Audiology clinic owner and clinical audiologist Charmain Leek was diagnosed with MS 17 years ago. But that doesn’t stop her working a 55-60-hour week. Charmain is an example of a hard-working business owner who is spinning many different plates in her personal and professional lives, battling many different challenges and coping with stresses from the various demands on her time – by working long hours and neglecting some aspects of a healthier lifestyle. Two nearly grown-up daughters, a husband not in the best of health, her own diagnosis of MS, plus the demands of 2 pets, dog walking at 6.30am before she chases to the office – all add up to a super-busy life as she runs her own audiology business in Worcester.Charmain believes the Covid pandemic created extra hearing issues for patients. Post-Covid, many patients think they have wax problems, but on inspection, there’s none. She believes fluid in the middle ear is often Covid-induced. There’s been a Tinnitus rise since the pandemic, she says. She caught Covid herself and now maintains a busy workload with the influx of patients. What about taking breaks for lunch? “I never take a lunch break,” she replies, “but there are a lot of eaten apple cores in my car.”    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve Spriggs and his son, Ben, 21, bring a fresh perspective to the ‘Health Versus Wealth’ discussion as they recount their remarkable family story of how Ben, a couple of weeks before his 16th birthday, fell ill and was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma (BL), a rare and fast-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), namely blood cancer.At first, their GP thought Ben just had “a bacterial infection”, but after a trip to A&E, and after Ben’s blood sample was sent to Germany for checking, his diagnosis was confirmed. Dad Steve, from Coventry, a teacher for 13 years, wife Jenny, a teaching assistant, and their 2 other kids suffered a huge strain. Recently, Ben celebrated 5 years in remission. What’s Steve’s message to listeners who pursue wealth and neglect their health? He replies: “I’d say to them there are more important things in life than work, like family and your own health. Business and work can be enjoyable and it’s nice to have more money. Everybody would like more money to have the freedom to go and do more, and better things. But at end of the day the value of that is miniscule compared to the health of the people you love and sharing time in their company.”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daksha Parekh, also known as ‘Chef D’ and ‘The Veggie Virtuoso’, has been a chef for 25+ years, and describes herself as “a visionary, serial entrepreneur”. She is Birmingham born & bred, and after suffering a family bereavement, and then also a ‘pivot’ in Covid lockdown, she changed from ‘cheffing’ to teaching others, including children, about how to achieve better health through the power of nutrition.Daksha champions the power of Millets, super ancient grains grown in China, Russia, Ukraine, Africa and India, originally for fodder, not for humans. Wheat and rice took over precedence, but millets hold important healing properties and can reverse lifestyle conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, gut issues and more, she says.Daksha is also an expert in “non-toxic cooking equipment”. People buy non-stick pans which are coated in chemicals, she says. “The minute you clean or scrub them, you are taking off protective layers and the toxins go into your food. You also inhale the fumes. People can be caused all sorts of problems with autoimmune illnesses, mental and physical problems, too,” she says. Having researched this in depth, she advises that it is best to buy good-quality stainless steel cooking equipment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Williams, aged 65, has lived an extraordinary life – in two halves. Ten years ago, he had it all. Owning a successful business with a £4m turnover, he employed 25 staff. But working up to 100 hours a week and a “crazy” globetrotting lifestyle led to his marriage & relationships with his 3 children being casualties.His business was selling machinery to the UK clothing industry, and a massive turning point came in 1998 when Marks & Spencer announced they were no longer going to source everything just made in Britain but were going offshore. He’d just bought a building in Tamworth, but the market changed overnight. Previously, his business was 90% home-based in UK & 10% exports. Travel meant to the North / North-East of England, South Wales, Leicester, Manchester, centres of UK textile industry. Suddenly he had to fly via Dubai to China, Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, North Africa. Chris spent so much time abroad, he was 2 days short of being classed as non-resident in the UK. He lost his marriage and relationships with children, whom he adored. So he made a drastic lifestyle change.After “a lightbulb moment”, he turned his life around. Now he proudly pioneers ‘The 10-Hour Working Week’. His 3Fs priorities, in order: Family, Fitness and Finances. He re-married, has a daughter (11yrs), and has radically changed his priorities. His favourite expressions is: “I'm going to live to 100 – or die trying”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Jessey (MSc, DipNT, mANP, mNNA, mGNC) is a Registered Naturopathic Nutritionist and a Long Covid and Chronic Illness Nutrition Specialist. Rachel has recently joined the award-winning team at Dr Finlay’s Private Practice.Born in Nottingham, she grew up in Southampton, by the New Forest, a