What happens when you achieve financial freedom, sell your business and realise that money hasn't given you the happiness you expected?

In this episode of The John Vincent Podcast, LEON founder John Vincent sits down with entrepreneur, investor and HelpBnk founder Simon Squibb to explore the relationship between money, happiness, purpose, mental wellbeing and the courage to pursue your dreams.

Simon shares his extraordinary journey from becoming homeless at 15 after his father's death to building 28 businesses, selling his company Fluid to PwC and achieving financial independence. Yet reaching his financial goals left him questioning his identity, searching for meaning and struggling with a lack of purpose.

Together, John and Simon examine why financial success can leave people feeling unfulfilled, how the fear of failure prevents people from pursuing their ambitions and why developing a sense of purpose can change the way we experience life.

The conversation also explores the psychology of success, the importance of personal growth, the difference between dreams and purpose, and the relationship between meaningful work and mental health.

Can pursuing your dreams improve your mental health? Why do so many successful people feel empty after achieving financial freedom? And what does it really take to build a fulfilling life?

In this episode you'll learn:

◼ Simon Squibb's journey from homelessness at 15 to financial freedom and entrepreneurial success

◼ Why achieving financial independence and selling a business can leave people feeling unfulfilled

◼ The difference between happiness, purpose, personal mastery and pursuing your dreams

◼ How fear of failure, financial pressure and traditional education prevent people from taking risks

◼ Why finding your purpose and helping others can influence mental health and emotional wellbeing

◼ Simon's plans to create a business bank that supports entrepreneurs and funds people's dreams

Key Moments

0:00 Introducing Simon Squibb and his mission to help people achieve their dreams

01:25 Simon reveals plans for a new business bank to fund entrepreneurs

03:31 Why Simon believes the education system needs an alternative

05:11 From homelessness at 15 to building 28 businesses

07:00 Financial freedom, selling Fluid to PwC and losing his sense of purpose

10:22 How Simon's viral social media strategy and dream movement began

13:11 The conversation with his wife that inspired the question, What's Your Dream?

16:21 Why Simon believes so many people in Britain have stopped dreaming

18:00 Understanding the difference between dreams, purpose and personal skills

19:41 Why chasing happiness can leave you feeling unfulfilled

22:44 Simon explains why money and financial success failed to make him happy

26:33 Overcoming fear of failure and why taking risks creates opportunities

29:56 How the Macca Twins turned cleaning into a successful business

34:44 The connection between personal growth, meaningful work and mental wellbeing

35:54 Why helping others creates fulfilment and strengthens communities

39:57 Simon questions John Vincent about selling and returning to LEON

43:36 The hidden responsibilities of fame and having millions of followers

44:45 Simon explains how to start a business without raising investment

48:03 Why Simon believes people deserve access to free business knowledge

50:14 When should you quit your job to pursue your business?

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Mental health problems are rising across generations, but is the way we treat them actually helping people recover?

John Vincent sits down with mental health practitioner Brendan Quinn to examine the realities of psychiatric care, medication and the systems built around mental illness. Drawing on nearly 30 years of experience across nursing, private healthcare and mental health services, Brendan shares what he has learned from working directly with patients and families.

Brendan reflects on his early work with people diagnosed with severe mental health conditions and the powerful effect that nature, space, movement and human connection could have on their wellbeing.

The conversation explores psychiatric medication, institutional care, patient education and the pressures faced by doctors and nurses. Brendan also explains why he believes mental healthcare needs greater innovation and a stronger focus on sleep, nutritious food, relationships, routine, purpose and time outdoors.

In this episode you'll learn:

◼ Brendan Quinn’s 30 years of experience working in mental health and psychiatric care

◼ How nature, movement, food, sleep and human connection can support mental wellbeing

◼ The limitations Brendan sees within conventional psychiatric care and institutional treatment

◼ Psychiatric medication, patient education and informed healthcare decisions

◼ Why innovation within mental health treatment has been difficult to introduce

◼ Social media, smartphones and the mental health of children and teenagers

◼ Supporting young people experiencing anxiety, depression and eating disorders

◼ Why Brendan believes people should become more informed about their own health and treatment

