Explore every episode of the podcast Progress in Practice Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1: From Footballers to Founders: Sam Sloma on Lifestyle Financial Planning | 22 juil. 2026 | 00:22:00 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading sits down with Sam Sloma, founder of Engage Financial Services - a fixed fee lifestyle financial planning firm based in North London serving professional footballers, entrepreneurs, and those approaching retirement. Sam's journey to building his own firm is rooted in two very specific moments of clarity: a client who couldn't understand why his fee doubled when he simply added more money, and the realisation that his clients were loyal to him personally, not to the business he was building inside someone else's firm. Both pointed in the same direction. Engage was born, and ten years later it is still guided by the same founding principle: lifestyle financial planning, using your capital to live as full and fulfilled a life as possible, whatever that looks like for you. From the startling realities of advising elite professional footballers to the wisdom of appreciating the days you're living in right now, this is a grounded, honest, and genuinely warm conversation about money, business, and what really matters. Key Talking Points
About the Guest Sam Sloma is the founder of Engage Financial Services, a fixed fee lifestyle financial planning firm based in North London. With a background in professional football, Sam built Engage around three client groups: professional athletes, entrepreneurs, and those approaching retirement, united by a shared commitment to lifestyle financial planning: using capital to live as full and fulfilled a life as possible. Engage is approaching its tenth year in business. Find Out More
Resources Mentioned
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team — helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better guests.
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| Season 1: Control the Controllables: Simon Dent on Building Brands, Businesses and Ultramarathon Resilience | 15 juil. 2026 | 00:23:01 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading sits down with Simon Dent, Chairman of Firmative, the creative company that puts brands in culture, working with the likes of Netflix, Atlantic Records, Sony and Universal. Simon is the first guest to bridge Charlie's two podcasts, The Business of Endurance and Progress in Practice, and the conversation shows exactly why. From cutting his teeth as a London club promoter to founding sports creative agency Dark Horses, and from hitting rock bottom with his mental health to completing more than 30 ultramarathons, Simon's story is a masterclass in resilience, relationships, and doing hard things. Whether you're scaling a creative business or simply want to build a stronger relationship with discomfort, this episode is packed with honest reflections and lessons you can apply immediately. Key Talking Points What it really means to put brands in culture and why so many brands gatecrash and make a mess. Firmative's "third way of working": blending strategy, creative and production to deliver hundreds of assets at speed. How club promoting taught Simon to sell, build communities and manage a P&L before Instagram existed. Simon's advice to his younger self: you can't do it alone; never be the smartest person in the room. Why diluting equity to bring in best-in-class people beats hoarding it. The wisdom he'd pass to the next generation: build a relationship with hard things, because they're coming anyway. How hitting rock bottom with depression and anxiety redefined what pain means, in running and in business. The link between endurance sport and entrepreneurship, and why you don't grow when you're comfortable. The biggest challenge after 50% growth in 12 months: cash flow, payment terms, and recruiting senior people who understand culture. Why the first five hires define the business. Simon's guiding framework: control the controllables- in the boardroom and at 500km into an ultra. About the Guest Simon Dent is the Chairman of Firmative, a creative company born out of the music industry that helps brands become a welcome guest in culture, working with major record labels including Atlantic, Sony and Universal, as well as global brands like Netflix. Before Firmative, Simon founded sports creative agency Dark Horses- named one of the fastest growing agencies in the world before its sale to Omnicom's TBWA, and launched a sports talent management business, which he sold to ROAR Global. He is also an accomplished ultrarunner, with more than 30 ultramarathons to his name, and shares his journey as @ultraentrepreneur on Instagram. Find Out More Firmative on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firmativehq/ Simon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ultraentrepreneur/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simon-dent-9509b728 Resources Mentioned Dan Sullivan's Who Not How principle Charlie's Culture Cultivator session: https://youtu.be/tFC4EyQHLrI The Business of Endurance podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1373434 About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team- helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better guests. Until next time, keep making progress in practice. | |||
