Real Startup Stories

James Pinder

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Business

Podcast Everyone has a story This might be the one that inspires you

Oct 16

It's Cheaper to Fly to Spain Than Drive to the Midlands

A 3-day trip to Spain cost me the same as driving up to the Midlands. In this solo episode I break down the rising cost of UK travel, the proposed 5% tourist tax in Cornwall, and why I'm taking the Real Startup Stories podcast on the road. In this episode we cover: • Why a cheap flight to Palma and Magaluf worked out the same price as a 3-day trip to the Midlands, and what that says about UK holiday costs • Sleeping in the back of a car in the Cotswolds as a budget UK adventure • The proposed 5% tourist tax on accommodation in Cornwall and what it could mean for a seasonal holiday destination • The 2.5 to 3 hour queue to get into the Clarkson's Farm shop, and the pull a TV show can have on a small rural business • Life as a family of seven, running businesses, and going from 10 to 20 chickens • Why networking matters for entrepreneurs, and what happens when you put yourself in a room of 100 founders • Taking the podcast on the road to interview founders around the UK and the world • Looking for a video editor for a new podcast intro, and sponsors to help take the show further If you enjoy honest conversations with people building something real, make sure to subscribe and follow along.
Oct 9

A Mental Health Patient Nearly Attacked Him With a Knife Mid-Bake

An occupational therapist reveals what really happens working in secure mental health wards - including the moment a psychotic patient hurled a burning oven tray at him and grabbed a knife. In this episode we cover: • What occupational therapy (OT) actually is, and how it differs from physiotherapy or talking therapy • Why mental health remains a female-dominated profession, and what that means for male patients • Working inside a prison mental health unit, and the ethics of treating offenders • The real story of a baking session that turned into an oven-tray attack and a knife stand-off with a patient • Why women's mental health services were the most emotionally taxing environment he's worked in • How alcohol became a coping mechanism for undiagnosed anxiety, and how fitness replaced it • Advice for anyone struggling with their mental health, and why the "boring basics" matter most • His personal journey from DJing and care work to a master's degree in occupational therapy at 28 If you enjoy honest conversations with people building something real, make sure to subscribe and follow along. 00:00 Welcome to Real Startup Stories 00:30 What Is an Occupational Therapist? 02:14 Why Are There So Few Male Occupational Therapists? 04:45 How Myles Got Into Healthcare 05:03 The Minimoto Accident That Changed His Career 06:53 From Sport Science to Occupational Therapy 07:53 Why Sport Therapy Wasn't the Right Career 08:42 From DJing to Mental Health 10:39 Going Back to University at 28 11:14 Becoming an Occupational Therapist During COVID 11:36 Has Social Media Changed Mental Health? 12:40 What It's Like Working in a Prison 15:14 Why Myles Chose Mental Health 17:10 Why Do People Neglect Their Mental Health? 18:40 How Mental Health Problems Can Snowball 19:04 What Can You Do to Improve Your Mental Health? 21:19 If Your Life Was a Book, What Chapter Are You On? 22:45 How Important Is It to Make Mistakes? 24:32 The Importance of Having People Around You 26:24 What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? 28:27 Myles' Experience With Anxiety 29:25 Are We Over-Pathologising Mental Health? 31:13 How Myles Overcame Anxiety 32:26 How Fitness Helped With Anxiety 33:50 Why You Need to Push Through the Hard Things 34:12 Working Across Different Areas of Mental Health 38:22 How Dangerous Can Mental Health Work Be? 38:35 Working in Forensic Mental Health
Oct 2

Nature Impacts Your Wellbeing 4x More Than Your Job or Money

A wellbeing founder explains why nature does more for your mental health than your job, home or income ever will - and how one mindfulness class rebuilt her own life after it fell apart. In this episode we cover: • How a casual day out with friends accidentally became a nonprofit wellbeing organisation (a CIC) • Why nature connection has four times more impact on wellbeing than socioeconomic status • The moment a mindfulness teacher changed her life by pointing out her inner "me, me, me" chatter • Why she deliberately keeps prices low, and the costly early mistake of undercharging • How a community fund lets local people request a fully funded space at every event • Growing from 200 to 400 attendees a year without chasing profit or scale • Why she turned her own burnout into launching an annual wellbeing festival • Simple, free ways to build "wellbeing" into a normal daily routine If you enjoy honest conversations with people building something real, make sure to subscribe and follow along. 00:00 Who Is Betty & What Is Sowena? 01:14 How Sowena Started By Accident 02:47 Why She Chose to Become a CIC 04:07 Building Sowena While Working Full-Time 06:50 The Real Reason Behind Sowena 08:05 Making Wellbeing Accessible in Cornwall 09:35 Learning Not to Undercharge 12:10 Why Wellbeing & Nature Matter 14:47 Betty’s Personal Drive to Help People 15:33 Why Sowena Is a Non-Profit 16:08 The Community Fund & Funded Spaces 17:33 How Sowena Makes Wellbeing More Accessible 19:01 What Actually Counts as Wellbeing? 20:25 Holding Space for People at Their Lowest 22:19 Creating a Safe & Non-Performative Community 23:41 You Don’t Have to “Believe” in Wellbeing 25:46 How Mindfulness Changed Betty’s Life 27:25 Can Wellbeing Actually Change Your Brain? 28:30 Simple Ways to Practise Mindfulness Every Day 30:28 What Betty Disagrees With in the Wellbeing Industry 31:18 Making Wellbeing Businesses More Accessible 32:24 What’s the End Goal for Sowena? 34:09 The Sowena Wellbeing Festival 35:36 The 2027 Two-Day Festival 36:42 What Sowena Offers Throughout the Year 38:45 What Chapter Is Betty In? 40:01 How to Find Sowena 41:08 Sowena on Social Media
Sep 30

