How It Is

The Compliance Guys
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Welcome to the How It Is Podcast, where we tell you how it is! Dive into the realities of building a business, navigating the auto finance industry, and mastering compliance. We share unfiltered conversations about the highs, the lows, and everything in between—offering insights, tips, and stories from the front lines. Whether you're a business owner, a professional in motor finance, or simply curious about the challenges of a highly regulated industry, this podcast gives you the real deal. No fluff, no filters—just how it is.

  1. Sep 21

    The Brutal Reality of Becoming an Elite Swimmer (Burnout, Boarding School & Sacrifice) - Joel Knight

    Joel Knight shares the reality of life as an elite competitive swimmer, including the pressure of training inside a boarding school system, the hidden financial cost of chasing British and European honours, and the mental toll of pushing his body into overtraining.In this episode, Joel discusses breaking a British age group record and competing at the European Youth Olympics, what daily life was actually like as a swimmer at Millfield, and the moment his training stopped being about performance and started becoming a form of escape.The conversation also explores the tiny technical margins that separate elite swimmers, the lack of recognition and sponsorship compared to sports like Formula One, and how Joel made the transition from competitive athlete to coach and founder of Olympus Swim.What you'll learn:- Joel Knight's journey from a local swimming club to the European Youth Olympics- What training and daily life were really like inside a boarding school swim programme- The hidden financial cost of competing at an elite level, from kit to crowdfunded competitions- How overtraining and burnout crept into his career and changed his relationship with the sport- Why small technical margins not money or sponsorship decide success in swimming- How Joel transitioned from elite athlete to coach and founder of Olympus SwimWhat do you think?Do you think elite swimmers get the recognition and reward they deserve compared to athletes in higher-profile sports?Find more from Joel Knight:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olympus.swim/Website: https://olympus-swim.co.uk/Email: Joel@olympus-swim.co.uk🎧 Listen & Subscribe:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/14YEU0UkAOGpdWbazdZ19WApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-it-is/id1783785566Amazon: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/e12b1c97-e5d0-4d11-8fcd-ca31a0ea12a1/how-it-is

  2. Aug 31

    SAMAs Winning Musician Built a £1.5M Company Using AI - Carina Bruwer

    How does a professional flautist with zero coding experience end up building a £1.5 million software platform using nothing but AI? In this episode of How It Is, John Rex sits down with South African keynote speaker, entrepreneur and open-water swimmer Carina Bruwer to unpack one of the most unlikely career stories we've covered on the show. Carina trained as a classical flautist from childhood, went on to win a SAMA (South African Music Award) with her instrumental crossover band Sterling EQ, and built a successful entertainment booking agency from scratch before rebuilding it from the ground up in just a few months using AI, without writing a single line of code herself. She talks candidly about missing out on her dream orchestra job, watching the 2008 economic crash gut her original software budget, and the fear of failure that still drives her today. She also opens up about her next big challenge: Crossing Africa, a planned series of 30-35km open-water swims around the continent. In this episode: - How a childhood on the flute shaped Carina's discipline and work ethic - Building a South African entertainment agency into a full-service business - Rebuilding a £1.5m platform with AI - Winning a SAMA award with all-female string quartet Sterling EQ - Her next challenge: swimming 30km+ stretches around Africa Find Out More About Carina Bruwer🌐- https://carinabruwer.com/Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@CarinaBruwer/videosInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/carinabruwer 🎧 Listen & Subscribe Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/14YEU0UkAOGpdWbazdZ19W?si=QFJhoDO2Q7CrcYDHiMaMEA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-it-is/id1783785566 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/e12b1c97-e5d0-4d11-8fcd-ca31a0ea12a1/how-it-is

  3. Aug 17

    Swimming through Jellyfish, Hypothermia and Electrocution - Carina Bruwer on Open Water Swimming

    What happens when the thing that nearly killed you is the same thing you go back to, again and again?In this episode of How It Is, South African entrepreneur, endurance swimmer, musician, motivational speaker and mum of three, Carina Bruwer, joins us for a virtual sit-down that goes from open water to open heart from advanced hypothermia and hallucinating the lost city of Atlantis mid-swim, to being electrocuted by a shark shield off Cape Point and stung by a jellyfish that left her temporarily paralysed.Carina talks through the real, human side of pushing the body past what most people would call sensible: the mitigation and precautions that go into every swim, the crew who gave her CPR and wrapped her in silver blankets after a near-fatal swim, and "paradoxical undressing" the strange, little-known final stage of hypothermia most people have never heard of.She also opens up about the swim that changed how she takes risks, the line between settling and potential she's spent her life chasing, and how she's learned to let go of the guilt that comes with being a mother who takes big risks. The conversation moves into what fulfilment actually means to her, why she's stopped chasing "happy," and how she turned her swims including the English Channel and a 21km crossing of the world's most shark-infested bay into fundraising for children with cancer, before Carina shares what her own kids think about it all.Whether you're an endurance athlete, a parent trying to figure out how ambition and guilt coexist, or just curious what it actually feels like to nearly die in the middle of the ocean, this episode makes the case in the most direct way possible: through what really happened.What You'll Learn- What advanced hypothermia actually does to the body and mind, including hallucinations and paradoxical undressing- What it's really like to be stung by a jellyfish mid-swim, and how to keep moving through it- How Karina mitigates the real risks of open water swimming, from shark shields to support crews- Why she's stopped chasing happiness and started chasing fulfilment insteadFind Out More About Carina Bruwer🌐- https://carinabruwer.com/Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@CarinaBruwer/videosInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/carinabruwer🎧 Listen & Subscribe Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/14YEU0UkAOGpdWbazdZ19W?si=QFJhoDO2Q7CrcYDHiMaMEA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-it-is/id1783785566 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/e12b1c97-e5d0-4d11-8fcd-ca31a0ea12a1/how-it-isHave you ever pushed yourself past a limit that scared you? Let us know in the comments.