| Season 1: From Near-Death on Honeymoon to Award-Winning Estate Planning Practice with Matt Smith | 08 juil. 2026 | 00:24:53 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading sits down with Matthew Smith, founder of Buckingham Gate Chartered Financial Planners, to explore how he built an award-winning estate planning practice and then turned his competitors into his clients. Matthew shares the extraordinary story of nearly dying on his honeymoon and how that experience inspired both the launch of his business and his passion for estate planning. He explains why Inheritance Tax is rapidly becoming a mainstream problem rather than one reserved for the ultra-wealthy, and how Buckingham Gate's digital marketing system now powers client introductions for a growing network of partner advisers. From navigating the no man's land of scaling past 20 people to embracing AI across the back office, this episode is packed with honest reflections and practical lessons for any professional service business owner. Key Talking Points
About the Guest Matthew Smith is the founder and Managing Director of Buckingham Gate Chartered Financial Planners, an award-winning financial planning practice in the heart of central London with specialist expertise in estate planning, intergenerational wealth transfer and Inheritance Tax mitigation. Alongside serving clients directly, Buckingham Gate has built a sophisticated digital marketing system that generates consistent, high-quality client introductions for a network of partner advisers - financial planners who share Matthew's passion for estate planning. Matthew is a Chartered Financial Planner, Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Wealth Manager, and the author of Efficient Estate Planning. Find Out More Website: https://buckinghamgate.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matthewsmithapfs Buckingham Gate runs regular monthly webinars on estate planning. Visit the website to register. Resources Mentioned Traction and Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman (the EOS model) Charlie's AI Masterclass: https://trusted-team.mykajabi.com/offers/FTCFcWzK About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team — helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better guests. Until next time, keep making progress in practice. | |||
| Season 1: Beyond the Block: Rewiring the Beliefs Beneath Your Limits with Jill Martin | 01 juil. 2026 | 00:20:07 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading sits down with Jill Martin, founder of Impact Business Consultancy, to get under the bonnet of how we really operate as humans and why the founder is always the biggest block in the business. Jill works with impact and purpose-driven entrepreneurs who are already high-achieving, but know they're not accessing everything they have to give. Rather than managing limitations or working around them, her approach undoes the beliefs beneath them; combining a creative orientation, neuroscience, somatic work, identity, nervous system regulation and the superconscious. Jill shares her own story of spending 20 years in corporate, watching herself burn out despite being super fit and healthy, and turning the transformational lifestyle that saved her into a business. This is a fascinating, honest conversation about the science emerging behind what many would dismiss as woo-woo, and why your business can only ever grow to the capacity of its founder. Key Talking Points
About the Guest Jill Martin is the founder of Impact Business Consultancy, working with impact and purpose-driven entrepreneurs to clear the limitations standing between them and their greater potential. After 20 years in the corporate world, during which she watched herself burn out despite doing everything right, Jill began exploring what was happening beneath the surface. That exploration became a lifestyle, and eventually a business, drawing on neuroscience, epigenetics, somatic work, identity and the superconscious to help founders not just manage their blocks, but undo them at the root. Find Out More
Resources Mentioned
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team — helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better guests. Until next time, keep making progress in practice. | |||
| Season1: Free Management, Five-Year Guarantees, and Getting Out of Your Own Way with Felix Mead | 24 juin 2026 | 00:21:32 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Felix Mead, founder of Sliq Homes- a London-based property management business built on a model that still raises eyebrows: free management, free maintenance, free refurbishment, and a guaranteed rent for five years. The model works because Sliq Homes converts three and four-bed family homes into high-quality HMOs for working professionals, creating the margin that makes the free service possible. But the business behind the model is just as interesting as the model itself. Felix spent his twenties as a scuba diving instructor in Koh Tao and the Great Barrier Reef, then as a DJ and fire dancer, before a single moment at a restaurant with his brother- an £800 bill paid mid-conversation without a second thought- made him stop, go to the bathroom to shake it off, and decide everything needed to change. He came to London, experienced the letting industry first-hand, was unimpressed by what he found, and built something better. The conversation covers the mechanics of the Sliq Homes model, the importance of authenticity in business and life, the challenge of removing yourself as the bottleneck in your own operation, and a Jim Rohn quote that Felix couldn't fully appreciate until business had forced him to grow into it. There's also a quietly remarkable moment when it becomes clear that Felix and Charlie both learned to scuba dive at the same dive school on the same island in Thailand- years apart.
