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The Unconventionalists with Mark Leruste

The Unconventionalists with Mark Leruste

By Mark Leruste

The Unconventionalists is a weekly show covering the stories behind the people who went against the curve, took the road less traveled and stayed true to being themselves in the face of adversity. Listeners often say that each episode feels like eavesdropping on an intimate conversation between two old friends as host Mark Leruste uses his warm, compelling style to tease out the truth and create moments of radical honesty.

Previous guests include Noah Kagan, Danielle LaPorte, Paul Jarvis, Chris Guillebeau, Sarah Knight, James Wilks and the Founders of The Minimalists.
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#31: How to know if your business idea is good

The Unconventionalists with Mark LerusteAug 05, 2016

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22:52
#171 Donald Miller's secret playbook to building a million dollar coaching business

#171 Donald Miller's secret playbook to building a million dollar coaching business

In this must-watch episode, Donald Miller is back on The Unconventionalists podcast to dive into his latest masterpiece, "Coach Builder," launching tomorrow! Get ready to grab your copy at CoachBuilder.com or from your favourite book store. 🌟 In this episode we talked about why did Donald Miller suddenly decide to write about building a lucrative coaching career (despite there being a ton of books out there already) and whether or not anyone really can turn their know-how into a money-making venture (spoiler alert, Donald believes that's a big fat YES). 🥗 Hear the incredible tale of a stay-at-home mom who transformed her hobby of growing salads into a million-dollar empire. It's a story that's as inspiring as it is astonishing. 💡 Plus, Donald tackles a burning question from our audience: Should business coaches stick to a set methodology, or is it better to guide clients in crafting their own solutions? His answer is enlightening and not to be missed. 🔥 If you've ever wondered about creating a sustainable, profitable coaching business that genuinely impacts lives and gives you more time and freedom, then this conversation with Donald Miller is exactly what you need. 💬 Drop a comment below: What's your biggest takeaway from this episode? 👉 Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more Unconventional wisdom!

Mar 11, 202411:33
#170 Daniel Costa Gil - Against all odds: A tale of loss, love, and Resilience

#170 Daniel Costa Gil - Against all odds: A tale of loss, love, and Resilience

In this profoundly moving episode of The Unconventionalists podcast, Mark Leruste sits down with Daniel Costa Gil, a man whose life story embodies the very essence of human resilience and hope. Born as the youngest of four brothers in South Africa, our guest this week is the sole survivor of a family that faced an unimaginable cascade of tragedies. From the heart-wrenching loss of his parents and siblings to facing life's harshest challenges alone, his journey is a testament to the indomitable human spirit. In an intimate conversation, Daniel shares for the first time the harrowing details of his childhood - marked by the sudden loss of his father, a renowned psychologist, to suicide and the devastating struggles of his mother, a dedicated doctor who through a series of tragic events, found herself in a situation that led her to her darkest hour. The episode takes a deep dive into the fateful day that changed everything, when a crisis led to an unimaginable family tragedy that would forever change the course of Daniel's life. Yet, amidst this backdrop of sorrow and loss, Daniel's story is not one of despair. It's a narrative of incredible strength, love, and an unyielding belief in the possibility of a brighter tomorrow. He opens up about the challenges of overcoming the complex emotions surrounding his mother's actions on November 13th, 1998, and the heartbreak of losing his last remaining brother during the global pandemic. His message is clear and powerful: Life happens for us, not to us. In this episode, Daniel eloquently shares how he transformed his pain into his purpose, helping others navigate their journeys of grief, guilt and shame into transforming into their authentic self and expression. When shit hits the fan and your world turns upside down, Daniel is the man you call. Join us for a life-changing episode that's more than just a story - it's an exploration of the depths of grief and the heights of human resilience. It's a reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is a light of hope that never goes out. Daniel Costa Gil (www.danielcostgil.com) is a graduate of my Own Your Story programme. If you'd like to find out more how you can go through the same life-changing experience and turn your story into a powerful asset that gets noticed, raises your profile and inspires others, visit www.storycast.co.


SPONSORS


This week’s episode of The Unconventionalists podcast was brought to you by:



GET IN TOUCH WITH MARK


Jan 15, 202401:51:46
#169 Donald Miller - How a Fatherless Boy Built a $15M Empire & Transformed His Life Story

#169 Donald Miller - How a Fatherless Boy Built a $15M Empire & Transformed His Life Story

Welcome back to another inspiring episode of The Unconventionalists podcast! Today, I'm thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with the incredible Donald Miller, CEO of Business Made Simple and StoryBrand, and the author of 13 transformative books.


I had the pleasure of sitting down with Don on the eve of Thanks Giving and dive into the myriad of questions I had about his various books.


From asking about his memoirs such as Blue Like Jazz (that stayed a New York Times Bestseller for 40 weeks) to some of my favourite business books he wrote like "Hero on a Mission", "Building a StoryBrand" or "Marketing Made Simple", we talked about what it takes to build a successful business and create a meaningful life.


If you've never heard about Don before today, you're going to love his story: A fatherless boy from southern Texas raised by a struggling single mother, who grew up poor standing in line for government cheese and who through a series of events and guidance ends up writing books and manages to go from being an author with a virtual assistant to running a $15m company with 40 employees impacting hundreds of thousands of lives.

 

You wouldn’t know by looking at him but Don also used to weigh 387lbs (175.5kgs) and lost 200lbs (90.7kgs)! Which is an incredible feat.

 

When screenwriters wanted to turn his breakout book Blue Like Jazz into a film they realised they needed to edit his life to make it more interesting. That’s when Don realised that we can all have a more meaningful and fulfilling life by being intentional to treat our lives like a compelling story. 

 

Don’s super power is to take complex concepts or ideas and to explain them in a really simple way, be it religion, life or business.

 

Alex Hormozi is a fan and so am I.


From Don's backstory to his thoughts on what it takes to build a successful business and create a life of meaning to what is desperately missing in the narative to resolve the Israel - Palestine conflict, this episode is going to blow your mind.


