Best James Mitra Podcasts (2024)

1
Replay: LIVE at Sifted Summit with Nikki Wicks (The Body Coach), Emma Steele (Ascension) and Amali De Alwis (ex Subak) 48:07

3h ago48:07

48:07

“Everyone needs different things, but if we’re going to spend so much time going to work, at least do something where you feel that you matter and that you make a difference here.” As we’re approaching this year’s Sifted Summit in London, we thought we’d use our final Replay episode as a throwback to our live podcast recording at the Summit two yea…

1
Replay: Claire Valoti on becoming one of Business Insider’s most powerful women in Tech 44:58

6d ago44:58

44:58

“Being a mum is my superpower. If a company doesn’t want my superpower, then I don’t want to be in that company.” Whether you’re an aspiring GM, leader in Tech or are navigating the workplace after becoming a parent - you won’t want to miss today’s 40 Minute Mentor. In today’s Replay episode, we’re revisiting our conversation with the brilliant Cla…

1
EP12 - MUSICIAN - Adam Sanders 52:46

8d ago52:46

52:46

Adam is MUSIC BOY! Musician, music teacher, studio owner, producer, rockstar! Being in pop-punk tribute bands, and coming up with puns for names - Blinked-182, Dookie and Half-Real Lavine. Supportive parents, and living out their rock fantasies. Starting young and finding music. Is 8 too young to learn guitar? NO! Seeing Adam playing drums at Teddy…

1
Replay: Levelling the playing field - a social mobility special 1:05:43

13d ago1:05:43

1:05:43

“Ability is equally distributed but opportunity isn’t. It’s about giving people the freedom to fail and the right and opportunity to fully participate in all levels of the society we live in today.” Social Mobility has always been an important topic for us on 40 Minute Mentor. Not just as a topic to openly discuss on the podcast, but as a productio…

1
EP11 - PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTER - James Callaghan 32:12

16d ago32:12

32:12

James's journey from photography into high-end film processing and printing. Owner of BlueSky Printing and London Film Lab. Working for Björk! BJÖRK the Icelandic music legend! Printing on special papers and hand finishing artwork. Being a paper expert and choosing the right paper for a print. Setting up colour managed environments (yeah we’re goin…

1
Replay: Will Greenwood MBE on building a World Cup winning team culture 46:17

20d ago46:17

46:17

“The great differentiator of that England team was our ability to never allow ourselves to be consigned to fate. We always believed it was in our hands.” Over the years, we’ve had some absolute legends of the sporting world on 40 Minute Mentor. One of them is England Rugby legend, Broadcaster and Journalist, Will Greenwood MBE. Will is one of the g…

1
EP10 - AUTHOR - Sade Fadipe 43:43

23d ago43:43

43:43

Sade’s journey from school teacher to author. Being a top 50 children’s book in the US - A Fun ABC (US edition: A Visit to Grandad). Leaving London for Nigeria. How Sade’s experiences growing up in both London and Nigeria built the foundation for her first book. Working as a Reading Consultant in Nigeria. Donated books and lack of representation of…

1
Replay: Helen Tupper on building a Squiggly Career 46:12

27d ago46:12

46:12

“We are not expected to all develop in the same direction. Success isn’t the same for all of us and we can’t plan our way to some kind of predictable future.” 40 Minute Mentor is fast approaching its 12th season. With over 250 episodes published, we know that not every single one of our listeners will have been around from the beginning. To share s…

1
Ruari Bell: Building the UK's first athlete led VC firm with The Players Fund 42:24

1M ago42:24

42:24

“There’s a competitive drive and edge that you see in sport that is really important in business. And Teamwork. Dealing with individuals, knowing what helps make an individual tick is really important.” For the final episode in this season of our VC feature, we’re joined by Ruari Bell, Founding Partner at The Players Fund, the UK’s first athlete-le…

1
Fundraising Advice from Seed to Unicorn Founders 32:20

1M ago32:20

32:20

“When a VC gives you a low valuation, it isn’t the fact that your company is worth that much, it might just be because you didn’t pitch it in the right way.” Fundraising can be a lonely process at times. And an endless emotional rollercoaster throughout. In today’s episode, we collated some of the best fundraising advice from Founders who have been…

