the world’s most sustainable fashion brand, clothing brand that doesn't produce any clothes.Discover more here: https://stuarttrevor.com/In this interview, Steph and Stuart cover:🖤 His journey from fashion student to AllSaints founder🖤 How creative constraints led to an *iconic* brand identity🖤 Organic growth without traditional investment🖤 Surviving a near-fatal business crisis🖤 ADHD as an entrepreneurial superpower🖤 Stuart's mission now for sustainable fashion - building "the world's most sustainable fashion brand that doesn't produce any clothes"Get involved in the conversation. What resonated most with you from this interview? What did you learn? What made you go, huh, I never thought about it like that? We want to hear from you!🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!