On a Mission Podcast 2.0

Andrew Hulbert went from starting a company in his bedroom in his pants to building and exiting a business for $100 million before the age of 40.   An incredible achievement, but this conversation is about far more than business.   Andrew’s life could very easily have gone in a completely different direction. He was wild, fiercely ambitious and willing to take risks most people wouldn’t entertain. At 15, he was brutally attacked and came within inches of potentially losing his life. Years later, those same extremes, channelled differently, would help him build something extraordinary.   This episode is really about the pivotal moments that shape our lives and what happens when you’re prepared to back yourself when there are absolutely no guarantees.   We talk about mindset, ambition, risk and sacrifice, and the uncomfortable truth about what it can take to achieve extraordinary things. Andrew is incredibly candid about the years when the business came before almost everything else, the impact that had on his marriage and family, and why he still wrestles with the contradiction that the very obsession he would approach differently today was also fundamental to his success.   We also get into something that isn’t talked about nearly enough. What happens when you actually get everything you’ve spent years chasing? Why do so many founders struggle after selling their businesses? What happens to your identity when the goal disappears, and how do you find purpose when money is no longer the motivation?   Despite Andrew’s monumental success, some of the biggest lessons in this conversation have very little to do with money. We talk about what success actually means, the risks worth taking, the price we’re prepared to pay for what we want and why achieving more doesn’t necessarily give us more of what really matters.   ⸻ Key moments include:   ✔ From starting a business in his pants to a $100 million exit   ✔ The attack at 15 that could have changed everything   ✔ Why the traits that can derail your life can also become your greatest strengths   ✔ The mindset and appetite for risk behind extraordinary success   ✔ Risking his marriage, mortgage and money to back himself   ✔ The uncomfortable reality of what extreme ambition can cost   ✔ Why founders can struggle with depression after selling their businesses   ✔ What happens to your identity when the chase is finally over   ✔ Preparing psychologically for life after a major exit   ✔ Why making millions doesn’t necessarily make you feel successful   ✔ The contradiction Andrew still wrestles with around ambition and balance   ✔ Why his definition of success has completely changed   ⸻ Chapters: 00:00 Andrew Hulbert on life after selling his business 01:45 From working-class beginnings to buying a farm 07:45 Getting into trouble as a teenager 11:46 The attack that nearly changed his life 15:12 A decision that could have cost him everything 18:56 Drugs, peer pressure and raising children 25:19 Finding a direction for his entrepreneurial drive 26:22 The friends who changed his ambitions 34:07 Growing up without money 38:10 Dealing with criticism and other people’s opinions 43:03 Learning to feel proud of his success 46:10 Building a business around people and culture 52:13 What the company sale meant for his employees 53:45 The reality of his extreme weight loss 58:10 Preparing for life after selling the business 01:05:16 Giving back to the parents who supported him 01:09:15 Was building the business worth the sacrifice? 01:16:16 What changed when he stopped working 01:20:01 His biggest lesson about success and family 01:26:42 Finding balance while raising children 01:31:24 Why money doesn’t guarantee happiness 01:34:11 Planting a forest and leaving a legacy 01:35:04 Why he became a platelet donor 01:40:19 Skydiving, travel and what comes next 01:43:53 The letters he writes to his children 01:46:00 Andrew’s mission   ⸻ Connect & Follow Follow Ellie McKay: 🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb 🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb  Follow Andrew Hulbert:  🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_andrewhulbert/?hl=en

