Inside The Maverick Mind

Send us Fan MailWhat does ADHD look like behind the corporate mask?For Marie Boycott, it meant managing global customers and seven-figure budgets while struggling with everyday tasks at home. Outwardly composed and capable, she relied on notebooks, alarms, lists and longer hours—until those coping systems could no longer carry her.In Episode 33 of Inside the Maverick Mind, Marie shares her experience of corporate life, time away from work and the journey towards an ADHD diagnosis that gave her a different way to understand herself.We explore the hidden cost of looking capable, the gap between professional success and private struggle, and what it means to build a life around how your brain actually works.From downtown Manhattan to Cwmbran in the Welsh valleys, Marie’s story also takes us beyond corporate life to building Kilted Dragon Distillery with her husband, Jamie, and writing the story she spent years hiding.In this episode:• ADHD, corporate life and the pressure to appear in control • The coping strategies that can hide everyday struggles • Mental health and the road to diagnosis • Understanding your strengths without ignoring the challenges • Entrepreneurship, reinvention and building Kilted Dragon DistilleryAn honest conversation about ambition, identity and the person behind the professional mask.Subscribe to Inside the Maverick Mind for more conversations with people who think differently and forge their own paths.What part of Marie’s story resonated with you? Let us know in the comments.Supported by Afango.This episode shares personal experiences and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.#ADHD #AdultADHD #Neurodiversity #InsideTheMaverickMind #MarieBoycott

Send us Fan MailWith the US midterms just days away, this conversation couldn't be more timely. My friend Elliot Berke has spent nearly 30 years in Washington, D.C. advising presidents, guiding House leaders through presidential transitions, and leading the Republican National Lawyers Association. He's also worked with rock legends like Bono, ZZ Top, KISS, Journey, Kid Rock, and Robert Duvall, championed Churchill's legacy by getting his bust into the U.S. Capitol, and fought for artist rights alongside Gene Simmons on Capitol Hill.We first met on Capitol Hill filming with our much-missed friend Mike Peters of The Alarm for Love Hope Strength. Our politics don't always line up, but I've always been struck by how Elliot moves between law, music, and history without losing himself.In this episode, we dig into influence, friendship, what it means to be a maverick inside a rigid system, and how one person can change lives by simply refusing to wait for permission.New episode drops Monday night on the Inside the Maverick Mind YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss it.CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro0:15 - What Grabbed You First: Law, History, or Music?1:24 - Churchill Since Age 132:48 - Wake Forest and Pro Humanitate4:25 - 30 Years in D.C. and the Maverick Mindset7:04 - Republican National Lawyers Association7:05 - The Confirmation Process: What Most People Never See9:55 - Setting Boundaries With Clients11:16 - Choosing Clients and Moral Lines12:38 - How Partisanship Has Changed14:53 - What Could Rebuild Cross-Party Trust16:23 - From Politics to Entertainment Law18:49 - Building a Different Kind of Music Practice19:49 - The Perfect Blend You Don't Plan21:16 - Mike Peters and The Alarm24:39 - Bone Marrow Drives on Capitol Hill29:27 - Mike's Funeral and the Welsh Dipper Bird31:06 - The Alarm in America33:00 - The Gathering in Cardiff35:23 - Churchill and Havel Busts in the U.S. Capitol38:59 - Reagan's Evil Empire Speech in Orlando40:28 - What Churchill and Havel Teach About Leadership41:52 - Speaking at Harrow42:51 - Maverick Maxims47:49 - Defining Maverick Moment: Tom DeLay to Kevin McCarthy50:54 - The Challenge That Taught the Most52:31 - Kennedy Center and Getting KISS the Honor55:16 - Gene Simmons and the American Music Fairness Act56:30 - Legacy and Closing#InsideTheMaverickMind #ElliotBerke #USMidterms #WashingtonDC #Podcast #Politics #Bono #KISS #Churchill #MikePeters #TheAlarm #LoveHopeStrength #KennedyCenter #Maverick

