We Are Power Podcast
The We Are PoWEr podcast spotlights voices and perspectives that need to be heard. Our weekly podcast, with listeners in over 60 countries, delivers PoWErful conversations that inspire, challenge, and empower... from personal life stories to business insights and leadership lessons.
We share diverse experiences, bold discussions, and real solutions. Whether you're looking for career advice, topical themes, or stories of resilience and success - this is where voices spark change.
We Are Power Podcast
From Wild Child to CEO: The Making of an Entrepreneur
The brilliant Gillian joins the We Are PoWEr Podcast - entrepreneur, risk-taker, and now PoWEr Lister 2025. From flatlining during childbirth to launching tech for social change, Gillian’s story is one of raw resilience, reinvention, and refusing to stay quiet.
In this emotional and unfiltered episode, Gillian reflects on going from “wild” child, surviving wrongful arrest in front of her kids, and becoming the youngest-ever responsible individual in the care sector. She opens up about being driven by adrenaline, haunted by self-doubt, and guided by deep connection - with others, with herself, and with something much bigger.
From crashing her dad’s Ford at 14 to building a charity-backed app launching in Dubai, Gillian is redefining what business and impact can look like - especially when poWEred by purpose and personal healing.
In this episode:
Why being “wild” was really early entrepreneurship in disguise
Facing arrest in front of her children and walking free with no charges
The spiritual moment during childbirth that changed everything
Leaving hospitality for social care after a customer complained about cheese
Becoming the youngest Responsible Individual in the care sector
Building tech that changes lives and launching it globally
Healing from childhood pressure and embracing her self-worth
How connection became her greatest superpoWEr
Trigger warning: this episode contains discussions of traumatic medical experiences and arrest.
Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫
Hello, hello, and welcome to the we Are Power podcast. If this is your first time here, the we Are Power podcast is the podcast for you, your career and your life. We release an episode every single Monday with listeners in over 60 countries worldwide, where you'll hear personal life stories, top-notch industry advice and key leadership insight from amazing role models. As we Are Power is the umbrella brand to Northern Power Women Awards, which celebrates hundreds of female role models and advocates every year. This is where you can hear stories from all of our awards alumni and stay up to date with everything. Mpw Awards and we Are Power Well, hello, hello. This week, I am joined by. Do you know what? I have no idea in the world how I'm even going to introduce you, jill Ashcroft, other than Jill Ashcroft, super power woman, powerlister 2025, finalist. And then how would you describe yourself? Humanitarian, actually.
Speaker 2:But you weren't actually expecting that. Not, I was philanthropist, but when you have that on your title, every person rings you up to the dollar bills, yes, so I've learned that lesson the hard way. And now I'm humanitarian and, yeah, I'd like to come away from things that are financially labeled. Do you know what I mean? So it's not me but and but.
Speaker 1:You started how did you?
Speaker 2:because you've owned bars, restaurants, care sector, beauty salons salons, entertainment sense, family entertainment centers, property right the way up from dubai to utah, um, you name it. I've done it really. I've got sites all over the country and yeah, I'm just, I'm like I've just turned 40. And I'm proud to say that, because women at 40 are the most confident, the most sexiest and just just amazing. So, like, I'm not shy to say I'm in my 40s and I feel like I've lived 10 people's lives.
Speaker 1:And we've got your daughter in the studio. Be here before uh studio here with us today. What were you like at Emmy's?
Speaker 2:age. Really I don't know whether this podcast might go downhill. I was so naughty. I was so naughty. I was like like a younger version of Del Boy, like literally, I'm from the inner city. You know, I grew up If everyone remembers Lange he was Lange, that's not far from my family lived in the flats in Lange. Me nan and my other side of the family were from Scotland Roads and I was just wild.
Speaker 2:I think that's the entrepreneur in me, because I always I'm a risk taker. I like the adrenaline, I like the adrenaline, I like the rush. But I needed to channel it into a positive way Because it's learned behavior, isn't it? You learn from your environment. So I was a little tea leaf.
