My guest today is Darren Connell. Darren Connell is a stand-up comedian and actor. He is notably known for playing Bobby in BBC Scotland’s TV comedy show “Scot Squad”. Darren brings to life how to cash in on your passion and commit to stand up full time. Comedians such as Kevin Bridges, Jimmy Carr and Michael McIntyre make stand up look very glamourous, but Darren uncovers the financial truth of a career in comedy. Darren opens up about the effects lock down had on comedy and performing arts.. Admirably, Darren also has committed to 6 years of sobriety and provides us with a raw uncut truth of alcohol addiction. And lastly, Darren shares how the late Norm McDonald, famously known for Saturday Night Live, inspired him to start his podcast. Expect to learn how he developed the part of Bobby, how Kevin Bridge’s convinced him to quit his trolley boy job and his funniest story ever…. Reach out to Darren: https://www.instagram.com/dardoconnell/ Listen to his podcast “Straight White Whale”: https://open.spotify.com/show/33u8d9xWAualV5wDd93Eq8?si=642bd489cc8043f6 Reach out to me on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/developmentbydavid/ LinkedIn: https://www.instagram.com/developmentbydavid/ The Development by David Podcast on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6DV9tUfz5nGCmH0bfZUFrM Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-development-by-david-podcast/id1542740010 If you love this podcast: Fuel my podcast and buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Dbyd

This week’s guest is Vlad Alecu. Vlad is the Founder and CEO of WiredVibe and serial technologist. (27mins) WiredVibe is an app that develops a music playlist that improves your productivity and cognitive performance. Alecu was born in Romania and began his career in the world of software engineering and media in 2012 at just 11 years old. Since then, he had worked with several clients ranging from individual employers to startups from all around the globe in the quest of establishing a strong online presence using the latest digital marketing tools and web design software. He also serves as the founder of multiple ventures, most notably: PublishFinder (Digital Publishing House) and WiredVibe, also the member of the advisory board for several other companies including TheStudio.io (San Francisco). Other projects include 5+ Books Published with PublishFinder, UserBuddy (Popular SEO Tool), ZenUrban (Clothing Brand), FundedVentures (Web App), and multiple mobile apps/games, and three online courses. Vlad is also an avid investor, writer, and biohacker. Reach out to me on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/developmentbydavid/ LinkedIn: https://www.instagram.com/developmentbydavid/ The Development by David Podcast on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6DV9tUfz5nGCmH0bfZUFrM Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-development-by-david-podcast/id1542740010 If you love this podcast: Fuel my podcast and buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Dbyd

My guest this week is Ben Williams. Ben Williams is a Royal Marine Veteran and the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Loopin. You might have seen him on the famous The Diary of the CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett. From an early age Ben was subjected to a hostile family dynamic. He  moved home six times and went to six different schools within ten years of his life.  He looked to gain control by becoming a nightclub bouncer. One incident,  involving the death of someone inside the club, found Ben falling into a world of drug abuse, gambling and addiction, balancing on the brink of life. Broke, with no home or anyone to turn to, he abused his addictions every day and battled suicidal tendencies.  Ben saw an advert on YouTube for the Royal Marines and this is where it all changed. Ben opens up candidly about the recruitment and selection process which found pleasure in undertaking because it was the first time he felt real accountability and gratitude of opportunity.  During his ten years with the Royal Marines – one of the most elite regiments in the world, Ben travelled the world, seeing active operational duties in Afghanistan.  After being injured in an IED blast in Afghanistan, he returned to the UK with traumatic imprints. After being medically discharged, and a coaching career, he has now co-founded Loopin. Loopin is an employee engagement digital, connecting leaders with their teams and empowering people to reach their full potential through employees "looping in" every day on an app. In the whole podcast, we speak about: - Childhood - The desire to be an alpha male - An incident that changed my life forever - His turning point - joining the Royal Marines - How to find that purpose - What is ARA? - Medical Discharge - Understanding Veterans - Loopin and it's motivation Reach out to Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-williams-vgs/ Get in touch with Loopin: https://letsloopin.com/ Reach out to me on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/developmentbydavid/ LinkedIn: https://www.instagram.com/developmentbydavid/ The Development by David Podcast on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6DV9tUfz5nGCmH0bfZUFrM Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-development-by-david-podcast/id1542740010 If you love this podcast: Fuel my podcast and buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Dbyd

