On a Mission Podcast 2.0

You're Hired: From Backpacker to Boardroom with Mark Wright

He arrived in the UK with just £270 in his pocket and ended up building a multi-million-pound business with Lord Sugar as his partner.
In this episode, I’m joined by Mark Wright, who doesn’t just talk about entrepreneurship, he’s lived it, battled through it and earned every win.
We talk about what really happens after the cameras stop rolling. From legal battles in month two of business, to being publicly booed by an entire industry, Mark shares the kind of experience that can’t be taught in a classroom.
He opens up about the relentless pressure of launching a company in the spotlight, how he handled being stalked, hacked and written off and why none of it stopped him.
We also get into his obsession with studying success, the harsh lessons that shaped him, and the no-nonsense mentoring he’s had from Lord Sugar and Grant Cardone.
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Key moments include:
✔ What it really takes to win The Apprentice (and why the game starts long before the boardroom).
✔ Why the first 18 months of business nearly broke him.
✔ The mindset shift that separates talkers from doers.
✔ Behind the scenes of launching a business with Lord Sugar.
✔ Why Mark refuses to water things down for anyone.
✔ The difference between being liked and being respected.
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Connect & Follow
Follow Ellie McKay:
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb
🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb 
Follow Mark Wright: 
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mwright_10/?hl=en
🔗 X: https://x.com/mark_e_wright?lang=en-GB
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-wright-1658925a

Behind the Headlines: The Truth About PR, Power and Publicity with Rebecca May

Rebecca May (Becky) is the quiet force behind some of the UK’s most high profile media placements.
 
For over two decades, she’s been shaping stories, building brands, and steering clients through everything from viral headlines to full blown media storms. She’s worked with celebrities, founders, and total unknowns, navigating the chaos and making the right kind of noise when it matters most.
 
It’s rare for Rebecca to step in front of the camera. But in this episode, she’s flipping the script and letting us into a world most people never get to see.
 
We go beyond the polished press releases and PR fluff and talk about what really happens behind the scenes. From turning down clients that don’t align to pulling last minute stories that could have ended careers, Rebecca has built her reputation on integrity, trust and strategy rather than spin.
 
We talk about how she broke into the industry, how she has stayed relevant in an ever changing media landscape, and the difference between real storytelling and making noise for the sake of it.
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Key moments include:
✔ How Rebecca broke into fashion PR with Burberry and Milan Fashion Week
✔ What separates long term success from short term hype
✔ The unexpected risks of podcast interviews and how they are being used
✔ Why she has walked away from clients when the values did not match
✔ The small details that make or break media strategy
✔ Why the strongest voices are often the ones you never hear shouting
 
A powerful conversation with someone who has spent her life helping others be seen, while never needing to chase the spotlight herself.
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Connect & Follow
Follow Ellie McKay:
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb
🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb 
Follow Rebecca May: 
🔗 Website: https://rmpublicity.com/
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rmpublicityofficial/?hl=en
🔗 X: https://x.com/rmpublicityteam?lang=en
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccamay-pragency/
 

From The Bedroom To The Boardroom with Emma Sayle

She’s been called a modern day Madame, a real life rebel, and even a threat to society’s moral compass, but beneath the headlines, Emma Sayle is a female entrepreneur who has built one of the most recognisable and controversial brands in the world.
Two decades ago, she launched Killing Kittens with a clear mission to challenge the double standards around female sexuality and create a space where women lead. What began as a defiant move against shame and societal judgement has since evolved into a global business with a thriving community and a platform that spans events, tech, education and beyond.
In this episode, we unpack the full story, uncensored.
Emma shares how she went from an idea on a beach in Ibiza to raising millions in investment, navigating global expansion, and pushing back against the kind of discrimination that would have stopped many in their tracks. From being banned from advertising platforms and denied banking facilities to facing online abuse and being judged by other parents at the school gates, Emma’s journey hasn’t been straightforward.
We get into what it really takes to build and scale a brand in a heavily stigmatised industry, the strategic decisions behind splitting the business in two, and why she believes sexual empowerment has a ripple effect that can impact every area of your life. We also talk about the psychology behind her customer base, the unexpected demographic that makes up her core community, and how she balances being a founder, mother, and high level decision maker.
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Key moments include:✔Why Killing Kittens began as a response to social double standards.✔How Emma built a multi million pound business despite censorship and barriers.✔What really happens at the events (and what people get wrong). ✔Her views on judgement, motherhood and female led leadership.✔The reality of scaling a business in a taboo space.✔Why so many women report renewed confidence after attending.
It’s candid, challenging and impossible to ignore.
⸻Connect & Follow
Follow Ellie McKay:
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb
🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb 
Follow Emma Sayle: 
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emsayle333?igsh=MW14MmRwc3EwdGoxbg==
🔗 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/emmasayle
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19Jr2XUyTp/?mibextid=wwXIfr
🔗 KK Website: https://www.killingkittens.com
🔗 KK Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/killingkittens_/
🔗 KK LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/killingkittens
🔗 WAX App: https://thewaxapp.com/dating

