In this episode of Inside the Maverick Mind, Emyr Afan sits down with Dr Julia “Rock” Jones - a neuroscience-led performance and habit specialist who’s spent years helping leaders rethink how they think.

Dr Julia’s work sits at the intersection of brain science, behaviour and high performance. But this isn’t about hacks or hustle. It’s about understanding how the brain actually works - and how small, consistent changes can shape resilience, energy and long-term success.

In this conversation, they explore:

• Why willpower is overrated
• How habits are really formed (and broken)
• The science behind stress, focus and performance
• Why high achievers burn out — and how to prevent it
• What it truly means to build sustainable success

This is a calm, intelligent and deeply practical discussion about performance in the real world - not perfection, but progress.

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💬 Comment below — what habit has made the biggest difference in your life?

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In this episode of Inside the Maverick Mind, Emyr Afan sits down with Simon Powell, one of Wales’ most influential and quietly disruptive tech entrepreneurs.

With more than four decades at the forefront of travel technology, Simon’s story starts in a traditional family travel agency and evolves into building systems that powered thousands of UK travel businesses. Long before “digital transformation” became a buzzword, Simon was solving real-world inefficiencies with practical, scalable tech - and along the way, he’s bought and sold around 20 companies, giving him a rare, deal-tested view of what makes businesses grow, stall, or scale.

In this conversation, Simon opens up about:

• How spotting friction in everyday systems became his superpower

• Building and scaling travel tech businesses before it was fashionable

• Buying and selling companies - what he learned from the wins and the scars

• The mindset required to stay curious and relevant across decades

• Dyslexia, learning differently, and why thinking visually can be an advantage

• Investing in people, not just ideas

• What being a true maverick really means when the spotlight is off

This is not a hype-driven founder story. It’s a thoughtful, grounded exploration of leadership, resilience, and long-term thinking from someone who has genuinely shaped an industry from the inside out.

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💬 Comment below - what part of Simon’s journey struck a chord with you?

#InsideTheMaverickMind #SimonPowell #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #WelshBusiness #TravelTech #MaverickMindset

Picture it: 2006. A twenty‑something at a kitchen table with a battered laptop, a pile of receipts, and an idea most accountants would’ve called ridiculous…

Instead of charging by the hour, she turned accountancy into a subscription — like Netflix, but for tax returns.

That founder is Lucy Cohen, creator of Mazuma. She’s rock‑chic disruptor, not grey‑suit stereotype — and she built a model that became a multi‑million‑pound business helping thousands of small businesses across the country.

Lucy’s also a former Team GB powerlifter, an award‑winning author, a women’s health + mental health campaigner, and (in her own words) someone with raging ADHD.

And yes — she’s been through a lot. She’s also almost lost her life, and what she’s had to fight through (physically and mentally) has shaped how she leads, how she lives, and what she’s building now. We don’t dwell on the details — but we do talk about what it takes to rebuild and keep moving forward when everything changes.

We get into business, ADHD, resilience, identity, and doing success on your terms.

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Get in touch: itmmpodcast@gmail.com
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Inside the Maverick Mind: Aled Miles - From Bridgend to Boardrooms

Join us for an extraordinary conversation with Aled Miles, Welsh-born tech leader who's led Symantec's Norton Division, TeleSign, Source Labs, and now heads IntelliStack. As Welsh Government Envoy to the US, Aled bridges Wales and Silicon Valley.

In this episode:

🔥 Surviving the LA Palisades wildfire - a harrowing account of losing everything and finding humanity

🎯 Leadership lessons from crisis: calmness, consistency, and the power of energy management

🌍 From Bridgend to Boston: How a 16-year-old exchange program shaped a global career

💡 The "diagnosis before strategy" framework that transformed his approach to business

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Why Wales matters in global tech - semiconductors, cybersecurity, and creative industries

🚀 Bold decisions: When to re-platform, when to pivot, and learning from failure

🎤 The power of Welsh storytelling in business and why "follow your passion" is terrible advice

Key Takeaways:

• The CEO as "Chief Energy Officer" - managing energy in yourself, your team, and the market
• From unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence: the leadership journey
• Why differentiation matters more than perfection
• The importance of incremental change over grand gestures