Adam Asks We Are Adam

Mark Boler is the founder and CEO of The Mere Gold Resort and Spa. His father bought The Mere Golf and Country Club in 1984, and Mark took over running the business in 1997. Mark spent years developing plans to transform the business into a luxury resort and secured a £15m investment to make his dreams into a reality. The resort opened in March 2012, with Mark selling the business at the start of 2018.

Mark joins Leon Milns for #AdamAsks' first in-person chat since lockdown began to discuss Mark's journey from working for his father's business to overseeing the transformation of the country club into a full resort, and the effect that the journey had on his mental and physical health which led to him heading to rehab.

In this episode, Mark chats all about:

- What it's really like to take on such a large business transformation project

- How his dedication to his business led to a crisis point

- How Mark uses his personal experiences to help others

- The advice that Mark would give his younger self

- Why he believes that people need to become more mindful about their wellbeing

We Are Adam CEO Richard Gahagan is joined by my2be co-Founder Adam Mitcheson, We Are Adam Operations Manager Leanne Scaletta, and copywriter Kimi Wright for a virtual Roundtable discussion about our recently released Whitepaper report, The Future of Work 2020.

The Future of Work 2020 was a partnership between We Are Adam and my2be to investigate the remote working revolution which was accelerated when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived on our doorsteps, the long-term effects that we believe will shape our working lives, and what this means for businesses and their people.

Covering all the topics discussed within the report, the key contributors expand on the research they uncovered whilst creating it, as well as insight and opinions from their own personal experiences. Some of the topics touched on include:

· The positive effects mentoring can have on all parts of a business, from diversity to progression

· Company culture, and the challenges of keeping it alive and well whilst working remotely

· The effects a remote or flexible working policy can have on a business and its employees

· What does a significant shift to remote work mean for the future of the office?

· Employee mental health and wellbeing whilst working remotely

And much more.

Derek Bishop is the Director of Culture Consultancy - experts in business culture, working with the leadership teams of global organisations to deliver sustainable performance improvements. Derek has over twenty years’ experience leading people and delivering results for businesses. As an expert on culture change, Derek returns to the #AdamAsks podcast to talk to Adam co-Founder Leon about the importance of good leadership and company culture as businesses attempt to return to normal over the coming weeks.

In this episode of #AdamAsks, Derek and Leon talk all about:

· The ways in which Derek has seen different company cultures change after such an unprecedented few months

· The risks to company culture in the current climate, and why it is so important to your business

· What business leaders should be doing going forward to help nurture their organisation’s culture and engage their teams

· What the risks and challenges are to an organisation’s culture as workers return to work over the coming weeks and months, and re-integrating teams

· The importance of strong, empathetic, and open leadership as workers return to work

Kelly Gilmour-Grassam is the Director of Making You Content Ltd, a copywriting and content creation agency in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Born in Yorkshire, Kelly is a proud adopted Mancunian who has drawn inspiration from her urban surroundings to create a name for herself and her business.

In this episode of AdamAsks, Kelly talks about how your company’s culture can influence it’s success. She covers:

· How she became a copywriter, how Making You Content came to be, and her journey building her business to become one of Manchester’s best employers

· Advice to aspiring copywriters and business owners

· The business culture that she has created for her employees, how she implemented this, and the benefits it has had for the business

· Where Kelly hopes to take the business in the next few years

· The importance of investing in the personal development and wellbeing of your employees

· The secret of creating great content

Martin Murphy is a former special forces soldier, international adviser and coach to leaders and teams. He’s also a speaker and author with vast experience in forming and leading high performing teams, both in the special forces and in the commercial sector where he trained special project teams worldwide to effectively combat terrorism and narcotics smuggling.

Martin has a unique perspective on what makes great leadership in times of crisis.  At a time of unparalleled crisis for humanity and business alike, he joined us to share his experience and provide advice to business owners.  He covers:


Why, as a species, were not great at responding effectively to challenges which are in the distance
The 4 R's of resilience for leaders in uncertain times
What good leadership in a crisis looks like
What other traits leaders need apart from being 'level headed'
How to empower your team to help your business come out of this stronger
How to slow things down both emotionally and mentally so you can make effective decisions

If you're interested in the topics discussed in this podcast and would like to learn more, Martin is offering a complimentary digital copy of his latest book From Mercenaries to Missionaries.  Email ask@martinmurphy.coach to receive your copy.

Chris Hyland joins us on #AdamAsks to discuss why last 4 years has been a whirlwind of change both personally and professionally.

He shares about his incredible growth journey from a marketing graduate to seeking investors to purchase his thriving agency, 4Ps Marketing. He reveals the unforgiving process of selling his agency as he reflects on the lengthy transition process. Key highlights include:

· The challenges of running an agency

· The culture shock that results from times of huge transformation

· The relentless transition period that preceded the sale

· How change can create uncertainty and discomfort

Chris then discusses how the process impacted him personally. He touches on how scrutinising questions can lead to self-doubt, revealing the candid reality of selling for entrepreneurs at the start of the process and the emptiness that is left behind when the euphoria subsides.

Driven by a passion to tackle the corporate ‘monsters,’ Chris explains why he launched The Happiness Index to improve society. The conversation is embedded with fantastic learnings around:

· How to actively create a culture that prioritises wellbeing;

· The importance of resetting for creativity;

· Simple steps to avoid burning out;

· How a people-centric approach helps businesses attract and retain the best talent;

· Adapting to your people

Chris also recognises that establishing a thriving cultureis a journey and why you should spend time getting your leadership team onboard. He elaborates on how the ‘freedom to be human’ can empower employees to be themselves and offers some poignant advice for those feeling the pressure of stress.

Listeners will finish by reflecting on their own work-life balance and be reminded that “unless you stop – you will break”.