Contributors

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Host

Stewart Noakes

Host of Season 1
Thank you for taking the time to look at my profile.

Having started building my first business in 2000, I have now been involved in founding 9 and helping others to grow many more across the UK, India, USA and Portugal.

I look to collaborate with Founders who are at key stages of growth with their companies, or when they are looking to Exit. I am particularly energised by democratised ownership models and the Employee Ownership Trust approach is something I've really enjoyed implementing.

If you are a passionate startup founder / business owner looking for some help or advice, please feel free to drop me a line.

Obrigadissimo
#tribe #followyourdreams #neverstoplearning 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewartnoakes/

Guests

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Guest

Biraj Nakarja

Host of Season 2

A people focused senior leader and coach with extensive leadership, operations and customer relationship management experience in fast paced technology organisations and start ups. 

Proven record in building high performing teams and delivering products and services to strategic clients across Europe and US for organisations including Camelot (operator of the UK National Lottery), Sogeti (part of Capgemini) Expedia, Lastminute.com and Betfair.

A certified Gallup strengths coach, helping individuals and teams to fulfil their personal and professional potential through their talents and strengths (www.innatecompass.com).

Avid football fan and FA Youth Development Coach.

Black Belt Martial Artist in Shotokan Karate and 10th grade Wing Chun Kung Fu practitioner.

Freelance Tabla percussionist.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/biraj-nakarja-41a4047/
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Guest

Charity Wilson

Host of Season 3
Following the philosophy 'Let teachers teach!' my passion is for providing innovative solutions to the problems encountered by ambitious, under-funded or over-stretched schools. 

As CEO of Beam Education, our flagship software product Mappix perfectly delivers on our vision for supporting school improvement and outcomes for children.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charity-wilson-6502789b/
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Guest

Joana Rocha

Hey, I’m Joana 👋 Co-Founder of TechTalk and Reslink. I help professionals get hired, get promoted, and get seen in competitive tech markets.

In the past 2 years, we’ve:

✅ Grown a 400k+ career audience
✅ Helped 400+ professionals land roles in tech
✅ Built a 6,000+ member career community
✅ Hosted 100+ online & in-person events
✅ Supported hires into companies like Google, Salesforce, HubSpot & Adobe
✅ Partnered with leading brands and universities

At TechTalk, we translate how hiring actually works - so people stop internalising silence as failure and start positioning themselves strategically.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joana-rochaa/
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Guest

Julia Marshall Wessendorf

I built the health app I needed.

In 2011, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), an incurable neurological condition, while raising three young children. The outlook was uncertain, and for a while my life was driven by medication, symptoms and fear.

Over time, I began exploring lifestyle changes: starting small, tracking what helped and gradually regaining a sense of control. Taking responsibility for my own health was incredibly empowering and transformative. That journey didn't just change my health; it gave me a new purpose: helping others take charge of theirs.

Today, I'm the founder and CEO of WAVESIX, a personalised digital health app designed to support sustainable lifestyle change. It helps people track patterns across six core areas - sleep, nutrition, movement, relaxation, relationships and self - alongside emotional well-being and environmental factors like weather. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-marshall-wessendorf/
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Kate Richards

Kate is the founder of Rad Wax, the Official Wax of Surfing England, a sustainable, plant-based surf wax tackling the industry’s reliance on petrochemicals. 

With a background as a PE teacher, tennis coach, surf instructor and beach lifeguard, I’ve always championed youth sport and time outdoors. I’m also a mum and lifelong surfer, passionate about protecting the ocean for future generations.

Rad Wax was developed in collaboration with Lemongrass House, using their expertise in natural products and my surf industry experience. We're building beyond wax to create a trusted brand for sustainable, high-quality products loved by ocean-conscious people.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-richards-367b1a79/
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Roxanne Taku

👋🏾 Hey, I'm Roxanne and I’m the co-founder of TechTalk and Reslink - two platforms built around one mission: helping people get hired and grow their careers in tech 👩🏽‍💻

At TechTalk, we’ve created more than just a community, we’ve built a movement. One where job seekers, career changers, and tech professionals support each other through the ups and downs of job hunting. From hands-on workshops and career coaching to personalised CV and LinkedIn reviews, we’ve helped +400 people land roles at companies like Google, Salesforce, HubSpot, Adobe, and fast-growing startups around the world.

Reslink was born from the same mission, but with a new lens: visibility. Traditional resumes don’t always tell the whole story, so we built a platform for video resumes that let candidates show up as they are, connect more authentically with recruiters, and actually stand out.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxanne-taku/