The Man They Call When It Goes Wrong. Lessons from a real life James Bond Will Geddes

When the stakes are high, Will Geddes is the man they call.
 
A-list celebrities. Billionaire CEOs. Politicians with everything to lose. For over thirty years, he’s protected people in the moments where it matters most, kidnappings, blackmail, death threats, data breaches, revenge plots. The stuff most of us only see in films.
 
Dubbed the real-life James Bond, Will has operated at the highest level of international security. But what makes him extraordinary isn’t just what he does. It’s how he got here.
 
Thrown out of home at seventeen. Living in a squat. No money. No safety net. No Plan B. His childhood was chaotic and abusive, and he learned early on how to read people before they opened their mouths. That instinct became his armour. And eventually, it became his edge.
 
In this episode, Will shares raw and unfiltered insights from the frontlines of private security. But this conversation goes far beyond bodyguards and threat assessments. It’s about boundaries. Accountability. Street smarts. And the uncomfortable truth that too many people are walking through life completely unprepared.
 
We talk about what really goes on behind closed doors. Corporate espionage. Sextortion. High-end set ups in five star hotels. The dark underbelly of fame, power, and ego. But we also get into the deeper stuff. What it means to stand your ground. Why resilience matters more than ever. And how to teach the next generation to toughen up without losing their humanity.
 
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Key moments include:
✔ How childhood trauma gave Will the instincts that now save lives.
✔ Why the most dangerous people often look completely ordinary.
✔ The wildest cases he’s handled and the patterns he sees again and again.
✔ Why resilience is being eroded and what it’s costing us.
✔ What every parent needs to know about their child’s online world.
✔ Why traditional paths mean nothing without conviction.
✔ What it really takes to walk into a room and own it.
 
This isn’t just a story about security. It’s a wake up call. A reminder that confidence is earned, danger doesn’t always announce itself, and sometimes the most important thing you can do is trust your gut and take the shot.
 
Hardwired for honesty. Rooted in lived experience. This is Will Geddes. 
 
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Connect & Follow
Follow Ellie McKay:
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb
🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb 
Follow Will Geddes: 
🔗 Website: https://www.willgeddes.com/
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealwillgeddes?igsh=Y213dGZ2eng4cG51
🔗 X: https://x.com/willgeddes?s=21

Why Mindset Isn’t Enough: Will Polston on the Real Reason High Performers Struggle

If you’ve ever looked like you’ve got it all together on the outside but felt like you’re barely holding it together underneath, this one’s for you.
Will Polston is one of the UK’s top mindset and performance coaches. He’s built a successful business, worked with thousands of people and ticked off the big goals. But long before any of that, he hit a point where he genuinely didn’t know if he could carry on.
In this episode, Will shares the moment he found himself sitting in his car, completely overwhelmed, questioning whether life was even worth living. It wasn’t a cry for attention. It wasn’t a breakdown anyone else saw coming. It was quiet. Private. And absolutely real. That day became the line in the sand, the moment he knew something had to shift.
From there, we talk about the pressure to perform, the weight of expectations, the parts of ourselves we bury to keep going. We talk about grief, family dynamics, identity and what it takes to stop numbing and start feeling.
This is not about surface level change. It’s about doing the work that matters.
If you’re someone who’s constantly in motion. If you’ve done the mindset stuff but still feel stuck. If you’ve been carrying something heavy for a long time and you’re ready to face it, this is for you.
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Key moments include:
✔ The moment Will considered ending his life and what came after✔ The hidden cost of success and why chasing more isn’t the answer✔ Family dynamics, suppressed grief and emotional avoidance✔ Why mindset alone won’t shift what’s buried deep✔ What it means to rebuild from the inside out
A conversation that goes exactly where it needs to and refuses to skip the hard parts.
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Connect & Follow
Follow Ellie McKay:
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb
🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb 
Follow Will Polston: 
🔗 Website: https://www.willpolston.com/
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willpolston/
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willpolstonmih
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willpolston/

