Thriving Minds with Alberto Zandi

She cried every single day in the school playground.Now her jeans are worn by celebrities and royalty, including Kate Middleton.This week Alberto sat down with Donna Ida Thornton, founder of Donna Ida, known in the fashion industry as the Jean Queen, and one of the most distinctive voices in British fashion, to unpack what it really takes to build a brand that lasts for 20 years.Donna shares how she grew up in Australia, struggled deeply with school, left at 16, worked multiple jobs, saved everything she could, and eventually moved to London to build a life that felt like her own.But her story is not just about fashion.It is about resilience, reinvention, instinct, customer connection, and learning how to keep going when business becomes difficult.Before Donna Ida became one of Britain’s most respected denim brands, Donna worked in secretarial jobs, waitressed at night, took calls at Domino’s Pizza, fought to stay in the UK, and built the business from the ground up without waiting for permission.In this conversation, Donna explains why fashion and food are two of the hardest industries to survive, why even the most successful entrepreneurs struggle behind the glossy exterior, why vulnerability is not weakness, and why the best founders learn to listen to their gut, ask for what they want, and bet on themselves always.You will learn:• How Donna went from crying every day in the school playground to building one of Britain’s most respected denim brands.• Why childhood anxiety can become the foundation for resilience, independence, and entrepreneurial strength.• What it really takes to survive in one of the hardest industries in the world.• Why you should not wait for the perfect idea, the perfect moment, or someone else’s permission.• How Donna built her brand from a multi brand denim boutique into her own fashion label.• Why asking is one of the most underrated skills in business.• Why founders need to stop looking side to side and start trusting their own path.• How to build a business around customer connection, personal identity, instinct, and consistency.• Why real success is not about the glossy exterior, but about freedom, family, resilience, and building a life that feels like yours.This conversation strips away the polished version of entrepreneurship and reveals what it really takes to survive, adapt, and build something that lasts.Follow Dona:https://www.youtube.com/c/donnaidahttps://www.instagram.com/donnaidadenim/https://www.facebook.com/donnaidadenim/https://www.pinterest.co.uk/DonnaIdaDenim/_shop/https://twitter.com/donnaidadenim#ThrivingMinds #AlbertoZandi #DonnaIda #FashionEntrepreneur #BusinessResilience #Entrepreneurship #FashionIndustry #WomenInBusiness #StartupLife #EntrepreneurMindset #BusinessStruggles #PersonalGrowth

This week Alberto sat down with Sarah Ann Macklin, nutritionist, best selling author of Health Shouldn’t Be This Hard, founder of the not for profit organisation Be Well Collective, host of Live Well Be Well, and one of the leading voices connecting nutrition, mental health, self compassion, and the mind body relationship.Sarah shares how she started modelling at 16, built a successful international career, and appeared to have everything society tells us should make us happy: success, beauty, social status, financial reward, and external validation. But behind the polished image, her body was sending warning signs she kept ignoring. Anxiety, exhaustion, illness, stomach problems, burnout, and eventually a hospitalisation became the turning point that forced her to rebuild her relationship with health from the inside out.In this conversation, Sarah explains why health has become so unnecessarily complicated, why the wellness industry often sells fear instead of real wellbeing, why diets rarely work long term, why the “perfect” body does not always mean a healthy body, and why self compassion may be one of the most important foundations for long term physical and mental health.You Will LearnWhy health should not feel as hard, confusing, or exhausting as it often does.How Sarah’s modelling career led to burnout, hospitalisation, and a complete career change.Why your mindset can change the way your body responds to food, hunger, stress, and health choices.Why diets often work short term but fail long term, and what to focus on instead.How self compassion, self worth, and emotional awareness shape your physical health.Why supplements, fasting, protein shakes, electrolytes, sugar, alcohol, and ultra processed foods need more nuance than social media usually allows.How to build a healthier relationship with your body, your food, your thoughts, and yourself.Buy Sarah's best seller, Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard:https://amzn.to/3ROhnr9Follow Sarah:https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklinhttps://youtube.com/@UCASEE6WVp31E3FNeM-Mk_bwhttps://www.facebook.com/SarahAnnOfficial/https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcasthttps://x.com/SarahAnnMacklin#ThrivingMinds #AlbertoZandi #SarahAnnMacklin #NutritionalScientist #WellnessIndustry #HealthAdvice #MentalHealth #BodyImage #NutritionScience #HealthyLiving #WellnessCulture #PersonalGrowth