I genuinely can't wait for you to listen to this episode! 🙏


SPONSORS


This week’s episode of The Unconventionalists podcast was brought to you by:




GET IN TOUCH WITH MARK


Nov 30, 202353:08
#168 Did Glow in the Dark win a Business Book Award...?
May 17, 202327:54
#167 Grow the f*ck up with Sarah Knight
Apr 04, 202353:09
#166 Glow In The Dark: The book that broke the internet with Mark Leruste

#166 Glow In The Dark: The book that broke the internet with Mark Leruste

In this week's special episode of The Unconventionalsits podcast, Mark Leruste dives into the entire journey behind how his new book, "Glow in the Dark: How Sharing Your Personal Story Can Transform Your Business and Change Your Life" (Hachette UK) launched as a Top 10 Bestseller on Amazon in three different categories. 

As you will learn, it was the best of launches and it was the worst of launches...


Resources:

👉 Order your copy of Glow in the Dark today: https://amzn.to/3Vg51Vd

Shownotes:

Corrections: 

In this week's episode Mark forgot to mention that one of the reasons Amazon UK may have crashed on launch day is that Mark offered some exclusive bonuses to anyone who bought his book on launch date, depending on how many copies people bought they would unlock various prizes and bonuses. This meant that people sometimes bought 10, 20 or 30 copies at a time. Which may have contributed to Amazon UK panicking and thinking the increase in purchases were down to bots trying to bring the website down...

Also, Mark mentioned "Ben Keene" attending his official book launch, but he actually meant "Ben Coomber"! The correct link to Ben Coomber's new book is included in the show notes above.

Feb 02, 202325:51
#165 Why you have a story inside of you waiting to be told (Glow in the Dark official book launch)

#165 Why you have a story inside of you waiting to be told (Glow in the Dark official book launch)

It's book launch day! 📕 🎉 🚀 To celebrate this huge milestone, in this week's special episode of The Unconventionalsits podcast, Mark Leruste dives into the entire journey behind how his new book, "Glow in the Dark: How Sharing Your Personal Story Can Transform Your Business and Change Your Life" (Hachette UK) came to be, from doubt to book deal, and why he can't wait for you to get your hands on a copy.

Despite only having three weeks to promote his book, Mark is swinging for the fences and will attempt to hit a best-sellers list today thanks to your support.

That's right, his lightweight challenger book "Glow in the Dark" will attempt to punch above its weight and go toe-to-toe against some of the biggest heavyweight champions in non-fiction publishing history, including Simon Sinek and Michelle Obama.

Like a true David vs Goliath story, this is where you come in my friend.

Today, Thursday 8th December 2022, at 12pm GMT we are going to attempt to get Glow in the Dark to #1 in at least one Amazon.co.uk category (we're going for three but one would already be a miracle).

If you want to help, all you need to do is to make sure you buy your copy (or multiple copies) today on Amazon.co.uk, take a screen screen shot of your receipt and send it to us by email "podcast[at]theunconventionalists[dot]com" by 2pm GMT to win a chance at getting 2 x tickets to the official book launch of Glow in the Dark in London (completely sold out), as well as unlock a series of juicy bonuses and giveaways including working with Mark and getting free access to some of his most popular online masterclasses (see website for full details).

If you've enjoyed the show, be it since 2015 or 2022 thank you so much for your support! 🙏

We can't wait for Glow in the Dark to take the world by a storm.

To your story! 


Resources:

👉 Order your copy of Glow in the Dark today: https://amzn.to/3Vg51Vd


Shownotes:

  • Glow in the Dark Official Website: https://www.glowinthedarkbook.com
  • Official Book Trailer: https://www.glowinthedarkbook.com/trailer
  • Unboxing 'Glow in the Dark by Mark Leruste' (Hachette UK) Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXx4P9fUc98
  • #145 The real reason you haven't written your book yet with Tucker Max: https://theunconventionalists.com/episode/145
  • #157 How to navigate the emotional journey of writing a book with Emily Gindlesparger: https://theunconventionalists.com/episode/157
Dec 08, 202258:17
Bonus: Glow in the Dark - A sneak preview

Bonus: Glow in the Dark - A sneak preview

Mark's new book "Glow in the Dark: How Sharing Your Personal Story Can Transform Your Business and Change Your Life" (Hachette UK) is officially coming out tomorrow on December 8th, 2022 🎉 🎁 📕

Here is a sneak preview of tomorrow's special "behind the scenes" episode and how you can help Mark launch his book with a bang!

If you would like to help Mark's new book "Glow in the Dark" hit the #1 best-sellers list listen to today's special episode, set a reminder on your phone for 12pm GMT on December 8th, 2022 and head over to https://www.glowinthedarkbook.com to order your copy (or copies) on Amazon.co.uk.

Thank you so much for your support! 🙏 

Resources:

👉 https://www.glowinthedarkbook.com

Dec 07, 202211:31
#164 How to Be More Human with Tony Riddle

#164 How to Be More Human with Tony Riddle

“We can’t all live in nature, but that doesn’t mean we can’t live naturally.” - Tony Riddle

In this week's episode of The Unconventionalists podcast, Mark Leruste sits down with Tony Riddle, aka The Natural Lifestylist. Tony is a natural lifestyle coach, father, husband, author and record-breaking barefoot endurance athlete whose brand-new debut book Be More Human is out today.

As a third time guest on The Unconventionalists podcast, Tony always brings a wealth of knowledge, is never afraid to challenge the status quo,  is a brilliant storyteller and as a result has fast become a fan favourite of the show.

As you will find out, Tony first shared his story in full on this very podcast back in 2016, so it was an honour to get to catch up after so long.

In between his busy schedule and media obligations, Tony made the time to jump on the mic and share his incredible but true journey of being rejected as an author to building a 70,000+ strong thriving community online and landing a major Penguin Life book deal for his first book.

“It’s not about becoming Captain Fantastic, it’s about designing simple ways of living that create greater health and wellbeing for future generations and for our planet. In essence, it’s disconnecting from our ‘ego-system’ and reconnecting to our ecosystem.” - Tony Riddle

Tony has been featured extensively in the press from The Times, Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Telegraph Magazine, New York Times, Men’s Health, Evening Standard, and on BBC Breakfast, Sky News, The Rich Roll Podcast, Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee, and many others.

