Coalface Stories

Ian Wilson
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  • Personal Journals
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Coalface Stories is a podcast about real people, real journeys and the stories that shape us. Hosted by Ian Wilson, the 60 for 60 series marks Ian’s 60th year through honest conversations with guests from different backgrounds, experiences and walks of life. Some are business owners, creators or changemakers. Others simply have a story worth sharing. Expect curiosity, warmth, lessons learned the hard way, and conversations that look past the hype to find the human story underneath.

Episodes

  1. Oct 13

    Anida Westlake: Turning a Life with Diabetes into Personal Power

    Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a child, Anida Westlake remembers a time of glass syringes, rigid routines and language built around what she could not do. What began as fear and restriction gradually became knowledge, choice and personal power. Anida joins Ian Wilson to share the story of her diagnosis, explain Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in accessible terms, and explore why health cannot be reduced to weight, calories or a quick fix. She also discusses sustainable lifestyle change, processed food, the marketing surrounding protein and the different roles of medical treatment and day-to-day support. The conversation returns repeatedly to a simple principle: people need useful knowledge and realistic choices that work within their own lives. ### Episode Highlights 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:16 Turning a sense of lack into personal power 00:02:35 Helping people find success on their own terms 00:07:04 Moving from fear and powerlessness towards hope 00:09:13 Young Anida and a life-changing diagnosis 00:25:25 Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes explained 00:31:14 How modern life has changed the way we eat 00:38:02 The global rise in Type 2 diabetes 00:41:04 Weight-loss injections and lasting lifestyle change 00:44:33 Challenging the myths surrounding diabetes 00:48:18 The different roles of doctors, dieticians and lifestyle support 00:51:36 Looking beyond calories to understand food 00:56:18 What is really inside processed food? 00:58:47 The truth behind the marketing of protein 01:01:51 Balancing your health hat and your sugar hat 01:04:50 What Anida learnt from her grandmother 01:09:59 Writing Disrupting Diabetes 01:12:44 Quick-fire questions 01:16:36 What would a cure for Type 1 really mean? 01:18:20 What does working at the coalface mean to Anida? 01:19:59 How to connect with Anida ### Where to find Anida Website: https://alwhealth.com/ Navigating Diabetes Pitfalls: https://navigatingdiabetespitfalls.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anida-westlake-66ba53b/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anidawestlake_healthychoices/ Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/diabeteswellnessthriveandprevent Book: https://www.amazon.com/Disrupting-Diabetes-Prevention-Reversal-Beyond/dp/B0DHCL5V3N

    Anida Westlake: Turning a Life with Diabetes into Personal Power

  2. Oct 7

    Gwen Baird: Building a Business Around Life, Health and Choice

    Business coach, mentor and advanced Meta ads strategist Gwen Baird has spent more than 20 years helping business owners find clarity and create businesses that fit the lives they want to lead. Her own path to that work, however, was shaped by family, devastating loss, serious illness and a determination to keep choosing what came next. Gwen talks with Ian about the childhood ambition dismissed by a careers officer, the freedom she found working for herself, and how a diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy brought her travelling sales career to an end. She explains how discovering social media opened another path, eventually leading her from social media management into business coaching and Meta ads. Along the way, Gwen shares direct advice about asking for the sale, finding the real reason behind a business, creating a practical 90-day plan and implementing what you learn. She also challenges the idea that marketing begins and ends with social media—and explains why a business should be built around your health, energy and needs. ### Chapters 00:01:05 Who is Gwen today? 00:04:54 Young Gwen 00:08:09 Childhood dreams 00:09:59 Entrepreneurial nature 00:13:05 What is law accountancy? 00:15:21 Becoming a business coach 00:24:45 Who does Gwen help? 00:25:16 Why Gwen resonates with her audience 00:26:09 Common client struggles 00:40:01 What clients think their problem is 00:42:06 Are people surprised by this? 00:44:09 Mindset vs marketing 00:45:26 Marketing themselves consistently 00:49:46 Common marketing mistakes 00:52:50 Why business feels complicated 00:53:55 What separates success from stagnation 00:54:54 Advice to her younger self 00:56:37 One lesson everyone should know 00:57:15 What life has been teaching her 00:57:32 Quick fire questions 00:57:43 Superpower question 00:58:19 Dinner with three historical figures 01:00:00 What's on the menu 01:00:50 Changed her mind about 01:01:06 Most impactful habit 01:02:07 Common misconceptions about her 01:02:51 What she's most grateful for 01:03:27 Question she wishes she'd been asked 01:04:07 How she wants to be remembered 01:05:07 Meaning of working at the coalface ### Connect with Gwen Website: https://gwenbaird.com/ The Align Method with Gwen: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thealignmethodwithgwen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/G.I.Baird/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gwenbairdonline/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gwenbaird/

