What it took to turn an idea into a podcast, and the conversations that emerged along the way
At Positive News, we’re used to juggling. As a small team, that comes with the territory. The upside is variety, autonomy and the chance to try things that might feel out of reach in a larger organisation. The downside is that every new idea has to justify its existence.
So when the suggestion of making a video podcast surfaced, it was an enthusiastic yes, but a considered one too.
With the support of our sponsor Triodos Bank, we began thinking seriously about what a Positive News podcast should be, and what it shouldn’t. We weren’t interested in producing another polished leadership series or a step-by-step guide to ethical entrepreneurship. Instead, we wanted to create space for thoughtful, honest conversations with people who are trying to put purpose into practice, and discovering just how complicated that can be.
Out now: episode #2 of The Purpose Pioneers
With guest Keith Bradbury, co-founder of Ember, the UK’s first all-electric intercity bus company
Watch now
The idea that emerged was simple: conversations with leaders reshaping business, community and culture, focused not on their CVs but on the moments that have defined their journeys. Not just the successes, but the doubts, trade-offs and turning points that rarely make it into public narratives.
A few months later, and The Purpose Pioneers is now out in the world. As its host, I’ve spoken to five founders and CEOs working across sectors including nature restoration, ethical finance, disability inclusion and consumer goods. The first episodes are now live on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, with new ones released every Tuesday until 17 February.
Looking back, here are three things from behind the scenes that shaped the podcast.
Simple structures make better conversations
Anyone who writes for a living knows the value of cutting back. That instinct proved just as useful here. Early on, we explored more intricate ways of structuring the interviews, but they quickly started to feel heavy-handed. The more we refined the format, the clearer it became that less really was more.
In the end, we anchored each conversation around three defining moments: what set our guests on their path, when they first saw the impact of their work, and how they think about the future. That framework gave enough shape to keep the conversations focused, without boxing anyone in.
One moment that has stayed with me came from Gympanzees founder Stephanie Wheen, who described watching a child with highly complex needs laugh for the first time while bouncing on a trampoline at one of Gympanzee’s pop-ups. It was joyful, unexpected and quietly profound. Exactly the kind of moment we hoped to surface.
‘Without visual cues, I found myself listening more closely, responding more instinctively, and allowing silences to sit where they needed to’ said Purpose Pioneers host Sarah LaBrecque
Remote recording is freeing, and oddly intimate
All of the interviews were recorded remotely, which made it possible to speak to guests who might otherwise have been difficult to reach. Not having to travel was undeniably convenient, but it also changed the dynamic in ways I hadn’t fully anticipated.
Our producer set me up with a simple home recording kit, and the interviews were filmed on my phone, using the outward-facing camera. That meant I couldn’t see my guests while we spoke. At first, that felt disconcerting. Then it became liberating. Without visual cues, I found myself listening more closely, responding more instinctively, and allowing silences to sit where they needed to.
Honesty follows permission
I’ve interviewed plenty of people over the years, including senior academics, executives and CEOs. Access to people in positions of power often comes with unspoken rules about what can and can’t be asked.
What felt different with The Purpose Pioneers was the upfront agreement that these would be candid conversations. By briefing guests in advance, we created space to ask more personal questions, about stress, motivation and moments of doubt, without them feeling like ambushes.
It’s not often you get to ask the CEO of a bank what really prompted a career shift, or invite the head of a fast-growing transport company to talk openly about what they find difficult. Yet every guest engaged with that openness generously.
A shared thread ran through all the conversations. Each guest seemed to have found ways of carrying pressure without being overwhelmed by it, often by turning to the outdoors. Surfing, rock-climbing, listening to birdsong. Small acts of recalibration that make ambitious work sustainable.
The Purpose Pioneers is available now on all major podcast platforms.
Main image: Laurie Fletcher / Positive News
