Secret Leaders with Dan Murray-Serter & Chris Donnelly Podcast

What if the secret to happiness, clarity, and success took just 5 minutes a day?

In this episode, we sit down with Alex Ikonn co-founder of the viral sensation The Five Minute Journal, used by the likes Emma Watson, Tim Ferriss, and millions of others. From being fired at a bank to building a 7-figure business and redefining personal fulfillment, Alex shares the mindset hacks, journaling techniques, and life lessons that transformed his journey.

In this episode:

Why The Five Minute Journal works (science + psychology behind it)



How to build morning habits that shift your brain toward gratitude and growth



From burnout to breakthrough: Alex's honest story of success and emptiness



The real power of physical journaling in an AI world



What happens when CEOs, creatives, and everyday people start writing things down



Topics Covered:

Self-growth & Gratitude Journaling



Mindset Shifts for Success



How to Be Happier (Backed by Neuroscience)



Mental Health & Daily Habits



From Idea to Impact: Building a Movement



Celebrity Endorsements and Brand Building



Finding Fulfilment in Work and Life



Want to level up your mindset? Subscribe for weekly interviews with world-class thinkers, creators, and entrepreneurs.

--------

Sign up to Wise Business banking:

https://wise.com/uk/business/



Join Vanta and receive $1000 off:

http://vanta.com/secretleaders

In this episode of Secret Leaders, we sit down with Alex Kendall, co-founder & CEO of Wayve AI — the $1B+ British startup taking on Tesla in the race to build a driverless future.

From raising $1.05 billion from Microsoft, SoftBank, and NVIDIA, to reimagining cities with AI-powered vehicles, Alex shares how his company is changing how we live, commute, and move goods.

- Why do 1.2 million people still die on roads every year? - Why are cars asleep 96% of the time and what if they could work for us? - Could AI make driving safer than humans ever could?

We dive into how Wayve’s embodied AI competes with Tesla, why public trust is still the biggest barrier, and how your car might soon become your second living room.

--------

Sign up to Wise Business banking:

⁠https://wise.com/uk/business/⁠



Join Vanta and receive $1000 off:

⁠http://vanta.com/secretleaders

From pouring tea to billion-dollar deals — Frank Smith's rise to CEO of Matchroom Boxing is nothing short of legendary. In this exclusive podcast, Frank opens up about building global stars like Anthony Joshua, sealing game-changing partnerships with DAZN, and navigating boxing’s Saudi-powered evolution.

We dive deep into:

The making of Connor Benn vs Chris Eubank Jr

Saudi Arabia’s billion-dollar impact on global boxing

Dana White’s entry, Jake Paul’s influence & Matchroom’s future

Secrets behind Matchroom’s mega-events (and their $25M darts empire)

Whether you're a fight fan, entrepreneur, or sports business geek — this episode is your ringside seat to the future of boxing.

--------

Sign up to Wise Business banking: https://wise.com/uk/business/

Join Vanta and receive $1000 off: http://vanta.com/secretleaders

What does it take to go from thinking "I’m not the type to start a company" to building a $2.5B startup that serves over 10,000 businesses? Christina Cacioppo, founder & CEO of Vanta, shares her raw and remarkable journey in this episode of Secret Leaders

In this candid interview, we dive into Christina’s path from Stanford to Silicon Valley royalty—funding startups like Twitter and Etsy, then jumping into the deep end to teach herself to code. Learn how she went from solo builder to unicorn founder, the scrappy early days of Vanta, why she waited until $10M ARR to raise funds, and the lessons she picked up alongside the founders of OpenSea and Substack at Y Combinator.

Topics We Cover:

Leaving a dream VC job to learn to code 

Building failed side projects and what they taught her

Working at Dropbox during hypergrowth

The real story behind launching Vanta

Why “doing things that don’t scale” worked

AI at Vanta and what’s next

Overcoming imposter syndrome as a young female founder

_______________

Sign up to Wise Business banking: https://wise.com/uk/business/

Join Vanta and receive $1000 off: http://vanta.com/secretleaders

Discover how Tom Kerridge went from washing dishes to building a £40M hospitality empire. In this episode of Secret Leaders, we dive into the raw truth behind restaurant success (and failure), why most places don’t make it, and how Tom hustled his way to the top—without any business background, investors, or MBA.

Pre-order Tom’s new book: "The BBQ Book: 80 Delicious Recipes for Fire and Coals"..

What You'll Learn:

The real economics behind restaurant pricing and margins

How Tom built the world’s first 2 Michelin-starred pub, The Hand & Flowers

Secrets to turning passion into profit in the hospitality industry

Leadership lessons from the heat of the kitchen

Why most restaurants fail—even when the food is great

Hosted by Dan Murray-Serter & Chris Donnelly, this interview breaks down the mindset, risk-taking, and raw resilience it takes to thrive in one of the toughest industries on earth. _______________

Sign up to Wise Business banking: https://wise.com/uk/business/

Join Vanta and receive $1000 off: http://vanta.com/secretleaders