Key Talking Points • What Sliq Homes does: free property management, maintenance, and refurbishment for landlords, funded by converting family homes into quality HMOs. • SLIQ stands for Shared Living in Quality and why the quality of the experience for tenants is central to the model working. • How landlords receive market rent plus inflation-linked increases, guaranteed over a five-year term. • Why the ideal client for Sliq Homes is defined by the property rather than the landlord, and why Felix asks for a floor plan and postcode rather than a property description. • Target properties: close to tube stations, desirable areas for working professionals aged 20 to 35, with floor space that can be intelligently maximised. • Felix's founding moment: watching his brother pay an £800 restaurant bill mid-conversation while Felix had £100 in the bank and the realisation that the travelling life was over. • Why Sliq Homes was born from experiencing the letting industry at its worst: no service, no integrity, agents paid upfront with no incentive to deliver. • The shared Koh Tao connection: Felix was a scuba diving instructor at Ban's Diving in Koh Tao; Charlie learned to dive there in 1999. • What Felix would tell his younger self: discover who you truly are, honour it by being authentic, and trust that authenticity attracts the right people, opportunities, and situations. • How travel, personal development, and the courage to take risks have been Felix's primary tools for self-discovery. • Wisdom to pass on to the next generation: don't take life too seriously; resilience depends on it, and business is allowed to be fun. • The biggest obstacle in Felix's business right now: transitioning from startup operations to a systemised foundation and removing himself as the bottleneck. • Charlie's Outstanding Operations session, offered to Felix in the episode: https://youtu.be/ZP52h_EJ6DA • Charlie's 3-months-off principle: Felix wrote it down when he first heard it, and building the operations to make it possible is part of the current focus. • The room of 500 business owners: how many would still have a business if they disappeared for a month? For six months? And why the answer matters. • Book recommendation: Think and Grow Rich and Jim Rohn's insight that the real value of building a business is who it forces you to become. • The epiphany of delegation: realising that the admin someone else hates doing is something a brilliant hire will genuinely love and that one person's weakness is another's strength.
About the Guest Felix Mead is the founder of Sliq Homes (Shared Living in Quality), a London-based property management business offering landlords free management, free maintenance, and free refurbishment in exchange for a five-year guaranteed rent agreement. Sliq Homes specialises in converting three and four-bed family homes into high-quality HMOs for working professionals, creating the margin that funds the free model. Before founding Sliq Homes, Felix spent his twenties as a scuba diving instructor in Koh Tao and the Great Barrier Reef, and as a DJ and fire dancer — before a pivotal moment brought him back to London and into business.
Find Out More To learn more about Felix and Sliq Homes visit: https://sliqhomes.co.uk/ To connect with Felix on LinkedIn visit: linkedin.com/in/felix-mead
Resources & Links Mentioned • Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill - Felix's book recommendation • Jim Rohn quoted by Felix: “Become successful not for the riches it brings, but for what it makes of you” • Outstanding Operations session Charlie's framework for building processes that let a business run without its owner- https://youtu.be/ZP52h_EJ6DA • The Trusted Team, mentioned throughout; find out more at www.thetrusted.team
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: www.thetrusted.team
Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better guests. Until next time, keep making progress in practice. | |||
| Season 1: Promoted Because You Were Good: Eradicating Bad Management with Mark Stanton | 17 juin 2026 | 00:25:56 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Mark Stanton, co-founder of Develop People- a leadership and personal development practice working with manufacturers, engineers, regulated industries, and professional services firms to help technically excellent people become genuinely effective leaders. Mark spent nearly three decades in policing, retiring at a senior level having led teams of up to 600 people, before joining the business his wife Emma had founded 14 years ago. Emma's dual motivation was deeply personal: years of experiencing the damage caused by poor management, and a late diagnosis of dyslexia at 29 that helped her recognise the coping strategies she'd quietly built were skills others didn't know they had. Together, they help organisations surface those hidden capabilities and develop leaders who can lead themselves first. Mark and Charlie dig into DISC profiling, emotional intelligence, and the above and below the line framework that underpins Develop People's approach. They also have a genuinely interesting conversation about AI- not as a threat to leadership development, but as a tool that's only as useful as the prompts you give it, and as a future lens for real-time feedback in meetings and culture. This is a practical, honest, and thought-provoking episode about what it really takes to build high-performing teams, and why the blocker is usually closer to home than most leaders want to admit. Key Talking Points • Who Develop People serves: technical specialists and high-performers who've been promoted into leadership without ever being taught how to lead. • The sectors they work in: manufacturing, engineering, pharmaceuticals, regulated industries, accountancy, and legal firms. • Emma's founding story: leaving a series of jobs because of damaging management, and discovering her dyslexia at 29 and the hidden skill set that came with it. • Mark's policing career: nearly 30 years, retiring at senior level, leading teams of up to 600 people and the moment he asked himself what he could offer the outside world. • Why being brilliant at your job does not make you a brilliant leader, and why that gap is never explained to the people being promoted. • How Develop People use DISC profiling to help clients understand their communication style, their strengths, and where they create friction. • Emotional intelligence: self-awareness, awareness of others, and the difference between knowing