Ronan helps organisations understand the coming decade of disruption, and how they can move from burnout to resilience. His talks are rare in that they combine big picture trends with the science of resilience, and are packed with lots of psychological tools to manage stress, anxiety and burnout. Audiences leave with a surprising dose of optimism about the future and confidence in their ability to cope with increasing complexity. His expertise comes from having worked as a scenario planner to the British Foreign Office and strategic lead at RethinkX, the Think Tank  analysing technological disruption and its impacts on society. He is also a Client Director at Tough Cookie, which help major companies to improve their mental resilience. In the past year, he has delivered inspiring keynotes to KPMG, McKinsey-Aberkyn, and INSEAD, giving senior leaders the insights they need to respond to this moment of chaos and uncertainty. His talks are inspiring because they come from my own lived experience of being in senior leadership positions. He speaks openly about the stress of being a decision maker in chaotic environments. This includes the severe burnout he faced after leading the political strategy for the global climate movement. Now more than ever, audiences need to understand how to cope with crisis and adversity, and having experienced his own dark night of the soul, he can speak honesty about how to use it as an invitation to grow as a leader. His speaking topics include: Resilience in the Decade of Disruption Challenges and Opportunities in a post-Covid World Technology and Emerging Trends Employee Engagement  Mental Resilience Health and Well-Being If you love this podcast: Fuel my podcast and buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Dbyd

Merry Christmas listeners and friends of The Development by David Podcast. We have a special episode of the show for you today. My mates Lewis McFarlane, Colin Campbell and I create our own rendition of the game show Room 101. Room 101 is a game show where "Room 101" is a hypothetical room where guests banish pet peeves and pet hates only if there is a democratic vote from other participants that they belong there. David McIntosh is the host of The Development by David Podcast. Colin Campbell is the host of the Cambro Conversations Podcast and fitness "influencer" on instagram under the alias of @col.cambro. Lewis McFarlane is an online holistic fitness coach and business owner. Although this is a light hearted episode of the podcast, we hit some big overarching topics surrounding mens mental health, personal responsibility, black and white thinking and insincere relationship building. But most importantly, it is packed with SILLY nonsense. We joke about ridiculous body building culture, egg and chips, indoor jacket wearers, google recapture and unsolicited hair removal..lol Hope you enjoyed this episode! Let me know if you want more like it! buy me coffee! If you enjoy this podcast: buymeacoffee.com/?via=Dbyd Reach out to me on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/developmentbydavid/  LinkedIn: https://www.instagram.com/developmentbydavid/  The Development by David Podcast on:  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6DV9tUfz5nGCmH0bfZUFrM  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-development-by-david-podcast/id1542740010

Robin J. is an influencer, on-air expert, digital content creator and podcast host of F**K Girl Confessions. Today, Robin stops by the studio to teach me how to date. Before, we dive in to what makes a successful dater we speak about Robin's life as an influencer. She amasses 100k followers and is flown  around the world to create content in the nicest hotels, quirkiest bars, in the coolest clothes with the biggest brands. She has collaborated with Vogue, McDonalds, Ann Summers, HM, L'Oreal and Sailor Jerry.   We speak about her parents, a neuroscientist and HR Professional, and their take on her unconventional and successful career path.  We also get a behind the curtain view of the lowlights of this job. Robin then speaks about all things DATING. She dives deep into what makes people universally attractive and her best first date story. She shares an insight into her own dating life pulling from some hilarious anecdotes. She then drops a lesson on how we should be using Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and other dating apps - and - if we should be using them at all.. Lastly, she pulls up my TINDER profile and critiques it live ON AIR - thanks Robin! What an episode!: If you want more an insight in to all things dating, you can find Robin's podcast "F**K Girl Confessions" here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Jji22VMtX4FjqUqn304Gh?si=tLBOupiaSiutLuS-EPj8HA&nd=1 You can find Robin and her "cocktales" series here on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withrobinj/?hl=en You can find me: https://www.instagram.com/developmentbydavid/?hl=en ------ Fuel my podcast and buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Dbyd SPONSORS: Young and Lazy – https://www.instagram.com/youngandlazy_/ Young Entrepreneurs Network - https://www.instagram.com/yenetworking/