This week Alberto sat down with Adam Byatt, the Celebrity and Michelin starred chef, restaurateur, founder of Trinity, and one of the most respected figures in British hospitality, to unpack what it really takes to build a restaurant that lasts and succeeds for 20 years.Adam shares how he grew up in a working class family in Essex, found food as a way into a bigger world, trained at Claridge’s (London’s most famous 5 star hotel) from the age of 15, cooked at The Square during one of London’s most exciting food eras, and eventually opened his own restaurants. But his story is not a straight line. Before Trinity became one of UK’s most respected restaurants, Adam experienced huge early success, then painful failure, financial pressure, loneliness, and the responsibility of having to rebuild with a young family depending on him.In this conversation, Adam explains why hard work is more uncomfortable than most people realise, why failure can become one of the most important ingredients in long term success, why restaurants only last when they become part of a community, and why the best leaders eventually have to drop their ego, empower younger people, and build something bigger than themselves.You will learnHow Adam went from a working class childhood in Essex to becoming one of the UK’s most respected chefs. Why his early restaurant failure became essential to his long term success. What it really takes to build a restaurant that lasts & succeeds for 20 years. Why hard work is more uncomfortable than most people are willing to accept. How to build a successful business around people, community, standards, and consistency. Why Adam believes the journey matters more than the exit. Follow Adam:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4tQodst5JD0nHzD5VX0OAAhttps://www.instagram.com/adambyatthttps://www.tiktok.com/@chefadambyatthttps://www.facebook.com/AdamByattChefhttps://trinityrestaurant.co.uk/#mindset #thrivingminds #AlbertoZandi #AdamByatt #MichelinChef #TrinityRestaurant #Claridges #ChefLife #RestaurantBusiness #HospitalityIndustry #LondonChef #Entrepreneurship #FineDining #CulinaryJourney

This week Alberto sat down with Professor Jane Ogden, Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Surrey and one of the leading voices on eating behaviour, food psychology, body image, dieting, and the relationship between the mind and body.In this conversation, Professor Ogden explains why our relationship with food is never just about food. She explores how childhood, family scripts, emotional hunger, body image, dieting culture, social media, stress, and the people around us can shape the way we eat and how we feel about ourselves. She also explains why food can become a problem when it starts taking up too much space in your mind, and why trying too hard to be healthy can sometimes become unhealthy.You will learn• Why food can become emotionally loaded and take up too much space in your mind• How to tell when your relationship with food may be becoming unhealthy• Why emotional hunger and physical hunger can be difficult to separate• How childhood, parents, reward, punishment, and family habits shape your eating behaviour• Why dieting, cheat meals, food rules, and cutting out food groups can create guilt, shame, and obsession• How to build a healthier, kinder, and more sustainable relationship with food with 6 toolsFollow Professor Ogden:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-ogden-3328504b/Get Professor's Ogden Book, How to Eat Well at Every Age: https://amzn.to/4fixJSP#podcast #entrepreneur #mindset #motivation #leadership #success #selfimprovement #personaldevelopment #business #growthmindset #productivity #highperformance #communication #lifeadvice #inspiration

This week Alberto sat down with Richard Harpin, the founder of HomeServe, investor, and author of How To Make A Billion In Nine Steps, to unpack the practical framework behind building a business that sold for $5.6 billion.Richard’s story challenges one of the biggest myths about entrepreneurship: that you need a completely unique idea to build something great. He explains why copying and improving can be more powerful than inventing, why founders should stay small until they prove the model, why focus matters more than endless new ideas, and why hiring your replacement can be one of the most important decisions a founder ever makes.He also shares the nine steps he believes helped build a billion dollar business, from copying and improving existing ideas, to testing before scaling, finding the right investor, hiring better people, expanding internationally, staying focused, and developing the character needed to survive the journey.You will learn• The 9 steps Richard created to help founders build a billion dollar business• Why you do not need a completely unique idea to build something great• How copying, improving, testing, and learning can create a stronger business model• Why founders should stay small until they have proved the model works• Why hiring your replacement can help your business scale faster• How focus, discipline, resilience, and self belief helped Richard build and sell HomeServe for $5.6 billion• What a billion dollar exit actually feels like, and what success and money do not solveFollow Sir Richard Harpin:https://www.instagram.com/richard_harpin/https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rharpinhttps://www.facebook.com/harpinr/https://twitter.com/richard_harpinBuy Sir Richard's Book - How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps:https://amzn.to/3R2cFpu#thrivingminds #RichardHarpin #Entrepreneurship #BusinessPodcast #StartupAdvice #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #FounderMindset #Success #PersonalGrowth #Investing #ScalingUp #Motivation #HomeServe #EntrepreneurLife

This week Alberto sat down with Dr Chloe Paidoussis Mitchell, the world renowned Chartered Counselling Psychologist, grief and trauma specialist, and best selling author of The Loss Prescription, to unpack what grief really is, what it does to the brain and body, and why so many people feel like they are grieving in the wrong way when they are not.In this conversation, Dr Chloe explains why grief is not just emotional pain but a full mind, body, and identity experience, why sudden loss can dysregulate the nervous system, why denial can be a normal early response, and why people do not move through grief in neat stages. She also explores bereavement, relationship loss, trauma, family grief, delayed grief, and the difference between suppressing pain and actually healing through it.You will learn• What grief actually is, beyond the clichés people are usually told• Why grief affects the brain, body, nervous system, and identity, not just emotions• Why there is no single right way to grieve, and why people in the same family can grieve very differently• What denial, numbness, anger, guilt, and delayed grief can really mean• What helps in the first days after a loss, and what makes grief harder in the long term• Techniques to heal healthy in the long term• How to support someone who is grieving without trying to fix or rush themFollow Dr. Chloe:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-chloe-paidoussis-mitchell-cpsychol-dcpsych-afbpss-69809b30/https://www.instagram.com/dr.chloe.paidoussis.mitchell/Buy Dr. Chloe's book:https://amzn.to/4dlgy1j#grief #mentalhealth #healing #selfawareness #trauma #emotionalhealth #personalgrowth #psychology #copingwithloss #healingjourney