If you're tired of feeling exhausted and lack the energy to do the things that you know deep down can fulfil you, Tony's book is going to be your new best friend to learn simple tips and ways to introduce some new habits and modalities to live a more natural life, in sync with your biological norm.

Who cares what people think of you next time you squat down on the tube, Tony has been a friend in my life who always pushes the boundaries of what could be if only you give yourself the permission to be all you can be.

Enjoy this very special episode, fresh off the press!

Mark


IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN

  • How to build a community online (even if you're just getting started)
  • How Tony managed to go from being rejected by publishers to landing a major book deal
  • Why no matter where you are in your journey you can benefit from some of the simple yet ancient that nature has to offer
  • The importance of understanding what being more human means to you


SHOWNOTES


THIS WEEK'S EPISODE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

  • Become The Spotlight (www.becomethespotlight.com): Discover your Leadership Score and improve your ability to impact the world with your message


May 26, 202250:58
#163 From homeless to award-winning CEO: the inspiring true story of JeVon McCormick

#163 From homeless to award-winning CEO: the inspiring true story of JeVon McCormick

In this week's episode of The Unconventionalists podcast, Mark Leruste sits down with JeVon McCormick to talk about his incredible but true story of going from being abused, neglected and homeless as a child to becoming the award-winning CEO of a multi-million dollar publishing company that was recently ranked the #1 Top Company Culture in America by Entrepreneur Magazine.

As always I can’t wait to hear what you got out of today’s conversation, so please get in touch and let me know!

Be true, be brave, be kind and let it rip.

Mark


Warning: This episode contains curse words, explicit language, descriptions of abuse and triggers that may cause a traumatised person to relive a past experience, especially related to abuse or sexual assault. Viewers discretion is advised.


IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN

  • Why JeVon stopped editing himself after the murder of George Floyd and why he stopped trying to fit in the playbook of corporate America   
  • How you can take all the stories that you are ashamed about and turn them into an inspiring message  
  • Why there’s always positivity you can take away from any situation, no matter how dramatic or tragic that event may be
  • And why embracing the fact that not everyone is going to like you is the most freeing feeling in the world


THIS WEEK'S EPISODE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:


SHOWNOTES

May 16, 202259:31
#162 How to become indistractable and finally reach your goals with Nir Eyal

#162 How to become indistractable and finally reach your goals with Nir Eyal

In this week's episode of The Unconventionalists podcast, I sit down with Nir Eyal, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of "Hooked" and "Indistractable”, investor, consultant and public speaker to find out the number one reason why people don’t achieve their goals and what we can do to become hyper focused and indistractable.

It’s a powerful conversation that I hope will be as much of a game changer to you as it was to me.

Nir’s book “Indistractable”is one of my favourite books I read in 2021 and I just knew I had to get him on the podcast to better understand what truly drives us to do what we do.

As you will hear in our conversation, it turns out that 90% of the problem with distraction has nothing to do with technology or external factors, it has everything to do with our internal triggers.

Plato, the Greek philosopher was complaining about distraction 2,500 years ago! That’s why Nir believes that conventional advice towards becoming less distracted is silly. Instead of focusing on trying to get rid of our smart phones we must first learn how to manage our internal triggers that drive our behaviour.

That’s right, most distractions begin from within. Nir argues that it’s our desire to escape discomfort, or as he calls them internal triggers, be it boredom, loneliness, fatigue, uncertainty, stress or anxiety, this is why we’re looking for escape.

Whether it’s too much news, too much booze or too much Facebook we’re going to look for distraction if we don’t know how to deal with those integral triggers.

“The only way to handle distraction is to learn how to handle pain.” Nir Eyal

My favourite takeaway was that time management is actually pain management and that self-compassion may be the most underrated hack to productivity. Who knew that trying to stop the urge to do something was the very reason why we end up doing the very thing we don’t want to do (I know, very meta!).

This is a juicy conversation you won’t want to miss as we also dive deeper into Nir’s process to write binge-worthy books that people can’t stop talking about.

As always I can’t wait to hear what you got out of today’s conversation, so please get in touch and let me know!

Be true, be brave, be kind and let it rip.

Mark


IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN

  • The number one reason why people don’t achieve their goals (this will blow your mind)
  • Why technology may not be the problem to our inability to focus (hello 2,500 year old problem)  
  • Why self-compassion is the ultimate productivity hack
  • Understanding the root cause vs the proxy cause of our behaviour (and why it matters)
  • And how to differentiate the voice of doubt (i.e. impostor syndrome) with the voice of reason (healthy self-awareness)

 
THIS WEEK'S EPISODE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:


SHOWNOTES

Mar 31, 202254:28
#161 What the hell is 'Impostor Syndrome' anyway? with Dr Valerie Young
Mar 20, 202201:00:41
#160 How to live an intentional life (+ book update!) with Mark Leruste
Mar 10, 202217:47
#159 How to stop procrastinating and start inspiring with Georgina Vestey

#159 How to stop procrastinating and start inspiring with Georgina Vestey

In 1976 the film Rocky was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won three, including best picture, making its writer and lead role, Sylvester Stallone, a star.

It also went on to become the highest-grossing movie of the year.

Now there's a reason why Rocky stole the show...we LOVE a good story!

Especially a story involving an underdog who against all odds finds a way to win the day.

Who despite all their fears, doubts and everyone second guessing them along the way, manages to push through adversity, overcome challenges and come out swinging, punching way above their weight.

Georgie, just like Rocky, was an underdog.

As a one woman-band independent podcaster, Georgie Vestey had little to no chance to get nominated let alone win the most prestigious podcasting award in the country.

And yet, Georgie's podcast "Dead Honest" ended up being nominated for "Best Interview Podcast" at the British Podcast Awards 2021 and was up against media juggernauts including Channel 4 and The Guardian, all fighting for gold.

Well, just like Rocky, Georgie shocked the world and came out with her hand raised.

But she didn't stop there...

