Brilliance Talks

Simac Konkader
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

As a CEO or founder, you’re constantly solving problems—breaking through growth plateaus, managing a growing team, and trying to scale without losing control. That’s where Brilliance Talks comes in. Brilliance Talks is where we help business leaders scale with clarity, confidence, and freedom. Each episode is packed with practical strategies you can apply right away—no fluff, no buzzwords, just real insights that drive results. ⬇ Follow Us On Socials ⬇ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simac.konkader/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simac-konkader

  1. 3d ago

    Working 75 Hours a Week? Your Business Has a Bigger Problem

    How many hours are you working every week? If the answer is 60, 70 or even 75 hours, you might not have a workload problem. You might have a founder dependency problem. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader speaks with leadership coach Katharine Halpin about why founders become the bottleneck in their own businesses. Katharine has spent nearly three decades helping founders and leadership teams solve three invisible problems including founder dependency, c-suite misalignment, and reactive operations She explains why most businesses don't actually have a strategy problem, they have a leadership problem. 📝 Show Notes: 04:49 The Leadership Lesson Katharine Learned From Her Father 06:43 Why Katharine Took the Risk to Become a Coach 08:48 What's Harder: Getting Clients or Keeping Them? 09:09 Why Many Coaches Fail 11:02 Why We're More Reactive Than Ever 13:32 How to Respond Instead of React 16:22 What Founder Dependency Actually Looks Like 18:33 What C-Suite Misalignment Looks Like 20:28 The Warning Signs of Founder Dependency 23:41 How Founders Can Recognise They're the Constraint 25:23 What to Do When You Feel Overwhelmed 26:52 Katharine's Favourite Question: "At What Cost?" 28:00 One Question Every Founder Should Ask Their Team Respond, Not React Playbook: https://www.amazon.com/Respond-React-Playbook-Katharine-Halpin-ebook/dp/B0786JVWSN Alignment for Success: Bringing Out the Best in Yourself, Your Teams, and Your Company: https://www.amazon.com/Alignment-Success-Bringing-Yourself-Company-ebook/dp/B00RI5QJW8 About Guests: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharinehalpin/ Website: https://www.HalpinCompanies.com Connect with us: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/simac-konkader Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simac.konkader/

    Working 75 Hours a Week? Your Business Has a Bigger Problem

  2. Sep 8

    AI Filmmaking: The Future of Film, Creativity & the Creator Economy

    Mark Forstater has spent more than six decades in the film industry. After helping produce Monty Python and the Holy Grail, he went on to experience both major successes and failures, learning what makes a story last and what causes one to disappear. Now he's applying those lessons to AI filmmaking, Unreal Engine and the creator economy. 📝 Show Notes: 00:00 AI Filmmaking Is Changing Who Gets to Create 02:45 The Story Behind Monty Python's Unexpected Success 05:32 What Film Failure Can Teach You 06:37 Why the Script Is Everything 12:37 What Businesses Can Learn From Storytelling 13:19 Why Mark Bet on Unreal Engine and AI 14:24 How AI Filmmaking Could Democratise Creativity 18:41 AI Has No Heart, Spirit or Soul 19:09 The Future of the Creator Economy 22:32 Why Building the Right Team Matters 28:30 The Future of AI Filmmaking About Guests: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-forstater-531210/ Website: https://www.dreambird.co/ Connect with us: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/simac-konkader Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simac.konkader/