Speaker 2:I only like stupid stuff like Robin Glitter from Woolworths and socks for school and stuff and scrunchies. But I just loved it. I loved the rush. I'd go and I'd rob some pens and I think I was like gangster number one. But I was a nightmare. I really was, but I never hated anybody. I was always the person that would stop the bullies in school and if there was someone kids who was getting bullied even though I was like I was quite cool I'd always stand up for everybody. So we always made sure to look after everyone. I'd always stand up for everybody, so I always made sure I looked after everyone. My heart was always there. I just needed to channel everything else, and I do you know what? Actually, I will say it, and I used to. My dad only found this the other week because my sister snitched and.
Speaker 2:I used to. He's a taxi driver. He's been a taxi driver for years, like since he was in his 20s, and he used to remember ford vouchers. Do you remember the four vouchers? His friend used to work for ford so he used to get brand new car every 12 months and it was his pride and joy.
Speaker 2:Right, we moved out into Aintree when I was younger, but I still, I still brought myself back to the inner city constantly. Um, so we were very looked after in a way. You know, my mum and dad worked very hard and, um, the house where we used to live in had, like it was, was a corner house, so the side street, the car used to be parked there so you couldn't see it. So my dad used to work nights and at the age of 14, I used to take that car out all the time. That's how naughty I was. I just didn't. I just never had, I just never had any kind of sense of consequence. And I remember one day I crashed it into a red car into the Asda car park and I was tea-cutting the hell out of that car at two o'clock in the morning. That was Jill.
Speaker 2:As a younger version, I always had a job that started off in market stalls, mcdonald's. I mean literally. I was 16 and got offered a manager position Anything I did I excelled in. And then I worked in the jewellers Was it WH? No, it's not WH Smith the jewellers. It was a WH no, it's not WH Smith the jewellers on their own church trees. And then, but actually before that, I was 14 and worked in St John's Market in city trainers, and I worked from 8 in the morning till 6 at night for £20 and I used to travel an hour there and an hour back. So I've always been a little you.
Speaker 2:I have. Whether it was good or bad, I didn't care at that point. And then I worked for DFS when I was 18. And I was so naughty, you know, I used to sign in, get off and come back and clock out. And this is the turning point for me. And there was a girl there and that was her life career. And I got offered the manager's position and she never girl there, and that was her life career. And I got off at the manager's position and she never.
Speaker 2:And you know what that's when I really felt like this is wrong. You know, like this is this is Jill, that that childish behavior needs to stop. Because I seen she congratulated me and it really it's to this day. It wounds me because because that's not who I am as a person I was just naughty and I was just adventurous, and I'm still naughty now, but in a good way, and I was a risk taker and I just wanted I don't know it was the thrill, without thinking about what you were actually doing. So it was very like unconsciously, like aware.
Speaker 2:I was unconsciously aware of my actions and I remember and she was gutted and I thought I have to take a job and she works so hard and I just do whatever to do and I do it very well and I just blended it basically and, um, I actually resigned and I vowed from that day that I was going to be a different person and channel it the right way. And then that's when I got my first two properties, literally a few months after that, and it was the property boom and I think I bought them for £80,000 and I made £200,000 on two properties and then I took that money, went on. I was on holiday just randomly in Utah skiing, and my husband I've been with my husband since I was 17, literally, that's. You know I could have killed someone twice and got out twice now and I do think about it quite often when I look at it.
Speaker 2:But we went skiing in the Salt Lake City and I ended up buying a piece of land. I made 500,000 pounds on the piece of land and I was off. That was it, and that's the start of my journey.
Speaker 1:And what did you do with that? You know, you talked about like the defining moment at DFS, where you know, and you were like you know what? No, do you know what? It's not good. I'm going to do good in this. So you went, you invested in property. You were like the look of the gods behind you, right, yeah, all my life has been a puzzle like literally has it's like these.
Speaker 2:Definitely, I'm getting watched over these things in my life that have happened, where it's somewhat I'm not like I'm not very religious, but I do think these. You know a higher power and I do believe that you know there's more to wait for in this life. I actually think this is hell and we moved heaven. We moved to where we're meant to be after that, but I do believe in all that and these things, these people that I've met in terms of like spiritualists and stuff, but and these obviously these are the ones that are blackers, but these there was one in particular and he was like, honestly, only I know to the point of where he told me my nan was there and he said your nan said will you stop going on about your nose job?