What happens when you stop trying to avoid adversity and start seeing it as part of the deal?   Former Royal Marine Commando, MMA world champion and elite performance coach Martin “Stapes” Stapleton returns to On a Mission, and as always, no subject is off limits.   Stapes has spent most of his adult life operating outside his comfort zone. From war zones and professional fighting to business, coaching and starting again, his life has taught him a lot about what we’re capable of when things don’t go to plan.   You don’t really discover what you’re made of when everything is going well. More often than not, you find out when it isn’t.   We live in a world where we’re constantly trying to make life easier. We avoid discomfort, fear failure and increasingly try to protect ourselves and our children from the very experiences that often teach us the most.   Stapes sees things differently.   We talk about the difference between surviving and thriving, why your identity can’t be built around what you own or achieve, what happens when you become addicted to chasing the next goal and why being willing to start again is something we should never be afraid of.   We also get into masculinity, mental health, politics, censorship, the media and Stapes’ belief that there comes a point where empathy can stop helping people move forward and start reinforcing the idea that they can’t.   There’s a lot in this one, but so much of it comes back to one thing.   Life is going to test every single one of us at some point.   We can’t always control what happens.   We can control what we do next.   ⸻ Key moments include:   ✔ Why focusing on not losing can stop you from truly living   ✔ Stop chasing status and start building capability   ✔ What happens when high performers become addicted to chaos   ✔ Why starting again is a skill   ✔ The difference between a great coach and someone you become dependent on   ✔ Has our obsession with comfort made us less resilient?   ✔ Stapes’ controversial take on toxic sympathy and empathy   ✔Why struggle isn’t always something we should protect people from   ✔ Masculinity, responsibility and what it really means to be strong   ✔ Raising children to navigate adversity rather than fear it   ✔ Politics, censorship and the growing distrust of mainstream media   ✔ Knowing when it’s time to close one chapter and start another   ⸻ Chapters: 00:00 Martin Stapleton Returns 00:49 Why Martin Needed One Final Fight 03:22 Resilience, Defeat & Walking the Walk 08:16 Did Martin Actually Enjoy His Fighting Career? 10:08 From Royal Marine to MMA Fighter 13:50 Why Starting From the Bottom Matters 16:08 Stop Chasing Status, Start Building Capability 18:15 The Problem With Chasing the Next Achievement 20:01 Coming Home From Iraq 24:32 Do We Realise How Good We Have It? 29:18 Learning to Connect With People Again 31:36 The Importance of Keeping the Right People Around You 34:01 How the Royal Marines Prepared Martin for Business 35:04 What Makes a Great Coach & Leader? 36:14 Leaving the Marines to Build a Business 38:06 The Fight That Paid for Christmas 42:34 The Reality of Building a Profitable Business 44:00 The Dunning-Kruger Effect in Business 45:40 How COVID Changed Everything 51:21 Mainstream Media, Censorship & Trust 57:04 Political Division & Party Politics 01:01:17 Why Martin Thinks Politics Needs to Change 01:04:02 The Rise of Alternative Media & Long-Form Podcasts 01:07:22 Martin’s Experience of Military Leadership 01:10:28 Why People Are Craving Real Conversations 01:12:26 When Martin Realised His Purpose Was Coaching 01:15:20 Finding a New Challenge After Fighting 01:18:12 The Resilience Programme 01:18:49 Men, Pressure & Mental Health 01:22:31 Why Facing Adversity Builds Resilience 01:24:51 What Masculinity Means to Martin 01:30:19 British History, Identity & Modern Culture 01:36:16 Martin’s Next Chapter 01:38:02 Stepping Away From MMA Coaching 01:39:03 The Mission Behind Resilience 01:42:05 Why Some Kids Need a Different Education 01:45:01 What Is Martin Stapleton’s Mission?   ⸻ Connect & Follow Follow Ellie McKay: 🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb 🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb  Follow Martin Stapleton:  🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stapes_50cal/ 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resilience_headquarters?stkn=aXBmcDR6M3R2a2Z1 

A two year old girl leaves nursery with a man who wasn’t authorised to collect her. By the time her mother is told, her daughter has already been returned. What happened in between remains unknown. In this episode of On a Mission, Jody Riley tells the full story of the day her daughter Rosie was taken from nursery by a man Jody did not know, the account she says she was initially given about what happened, and the serious questions that were raised when she finally obtained the CCTV footage for herself. What followed has been an extraordinary fight for answers. Jody describes conflicting accounts, safeguarding failures, an inadequate response from the organisations she turned to for help and what she believes has been a cover up, including attempts to shut her down as she continued to ask questions. For the first time, Jody takes us through the entire sequence of events without restrictions as we also discuss the extraordinary personal cost of trying to find those answers. Jody speaks candidly about the deterioration of her mental health, the impact on her businesses and family, and the abuse she has received online as she fights to uncover the truth about her own child. Jody wants answers, accountability and change, and she has no intention of being silenced. ⸻ Chapters: 00:00 Jody Riley joins Ellie McKay on On a Mission 03:05 The phone call from the nursery 05:21 Jody learns Rosie had left with an unauthorised person 09:06 The first account Jody says she was given 11:01 How could the wrong child leave the nursery? 15:36 Jody contacts the police 18:05 The incident is described as a mistake 20:06 Jody questions the extent of the investigation 21:49 Being told to “accept and respect” the situation 24:29 Finally obtaining the CCTV footage 25:19 The footage that raised serious questions about the version of events 34:58 Why did it take so long to contact Jody? 37:03 The nursery response and conflicting accounts 40:00 What Jody believes should have happened immediately 46:16 How the experience has changed her as a mother 47:32 Other parents begin contacting Jody 49:48 The impact on her mental health 52:40 Taking the story to social media 55:29 Good Morning Britain gets in touch 57:02 What Jody says happened when the cameras started rolling 59:54 The aftermath of the GMB interview 1:03:31 Trolling, accusations and the cost of speaking publicly 1:09:21 Pressure to stop speaking about the case 1:10:38 Ofsted and Jody’s continuing concerns 1:11:05 Solicitors become involved 1:12:43 The questions Jody still cannot answer 1:18:09 Why she never wanted to become a public figure 1:20:15 The impact on Jody’s family and businesses 1:23:42 Turning her experience into a wider mission 1:24:35 Jody considers opening her own nursery 1:25:04 The plans for National Child Safeguard 1:28:46 Jody’s mission now ⸻ Connect & Follow Follow Ellie McKay: 🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb 🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb  Follow Jody Riley: 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodyriley_/?hl=en-gb  