Huntington's Disease: How Life Changed After Diagnosis

Tony watched his granddad, his dad and both his uncles die of Huntington's disease, an incurable, hereditary condition. Then he took the test himself and it came back positive. This is the story of how he turned that into HD Livin, a charity supporting families affected by Huntington's and other neurological diseases across Devon and Cornwall. In this episode we cover: • What Huntington's disease is, and why it's often described as MND, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's in one • The 50% "coin toss" every child of a parent with Huntington's faces • Why specialist respite care cost his family £2,000 to £2,500 a week, and what happened when a care home couldn't cope • The 12 month genetic testing process, and how three siblings handled it in completely different ways • What it's like when symptoms finally start, and the mental health battle that comes with it • Living life now when you know what the next 15 years look like • Skydives, Three Peaks, Everest Base Camp and Land's End to Plymouth, all for charity • Raising £130,000+ towards a £1 million respite centre in Cornwall, plus free counselling for affected families Find out more, get support or donate to HD Livin: https://www.hdlivin.org.uk If you're struggling, you can call Samaritans free, any time, on 116 123. If you enjoy honest conversations with people building something real, make sure to subscribe and follow along. Business enquiries: realstartupstories.podcast@gmail.com audrius@realstartupstories.com james@realstartupstories.com
Sep 29

A Ride-Along With Police Put Her at the Pulse Nightclub Shooting

A criminology student on a police ride-along in Florida was suddenly pulled into the emergency response to the Pulse Nightclub shooting — and it changed the course of her life. Now she's an identity and confidence coach helping women rebuild themselves after adversity. In this episode we cover: • The night a routine police ride-along turned into responding to the Pulse Nightclub shooting • How trauma reshaped her identity, and how EMDR therapy helped her recover • Why life coaching is different from therapy or counselling, and how to spot a coach worth paying for • Her three-pillar "Lighthouse Method": identity, resilience and confidence • A live coaching demonstration using the "Wheel of Life" exercise • Why free coaching sessions fail while paying clients get results • The books she recommends for anyone working through trauma or rebuilding confidence • How to set realistic, bite-sized goals instead of chasing an all-or-nothing transformation If you enjoy honest conversations with people building something real, make sure to subscribe and follow along. 00:00 Intro: Who Is Michaela? 01:54 What Actually Is Life Coaching? 04:45 The Lighthouse Method 07:03 How Long Does Coaching Take? 07:59 Coaching Success Stories 10:38 Finding Your Niche as a Life Coach 13:43 Michaela's Personal Story 14:54 Experiencing the Pulse Nightclub Shooting 16:17 Trauma, EMDR and Rebuilding Her Identity 18:42 How Michaela Recovered and Changed Her Life 20:07 The Best Self-Help Books 21:06 Why Should You Invest in Yourself? 22:50 Does Everyone Need a Life Coach? 24:50 Can Coaching Help If You Don't Know What You Want? 25:50 The Wheel of Life Exercise 28:27 Applying Coaching to Real Life 32:14 Turning Goals Into Action 34:26 The Upward Spiral 35:32 How Coaching Fits Around Real Life 38:44 Why Small Steps Matter 40:42 Final Thoughts & Where to Find Michaela
Aug 25