well-known hotspot for Lyme Disease. “I used to roll round on the forest floor. My Dad was always pulling ticks out of me, I had more ticks than the dog.” Rachel has encountered many health challenges in her life and believes that when the body is provided with the right environment, nutrients and conditions, many issues resolve on their own. Her approach is to blend naturopathic principles, nutritional science, circadian and quantum biology into a practical, holistic approach tailored to each person's life.Rachel provides specialised care to clients seeking nutrition and lifestyle support. With her wealth of experience in the nutrition and integrative healthcare space, she has developed a particular interest in circadian biology, the microbiomes and lifestyle medicine.At home, she’s up at 5.30am, takes a daily walk at sunrise, eats breakfast, and doesn’t switch on any electronic screens until work starts at 9am.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob Butler, 31, born and bred Solihull, is the Founder & Director of Tri Wellness in Solihull, a personal trainer and successful business owner. His flourishing 4-year-old business is the first multidisciplinary wellness centre in Solihull. He says: “My purpose is to use my experiences and education to help as many individuals as possible live happier and healthier lives.”In 2017, Rob graduated with a first-class degree in Sports Therapy from University College Birmingham, then 2 years later founded Tri Wellness. But during his early years growing up, Rob faced challenges at home. He suffered anxiety, depression and self-esteem issues growing up. He felt “crippled inside”, he says. He was diagnosed with anxiety and a year ago was also diagnosed with ADHD.Rob believes that a lot of personal trainers do the job because they have personal issues and want to look good. He’s used his own knowledge and experience, gained through overcoming his own personal obstacles, to grow his business, which now employs 12-15 people, e.g. personal trainers, sports therapist, psychotherapist, yoga instructors, Pilates instructor, breathwork practitioner, meditation practitioner, remedial massage therapist & nutritionist. Business growth and success are very important to him and he’d like to build a nationwide franchise with more Tri Wellness branches. First and foremost, he genuinely wants to help people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Lalitaa Suglani is an award-winning psychologist, leadership empowerment expert, international speaker and author. She’s just published her first book, ‘High-Functioning Anxiety’, about high-performing businesspeople who suffer from anxiety in a stage she describes as “just before burnout”. She supports clients in the areas of health and wealth, so feels great synergy with podcast 'Health Versus Wealth With Dr Ben'. Born in Birmingham as a member of “a second-generation ethnic minority”, her Dad “lived in a field in a hut in India” and came to the UK when he was 17. Both parents had big work ethic & traditional Indian values, so Lalitaa was brought up strictly. “As a female, that meant you were primed to get the right skillset to look after your husband and the family you were going to be married into. You weren’t allowed to cut your hair, wear makeup or paint your nails until you got married. That's when you got freedom. But I was the cycle-breaker, the rebel in the family, the only one in my family who went down a very different route and did not get married.” The pressures she felt brought her own taste of anxiety, this partly inspiring her book. In her late 20s, was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. \Her name ‘Dr Lalitaa’ is the name of her business, which launched 11 years ago in 2013. Her clients are business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals who are outwardly very successful, but inwardly very stressed and worried. Lalitaa says they hide their stress, which often comes from not having set boundaries and saying “yes” all the time. "Highly sensitive and empathetic, they feel responsible for everyone else and carry people's emotions. I help them understand these patterns and to pick up the pieces, otherwise they remain on the treadmill of “go, go, go” until they hit burnout." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mitesh and Minal Parmar have been called “a Power Couple”. They set up their business, Wellspace Architects, in 2020 and won Architects Firm of the Year at the 2023 Midlands Property Investment Awards. Their mantra and guiding principle for their business is “Design Well, Live Better” and their focus when creating buildings is very people-focused. Their clients include not only homeowners, but many others in the education, health and care sectors, and their consultancy work also helps the corporate sector better to support the people in their work buildings, which improves their performance. In this episode, Mitesh and Minal share a fascinating conversation with Dr Ben about how people's choice of (1) colours can have a major impact on a building's occupants; (2) how the positioning of walls and windows can create shadows in corners, which can adversely affect people with dementia; (3) how ventilation, if poor, can create “Sick Building Syndrome” and migraines. Wellspace Architects’ clients include homeowners (who may have a family member suffering from a health condition), organisations in the education, health and care sectors, and the office / corporate client, keen to support employees in their buildings. Says Mitesh: "We thought, ‘What can we do to give back and make a difference? What could we do together to use our skills and knowledge of how the built environment, the buildings we are in make an impact on people?’