how you are and taking responsibility for it. • The above and below the line framework: ownership, accountability, and responsibility above; blame, excuses, and denial below. • AI in leadership development: the echo chamber risk of self-coaching with AI, why prompts determine the quality of challenge, and the future potential of AI to give real-time feedback in meetings and on culture. • The blocker in Develop People's business: reaching people who don't yet know they have a problem, and why self-awareness has to come before development can begin. • Why Develop People no longer try to convince reluctant clients and how they focus on people who already know they need to change. • The challenge of selling leadership development when the person who benefits from it isn't always the one signing the contract. • Why high-performing teams produce better bottom-line results and how to make that case to a sceptical founder. • What Mark would tell his younger self: be less concerned with the opinions of others, stay true to your original purpose, and establish your values from day one. • Wisdom to pass on: be humble enough to remember where you've come from, and courageous enough to take the steps to where you want to go. • Book recommendations: The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters, Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet, and Start with Why by Simon Sinek. • The above and below the line framework as a daily leadership tool and why it works precisely because of its simplicity. About the Guest Mark Stanton is co-founder of Develop People, a leadership and personal development practice helping organisations in manufacturing, engineering, regulated industries, and professional services develop effective leaders from the inside out. Mark spent nearly three decades in policing, retiring at a senior level having led teams of up to 600 people, before joining the business his wife Emma founded 14 years ago. Develop People works with clients through DISC behavioural profiling, emotional intelligence development, and the above and below the line framework, delivered through facilitated workshops, one-to-one coaching, and small group sessions, with a focus on long-term partnership rather than one-off interventions. Find Out More To learn more about Mark and Develop People visit: https://develop-people.co.uk/ To connect with Mark visit: linkedin.com/in/markstantondevelopsleaders Resources & Links Mentioned • The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters- recommended by Mark for understanding how the brain drives communication and emotional response. • Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet- Mark's long-time carry-in-the-bag leadership book, focused on intent, deliberate action, and strategic thinking. • Start with Why by Simon Sinek- recommended by Mark; the TED talk alone is worth watching. • The above and below the line framework- Develop People's core tool for assessing leadership behaviours and accountability. • DISC behavioural profiling- used by Develop People to surface communication styles and areas for development. About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team- helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: www.thetrusted.team Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better guests. Until next time, keep making progress in practice.
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| Season 1: The One Minute Healer: Making Wellness Work for Busy People with Lakhmi Bhambra | 10 juin 2026 | 00:28:19 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Lakhmi Bhambra- also known as The One Minute Healer- founder of the 111 Approach, a wellness practice built around a simple but powerful premise: one thing at a time, one minute to do it properly, one day at a time. Lakhmi's path to wellness is anything but conventional. With a science degree and a background in the medical field, she spent years dismissing energy healing as woo, right up until a Reiki session with her aunt in New Zealand stopped her in her tracks. She describes the extraordinary moment grey smoke visibly left her chest, the lightness she felt afterwards, and how she returned to England determined to disprove it. She couldn't. What followed was a deep dive into intuitive energy healing, training in eight different modalities, and the creation of a practice that helps clients, from busy parents to multi-million pound business owners, get real results in around ten minutes. This is a warm, thought-provoking, and genuinely unusual conversation about intuition, energy, the power of gratitude, and what it means to be weird in the best possible way. Key Talking Points • Who Lakhmi serves: busy professionals and parents who know they need to invest in their wellbeing but feel they simply don't have the time. • The 111 Approach: one thing at a time, one minute to do it properly, one day at a time and why tackling wellness one step at a time prevents overwhelm. • Why most people fail at wellness goals and how trying to change everything at once is the real culprit. • Lakhmi's science background and years of deliberate scepticism; why she shut down her intuitive gifts as a child and what that led her towards. • The Reiki session in New Zealand that changed everything: a visible cloud of grey smoke, a lighter chest, and a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. • The science behind the woo- why energy healing is entirely compatible with a scientific understanding of the body. • Intuitive Reiki vs. traditional Reiki: how Lakhmi achieves similar results in around 10 minutes. • How energy healing works even for people who aren't naturally intuitive or emotionally connected. • The link between clearing energy blocks and unexpected business results and why some clients report major contracts arriving without doing anything differently. • What Lakhmi would tell her younger self: stay true to who you are; your weirdness is what draws people to you. • Advice for the next generation: "Be your weirdest self". • The biggest obstacle in Lakhmi's business: marketing something that has to be felt rather than described. • Why asking for testimonials matters and Lakhmi's word of 2026: determination. • Book recommendation: The Magic by Rhonda Byrne- a 28-day gratitude practice Lakhmi returns to every year. • The difference between saying you're grateful and truly feeling it and how that shift shows up in business and life. • New programmes coming: Warrior of Your World and Heal Your World.