Send us Fan MailFrank Holmes has advised on more than £2.5 billion in mergers, acquisitions, and corporate finance deals. But his most extraordinary chapter wasn't in a boardroom - it was chasing hundreds of millions linked to the mafia, the Vatican, and one of Europe's biggest banking scandals.Born in Havana, raised between revolutionary Cuba, Scotland, and Venezuela, Frank became a chartered accountant almost by accident before finding his calling in corporate finance. He founded Gambit - the UK's oldest independent corporate finance boutique - and has spent 40 years deciding which businesses survive, which opportunities are worth the risk, and which people are worth believing in.In this episode, Frank recounts his role in the Banco Ambrosiano recovery, shares what he learned about power from negotiating with some of the world's most dangerous people, and reveals why he wants ROI on his tombstone instead of RIP.CHAPTERS:0:00 - Cold Open2:51 - From Havana to Venezuela: Childhood in Revolution8:03 - Choosing Swansea for the Surf11:47 - From Oceanography to Accountancy16:56 - Hunting Mafia Millions: The Banco Ambrosiano Story31:17 - Valuing People Over Businesses34:55 - The Maverick Moment: Dyslexia & Creativity36:57 - Leaving the Safe Path: The Management Buyout43:54 - Building Gambit: 30 Years as a Disruptor49:13 - Four Deals: Bluestone, Newport Wafer Fab & Tredz61:09 - Why Wales Underestimates Itself67:51 - Legacy: RIP vs ROI69:17 - Maverick MaximsGuest: Frank Holmes, Founder & Partner at Gambit Corporate FinanceHost: Emyr AfanShow: Inside the Maverick Mind - new episodes every Monday at 6 PM#InsideTheMaverickMind #FrankHolmes #CorporateFinance #BancoAmbrosiano #MaverickMind #WelshBusiness #MergersAndAcquisitions #Podcast

Send us Fan MailHow do you prepare artists to thrive in a world where talent alone isn't enough? In this episode of Inside the Maverick Mind, host Emyr Afan OBE sits down with Professor Helena Gaunt, Principal of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama - one of the world's leading conservatoires - to explore what it really takes to lead creative talent in uncertain times.From a serendipitous start teaching oboe for "a couple of hours a week" at the Guildhall School, Helena's journey has been anything but planned. She spent 25 years reshaping how musicians learn at Guildhall, launched a Creative Entrepreneurs Program that incubated over 40 arts ventures, and since 2018 has led the Royal Welsh College - connecting students with legends like Sir Bryn Terfel, Dame Shirley Bassey, and most recently, Stevie Wonder.In this wide-ranging conversation, Helena shares:🎤 Why conservatoires must turn outwards into society - from hospitals to community venues🎭 How to protect artistic excellence without letting it fossilize💪 The "startup mentality" every young artist needs from day one🫧 What breathing as an oboist taught her about leadership and presence👥 What ensemble performance reveals about collaboration that most workplaces miss👶 Raising five children (including two sets of twins) while running an international institution🧡 Learning Welsh, embracing Welsh culture, and why language is a doorway to belonging🌟 Her maverick moment: welcoming Stevie Wonder to Wales with "Croeso i Gymru"✨ Why perfectionism is the enemy - and what young artists should worry about insteadWhether you're a creative professional, a leader, an educator, or simply curious about what makes excellence and humanity coexist, this episode is packed with insight, warmth, and maverick wisdom.🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with people who don't just master their craft - they rethink how the craft itself works.Guest: Professor Helena Gaunt, Principal of the Royal Welsh College of Music & DramaHost: Emyr Afan OBEShow: Inside the Maverick Mind#InsideTheMaverickMind #HelenaGaunt #RoyalWelshCollege #MusicEducation #CreativeLeadership #Conservatoire #WelshCulture #StevieWonder #ArtsEducation #MaverickMind