Toxic Relationships, Emotional Intelligence and Rebuilding Trust After Trauma with Rebecca P. Fox

Back by popular demand, I’m joined once again by Rebecca P. Fox, qualified psychotherapist, trauma specialist, and leading expert in emotional intelligence and narcissistic abuse.
You might remember our first conversation, where we scratched the surface of some big topics. This time, we go deeper.
This isn’t about clinical definitions or theory. It’s about what really happens behind the scenes. The quiet manipulation that chips away at your sense of self. The patterns we excuse. The red flags we rationalise. And the fog that forms when you start questioning what’s real.
We talk about toxic relationships, trust, boundaries and how hard it can be to walk away even when you know you should. We also get into dating in 2025, how social media has distorted connection and what it takes to actually build something real in a culture that moves fast and forgets faster.
Rebecca brings clarity and calm to conversations many people shy away from. This episode is for anyone navigating change, rebuilding confidence or learning to trust their gut again.
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Key moments include:
✔ Narcissistic abuse and how it plays out in everyday life
✔ Learning to separate anxiety from intuition
✔ Practical tools for protecting your peace in new relationships
✔ How to have hard conversations without losing yourself in the process
✔ Dating, trust and emotional safety in a hyper digital world
A grounded and honest conversation about what we tolerate, what we ignore and what it takes to move forward.
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Connect & Follow
Follow Ellie McKay:
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb
🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb 
Follow Rebecca P. Fox: 
🔗 Website: https://rebeccapfox.com/
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebecca.p.fox/?hl=en
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572969329153
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-p-fox/

AJ Roberts: When Telling the Truth Comes at a Cost

The only difference between a conspiracy theory and the truth is about six months…
AJ Roberts was cancelled during lockdown. Shadowbanned. Deplatformed. Silenced for speaking out against a system he’d once served.
I watched it happen in real time. Years of building up hundreds of thousands of followers, gone in an instant. But AJ didn’t back down. He kept going. He kept speaking. And people kept listening.
In this episode, we talk about what really went on during his time in the military, including his role at one of the UK’s most secretive defence facilities. He shares the moment everything changed, when he could no longer ignore the patterns—the propaganda, the programming, the pressure to comply.
We cover vaccine damage, manipulation at scale, and how generations have been conditioned to hand over their power without even realising. But more than that, we talk about personal sovereignty. And what happens when you finally wake up to your own authority.
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Connect & Follow
Follow Ellie McKay:
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb
🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb 
Follow AJ Roberts: 
🔗 Website: https://www.missionconsciousness.com/
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr_ajroberts/?hl=en
🔗 X: https://x.com/ajrobertsshow?s=21&t=HXbmuc8Ebzu8Yj8m58HPLw

Eddie Hearn: Building Empires, Battling Pressure, and the Truth About Success

This week’s episode is with world-renowned boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, the man behind some of the biggest nights in boxing history and one of the most influential figures in the sport.
 
But this isn’t just a conversation about boxing.
 
We go behind the scenes of the empire he’s built and the pressure that comes with carrying a legacy. From growing up as “Barry Hearn’s son” to leading global sporting events, Eddie opens up about identity, addiction to winning, burnout, and what success really looks like when the cameras stop rolling.
 
