Podcast · 17 episodes
40 Minute Mentor
by JBM, James Mitra · English
40 Minute Mentor is on a mission to raise aspirations and inspire the next generation of category-defining Founders, through powerful career stories and inspirational mentorship. From purpose-led Founders to Olympic champions; learn first-hand from today’s successful leaders on what it takes to be brilliant, all in just 40 minutes. 40 Minute Mentor is one of the UK’s top Business and Careers podcasts and can be found on all popular podcast platforms, including Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts and Stitcher.
Latest episodes
Making Humans Irreplaceable: James Lo & Anish Acharya on building & scaling EthosEthos (by James Lo and Daniel) and how to build “human irreplaceability” via AI-driven matching that turns expertise into an asset.16 Sep 2026 · 33 min
Going back to zero - what it really takes to reinvent a business from the inside with Sujata Bhatia (ex-Monzo COO & Index Ventures)Reinventing a business “from the inside” during crisis, using Sujata Bhatia’s Monzo COO experience to explain what it really takes to refound a company: rebuild culture, create momentum, protect…5 Aug 2026 · 35 min
The honest journey of taking on a trillion-dollar market with Joe McDonald (tem) and Adam Chirkowski (Albion VC)TEM’s “AI-native infrastructure” for electricity transactions—price discovery and moving money more efficiently to cut intermediary/labor costs—plus lessons on founding, scaling, fundraising, hiring,…15 Jul 2026 · 43 min
All episodes
Making Humans Irreplaceable: James Lo & Anish Acharya on building & scaling EthosEthos (by James Lo and Daniel) and how to build “human irreplaceability” via AI-driven matching that turns expertise into an asset.16 Sep 2026 · 33 min · 21 chapters
Going back to zero - what it really takes to reinvent a business from the inside with Sujata Bhatia (ex-Monzo COO & Index Ventures)Reinventing a business “from the inside” during crisis, using Sujata Bhatia’s Monzo COO experience to explain what it really takes to refound a company: rebuild culture, create momentum, protect…5 Aug 2026 · 35 min · 16 chapters
The honest journey of taking on a trillion-dollar market with Joe McDonald (tem) and Adam Chirkowski (Albion VC)TEM’s “AI-native infrastructure” for electricity transactions—price discovery and moving money more efficiently to cut intermediary/labor costs—plus lessons on founding, scaling, fundraising, hiring,…15 Jul 2026 · 43 min · 21 chapters
Building High-Performing Teams in the AI Era with Charles Guillemet & Sandra SchwarzerBuilding high-performing startup teams in the AI era—how to hire fast without losing quality, define culture through senior hires, and keep human judgment central even as AI changes recruiting.24 Jun 2026 · 38 min · 13 chapters
James Mitra on Season 14: Reflecting on 300+ episodes & what’s next for 40 Minute MentorThis episode is a Season 14 wrap-up from 40 Minute Mentor host James Mitra, reflecting on 300+ episodes and the show’s impact (over a million downloads; listeners landing dream jobs and starting…19 Dec 2025 · 5 min · 3 chapters
Alex Depledge MBE on taking a Founder’s Mind into the Government & why the UK is a great place to scaleAlex DePledge discusses scaling UK startups, her founder-led approach to government, and reforms to help scale-ups grow and hire.17 Dec 2025 · 41 min · 17 chapters
Talent Predictions for 2026: How to attract and hire the best talent in the year ahead with Amplified People Group’s Sophie Graci, Zach Rose, James Adams and Lisa Crane2026 talent predictions and hiring playbook—how to attract, hire, and retain top talent amid AI in recruitment, leaner orgs, fractional hiring, and stronger employer branding.12 Dec 2025 · 44 min · 18 chapters
People Predictions for 2026: The Future of Leadership and High-Performing Teams with Amplified Group’s Sophie Matthews, Nat Falconer, Mikael Nilsson and Logan BlackRoundtable predicting 2026 people and leadership trends, focusing on building high-performing teams, leadership skills, culture, well-being, and talent strategy.10 Dec 2025 · 44 min · 16 chapters
Murvah Iqbal on scaling one of Europe’s fastest-growing startups and disruption a billion dollar industry with HivedLeadership and scaling Hived, the UK’s customer-centric, tech-enabled, all-electric parcel delivery startup.3 Dec 2025 · 42 min · 19 chapters
Alan Cairns on hiring in hyper-growth & a guide to culture and performanceAlan Cairns discusses hiring in hyper-growth and how to build an inclusive, high-performance culture—plus his career transitions between Chief People Officer (CPO) and COO, and what “high…26 Nov 2025 · 48 min · 19 chapters
Shimona Mehta on scaling Shopify Plus to $1B & transitioning into the CEO role at F11Shimona Mehta discusses scaling Shopify Plus to $1B revenue, leadership and team-building for hypergrowth, and her deliberate transition into the CEO role at F11.19 Nov 2025 · 45 min · 19 chapters
Duncan Clark on staying purpose-driven in a $42 billion companyDuncan Clark (Canva head of EMEA) discusses staying purpose-driven while scaling a $42B+ company, plus lessons from building Flourish (data storytelling tool) and transitioning into Canva’s regional…12 Nov 2025 · 44 min · 23 chapters
Asi Sharabi on scaling Wonderbly from the kitchen table to an award-winning business & selling to Penguin Random HouseAsi Sharabi’s journey scaling Wanderbly from a kitchen-table DIY personalized children’s book project (2012) to an award-winning company, including fundraising, hiring/culture, hybrid work, and the…5 Nov 2025 · 36 min · 19 chapters
Thomas Plantenga on taking Vinted from near bankruptcy to a €5 billion valuationThomas Plantenga, CEO of Vinted, explains how Vinted was stabilized and scaled from near-cash-crisis to a €5B valuation, plus leadership, hiring, culture, and the launch of Vinted Ventures.29 Oct 2025 · 48 min · 27 chapters
Jevan Soo Lenox on building AI-first cultures & high-performing teams at fast-growth Unicorn WRITERJevan Soo Lenox, Writer’s first Chief People Officer, discusses building AI-first cultures and high-performing teams in fast-growth unicorns, and how CPO strategy must connect people priorities to…22 Oct 2025 · 46 min · 23 chapters
Claire Davenport on career bets, leading through change & getting more women into the C-suiteLeadership under crisis, career “bets,” how to transition into CEO and non-exec board roles, scaling teams, and increasing women in the C-suite via Wits End.15 Oct 2025 · 39 min · 17 chapters
Season 14 TrailerSeason 14 trailer for 40 Minute Mentor, focused on what it takes to build and scale high-performing teams and cultures, with practical mentorship and “unfiltered advice” for founders and people…13 Oct 2025 · 5 min · 1 chapter