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The Business Elevation Show - Thought-Provoking Conversations On The Business Of Doing Good

The Business Elevation Show - Thought-Provoking Conversations On The Business Of Doing Good

By: Chris Cooper
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 The Business Elevation Show is one of the world’s longest-running business podcasts, delivering over 600 episodes of powerful insights and inspiring conversations with leading changemakers to help you develop the mindset, strategies, and energy to grow your business while doing more good in the world. Discover more at www.chriscooper.co.uk.Chris Cooper Economics
Episodes
  • Special Encore Show: Angels in Tsavo - An Elevation Collective Experience in Kenya

    Special Encore Show: Angels in Tsavo - An Elevation Collective Experience in Kenya
    Jul 2 2025
    About this episode: In this deeply moving and inspiring Special Encore episode, Chris Cooper was joined by four extraordinary members of ‘The Elevation Collective’—Molly Bedingfield, Elisabet Vinberg Hearn, Tessa White, and Hilary Wilson—as they reflect on their recent journey to the Global Angels Tsavo Project in Kenya. Led by Global Angels founder Molly Bedingfield, the collective lived in remarkable clay eco-domes, learned about regenerative farming on a 26-acre permaculture farm, and witnessed both the challenges and hope within local communities. From carrying clean water to homes without plumbing, meeting children who rely on the charity for their only meals of the day, and seeing first-hand the transformative power of sustainable development—this was a journey that deeply touched the heart and stirred a strong call to action. Together, the group shared personal stories: of a child grasping a hand in trust, of water carried in broken buckets from dirty ponds, of resilience, ingenuity, and the joy of giving. They also speak to the deeper leadership lessons uncovered in moments of humility, connection, and service. This isn’t just a story—it’s an invitation. Everyone can be an Angel. Whether through donations, corporate involvement, or volunteering, your support can bring clean water, food, education, jobs, and dignity to those who need it most. To support Global Angels, contact molly@globalangels.org or visit Global Angels here. More about this week’s guests: Molly Bedingfield is the Founder and CEO of Global Angels Foundation and their International Project Director, founding Global Angels in 2004. Over the course of a career spanning more than 35 years, Molly has been involved in business management, leadership development and mentoring; experiences that enable her to tailor her business-critical messages in a relevant way which can be practically applied by any organisation. Molly is also a social entrepreneur, executive coach and inspirational speaker, who helps audiences to practically navigate periods of transition and transformation in order to improve their personal and professional lives, create greater levels of impact and access their game-changing potential. Her perspective on transformational leadership and talent development is based firmly on real-life, practical experience, and communicated with charisma, passion and immense warmth through her inspirational keynote speeches. For many years she was practicing as a professional counsellor, psychotherapist and executive coach, working within the business and charity sectors. In the 1990’s she was head teacher of two inner city schools working on pilot programs, reproducible in any culture. She worked closely with children, parents and teachers, experimenting with new models of education. Molly is the mother of four, talented singer/songwriters. International pop stars Daniel and Natasha Bedingfield have established successful solo careers, Nikola is an EMI Award nominee. At a time when individuals are struggling with their job satisfaction, an unlikely ally was found in a former Fortune 50 executive turned employee advocate. Tessa White, known as the Job Doctor, launched a practice to help individuals better navigate the workplace, and help companies better unlock the potential of their people, just as the pandemic hit. Tessa exploded on social media with her expertise on careers and how to navigate the complicated relationship between individuals and the workplace in late 2020, after 20 years leading human resources functions within the Fortune 50 to fast growth start-ups. Her insights struck a chord, garnering more than one million followers on social media and she is consistently ranked in the top 1% of similar creators on her LIVE career sessions on TikTok. Her unique perspective on the modern workplace earned her a place on USA Today’s list as one of the top speakers to watch in 2022. Her book, The Unspoken Truths for Career Success, was released February 28, and her podcast, The Job Doctor is In, is available on Spotify and Apple. When she isn’t working with companies or individuals about the modern workplace, she can be found on the river, where she flyfishes. Hilary Wilson is a transformational coach, facilitator, speaker, and emcee with over 35 years of experience helping individuals and organisations unlock their full potential. Renowned for enabling deep transformation with speed and lightness, Hilary empowers leaders to grow sustainably from the inside out. She has worked with more than 65 FTSE 100 companies, designed and delivered over 900 bespoke leadership development programmes, and facilitated more than 10,000 hours of executive coaching. Her approach is grounded in extensive observation, interaction, and research with over 50,000 executives worldwide, enabling her to identify the most critical success factors and common barriers to growth. Drawing on this wealth of ...
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    55 mins
  • Performance, Wellbeing and Authenticity with Stevie Ward, Former Leeds Rhinos Captain