He shares what it’s like to be both the face of Matchroom and his own harshest critic and why, after all the glitz and grind, he’s now chasing something much deeper than money or fame.
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Key moments include:
✔ The weight of legacy and forging his own path
✔ The pressure of staying at the top and never feeling it’s enough
✔ The raw truth about social media, mental health and criticism
✔ Why celebrating wins doesn’t come naturally
✔ Rebuilding his relationship with health, energy and purpose
 
This is Eddie Hearn like you’ve never heard him, stripped back, reflective, and real.
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Connect & Follow
Follow Ellie McKay:
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb
🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb 
Follow Eddie Hearn:
🔗 Website: https://www.matchroomboxing.com/
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eddiehearn?igsh=OTVhdzc2eTg3eTBn
 

Jordan Wylie: War Zones, Wild Missions and the Fight to Find Himself

He’s dodged bullets, been held at gunpoint, worked as a private security contractor in the world’s most dangerous places and still says the scariest thing he ever did was sit still with his own thoughts.
This week, Ellie McKay is joined by the unstoppable force that is Jordan Wylie. Soldier. Adventurer. Author. TV personality. But underneath it all, a man who’s had to battle his demons harder than most.
In this brutally honest episode of On a Mission, Jordan opens up about the journey that took him from a council estate in Blackpool to the frontlines of Iraq, and then straight into a full-blown mental health crisis when the adrenaline ran out.
He talks about the high-stakes missions, the chaos, the wild expeditions and the slow, painful work of rebuilding himself after years of running on fumes. ADHD, PTSD, depression. He’s lived it, faced it and turned it into something meaningful.
Jordan isn’t here to play the hero. He’s here to tell the truth. And it might be one of the most important conversations we’ve had on this podcast.
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Key moments include:
✔ Sleeping on a prison floor at 15 and how it changed everything✔ Why joining the Army gave him a reason to live✔ Life as a private contractor in war zones✔ The emotional crash that came when the chaos stopped✔ Getting addicted to recognition and losing his sense of self✔ Using adventure to mask the pain✔ How humanitarian work helped him find real purpose✔ Living with ADHD and finally getting the diagnosis✔ What it really takes to stop performing and start healing✔ Why being honest saved his life and how he’s helping others do the same
Subscribe to On a Mission for conversations that go there, the mess, the mindset, and the mission behind it all.
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Connect & Follow
Follow Ellie McKay:
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb
🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb 
Follow Jordan Wylie:
🔗 Website: https://www.jordanwylie.org/home/
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjordanwylie/?hl=en
🔗 Antarctic Odyssey Fundraiser: https://armycadets.enthuse.com/cf/antarctic-odyssey?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacKf-hwYyce6LRmAfGJdLcjTH-A1ib4eCxwAoQzDtF-2HhJ9-EeeQbYAanLCg_aem_SjTF8cbh7S5j8eXhJNFYww
 

Philly J Lay: Exposing the Health Scandal That Affects Us All

Philly J Lay never set out to be a campaigner. But after a routine spinal fusion left her in agonising pain and heavily medicated, her world was turned upside down.
She spent years in bed, disconnected from everything she once knew, physically broken, emotionally exhausted, and unsure of what recovery could even look like. But it was through that experience that she began to question everything she had been told about health, healing, and the system we place our trust in.
In this episode of On a Mission, Philly shares her story with honesty and clarity. We talk about medical injury, addiction, grief, and the impact of trauma on the body. We explore the role of the gut, the power of natural healing, and the loss of connection to the world around us.
She opens up about her recovery journey and the shift in perspective that changed everything. Not to tell anyone what to think but to share what happened, and what she’s learned along the way.
It’s a conversation about resilience, intuition, and the importance of staying curious about the choices we make when it comes to our wellbeing.
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Key moments include:
✔ The life-changing impact of medical injury✔ Philly’s experience with opioids, alcohol, and chronic pain✔ Grieving the woman she once was✔ Understanding gut health and the mind-body connection✔ What it really means to heal from trauma✔ Thoughts on the healthcare system and why she began speaking out✔ Learning to listen to the body and reconnect with nature
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Connect & Follow
Follow Ellie McKay:
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb
🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb 
Follow Philly J Lay:
🔗 Website: https://www.phillyjlay.com/
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phillyjlay/?hl=en
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philly-j-lay-5776951a3/
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phillyjlay1/?locale=en_GB 
🔗 Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Natural-Wellness-Journal-Persons-Systems/dp/1982282703?ref_=ast_author_dp 
🔗 The Wellness Way Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wellness-way/id1737796773