Charity Champions Podcast

Emily Formby
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Learn from inspiring leaders in the Charity Champions Podcast, powered by Charity Recruit. In our podcast, we share powerful stories from charity leaders. We talk to them about their journeys, their passion for the sector, and the challenges they have faced along the way.

  1. Apr 28

    Charity Champions Podcast S02E08: Michelle Baharier, CEO, Cooltan Arts

    Lived experience can be the most powerful foundation for leadership in the charity sector. In our season 2 finale, Michelle Baharier, artist, disability rights advocate and charity founder, shares her journey from the squats of 1980s Brixton to building and running a mental health charity for 25 years, growing it to 24 staff supporting around 3,000 people a year. Her insights highlight the realities of grassroots founding, the structural pressures pushing small charities toward burnout, and why good governance, succession planning and work-life balance matter as much as funding.

    52 min

  2. Apr 14

    Charity Champions Podcast S02E07: Dr June O'Sullivan, Chief Executive, London Early Years Foundation

    Leadership in the charity sector demands resilience, vision, and a commitment to social justice. Dr June O’Sullivan OBE, Chief Executive of the London Early Years Foundation, shares her journey from psychiatric nursing and social work to building one of the UK’s leading childcare social enterprises. Her insights highlight the power of purpose-driven leadership, the importance of community, and why social enterprise models can transform access and fairness in early years education.

    46 min

  3. Mar 31

    Charity Champions Podcast S02E06: Kate Darby, CEO ,Dementia Disco

    In this Charity Champions Podcast, Emily Formby talks with Kate Darby, founder and CEO of Dementia Disco. Kate shares how a deeply personal journey inspired her to create a joyful grassroots movement that brings music, connection, and community to people living with dementia. They explore how grief was transformed into purpose, the challenges of scaling a volunteer‑led idea into a registered charity, and the role of bold branding and technology in building sustainable growth. Kate reflects on the importance of partnerships, the power of lived experience, and her vision for every town in the UK to have its own dementia disco. This is an inspiring conversation about resilience, innovation, and the leadership lessons that help grassroots ideas grow into national impact.

    38 min

  4. Mar 17

    Charity Champions Podcast S02E05: Verity Glasgow, CEO, OnePlusOne

    In this Charity Champions Podcast, Emily Formby talks with Verity Glasgow, CEO of OnePlusOne. Verity shares her journey from frontline service delivery to leading the organisation, reflecting on how lived experience and commitment to mission shaped her path. They discuss the shift from research roots to a digital model, the challenges of sustaining innovative projects in a tough funding climate, and the importance of empowering teams to thrive. This is a thoughtful conversation about leadership, resilience, and the strategies that help charities make a lasting impact.

    43 min

  5. Mar 3

    Charity Champions Podcast S02E04: Monwara Ali, Director, Stow Inspire CIC

    In this episode of the Charity Champions Podcast, Emily Formby speaks with Monwara Ali, a leader whose journey from childhood carer to nationally recognised changemaker embodies resilience, courage, and purposeful leadership.   Monwara shares her remarkable path from growing up in Camden amid racial tensions and family challenges, to studying law and undertaking a harrowing internship with prisoners on death row in South Carolina.   Emily and Monwara explore the realities of stepping into leadership roles at a young age, the importance of mentoring and creating collaborative spaces, and how lived experience can shape advocacy and empowerment work.   This is an inspiring conversation about resilience, justice, and the leadership approaches that drive meaningful change in the UK charity world.   Further Links & Resources: Westminster University Lifetime Achievement Award: https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-u... Monwara Ali’s YouTube Channel:    / @monwaraali   Stow Inspire CIC (founded in 2021): www.stowinspire.com Trailblazer Platform (startup company): www.trailblazerplatform.com Free Newsletter: https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=... FREE Trailblazer Leadership assessment (designed to help you reflect on how you currently lead): https://trailblazerplatform.com/qsm_q...

    51 min

  6. Feb 17

    Charity Champions Podcast S02E03: Will Snell, CEO, Fairness Foundation

    In this episode of the Charity Champions Podcast, Emily Formby speaks with Will Snell, Chief Executive of the Fairness Foundation, about what it means to lead organisations that influence systems rather than deliver services. Will shares his journey from international development to founding and running NGOs focused on social justice, and reflects on the challenges of measuring impact in advocacy work compared to service delivery. He talks openly about the funding pressures facing the “new economy” movement, the importance of building bridges across political divides, and why fairness must be seen as a strategy for long-term societal change. Emily and Will explore the differences between executive and governance leadership, the balance of care and challenge in managing teams, and how the Fairness Foundation is tackling wealth inequality through research, campaigning, and shifting public narratives. This is an insightful conversation about fairness, inequality, and the leadership approaches needed to drive systemic change in the UK charity sector.

    37 min

  7. Feb 3

    Charity Champions Podcast S02E02: Bayo Adelaja, CEO, Do it Now Now

    In this episode of the Charity Champions Podcast, Emily Formby speaks with Bayo Adelaja, founder and CEO of Do it Now Now, about the journey that has reshaped how funding, equality and leadership are understood in the charity sector. Bayo shares how a simple New Year’s resolution sparked the creation of Do it Now Now and how the organisation has since distributed more than £3 million to Black-led charities and social enterprises. She talks openly about the challenges of breaking through systemic barriers, the importance of lived experience in leadership, and why unrestricted funding is vital for sustainability. Emily and Bayo explore what it means to build trust with communities, the role of research and data in driving change, and how moments of crisis from redundancy to the pandemic shaped the organisation’s growth. This is an inspiring conversation about agency, equity and the systems that must change to ensure every voice is heard.

    49 min

  8. Jan 20

    Charity Champions Podcast S02E01: Nicky Wake, Founder, Widowed Collective

    In this episode of the Charity Champions Podcast, Emily Formby speaks with Nicky Wake, founder of The Widowed Collective, about the experiences that reshaped her life and work. Nicky talks candidly about losing her husband Andy, the long years of uncertainty that followed, and the reality of parenting, running a business and surviving grief at the same time. She shares how those years led her away from corporate events and towards building peer-led spaces for widowed people, including Chapter 2 Dating and The Widowed Collective. Emily and Nicky discuss why support from others with lived experience can be life-saving, how community can change the way grief is carried, and what it means to create something meaningful from the hardest period of your life. A powerful and honest conversation about loss, connection and finding a way forward when everything has changed.

    34 min
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About

Learn from inspiring leaders in the Charity Champions Podcast, powered by Charity Recruit. In our podcast, we share powerful stories from charity leaders. We talk to them about their journeys, their passion for the sector, and the challenges they have faced along the way.

Information

  • Creator
    Emily Formby
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Charity Champions Podcast