. That’s where we came up with the name Wellspace Architects. Our philosophy is designing around health and wellbeing."Minal (who keeps herself fit as a keen Hoola-Hooper) adds: "The company came from our own personal situations and experiences. There is research by scientist, doctors and psychologist on how buildings impact people. A lot of the time, architecture is about bricks and walls and the hard elements of a building. People often forget to acknowledge that we are designing and creating places and spaces for people.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Narinder Sheena, a solicitor and mother-of-two from Bromsgrove, has been on a deeply transformative personal and professional journey in the past few years. Having worked in the legal sector for 15 years, she suffered a severe right disc prolapse and was advised by a neurosurgeon that she needed surgery. However, despite encountering chronic pain – she couldn’t even stand up to brush her teeth and could hardly walk – she decided to explore another route. She connected with some authors, experts and health and wellness coaches in America and felt determined she would tackle her medical problems without medical intervention. She became a coach herself, placing her legal career on hold, and has instead written a moving story about her experiences. The book, her first, is titled ‘From Pain To Power’, and has just been published. She describes it as “a toolkit to help people get through pain barriers”.Narinder’s business is MAP Coaching (MAP stands for Mind Action Progress). She says she is aware that, as a business owner now, she is coaching and writing her book for profit as well as for a wider purpose. She is also interested to pursue opportunities for public speaking. Keen to strike a healthier balance in life, she still works hard to build up her coaching business and raise her professional profile. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jim Thorp, 49, who was born in Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital, recalls: “As a child, all I ever wanted to do was fly planes and play rugby for England. I did neither, though I came relatively close to doing both!” Rory Underwood, England's record international try scorer, who was also an RAF pilot for 18 years, was Jim's childhood hero. Jim spent 9 years in the Air Force but never flew. He made the England Under-21 rugby squad, turned professional in 2000 and as a loosehead prop, lining up on the left of the scrum next to the hooker, he suffered many injuries over the years. Forced to retire from rugby after “4 shoulder reconstructions, 1 neck surgery, countless back injuries, numerous shoulder dislocations, broken bones and a barrel-shaped body that topped over 19 stone, Jim has, for past 21 years, run ‘JT Ethos’, the Midlands’ leading corrective exercise and holistic health company”. Based in Sutton Coldfield, Jim helps clients find long-term solutions to back, neck & health problems and specialises in scoliosis, sciatica and long-term & repetitive back and neck issues. He also helps 35–60-year-olds overhaul their health.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GP Dr Neera Jaitly and her son Jay, 13, who’s had Long Covid for past two years and is in a wheelchair, are Dr Ben's guest as we highlight the struggles of Britain's 70,000 children who have Long Covid. Despite her medical experience (Dr Neera has been a GP for nearly 25 years), her son’s illness raised issues she couldn’t understand. Some specialists “gas-lit him”, she says, didn’t believe his symptoms, which was “frustrating”. And Jay was keen to appear on the podcast because he wants everyone to better understand Long Covid and he hopes that his own experience may help other children.Dr Neera speaks highly on the episode about the tremendous support she and her family have received from Long Covid Kids, the charity that represents and supports children and young people living with Long Covid and related illnesses and the parents and caregivers that look after them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mac Alonge, aged 38, is the Founder & CEO of The Equal Group, a data-driven diversity and inclusion consultancy, which helps companies and organisations identify bias within the workplace and advises them on the actions they can take to eliminate it. Mac’s world focuses on E.D.I. (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion). He and his team are hired by organisations, including many large ones with thousands of employees, and he tells us that businesses sometimes engage in “Diversity Washing”, a well-known term in his world equivalent to “greenwashing”. When Mac encounters “Diversity Washing”, he says, companies often try to “earn the badge” saying they’ve gone through the process. “There’s all sorts of badges & charters you can sign up to, but no checking whether you have committed to doing what you pledged. People put these badges on their website to say they are diversity inclusive, and will flood their websites with images of diverse individuals or those with disabilities. The idea is to give the impression they engage widely in ethnic diversity. Usually, the images used with the same person featuring on every page, photographed at a number of different angles, to give the impression there are loads of culturally diverse employees. This diversity washing can lead to some difficult conversations with leaders.”   