A very special celebrity guest, Andy King, joined us on the Development by David Podcast. Andy King is a Netflix star and sustainable events planner. If you are one of the very few who missed the Fyre Festival documentary on Netflix, it was labelled as “the greatest party that never happened”. So much so, a whole documentary was filmed about its noteriety, social media dominance and ultimate collapse. The festival was promoted on Instagram by social media influencers including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Hailey Baldwin and Emily Ratajkowski, many of whom did not initially disclose they had been paid to do so. During the Fyre Festival's inaugural weekend, the event experienced problems related to security, food, accommodation, medical services and artist relations, resulting in the festival being postponed indefinitely and eventually cancelled Andy’s notably known for one specific scene that broke the internet. The gripping scene exemplified the title of this podcast... stepping up as the ultimate team player. Andy can be regarded as a “meme” in pop culture but in fact Andy’s story is incredibly complex, intricate, emotive, astounding and varied. Imagine catering entire weddings at 16, inventing the role of a corporate concierge at Pepsi, being a young face in the Wall Street Journal, hosting a $2.5 million party for an investment bank, developing parties for The Rolling Stones and working alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo on sustainable initiatives. But, that being overshadowed by ONE LINE that was featured in a Netflix documentary. My friends, this is the tale of the REAL Andy King. A role model for sustainable change! Socials: Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/developmentbydavid/?hl=en Me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mcintosh-47683b120/ Andy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realandyking/?hl=en Netflix’s Fyre Festival: https://www.netflix.com/title/81035279 Fuel my podcast and buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Dbyd SPONSORS: Young and Lazy – https://www.instagram.com/youngandlazy_/ Young Entrepreneurs Network - https://www.instagram.com/yenetworking/

Matt Swain is a creative consultant, author, writer and ex-corporate employee. He has worked for Steven Bartlett (The Diary of a CEO Podcast, Dragons Den, Founder Social Chain). Matt stops by to discuss what self-development is and how to “break free” from conventional expectations of society. We speak about: The hedonic treadmill Partying with Liam Payne Working with Steven Bartlett Meeting Rio Ferdinand Writing blog posts to liberate you from corporate work Why quitting is a skill Why his 20-year-old Corsa is better than a £30k Audi He has just authored “Breaking Free” available for pre order now. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/breaking-free-by-matt-swain#/ https://www.mattswain.co.uk/ If you love this podcast, please buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Dbyd

Mackay (also known as Wee Mackay) is a Scottish Actor, Comedian and Tik Tok Sensation with over 100,000 followers. He jumped on the podcast to share how he pivoted his acting career online during lockdown which projected delayed gratification and further success. Some of his sketch show work has been commissioned by the BBC and he has been touring the country with his birth child born out of the Edinburgh Fringe "Weegies Think Ae That". Gregor opens up and shares his thoughts on why comedy is subjective and why you should not adapt your narrative to crowd please. Gregor shares: His route to entry through an acting degree and why this no longer the hallmark route How to adapt to online criticism and use it for content How to twist real life situations into hyperbolic caffeinated jokes and sketches. How to break into the industry and how to fundamentally just start by creating content from your bedroom Thanks Gregor for coming on!This sponsor podcast is sponsored by Young and Lazy – https://www.instagram.com/youngandlazy_/ Young Entrepreneurs Network - https://www.instagram.com/yenetworking/

Richard Davies is an entrepreneur and artist. He is known for Abandon Ship Apparel company and Abandon Ship bars. It was fantastic to be back recording in real life in a studio which allowed for the intimacy this podcast deserved. Abandon Ship Apparel was founded in 2011 in a bedroom in Glasgow with £300, a web domain and a passion for making art. Within 3 years, Abandon Ship Apparel saw itself in high street windows grossing over £1.2 million in annual sales revenue through channels such as ASOS, Topman and Foot Asylum. In 2015, Abandon Ship Apparel entered liquidation and Richard used his own money to buy back the rights to the brand he had spent almost 5 years growing from the ground up to rebuild. Fast forward 6 years, Richard, and a team he is proud of, have expanded the apparel brand beyond t-shirts. He has opened the Abandon Ship bars in Dundee and Glasgow which have become WILDLY popular especially for it's unmissable facade and insane artwork (I have visited weekly!).  Abandon Ship in Covent Garden, London is opening in a month’s time as part of the plan to expand the bar across 10 locations in the UK. Richard speaks candidly about: - His upbringing and his rebellion against traditional education - A life changing moment that changed his mental model and direction - The highlights and lowlights of owning a rapidly growing apparel brand - Stories from travelling to tradeshows across the world (including closing a £10,000+ of apparel deal after partying all night) - The long-lasting effects of liquidation on the psyche of an entrepreneur - The inspiration and methodology behind the renowned Abandon Ship Bar ceiling artwork - His definition of healthy and toxic masculinity - His reflection on his first 35 years on earth that he defines as “his training years” Thanks, Rich, for stopping by and looking forward to round 2!