About the Guest Lakhmi Bhambra, also known as The One Minute Healer, is the founder of the 111 Approach- a wellness practice helping busy professionals and parents build sustainable wellbeing habits in minutes a day. With a science degree and a background in the medical field, Lakhmi spent years as a self-professed sceptic before training in Reiki and seven other modalities of energy healing. She is a Reiki teacher and practitioner who specialises in intuitive energy healing, achieving results in around 10 minutes that traditional sessions take an hour to reach. Her 111 Approach- one thing, one minute, one day at a time- has helped clients from all walks of life, including multi-million pound business owners, reconnect with their energy, clear limiting beliefs, and create lasting change without overhauling their lives.
Find Out More To learn more about Lakhmi and the 111 Approach visit: https://www.the111approach.com/ To connect with Lakhmi visit: linkedin.com/in/the111approach Follow Lakhmi on Instagram for daily free one-minute meditations: @111approach
Resources & Links Mentioned • The Magic by Rhonda Byrne- Lakhmi's annual gratitude practice and book recommendation • The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown- recommended by Charlie in conversation • The Story Playbook- Charlie's framework for building powerful client stories; mentioned as a resource for Lakhmi and available via The Trusted Team • Tony Robbins / Unleash the Power Within - referenced in the gratitude discussion
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team- helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: www.thetrusted.team Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better guests. Until next time, keep making progress in practice.
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| Season 1: No Mission Reaches Orbit by Accident: From Rocket Scientist to Career Coach with Amanda Regan | 03 juin 2026 | 00:20:19 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Amanda Regan, founder of Ignite Your Career- a coaching practice helping high-performing mid-career professionals reposition their careers deliberately so they can step into the person they've already become. Amanda's path to coaching is extraordinary. Streamed wrongly at secondary school, told she wasn't A-level material, and rejected by every advanced school she applied to, she went on to spend 20 years at the European Space Agency, including a pivotal moment standing in Kennedy Space Centre, where the Challenger disaster had first ignited her ambition as a 12-year-old. Her coaching framework, built on the principles of space mission design, is as original as her story. This is a fascinating, inspiring, and deeply practical conversation about visibility, positioning, resilience, and what it really takes to design the career, and life, you want. Key Talking Points
About the Guest Amanda Regan is the founder of Ignite Your Career, a coaching practice helping high-performing mid-career professionals deliberately reposition themselves for what's next. A rocket scientist by training, Amanda spent 20 years at the European Space Agency and the European Commission, leading a multi-million euro space programme before transitioning full-time into coaching. Her Ignite Your Career framework, built on the principles of space mission design, draws on two decades of navigating international, high-stakes environments to help professionals align their skills, visibility, and positioning for the career they're ready for. Find Out More To learn more about Amanda and Ignite Your Career visit: makethejobyours.com To connect with Amanda visit: linkedin.com/in/amanda-regan-link Resources & Links Mentioned
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team — helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better guests. Until next time, keep making progress in practice. | |||
| Season 1: Stop Fearing the Fall: Building an AI-Powered Marketing Platform from the Ground Up with Charles Maloney | 27 mai 2026 | 00:21:55 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Charles Maloney, founder of ClearView — an autonomous sales and marketing intelligence platform designed to automate up to 85% of the manual execution behind SEO, paid ads, and analytics for small and medium-sized businesses. Charles brings a fresh perspective to the podcast as a founder right at the start of his journey — building, raising capital, and refining a product he believes can transform the odds for the 82% of businesses that fail within three years. This is a candid, energising conversation about the messy middle of building something new, why failure is fuel rather than a stop sign, and why human connection will always be the one thing AI can't replace. Key Talking Points
About the Guest Charles Maloney is the founder of ClearView, an autonomous sales and marketing intelligence platform helping SMEs and marketing agencies cut through the noise of digital marketing with data-driven clarity. With over a decade of experience working with founders, startups, and sales teams, Charles built ClearView from a deep frustration with the gap between what marketing agencies promise and what they deliver. Currently at MVP stage with 36 active users and an active investment raise underway, Charles is building a platform he believes will become the go-to marketing brain for businesses that are serious about growth. Find Out More
Resources & Links Mentioned
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team — helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team | |||
| Season 1: Trust Your Gut, Follow Your Love: Building a Luxury Interior Design Business the Unconventional Way with Annie Allison | 20 mai 2026 | 00:23:12 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Annie Allison, founder of Allison & Co — a luxury interior design studio working on high-end residential projects across the UK and Europe. Annie's path into interior design wasn't traditional — it grew organically from creativity, curiosity, and a willingness to follow what she loved. In this warm and honest conversation, she shares the story behind a landmark project in the south of France, the importance of not being afraid to fail, and why planning has become the unexpected cornerstone of her growing business. This is a conversation for any creative founder who's built something beautiful from an unconventional starting point — and is now figuring out how to grow it with the right people and structures around them. Key Talking Points
About the Guest Annie Allison is the founder of Allison & Co, a UK-based luxury interior design studio working on high-end residential projects in the UK and abroad, with an increasing focus on the south of France. Known for a deeply personal, collaborative approach, Annie and her team work closely with clients to create beautiful spaces that reflect individual style, function, and architecture. With a background that spans creative design, project management, and property development, Annie brings a uniquely holistic perspective to every project she takes on. Find Out More