Today Georgie was announced as the winner of a prestigous European Lovie Awards, a ceremony celebrating the best of European internet, which is a pretty big deal.

The crazy thing is, Georgie almost never pressed published on her podcast.

This is the story of how a perfectionist procrastinator became an award-winning podcaster and inspired thousands of independent podcasts to keep fighting the good fight.

No matter what your goals are, I hope that you get inspired by my conversation with Georgie to get started on your journey to impact too.

I can't wait to hear what you got out of it over on social media @markleruste or over on www.theunconventionalists.com !

Be brave, be true, be kind and let it rip.

Mark


Shownotes:

This week’s episode was brought to you by:

  • Become The Spotlight: www.becomethespotlight.com - Discover your Spotlight Score and improve your ability to impact the world with your message
Nov 17, 202146:37
#158 How to reach one million views with a TEDx talk

#158 How to reach one million views with a TEDx talk

On the 22nd April 2017, Mark Leruste stepped on the stage at the TEDxCardiff sold out event to deliver his talk, "What they don't tell you about entrepreneurship." Today Mark's talk has hit one million views, but the road to get there was filled with ups and downs, trials and tribulations. 

This special episode of The Unconventionalists podcast is the definitive account of how Mark went from being down and depressed in 2009 with a dream to one day inspire others, to delivering the most watched TEDxCardiff talk of all time.


Shownotes:


This week’s episode was brought to you by:

  • Become The Spotlight: www.becomethespotlight.com - Discover your Spotlight Score and improve your ability to impact the world with your message
Jun 22, 202149:17
#157 How to navigate the emotional journey of writing a book with Emily Gindlesparger

#157 How to navigate the emotional journey of writing a book with Emily Gindlesparger

May 04, 202101:05:04
#156 How to build a bulletproof mindset with Jodie Cook
May 03, 202149:06
#155 Building courageous men with Alex Holmes
May 02, 202101:01:26
#154 What the business leader learnt from the stripper with Paulina Tenner

#154 What the business leader learnt from the stripper with Paulina Tenner

Paulina is an entrepreneur, angel investor, TEDx speaker and a founder of GrantTree whose new book “Laid Bare: what the business leader learnt from the stripper” describing leadership lessons she learnt as a burlesque dancer" is making waves.

Since 2010 her team has grown organically from 2 to 50 and raised over £200M for more than 600 technology startups and scaleups (while also moonlighting as a burlesque dancer) and operate an open culture company which pioneered a self set salary scheme in the UK.


Shownotes:

Join the movement www.theunconventionalists.com/newsletter

Learn more at paulinatenner.com and follow Paulina on social media @paulinatenner.


This week’s episode was brought to you by:

  • Become The Spotlight: www.becomethespotlight.com - Discover your Spotlight Score and improve your ability to impact the world with your message


May 01, 202157:47
#153 How to grow your business with a podcast and have more impact with Lynsay Gould
Apr 30, 202146:38
#152 How to find your life track with lion tracker Boyd Varty
Apr 29, 202101:08:34
#151 How to have better sales conversation with Matt Essam
Apr 21, 202101:03:51
#150 The power of mentors and why everyone needs one with Erick Rheam
Mar 24, 202101:03:35
#149 Why the future of business is you with Chris Ducker

#149 Why the future of business is you with Chris Ducker

Starting a business is tough enough as it is. That's why starting a business that isn't a true representation of who you are or what you stand for in the world is a sure recipe for disaster.

But how can you start a business that is based around your passion and expertise when you don't even know where to start? 

Well, the answer is simple, ask Chris Ducker.  

This week's special guest on The Unconventionalists podcast is one of the most sought after authorities on the subject of personal brand businesses whose journey is one of hard work, burnout, change, success and an unwavering desire to serve those that dream of changing the world with what they know and who they strive to serve. 

Unlike many other so called entrepreneurs online, Chris actually build a brick and mortar business before transitioning his attention to helping people build their expertise-based business online.

He's written books, coached and mentors entrepreneurs to help them unleash their unique gifts with the world and monetise their message by building an audience of raving fans.  

Chris counts as his friends the likes of Pat Flynn, Lewis Howes and Jadah Sellner to name a few.  

So if you're looking for an honest conversation on what it really takes to succeed in the world of content creation, and build a powerful personal brand, look no further. This conversation is for you.  

I can't wait to read your comments over on social media (@markleruste) and hear what golden nuggets you got out of our powerful conversation on all things personal branding!  

Be true, be brave, be kind and let it rip!  

Mark

Shownotes:

www.theunconventionalists.com/episode/149

Learn more at chrisducker.com and follow Chris on social media @chrisducker

This week’s episode was brought to you by:

Mar 03, 202144:47
#148 How to lead with love with Jadah Sellner
Feb 24, 202158:28
#147 The role of soul in business with Duke Stump

#147 The role of soul in business with Duke Stump

Duke Stump's goal is to obsolete Harvard Business School. As an economics major playing hockey at Vermont University who loved philosophy and nature, Duke was learning all about business. But at the same time he's watching Ben & Jerry's down the road dismantle everything he's learning in the classroom about what it means to be in business. 

Through compassion, vulnerability, courage and honesty, Duke believes in challenging the status quo and daring to play in completely different jet streams. Today, Duke loves building bonfires with soul: powerful, emotionally charged brands that stand for something meaningful in the world.

Recently cited by Forbes as one of the top 50 Game-Changing CMO’s, Duke has spent the last 30+ years helping to build iconic global brands (NIKE, Seventh Generation, lululemon). In addition, he has served in BOD and mentor roles with The Biomimicry Institute, 21c Hotels, Unreasonable Group, Healthy Child Healthy World and Love Your Brain.

A lover of nature, slow food, horsemanship and yoga, Duke and his family live on a small ranch in idyllic Ojai, CA along with horses, dogs, cats and chickens.

This is a powerful conversation about embracing change, the unknown and being open to what may be. Especially when it's scary.

Enjoy this powerful conversation!