This week Alberto sat down with Viviane Paxinos, former Warner Bros Vice President, former AllBright CEO, and one of the most accomplished growth and transformation executives in media and digital, to unpack a career built on ambition, reinvention, resilience, and the courage to keep moving when things do not go to plan.Viviane shares how she grew up in a Greek immigrant family in Canada, moved to London on her own, built a remarkable career across Viacom and MTV, BBC Worldwide, A+E Networks, Warner Bros Discovery, UNiDAYS, and AllBright, and then faced one of the hardest leadership chapters of her life under public scrutiny.In this conversation, she speaks openly about ambition, burnout, public failure, identity, leadership shame, female leadership, fundraising, resilience, and what it really takes to rebuild yourself personally and professionally when a business goes through a painful transformation.You will learn• How to build a career across media, tech, and leadership without having everything planned from the start • What Viviene learned from leading global businesses through growth, transformation, and public failure• Why women often internalize business struggles more personally, and how to stop doing it• How to adapt to new industries quickly, even when you are not the obvious expert in the room • Why success, identity, and self worth should never be tied tightly to your title • The habits and mindset shifts that helped Viviane recover from stress, burnout, and intense professional pressureFollow Viviane:https://www.instagram.com/viv_paxinos/https://www.linkedin.com/in/viviane-paxinos-378a513/#podcast #entrepreneurship #leadership #personalgrowth #business #mindset #resilience #womeninbusiness #careeradvice #startup #wellness #storytelling #thrivingminds

This week Alberto sat down with Richard Mullender, the renowned former hostage negotiator and communication expert, to unpack what communication really is, why most people do it badly, and how better listening can transform negotiation, trust, persuasion, leadership, and relationships.Richard spent decades in policing, with the final part of his career leading Scotland Yard's hostage and crisis negotiation, where the stakes were often life and death. In this conversation, he explains why negotiation is not really about talking more or sounding clever, but about understanding what the other person values, what they are feeling, what they are motivated by, and why they believe they are right.He challenges some of the most common myths people still believe, including the idea that body language can reliably reveal truth, that asking more questions automatically makes you a better listener, and that great negotiation starts when the formal negotiation begins. According to Richard, trust starts much earlier, and the people who influence best are often the people who understand best.You will learnWhy most people think they are listening, but are actually just waiting to talkWhy body language can mislead you, and what to focus on insteadHow trust is built before a negotiation even beginsThe six things Richard says you should listen for in every important conversationWhy everyone believes they are right, and how understanding that changes everythingHow to negotiate better at work, at home, and in high pressure situationsFollow Richard & The Listening Institute:⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-mullender-1b427910/⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-listening-institute/⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/listeninginstitute/⁠ ⁠https://listeninginstitute.com/richard-mullender/⁠ Get Richard's books: ⁠Amazon⁠ #podcast #negotiation #listening #communication #mindset #selfimprovement #thrivingmindspodcast

This week Alberto sat down with Oliver Cookson, the renowned founder of Myprotein, the world’s #1 supplement brand, serial entrepreneur, author, and one of the UK’s most compelling self-made business builders, to unpack how he went from humble beginnings in Manchester to building one of the most recognised names in sports nutrition.Oliver’s story breaks almost every rule people think success requires. He did not go to university, did not raise outside funding, and did not build Myprotein with a polished business plan or a big support network. He started with a £500 overdraft, built the first products himself, packed orders around a full-time job, and slowly turned a kitchen operation into a global business.In this conversation, Oliver explains how curiosity first led him to question what was really inside protein powder, why he believed he could build and sell a better version online, and how obsessive execution, discipline, and self-belief became the foundation of everything that followed.He also shares the reality of scaling without investors, the importance of hiring people who cover your weaknesses, the emotional toughness required to keep going, and why entrepreneurship is often far lonelier than people realise.You will learnHow Oliver built Myprotein from a £500 overdraft, with no degree, no investors, and no safety netWhy execution matters more than credentials, and how to start before you feel readyHow to scale a consumer business through lean cash flow, referrals, and smart direct-to-consumer marketingWhat great hiring really looks like, and why your senior team should cover your weaknessesWhy entrepreneurship is mentally hard, emotionally lonely, and still worth it if the mission is realWhat money does and does not solve, after building and selling major businesses Follow Oliver:IG: ⁠mrolivercookson⁠X: ⁠olivercookson⁠ Buy Oliver's book:⁠Bootstrap Your Life: How to Turn £500 into £350 Million⁠#entrepreneurship #businessstory #startupjourney #founderstory #mindset #selfgrowth #successmindset #motivation #myprotein #businesstips #hustle #resilience #podcastclips #growthmindset #startupadvice #myprotein