The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
Anyone can get great business results working with people they like. But the true value is unleashed when you can succeed with even difficult people. In this podcast we reveal the secrets of difficult people at work and provide you with ideas and advice that you can use to succeed with even difficult people, stand out from the competition and secure business performance. Our mission is to unleash the power of people through enhanced communication, trust-building and partnerships.
Episodes

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
This is part one of a two part special to celebrate our first birthday.
We invited Jon Bircher, who is passionate about decision-making and leadership, to come and share his wisdom with us and a live audience.
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If you want to receive monthly advice, ideas and recommendations that will help you gain a commercial edge and get ahead, why not join our exclusive newsletter: https://zcmp.eu/e6AM
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In in this episode, we focus on the three phases of decision-making, phase 1, deciding how to decide phase 2, making the decision and phase 3 implementing decision.
Jon runs a specialist consultancy, Salt and Light Leadership Coaching who work with senior leaders from clients in the healthcare sector, helping them to make better more considered decisions.
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-Foxleigh Commercial Website: https://foxleigh.net/
-Chris Webber's LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-webber-uk
-Jon Bircher LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbircher/

Wednesday Nov 08, 2023
Wednesday Nov 08, 2023
Nicki Bass is Occupational Psychologist, keynote speaker and executive coach with specific expertise in resilience and leadership development. Having spent 18 years as an officer in the British Army focused on learning and development, she combines deep theoretical knowledge with lived experience as a leader in the most high-pressured environments. She has worked with a wide variety of organisations and teams, in both the public and private sectors and specialises in helping teams with complex and challenging dynamics.
Nicki is a TEDx speaker and the host of The Everyday Adventure Podcast and is passionate about enabling others to lead more fulfilling and adventurous lives. She can usually be found in her trainers, on her surfboard or endlessly walking her two dogs along the beach!
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If you want to receive monthly advice, ideas and recommendations that will help you gain a commercial edge and get ahead, why not join our exclusive newsletter: https://zcmp.eu/e6AM
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-Foxleigh Commercial Website: https://foxleigh.net/
-Chris Webber's LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-webber-uk
-Nicki Bass LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicki-bass/

Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Connie Smith is Scottish - South Sudanese, born in Khartoum and now living in South-West England with her family. She spent most of her childhood and half of her career living in multiple countries across Africa.
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If you want to receive monthly advice, ideas and recommendations that will help you gain a commercial edge and get ahead, why not join our exclusive newsletter: https://zcmp.eu/e6AM
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Her career began with running a direct sales business, in the USA over her summers while doing her MA at Edinburgh University in Scotland. This 4-year experience has been the foundation for her
grit and has given her the transferable skills to work in emerging markets and specifically last-mile distribution contexts. After graduating she spent time working in the corporate sector in London focusing on B2B enterprise sales, team management, and commercial channel management.
In 2016 she set up a consultancy
to transition her commercial skill set into supporting the social impact sector. She has helped over 50 socially-minded organizations and their teams to build culture and transform their results while supporting individuals to become effective leaders. Not only has she worked in the WASH sector, but also in Solar, Healthcare, Agriculture, Telecoms, Displacement, Nutrition, and Tech Start-Up spaces, focusing most of her engagements between London and Africa.She has spent time living and working in over 15 different countries.
On top of delivering sales and business consulting services, she has been invited to deliver public engagements and run workshops at conferences such as Skoll, WEDC, World Water Week, Ashden Awards, Social Enterprise World Forum, Pioneers Post events, Unreasonable Institute East Africa or REPP investees. She has also founded and still chairs the Charity, Evergreen Africa operating in Eastern Uganda.
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-Foxleigh Commercial Website: https://foxleigh.net/
-Chris Webber's LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-webber-uk
-Connie Smith LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connie-f-smith/

Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Chris is the CEO and Co-Founder of Play It Green, an award winning subscription service and platform that helps people and businesses to become part of the climate solution.
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If you want to receive monthly advice, ideas and recommendations that will help you gain a commercial edge and get ahead, why not join our exclusive newsletter: https://zcmp.eu/e6AM
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In two years Play It Green, set up by two Manchester dads Chris and Richard, spread to nine countries, became an accredited B Corp and had a membership including G4S,
Manchester Central and Shire Leasing PLC.
A Loughborough University graduate and qualified
Chemistry teacher Chris Thair spent 20 years working at two professional sports clubs and three governing bodies. Roles included Salary Cap Manager, Super League Licencing Manager, CEO Wales Rugby League and General Manager of the Rugby League European Federation.
An infectious personality of positivity that has a passion for sport, sustainability, governance and business. Chris has been a speaker and panelist at many high profile events.
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-Foxleigh Commercial Website: https://foxleigh.net/
-Chris Webber's LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-webber-uk
-Chris Thair LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-thair-b88b0117/

Wednesday Aug 02, 2023
Wednesday Aug 02, 2023
Alex is currently Managing Partner and CoFounder at Lancero Capital, a Private Equity fund investing in Financial Services and Technology businesses.
Prior to his current role he led Strategic Partnerships at HSBC as well as managing HSBC corporate venture capital fund's portfolio of investments where he advised a variety of leading Fintech startups on commercial operations.
His previous experience also includes leadership roles in a variety of global businesses in the entertainment, retail and defence industries.
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If you want to receive monthly advice, ideas and recommendations that will help you gain a commercial edge and get ahead, why not join our exclusive newsletter: https://zcmp.eu/e6AM
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-Foxleigh Commercial Website: https://foxleigh.net/
-Chris Webber's LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-webber-uk
-Alex Barkley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-barkley-8a173285/

Wednesday Jul 19, 2023
Wednesday Jul 19, 2023
Ryan is a former Buddhist monk who has studied and practiced Tibetan Buddhism for over 15 years including long periods of silent meditation retreat. He recently graduated with an executive MBA from London Business School and has a built a portfolio career centred around transforming organisations through coaching and leadership development.
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If you want to receive monthly advice, ideas and recommendations that will help you gain a commercial edge and get ahead, why not join our exclusive newsletter: https://zcmp.eu/e6AM
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-Foxleigh Commercial Website: https://foxleigh.net/
-Chris Webber's LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-webber-uk
-Ryan Hargreaves LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanjhargreaves/

Wednesday Jul 05, 2023
Wednesday Jul 05, 2023
Chris is an equity, diversity, and inclusion professional with over a decade of experience in the retail space working at British, design-led, lifestyle retailer Oliver Bonas. Originally from Scotland where he studied marketing at university, Chris combines the knowledge gained from his studies, time spent working on the shop floor and, most recently, years in Learning and Development to form an awareness of both customer and team.
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If you want to receive monthly advice, ideas and recommendations that will help you gain a commercial edge and get ahead, why not join our exclusive newsletter: https://zcmp.eu/e6AM
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A firm believer in the power of talking to people and listening to their points of view (partially thanks to his unique ability to start a conversation in an empty room), the brand’s inhouse employee resource groups are aptly called The Voices networks and, with their support, the brand has successfully implemented new and updated policy, engaging inclusive activity as well as an upfront, transparent approach to recruitment thanks to the shared questions, feedback and ideas from team members across the business.
Outside of the 9-5 Chris is on the board of trustees at Mosaic LGBT+ Young Persons Trust and is a mentor to creative entrepreneurs through M&C Saatchi sponsored platform, Mentor Black Business.
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-Foxleigh Commercial Website: https://foxleigh.net/
-Chris Webber's LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-webber-uk
-Chris Shearer-Wright LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-shearer-wright-087698118/

Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Katie James has been a midwife for 25 years, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) for more than 17 and the host and creator of the podcast ‘The Midwives’ Cauldron’.
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If you want to receive monthly advice, ideas and recommendations that will help you gain a commercial edge and get ahead, why not join our exclusive newsletter: https://zcmp.eu/e6AM
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Katie has worked in a variety of settings from birth suite in the hospital, to homebirth, traditional community midwifery, and infant feeding clinics. Katie has worked within specialised midwifery programs for under 19 year olds, she led a midwifery team for pregnant women dealing with alcohol, drug and/or complex psychological health challenges, and has worked supporting lactation with families of small and vulnerable babies in neonatal intensive care units.
Katie started teaching early on in her lactation career when she was given the job of ‘acting head of lactation’ only 6 months after qualifying as a lactation consultant. This came with another jump in the deep end when she had to finish writing and teaching the remaining half of a 45-hour accredited lactation course for midwives and child health nurses to become IBCLC’s! Since then, Katie has worked in universities and hospitals teaching students, midwives and doctors; basically, anyone who will listen to her talk about the marvels of breastfeeding, lactation and human milk!
Katie currently spends her working time creating The Midwives’ Cauldron podcast, building online lactation and breastfeeding courses, and providing lactation consultations globally.
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-Foxleigh Commercial Website: https://foxleigh.net/
-Chris Webber's LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-webber-uk
-Katie James LinkedIn: https://www.katiejames.site/