@markleruste

Shownotes:

Bonfire With Soul: www.bonfirewithsoul.com 

No F*cks Given podcast with Sarah Knight: www.link.chtbl.com/uaXD3gld

This week’s episode was brought to you by:

Feb 04, 202101:04:20
#146 Why we need to build a more equal world for all with Vanessa Belleau

#146 Why we need to build a more equal world for all with Vanessa Belleau

When George Floyd was killed in 8min and 46 seconds on May 25th, 2020 by a Minneapolis police officer in the middle of the streets, which was captured on camera by bystanders, the world broke out with shock and anger.

What followed was a social media storm to attempt to raise awareness yet again on the historical and systematic racism across not just America, but across the world. While well-intended individuals and businesses decided to post a black image on their social media feeds in protest and use hashtags to raise awareness, much more was needed to address the bigger issue at heart.

Someone decided to continue to focus on solutions by providing even more support and direction to people and companies.

Her name is Vanessa Belleau.

Vanessa Belleau, a French Caribbean native who has called London her home for the past sixteen years, is the Founder of High Fifteen ltd, delivering future-proofing Insights and diverse strategies to businesses along with executive coaching to individuals.

Thanks to her honest & vulnerable approach, joyful nature and her "#TeamTooMuch" personality, Vanessa is an in-demand Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging consultant for SMEs and major brands such as Levi's, LVMH Group and Gymshark.

So when I had an opportunity to sit down with Vanessa to talk about race and why we can all do a little bit better to narrow the equality gap, I was both moved and touched by her personal stories and grateful for her insights and tips on how to navigate the conversation about race.

As always, if you enjoyed today's episode please share it with one friend or colleague who needs to hear this conversation.

Alone we may struggle but together we can change the world. And as always it starts with having the conversations we need to have and act with intent to create a more equal world for all.

Mark

Shownotes:

www.theunconventionalists.com

High Fifteen: www.highfifteen.com

Vanessa Belleau: https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-fifteen-ltd/ 

This week’s episode was brought to you by:

Jan 28, 202101:04:55
#145 The real reason you haven't written that book yet with Tucker Max

#145 The real reason you haven't written that book yet with Tucker Max

*Deep breath* This special episode of The Unconventionalists podcast with Tucker Max, 4x New York Times Bestselling Author and Co-Founder of Scribe Media who has sold over 4 million copies of his books, is by far the most vulnerable and raw episode I've released to date.  

As you will see, sh*t got deep, real fast.   

The interviewer became the interviewee as Tucker coached and helped me realise just how much some of my childhood trauma has been getting in the way of me writing me next non-fiction book. 

It's raw, it's uncomfortable and yet I know this is the kind of conversations that made me want to start The Unconventionalists podcast back in 2015.

We talked about what you can do to get over your limiting beliefs and why the very reason you're struggling with writing your book is the very reason why you need to write that book.  

We also talked about how every single author you know struggles with the same doubts and insecurities as you do. It's a universal experience of being human. 

Trust me, if you've been thinking of writing a book but are currently stuck or procrastinating with no end in sight, this episode is for you.  

In this episode you will learn why writing a book is not about knowing the ins and outs of how to actually write a book, but rather, why it's about facing your feelings and emotions that every author dreads to face.  

But as Joseph Campbell once said, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”  

Tucker even shares his own personal journey and what has helped him to date get over some of his childhood trauma as well as read parts of his personal journal on what he sees for 2021.  

⚠️ Warning: this episode contains descriptions of sexual violence and strong language that some viewers may find disturbing. Viewer discretion advised as not suitable for children.  

I really can't wait to read your comments on this powerful conversation and more importantly, learn what you're taking away and will implement to transform your life and business.  

If you found this conversation helpful, please share it with one friend who needs to hear this to move forward with their book (or creative project).  

Thank you and here's to being willing to be vulnerable in public.

Shownotes:

www.theunconventionalists.com/episode/145


This week’s episode was brought to you by:

Jan 21, 202101:28:60
#144 Ditch your New Year's Resolutions in 2021 and do this one thing instead (+ Podcasting For Business Awards special announcement!)
Jan 08, 202113:24
#143 How to hype yourself with Lucy Werner

#143 How to hype yourself with Lucy Werner

Unlike TV advertising, PR is suitable for everybody and you don’t need a huge budget to be able to execute it. But unlike what social media gurus would have you believe, there’s a whole bunch of work you need to do before you should put yourself out there. That’s where Lucy Werner comes in.

Lucy Werner is the founder of The Wern, an award-winning communications consultancy for startups, entrepreneurs and independents and is the author of the book: “Hype Yourself: A non-nonsense PR toolkit for small businesses”.

“You don’t need another self-help book for your business, you need a hype-yourself book.” - Lucy Werner

Lucy launched her business The Wern in 2015 after being completely disillusioned by how traditional agencies weren’t servicing the independents in the way they needed.

As you will hear in this week’s powerful conversation, Lucy went from making only £500 in her first month, being worried how she would pay her bills, to making £10,000 on her third month, building a team and eventually winning the FSB Micro-Business Award.

After trying to read books on PR and realising that the vast majority of the books out there were written by mostly ex journalist men turned PR consultants, she thought there was a gap in the market for a good book written by woman with an extensive background in PR. Hype Yourself was launched and a #HypeYourself revolution was born.

The Wern’s creative director, Hadrien Chatelet also happens to be the Co-Founder of Lucy’s children. So naturally we got into juicy topics such as what is it really like to run a business with your partner. 

In this episode you will learn:

  • What it takes to write a ground breaking bingeable book
  • The difference between selling and sharing
  • How to build connections and bridges with your audience from day one
  • The most important question you must ask yourself before investing in doing any PR
  • Challenges and rewards of running a business as a parent
  • How to become more visible in your industry
  • The importance of branding and why you should care

All the links mentioned in this week's episode as well as all the show notes can be found over at https://theunconventionalists.com/episode143

As always I'd love to hear your biggest takeaway and any follow up questions you might have after listening to our powerful conversation, so please tag me @markleruste or drop me a DM.

I can't wait to hear from you,

Mark

Nov 30, 202056:23
#142 Losing millions, overcoming depression and writing game changing books with Mike Michalowicz

#142 Losing millions, overcoming depression and writing game changing books with Mike Michalowicz

Mike Michalowicz is an entrepreneur who by his 35th birthday became a self-made cash millionaire after selling two multi-million businesses, before losing it all trying to become an angel investor.