1
EP9 - PHOTOGRAPHIC SCIENTIST - Jack Holmes 35:52

2M ago35:52

35:52

Photos for the first manned Moon mission. Photo finishes for horses. The first televised Queen's speech. Jack's done a lot! Making photographic film to send to the Moon. Being lead scientist of Ilford special projects. High speed cheese. Yellow light. Radiation. Seeing if it was safe for humans to land on the Moon. High speed film image quality tra…

1
A VC Roundup - Raising from VCs & getting into the industry 31:37

2M ago31:37

31:37

“This is a long partnership. We’re here to return money to our investors, but we are also here to experience a very unique journey together. So, trust is very important, on both sides.” We’ve been so lucky to have some of the best VCs in the industry, come on 40 Minute Mentor over the years. For today’s episode, we thought we’d collate some of the …

1
Gideon Valkin: From ClearScore & Monzo to building a $12m solo GP fund 47:05

2M ago47:05

47:05

“Founders deserve Investors that have relevant operating experience, time to help them and can be impartial and objective in the advice they give.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Gideon Valkin, former Monzo and ClearScore Commercial Leader, Investor and Entrepreneur. Following 15 years as a Founder, Operator and Investor, Gideon is now combining being…

1
EP8 - RETRO KNITTER - Maddy Moore 44:04

2M ago44:04

44:04

By order of the Peaky Blinders. What comes first - the button or the sweater? Knitted turbans. Is knitting like computer programming? Making sweaters for Wonka. Etsy costs for craft creators. Boo to fast fashion! Making handmade affordable. The 1930s and 1940s body shape. Decoding old knitting patterns. Finding the right yarn. Collecting a horde of…

1
Ash Arora: Investing in Web3 as the youngest Partner at LocalGlobe 36:21

2M ago36:21

36:21

“If you eventually want to do investing, become an Operator or Founder, don’t go into banking.” We are back with another season of our popular VC Feature series, where we hear from some of the best Investors in the space. Today, we’re joined by Ash Arora, the youngest Partner at LocalGlobe. Before joining LocalGlobe in 2022, Ash was the Investment …

1
EP7 - TRANS INFLUENCER - Adelle Barker 53:29

2M ago53:29

53:29

Trigger warning: Early talk about s*lf h*rm. Gay jobs vs Day jobs. Being on a fancy video shoot for a TV ad. Coming out as a trans woman at work. Getting pro make-up. Unmasking. Identity. Air quotes in different fonts. Being in The Sims in real life. Is Sangita an energy vampire? Pretending to be geezer Dads to fit in. Adelle’s media empire of #not…

1
Onyinye Udokporo - From starting a business at the age of 12 to being a neurodiversity consultant for Google 48:14

2M ago48:14

48:14

“Dyslexia is a learning difference. There’s nothing difficult about it. You have challenges, but you’re not a difficult individual.” In our final episode in this specialist advice series, we’re joined by Onyinye Udokporo, one of the UK’s youngest education experts, entrepreneur, dyslexic author, neurodiversity consultant and content creator. Onyiny…

1
The Do’s & Don’ts of Public Relations for Startups 19:04

3M ago19:04

19:04

“It very often feels uncomfortable for Founders to put themselves out there in that way. But the more you do it, the easier it will get.” In this 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re covering a topic critical for every early-stage Founder - the power of Public Relations. To help us discover the do’s and don’ts and share some of the biggest advice for Fo…

1
The power of networking & changing lives through careers - James Mitra in conversation with Alembic Strategy 38:15

3M ago38:15

38:15

“Make networking a daily occurrence. It’s everyday interactions. It’s making a good impression early doors and really taking the time to build meaningful relationships and connections.” In today’s episode, we’ve put our host, James Mitra, into the interviewee seat. James was recently invited on Alembic Strategy’s Strategy Café, hosted by Founder an…

1
EP6 - PIERCER - Cat Chudyk 46:08

3M ago46:08

46:08

Making belly button piercing inclusive for all body shapes. English sushi. Staring at people’s ears. Bespoke ear curation. Natural vs unnatural stones. Alan & Ron’s jewelry designs. Copycats copying Cat’s jewelry. Four dimensional jewelry shapes. Finding inspiration for designs in nature. Inclusive body jewelry. Ear transplants. Needles vs guns. A …