Resources & Links Mentioned
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team — helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team | |||
| Season 1: Doing It Right Since 1998: Fee-Based Financial Planning, Cash Flow Modelling, and the Power of Doing What You Love with Paul Spires | 13 mai 2026 | 00:21:58 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Paul Spires, founder of Sound Financial Planning — a firm he built from the ground up in 1998 with a clear mission: to give clients proper, fee-based financial planning at a time when the rest of the industry was still focused on flogging products. Paul brings 36 years of experience to a conversation that is warm, wise, and packed with practical insight. He talks about the courage it takes to charge what you're worth, the transformative power of lifetime cash flow forecasting for business owners, and why doing the work you love — and delegating everything else — is the foundation of both a great business and a great life. This is a conversation for anyone who wants to build a business that genuinely serves their clients, their team, and themselves. Key Talking Points
About the Guest Paul Spires is the founder of Sound Financial Planning, a fee-based financial planning firm he established in 1998. With over 36 years in financial services, Paul has built a business around deep, meaningful conversations with clients about money and what it means in their lives — using lifetime cash flow modelling to help business owners and individuals plan with clarity and confidence. Sound Financial Planning now serves a close-knit client base of predominantly business owners, with a team of ten, built on referrals, relationships, and a reputation for doing things properly. Find Out More
Resources & Links Mentioned
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team — helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better guests. Until next time, keep making progress in practice. | |||
| Season 1: From Human Robot to AI Pioneer: Cutting Through the Noise on Vertical AI with Chetan Joshi | 06 mai 2026 | 00:25:34 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie sits down with Chetan Joshi, founder of coglateral.ai, a specialist firm helping business owners, entrepreneurs and financial services firms move from AI experimentation to real-world execution. Chetan unpacks the difference between generative AI and vertical AI, explains why most organisations are paralysed by choice rather than by a lack of technology, and shares the seven-step vertical AI A.U.T.O.B.O.T. framework he built to help businesses go from zero to hero on their AI journey. He talks candidly about spending years as a "human robot" in banking, why the smartest thing you can do is build systems that make you redundant, and why the next generation needs to build skills that compound rather than just chase status and money. Key Talking Points
About the Guest Chetan Joshi is the founder of Coglateral AI, working with financial services organisations and entrepreneurs to solve complex business problems using vertical AI. With a career spanning banking operations, technology, and trading, Chetan brings deep practical experience to AI implementation, helping businesses move beyond experimentation to build AI agents that are trained on their own data, integrated into their workflows, and delivering real results. He is also the creator of the Autobot framework, a seven-step methodology for building vertical AI solutions from scratch. To learn more about Chetan and coglateral.ai, visit: www.coglateral.ai To connect with Chetan visit: www.linkedin.com/in/chetannjoshi/ Cogateral AI: www.coglateral.ai Intellimation.ai — ACI framework Rich Dad Poor Dad — Robert Kiyosaki Charlie's AI Masterclass: https://thetrusted.team/the-ai-advance-masterclass/ Ningi CRM — AI-powered financial services CRM: https://ningi.co.uk/
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team — helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better& | |||
| Season 1: Stop Settling, Start Leading: Championing the People Who Run Businesses from the Inside with Michelle Hoskin | 29 avr. 2026 | 00:29:04 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Michelle Hoskin, founder of Standards International and the Business and Operations Management Network, known as BOMS Michelle shares how nearly three decades of working with business owners led her to a bold pivot: walking away from coaching business owners to champion the operations managers, practice managers, and business managers who are the unsung backbone of professional service firms. This is an energetic, honest, and often hilarious conversation about following your gut, finding your people, building a community from scratch, and why the ops manager is simultaneously the most valuable and most neglected person in most businesses. If you run a business with a team, or you are the person holding that business together from behind the scenes, this episode will resonate deeply. Key Talking Points
About the Guest Michelle Hoskin is the founder of Standards International and creator of the Business and Operations Management Network (BOMS)- a fast-growing community dedicated to the people who run professional service businesses from the inside. With nearly 30 years of experience working with business owners, Michelle made a bold pivot to champion operations managers, practice managers, and general managers who are too often overlooked, undervalued, and unsupported. Her community has grown to over 700 members and runs events, retreats, a membership platform, and an annual conference. Find Out More
Resources & Links Mentioned
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team- helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team | |||
| Season 1: Turning Complex Cases into Yeses: Building a Specialist Mortgage Business with Ross Jones | 22 avr. 2026 | 00:20:16 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance. Ross shares how his business was born out of adversity, why he is passionate about helping clients whose income does not fit the standard box, and how specialising in more complex mortgage scenarios has allowed his firm to create real value. This is a candid conversation about entrepreneurship, mistakes, patience, bravery, and the reality that in most businesses, the biggest bottleneck is often the founder themselves. If you are building a business, navigating growth, or trying to create more freedom on your own terms, this episode is packed with practical lessons and honest reflections.