    AI Filmmaking: The Future of Film, Creativity & the Creator Economy

  3. Sep 1

    AI Agents Will Change Jobs Forever - The Future of Work

    AI agents are moving beyond chat, they're beginning to execute real work. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Xena Ugrinsky explores what happens when AI agents become digital co-workers inside modern businesses. After two decades working with major organisations including KPMG and Booz Allen, Xena has shifted her focus toward agentic AI, building systems designed to execute workflows across enterprise platforms. Xena also shares her thoughts on AI hallucinations, human-in-the-loop guardrails, vendor lock-in, token costs, enterprise adoption, education and why the next generation of graduates may need to enter the workforce with a much higher level of competency. If you're trying to understand AI agents and what they mean for businesses, employees and the future of work, this episode is worth a listen. 📝 Show Notes: 01:07 Scaling a $20M Business to $117M with Machine Learning 04:00 AI Agents: Faster Humans or Something Completely Different? 06:59 The Future of Business at the Speed of Compute 08:35 AI Agents Inside SAP, Oracle & Slack 09:45 How Do You Stop AI Agents From Hallucinating? 11:14 The Hidden Cost of AI Vendor Lock-In 12:07 Will AI Token Costs Go Up or Down? 14:40 What Jobs Will Disappear First Because of Agentic AI? 15:40 Will Universities Keep Up With AI? 17:41 Do Technical Founders Make the Worst First Sales Hires? 18:04 Adomo’s Vision: The Brain of Humanoid Robots About Guests: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xenaugrinsky/ Website: https://adomo.ai Connect with us: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/simac-konkader Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simac.konkader/

    AI Agents Will Change Jobs Forever - The Future of Work

  4. Aug 25

    Why UX Design Matters More Than Adding More Features

    What happens when a UX designer turns a freelance career into a global, fully remote agency? In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Marie Whittington, founder of Pepperplane, shares the lessons behind nine years of building a UX business across fintech, healthcare, security and technology. We talk about the transition from freelancer to founder, building a remote team, systemising a creative business, founder-led sales, and what happens when the founder becomes the bottleneck. Marie also shares her perspective on UX Design in the age of AI, why designers are becoming builders, why AI could raise the standard of digital experiences, and why human creativity still has an important role to play. If you're a founder, product leader, designer, or someone building a technology business, this conversation is packed with practical lessons about UX Design, growth, systems, leadership, and AI. 📝 Show Notes: 02:23 Why UX matters to customer experience 05:59 Advice for making the leap into entrepreneurship 13:28 Using design thinking to systemise the business 16:35 When Marie realised she was the sales bottleneck 21:50 The biggest misconception founders have about UX 25:56 Will AI replace creativity? About Guests: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariewhittington/ Website: http://www.pepperplane.comt Connect with us: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/simac-konkader Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simac.konkader/

    Why UX Design Matters More Than Adding More Features

  5. Aug 18

    Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better: The Truth About Sports Sustainability

    Sports sustainability isn't just about being environmentally responsible. It's about building stronger organisations, making better decisions and creating long-term strategic value. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with Pierluigi Zacheo, a strategic advisor specialising in sustainability, governance, climate resilience and social impact for sports organisations. Pierluigi's entrepreneurial journey began unexpectedly after the 2008 financial crisis left him facing hundreds of rejected CVs. Instead of giving up, he reinvented his positioning and eventually helped shape international sustainability standards for the sports and events industry. In this conversation, we explore sports sustainability, leadership, entrepreneurship, strategy, credibility, and why sometimes bigger really isn't better. Pierluigi also shares the biggest lie CEOs tell themselves, why "I can do everything" can become a dangerous leadership mindset, and why independent advisors have a responsibility to tell clients the bloody truth. 📝 Show Notes: 03:38 What 400 Rejected CVs Taught Him About Positioning 07:16 The “Forest” Model: Building a Network Instead of a Company 11:07 Why Your Job Isn’t to Be Liked 15:39 The Question That Exposes a Weak Strategy 19:08 Working With Formula E, NBA & The Olympics 22:33 Why Credibility Beats Everything About Guests: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierluigizacheo/ Website: http://www.mystadium.net Connect with us: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/simac-konkader Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simac.konkader/

    Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better: The Truth About Sports Sustainability