Daniel O’Reilly became one of Britain’s first huge social media stars as Dapper Laughs, building an audience of millions with a character that was loud, laddish and deliberately pushed boundaries, until it all came crashing down.   Branded misogynistic, accused of promoting rape culture and effectively cancelled, Dan went from having his own ITV show and sold out tour to becoming one of the most hated men in Britain. More than a decade later, a lot has changed.   Dan is sober, selling out theatres again and is the first to admit he got plenty wrong. He tells us what he regrets, what he still stands by and what it takes to rebuild when the mainstream media and an entire industry have all but exiled you.   We talk about the manosphere, the men dominating that space today and what happens when provocative content attracts millions of eyeballs, controversy brings even more attention and the character you’ve created starts influencing the young men watching you.   Away from the headlines, Dan is brutally open about cocaine, alcohol, losing his dad, almost losing his family and reaching the point where he didn’t want to be here anymore. He talks candidly about how bad things became, getting sober and the difficult reality of rebuilding his life from the ground up.   In this episode, I’m also joined by my co host Eth Power, who has his own experience of addiction and recovery and brings another perspective to a conversation that covers addiction, masculinity, shame, hitting rock bottom and what it really takes to turn your life around.   Dan’s story is ultimately proof that no matter how publicly you fall, how badly things have gone wrong or how many people have written you off, you can take responsibility, change direction and build a life you’re proud of.   ⸻   Key moments include:   ✔ The rise and spectacular fall of Dapper Laughs   ✔ Being branded misogynistic and accused of promoting rape culture   ✔ What Dan regrets and what he still stands by   ✔ The manosphere and the men dominating it today   ✔ Why outrage and attention can become addictive   ✔ Rebuilding when the mainstream media and an entire industry have all but exiled you   ✔ Cocaine, alcohol and functioning addiction   ✔ Losing his dad and reaching the point where he didn’t want to live   ✔ Why telling men to “just talk” isn’t enough   ✔ Getting sober and facing the man in the mirror   ✔ Fatherhood, masculinity and what success looks like now   ✔ Why taking accountability can change your life   ⸻ Connect & Follow Follow Ellie McKay: 🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb 🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb  Follow Dan O’Reilly: 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dappersinstagram?igsi=MmNhN3FoOTZhbnM3 🔗Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1ceuuatYqt/?mibextid=wwXIfr Follow Eth Power: 🔗 Forever Young Retreat: https://www.weareforeveryoung.co.uk 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ethpower_?igsh=bDlqMDFsbDF5bmh4

Tim Storey has spent decades working with some of the most recognisable and successful people on the planet.   Oprah Winfrey, Kanye West, Robert Downey Jr., Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder are just some of the names connected to a man who has become known around the world as The Comeback Coach.   He’s a world renowned speaker, bestselling author, life strategist and spiritual leader who has spoken in more than 90 countries, impacting millions of people with his message.   In this episode of On a Mission, we go beyond the celebrity names to understand the man they turn to when life doesn’t go according to plan.   Tim shares his philosophy on turning setbacks into comebacks, why even the most successful people in the world struggle with confidence and identity, and what it really means to keep showing up when you’re not at your best.   We talk about happiness, authenticity and learning to live in the present, as well as the relationship between financial success and spiritual health and why Tim believes the ability to develop a “Miracle Mentality” can be trained.   From studying crisis counselling and becoming a spiritual leader at a young age to advising people at the very top of entertainment and business, Tim has spent his life understanding human behaviour and what allows some people to rise again when life knocks them down.   This is a conversation about resilience, identity, success and the mindset required to navigate the inevitable setbacks that come with being human.   Tim Storey is the man some of the world’s most successful people turn to when life goes wrong. In this episode, we find out why.   Chapters:   00:54 How Tim became a world renowned communicator   03:10 From aspiring to be Mother Teresa to becoming a spiritual leader   07:20 The Comeback Coach: turning your biggest setbacks into comebacks   11:06 Why success won’t necessarily make you happy   14:24 How to discover who you really are   19:58 Playing injured: how to keep showing up when life gets hard   25:22 Why even the most successful people struggle with confidence   27:09 Can you be financially wealthy and spiritually fulfilled?   28:47 The Miracle Mentality and the mindset of the top 1%   30:29 Why your success can only grow as much as you do   33:13 Tim Storey’s mission to impact the world   ⸻ Connect & Follow Follow Ellie McKay: 🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb 🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb  Follow Tim Storey: 🔗 Website: https://www.timstorey.com 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtimstorey?igsh=MWFzN21ia2c5ZmVmdA==