What It Takes with Olly Fawcett

Watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1dDekfoibMFrom Bollywood dance choreographer… to HSBC speechwriter… to one of the sharpest comics in the UK.Eshaan Akbar breaks down what stand-up actually teaches you: reading rooms, earning trust, surviving bad gigs, and why “bombing” is often an audience warm-up problem (his words… 😅).If you’ve ever felt like you’re starting late, pivoting careers, or trying to build confidence in rooms that weren’t made for you, this one lands.Follow Eshaan: https://www.instagram.com/eshaanakbar/Follow Olly: https://www.instagram.com/olly.303/https://www.tiktok.com/@ollyfawcett303?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pchttps://www.linkedin.com/in/olly-fawcett-668566177/Get frequent behind the scenes updates from Olly: https://whatittakes.kit.com/51cd36dc35

Watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdQgcTOyK3I

Jun Tanaka got kicked out of college at 19. The letter that told him so is where his career in food started.

From there, Le Gavroche, Chez Nico, Marco Pierre White's three-star kitchen, and eventually his own restaurant, The Ninth, where he won a Michelin star he never set out to chase.

He opens up about the two hardest years of his life, a 3am call about a fire at his restaurant, and a stage 3 cancer diagnosis in the middle of running it.

Whilst holding the same mindset got him through all of it… Focus on today, not the thing you can't control.

Follow Jun:
https://www.instagram.com/chefjuntanaka/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/theninthlondon/?hl=en

Follow Olly:
https://www.instagram.com/olly.303/
https://www.tiktok.com/@ollyfawcett303?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
https://www.linkedin.com/in/olly-fawcett-668566177/
Get frequent behind the scenes updates from Olly: https://whatittakes.kit.com/51cd36dc35

Jun Tanaka got kicked out of college at 19. The letter that told him so is where his career in food started.

From there, Le Gavroche, Chez Nico, Marco Pierre White's three-star kitchen, and eventually his own restaurant, The Ninth, where he won a Michelin star he never set out to chase.

He opens up about the two hardest years of his life, a 3am call about a fire at his restaurant, and a stage 3 cancer diagnosis in the middle of running it.

Whilst holding the same mindset got him through all of it… Focus on today, not the thing you can't control.

Chapters
00:00 Welcome, Jun Tanaka 

01:37 Childhood: New York, Tokyo, and moving to London at 7 

05:03 Kicked out of college 

08:56 First day at Le Gavroche 

13:13 Life inside a 1990s three-Michelin-star kitchen 

21:45 The hardest kitchen he worked in 

31:13 Joining Marco Pierre White 

43:38 The Square, The Pearl, and starting a food truck 

1:03:04 Opening The Ninth and winning a Michelin star 

1:17:26 The fire at The Ninth 

1:31:48 Diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer 

1:41:21 Life’s lessons and what's next

Follow Jun:
https://www.instagram.com/chefjuntanaka/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/theninthlondon/?hl=en

Follow Olly:
https://www.instagram.com/olly.303/
https://www.tiktok.com/@ollyfawcett303?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
https://www.linkedin.com/in/olly-fawcett-668566177/
Get frequent behind the scenes updates from Olly: https://whatittakes.kit.com/51cd36dc35

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/gT9a7rc3TCIStuart Trevor is the founder of AllSaints and one of the most influential figures in British fashion. In this episode of What It Takes with Olly Fawcett, Stuart shares the extraordinary story behind building AllSaints into a global fashion brand, his early career designing for Reiss, and why he walked away from the company at its peak.From growing up on a council estate in Dundee to dressing some of the biggest rock bands in the world, Stuart reveals the creative mindset that drove his success and how ADHD, risk-taking and instinct helped shape his career.We also explore the realities of the fashion industry, the rise of fast fashion, and why Stuart is now building a new sustainable brand that produces no new clothes, using only upcycled garments.This is a fascinating conversation about creativity, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and what it really takes to build a global brand.Follow Stuart:https://www.instagram.com/stuart_trevor/Follow Olly: https://www.instagram.com/olly.303/https://www.tiktok.com/@ollyfawcett303?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pchttps://www.linkedin.com/in/olly-fawcett-668566177/Get frequent behind the scenes updates from Olly: https://whatittakes.kit.com/51cd36dc35

Watch full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdWVHaSQStE

The man who made millions of people click play on The Diary of a CEO just walked away from the job!

In this episode, Anthony Smith, the show's Director of Trailers for four and a half years, reveals the death threat, the burnout, and the real reason he quit one of the most influential roles in podcasting.

Anthony Smith spent four and a half years as Director of Trailers for The Diary of a CEO, the podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett that reaches over 10 million viewers a month. Before DOAC, Anthony worked as a video editor at a London agency producing social content for Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and James Bond, and started his own production company straight out of university, working with clients including Asda and the NHS. His trailer style, built through years of trial, error, and at points real burnout, became one of the most recognisable parts of the DOAC brand. In mid-2026, after roughly 450 trailers, Anthony left the company to start a new chapter.

Follow Anthony:
https://www.instagram.com/anthonyr.smith/?hl=en

Follow Olly: 
https://www.instagram.com/olly.303/
https://www.tiktok.com/@ollyfawcett303?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
https://www.linkedin.com/in/olly-fawcett-668566177/
Get frequent behind the scenes updates from Olly: https://whatittakes.kit.com/51cd36dc35