Send us Fan MailTitle: The Girl They Underestimated: Inside the Maverick Mind of Jessica ShipmanDescription:She was called "a bit thick." She was labelled an "attention seeker." She was "that girl" in the boardroom. Jessica Shipman was underestimated at every turn, and she refused to shrink.From peeling potatoes in a pub kitchen at 13 to chairing the NatWest Cymru Board, Jessica's story isn't about a valleys girl learning to become corporate. It's about what the corporate world gains when she refuses to become smaller.In this conversation, Jessica opens up about:Growing up neurodiverse in a world that didn't understand herBuilding a jewellery business at 15 and buying gold in the science labThe disastrous haircut that changed her career pathBeing called "that girl" in a client meeting and what it taught herLeading £10 billion of funding supporting WalesWhy she asks "what else?" in every dealRaising neurodiverse children and fighting for acceptanceLiving with an entrepreneur and why they don't work togetherShe didn't climb the ladder and pull it up. She turned around and made it wider.Chapters:00:00 The girl in the green car01:40 "She's a bit thick"04:48 The signature red lipstick07:28 The pub kitchen and peeling potatoes09:12 Buying gold in the science lab11:47 Building a jewellery business at 1513:06 The factory that could have been her prison16:00 University vs the burger van17:16 The disastrous haircut19:49 Running the salon from the reception desk20:53 Miss Wales and learning to pitch22:07 "That girl" in the boardroom26:09 The woman who introduced the smallest version of herself28:09 Confidence is overused. It's about control.30:49 The leaked banking paper32:44 Teaching inclusion34:19 Neurodiversity and the accelerator program36:26 The bank isn't a box. It's an enabler.38:52 "What else?" and the multimillion pound deal41:10 Rebuilding a team from bottom to top43:06 750,000 customers and counting44:23 The Wales Air Ambulance45:32 Meeting Johnny48:05 Maverick Maxims59:15 What the little girl in the green car would think nowSubscribe for more conversations with the people who refuse to fit in the box.#JessicaShipman #NatWestCymru #WomenInLeadership #Neurodiversity #MaverickMind #WalesBusiness #Podcast

Send us Fan MailAt 38, Darren Briggs had to borrow £2.50 from his mother for deodorant before walking to the job centre. He had lost his business, his savings, his relationship - everything. Today, he is the founder and CEO of Ascona Group, a nationwide roadside retail business with 74 forecourts, 910 employees, 350,000+ customers, and over 6 million litres sold every week.This is not a story about petrol. It's a story about resilience, reinvention, and refusing to roll over.Darren takes us through a jaw-dropping journey that spans childhood paper rounds in his parents' newsagent in Milford Haven, a catastrophic business failure that cost him £250,000, a brutal David-vs-Goliath legal battle with a corporate giant that nearly broke him, and the maverick decision to chase high growth when most people would have walked away.From renting a single unloved forecourt in Pembroke to building the UK's seventh-largest independent fuel retailer with £200 million in committed funding - Darren's story proves that rock bottom can be a location without becoming an identity.In this episode:🔹 Growing up in a community newsagent and the three golden rules from his father🔹 Losing everything at 38 - and the £2.50 that changed his mindset🔹 The Costcutter legal war: 18 months of fighting for survival🔹 The maverick moment: deciding high growth was the only way outSurviving COVID when cash dropped from £4 million to £30,000The health wake-up call: losing five stone and a near-death experienceWhat comes next: 100 sites, a Sahara trek, and building on his parents' landKey quote: "Don't be afraid of failure. Be afraid of regret."—📌 Guest: Darren Briggs, Founder & CEO of Ascona Group🎙️ Host: Emyr Afan📺 Show: Inside the Maverick Mind - Ep 28⏱️ Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:36 - From paper rounds to Pam's newsagents04:18 - Three golden rules from his father07:08 - Losing his dad and what it taught him08:09 - The full-pay cancer policy09:30 - Spotting a gap in the market: BigOil.net12:46 - The media venture that went up in flames16:39 - Losing £250,000 and signing on the dole19:39 - Why he didn't declare bankruptcy21:20 - Renting Bush Hill: the first forecourt27:02 - The Costcutter deal that turned toxic38:50 - The bridge moment: hitting rock bottom40:06 - "Costcutter Are Fucking Wankers": renaming the company48:18 - Valentine's Day mediation: drop hands50:24 - The maverick moment: going for high growth54:06 - When Barclays pulled the rug59:06 - Winning Fast Growth 50 - with Barclays as sponsor1:06:35 - COVID: cash down to £30,0001:10:05 - The health crisis: losing five stone1:14:30 - Near-death on the operating table1:16:49 - What a petrol station becomes when petrol isn't the main event1:19:43 - Wales Air Ambulance & giving back1:23:00 - Flying helicopters: the one place he can't multitask1:23:45 - Maverick Maxims1:29:10 - Building on his parents' land: the final chapter1:31:03 - "A maverick is someone who never gives up"🔔 Subscribe for more episodes of Inside the Maverick Mind.💬 What would you have done at Darren's lowest point? Let us know in the comments.👍 Like this episode if it resonated - it helps us reach more people.#InsideTheMaverickMind #DarrenBriggs #AsconaGroup #Entrepreneur #BusinessResilience #PetrolStation #Turnaround #StartupStory #WalesBusiness #MaverickMind