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Qian Xu, a specialist in rejuvenation and health optimisation, is Medical Director at Clinicity in central London, where our podcast host Dr Ben Sinclair's award-winning medical business, Dr Finlay’s Private Practice, is based. Dr Qian was born in China and came to UK when she was aged 10. Her mother was a doctor specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology, her father a medical research scientist. After graduating at Southampton Uni, Dr Qian worked at Southampton General Hospital, and later in A&E at St George’s Hospital, London, a major trauma centre.At Clinicity, she is building up a team of practitioners, “all experts at the top of their field”. She declares: “The human body and mind are amazing. The links between mind and body, and how they affect physical symptoms, are something Western medicine takes a different view on. I feel it is very much focused on disease processes, what medications we can use to treat symptoms, making them better in the short-term – rather than delving into the root causes of diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine, herbal medicine, the naturopathic specialities are more holistic. Western medicine’s ‘quick-fix approach’ is relatively recent and I'm not sure is very good or healthy for the general population.” Dr Qian also enthusiastically recommends rejuvenating red-light therapy, available at Clinicity, and the NovoTHOR machine, of which Hollywood star Tom Cruise is also a big fan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dean Billington, a telecoms company owner, stands 6ft 5ins tall and completed 7 years in the British Army, (as a radio operator in the Royal Engineers), joining when he was aged 17. After leaving the Armed Forces, he worked in the telecoms sector. Then In 2011, he left to start Triton Telecom, his own company. Employing 4 people, they are a “one-stop-shop for all B2B telephony requirements, with partners in technology, IT, marketing, telemarketing and SEO”.Dean has lived a full, extraordinary life and crammed a lot into his 55 years. He has saved lives (in his role as a qualified rescue diver) and nearly lost his own, in a near-fatal motorcycle accident. In 2010, he was knocked off his bike and broke his shoulder blade in half, broke 6 ribs, suffered head injuries, has pins & plates in his knee, has had surgery 3 times and spent 6 months in hospital. Despite this setback, his approach to life today is upbeat and full of optimism and positivity.Once asked by a journalist what he felt was his biggest opportunity in life, he replied: “Getting up in the morning! Every day is an opportunity to do better than you did the day before. Every day is a new start. Y Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jas Rohel is the Founder of the annual Education Awards, which she launched 8 years ago after she noticed many people leaving the sector without the recognition they deserved. They began small, only in the Midlands, with 200-250 people attending each year. Now the awards are staged nationally, held at 5 venues, Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Midlands, each attracting 500-600 people and held throughout the year. The awards' headline sponsor is the international bank HSBC.Jas has also recently become CEO of the education charity the Titan Partnership, which has been going for 35 years and has established a fine record for making an impact in schools. It began with a group of head teachers coming together to discuss teacher training, but now involves much more. They target youngers from primary schools to Higher Education. “As CEO I aim to grow the network as every school needs to be part of Titan. We want to grow the charity on a national basis," says Jas. "More needs to be done to support the young generation due to the landscape of the world today. Youngsters have it 100% tougher today than it used to be in my day as a youngster. I don't remember walking around worried about knife and gun crime. There is the influence of social media and the impact it has on youngsters today. There is so much negative information about.” In her other roles, Jas Rohel is also a Council member at Solihull Chamber of Commerce and is Station Controller at Solihull Radio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Jared Watson, an experienced clinical psychologist, was born, raised & educated in New Zealand, including at the University of Wellington, before he came to the UK in 2016. Part of the award-winning team at Dr Finlay's Private Practice, Dr Jared divides his time between supporting people with severe and enduring mental-health issues, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and working with NHS staff who report a range of conditions relating to their work and stressful lifestyles. Dr Jared also supports individuals and teams within the corporate sector, specialising in what is termed ‘organisational psychology’. His work involves helping companies and their employees to optimise their performance. In this episode, he also discusses the impact on mental health brought by social media today. He also discusses the rise in mental health diagnoses in past 20 years in the UK, and the possible reasons for this. "That’s not so much related to the recent Pandemic and could be partly influenced by the fact that people are more comfortable talking about mental health issues today.” He sees this as a good thing. Mental Health has been on a journey and there is less stigma and shame attached to it and talking openly about it these days. Hence the expression: “It's OK not to be OK”. Dr Jared adds: “It's not such a taboo subject anymore.