What if your company cared as much about feelings as it does about revenue? In this Oxford Talks Podcast episode, Waleed sits down with Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia, to decode what “leading with heart” actually looks like when you’re responsible for thousands of people across the world. Claude shares how she’s turned HR into People & Experience, why every employee is trained in emotional intelligence and psychological safety and how she spots culture issues long ...

What separates world-class performers from everyone else?Adolfo Gómez Sánchez spent 35 years decoding that question and discovered a formula anyone can follow. From training with martial arts masters in Japan to coaching CEOs and ATP athletes, he reveals why most people fail not from lack of talent, but from lack of mindset.Learn how the world’s top performers think, how to challenge limiting beliefs, and why “scoreboards don’t define success, process does.”If you’ve ever felt stuck, this epi...

We live in an age of noise, constant information, constant pressure, constant pretending but what happens when the mask finally cracks? In this conversation, clinical psychologist and hypnotherapist Dr Barbara Morris Jensen shares her life’s work: helping people rediscover their authentic selves. From growing up with a father who transformed from a man of war to a man of peace, to facing her own battles with fear, depression, and motherhood, Barbara explores what it really means to heal. ...

What if the system designed to heal you nearly killed you instead? Nurse Lee Powers survived a violent assault, a medically induced coma, and years of insurance denials — revealing the profound crisis at the heart of U.S. healthcare. In this Oxford Talks episode, Lee exposes: 👉 Why nurses are the most assaulted professionals in America 👉 How insurance companies determine who receives treatment — and who gets left behind 👉 The silent epidemic of post-ICU syndrome affecting milli...

AI isn’t just the future, it might be humanity’s last invention. In this conversation, Jane Newman lays bare the terrifying environmental impact, the loss of customer service in a tech-ruled world, and why children are already showing signs of technology addiction. From Skynet fears to real-world data centre disasters, this episode asks: are we building a future worth living in, or signing away our humanity for good? We explore: 🔐 The dangers of lost privacy & control 🤖 The jobs, valu...

Everyone’s talking about AI. Few understand how it’s really reshaping the way we buy.In this episode of Oxford Talks, Ricky Solanki, co-founder of PUSH, discusses the hidden world of digital marketing. Ricky explains how consumer behaviour has shifted from Yellow Pages to Google, then to social media, and now to AI-driven search and commerce. Instead of a long journey from research → consideration → purchase, people are moving straight from thought → action, often without realising it. ...

Some messages fade the moment they’re heard. Others echo for years. So, what makes the difference?In this powerful conversation, we explore the art of messages that truly last, why your personal story alone isn’t enough, and what separates talks that move audiences from those that are forgotten.

Inside this raw and unfiltered conversation, we explore why heartbreak feels so much like grief and the healthy way to process it. Sarah reveals how to break free from the shame spiral that often follows divorce and shares the fastest way to shift from pain to power. We talk about helping children cope through separation without carrying lifelong emotional scars, and uncover how to recognise the subtle red flags in relationships before it’s too late.

She’s not pitching the future, she’s building it. Catalina isn’t your average founder. At just 25, she’s already running multiple companies revolutionizing smart cities from digital twins and retrofitted energy systems to alternative models for public transport and data ownership. In this episode, we go behind the scenes of what it really takes to rebuild cities from the ground up: legally, financially, and technologically. Expect big ideas: free transport through real estate-backed reven...

What if your voice was your greatest asset and your biggest risk? In this powerful episode, Rola pulls back the curtain on what it really means to lead with impact in a world that wasn’t built for you. From executive education to grassroots advocacy, her journey is a masterclass in courage, clarity, and conviction. Hear why silence is never neutral, how systemic change really happens, and why empowering women is not a nice-to-have, it’s a non-negotiable. This conversation will challenge you...

In a world that’s always online, why do we still feel alone? Technologist Kathryn Jacobs cycled 35,000km across the globe, off-grid, on purpose - to find the answer. 🔍 Inside the Episode (00:00) Is innovation making us less human? (01:45) What drives Kathryn Jacobs (03:22) The Africa journey that changed everything (08:05) Cycling off-grid with no GPS (10:15) Fear and vulnerability on the open road (12:33) What she packs to survive, not perform (16:08) When the road disappears...