1
Scarlett McCabe & Lewis Iwu: The power of debating & disagreeing 54:41

3M ago54:41

54:41

“[Debating] teaches you to listen, to challenge well, and it teaches you all the skills that you need to be able to be in any room at any time, with anyone.” The world seems more divided than ever before. But is it actually or are we simply shying away from debating and leaning into disagreeing with each other? This is exactly what we’ll explore in…

1
EP5 - ACTOR - Carlos Byles 50:36

3M ago50:36

50:36

Becoming an actor. The journey from creative awakening to reality. Jaiden Smith in Karate Kid to Top Boy. We are Creative Gods! Is panto more fun than telly? Ice skating skills. The Brit school. Pretending to be a sausage like Benedict Cumberland. Music with Adele. Meeting Jessie J. Casual school visits from Tom Holland. Being a tree. Supportive te…

1
Neda Sahebelm & Carla Hoppe: How to make fractional hiring & careers work 55:33

3M ago55:33

55:33

“The most difficult part [of going fractional] is starting a business. It’s having to wear every hat yourself, from selling, marketing, relationship building, finances, ops and admin. You are everything.” Fractional careers have been on the rise over the last few years. Both, for experienced Operators making the move into fractional work and for Fo…

1
EP4 - HORROR FILM MAKER - Jim Dexter 48:54

3M ago48:54

48:54

Building a supportive film making community with the Independent Horror Society. How much would it cost to make a feature film about a killer swan? What’s a DOP? Introducing Nickipedia. Do you need to go to University to work in film? Advice for making your first film. Finding collaborators. Learning from YouTube. Dolphin impressions. Bill vs Rippe…

1
Amy Gallo: Conflict Management & How to get along with your colleagues 51:04

4M ago51:04

51:04

“If you’re in a situation where you’re dealing with [a difficult boss], I think the question is - am I actually getting something from this? And if the answer is ‘no, I’m getting nothing’, then it’s time to really think about what could be your next step.” To kick off our brand new ‘Specialist Advice’ series, we’re joined by workplace expert and lo…

1
EP3 - STREET ART FESTIVAL MANAGER - Candy Joyce 38:59

4M ago38:59

38:59

Organising a street art festival. Don’t mess with a mother seagull! Twig art. Learning how to spray paint. What’s an Open Reach box? The London Police and their cheeky LADS. Making Chelmsford more cultural and civic pride. Chexit. Running out of walls to paint. The barriers to organising a street art festival. Scotty Brave’s Grayson Perry portrait.…

1
The Best Bits of Season 11 - A Mentorship Roundup 34:08

4M ago34:08

34:08

That’s a wrap on Season 11 of 40 Minute Mentor and 12 weeks of non-stop pocket-sized mentorship. Our guests over the last 12 weeks have candidly shared the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and shared the advice they wish they would have received when they started out. We also celebrated some 40 Minute Mentor firsts this season, including hitting 1…

1
EP2 - PUBLISHING DIRECTOR - Keshini Naidoo 50:31

4M ago50:31

50:31

How to get into books? What’s a bad first sentence? Alan Kazam and the alternative Harry Potter universe. Nick pitches 'Robo-Tindal: Judgement on Chelmsford'. How BookTok has sent physical sales through the roof. Boardroom sausagefests. Fiction Girl and her sharpened commas. Female-run publishing and smashing the glass ceiling. Working with literar…

1
EP1 - WRESTLING PROMOTER - Garry Vanderhorne 45:14

4M ago45:14

45:14

How did Garry set up an inclusive wrestling scene? Is wrestling creative? How do you turn a human man into an evil duck? What is Sangita's wrestling name? How did Garry help to mould Essex legend Will Ospreay into the AEW Superstar he is today? Bacon balaclavas? World Records for wrestling? Would Mr.Bean make a good wrestler? Can you wrestle in twe…

1
Jason Flemyng: From ‘Lock Stock’ to Brad Pitt, the inside scoop on life as a Hollywood Actor 29:37

4M ago29:37

29:37

“80% of your work, no matter what it is, is confidence. It’s the confidence to know that when you go to a door handle, when you turn it, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know whether you pull or push. You just have to see which way it goes and then go with that.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is a podcast first. We’re joined by Hollywood actor and produce…