When Mike announced to his family that they were financially wiped out, his daughter ran upstairs and offered to give her piggy bank to support the family, tears came running down his face.

That was the most humbling moment for Mike as he realised he simply couldn’t ignore the biggest problems he had avoided up until now.

After some serious business soul searching while going through functional depression and getting over his financial heart attack, he made the commitment to dig his head out of the sand and help fix the entrepreneurial problems he experienced and realised he knew very little about.

That’s when he asked himself if he had all the money in the world, what would he most like to do? And if he had no money in the world (which he did) what would he want to do to generate income. The crossroad answer became clear: become an author.

It was a crazy dream, but thirteen years later, Mike is a best selling small business author of six books (Surge, Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, Pumpkin Plan, Profit Firsts, Clockwork and Fix This Next) and is on a mission to eradicate entrepreneurial poverty.

He’s also a former Wall Street Journal small business columnist and business makeover specialist on MSNBC.

Today Mike is passionate about making the complex entrepreneurial problems simple, and as a shareholder of four companies, he uses his companies to further the teaching of his books and uses them as guinea pigs for future book ideas.

Mark


IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN

  1. Why the greatest connector is being yourself
  2. Why the right size business will find you
  3. Why everyone is judging everyone (especially you)
  4. Why your ego will kill your business

SHOWNOTES:

  • www.theunconventionalists.com/episode/142


This week’s episode was brought to you by:

Launch A Successful Podcast From Scratch (Online Masterclass):  https://theunconventionalists.com/launch-a-successful-podcast-from-scratch - Use code "PODCASTTRIBE" to get 20% off the entire course.

Nov 15, 202033:36
#141 How to get booked and paid to speak with Grant Baldwin

#141 How to get booked and paid to speak with Grant Baldwin

Oct 25, 202042:37
(special Announcement) Introducing 'In Between Seasons'
Oct 16, 202020:55
Bonus Episode: State of the Union 2020 with Mark Leruste

Bonus Episode: State of the Union 2020 with Mark Leruste

This special bonus episode of The Unconventionalists podcast was recorded a month ago, just before the Coronavirus outbreak in the UK. I hesitated to release it since the world has changed so much since then. But then again, I realised that this episode was a celebration of all that you helped me achieve in 2019-2020. That's right, in this special bonus episode I share with you the the ups and downs of what has turned out to be quite the year thanks to your incredible help and support. Thank you, Mark x

Apr 09, 202053:05
#140 How refugees can change the world if you give them a chance with Leticia Galdón
Jan 19, 202047:02
#139 Three questions to bring meaning to your life with David Baker
Jan 12, 202001:18:32
#138 How ordinary people can achieve the extraordinary with Rachel Forbes
Jan 05, 202053:12
#137 Why so many of us don’t achieve our goals and how to change that with Daniel Folk
Dec 29, 201947:11
#136 Why we need to debunk the hustle myth with Louise Nicolson
Dec 22, 201956:03
#135 The life-changing magic of telling your story with Gian Power
Dec 15, 201953:10
#134 Beating the loneliness epidemic with Jo Carnegie
Dec 08, 201956:30
#133 James Wilks: turning injury into opportunity - the inspiring story of The Game Changers documentary
Dec 01, 201954:31
#132 Supercharge LinkedIn to create success on YOUR terms with Alexandra Galviz

#132 Supercharge LinkedIn to create success on YOUR terms with Alexandra Galviz

"Sometimes,’ says Alexandra Galviz, ‘it takes getting to where you want to be to realise that’s not where you’re meant to be."

Alex is losing her voice. Which is ironic, since her passion is teaching others to use theirs: she’s an award-winning LinkedIn Top Voice and in-demand entrepreneur, consulting to C-suite high flyers and helping students and recent graduates find their feet.

In this episode of The Unconventionalists podcast, Alex doesn’t hold back on sharing her story. It’s inspiring, honest, funny, and will make you eager to dust off your LinkedIn profile and get to work putting into practice Alex’s ninja tips for standing out and making real connections.

"When I was a little girl I used to dream of working in the really tall building with a pointy top by the river, but having got to the 45th floor of that place, I realised that my definition of success was wrong."

In 2017, on her last day in her finance job, Alex wrote an honest piece on LinkedIn that went viral within minutes, being shared tens of thousands of times and attracting hundreds of comments. 

Having achieved her career dreams at the precocious age of 24, it seemed she had it all: Canary Wharf prestige, designer clothes, managerial role. So why did she give it up, and what happened when she finally said yes to launching the business she was born to run? Press play to find out.

If you’re inspired to breathe new life into your LinkedIn profile, get in touch and let us know! (You can even hit Mark or Alex up on LinkedIn).

And please do share this episode with others who need to hear it. We need more brave, authentic voices in the world.

Like yours.

Mark


SHOWNOTES:

www.theunconventionalists.com/episode/132


SUPPORT THE SHOW:

This week’s episode of The Unconventionalists podcast was brought to you by:

  • Hands down the best nutritional supplements Mark has ever used (they could be his superpower), Vivo Life: http://bit.ly/2LnXa74 - Use the discount code "mark" to get 10% off your first order
  • Launch A Successful Podcast From Scratch (Online Masterclass): https://theunconventionalists.com/launch-a-successful-podcast-from-scratch - Use code "PODCASTTRIBE" to get 20% off the entire course. You won’t regret it. “This guy is a podcasting master, trust me! Grab a spot ASAP.” - Samantha Clarke
Nov 24, 201958:01
#131 How to turn your brand into a movement with Josh Bolding

#131 How to turn your brand into a movement with Josh Bolding

In this brand-new episode of season 14 of The Unconventionalists podcast, Mark Leruste sits down with Josh Bolding, Co-Founder of Vivo Life to talk about the importance of having a powerful vision to turn your brand into a movement.

---

Josh Bolding is the Co-Founder of Vivo Life, the disruptive natural, ethical, whole-food and organic supplement company, whose mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of one million people around the world.

