At school, Ciaran yearned to become an actor. So much so, that he was willing to flunk his A-levels to live his dream.
However, aged 19, his world turned upside down (for the better)… he became a Dad. After several years of being typecast in shows as a working-class lad from the block, he decided - with no investment, no savings, and the final dregs of last month’s pay - to take a leap and invest in himself.
Today Ciaran is a successful entrepreneur, Forbes 30-under-30 lister and Managing Director of Card Industry Professionals.
In this episode we discuss the value of taking risks, the importance of seeing progress in everything you do, and how fortune always favours the brave.
For aspiring actors, entrepreneurs and Shameless fans alike… this one is for you!
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49:30
#9 David Black | Google
In his first week at Oxford, David had to swear an oath not to burn down the university library… in Latin. 🔥
David’s mum worked the night shift in Sainsbury’s and his dad was a technician in the NHS. Before stepping foot onto campus, David did not see university as a place for him. In fact, if it wasn’t for the efforts of his English teacher - who drove him around Oxford University and wouldn’t let him go home until he’d submitted an application - he would have never applied.
Fast forward to today, from creating the UK’s first online student newspaper, to overseeing a technological revolution at the Mirror Newspapers, David is now one of the senior executives at Google.
In this episode, I chat to David about the positives of being from two different worlds, how even as an MD he still suffers from the odd bout of imposter syndrome, and the role that companies can play in driving forward social mobility agenda.
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41:42
#8 Bobby Idogho | Radically Digital
Aged eight, Bobby did not want to be a fireman, or an actor, or even a banker. Instead he wanted to be an entrepreneur. Today he finds himself as Forbes 30-under-30 lister and founder of Radically Digital, an international, award-winning digital business and technology consultancy.
In this episode, I chat to Bobby about daring to take risks, the feeling of loneliness that often comes with being an entrepreneur, and how an insatiable desire to build solutions to problems must always sit at the heart of building a business.
To the inventors and innovators of tomorrow, this episode is the one for you!
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49:31
#7 Matt Barbet | freuds
During his first week at Cardiff University, Matt Barbet found himself sleeping on a camp bed in a sports hall. Today he finds himself interviewing and advising some of the world’s most famous brands and influential people.
In this episode, I chat to Matt about how the early morning shift in local radio helped prepare him for a remarkable career travelling the globe with the BBC, the importance of finding your vocation and the thing that makes you tick, and how “being a chameleon” is far less negative than it may seem…
Buckle in as I attempt to play this charming interviewer at his own game…
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40:49
#6 Alex Marsh | Klarna
In his second year at Cambridge, Alex Marsh went off the rails. Having holed up in the library for the whole of his first year, Alex had put his mental health second to his obsession to excel at all costs.
Since then, Alex has taken the FinTech world by storm - first at Close Brothers and now as the UK Head of Klarna and founder of Charterpath. In this episode, I chat to Alex about how striving for success can lead to a life that’s lacking contentment, the regulation of Buy Now Pay Later schemes and the effect on the consumer, and how the things that make us comfortable (like having red hair or being state educated) can become our greatest superpower.
If you’re a type A personality who doesn’t give yourself a break (like me), you’re going to want to listen to this one!
What does it take to become successful and what does our education have to do with it? Welcome to the podcast that asks the question every state educated student dreads... This is "What School Did You Go To?" presented by The 93 Percent Club, hosted by Sophie Pender.
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