From commercial radio to Cambridge, Dr Mark Bloomfield charts a shift from leading transformation at Global to a portfolio career spanning consulting, board work and teaching at Cambridge Judge Business School. A COVID reset clarified priorities and sparked small, deliberate steps that built momentum, including a simple energy filter for choosing projects.

Mark's 100 people in 100 days practice - meeting with curiosity and no agenda - unlocked opportunities and reinforced that relationships beat credentials. He shares practical ways to track AI for commercial impact without the noise, and the everyday benefits of independence, from school pick ups to greater presence. If you are weighing a move from full time leadership to an independent path, this episode offers clear tactics, realistic expectations and a humane lens on success.

From leading banks to leading conversations in coaching, Andrew D'Arcy shares how he shifted from a high-profile corporate career - including CEO roles at Wesleyan Bank and senior leadership positions at RBS - to building a practice centred on curiosity, leadership, and helping others realise their potential.

Andrew reflects on stepping away from the corporate treadmill, why non-executive roles weren't the right fit, and how he chose to invest in becoming a professionally qualified coach. He talks candidly about the challenges of starting out, the importance of networking with intent, and the surprising lessons he's learned from clients along the way. With honesty and practical insight, Andrew reveals what fulfilment looks like for him today - flexibility, purpose, and the joy of seeing others thrive.

From finance boardrooms to coaching breakthroughs and bare-minimum Mondays, Andy Jones shares how he rewrote the rules of working life after a high-flying corporate career.

Andy reflects on what it took to step away from senior roles at investment banks and financial institutions to build a new life as an executive coach and facilitator. With warmth, humility and humour, he opens up about the moment a coach changed the course of his life, why he returned to the classroom in his fifties, and how a single coffee would kickstart a whole new chapter.

This is a conversation for anyone wondering if, and when, it's time to leap.