Simon Says

In episode 9 of season 2 of PEP Talk, we spoke to Dan Bladon. In 2013 whilst experiencing work-related stress and anxiety, Dan visited psychologist Dr. Robin Hart who introduced him to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). He realised that those techniques could help other people too, especially if they were available anywhere and at any time. So he teamed up with Dr Robin to create Companion. Dan never planned to create an app, he started his career within the music industry when he founded a Music Management company after university. He then worked in digital production resulting in him founding his own digital agency. He consulted for a diverse range of clients such as Blackberry and hospitals and his experience led him to become Product Director and consultant for healthcare companies and most recently the NHS. As a Product Designer, Dan saw how a digital product based on CBT, could help people experiencing similar problems. Together with Dr. Hart, he founded Companion to offer SMEs a practical solution in supporting their people and placing mental health at the heart of company culture. The tool offers 200 guides on more than 40 topics and is included in the NHS Apps Library and supports SMEs to build a healthier and productive workplace by helping employees manage and reduce stress and anxiety, whilst proactively improving their mental wellbeing.

In episode 8 of season 2 of Pep Talk, we spoke to Shenae Rae. SwearBy skin is a black-owned beauty brand making LED affordable to all and was born from the frustration that high-grade skincare felt unequal, and seemed to be reserved for people of a certain demographic. Shenae made it her mission to make effective treatments accessible to all, with a product that doesn’t cost a fortune, and that can be used by consumers with darker skin for whom lasers are a no-no and many devices do not work. LED in particular is great for darker skins, which is why SwearBy Skin made sure to include it in the LookLit mask.

In episode 7 of season 2 of Pep Talk, we spoke to Ben King. Ben is the CEO & Founder of Pesky Fish, their mission is to rebuild the global fishing industry so that seafood can sustainably feed the world. To do so, they're adding radical access and transparency to the sale of a fisherman’s catch - all enabled by Pesky’s Marketplace.

In episode 6 of season 2 of Pep Talk, we spoke to Chirs Goodfellow. Chris Founder and CEO of Inkwell. Inkwell specialises in creating educational content for small business owners. Advice created by the team is used by tens of thousands of entrepreneurs every year. Chris also runs The Pitch, the UK's biggest startup pitching programme. Every year the events support hundreds of entrepreneurs through free coaching and mentoring, and provide a platform to pitch to investors.

In episode 5 of season 2 of Pep Talk, we spoke to Rosanna Nibbs. Rosanne Nibbs, co-founder of Piqant, a family-run online marketplace that offers 100% ethically sourced coffee from independent roasters across the nation. She has long had a passion for coffee, being half Italian and half Dominican and over the years, her curiosity about finding unique flavours and origins led her to start the business alongside her family last year. She is proud to support independent roasters and diverse communities around the world, and places transparency, sustainable production, and Fairtrade at the heart of what they do.

In episode 4 of season 2 of Pep Talk, we spoke to Anna Marcovici. In creating Manifesto, beauty industry veteran Anna Marcovici has combined her lifelong passion for nutrition and wellbeing with her years of experience at global brands including L’Oreal, Nars, MAC and Bobbi Brown. After studying at the prestigious London School of Economics and honing her skills in the beauty industry, Anna set her sights on the world of holistic health. After much research into the burgeoning supplements market, Anna realised there was an emerging need for a beauty supplement brand that challenged the norm. Bored of seeing big brands pushing meaningless marketing initiatives that didn’t cater to customer needs, Anna founded Manifesto with the aim of creating a supplement brand that didn’t peddle toxic messaging or unachievable claims and that was as efficacious as it was exciting. Championing her lifelong belief that feeling good from the inside out is the highest beauty ideal, Manifesto puts healthy, supercharged, and sustainable supplements at the heart of what it does.

In episode 3 of season 2 of Pep Talk, we spoke to Lysander Bickham, Founder and CEO at Leo's Box. Lysander set up Leo's Box at 16 during the summer after his GCSEs. Having learned about the Sustainable Development Goals, he believed that business could play a role in making sustainable changes more available for all. This drove him to become a B Corp business which helped quantify the environmental impact of Leo's Box. With the business named after his initials (leo), Lysander attempts to maintain a personal connection to customers as he scales. He is the youngest CEO of B Corp in the world and is proud to be a B Corp ambassador as well as an ambassador for shoe brand Allbirds.

In episode 2 of season 2 of PEP Talk, we spoke to Paul Spiers, Founder of The New P&L – Brand Purpose Institute & Host of The New P&L. Principles & Leadership in Business podcast series, Paul is a consultant, speaker and author on topics and trends around Purpose, Principles & Leadership in Business as well Commercial Creativity and Social Innovation. Paul believes in ‘The New P&L’ for business. One that is focused as much on ‘Principles & Leadership’ as it is on ‘Profit & Loss’: as if a business’s Principles are right and aligned with its purpose, and its Leadership has clarity of vision and is focused and empathetic, then it will be in profit and not in a loss in many ways.

We are so excited to launch season 2 of PEP Talk. Our first episode is with Josh White, Co-Founder & Marketing Director at CanO Water. Josh White, is one of three best friends who launched the brand after being on holiday in Thailand and seeing the dire state of plastic bottles lining the beach. It was at this moment that their business idea was born, canned water. Since launching in 2015, CanO Water has sold over 15 million cans in the UK and Ireland. Propelled by increasing consumer demand for more sustainable alternatives to plastic bottled water. CanO Water has built a national presence across multiple channels in the UK and Ireland, continuing its growth in new territories as the plastic problem becomes more globally recognised. A few years down the line and the pioneering canned water brand has secured a seven-figure investment to continue to drive the brand’s exponential growth. Former European President at Heineken has invested in the business and has joined the team as Non-Exec Chairman and it’s a very exciting time for the brand.

In episode 22 of Pep Talk, Simon interviews David Burgman. David is the Managing Director of Raptor, a student marketing agency. Based in East London and live across 40 cities in the UK & Ireland. David, originally from Leeds started Raptor 5 years after moving to London to live with his girlfriend, now wife. David has 2 children, Evie 3 and Bea 2 and enjoys the challenge of juggling parenthood whilst running a business.