    Gwen Baird: Building a Business Around Life, Health and Choice

  3. Oct 1

    Paraag Amin: Building a life that fits

    Paraag Amin spent much of his life moving from one goal to the next. Academic achievement led to investment banking, senior leadership and the appearance of success—but the feelings he expected to come with those milestones gradually disappeared. In this episode of Coalface Stories: 60 for 60, Paraag talks about growing up as the mature child who felt he had to work harder, the pressure to follow a secure and successful path, and the personal cost of losing himself in work and expectation. A health crisis on his 40th birthday became a wake-up call. Paraag began rebuilding his life around freedom, peace, connection and choice. He and Ian discuss why people can outgrow the lives they created, how work becomes an escape nobody questions, why freedom needs structure and what it means to live without masks. The conversation also turns to AI, human connection and the need to protect our humanity in a rapidly changing world. 00:00 Coalface Stories - 60 for 60 Series: Paraag Amin 00:30 Intro & Welcome 01:00 Who Are You Today? 08:13 Childhood 14:49 Career in Business & Finance 20:50 Defining Moments in Banking Career 30:45 Turning Point & Escaping the Corporate World 53:36 Helping Others Escape the Programming 57:43 Quick Fire Round 01:03:23 Working at the Coalface 01:05:18 Closing & Where to Find Paraag Find and connect with Paraag Website: https://alifethatfits.today LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/paraagamin/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_paraag/

  4. Sep 26

    Jonathan Clark: Reinvention, resilience and becoming fully booked

    What if the book that changes your life is not the one you read, but the one you write? Jonathan Clark is a bestselling author coach and small business marketing adviser whose career has taken him from NLP and hypnotherapy to training, digital marketing and helping experts turn their knowledge into books. In this open and energetic conversation, Jonathan talks about growing up shy, introverted and frightened of people; discovering confidence through martial arts and personal development; and building a career around helping people solve problems. He explains how he uses AI to research books without allowing it to replace the author’s voice, why the 2008 recession forced him to reinvent himself, and how the loss of an early publishing venture became fuel rather than a reason to stop. Jonathan also explores what people misunderstand about success, why action matters more than promises, and why meaningful relationships and good health matter as much as money. Chapters / Highlights 00:00 CFS- 60 for 60 -Jonathan Clark02:02 Who is Jonathan Clark today?12:34 Tell us a little bit about young Jonathan. What sort of kid were you?24:54 Reinventing the wheel vs. modelling success?32:13 Toughest chapter in your business journey?46:13 A client success story that makes you smile?50:16 What do most people get wrong about success51:56 Has your definition of success changed?52:59 One lesson everyone should know?54:55 Quick fire: superpower?55:30 Quick fire: three people to dinner?56:25 Quick fire: changed your mind about?56:56 Quick fire: what people assume wrongly?57:20 Quick fire: most grateful for?57:45 Quick fire: unanswered question?58:19 Quick fire: How do you want to be remembered58:55 Quick fire: What does 'working at the coalface' mean to you?59:56 How can people find you? How to find and connect with Jonathan Clark Fully Booked Thought Leaders: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fullybookedthoughtleaders/ LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/thejonathanclark Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejonathanclark/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejonathanclark/

  5. Season 2, Episode 1 Trailer

    Working at the Coalface: In Their Own Words || Special pre-launch preview of the Coalface Stories - 60 for 60 Series

    What does working at the coalface mean to you? It is the question at the heart of Coalface Stories — and one Ian Wilson has asked every guest taking part in the 60 for 60 series. In this special pre-launch preview, the first guests offer their own interpretations. For some, it means showing up, getting their hands dirty and being close to the work. For others, it is about understanding people, facing the realities of life and choosing to live with purpose. Different lives. Different perspectives. No single answer - but each one offers a glimpse of the conversations to come in Coalface Stories: 60 for 60. Episode Highlights 00:00 Ian Wilson | Introduction01:09 Jonathan Clark | Showing up and using your time well01:52 Jonathan Clark | Getting your hands dirty and learning the work02:20 Paraag Amin | Getting into the weeds and supporting others02:56 Gwen Baird | Memories of a coal-mining family03:20 Anida Westlake | The untold lives behind the coalface04:13 Permjeet Kainth | Understanding people and helping them move forward04:52 Anke Herrmann | Being in the thick of it05:08 Melinda Abbott | Living the life that lights you up05:59 Michael Laws | Working with the nuts and bolts of people’s lives06:50 Bogna Zofia | Every person has a journey and a story08:25 Margaret Sinclair | Being upfront, exposed and close to the action08:41 Lianne Byrne | Meeting people where they are09:05 Charlotte Elliott | Finding purpose beyond the graft

    Working at the Coalface: In Their Own Words || Special pre-launch preview of the Coalface Stories - 60 for 60 Series
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About

Coalface Stories is a podcast about real people, real journeys and the stories that shape us. Hosted by Ian Wilson, the 60 for 60 series marks Ian’s 60th year through honest conversations with guests from different backgrounds, experiences and walks of life. Some are business owners, creators or changemakers. Others simply have a story worth sharing. Expect curiosity, warmth, lessons learned the hard way, and conversations that look past the hype to find the human story underneath.

Information

  • Creator
    Ian Wilson
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ian Wilson
  • Show Website
    Coalface Stories