  6. Aug 11

    Building an Award-Winning Project Controls Business - Dale Foong

    What if the biggest problem in your business isn't a lack of data, but a lack of insight? In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Dale Foong explains why Project Controls is one of the most misunderstood disciplines in business and how it helps leaders make better decisions. From moving to the UK with no long-term plan to helping build Movar into an award-winning consultancy working with major organisations, Dale shares lessons on entrepreneurship, growth, leadership, AI, innovation and scaling a business. Whether you're a founder, project manager or business leader, you'll learn how to turn information into action and build a business that lasts. 📝 Show Notes: 01:06 How Dale Accidentally Entered Project Controls 02:36 Building a Network in a New Country 06:49 Project Controls Explained in Simple Terms 08:17 When a Career Became a Business 11:46 Advice for Founders: Cash Reserves & Growth 15:35 Winning Global Innovation Awards 17:05 Why Awards Matter for Businesses 21:39 Movar's Five Core Values (IDEAL) 23:08 Why Most Companies Waste Their Data 28:49 The Future of Movar 29:07 Robotics in Construction About Guests: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalefoong/ Website: http://www.movar.group Connect with us: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/simac-konkader Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simac.konkader/

    Building an Award-Winning Project Controls Business - Dale Foong

  7. Aug 4

    Emotional Intelligence For CEOs: The Truth Elite Leaders Never Admit

    Emotional Intelligence For CEOs is what separates leaders who burn out from leaders who last. In this episode, Dov Baron, the coach elite CEOs, political figures, and top performers call when success stops working, joins host Simac Konkader to unpack the hidden emotional patterns driving high achievers, why founders keep reaching for "more" instead of "meaning," and why the future of work is human, not AI. A raw, unfiltered conversation on trauma, truth, and what it really takes to lead at the top. 📝 Show Notes: 02:33 "What's next" vs. "what's more" 04:11 The CEO who had everything but felt empty 17:14 Finding the "emotional source code" fast 19:03 The compartmentalized boss 21:45 Why "fitting in" at work is dead 26:43 Terrified of losing your edge 41:16 AI is our child 47:02 Where AI fails in customer service 51:08 Deciding what stays human 58:12 When a client starts to hate you 1:03:31 Dov's own fall and breaking point 1:19:06 One sentence every founder needs to hear 1:26:35 Pain isn't real until it's personal About Guests: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dovbaron/ Website: http://www.DovBaron.com Connect with us: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/simac-konkader Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simac.konkader/

    Emotional Intelligence For CEOs: The Truth Elite Leaders Never Admit

  8. Jul 28

    He Started With Brown Rice... Then Changed the Food Industry Forever

    In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with the co-founder of Green & Black's, founder of Carbon Gold, and one of the pioneers of organic food and Fairtrade. Craig shares the incredible journey that started after nearly dying from hepatitis while travelling through India, eventually leading him to revolutionise the food industry. We discuss entrepreneurship, ethical business, pricing, regenerative agriculture, leadership, sustainability, Fairtrade, Green & Black's, Carbon Gold, and why the best businesses are built decades before the world is ready for them. If you're a founder, entrepreneur, business owner or simply interested in building businesses that create lasting impact, this episode is full of timeless lessons. 📝 Show Notes: 02:20 The moment Craig discovered macrobiotic food 04:30 Building one of the UK's first organic food businesses 09:45 Creating the first Veggie Burger™ 10:45 The accidental birth of Green & Black's 12:45 Launching the world's first Fairtrade chocolate 14:42 Battling giants like Unilever and Kraft 17:00 Selling Green & Black's to Cadbury 23:55 How Craig spots billion-dollar opportunities About Guests: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-sams-2106a77/ Website: http://www.greenandblacks.com/ Connect with us: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/simac-konkader Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simac.konkader/

    He Started With Brown Rice... Then Changed the Food Industry Forever
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About

As a CEO or founder, you’re constantly solving problems—breaking through growth plateaus, managing a growing team, and trying to scale without losing control. That’s where Brilliance Talks comes in. Brilliance Talks is where we help business leaders scale with clarity, confidence, and freedom. Each episode is packed with practical strategies you can apply right away—no fluff, no buzzwords, just real insights that drive results. ⬇ Follow Us On Socials ⬇ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simac.konkader/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simac-konkader

Information

  • Creator
    Simac Konkader
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    66
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Simac Konkader
  • Show Website
    Brilliance Talks