Speaker 2:I mean, who knows that? He knew about all the surgery I've had, which you know I'm not going to go into, but I do love you know that were going on at the time in my life, which I don't mind talking about. He knew things and I know she was watching over me and I know things that have happened are because of someone looking over me, but yeah, I do feel like everything has been mapped out for me, and I've known that since I was 12. I knew, when I was 12, that I weren't a nana to fiver. I knew that there was a bigger purpose. I'm here for a reason.
Speaker 1:So you know you talked about someone watching over you, like your nan, like I always think of my nan, my grandparents, like northern power nana. Yeah, that sense of faith, that belief it doesn't have to be religion, but there's a sense of that knowing that you're going to laugh at this right like my nan of a Sunday.
Speaker 2:It was like a proper scouse family and we all. There must have been about 20 grandkids. I do not know how she fed us all from that one chicken. Honestly.
Speaker 1:I didn't.
Speaker 2:She was like she should be on the power list, what she can do with one chicken, I'm not joking and it was like we all got fed. But my job was to throw the cabbage down the toilet, right, so you know, like the pot of cabbage after everyone's finished and it stunk. So her bathroom smelled like peaches. I can't even believe we're going into this. Her bathroom smelled like peaches. I have actually never told anyone this. So these are all the first to hear about my nan's peaches, my cheap peach bathroom and the smell. I just I didn't realise, but I nearly died in childbirth. Really bad. I was on barrier nursing from my last child and I was in the bed and the night before I flatlined and the night before my bedroom stunk of peaches and the minute it did because I always remember thinking thank God it smells like peaches when I'm throwing this cabbage down, because the cabbage was like ugh, and it was it, because my whole room just smelled like peaches and the first thing that came to my mind was my nan's bathroom. And then that next morning is when I got strepococcal virus, but the life threatening one and it got into my womb and I ended up flat lining and it was actually I could get upset, so I wasn't too honest, but it was get the baby out and at least the baby will survive. But I don't even know why I'm going to upset, but it makes good feelings, doesn't it? And I was on barion nursing for a week. Um yeah, and the the virus got to the end of the umbilical cord. And this is someone, this is actually. I'll bring it all back. We'll go back to you know what we want to talk about, with someone looking after me.
Speaker 2:The day that I got brought into hospital an hour before the doctor that I should have had that was on on shift. I'd gone off sick from shift and the only replacement they could got was this one doctor who's never worked in homescare hospital before. And the doctor lost the pregnant woman the week before to the same virus. And the virus is like one in every billion or so one. It's just crazy, like you know percentages, of how low or how uncommon this virus is. And if it weren't for him coming on shift an hour before and I got brought in by hour before I got brought in, by the way, I got brought in in a wheelchair at this point I was gone. He looked. He knew straight away. He said get it on five antibiotic intravenous drips and just hope for the best. He said don't bother with blood. He knew what it was. No one would have known in the hospital. I would have been dead.
Speaker 2:How mental is that that that doctor come an hour before who's never been in the hospital and then that night I smell peaches. My whole life has been like that. I know she's here, and when I'm naughty because I am like work hard, play hard and and I just my personality and I think it's the inner beast, isn't it? It's the guts. Which one you're gonna choose, the good wolf or the bad wolf? And um, every morning. And when I choose the bad wolf, um, she haunts me. I'm not now, listen, I am not joking to the point where taps come on, all me, like, no matter what room I'm in me, all my lights flash on and off. It's like okay, nan, I'll start being good.
Speaker 1:Nana brings her peaches on, yeah that's probably no good for the listener on the podcast right now. So there you go. So how did you, how did you get into the social sector, the social care sector? Wow, so this is we're the teachers, with Nan here, with Nan, do you know what right it was?
Speaker 2:I was? I'm not. I'm not like money driven, like I do have a nice car, I have nice things and stuff, but for me it's a bit, um, I feel like you're getting some other cases. There's only so much stuff you can buy. It's like it's empty. And for me it's like to actually change someone's life and to see someone. Obviously it's always their input as well, but to have that, to leave that legacy or to have that input on changing someone's life, you can't. That's priceless, so it's.