1
507: Unlocking Business Succession: The Power of ESOPs with Keith Butcher 24:48

4M ago24:48

24:48

In an interview with Jason Hartman, Keith Butcher, founder of Butcher Joseph, discusses business succession and Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). With many business owners approaching retirement, ESOPs offer a tax-efficient way to transition ownership to employees. This model enhances employee retention and loyalty, providing long-term retire…

1
Dr Rupy Aujla: The accidental business that helps millions of people eat healthier every day 45:16

4M ago45:16

45:16

“Had I continued along my path, I could have a very successful private and NHS GP practice. I could be earning multiples of what I’m allowing myself to earn right now. The stability that I can provide for my family is, quite frankly, limited.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Dr Rupy Aujla, Founder of The Doctor’s Kitchen and best selling cookbook autho…

1
Avion Gray: Raising the largest pre-seed round as a female Founder in Europe 45:04

5M ago45:04

45:04

“Fundraising can be exhausting, so it’s really important to spend time with the right people who just won’t waste your time [...], pay attention and ask the right questions.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Avion Gray, Co-Founder and CEO of Belong, a new wealth-building platform. Avion started her career in investment banking, before working as Head of…

1
Gurinder Dhillon: From 1 black cab to bootstrapping one of the fastest growing Startups in Europe with Otto Car 40:21

5M ago40:21

40:21

“[Having bootstrapped] we get to control our destiny, we can move as quickly as we want and we can go where we want and don’t have to be accountable.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Gurinder Dhillon, Founder of Otto Car, London’s largest community of PCO drivers and Europe’s largest provider of electric vehicles to private-hire drivers. Having recentl…

1
Greg Marsh: A $200m+ exit with onefinestay to helping you save on household bills with Nous 45:34

5M ago45:34

45:34

“There are days when you wake up and think ‘this is it - we’re going to be the next Google’ and then you wake up the next morning and feel like it’s all over and you’re going to fail.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is former VC investor turned serial entrepreneur, Greg Marsh. Following his time as an investor with Index Ventures, Greg went to build pion…

1
Deirdre O’Neill: Breaking taboos and transforming women’s health with Hertility 42:56

5M ago42:56

42:56

“Entrepreneurship feels like a process of torture sometimes because no matter how hard you try and how much you work and how many evenings or weekends that you sacrifice, you’re still only at the very bottom of the hill.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Deirdre O’Neill, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial & Legal Officer at women’s health startup, Hertilit…

1
Natasha Ratanshi-Stein: From Chief of Staff at Bulb to Founder of Surfboard 43:01

5M ago43:01

43:01

“If we’re not seeing outcomes, we need more visibility. Does visibility mean someone being physically in front of you? Probably not.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Natasha Ratanshi-Stein, the Founder of Surfboard - the next generation planning tools for customer service teams. Before building Surfboard, Natasha spent several years as an Operator and …

1
Gary Izunwa: Driving Social Mobility through referrals with Tangent 47:33

6M ago47:33

47:33

“I think we over index on the significance of education at the cost of other important parts of the social mobility conversation.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Gary Izunwa, Co-Founder and CEO of Tangent. Tangent is an employee referral platform that makes referrals accessible to everyone and NOT just the privileged few with the best networks. Pr…

1
Lottie Whyte: From the kitchen table to £100k investment on Dragons Den with MyoMaster 34:40

6M ago34:40

34:40

“You work so hard for something you’ve dreamt of for so long and then you achieve it and it’s nothing like you imagined it would be…” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Lottie Whyte, Co-Founder and CEO of MyoMaster, the home of sports recovery and a brand on a mission to unlock every athlete’s greatest performance. If you’re an avid BBC Dragons Den wa…

1
Morgan Fowles: Scaling sustainable activewear brand TALA as CEO, alongside Grace Beverley 46:26

6M ago46:26

46:26

“It’s never felt easy. There’s never been a single day where it’s felt easy. The winds are always hardwired for various reasons, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a lot of fun.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Morgan Fowles, CEO of popular sustainable activewear and athleisure brand, TALA. If you’ve been listening to 40 Minute Mentor for a while, you …

