Fear Less, Do More: An insight into the minds of those who dare to be bold

For Square One Law and its managing partner Gill Hunter, their podcast ‘Fear Less, Do More’ is all about sharing the stories, lived experiences and passions of those individuals who continuously put their heads above the parapet, showing a willingness to embrace challenges head-on, often in the face of adversity. This is certainly true of this week’s guest Sophia Gowland, who followed her gut instinct when setting up Petite Agency during the pandemic, following an amazing response to her ‘Supporting Teesside in Crisis’ campaign. And for a marketing agency that prides itself on making a personal connection with its clients, what quickly becomes evident is just how personable Sophia is, even if her dachshund Hank is the real star of the show in the office and at networking events!

“Don’t overthink it. Don’t worry if you’ll fail and don’t worry about what other people think. Because I think those three things stopped me from doing it for a long time.”

You can watch the full episode with Sophia below…

While many of the people that Gill interviews are hugely successful in their chosen field, their journeys have been anything but plain sailing, with some encountering discrimination or moments of self-doubt, whilst others have made more than one career pivot before getting to where they are today. And despite representing a broad range of experience and expertise, what unites this diverse group of innovators and trailblazers is their drive and resilience, whether that is in the face of naysayers, personal struggles or institutional prejudice and barriers, helping to challenge the status quo and becoming advocates for positive change, be that in business, politics or even in the perception and identity of the North East as a region.

One of the most striking features of the podcast is how candid the guests are when discussing the mistakes they have made or reflecting on moments of personal hardship or setback, such as Charlotte Windebank, co-founder and managing director of FIRST, who spoke so bravely about the time she broke into tears outside a job centre, or journalist Simon Rushworth of the QT, when talking about his skin cancer diagnosis and how that changed his career and perspective.

“There was a particular moment where I was at the job centre and I’d messed up my appointment and I went in and they had a bouncer on the door and he just started laughing at me because I had messed up my appointment and I just broke down in tears…if I hadn’t had that experience, I wouldn’t be so passionate now about helping people.”

And this remarkably uplifting and inspiring podcast is beginning to gain the audience and acclaim that it so richly deserves, with the episode from Season One featuring Hufty from West End Women and Girls Centre being nominated for the Moment of Visionary Leadership Award by the International Women’s Podcast Awards, with the winner to be announced later this month.

You can watch the episode with Hufty below…

Season Three has treated us to some moments of real insight and inspiration so far, from our new Mayor of the North East Kim McGuiness and Sarah Green, Chief Executive at Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, speaking with such unbridled passion about the North East and its future, to entrepreneurs Hamish Rutherford and Ian Brown providing a unique insight into the mindset required to achieve business success. We have also learnt about the world of law and the importance of networking from the brilliant Nicolina Andall, as well as the power of partnership from dynamic duo Chloë Clover and Lou Tonner, founders of multi-award winning content agency Wander Films.

“Be a bit more silly. You can have silliness and fun with a successful business.”

There is still so much to look forward to in the remaining episodes of Season Three, as we get to find out about the rise of professional accommodation in the North East from Claire Parry, director at Week2Week Serviced Apartments, as the world of work and travel, and with it our living expectations, continues to evolve. We will also hear from Simon Cataldo and learn about his eponymous business Cataldo Training & Rescue, as the former firefighter, who also served in the Royal Navy and Mines Rescue Services (now MRS Training & Rescue), tells us about delivering quality training in First Aid and Fire Safety. And in the final episode we will learn what drives Drew Dalton, the award-winning CEO of ReportOUT, a global LGBTQI+ human rights organisation, who is also Chair of the UK Alliance for Global Equality and a senior lecturer in Sociology.

So if you want to find out more about pioneering individuals who are not afraid to push beyond their boundaries and are truly fearless in what they do, then look no further than Square One Law’s groundbreaking podcast.

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