Wednesday May 31, 2023
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Loren Chadima, founder of Intentional Acting in LA was recently named one of the “Best Acting Coaches in the United States”.
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If you want to receive monthly advice, ideas and recommendations that will help you gain a commercial edge and get ahead, why not join our exclusive newsletter: https://zcmp.eu/e6AM
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She studied acting and directing at the Middlesex Polytechnic in London and at Trinity Repertory Conservatory in Providence, RI. In Los Angeles, Loren studied film and graduated from the AFI’s Directing Workshop for Woman with her first film Surprise – that went to over a dozen film festivals. Her award-winning film, Cries from Ramah won several Best Film categories and qualified for the 79th Academy Awards. She also directed a feature film, a children’s TV pilot – The Wiz Kidz and several McDonald’s spec commercials and numerous plays to critical acclaim on both the east and west coasts.
Her students Taeho K just returned from is in South Africa shooting MY SPY 2 with Dave Bautista. Another student Brayden Maniago has 5 episodes on DAHMER: MONSTER on Netflix. Her eldest students Gaylynn Baker (86 years old!) is Mabel - a Tik Tok star on RETIREMENT HOUSE with 1.7 Billion views. And one of her youngest students, Ayla Rae (10 years old), is Queen Bee, the star of L.O.L SURPRISE the movie and TV series.
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-Foxleigh Commercial Website: https://foxleigh.net/
-Chris Webber's LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-webber-uk
-Loren Chadima LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loren-e-chadima-440151b/

Wednesday May 10, 2023
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Sean grew up thinking there were no green spaces in Earl’s Court, which is why his friends and brothers adopted the local cemetery as their park – playing sports, riding bikes and climbing trees. Later on, he learnt there actually were plenty of local gardens, but they were all privately owned and under lock and key.
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If you want to receive monthly advice, ideas and recommendations that will help you gain a commercial edge and get ahead, why not join our exclusive newsletter: https://zcmp.eu/e6AM
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On weekends Sean's mum took him to work with her at ‘The Gateway Club’ – a centre for young people with learning disabilities. It was a club with scarce resources, but the staff were very caring, patient and nurturing. This stuck! He was proud to know that his mum took care of these people. They would call him their ‘brother’ and his mum their ‘mum’. One big family.
In 2006, Sean travelled the world for a year. During that time he mixed with wonderful people, each with their own traits and with a common goal in life: to be happy. He absorbed the environment – from the street children in Mumbai to the opulence of Dubai, and realised that sports played a big part in children’s happiness. It was a way of bringing people together. From the homemade cricket bats in India to the dilapidated boxing gyms in Cuba, resourcefulness seemed to overcome the hardship of poverty.
Sean returned to the UK in 2007 and founded Solidarity Sports. His first project – ‘Six Weeks of Football Fun’ – gave 20 children living in Earl’s Court the opportunity to enjoy sports and keep healthy. Since then, he has helped children all over London. From taking over 100 children on exciting trips abroad to publishing their very own cookbook, the journey has given Sean and him team smiles, tears and lots of laughter in between.
Sean's vision is to help more children and have a more positive impact on their lives. The Sports Solidarity slogan used to be: ‘Inspiring children to be’. However, sometimes he thinks he enjoys working with young people so much that it should read the opposite: ‘Inspiring adults to be’. It’s closer to the truth.
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-Foxleigh Commercial Website: https://foxleigh.net/
-Chris Webber's LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-webber-uk
-Sean Mendez LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-mendez-578b5818/