Key Moments

00:00 Why John believes mental health challenges are becoming an epidemic

04:53 Brendan’s childhood in Ireland and his first exposure to mental illness

11:19 Working with severe mental illness and discovering the impact of nature

22:04 Why some people can feel trapped within the mental health system

39:22 Challenging conventional psychiatric care with food, sleep and nature

42:56 Brendan’s vision for a different type of mental health facility

57:25 The personal cost of challenging established healthcare practices

59:21 Working with musicians experiencing addiction and mental health problems

01:16:59 Simplicity, nature and the foundations of better mental wellbeing

01:20:33 Why anxiety, depression and eating disorders are rising among young people

01:21:02 Social media and its impact on childhood and mental health

01:25:12 Phones, pornography, sport and changing childhood behaviour

01:28:43 Creating open conversations about mental health at home

01:30:39 What parents can do when a child is already struggling

01:47:08 Taking greater ownership of your health and questioning the information you receive

01:50:03 Sunshine, nature, relationships and purpose as foundations for mental wellbeing

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What if changing your life didn’t begin with a dramatic overhaul, but with one small decision that made you feel a little more like yourself again?

Actress, bestselling author and WillPowders co-founder Davinia Taylor joins John Vincent for a deeply personal, funny and refreshingly honest conversation about food, energy, behaviour and learning how to listen to your body.

Davinia shares a period in her life when she simply wasn’t treating herself particularly well. She felt tired, flat and disconnected from the energetic person she remembered being. Then something surprisingly simple happened: she tried a Bulletproof-style coffee with MCT oil and felt a shift.

It wasn’t a miraculous transformation. It was the beginning of a cascade.

At the heart of the conversation is a wonderfully simple question: how do we eat like human beings again?

John and Davinia explore why modern life can leave us disconnected from our bodies, why food should be about more than calories, and why sometimes the most powerful changes begin with something incredibly small.

In this episode:

◼ How one small change became the beginning of a much bigger personal transformation

◼ Why Davinia describes her first Bulletproof coffee as a moment of “hope”

◼ The positive cascade from food to walking, movement, music and self-esteem

◼ What Davinia means when she says we should “eat like a human”

◼ Why she believes traditional, recognisable foods can offer a useful guide

◼ Learning to notice which foods leave you satisfied and which make you want more

◼ Why Davinia prefers intuition to obsessing over calories

◼ Meat, vegetables, natural fats, sourdough, potatoes and bringing back the humble stew

◼ The importance of daylight, movement and starting the morning well

◼ Why sleep is one of Davinia’s biggest priorities

◼ The pressure to have the perfect life - and why Davinia has stopped pretending hers is

◼ Connection, self-esteem and finding joy in ordinary life

◼ Why being willing to make one change can sometimes be enough to start

KEY MOMENTS:

0:00 Questioning what we’ve been taught about food

05:26 Why Davinia began challenging modern dietary advice

10:56 Growing up energetic, curious and constantly looking for stimulation

23:58 When food became comfort rather than nourishment

27:38 The Bulletproof coffee that unexpectedly changed something

28:30 “Something shifted” – the beginning of Davinia’s positive cascade

31:59 How walking, music and movement helped bring her confidence back

33:51 Why Davinia still eats bread, potatoes, pastry and proper dinners

45:38 Why meaningful change can start somewhere surprisingly small

56:20 John asks Davinia how to “eat like a human”

58:37 Meat, two veg and bringing back traditional food

01:07:40 Why the way you start your morning can change the rest of your day

01:13:35 Sleep, motherhood and letting go of the perfect-life facade

01:21:10 Why that first dietary change gave Davinia something she had been missing: hope

01:32:08 Whole foods, intuition and asking what your great-grandmother would recognise

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Tony Brown joins John Vincent to share his extraordinary journey from severe depression, a suicide attempt and psychiatric hospitalisation to rebuilding his health, relationships and sense of purpose. Tony recalls being sectioned under the Mental Health Act, receiving 17 courses of electroconvulsive therapy and eventually finding his way out of hospital with help from an old school friend.

After leaving hospital, Tony continued to struggle with his physical and mental health, at one stage taking 24 pills a day while dealing with arthritis, sciatica, a slipped disc and prostate problems. His search for alternatives eventually introduced him to kinesiology and bioresonance, experiences that led him towards the work he now does at Total Body Health in Wimbledon.