  4. Aug 3

    What employee benefits should your company have Vicky Jones on Death in Service, Mental Health Cover

    In this episode of How It Is, Vicky Jones from Pegasus Benefits returns to unpack what employee benefits actually do when life goes wrong from a death in service payout that let a colleague's husband keep their house, to the mental health and health cash plan cover most staff don't realise they have.Vicky talks through the real, human side of running a health insurance and employee benefits brokerage: the anxiety clients feel when dealing with insurers, why she benchmarks every client's cover every year without being asked, and the absence-cost calculator she built back in 2009 to prove the return on investment of benefits to sceptical FDs and MDs. She also opens up about losing a member of staff, the death in service benefit that supported her family, and why the business now marks the anniversary in her memory. The conversation moves into the pressures facing younger employees today the cost of living, rising house prices, and the mental health support gap at work before Vicky shares what's next for her business and the marketing pivot she almost didn't make.Whether you're a business owner weighing up employee benefits for the first time, an HR or finance lead trying to build the case for cover, or just curious what a death in service payout actually means for a family, this episode makes the case in the most direct way possible: through what really happened. What You'll Learn : What a death in service benefit actually pays out and what it meant for one family Why mental health support at work matters more than most benefits packages let on How Vicky benchmarks and retains clients without them ever having to ask What health cash plans (like Medicash) actually cover, from glasses to dental Why younger employees are facing a different set of pressures cost of living, housing, job security Employee Benefits Checklist Straight from the episode what Vicky says a well-covered company actually has in place:Death in service a lump-sum payout (typically a multiple of salary) if an employee dies while employed. Find Out More About Vicky Jones 🌐 https://www.pegasushealth.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-jones-%E2%9D%A4%EF%B8%8F-employee-health-specialist/ 🎧 Listen & Subscribe Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/14YEU0UkAOGpdWbazdZ19W?si=QFJhoDO2Q7CrcYDHiMaMEA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-it-is/id1783785566 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/e12b1c97-e5d0-4d11-8fcd-ca31a0ea12a1/how-it-is Have you or your business ever been supported by a benefit you didn't expect to need? Let us know in the comments.

  5. Jul 20

    FCA Interview Advice (And Why You Shouldn't Use AI for Your Application) - Compliance Officer

    Applying for an FCA licence? Before you start your own application, meet the person who's helped hundreds of independent car dealers get through theirs.In this episode of How It Is, we sit down with Jade, a compliance officer at The Compliance Guys, who joined the company nearly four years ago with zero compliance background and a CV full of hospitality jobs.She walks us through why almost no car dealer can realistically complete their own FCA application, what it actually involves behind the paperwork, and the two mistakes she sees costing people their licence using AI to write their application, and talking too much in their competency interview.You'll hear:- Why the FCA expects independent dealers to write documents like a university graduate and why that's the real barrier for 90% of applicants- The five things every limited permission application needs, including the £5,000 minimum capital requirement most people don't know about- Why using AI or ChatGPT to write your policies could get your application rejected outright- What actually happens in an FCA competency interview, and the one instinct you need to fight to get through itWhether you're a car dealer weighing up your own FCA application, already mid-process and feeling overwhelmed, or just curious what goes on behind the scenes of getting licensed, this episode pulls back the curtain from someone who deals with it every single day.Need help with your FCA application?The Compliance Guys support independent car dealers through every stage of the FCA licensing process, from the initial application to the competency interview and beyond.👉 Need help with your FCA application? Click here: https://thecomplianceguys.co.uk/services/fca-authorisation/👉 Book a consultation: https://thecomplianceguys.co.uk/contact-us/👉 Get in touch: sales@thecomplianceguys.co.uk | 01792 926 040👉 Visit our website: https://thecomplianceguys.co.uk/Follow us:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecomplianceguysukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecomplianceguysukLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thecomplianceguys/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecomplianceguys

  6. Jul 6

    How She Scored Clients Like Hugo Boss | Vicky Jones, Pegasus Benefits

    Vicky Jones shares the reality of building an insurance and employee benefits business from nothing, including redundancy, financial hardship, and the imposter syndrome that comes with working alongside global brands.In this episode, Vicky discusses starting her career on a factory floor at 16, the redundancies that pushed her into self-employment, and surviving on £73 a week Job Seekers Allowance in her first year of business. The conversation also explores how she landed clients like Hugo Boss, the mental resilience required to keep going when failure isn't an option, and why ambition and self-doubt so often sit side by side.What you'll learn:- Vicky Jones's journey from factory floor to founding Pegasus Benefits- How she survived redundancy and building a business with zero investment- The reality of imposter syndrome, even when working with major global brands- How she landed clients like Hugo Boss- How to build resilience and keep going when quitting isn't an optionFind more from Vicky Jones:https://www.pegasushealth.uk/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-jones-%E2%9D%A4%EF%B8%8F-employee-health-specialist/🎧 Listen & Subscribe:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/14YEU0UkAOGpdWbazdZ19W?si=QFJhoDO2Q7CrcYDHiMaMEAApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-it-is/id1783785566Amazon: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/e12b1c97-e5d0-4d11-8fcd-ca31a0ea12a1/how-it-is

  7. Jun 22

    From Pizza Hut to FCA Compliance Officer: Jade's Journey

    Applying for an FCA licence? Before you start your own application, meet the person who's helped hundreds of independent car dealers get through theirs. In this episode of How It Is, we sit down with Jade, a compliance officer at The Compliance Guys, who joined the company nearly four years ago with zero compliance background and a CV full of hospitality jobs. She walks us through her unlikely path into the world of FCA compliance, how dramatically the FCA application and competency interview process has changed since she started, and what actually separates the applicants who get licensed from the ones who don't. You'll hear: - Why almost no one passes the FCA competency interview without proper compliance support - How the application process has shifted over the last four years, and why it keeps getting harder - What FCA case officers are really listening for when they ask their toughest questions - How Jade went from working in hospitality to becoming one of the most trusted names in the compliance industry, the kind clients mention by name in their reviews. Whether you're a car dealer weighing up your own FCA application, already mid-process and feeling overwhelmed, or just curious what goes on behind the scenes of getting licensed, this episode pulls back the curtain from someone who deals with it every single day. Need help with your FCA application? The Compliance Guys support independent car dealers through every stage of the FCA licensing process, from the initial application to the competency interview and beyond.👉 Need help with your FCA application? Click here: https://thecomplianceguys.co.uk/services/fca-authorisation/👉 Book a consultation: https://thecomplianceguys.co.uk/contact-us/ 👉 Get in touch: sales@thecomplianceguys.co.uk | 01792 926 040 👉 Visit our website: https://thecomplianceguys.co.uk/ Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecomplianceguysuk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecomplianceguysuk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thecomplianceguys/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecomplianceguys

  8. Jun 8

    The Truth About Ozempic, GLP-1 and Whether Supplements Are Worth It | Dan Morgan

    In this episode of How It Is Podcast, personal trainer and nutrition coach Dan from EAT PT gives us the honest unfiltered truth about weight loss jabs, supplements, and long term body change. Dan breaks down how Ozempic, Mounjaro, and the latest GLP-1 drugs actually work at a scientific level, shares real client transformation stories, and talks openly about the emerging risks around muscle loss, mobility, and osteoporosis that not enough people are discussing. He also tears apart the supplement industry, explains what is actually worth your money, and shares the mindset work including hypnotherapy that sits behind real sustainable change. What You Will Learn How Ozempic, Mounjaro, and GLP-1 drugs actually work and what makes each generation different. Why using weight loss jabs without resistance training and proper nutrition is where it all goes wrong. The real client story of a woman who lost 40 kilos and kept it off after coming off Ozempic entirely. The emerging risks around muscle loss, mobility, and osteoporosis most people have never been told about. Which supplements are actually worth your money and which ones are a complete waste. How to structure your nutrition so that supplements actually do something. The mindset and habit work that creates real sustainable change long term. No fluff, no agenda. Just honest conversation from someone who knows his stuff. Follow Dan at EAT PT: https://www.instagram.com/eat_pt/

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About

Welcome to the How It Is Podcast, where we tell you how it is! Dive into the realities of building a business, navigating the auto finance industry, and mastering compliance. We share unfiltered conversations about the highs, the lows, and everything in between—offering insights, tips, and stories from the front lines. Whether you're a business owner, a professional in motor finance, or simply curious about the challenges of a highly regulated industry, this podcast gives you the real deal. No fluff, no filters—just how it is.

Information

  • Creator
    The Compliance Guys
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Compliance Guys
  • Show Website
    How It Is

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