Key Talking Points
About the Guest Ross Jones is the founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance, helping clients secure lending where income or circumstances do not fit standard mortgage criteria. Ross specialises in supporting people with more complex income structures, including limited company directors, contractors, and sports professionals. His businesses are built around creating solutions where others may struggle, helping clients navigate specialist lending with greater confidence and clarity.
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🚀 Resources & Links Mentioned
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team- helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better guests. | |||
| Season 1: Beyond Compliance- Using Your Numbers to Build a Better Business with Steve Price | 15 avr. 2026 | 00:22:53 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Steve Price from Inspire, an accountancy firm with a very different approach. Rather than simply helping business owners stay compliant, Steve and his team focus on helping owner-managed businesses understand, use, and improve their numbers so they can build a business that serves their life, instead of becoming a slave to it. This conversation explores the deeper role accountants can play, the power of mentoring and accountability, and why self-belief, structure, and lifelong learning are such vital ingredients in building a better business. If you want your business to give you more freedom, more clarity, and more control, this episode is full of practical wisdom. Key Talking Points · Why Inspire is focused on a mindset of business owner, not a specific sector · The difference between compliance-led accounting and using numbers to improve a business · Why Steve believes accountants should help improve lives, not just fill in forms · The meaning behind Inspire’s mission: crunching numbers, inspiring business, improving lives · How Steve discovered that business numbers are really about a person’s life, family, and freedom · Building a business to create more flexibility and control · The advice Steve would give his younger self: think who not how · Why mentors, coaches, and outside perspectives can dramatically accelerate progress · The one piece of wisdom Steve would pass on to the next generation: self-belief · Why Steve believes most obstacles come down to time, money, or the stories we tell ourselves · The challenge of maintaining focus and staying accountable to meaningful goals · How accountability is embedded inside Inspire’s culture · Why Steve uses the EOS / Traction system to create structure and momentum · The importance of lifelong learning — not just solving immediate problems, but learning for learning’s sake About the Guest Steve Price is part of Inspire, an accountancy business that helps owner-managed businesses use their numbers to make better decisions, create more freedom, and build businesses that truly serve their owners. Inspire combines strong financial expertise with a coaching-led mindset, helping clients move beyond compliance and into more intentional, strategic business growth. Through its courses and services, Inspire supports business owners who want more clarity, more control, and more from their business. Find Out More Website: https://www.bwp-inspire.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevepricemanchester Resources & Links Mentioned Traction by Gino Wickman which includes The EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) framework Inspire’s Money Freedom Course- visit https://www.bwp-inspire.co.uk Inspire’s Exit Planning Course visit https://www.bwp-inspire.co.uk About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team- helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. | |||
| Season 1: Health, Performance & Longevity: Building a High-Performance Life with Claire Fudge | 10 avr. 2026 | 00:19:16 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Claire Fudge, founder of Fourth Discipline, clinical dietitian, performance nutritionist, and elite athlete. Claire shares how she helps business professionals, founders, and executives who are also athletes optimise their health, nutrition, and performance - not just to feel better, but to compete and thrive for decades to come. This is a conversation about far more than food. Claire opens up about growing up in a family bakery, the work ethic that shaped her, the life-changing accident that forced her to rethink her direction, and how that ultimately led her to build a business helping high performers accelerate both health and results. It is a powerful episode on resilience, asking for help, building a fulfilling life, and staying deeply human in an AI-driven world. Key Talking Points · Who Claire helps: business owners, executives, and professionals who are also serious athletes · Why Claire’s blend of clinical dietetics and sports performance nutrition makes her approach different · The role of food-first nutrition, with supplements used strategically rather than blindly · Growing up in a three-generation family bakery and how that shaped Claire’s work ethic and love of quality food · The moment a serious accident became the catalyst for a new direction · How nutrition became central to Claire’s own recovery and triathlon journey · Combining clinical