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Inspiring Leadership

Inspiring Leadership is a podcast produced by gunnercooke llp, the professional services firm that has changed the landscape for legal and consultancy services in the 21st century. Whether you are leading the village hall committee or leading the largest organisation in the World or leading yourself, leadership is everything. Leadership begins with your own self – discipline. Your own focus. Leadership brings followers. Without followers, you are simply going for a stroll. Leadership provides vision and leaves legacies. To be a leader you need to be the change that you want to be. Leaders change lives and move societies. In these podcasts, we will learn from the best, the very best. Recipes for success, behaviours to model and practical tips from some of our best business leaders, our most successful coaches and the World’s leading thought leaders.

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Aug 12

Author Sophie Calon in Conversation with Nacoa’s Piers Henrique: Growing up around addiction and breaking the silence at work

What happens when addiction hides in plain sight?   In this moving episode, Darryl Cooke is joined by author Sophie Calon and Dr Piers Henriques from Nacoa, the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, in a conversation chaired by Dr Zoe Lambert.   In this discussion, Sophie reads from her moving debut memoir Long Going, […]

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May 29

Professor Geoffrey Jones: The Body Shop, Cadbury and the leadership paradox behind every brand

What does it really mean to lead a “deeply responsible” business?  In this eye-opening episode, Darryl Cooke speaks with Professor Geoffrey Jones of Harvard Business School, a global authority on business history and values-driven leadership.  Geoffrey’s book, Deeply Responsible Business, explores the rare but remarkable leaders who have built profitable companies without compromising their values. […]

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Apr 29

Susannah Hardyman MBE: From tutor to CEO, how one social impact idea turned into a national education campaign

What if the key to changing a young person’s life is giving your time and not your money? Susannah Hardyman MBE reveals how a simple volunteering idea transformed futures for more than 6000 children. Susannah is CEO of Impetus, a leading impact funder that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to get the education, qualifications, […]

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Apr 01

Why Inspiring Leadership Matters More Than Ever

The Inspiring Leadership Podcast returns for 2025. Host Darryl Cooke, founder of gunnercooke, sets the tone for a year of bold thinking and unique insights into leadership. As the world continues to shift, Darryl asks the necessary questions:  Reflecting on the evolution of the podcast and his leadership journey, Darryl explores the urgent need for […]

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Oct 04

The Happiness Formula: Jake Humphrey on Leadership, High Performance, Resilience and Success

“I’ve spent the last 20 or 25 years seeing resilient people outperform talented people by a rate of 100 to 1… Just because something is hard for you, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad for you.” — Jake Humphrey. What is optimum performance? How do winners get to the top and stay there? Is vulnerability an […]

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Mar 05

Is culture really that important? With James Timpson

In this episode, Darryl is joined by James Timpson, CEO of Timpson Group, since 2002 and the fifth generation of his family to hold the role. James is passionate about advocating for the employment of ex-offenders and is the Chair of the Prison Reform Trust. He is also a former Trustee for the Tate and […]

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Dec 11

Is failing important for the growth of a company? With Joanna Swash

In this episode, Darryl Cooke and Sir Peter Fahy are joined by Joanna Swash, a Welsh businesswoman, keynote speaker, and business mentor. She is the group-CEO of Wrexham-based Moneypenny, a company she joined as the first salesperson in 2005. Moneypenny is a leading provider of outsourced customer service functions for companies. In 2021 she was […]

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Nov 06

How important is ‘wokeness’ in leadership? With Jürgen Maier

In this episode, Darryl and Peter are joined by Jürgen Maier. Jürgen is the former Chief Executive of Siemens UK, a position he held from July 2014 to December 2019. Currently, Jürgen is the co-founder of vocL (a platform for responsible business founders) and the Chair of the Digital Catapult (the UK authority on advanced […]

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Oct 30

Is it your responsibility to make yourself happy?

In this short of the Inspiring Leadership podcast, Darryl dives into the importance of taking personal responsibility. A series of motivating short stories explore the links between personal responsibility and happiness. Quoting established authors, sporting greats and even an anecdote about why a personal friend, to a room of 400 people said, “My wife doesn’t […]

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