Speaker 2:I had a family entertainment centre and there was one customer. This is when you know you need to get out of customer service. I'm not actually going to say what I said to her because you'd have to go. Bleep, bleep, bleep. She was moaning about how her cheese weren't melted on her chips and basically she got nowhere to go and I was like you know what these children's starving? I think people that come to people's businesses think that they can talk to staff how they want. They always want something for nothing. You know, I'm not saying everyone, but like majority. I mean, I've been in customer service for a long time, um, and it was like when you're actually telling your customers to do one. That's when you know you need to move on, because obviously that pays my mortgage, it's my livelihood and I was like I'm done.
Speaker 2:I did was there was criminal investigation as well, which is, you know, it's common. I'm not bothered, like you know, I I don't stop being around people. I've grew up in the inner city, most people from the inner city the only the only way that they can make money is through criminal activity because unfortunately it's people are kept in a certain bracket and other people are kept in another bracket, and that's we have to find. We have definitions, don't mean classes and, and you know, the working class, unfortunately, are surrounded by people who want nice things but don't get the opportunities because of the area that they grow up in, you know, and I wanted to change that and I am changing that and we'll move on to that. But yeah, I just I felt like this is not for me and this I have to say, as I was feeling that there was a big criminal investigation that went on. I got, I was arrested and I got brought in. I was kept. I was like Mrs Bouquet in the cell. Honestly, I was like I kicked off. I got a brand new refurbished sweater.
Speaker 2:What was the investigation for Jill? It was a massive. It was like 17 arrests in one morning. Well, 32 arrests, 17 charges in one morning, and it was a big undercover drugs operation. It was going on for three years and I'll tell you something now and it's disgusting actually.
Speaker 2:They come to my home and they arrested me in front of my kids, took me away Not my husband, me took me away from my London and I put in a cell and this was, I mean riot fans all in my streets, the neighbours all out. It was disgusting and I got put in my cell and I, just, I actually was so like, I actually was very proud of myself because I was so strong where I didn't realise how strong of a person and of a woman I was. You know, even when they come to my house, I worked hard for everything that was in that house. You know it was, and I had white carpets. Well, they got me to put plastic shoes on and this is the camera crew was there. They all come through arm place, all through my front door. They actually knocked because I'd just had another baby that was sick as well and I had Lechy Gates, electric Gates, sorry, disney inner city Lechy Gates. And they knocked and my husband told the neighbours I complained about the wheelie bin, oh no, about the van or the wheelie bin. And I went to him come on on, we're not getting all these through the front door because, because you've left the wheelie bin out, the neighbors were cranks where we live and um, so they come into my house and I just said, no way. I said they had these army boots on. They were like the military with black boots. These are not standing all over my carpets because I've worked my butt off for this, for everything that I've got. They actually did it as well. So here's me. I mean this little girl.
Speaker 2:I was 20, it was, it was 2012, you know. So I was a lot younger and I just this inner strength come and I am, and I know that. I know that things go missing out of people's houses that get me. So my dad, I lived in a bungalow. It was a big bungalow and I had my watches in a drawer with jewelry and he always kept it in the back kitchen drawer and I I was in pjs, so I had this during my top shop. I had this jumping on from top. I put this jumping on from top shop and it was long, and I walked past the drawer and I got all my jewellery out. Who does this? I mean, like, this is not, I'm not even a criminal put all my jewellery on. I was like Mr T and I thought no, because the money did get missing out my house. Money did get missing out of my house. Money did go missing out of my house and that was my money from my cash business, and the same for all my friends as well. And it did happen. And I knew that. My friends' watches went missing, all kinds.
Speaker 2:So what was the upshot of this? So this is how bad I get. This is my point. I got brought into the cell Once I knew my jewellery had checked in. I knew that it was on record, but hood so. But I don't do this. It was this person. I've never been in trouble with the police in my life and um, I didn't even get the. I refused to go to the prison toilet, or so I went to the police toilet. I caused murder that night and um, they brought me into interview and they were like what they said we know you've not done nothing wrong, right, but we know that you've got information and we want you to tell us and we'll protect you. I said you have just done that in front of my family and you put me through something and it's emotional, you know we're getting upset about it.
Speaker 2:It's like you just put me through, that I'm just coming to my home and this is what you're saying. You know no comments. Do you know what I mean? Do you let me go? No charges, but that I give now, you know, and you know, please don't google it because it's on the last page. It's on page 10. I was talking a long time to get that on page 10, but it was like.