and sports nutrition to help people unlock performance in both life and sport · Claire’s journey to racing 20 Ironman events and qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona · The advice she would give her younger self: ask for help more often · Her legacy lesson: seek adventure, fun, and the right people · The challenge of demonstrating value in an AI-powered world · Why the answer is not to resist AI, but to use it well while staying deeply human · The power of frameworks in building a clearer, stronger business · Why “Will It Make the Boat Go Faster?” remains such a useful lens for decision-making About the Guest Claire Fudge is the founder of Fourth Discipline, where she helps ambitious professionals and athletes optimise their health, nutrition, and performance. With a unique background as both a clinical dietitian and high-performance sports nutritionist, Claire combines medical expertise with elite-level performance insight. She has worked with Olympic and elite athletes, as well as high-performing business professionals competing in disciplines such as Ironman and ultra-running. Claire’s work is focused on helping people perform at their best now while building the health and capability to keep doing what they love for decades. Find Out More Website: https://www.4thdiscipline.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-fudge-dietitian Resources & Links Mentioned Claire’s free presentation, available via her website and LinkedIn Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? The Trusted Team’s AI Advance course: https://trusted-team.mykajabi.com/offers/FTCFcWzK | |||
| Season 1: Integrity Under Pressure: Navigating Complex Deals & Building Resilient Businesses with Bhavik Shah | 09 avr. 2026 | 00:15:46 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Bhavik Shah, founder of Providus Capital - a specialist in complex, time-sensitive property finance. Bhavik shares how his business supports developers facing challenging situations where traditional funding falls short, and why thinking like a principal (not a lender) creates a powerful competitive edge. This conversation goes deeper than deals. From experiencing insolvency to rebuilding with stronger foundations, Bhavik offers a candid perspective on integrity, resilience, and the importance of staying focused as you scale. If you’re building a business in a complex environment, or simply want to make better decisions under pressure, this episode is packed with hard-earned wisdom. Key Talking Points
About the Guest Bhavik Shah is the founder of Providus Capital, a specialist finance firm working with property developers, operators, and investors facing complex or time-sensitive situations. Providus Capital provides flexible funding solutions, including bridging, mezzanine, equity, and structured finance for deals that fall outside conventional lending criteria. Known for their clarity, speed, and partnership-led approach, Bhavik and his team focus on unlocking opportunities where others see obstacles. Find Out More Website: https://www.providuscapital.co.uk/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bhavikjayendrakumarshah Resources & Links Mentioned
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team- helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team/podcasts Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better guests. Until next time keep making progress in practice. | |||
| Season 1: Stop Being the Bottleneck: Matt Baird on Outsourcing, Optimising, and Getting Your Life Back | 08 avr. 2026 | 00:15:05 | |
In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading sits down with Matt Bird from Accelerate Advisor Solutions to explore what it really takes to grow a professional services business without sacrificing your time, team, or sanity. Matt shares how financial advisers across the UK are reclaiming hours each week by outsourcing and optimising their operations and why the real transformation isn’t just increased profitability, but getting their life back. From navigating self-doubt as a young founder to building a business fuelled by continuous improvement, this episode is packed with practical insights, honest reflections, and lessons you can apply immediately.
Key Talking Points
About the Guest Matt Baird is the founder at Accelerate Advisor Solutions, a UK-based business supporting financial advisers by handling their operational and technical workload. Accelerate acts as an extension of advisory firms, helping them streamline processes, improve efficiency, and ultimately free up time to focus on clients and growth. Their tailored approach, rather than a one-size-fits-all model, has led to rapid growth, industry recognition, and a strong reputation built largely through referrals.
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Resources Mentioned
About the Podcast Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team- helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more. Find out more: https://thetrusted.team/podcasts
Enjoying the Show? If this episode resonated, make sure you follow the podcast and leave a rating and review. It helps more founders discover these conversations and allows us to bring you even better guests.
Until next time keep making progress in practice.
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