As you'll hear in today's powerful episode, the revolutionary plant-based company started with two friends in a kitchen blending in their favourite ingredients to try and create the ultimate plant-based protein. 

Because both were frustrated with the lack of options on the market and frankly, the amount of lies being thrown around..

After testing out their product on their online shop, they realised that within three months their plant-based protein powder was outselling the over 500 products combined on the site.

That’s when they knew they were on to something special.

But as you can imagine, the road that led them to this point wasn’t an easy or straightforward one.

After leaving school at 16, Josh decided to pursue his passion for health and fitness and worked for various health and supplement brands as a marketing and communications specialist.

Problem was, the closer Josh got to these brands and got to know the health and supplement industry, the more he saw what was going on behind the scenes…

And he didn’t like what he saw.

He would get asked things like, “Can you word this in a particular way so you don’t draw attention to this ingredient” or, “Can you pretend that this side effect doesn’t exist?”

Needless to say that’s when Josh decided to call it a day and was ready to quit the entire health and fitness industry all together.

But as you’ll hear from today’s powerful and inspiring conversation, Josh went from being a spin doctor for health and supplements brands to being a whistle-blower on an entire industry, ultimately creating Europe’s first neutral carbon company creating 100% compostable zero-waste packaging and planting over 15,000 trees as a result of selling their products.

The fascinating fact about Vivo Life’s community is that 60% of their customers are non-vegan.

Which for a plant-based company is unusual to say the least.

The reason being is that their message spreads beyond the vegan community. Because ultimately, it’s a message of hope about why making the best products in the world shouldn’t cost the world in the process.

Enjoy this week’s powerful and inspiring conversation!

Mark



SHOWNOTES:

Full episode show notes: www.theunconventionalists.com/episode/131


SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Nov 19, 201901:19:04
#130 How to create a life you love with Charlotte Pearce

#130 How to create a life you love with Charlotte Pearce

Today is International Podcast Day™ and I couldn't be happier to finish off season 13 of The Unconventionalists podcast on this special day by sharing this powerful conversation with Charlotte Pearce, Founder and CEO of Inkpact.

Why? Because a common mistake most aspiring and newbie entrepreneurs make all the time is wasting time spending a ton of money building expensive, complicated and time consuming tech (websites, apps, algorithms, etc) to prove and validate their business idea.

As if the only way to make a business idea work was to make it big from the get go, when in reality, the opposite is true.

As you’ll hear in today’s inspiring episode, if you want to prove and validate a business idea and grow it over time you do it by doing the unscalable first.

Only then do you leverage technology to grow and expand your impact.

This is one the conversations I hope my daughter will hear one day when she grows up. Because as you’ll quickly learn from listening to Charlotte Pearce, she is all kinds of amazing and inspiring.

In this week’s episode she shares her story of how she took a great idea that involved a lot of manual labour and managed to scale it through smart technology, enabling people around the world to create a life they love.

Charlotte also doesn’t hold back from talking about the ups and downs of starting and growing a business you love. Including the awkward and painful process of firing people.

Plug in your headphones, and get ready to be inspired to action!

Make sure to tag me @markleruste over on social media to let me know what were some of your favourite nuggets from today’s interview.

Can’t wait to read your words!

To your impact,

Mark


SHOWNOTES:

Online Video Course on How To Launch A Successful Podcast: www.theunconventionalists.com/podcasting-bootcamp

Full episode show notes: www.theunconventionalists.com/episode/130

Sep 30, 201901:08:47
#129 Improving female sexual pleasure with Billie Quinlan

#129 Improving female sexual pleasure with Billie Quinlan

When you find yourself calling your workplace to report a fake bike accident, so you don’t have to walk through the door to face the person who sexually assaulted you at work, in fear of breaking down in tears, you know something needs to change.

As you will hear in today’s powerful conversation with Billie Quinlan, Co-founder and CEO of Ferly who passionately believes in the power of unlocking female pleasure for gender equality, things get real, real fast.

Ferly is a business focused on improving our sexual wellbeing who was voted one of the top 100 companies to work for in 2019 by The Escape 100 Index (a campaign to find the best companies to escape to in 2019).

“We see sexual selfcare as the practice of prioritising our pleasure. This means exploring our minds and bodies, taking the time to understand our wants and needs, and learning how to communicate these, so we feel confident and healthy.”

This is a very special episode for me as I had the pleasure of coaching and leading Billie through a 12-week programme (along with the amazing Sophie Miller) back in 2016 and although we stayed in touch over the years, I had never heard the story that she shared with me until today.

So as you can imagine, I was deeply moved by Billie’s courage to open up and share with us what happened to her in her workplace and how that experience fuelled her to drive to make a difference.

What is truly incredible and inspiring about Billie’s story is that despite having zero previous experiences as a founder and having virtually no experience whatsoever in tech, she made it into the first cohort of the Zinc tech business accelerator and against what everyone else said, managed with her friend Anna Hushlak to launch Ferly, a tech startup who’s mission is to radically transform society’s relationship with sex.

Oh, and they just so happened to manage to raise £1.5million in pre-seed investment…Not bad, eh?

“We’re doing this by creating a space where every woman can spend time really getting to grips with what makes her tick. So she can understand and prioritise her own pleasure through the ultimate journey of self-discovery.”

This is an episode that will truly blow your mind and show you just how far you can go if you find something you feel truly passionate about and don’t let the negative voices around you stop you on your tracks.

As always, I’d love to hear what inspired you about this week’s episode so make sure to tag me over on social media @marleruste!

Enjoy this powerful conversation 🙏

Mark

--

SHOWNOTES:

Podcast Bootcamp (Use discount code “podcasttribe” to get 10% off): www.theunconventionalists.com/podcasting-bootcamp

Full episode show notes: www.theunconventionalists.com/episode/129

Sep 15, 201901:07:10
#128 Why we are innately wild, connected and empowered with Tony Riddle

#128 Why we are innately wild, connected and empowered with Tony Riddle

"We can’t all live in nature but that doesn’t mean we can’t all live naturally." - Tony RIddle

On this week’s episode of The Unconventionalists podcast I sit down with my friend and brother from another mover, Tony Riddle, who on Sunday 1st September, 2019 kicked off his epic challenge to run 30 miles every day for 30 days, barefoot.