Speaker 2:You know, for me that was it. It was like I need to get away from the life that I'm. I'd not get away from my friends, but it was because I was in business with like they're my best friends. I was in business, they come, it was all about being that association and they wanted me. The police wanted me to snitch and and it was like, really, you just don't. There's plenty of ways to go about things Like railroad someone and then ask them to snitch. I would never do that anyway. So that was the change. And to go back to your question why I went into social care, because, for one, I didn't like people coming and treating people in work, the way I was dealing with customers when you're working really hard, and for another, it was like I needed to change my environment. I needed to do my own thing and also I've always wanted to help people.
Speaker 2:So it was the night I got out of the cell. I went, woke up the next morning, had no, had no experience in care whatsoever, never, never done a day in care. I downloaded an offset registration pack. Look, I could go on, but I know we've got a time change. I've become the youngest ever responsible individual to date in the whole care sector. Now, that is someone who's legally responsible in the court of law for the lives of children and the reason why I actually did get registration. It was a nine-hour interview. I had six weeks to prepare for it. I locked myself into Formby Hall because obviously, you know I do like my luxuries. You know what I mean. I went and got into the travel lodge and I learned every legislation off by heart and I smashed that interview and I've went now from, you know, turning over 200,000 the first year to probably having an organisation that's worth nearly around 50 million. And that's what I did.
Speaker 2:What are you moops proud of? Do you know? I'm getting upset again. I'm like I'm so strong, but I really care, so I'm quite emotional person. Do you know how many letters of from children, of lives that have changed. Why am I going again? It's like I've had children from the rotherham inquiry that have come to me at like the age of 12, you know, with marks all over them and where they've been urinated on, one of them in particular. She's a solicitor now with two kids, and that's because she comes to my home Again. I need to stop crying on this podcast, it's all good. Do you know why? Because it's so sad what I see, and to be able to change people's lives, it's just amazing.
Speaker 1:But how do you manage that? Because I think to lots of people who know you and you're multi-award winning, you're up for more awards and you know people see that, people see the gloss, people see the gloss and the glamour and you know the big wedgie heels Can't see that on the pod, but you see it there. But how do you?
Speaker 2:I'm so glad because I don't like toes. But here's my shoes.
Speaker 1:But how do you deal with that? What's your fighting power? We've talked about your nan being present at certain times. Do you have a coping mechanism? Sometimes it's exercise, sometimes it's meditation, and I'll be honest.
Speaker 2:I think everything comes at a cost and I think right now I'm going through a big change in my life because Jill just does things the hard way and everything's trial and error. I haven't got someone. I haven't grown up and gone through a professional career where I've gone from promotion to promotion. No one's told me you know how to do my supervision, how to be a line manager, how to be a CEO, how to be a managing director, and I have literally just learned and I'm tired. I'm tired of trial and error. And do you know what? It's so simple and this will be the best advice that I can give anyone. If you want a successful business and it will be successful if you listen to this, listen to this bit of advice keep it simple. Do what you say on the tin and do it the best better than anyone else. No bells and whistles, no dilution, no like trying to add-ons, because all it does is take your attention away. Do what you say.
Speaker 2:So what you say you're gonna do, whether you deliver, like, if you fix toilets, fix them better than anyone else. You know, if you sell fish and chips, make sure that the best fish and chips that ended around and don't do nothing else. Do you know what I mean? It's like for me? I have just gone and I've diluted and the worst I brought so much chaos because when I opened exceptional care, I thought I was a people pleaser and my like things that have happened to me growing up. You know, I've always doubted myself with all the time and I've always exaggerated. I mean, I could never lose. So like I remember like 11 and being in a dance competition and so scared to go home and say that I never won. I actually robbed the awards from the cupboard from the year before and went home because I was so like.
Speaker 2:I always got brought up. My mum like I know. I love my mum to bits. She's my best friend as well as my daughter, but she had such a traumatic upbringing Like my granddad. He was just a monster, you know, right between the lines, and she had a really cruel upbringing and so she always wanted to be hard on me out of love, but it really fractured our relationship and that's why I'm best friends with my daughter and my son, and that because I lost a lot and then I always tried to please. I got I think it was 11 A's and 8 stars altogether, or 10 and one C. Do you know, I got battered over that C and it was not, it was good enough, so then I had to. So I think that really has an impact on my self-worth.