Send us Fan MailBorn with cerebral palsy and deafness. Four days old when doctors said there was nothing more they could do. Bullied at school for her disability. Dropped from a Paralympic relay team an hour before the race. Told by her own parents to walk away from the sport.Livi Breen didn't just keep going. She became a world champion, Commonwealth gold medallist, and captain of Wales.In this episode of Inside the Maverick Mind, we go far beyond the medals to understand the person behind the smile - the family that refused to overprotect her, the twin brother who was her first competitor, and the coach in his 70s who learned to understand her body before he taught her anything.We cover:The meningitis that nearly took her at four days oldDiscovering she could run at a school sports dayLondon 2012 - competing at 16, the false start she didn't hear, and Paralympic bronzeRio 2016 - the heartbreak of being dropped from the relay and how it changed everythingMoving to Loughborough and becoming world champion within ten monthsCoach Aston Moore - patience, honesty, and breaking everything downParis Paralympics - jumping the same distance as bronze and losing on countbackThe Adidas briefs controversy that went viral and changed the rulesCaptaining Wales to gold and silver at the Commonwealth GamesThe psychologist she's worked with since she was 15Why she face-plants after her best jumps - and why she laughs about itHer maverick mindset: "Never say you can't, because you will."This is a conversation about resilience, identity, leadership, and what really sits behind that extraordinary smile.Hosted by Emyr Afan OBENew episodes every Monday at 6pm. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.#InsideTheMaverickMind #LivvyBreen #Paralympics #ParaAthletics #TeamWales #WorldChampion #CommonwealthGames #Resilience #DisabilitySport #AstonMoore #CaptainOfWales

