This week Alberto sat down with Richard Mullender, the renowned former hostage negotiator and communication expert, to unpack what communication really is, why most people do it badly, and how better listening can transform negotiation, trust, persuasion, leadership, and relationships.

Richard spent decades in policing, with the final part of his career leading Scotland Yard's hostage and crisis negotiation, where the stakes were often life and death. In this conversation, he explains why negotiation is not really about talking more or sounding clever, but about understanding what the other person values, what they are feeling, what they are motivated by, and why they believe they are right.

He challenges some of the most common myths people still believe, including the idea that body language can reliably reveal truth, that asking more questions automatically makes you a better listener, and that great negotiation starts when the formal negotiation begins. According to Richard, trust starts much earlier, and the people who influence best are often the people who understand best.

You will learn

• Why most people think they are listening, but are actually just waiting to talk
• Why body language can mislead you, and what to focus on instead
• How trust is built before a negotiation even begins
• The six things Richard says you should listen for in every important conversation
• Why everyone believes they are right, and how understanding that changes everything
• How to negotiate better at work, at home, and in high pressure situations

Follow Richard & The Listening Institute:

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-mullender-1b427910/⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-listening-institute/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/listeninginstitute/⁠

⁠https://listeninginstitute.com/richard-mullender/⁠

Get Richard's books: ⁠Amazon⁠

#podcast #negotiation #listening #communication #mindset #selfimprovement #thrivingmindspodcast

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This week Alberto sat down with Oliver Cookson, the renowned founder of Myprotein, the world’s #1 supplement brand, serial entrepreneur, author, and one of the UK’s most compelling self-made business builders, to unpack how he went from humble beginnings in Manchester to building one of the most recognised names in sports nutrition.

Oliver’s story breaks almost every rule people think success requires. He did not go to university, did not raise outside funding, and did not build Myprotein with a polished business plan or a big support network. He started with a £500 overdraft, built the first products himself, packed orders around a full-time job, and slowly turned a kitchen operation into a global business.

In this conversation, Oliver explains how curiosity first led him to question what was really inside protein powder, why he believed he could build and sell a better version online, and how obsessive execution, discipline, and self-belief became the foundation of everything that followed.

He also shares the reality of scaling without investors, the importance of hiring people who cover your weaknesses, the emotional toughness required to keep going, and why entrepreneurship is often far lonelier than people realise.

You will learn

• How Oliver built Myprotein from a £500 overdraft, with no degree, no investors, and no safety net
• Why execution matters more than credentials, and how to start before you feel ready
• How to scale a consumer business through lean cash flow, referrals, and smart direct-to-consumer marketing
• What great hiring really looks like, and why your senior team should cover your weaknesses
• Why entrepreneurship is mentally hard, emotionally lonely, and still worth it if the mission is real
• What money does and does not solve, after building and selling major businesses

Follow Oliver:

IG: ⁠mrolivercookson⁠

X: ⁠olivercookson⁠

Buy Oliver's book:

⁠Bootstrap Your Life: How to Turn £500 into £350 Million⁠

#entrepreneurship #businessstory #startupjourney #founderstory #mindset #selfgrowth #successmindset #motivation #myprotein #businesstips #hustle #resilience #podcastclips #growthmindset #startupadvice #myprotein

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This week Alberto sat down with Georgie Coleridge Cole, the renowned founder and CEO of SheerLuxe, one of the UK’s most influential digital media brands, to unpack the real story behind building a business that shaped modern online publishing and recently reached a major acquisition milestone.

Georgie started SheerLuxe in 2007, after spotting a clear gap in the market, a trusted destination that could help people discover the best places to shop online at a time when ecommerce was still in its early stages.

What began as a simple but sharp idea evolved into a powerful modern media brand built on great content, trusted voices, first party audience, and commercial discipline.

In this conversation, Georgie shares the full journey, from her early ambition and fascination with working women, to writing the business plan with her husband, raising a relatively small amount of capital, building the first version of the platform, and learning how to not only survive but thrive through nearly two decades of change in digital media.

She explains why great businesses are built through constant adaptation, why curiosity is one of the most underrated entrepreneurial traits, and why content, people, and audience became the three pillars behind SheerLuxe success.

You will learn:

• How Georgie turned a simple market insight into one of the UK’s most recognised lifestyle media brands

• Why content, people, and audience became the core pillars of SheerLuxe’s growth

• How to build an audience, why trust is the most valuable asset in media and how to build it

• What great hiring and team building really looks like inside a fast moving founder led company

• What it feels like to sell a business for millions and millions

• Why commercial savvy is one of the most important life skills, whether you are an entrepreneur or not and how to craft it

Follow Georgie

https://www.instagram.com/gcoleridgecole/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiecoleridgecole/

Follow SheerLuxe

http://www.youtube.com/@sheerluxe

https://www.instagram.com/sheerluxe/

https://www.tiktok.com/@sheerluxe

https://uk.pinterest.com/sheerluxe/

#podcast #entrepreneurship #startupstory #businessjourney #founderstory #ecommerce #contentstrategy #mindset #workethic #leadership #thrivingminds

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.