Speaker 1:And I think this whole paying forward thing maybe sometimes an overused phrase, isn't it Pay it forward, give back, but that's what you do and I think one of the things we talked about before the recording today you put it into practice personally, because you talked about you taking your children like your tribe, the massive. I've got four children, everyone you know you're four or five with the husband right With the husband, obviously, and but my mum lives with me.
Speaker 1:Something struck me about you take them in because you're learning things at the moment, because we'll talk about the app in a minute and we're really excited about the new app, but you're taking the kids in, and the kids, these are young adults, right, you know young entrepreneurs, young business people, but you're taking them in to learn with you as you go, because it's not the stuff we get taught in school.
Speaker 2:So you're really like this. Paying at home it does, and I think like I'm not. You know, I've got my water and all, and the kids know that, because I I don't cope very well with certain things and it's, it's, it's hard. I'm one person. I'm one person and I said to you before, you know, when I told about money but label things, but I've got a million pounds out on my head every month and that's on my shoulders alone and like that's not a heavy, that's a heavy cross to bear. Not only that, I've gotten only 30 children the highest risk children in the country's lives on my shoulders, but it's all down to other people's actions. It's not me caring for them, but then it's, it's my responsibility, they're my responsibility in someone else's hands. So these things that I'm not coping with, like I don't think I'm not a person to go. Oh, it's glamorous, it's fabulous. I'm just this, I'm that. You know what I am. I'm one of the best people to do what I do, that I I know I am one of the best to do and what I do, and I am good and I am, I am brilliant at what I do. But I'm also I'm not. I'm a human being and it comes. Everything comes at a cost and and it impacts my family. You know it really does, and I've just got to really work on that. So, which leads us, nicely, talking about the self-worth. I'm gonna, I'm gonna put this into, I'm gonna round it all up now so we can move on to, um, what's currently going on, um, my self-worth.
Speaker 2:When it was only two years ago that, like I realized about what I've just said, about how to get a successful business and also, you, everybody's got one thing they do better than everyone else, and it doesn't matter about proving yourself I wanted to be, oh, I'm amazing at this. I'm amazing at that. I'm amazing at this why? Because I was good enough as I was, but I didn't see it and I just wanted to make sure that everyone thinks I'm great. I opened a recruitment agency, I opened a training company, I opened a tech company and do you know what? They would all run poor. They would all run poor. And I'm actually professionally embarrassed because I knew, if I just had one or that one or that one and I did it well, that I would have done it better than anyone else. But I just wanted to be like the big I am and it was like and it's sad, it really is sad, and it took me to the age of 38.
Speaker 2:Winning Great British Entrepreneur of the Year changed my life. I had some massive accolades and I realised that do you know what? I am actually good, I'm good, I don't need to be. So I actually decided to come clean. I'm not a professional, because I'm a little nightmare. I am, I am, but that's okay.
Speaker 2:I'm not academic, I'm clever. I've got a law degree. You know I can run circles around any academic but and I'm like a sponge. I am like a sponge. You know, put me in a situation in a week or so I'll be like probably I'll know more than the person that's been doing it for 20 years. I'm just like that. But know what I am? Buddha I'm, and people buy into people, people invest in people, and I had everything already, without all the bells and whistles, and I'm more confident than I ever am. I'm still struggling with things, obviously, and I'll talk about them openly. Because I do, because there's so many people going to be watching this podcast that are going to relate to it. And I do these podcasts not because I want to be on a podcast, because I want people to realise they're not alone.
Speaker 2:They're not alone and there's always someone for someone. There's always support. And I had the radio show, didn't I? And I did that radio show because to highlight the amount of services and support networks that are out there, that even in our city I didn't know that was there and I'm not joking, it was an eye-opener. But yeah, now I'm at that place now in my life where I'm streamlining and I'm making better decisions, smarter, not harder everyone. It's always a smarter way and easier way. Don't do it the Jill way and it's I'm more, I'm more financially better off.
Speaker 2:But my purpose changed, like everything changed when I was 38, because I realized I am good at what I do and I'm a people, person and it's just about me being me, I can connect, I'm a connector.