The conversation also turns to depression, loneliness, purpose and human connection. Tony shares why meditation, exercise, friendship and asking for help became important parts of his life, while John explores the role of community, nature and face to face conversation in supporting wellbeing.

In this episode you'll learn:

◼ Tony’s suicide attempt, severe depression and psychiatric hospitalisation

◼ His experience of 17 courses of electroconvulsive therapy

◼ Rebuilding his life after leaving psychiatric care

◼ Discovering bioresonance and frequency medicine

◼ Bioresonance, hyperbaric oxygen and red light therapy at Total Body Health

◼ The connection between physical health, emotional wellbeing and lifestyle

◼ Depression, loneliness, friendship and the importance of community

◼ Finding purpose through meditation, exercise, philosophy and human connection

Key Moments:

00:00 Tony Brown’s story and his darkest period

02:00 Christmas Eve 2011, financial collapse and Tony’s suicide attempt

03:40 Psychiatric hospitalisation and 17 courses of ECT

07:11 The old school friend who helped Tony leave hospital

10:08 Rebuilding his life and reconnecting with his future wife

11:30 Living with chronic pain, prostate problems and 24 pills a day

15:09 Tony’s first experience with bioresonance

24:16 Inside Tony’s Total Body Health clinic in Wimbledon

26:41 The clinic’s holistic approach to physical and emotional health

39:10 Client experiences, lifestyle changes and prostate health

43:48 Men’s health, loneliness and why men struggle to talk

46:16 Walking, nature, friendship and community connection

50:14 Supporting recovery through multiple approaches to health

59:12 Depression, mental health and the importance of purpose

1:08:42 Meditation, exercise and Tony’s daily practices

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What if the biggest problem with modern healthcare isn’t a lack of science, but the way science, regulation and commercial incentives are being used?

Dr Robert Verkerk, scientist, ecologist and founder of the Alliance for Natural Health, joins John Vincent for a wide-ranging conversation about natural health, modern medicine, GLP-1 weight loss drugs, personalised healthcare, food as medicine and the future relationship between humans, nature and technology.

Robert’s journey began with ecology and environmental science. His work investigating pesticides, agriculture and chemical exposure eventually led him to explore a much bigger question: if human health is completely dependent on the natural world, why are food, agriculture, nutrition and medicine so often treated as separate systems?

The conversation explores the regulation of vitamins, supplements and natural substances, Robert’s work challenging European legislation, and his belief that healthcare needs to move beyond simply treating disease towards understanding the complex systems that create health. They discuss ivermectin and the COVID-era debate around medical evidence and informed consent, before exploring the difference between randomised controlled trials and real-world clinical evidence, why exceptional patient outcomes should be investigated rather than dismissed, and how personalised medicine could transform healthcare.

The conversation then moves into bioelectricity, biophysics, the vagus nerve, energy medicine, AI, Neuralink and transhumanism, asking perhaps the biggest question of all: do we truly understand what a human being is?

In this episode you'll learn:

◼ How Robert Verkerk went from ecology, agriculture and pesticide research to becoming a leading advocate for natural and integrative health

◼ Why Robert believes soil health, food quality, environmental health and human health cannot be separated

◼ How regulation affects vitamins, supplements, botanicals and natural substances including ashwagandha

◼ Robert’s perspective on GLP-1 drugs, semaglutide, intermittent fasting, muscle loss and long-term metabolic health

◼ Why personalised medicine, continuous glucose monitoring, genetics and individual response could change how we approach nutrition and disease prevention

◼ The difference between randomised controlled trials, clinical evidence, efficacy and real-world effectiveness

◼ Why Robert believes unusual recoveries and medical outliers should be investigated more closely

◼ How bioelectricity, the vagus nerve, biophysics and energy medicine could influence the future of healthcare

◼ The ethical questions surrounding AI, Neuralink, transhumanism and technology becoming increasingly integrated with the human body

◼ Why reconnecting with nature, movement, nutrition, intuition and personal responsibility remain central to Robert’s philosophy of health

Key Moments:

0:00 Natural health, science and the systems shaping modern medicine

03:30 Growing up in Africa and discovering ecology

12:13 Aboriginal culture, pesticides and chemical sensitivity

24:39 Stress, resilience and the health effects of adversity

29:57 Supplement regulation and founding the Alliance for Natural Health

39:34 Drug regulation, GLP-1 weight loss drugs and risk versus benefit

46:38 GLP-1 drugs, fasting, muscle loss and long-term metabolic health

51:57 Ivermectin, COVID and the debate around medical evidence

55:36 From soil health to human health: why food is medicine

1:03:25 AI, Neuralink, transhumanism and human enhancement

1:07:56 Bioelectricity, the vagus nerve and energy medicine

1:23:51 Personalised health, continuous glucose monitoring and genetics

1:30:21 Intuition, happiness and learning to listen to your body

1:35:23 Clinical evidence vs randomised controlled trials

1:50:57 Biophysics, the future of medicine and the question: what is life?

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What happens when a psychedelic experience intended to unlock human potential leads to psychosis, psychiatric hospitalisation and a complete loss of trust in your own mind?

Jonathan Ramalho joins John Vincent to share the extraordinary story behind Beyond The Pill, his exploration of mental health, psychedelics, human potential and recovery. After years exploring human potential, mental health and psychedelics, Jonathan travelled to Guatemala for an ayahuasca retreat. What began as a blissful out of body experience developed into paranoia, frightening hallucinations and what Western medicine would later describe as drug induced psychosis.

Jonathan describes being locked away by the shaman, his family arranging for his sister and her partner to rescue him, returning to London while still feeling unsafe in his mind and body, and eventually spending time in psychiatric care.

The conversation explores his experience with antipsychotic medication, his refusal to define himself through a schizophrenia label, and the practices he believes helped him rebuild his life. Sleep, real food, movement, introspection, nature, hope, personal responsibility and supportive community became central to his recovery.

In this episode you'll learn:

◼ How Jonathan’s search for human potential led him from filmmaking and entrepreneurship into researching mental health and psychedelics

◼ What happened during his ayahuasca retreat in Guatemala and how a blissful psychedelic experience developed into paranoia, disturbing hallucinations and drug induced psychosis

◼ What psychosis felt like from Jonathan’s perspective and why he compares the experience to carrying an invisible psychological weight that nobody else can see

◼ Jonathan’s experience of psychiatric hospitalisation, antipsychotic medication and rebuilding stability after his psychedelic experience

◼ Why he prefers to view his recovery through the idea of post traumatic growth rather than allowing a psychiatric diagnosis to define his identity

◼ The four foundations Jonathan now prioritises for health: sleep, nutrition, movement and mood

◼ The relationship between personal responsibility, mental health, human potential and the systems people live within

Key Moments:

0:00 Jonathan’s story and the search for human potential

8:25 The mental health crisis and exploring psychedelics

11:18 The ayahuasca retreat in Guatemala

14:48 Hallucinations, fear and drug induced psychosis

17:38 Being locked away and rescued by his family

22:43 Returning to London and entering psychiatric care

25:12 Post traumatic growth and rebuilding after psychosis

28:52 Antipsychotic medication and regaining stability

32:44 The four foundations for health: sleep, nutrition, movement and mood

35:41 Biohacking, wearables and learning to listen to your body

41:10 Nature, personal agency and the pressures of modern life

53:15 Community, mental health and would Jonathan recommend ayahuasca?

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Can you use hypnosis to change negative thought patterns, reprogram your subconscious mind and create a more positive life?

Hypnotherapist Glenn Harrold joins John Vincent to explore self-hypnosis, meditation, subconscious programming, childhood trauma, manifestation, abundance, consciousness and the power of the stories we tell ourselves. Glenn shares how a difficult childhood, homelessness, drugs and an unsuccessful music career ultimately led him to clinical hypnotherapy and a career creating hypnosis and meditation recordings used by millions of people.

They examine how childhood experiences can create unconscious beliefs around money, relationships and self-worth, why repetition is central to hypnosis, how to interrupt negative thought cycles, the difference between stage hypnosis and clinical hypnotherapy, and how meditation can help people access intuition and creative thinking.