What makes a brand unforgettable? It’s not the product. It’s not the logo. It’s the story. In this episode, we sit down with Shivali Bennion - co-founder of Shaded Studio and the creative force behind the Coachella-style marketing conference Dreamland. From helping legacy brands like QVC modernise to taking indie startups from £200k to £2M, Shivali reveals how storytelling isn’t just a nice-to-have - it’s your most potent growth strategy.

Most people scroll past 10,000 images a day without knowing they’re being shaped by them. Marine Tanguy wants to change that. 🔍 Inside the Episode: 00:00 – Creativity vs. the Algorithm 01:25 – Why Visuals Shape What We Value 03:13 – The Time Management Habit of a CEO 06:47 – What It Takes to Join Her Agency 09:17 – The Hidden Criteria Behind Talent Selection 11:11 – Art or Data? Rethinking Objectivity 14:12 – Can You Market the Unmarketable? 17:36 – AI Art, Ethics, and Owners...

What do you get when a tech-savvy CEO obsessed with impact builds a travel app? Something the world didn't know it needed. In this episode, Clare Jones, CEO of Polarsteps, unpacks the soulful mechanics behind scaling with care, leading with values, and building tools that don't just inspire wanderlust, they transform it. 🔍 Inside the Episode: (00:00) What if travel changed you more than the destination? (01:04) Why Polarsteps is more than a map, it’s a memory machine (03:45) From Cambridg...

Relationship reset expert Vanessa Cardenas unpacks the micro-betrayals that shape our self-worth, sabotage our relationships, and echo through generations. From childhood wounds to marital heartbreak, she reveals why healing starts with awareness, how to silence your inner critic, and why love, real love, requires integrity, not perfection. 🔍 Inside the Episode: 00:00 – Why online dating is making real connection harder 03:39 – “I believe in love… but it’s complicated” 07:28 – The b...

What if the real reason your leadership isn’t landing has nothing to do with skills and everything to do with visibility, trust, and timing? Marina shares what it’s really like coaching top CEOs, why most leadership advice is outdated, and how to stop being the obstacle in your own growth. 🔍 Inside the Episode (00:00) Intro – Meet Marina (01:12) From finance to coaching CEOs (06:05) Why most coaching doesn’t work (10:10) Visibility is a leadership strategy (15:30) Trust: the foun...

What if tomorrow’s dinner depended on today’s technology? In this gripping episode, Jamie Burrows, former fighter jet technician turned vertical farming pioneer, warns of a future where only the ultra-wealthy can afford fresh food. From growing greens in nightclubs to designing farms for space stations, Jamie’s journey is anything but ordinary. Shocking predictions, real-world solutions, and a roadmap for food equity - this episode has it all. 🔍 Inside the Episode (00:00) From fighter jets ...

What do Tesla, Mercedes, and your car loan have in common? Meet the founder whose quiet tech empire is quietly powering the global auto finance industry. 🔍 Inside the Episode (00:00) What powers your car loan? (02:18) Why being late to AI is fatal (04:49) The billion-dollar system you’ve never heard of (07:36) How a small startup landed Mercedes-Benz (10:15) The trust strategy that built an empire (13:42) Explaining auto finance like you’re five (17:05) What really decides if ...

Success on the outside, self-doubt on the inside? RTT hypnotherapist Wajeeha Khan explains why, and what to do about it. 🔍 Inside the Episode (00:00) Why most people don’t know where their self-doubt begins (02:42) “We were not born thinking we weren’t enough” (05:13) The invisible weight of expectations you never chose (07:56) What a 4-year-old in Paris taught me about sabotage (11:44) Can trauma begin in the womb? (15:36) How your subconscious builds beliefs before age 7 (19:20) “I didn’t...

What really happens when one company buys another? It’s not just about numbers—it’s about people, purpose, and power. In this eye-opening conversation, M&A expert Thomas Kessler reveals the emotional and strategic layers behind 46 global mergers. From integrating 25,000 employees under one brand to navigating cultural clashes in billion-dollar deals, Thomas shares stories you won’t find in finance textbooks. 🔍 Inside the Episode (00:00) Why “What’s your purpose?” is the question that...