That’s right, Tony will run the length of Britain with a pair of butt naked feet, interviewing experts and influencers along the way to raise awareness for sustainability and climate change.

You might recognise Tony from a previous episode of The Unconventionalists podcast (ep #40), which was the very first podcast interview Tony ever did!

Back then, Tony had two daughters, was training individuals people in his Camden movement studio, ran a few weekend retreats and barely had an online presence.

Since then Tony has had another daughter and is now expecting a baby boy. He’s trained former World Champion British boxer David Haye and has been invited to give talks around Europe at festivals and corporate workplaces. He’s become good friends with The Happy Pears and Jasmine Hemsley, and was also featured on Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s podcast Feel Better, Live More (ep 71) and recently was invited on the epic Rich Roll podcast (ep 463) giving spreading his message to a global audience.

Needless to say that Tony was catapulted into the spotlight for all the right reasons.

In fact, when Tony and I sat down for this week’s interview just before he set off for his epic challenge, Tony had 21,300 followers on Instagram.

By the time we published this episode, Tony had over 33,000 followers.

This is an incredible and powerful conversation about how you can achieve so much more than you think by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and putting out a big crazy dream into the world to go after it.

It’s also a much needed reminder as to why we are all innately wild, connected and empowered.

We talked about how Tony managed to grow an organic and true following online (and what you can learn from his experience too), how Tony is getting mentally prepared for his biggest challenge to date, and of course, how Tony ended up being invited on one of the world’s most popular podcast show.

As always I’d love to hear what you thought of this exclusive interview, so please get in touch on social media by tagging me @markleruste and Tony, aka @thenaturallifestylist.

And remember, you are not alone!

Enjoy,

Mark


SHOWNOTES

“How To Launch A Podcast” one-day bootcamp (get 10% off by using the discount code “podcasttribe” when you check out): www.theunconventionalists.com/podcasting-bootcamp

Full episode show notes: www.theunconventionalists.com/episode/128


GET IN TOUCH

Website: www.theunconventionalists.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/markleruste

YouTube: www.youtube.com/markleruste

Facebook: www.facebook.com/markleruste

Twitter: www.twitter.com/markleruste

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markleruste

Sep 05, 201901:13:05
#127 How to come home to who you truly are with Danielle LaPorte
Aug 28, 201901:05:08
#126 Why changing how you breathe will change your life with Artur Paulins

#126 Why changing how you breathe will change your life with Artur Paulins

In this week's episode of The Unconventionalists podcast I sit down with Artur Paulins who became one of the first certified Wim Hof instructors, has toured around Europe with Wim Hof and recently introduced 800 people to meditation at The Roundhouse in London.


He's been featured in Men’s Health magazine and appeared on The Russell Howard Hour TV series and Lululemon brought him on as a partner to spread awareness around how breathing can improve your performance as an athlete.


What I loved about our conversation is that Artur ditched a promising career in architecture for a life of adventure and experience as a personal trainer, breathwork teacher and martial artist. 


We talked about his journey to leaving his native Latvia to pursue his passion and becoming a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, what he thought of Wim Hof the first time he met him over dinner and why we can all do a little bit better when it comes down to breathing more efficiently. 


You'll also get an insight into why cold therapy goes far beyond just the concept of overcoming being cold, but rather, how it's about changing your mindset, which will in turn change your life.


As always, if you enjoyed this week's episode please leave a rating and review over on iTunes and share it with a friend. Than you.


Enjoy this powerful conversation.

Mark x

SHOW NOTES 

Episode show notes: www.theunconventionalists.com/episode/126

Podcast Bootcamp:  www.theunconventionalists.com/podcasting-bootcamp


GET IN TOUCH

Website: www.theunconventionalists.com 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/markleruste 

YouTube: www.youtube.com/markleruste 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/markleruste 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/markleruste 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markleruste 

Aug 21, 201958:36
#125 How to live out loud (even as an introvert) with Rona Steinberg

#125 How to live out loud (even as an introvert) with Rona Steinberg

In this week's episode of The Unconventionalists podcast I sit down with Rona Steinberg, author of the new book "Live Out Loud: A Masterclass in Being Yourself" to talk about the gifts of owning fully who you are, no matter how loud or quiet you may be.

In a world that is constantly making us feel that we're either too much, or not enough, that we must stay silent, be as beige as possible and behave, this week's conversation is a refreshing reminder of why being you, no matter who you are, is the best formula to living a fulfilling life.

Filled with stories and lessons from her unconventional career path (she ditched a career in law to become a coach!), Rona breaks down some of the reasons why we find it so hard to be ourselves, even though we're dying to let go of the masks we carry around, and explains what we can do to live a life according to our own terms. Rona is a certified life coach and public-speaking trainer, helping others to express themselves in a way that feels right to them. Whilst she has now found her true purpose in life, her journey has not been without its struggles and challenges. Through a series of different career choices, including success as a film and TV lawyer, she eventually found her way to the world of coaching.

As you'll hear in our interview, far removed from the cool, intellectual space of the law, coaching initially seemed like a foreign land, with its emphasis on feelings and emotions, heart and intuition. Yet despite the noisy objections in her head, Rona's heart told her something different.

On a truly fundamental level she felt that she had finally come home. She began to feel more herself, more self-expressed, more joyfully Out Loud.

I hope you enjoy this powerful conversation!

If you do, make sure to let me know on social media by tagging me @markleruste.

I can't wait to hear what you got out ouf this week's episode of The Unconventionalists podcast.

To your impact!

Mark x

SHOW NOTES 

Episode show notes: www.theunconventionalists.com/episode/125

Podcast Bootcamp:  www.theunconventionalists.com/podcasting-bootcamp


GET IN TOUCH

Website: www.theunconventionalists.com 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/markleruste 

YouTube: www.youtube.com/markleruste 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/markleruste 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/markleruste 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markleruste

Aug 14, 201901:04:45