Bankrupt at 27, Now She Runs a 6-Figure Salon Empire

At 19, pregnant and unemployed, Laura Bell opened her first nail salon in under two weeks with £1,000 borrowed from her parents. By 27 she'd gone bankrupt after being manipulated by an ex-husband who lied about owning a house — and rebuilt from a single nail desk in a box room to a multi-salon business, now coaching salon owners across the UK. In this episode we cover: - How Laura opened her first salon in two weeks with just £1,000 - Being coerced into bankruptcy and losing her house at 27 - Rebuilding from a box room with one nail desk - Why switching from self-employed to employed staff added an extra £70k a year - Running a salon while pregnant and working 12-hour days - What she'd do differently if she lost everything and had to start again - Her advice for salon owners choosing between self-employed and employed teams If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more real founder stories. Business enquiries: James@realstartupstories.com Audrius@realstartupstories.com 00:00 Intro: Laura Bell 01:15 From hating school to discovering the beauty industry 03:15 Opening her first nail salon at 21 05:45 Building a seven-person salon while pregnant 08:00 Becoming a young mum and struggling to balance work 10:30 Opening a second salon, debt and losing everything 13:30 Moving to Cornwall and starting again from a box room 16:00 Building a successful salon in Cornwall 18:30 Creating her dream salon in Falmouth 21:00 Why Laura switched from self-employed to employed staff 24:00 The £70,000 difference between self-employed and employed teams 27:00 How Laura became a business coach 29:30 Could Laura rebuild a six-figure salon with £500? 32:00 How she'd get her first clients from scratch 34:00 Laura's advice for aspiring salon owners 35:30 Where to find Laura
Aug 22

A Diss Track Took Him From 300 to 30,000 Followers Overnight

A diss track, a viral line, and one flight to Lanzarote - that's all it took to take Callum Marcel from 300 followers to 30,000. In this episode we sit down with Marcel, a UK battle rapper signed to PenGame, to talk about turning chaos into a career. In this episode we cover: • How Marcel got into rap battles back in year 7, freestyling with older kids at school • How he got signed to PenGame and what the audition process actually looks like • The "Seven Sizzling Sausages" line that went viral - and how he flipped it into a diss track that blew up overnight • Going from 300 to 30,000 followers during a single flight to Lanzarote • What a month of battle prep actually looks like, and how he researches opponents • How dark battle rap is allowed to get, and where he draws the line • What it's really like performing in "The Dungeon" - PenGame's live battle venue • His upcoming clash against Monroe on 5th July at PenGame London If you enjoy honest conversations with people building something from nothing, make sure to subscribe and follow along. Follow Marcel's journey Instagram, TikTok & Spotify: Callum Marcel Business enquiries: realstartupstories.podcast@gmail.com james@realstartupstories.com audrius@realstartupstories.com 00:00 Meet Marcel – Rapper & Battle Artist 00:45 How Rap Started in the School Playground 02:10 Staying Dedicated to Music for 15 Years 03:20 Joining Pen Game 04:45 The Pen Game Audition Process 06:20 How Battle Rap Has Evolved 07:30 Early Battles & Learning the Craft 09:15 The Clash That Changed Everything 10:30 From 300 to 30,000 Followers Overnight 12:10 Turning a Viral Moment Into Opportunity 13:20 Preparing for a Battle Rap Clash 15:10 Inside the Pressure of Performing in the Dungeon 17:20 How Far Is Too Far in Battle Rap? 18:30 The Future of Pen Game & Artists to Watch 19:50 Battle Rap vs Making Music 20:40 Where to Follow Callum Marcel 21:10 Final Thoughts
Aug 19

Why 98% of Spas Turn Away Cancer Patients (This Brand Doesn't)

Most "organic" skincare only needs to contain 1% organic material to legally use the word on the label. In this episode we sit down with Sarah and Pete from Inlight - a 100% organic, Cornwall-based skincare and spa brand - to talk about greenwashing in the beauty industry, the unusual way their products are actually made, and why they train therapists to treat clients that most spas turn away. In this episode we cover: • Why 100% organic skincare is nearly impossible to make - and why most "organic" claims in the industry are misleading • How Inlight's products are actually made: a 28-day lunar maceration cycle using light, sound and heat • Why the brand trains therapists in oncology massage so cancer patients aren't turned away from spas • How a small Cornwall skincare brand ended up selling in spas across Dubai, Prague and Naples • What it's really like exhibiting at international spa trade events like W3 in Portugal • The real difference between a cheap and an expensive moisturiser • Advice for anyone wanting to break into the beauty industry If you enjoy honest conversations with people building something real, make sure to subscribe and follow along. Business enquiries: realstartupstories.podcast@gmail.com james@realstartupstories.com audrius@realstartupstories.com 00:00 Introduction & Meet Sarah and the Team 01:10 How the Business Started 02:30 Sarah's Background at Clarins 05:40 Why Most Spas Turn Away Cancer Patients 08:20 Creating Safe Spa Treatments for Cancer Care 11:00 Building Trust Within the Spa Industry 13:40 Training Therapists Across the UK 16:20 The Challenges of Growing the Business 19:00 Educating Customers & Changing Perceptions 21:40 Developing Products That Make a Difference 24:10 Marketing a Specialist Wellness Brand 26:50 Advice for Anyone Starting a Business 29:10 Building a Brand in a Competitive Industry 31:50 Social Media, Awareness & Business Growth 34:30 Future Plans for the Company 37:10 Quick Fire Questions 39:00 Final Thoughts & Where to Learn More

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Podcast Everyone has a story This might be the one that inspires you

Creator

James Pinder
Years Active

2026
Episodes

37
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Business Diaries - Real Startup Stories 2026
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Real Startup Stories