The conversation also explores manifestation and the law of attraction, gratitude, affirmations, the hypnagogic state between waking and sleep, healing frequencies, abundance mindset and the balance between taking action and allowing life to unfold.

In this episode you'll learn:

◼ How hypnosis and self-hypnosis can be used to change subconscious thought patterns

◼ Why childhood experiences can create lifelong beliefs around money, confidence and self-worth

◼ How Glenn Harrold used hypnotherapy to transform his own life after childhood trauma and addiction

◼ How to recognise and interrupt negative thought cycles before they control your day

◼ The difference between stage hypnosis, clinical hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis

◼ Why repetition, affirmations and subconscious suggestion are central to Glenn's approach

◼ How manifestation, goal setting and an abundance mindset can influence behaviour and opportunity

◼ Why the hypnagogic state before sleep can be a powerful time for meditation and affirmations

Key Moments:

0:00 Self-hypnosis, healing, consciousness and abundance

2:51 396Hz frequencies, meditation and emotional release

6:24 Childhood trauma, homelessness and finding a different path

11:15 From stage hypnosis to clinical hypnotherapy

19:29 How to break negative thought cycles

22:02 Self-hypnosis for stress, decision making and intuition

31:31 Childhood programming and discovering your authentic self

35:36 Money beliefs, subconscious blocks and abundance

40:49 Regression hypnotherapy and an agoraphobia case study

48:17 Stage hypnosis explained: trance, suggestibility and expectation

54:19 How to start using hypnosis and hypnotherapy

58:38 The hypnagogic state, sleep and affirmations

59:50 Manifestation, abundance and changing your life

1:07:17 How to set goals and use manifestation techniques

1:18:48 Manifestation versus action: trust, flow and letting

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What should we actually eat for a longer, healthier life?

Dr Alan Desmond, gastroenterologist and author of What Your Doctor Isn't Telling You About Food, joins John Vincent to examine the evidence behind plant based diets, ultra processed food, dietary fibre, protein, heart disease, obesity, metabolic health and longevity. They explore why health span matters as much as lifespan, why the modern food environment drives chronic disease, what precision nutrition can really tell us, and how GLP 1 medications fit into the future of health.

The conversation also examines the NOVA food classification, nutrition education for doctors, meat consumption, the National Food Strategy and the changes needed to create a healthier food system.

In this episode you'll learn:

◼ Health span versus lifespan and why living longer does not always mean living healthier

◼ How the modern food environment contributes to obesity and chronic disease

◼ Why nutrition science must evolve as new evidence emerges

◼ Precision nutrition and whether personalised diets actually outperform healthy whole food diets

◼ Why ultra processed foods now make up such a large proportion of the UK diet

◼ The debate around meat, low carbohydrate diets and evidence based nutrition

◼ GLP 1 medications, weight loss and the limitations of treating a food environment problem with medication

◼ The National Food Strategy and the case for systemic food reform

Key Moments:

0:00 The global food system and the cost of poor nutrition

1:40 Why nutrition science must keep evolving

2:34 Plant based nutrition and the current scientific consensus

3:00 Lifespan versus health span

8:00 Why obesity cannot be explained by personal responsibility alone

15:32 The 15 conversations everyone should have about food

17:52 Precision nutrition and personalised diets

20:44 Why personalised nutrition performed no better than healthy plant based food

25:56 Eating at LEON and the importance of accessible healthy food

28:06 Why doctors receive so little nutrition education

30:00 Nutrition and medical training

34:00 Diet and heart disease

39:00 Fibre, protein and the foundations of healthy eating

45:00 Why eating more plants matters

56:00 Growing your own food and reconnecting with nature

58:05 How much meat should we actually eat?

1:02:00 The case for a plant predominant diet

1:08:00 Blood sugar spikes and continuous glucose monitors

1:12:13 What ultra processed food actually means

1:14:15 The NOVA classification explained

1:19:00 Why unprocessed does not automatically mean healthy

1:21:45 The debate around diet drinks and artificial sweeteners

1:23:34 The food choices that can improve health

1:37:40 Low carbohydrate diets and the evidence

1:42:17 Food, community and GLP 1 medications

1:50:42 The National Food Strategy and reforming the food system

1:52:54 John Vincent on the School Food Plan

1:55:00 The case for changing how we eat

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