Speaker 2:And I realised I am good at what I do and I'm a people, person and it's just about me being me.
Speaker 2:I can connect, I'm a connector and I could leave a room and everyone will know why I'm in a room. Like there could be 500 people in a room. Give me half an hour and they'll all know who I am, and not the fact that I grab the limelight, it's just, that's my strength and you work with that power and that has then enabled me to reassess my life and I've got an amazing, the most successful entrepreneurs in the whole country and my little group of friends. I've always got my lifetime friends, but these are a group that now that I'm around, where no one wants nothing from me, but I've got the best connections in the country and it's just snowballed. So, yeah, I feel like getting to 40 it's, it's, it's amazing, it's amazing. It's not something to be scared of. We all should be proud of it and then just believe in yourself and you and you and what you do well and keep your business and your life as smart as and as slim, slim down as possible.
Speaker 1:And that's led me to the app so tell me about the app, because there's nothing simple about an app well, it is when you've got your own tech team. Well, Well, there you go.
Speaker 2:So I've just been talking about me training company. Me training company was never, never got off the ground. Oh my God. I had two and a half million pound leads that I am in and it's also my own money, which is a lot of money because it changed people's lives. I wanted to create the best training in the sector.
Speaker 2:So everything I've done I've done really it's ego and, to be honest with you, when I didn't realise it was ego and I'm happy saying that I'm not bothered but it was also to do better than others for support and vulnerable people. So it's always had the good heart in it. But it also ruined it a bit as well. And for me it was like I wanted the best recruitment agency because I wanted the best quality staff, because I was using recruitment agencies for my company, so I thought, well, I'll just open my own because I can do anything. And then I thought my training company. I thought, right, okay, I'm going to use 3D animation, I'm going to use technology that I got a team that worked for Disney, honestly, and I created 3D animation and online training that you actually felt emotion for what you watched. So it weren't a tick box exercise, it weren't just like cheapest chips, budget training. It was you were. It takes six times on average for a normal brain to retain information. You've got to feel emotional, emotionally invested in what you're doing. So if I've got people who are training that actually take away the training and then deliver better care, that why I did it.
Speaker 2:But I created my own LMS, which is a learner management system, and I didn't, I didn't buy off shelf because I wanted to do it in a way that every mistake I've made yeah, because I've made all the mistakes. So if I can build the mistakes in as a preventative in my LMS, then I'm supporting how many other care providers from making the mistakes, which, in turn, is better quality of care. Unless you can't, you shouldn't make a, shouldn't make a mistake on a child's life. So my that was both the um, the people who created it. It was I brought in an outside company to work with my team. It got two and a half years later. We went, we launched and it fell flat on its face because the two main things that it was what it was coded and what it was built on shouldn't have ever been together. So I had to just build a brand new one is that what you've done now?
Speaker 1:so what is this new?
Speaker 2:app, so I've just built a whole new LMS and what is?
Speaker 1:what is that going to do? How many lives?
Speaker 2:is this going to change? Going for the new bell piece prize? I'll dead quick. So the lms now was finished. I've got over a thousand credits of courses, but I'm closing the company and this is what I'm doing. So, me being smarter, I've got my charity and I've got me, me, tech company and I thought, well, why don't we put all together, everyone, get rid of all the headache with the charity, get rid of all the headache with me, but me, tech, me tech company, and we've put them together on this app.
Speaker 2:So this app is getting launched um after the summer and the app is a hybrid model of a non-profit and a profit um and what it's going to do? It's going to give every young person in the uk it's actually just getting launched. It's going to be launched in dubai as well. It guarantees work placements. It's also got um the access to my lms and all my training so they can come on. So, so if they're not a job seekers, so it'll be meeting the criteria for job seekers, really, and the same like eligibility criteria.
Speaker 2:So we're not getting people just using it, you know, when they're not vulnerable or they're not in that situation and they can self-develop themselves by all the courses. So you're better empowerment, better motivation, self-worth. They can do their own self-progression in terms of professional development and it's all courses are all on the training matrix. You have the app, you go on, you can filter the area, the sector. It's also made for the neurodiversity and the cohort of people that do are affected by neurodiversity. So, and it's also for equality and diversity, so we know what jobs, what job businesses, what job places can cater for hearing impairment, speech impairment, disability.