1
Radha Vyas: From £20m revenues to bankruptcy & rebuilding Flash Pack 2.0 49:36

6M ago49:36

49:36

“They say all the best businesses in the world have nearly died three times. It’s an inevitable journey you go on when you're creating a high growth business.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Radha Vyas, Co-Founder and CEO of adventure travel startup, Flash Pack. Flash Pack is on a mission to create 1 million friendships through connecting solo tra…

1
Richard Robinson: Disrupting the legal sector & raising $32 million with Robin AI 43:15

7M ago43:15

43:15

“Sometimes entrepreneurship is about bending the odds of success and being willing to take on the risk even though it doesn’t make much sense. It’s about going ahead anyway and changing the odds yourself.” In our first episode of Series 11 of 40 Minute Mentor, we’re joined by Richard Robinson, Founder and CEO of Robin AI. Robin AI is a leader in le…

1
Coming soon: Series 11 of pocket-sized mentorship 5:20

7M ago5:20

5:20

“Sometimes entrepreneurship is about bending the odds of success, and just being willing to take on the risks…” Welcome back to Series 11 of 40 Minute Mentor - your pocket-sized career mentor. We’ve got 13 weeks of non-stop mentorship from some of the best in the industry, coming up for you. Before we kick off the series with our first 40 Minute Me…

1
Peter Specht: Spotting Unicorn investments & navigating global markets with Creandum 35:37

7M ago35:37

35:37

“We scaled way too fast…and the result was that we mis-hired quite a lot. It was not a sustainable way to scale.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Peter Specht, General Partner at Creandum, one of the leading early stage VCs that have invested in over 120 companies, of which 20 are unicorns today. Following career chapters at Rocket Internet Group, …

1
Davor Hebel: Making VC more empathetic & the future of European Startups 44:16

7M ago44:16

44:16

“Team sports are a great proxy for working in companies, where often the power of the collective is way stronger than any individual.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Davor Hebel, Managing Partner at Eight Roads Ventures, the global VC firm backed by Fidelity. Eight Roads backs and partners with game-changing tech and healthcare companies across Eu…

1
Masha Bucher: Harnessing the power of storytelling in VC with Day One Ventures 45:37

8M ago45:37

45:37

“If you’re not ready to commit to VC for at least 10 years, it’s just not worth trying…” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Masha Bucher, Founder & General Partner at Day One Ventures. The firm backs Founders from AI and Climate, to future of work and Deeptech, helping customer obsessed and mission-driven Founders win, by harnessing the power of story…

1
Sandra Schwarzer: Transitioning careers & putting people first at Index Ventures 53:00

8M ago53:00

53:00

“You need to figure out what you really need. Not just the role now, but looking at the future and at the competencies you need in your organisation. Figure out how you build a very complementary team, rather than having people who are all the same.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Sandra Schwarzer, VP C-Suite/Board & EU Talent/Community & Insights…

1
Abhishek Lahoti: From Dropbox to Head of Platform at Highland Europe & how to navigate the US market as a Founder 39:08

8M ago39:08

39:08

“This is not necessarily a one-way transaction. Look at fundraising like it’s dating. The VC you’re going to choose, you’ll be stuck with for quite some time, so don’t play games and be honest, the whole way through…” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is the brilliant Abhishek Lahoti, Head of Platform at Highland Europe, a growth stage Venture Capital f…

1
Hannah Leach: An unconventional route into VC & driving ESG across portfolios 42:49

8M ago42:49

42:49

“The whole industry is full of very successful people who have had this very standard path. It’s hard to look at your own [different] background and put yourself on an even level with them.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is the brilliant Hannah Leach, Partner at Houghton Street Ventures and Co-Founder of VentureESG. Hannah moved into the venture spa…

1
Eileen Burbidge MBE - From early Skype employee to becoming the Queen of British VC 54:43

8M ago54:43

54:43

“I think 2024 is a great opportunity to back fantastic people and get more attention on things that are undervalued or don’t get enough attention to invest in.” Described as the ‘Queen of British VC’ by Fortune magazine, we are kicking off our new VC feature series with the brilliant Eileen Burbidge MBE. Eileen is a Founding Partner at Passion Capi…

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