    Performance, Wellbeing and Authenticity with Stevie Ward, Former Leeds Rhinos Captain
    Jun 27 2025

    About this episode:

    Join us for a powerful and deeply human conversation with Stevie Ward—keynote speaker, freedom coach, and former professional rugby league captain—who now dedicates his life to helping leaders and teams unlock extraordinary performance while experiencing deep, lasting wellbeing.

    Stevie’s journey is anything but ordinary. Once a rugby star and captain living his boyhood dream with the Leeds Rhinos, winning three Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups, and eventually captaining the side. But when a serious brain injury brought his playing career to an unexpected halt at just 27, he faced his toughest opponent yet—himself.

    Through that life-altering turning point, Stevie discovered a powerful truth: that real strength comes not just from physical prowess, but from presence, vulnerability, and radical self-awareness.

    During this interview we will discuss his hard-won insights that emerged from his personal reinvention and how to inspire outlandish team spirit, ignite purpose, and foster a freedom to be your absolute best.

    More about Stevie Ward:

    Stevie Ward is a keynote speaker and freedom coach, helping leaders and teams unlock their highest levels of performance while experiencing deep, sustainable wellbeing.

    He grew up laughing at Ricky Gervais and Peter Kay, rocking out to Linkin Park and Nine Inch Nails, and living his childhood dream of playing for his beloved hometown team, the Leeds Rhinos—winning three Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups, and eventually captaining the side.

    A brain injury brought his career to an early end at 27, creating space for a new mission: guiding teams and individuals through the authentic formula he’s lived and developed—one that conjures outlandish levels of team spirit and the freedom to be your absolute best.
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    57 mins
  • Is Capitalism Good? A Journey from Steel Mills to Social Impact with Brian Gallagher

    Is Capitalism Good? A Journey from Steel Mills to Social Impact with Brian Gallagher
    Jun 20 2025

    About this epsiode:

    In this powerful episode of the Business Elevation Show, Chris Cooper speaks with Brian Gallagher – former CEO of United Way Worldwide and current Founder of the Leargas Group – about one of today’s most pressing questions: Is capitalism good?

    Drawing on a life journey from humble beginnings in a steel town to leading one of the world’s most influential non-profits, they discuss insights on inequality, planetary health, and the urgent need to rebuild social capital in our digital age.

    With deep experience in systems thinking, impact investing, and philanthropy, Brian offers a rare, honest perspective on how we can realign economic models to serve both people and planet.

    This conversation isn’t just about business – it’s about humanity, purpose, and the kind of future we want to co-create.

    Essential listening for leaders, changemakers, and anyone committed to meaningful change.

    More about Brian Gallagher:

    Brian Gallagher is the Founder and CEO of the Leargas Group, an economic and social impact firm focused on creating social capital using digital technology, racial justice and equity, and impact investing.

    Gallagher co-founded the Abundance Circle. Working with a group of partners, the Abundance Circle led a design process to create a multi-sector approach to impact investing. The Abundance Circle is an initiative with the purpose of developing a true multi-stakeholder approach to collective impact, through systems thinking, using conscious capital, through a biomimicry lens, and putting people and planet at the center.

    Gallagher also co-founded Donorful. Donorful is a company working with commercial donor advised funds and wealth advisors and their clients to match their philanthropy with results-oriented non-profits and initiatives through an effective and trusted “Smart Network” of local United Ways and Community Foundations.

    Gallagher had a long career with United Way. He served as the United Way Worldwide CEO for 19 years. He is responsible for several advancements at United Way. He established new membership standards that required internal consistency and public transparency in financial reporting. Under Gallagher’s leadership United Way became the largest privately supported non-profit in the world, and one of the non-profit sectors’ most valuable brands. United Way is now active in 40 countries around the world as a single brand.
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    56 mins
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