Beyond The Founder Podcast

Beyond The Founder Podcast A storytelling and growth platform for everyday entrepreneurs, centred around human identity, emotional depth, and connection 🎙️

08/09/2026

Goes LIVE Sunday 25th October with 🎙️

Save the date as this one is worth the watch or listen.

Edited by 🎥




9 years.That’s how long Sophie Ward went undiagnosed with Lyme disease.But her story started much earlier.At 14, Sophie ...
08/09/2026

9 years.

That’s how long Sophie Ward went undiagnosed with Lyme disease.

But her story started much earlier.

At 14, Sophie was an incredibly talented swimmer.

Olympic dreams weren’t just a childhood fantasy. They were becoming a reality.

She was putting the work in.

Then, on a trip to China, everything changed.

A hug with a panda.

A tick.

And eventually, an illness that would attack her internal organs.

For years, nobody knew what was wrong.

Her weight dropped.

Her health deteriorated.

And slowly, the dream she had spent years building was taken away from her.

She had no choice but to close the chapter on swimming.

And from 23, Sophie had to do something arguably even harder..

Build a completely new identity.

She found herself working within the family business, entering the world of sales and starting her own podcast campaign to raise awareness around Lyme disease.

But underneath all of that was something much deeper.

A huge amount of work on herself.

Learning to keep moving forward when the life she thought she was going to live no longer existed.

And that resilience eventually became the foundations of Tanzanite PR & Media

A business built around showcasing stories that deserve to be celebrated.

Sophie is one of those people you meet and instantly recognise there is something different about them.

Independent.

Driven.

And genuinely passionate about helping other people.

This conversation captures a huge part of what has created the Sophie we see today.

There is so much more to her story.

But we’ll save that for the full episode.

Beyond The Founder : Sunday 25th October.

Another story.

Another human being.

And another reminder that sometimes, the biggest chapters of our lives come after the chapter we never wanted to close.

05/09/2026

Leadership isn’t just inspiring people. It’s getting them to actually move.

This is the part most people miss.

Real leadership is two things:

uniting people behind a vision

executing until that vision is actually done

Because if the team feels fired up but nothing gets built, that’s not leadership - that’s a speech.

The best leaders don’t stop at excitement.

They turn energy into results, then build the next vision and do it again.

Listen as Ahmet breaks down 30 years of leadership experience on all platforms 6th September

03/09/2026

I didn’t get that Coke USA job because I looked perfect - I got it because the mix was rare.

Ahmet had IT skills, a CPA, and real-world consulting experience.

Back then, that combo wasn’t common at all.

But the bigger reason he got in?

He could be himself in the interview.

The culture clicked because the conversation felt real - open, easy, and human.

Sometimes it’s not about fitting the mould.

It’s about being the right mix for the room.

Listen to Ahmets immersive journey on all platforms September 6th

2026 is officially FULL 🎙️I’m genuinely blown away.When I started Beyond The Founder, I never imagined I’d be sat here s...
31/08/2026

2026 is officially FULL 🎙️

I’m genuinely blown away.

When I started Beyond The Founder, I never imagined I’d be sat here saying this.

The guest spots for the rest of 2026 are now filled.

And the messages I’ve received over the past few months have been insane.

But what means the most is that people aren’t just wanting to come on and talk about business.

They want to share their story.

The good.
The bad.
The moments that shaped them.
The failures that taught them.
The decisions that changed everything.

Because you never know who is listening.

Your story could be the reason someone decides to start.

To keep going.

To change direction.

Or finally go after the dream they’ve been putting off.

So, if you’re keen to share your story on Beyond The Founder in 2027…

Drop me a private message.

Tell me why your story could help someone change their life.

That’s the only thing I’m interested in.

Not logistics.

Not titles.

Not how impressive your CV looks.

The story.

And the impact it could have on someone else.

29/08/2026

"I hit a level of burnout that scared me"

A voice kept coming up in my head saying, “If you stay for 30 more days, you’re not gonna be here anymore.”

Not as drama.

As a warning.

Driving home exhausted.

Telling herself she had no business being behind the wheel.

Pushing through anyway.

That’s what burnout can do - it stops feeling like a crisis and starts feeling like your life.

If this hits close to home, you’re not lazy.

You’re probably overdue for a real pause.

Melissa's full episode is out 30th August on all platforms

27/08/2026

"I kept fantasising about driving away with nowhere to go"

That was Melissa's warning sign that her life was out of alignment.

It wasn’t just boredom.

Those recurring thoughts showed her something needed to change, even when she was still showing up to work like everything was fine.

Sometimes the clearest sign you’re off track isn’t burnout.

It’s the quiet urge to disappear.

Have you ever had a thought like that?

Listen to Melissas story on all platforms 30th August

4 GUESTS That’s all I’m looking for on Beyond The Founder for the rest of 2026.I’m not looking for polished pitches or ...
27/08/2026

4 GUESTS

That’s all I’m looking for on Beyond The Founder for the rest of 2026.

I’m not looking for polished pitches or another conversation about how successful you are.

I want the person behind the founder.

The decisions.

The failures.

The identity shifts.

The moments that changed everything.

Real conversations. Real stories. No script.

If you’ve built something meaningful or have a story that could help someone else, I’d love to hear from you.

4 spaces.

Send me a message and tell me your story.

Let’s see where the conversation goes.

36 emails to be a guest on my show in the past 5 days.Something is shifting.And it’s something I love seeing.More entrep...
26/08/2026

36 emails to be a guest on my show in the past 5 days.

Something is shifting.

And it’s something I love seeing.

More entrepreneurs are wanting to share their story in a way that feels human.

Not a rehearsed pitch.

Not a list of achievements.

Not 60 minutes of talking about how successful you are.

Just a conversation.

Remove the script.

Be present.

Talk about the moments that shaped you.

The wins, the failures, the decisions that changed everything.

The things you rarely get asked about.

Because behind every business is a human being.

And I think people are becoming more interested in the person behind the success than the success itself.

That’s what Beyond The Founder has always been about for me.

Creating a space where you can put the strategy to one side and just talk.

Share the moments that made you.

The moments that broke you.

The lessons you wish you knew earlier.

And the experiences that might help someone listening navigate their own journey.

You never really know which part of your story will resonate with someone else.

Sometimes the smallest moment you share can be the thing someone needed to hear.

So if you’re building something, don’t just tell people what you’ve built.

Tell them why.

Tell them what it took.

Tell them who you became along the way.

That’s where the real story is.

22/08/2026

Julie Anne Quay discusses being a good leader in business not just football

leadership is about having a plan, having faith in your team to execute the plan and having unwavering belief in your decisions.

She wants those values to carry over into the club and team

building something sustainable that everyone can be proud of

Listen to Julies full story on all platforms 23rd August

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