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Street is the Founder & Director of one of Birmingham’s most famous and longest-established charities, Free At Last, which is dedicated to improving the lives of the children and young people of Nechells, an area of the city. Now in his 50s, John started as a community youth worker aged 17 and has worked in the sector for over 30 years. He works punishing hours and is devoted to supporting the charity, its staff, the children, and is constantly fire-fighting problems. Free At Last is celebrating its 25th anniversary. It currently helps 2,000-3,000 people a year and John manages a team of 65 staff. He attends the centre Monday-Fridays and usually has Saturdays and Sundays off, but he also works approximately 26 weekends a year. “In the last 5 weeks I’ve worked Monday to Friday, then Saturday and Sunday, too,” he says. Free At Last has won many awards, notably The Queens Award for Voluntary Service 2019, citation: “For improving the lives of the children and young people of Nechells, Birmingham”. Asked about his own health, John says: “I don’t do stress and I choose not to do stress”. Pressure helps him. He unwinds by climbing mountains and leading outdoor expeditions. John was listed in the Independent newspaper’s ‘Happy List’ in 2013 for being one of top 100 happiest people in the country for helping others.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth Muir, a Musculoskeletal & Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and Clinical Pilates Practitioner, is part of the Dr Finlay's Private Practice team in Birmingham. Her “hybrid” credentials, combining and merging Physio and Pilates, also inspire her own business, Elizabeth Alexander Physiotherapy and Pilates. Beth offers listeners valuable tips and advice based on her 14 years’ experience treating and supporting everyone from new-born babies one day-old, right up to her oldest patient, who was 99.Beth is passionate about encouraging people to move more. Breathing is also a major topic discussed at length, as it affects many areas of the body and mind. Our focus on mental health, as well as physical, has grown hugely post-pandemic, she says, and Pilates and Physio are central to this. There’s not enough post-natal care and support today, and Beth as a mother-of-two, talks about her own experiences, also of supporting clients in this area. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alan Kinnaird, a business development manager originally from Glasgow, started in Finance in 1987 and his accreditation is “FCSI” (a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments). Alan now lives in York and is marking his 30th anniversary in the sector where he is now a Portfolio Manager & Relationship Manager. Alan's main expertise is advising clients on the running costs involved in managing a portfolio of investments and handling their investments. In a wide-ranging conversation with Dr Ben, Alan talks about how people can look after their physical and mental health at the same time as managing their financial health. He is an expert on topics raised by his many clients over the years, such as * When should I build my wealth check and why? * Why Protection ranks first, investments second * How to carefully select and monitor your first team of dedicated Legal, Banking, Tax & Investment Advisers, plus the subs’ bench * How to save and build wealth without excessive compounding costs * What he has learned from 35 years of investing in funds and ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) * How to segregate and protect your assets * Online safety: measures to practise and * 3 steps to building a long-term financial plan. Alan also talks about pensions - and his passion for karate and the Israeli martial art of ‘Krav Maga’! Not a man to be messed with, he holds a black belt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Ingram has run her own business since 2020, Cadmium Partners, and brings 17 years of global board-level search expertise. The firm finds and places senior executives, also helps individuals with career planning. Her clients are listed, FTSE and scale-up companies. She advises on managing succession, building pre-IPO board slates and making boards and leadership teams more diverse and effective. She says she has also been “at the vanguard of helping women to get on boards”. Her expertise includes sectors Consumer, Digital + Technology, Financial Services, FinTech, Cyber, Data & AI.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr James Gill is an Associate Professor of Clinical Skills at Warwick Medical School. As Head of Dr Finlay’s SPEEDS Clinic, James is a runner and cyclist who’s completed 10ks, half marathons, Tough Mudders and has twice climbed Kilimanjaro (5,895m; 19,340ft), reached Everest Basecamp (5,364m; 17,598ft), and Ben Nevis many times. At 6ft 2ins tall, James has also been an onscreen medical doctor on Bear Grylls’ ‘The Island’ TV series. He’s provided medical support on ‘Survivor’ series ‘Heros vs. Villains’ and ‘Titans Vs Rebels’. He’s also worked recently on ITV’s ‘Gladiators’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Heather Currie MBE is an NHS doctor & gynaecologist and has been practising for 38 years. She is the publisher of sector-leading magazine Menopause Matters. Awarded the MBE in 2021 for ‘services to healthcare’, she’s written a book, “Menopause Essentials”, which won an award. The Menopause Matters website and magazine (launched in 2005) are dedicated to providing accurate information on Menopause to women and men everywhere. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 2 of Dr Ben’s interview with Birmingham-born businessman Ninder Johal, who describes his role as: “Connecting and celebrating wealth creators internationally through publishing and events.” However, his punishing schedule took its toll on his health and Ninder came close to potentially life-threatening illness before he had a change of heart and dramatically improved his lifestyle.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Birmingham-born businessman Ninder Johal, 60, has no previous entrepreneurial family background but built his career to become head of a major media, events and publishing company. As part of the small VIP team supporting Sir John Crabtree OBE, Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, representing King Charles, Ninder has also spent 5 years as a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands. In his early 20s, he joined a ‘Bhangra’ band. Later forming his own record label, he went on to sell 15 million records worldwide. His company, Nachural Group, (of which he has been CEO for 21 years), has helped him forge UK & international networks and he is now a highly respected campaigner and advocate for SMEs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Libby Lawlor, aged 18, has just finished her first (of 3) years at Birmingham City University studying ‘Media Production’. She’s living away from home for the first time and has responsibility for making her own diet & health decisions for the first time. Living on a tight student loan budget, Libby faces a range of challenges surrounding her diet and health, which have been suffering – as she balances those daily issues with her other commitments. In this episode, Libby also talks openly about having suffered from Emetophobia and how it changed her relationship with food. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon Phipps, 57, lives near Long Eaton, between Nottingham & Derby, is married (Jayne) with 2 children (aged 26 & 22), and has for the past nearly 40 years been a top, self-taught programmer and video game designer in an industry that’s bigger than the film business – the electronics manufacturing sector has an estimated worth of £90 billion. The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held in Las Vegas, is one of the world’s biggest and Simon has attended it and presented at it many times. He started his career in his 20s routinely “working 7 days a week, starting at 8am, finishing at 1am”. Now taking retirement 10 years early, he espouses the “retire well” concept, having made significant lifestyle adjustments. He’s a man who’s prioritised his Health over his Wealth and advises listeners: “Don’t overlook the hidden benefits of taking early retirement!” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally from Preston, Lancs, Zoe Bennett is known as ‘The Motivational Queen’, and was recently awarded the British Empire Medal and was one of the first people to receive the honour from King Charles. The medal is a British & Commonwealth award given for meritorious civil (or military) service worthy of recognition by the Crown and Zoe was given hers (quote) “for services to charity and inspiring disadvantaged people.” Zoe has fought back from adversity and become known for her dedication to helping others through her expertise in developing resilience, employability skills, entrepreneurial mindset and personal mindset development. A mother of 3, Birmingham-based Zoe is an award-winning inspirational speaker & Founder of the Multicultural Business and Community Champion Awards. She is a personal development & entrepreneurial mindset coach, TedX speaker & author. While there’s much to celebrate about her achievements, her private, family life contains a tragic past. In 2011, her father, Erroll, 59, was murdered while on holiday in his homeland, Jamacia. Zoe’s determination to seek justice for his death has led her to where she is today, working tirelessly to continue her father's legacy by helping people to overcome trauma and encouraging them, as she puts it, “to be the best version of themselves”. Her inspirational story has made a deep impression on many, including the Prime Minister, who recommended her for her BEM Honour.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A highly-driven entrepreneur, James Carroll, 61, is the Founder of the THOR Laser company which specialises in Photobiomodulation (PBM). He grosses £10 million a year in sales, has 5,000 customers in 70 countries, and is currently marking Thor’s 30-year anniversary. He is a businessman who prioritises his wealth, in that he works 364 days a year! How does this impact on his work-life balance? “The only day I take off is Christmas Day,” he says. Despite this, he says he’s in fine health, fit and eats a nutritious diet. His celebrity clients include Mo Farrah, Novak Djokovic, Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg, and his biggest-name customer, film star Tom Cruise. Cruise famously broke his ankle during filming in London on ‘Mission Impossible: Fallout’ in 2017 while leaping from one building to another. Cruise used James’s laser to recover and now has lasers in his homes and always one on location. James led a workshop in Florida and Cruise walked in wearing his trademark aviator sunglasses. “Tom was a delight,” says James. As for his business ambitions to grow the company, James adds: “My real goal is to get this technology into every corner of every department of every hospital in the whole world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.