Speaker 1:It's taken the decades, isn't it? Of your experience, your passion, the mistakes right along the way, the naughty bits right.
Speaker 2:It's always got to be naughty, which I'm sorry, but I am, I'm fun, I'm fun, I'm a little pranker, and it's like I'm not going to take that away because I'm a little, I'm cheeky and I get very far with my cheekiness because my heart is always in the right place. But the app is. I've just joined forces was the founder of um. We'll get to jim shark in a minute. He was the founder of all saints and reese, and we're doing free clothing for young people as well, for the interview. So that's so. We're hitting sustainability, we're hitting social impact and, on the other side of things, we have a subscription model for businesses as cheap as chips cheaper than anything else to access the training for their own companies, but it will fund the app. So that's the app. It's going to go for a new building surprise and that's where I'm going to with my life.
Speaker 2:So I've come full 360, I've put everything together, I'm working smarter and I'm going to make national impact and I'm going to make global impact. And that's jill and what.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but and what makes jill happy do you know what that is?
Speaker 2:that's probably a question that I can't answer because I don't know anymore, but I know when I see someone's life change, do you know what? All I want now is to go home, that's it, and I'm going to cry again With the family. It's to go home because I haven't been the mum that I want to be. So that's what I want to be.
Speaker 1:Make time. It's the biggest gift, isn't it? The biggest gift for you?
Speaker 2:I'm gonna kill you. Simone, I've been emotional. Everyone thinks I'm like a ball dream boss bitch.
Speaker 1:And now I'm like, I'm like, I'm like a blubber and like do you know what? This is? Your superpower? Vulnerability, the vulnerability when people think you're all over it, it's okay. It's okay because I'm still amazing. It's okay to go. You know what? Actually, this has been tough, or I've made mistakes or this is this, or I'm excited, or I'm giddy about that, because I'm a mom and a wife.
Speaker 2:I'm a business owner.
Speaker 1:I'm like I'm everything, and do you know what in one sentence. And this is going to be impossible. I'm looking at your daughter over here. I mean it's never going to happen, is it right? You are spinning plates. You're constantly spinning of the plates.
Speaker 2:And that's what I've been working on. So this app now is obviously bringing me two companies that I've got there together in one and we are going Not about the app, about you. Jill, about my life is work, so I've got to reduce this so I can have a life. So it's one thing, as I said, bringing it back to the beginning. Everything comes at a cost and now I'm ready, I've set my family up for life. When this app goes live, I'm probably going to be setting their families up for 10 generations down. You know this app's going to be. It's going to be worldwide. You know I've got the biggest names in the world involved in this app. Um, and I'm ready to, over the next two years, really come away from everything. I'm ready and you'll go. You'll never do that, but I'll always have my charity work.
Speaker 1:I would never doubt you, I'm gonna. I would never doubt you. In one world I'm gonna shout over the studio. Emmy, how would you describe your mom?
Speaker 2:yeah, come over, run over. This is my daughter, everyone. This is my best friend and she just, she is me everything.
Speaker 1:Come here come and sit on this side, so you're close to the mic there how would you describe your mom in one word go into that microphone there.
Speaker 1:Wild well, I I could not think. I could not think of a better word to describe you are the wild woman, but completely focused, vulnerable, and thank you for bringing your vulnerability to the the teal coach today. It's okay to be you, um, please try and keep losing some of them plates, but do the make sure it's the big impactful ones, because that's what makes the difference. We'll watch the space, I'll see you in two weeks time and all of a sudden there'll be another million things.
Speaker 2:But actually I see it, it's purpose I just want, I just want everybody to support the app. It's called succeed and it'll be out after the summer holidays and I'll keep in touch and hopefully Simone will support that and get that out there, thank you. And we're going to change lives of many young people Every day, every day with intention. Jill, thank you for coming, thank you for every lady dragging you in and thank you all there you go.
Speaker 1:Look, you see, it's all about giving people a platform and a stage, isn't it? Yeah, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you, subscribe on YouTube, apple, amazon Music, spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review or follow us on socials. We are Power underscore net on Insta, tiktok and Twitter. We are Power on LinkedIn, facebook, and we are underscore Power on YouTube.
