North Star Conversations | Unlock Your Potential, Performance & Purpose

Originally aired: May 2025
Episode Number: 237
Building a successful business requires more than ambition, and knowing when to step back can be just as important as knowing when to push forward.
In this episode highlight of North Star Conversations with Will Polston, security-sector entrepreneur Neil Sweeney shares how he built his company into a highly recognised security provider, the role personal development played in his growth, and how he prepared the business for an eventual exit. Discover why surrounding yourself with great people, building a strong management team, and trusting others to do their jobs can give business owners the freedom to step away without losing control.
Listen to the full episode here: 
https://kite.link/neilsweeney

Originally aired: May 2025
Episode Number: 235
True development isn't about forcing someone else to grow. It's about acceptance, patience, and giving them space to find their own path.
In this episode highlight of North Star Conversations with Will Polston, love coach and relationship expert Annie Lalla shares how personal development can impact relationships and why trying to convince your partner to change can have the opposite effect. Learn the balance between unconditional love and seeing someone's potential, why different people develop in different ways, and how accepting someone as they are can actually create the safety and empowerment they need to grow.
Listen to the full episode here:
https://kite.link/annielalla

Episode Notes
In this episode, I sit down with Sarah Abel, founder of TNB (a leading UK apprenticeship training provider) and headline sponsor of Ahead in AI, our upcoming event on November 10th, 2026. We talk about her winding path through roughly ten failed businesses before finding success in the hair and beauty industry, the childhood trauma - her father's suicide and becoming a full-time carer for her mother by age ten - that quietly shaped her drive for decades, and the belief she had to unlearn: that everything was hers to fix. Sarah shares the pivotal coaching investment that took her business from £400k to £1 million in two years, the profound recent challenge of her husband's dementia diagnosis, and why she believes AI education is the single biggest opportunity - and threat - facing small businesses today.
Don't miss the opportunity to take the first step towards a more fulfilling life. Book your complimentary clarity call today and discover how Will Polston can help you achieve the success you deserve. 💡 https://willpolston.com/book-a-call/
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Video Chapters
00:00 - Introduction, and TMB as headline sponsor for Ahead in AI
01:11 - The £18,000 AI qualification businesses can access for free or near-free
02:39 - How old was she when she started her first business?
03:07 - About ten failed businesses before finding what worked
04:08 - Not seeing the value of paying for education when she was young
04:33 - Learning to sell through network marketing at Amway
05:13 - Teaching Avon reps to sell through parties instead of door-to-door
06:38 - Realizing she was making someone else rich, not herself
06:58 - Walking into a nail salon and buying the business on the spot
07:37 - £75,000 in debt at the time she took the leap
08:12 - Her only employee walking out with half the client base
08:40 - Pivoting into body piercing for a better revenue stream
09:21 - Building "That Nail Place" through word of mouth
10:04 - Scaling into multiple salons
11:06 - Realizing she was training her own future competitors
12:03 - Meeting Keith and stumbling into the apprenticeship model
13:14 - How TMB began, back in 2008
14:31 - Expanding from nail apprenticeships into leadership training
15:36 - Deciding to move beyond hair and beauty to scale further
16:35 - Learning to write standout government tenders
17:08 - Getting onto the training provider register
17:32 - Landing a £500,000 government contract
18:10 - Why personal development felt pointless to her when younger
19:37 - The real ROI she's gotten from personal development
19:57 - Discovering business coaching through Clubhouse
20:45 - Investing £56,000 in coaching on a £400,000 business
21:07 - Growing to £580,000, then £1 million within two years
21:48 - Realizing her limiting belief was believing she wasn't good enough
22:44 - The coach's comment that finally got through to her
23:24 - Introducing the "feather, the brick, the bus" concept
24:13 - Considering retirement and a sale offer for the business
25:22 - Noticing something was seriously wrong with her husband Andy
27:07 - A beach epiphany in Tenerife: the belief "I have to fix everything"
28:10 - Her father's suicide when she was seven years old
29:10 - Vowing to protect her mother from further pain
29:43 - Becoming a child carer at age ten
30:10 - Finding her mother collapsed on the floor at fourteen
32:14 - How trauma fueled - and limited - her drive in business
33:11 - The pride of seeing former trainees go on to succeed
33:46 - The wake-up call: "Why are you always trying to save everyone?"
34:00 - Andy's diagnosis: frontal temporal dementia at 62
36:39 - The concept of direct vs. indirect mentors
36:59 - The single most valuable lesson from coaching: her North Star
37:23 - Her North Star having to change this year
37:43 - Breaking down in tears at a business event after the diagnosis
38:05 - Realizing she didn't have to be "the carer" or "the CEO"
39:31 - A message from a former student that redefined success for her
40:20 - Legacy as something you build now, not leave behind
41:18 - How TMB evolved from hair and beauty into AI education
41:40 - Discovering AI through a friend and the book "Scary Smart"
42:24 - Finding UK funding and creating the AI Practitioner qualification
43:17 - Why people are right to be scared of AI - and why education is the answer
45:11 - Falling behind competitors without realizing it
45:35 - Being compared to Amazon-level service, whatever your business
47:09 - Daniel Priestley's marathon analogy on falling behind with AI
48:01 - How the £18,000 AI qualification actually works
50:42 - The free 90-minute AI audit for business owners
51:42 - The difference between using ChatGPT and truly implementing AI
52:22 - Building custom AI tools that replace £100k of software spend
53:22 - Why most business owners just need a clear plan
54:15 - Where to find TAB Skills Training and the AI apprenticeship
54:40 - Ahead in AI ticket sales selling out within hours
55:03 - How to connect with Sarah
55:27 - Final reflection: "Can I change?"
56:12 - Her advice: get educated, build belief, close the skills gap
57:00 - Closing remarks
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Relevant Links For the Viewer and Citations
Website - https://www.willpolston.com
Instagram - https://instagram.com/willpolston
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/willpolstonmih
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/willpolston/
Twitter / X - https://x.com/willpolston
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@willpolston
Check out TAB Skills Training: https://aipractitioner.tnbskillstraining.co.uk/aiauditlinktreee
Connect with Sarah on Instagram and LinkedIn: search "Sarah Abel"

Originally aired: May 2025
Episode Number: 234
Going from feeling capable of anything to questioning your own confidence can be a difficult part of rebuilding yourself. 
In this episode highlight of North Star Conversations with Will Polston, On a Mission Podcast Host Ellie McKay explores her journey of rebuilding confidence after experiencing a dramatic change in circumstances. Discover why personal development is an ongoing process, the importance of authenticity and self-reflection, and how focusing on small, consistent improvements can help you become a stronger version of yourself.
Listen to the full episode here: 
https://kite.link/elliemckay

Originally aired: April 2025
Episode Number: 232
Strong relationships, shared values, and a willingness to evolve can create opportunities that go far beyond business. 
In this episode highlight of North Star Conversations with Will Polston, President and Founder of BITA Paul Whitnell shares the evolution of BITA, the relationships that helped shape its growth, and the importance of creating a culture built around integrity, trust, and shared values. Discover how BITA has expanded internationally, why controlling growth is essential for long-term sustainability, and how building the right network can create opportunities for people to learn, connect, and support one another.
Listen to the full episode here:
https://kite.link/paulwhitnell