Send us Fan MailIn August 2022, Amar Akhtar stepped off a train in Cardiff with £3,600 in his pocket, £28,000 of debt, and nowhere to live. Nobody would rent him a room.A few years later, he's leading Final Rentals — a company valued at £14 million, operating across 65+ countries and 200+ locations, with a 28-person team spread across 12 countries. Revenue has grown 15-fold in three years. Final Rentals became the only Welsh company on the Sifted 100, and Amar was named Fintech Leader of the Year at the Fintech Awards Wales.But this isn't really a story about car rental or awards. It's about what happens when an outsider keeps building.In this episode, Amar speaks with Emyr Afan about:🇵🇰 Growing up in Pakistan as the eldest of seven siblings💻 Discovering he could code at a young age — and reading 2,000 lines of code in 10 minutes🌍 Moving to Dubai at 19 and stumbling into the car rental industry☁️ Telling a sheikh his servers would become obsolete — and being right🇵🇱 Living in Poland as the only brown person in the room🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳 Why Cardiff felt like home — and became his launchpad🚗 Building the world's first car rental company that doesn't own a single car📈 Scaling through COVID instead of shutting down💰 Why he's building a "zebra," not a unicorn🤝 The 50/50 gender balance in his leadership team📛 Why a top branding agency told him the name "Final Rentals" would fail — and why he kept it anywayGuest: Amar Akhtar, Founder & CEO of Final RentalsHost: Emyr Afan—⏱️ Chapters:00:00 – Introduction01:50 – Welcome, Amar02:00 – The Fintech Awards and a growing trophy cabinet04:30 – Arriving in Cardiff with nothing08:40 – The meaning of the name "Amar"10:30 – Being the eldest of seven13:30 – Faith, Zakat, and wealth as responsibility16:30 – Creating wealth vs. worshiping wealth18:30 – Bringing Amazon mentality to car rental20:30 – Coding in nine languages: a gift from God24:30 – Engineering, MBA, and compulsive problem-solving27:30 – Leaving Pakistan for Dubai31:30 – Finding car rental by accident33:30 – Telling a sheikh the cloud would make his servers obsolete38:30 – Building cloud systems and the origins of Final Rentals41:30 – Poland: the only brown person in the room45:00 – Outsider as competitive advantage47:00 – Building a 50/50 gender-balanced team49:00 – Starting Final Rentals with AED 15,00052:30 – Democratizing car rental for independent operators56:00 – The founder as first salesperson59:00 – Cardiff, Fintech Wales, and the angels who backed him1:01:30 – Surviving COVID and building proprietary AI1:05:30 – What AI really means for business1:08:30 – Amar's maverick moment: coming to Cardiff1:11:00 – The no-deposit revolution1:13:00 – Aled Miles Global Impact Award1:15:30 – What Wales gets right and wrong for entrepreneurs1:23:00 – The Sifted 100: the only Welsh company1:25:00 – Building a zebra, not a unicorn1:28:00 – Studying Rockefeller, JP Morgan, and Ford1:32:00 – Leading a distributed team across 12 countries1:35:00 – The story behind the name "Final Rentals"1:38:30 – Launching in Pakistan from Cardiff1:41:00 – Maverick Maxims: rapid-fire round1:47:30 – Best and worst decisions1:51:00 – "Welcome home, son. We'll make it big."—Subscribe for more episodes of Inside the Maverick Mind.#FinalRentals #AmarAkhtar #Entrepreneurship #Cardiff #Wales #Fintech #CarRental #Startup #MaverickMind #TechFounder

Send us Fan MailLuke Evans grew up in a strict Jehovah's Witness household in the Welsh Valleys, left home at 16 with nothing but a voice and a work ethic, and defied every odd to become a Hollywood leading man. In this episode, Luke opens up about leaving his faith, finding his identity, and the bullying that nearly broke him.From the West End stage to The Hobbit, Fast & Furious, and Beauty and the Beast, to launching his own fashion label BDXY and winning a BAFTA for his Christmas special back home in Wales — Luke has never played it safe. This is a conversation about faith, fear, regret, resilience, and what it really means to be successful.Chapters:0:00 - Intro0:10 - Growing up as a Jehovah's Witness1:52 - Leaving the faith at 165:46 - Being bullied and finding strength9:50 - Breaking into acting13:40 - The agent who changed everything16:40 - Dracula Untold: The moment everything changed21:20 - Coming out in Hollywood28:30 - The BAFTA-winning Christmas special36:40 - Launching BDXY fashion label46:20 - Life with Lala the dog55:50 - Maverick Maxims rapid-fire round1:09:56 - Outro🔔 Subscribe for more episodes of Inside the Maverick Mind#LukeEvans #InsideTheMaverickMind #MaverickMindset #WelshPride #Hollywood #BDXY

Send us Fan MailShe skipped six weeks of school, rang in pretending to be her own mother — and that same school later celebrated her as one of its most successful former pupils.Hayley Parsons OBE didn't follow the system. She built it her way.In this Season 1 finale of Inside the Maverick Mind, Emyr Afan sits down with the founder of GoCompare — one of the most recognisable brands in British business history. Hayley shares the real story behind walking away from a 13-year career at Admiral, launching a comparison site from scratch, taking on Tesco Compare with 6 staff against their 200, and creating one of the most iconic advertising campaigns the UK has ever seen.This conversation is about more than business. It's about instinct, visualisation, reinvention, and the courage to back yourself before anyone else does.In this episode:How she got away with six weeks off school — and what it taught herBuilding Confused.com from a windowless roomWhy she ignored her board and ran the GoCompare opera ad anywayThe phone call from Norwich Union that made them profitable overnightTaking on Tesco — and why they never recoveredSelling GoCompare for £190M and what came nextHer one regret from the exit process"Game on. Challenge accepted."🎙️ Inside the Maverick Mind is back for Season 2 in September.