Ep 16 | John Parr | The Man Behind the Anthem St Elmo's Fire - Betrayed Twice & Silenced for 20 years

Ep 16 | John Parr | The Man Behind the Anthem St Elmo's Fire - Betrayed Twice & Silenced for 20 years

The Voice Behind the Anthem: John Parr on Fame, Betrayal & Never Giving In In 1985, a song exploded out of a Hollywood cinema and never really stopped playing. That song was St. Elmo's Fire — and its writer and singer, John Parr, joins Emyr Afan on Inside the Maverick Mind for one of the most honest, surprising and inspiring conversations you'll hear this year. Born on the wrong side of the tracks in a Nottinghamshire mining town, John Parr spent 20 years grinding his way to a room with David Foster — then wrote a number one anthem in three attempts on a single afternoon. But what came next wasn't the fairy tale the world imagined. In this episode, John opens up about: * The real story behind "St. Elmo's Fire" — and the wheelchair-bound hero who inspired it * Why his record label hated the song and refused to promote it * The betrayal that cost him 20 years of his career — and how he survived it * What it was really like touring with Tina Turner, Toto, The Beach Boys and Journey * Working with Mutt Lange and the lesson that changed how he creates * His growing obsession with Welsh culture, Hedd Wyn, and a film that could change everything * Why he believes the next great anthem needs to be about mental health * And the uncanny sign that made him certain he was on the right path This is the story of a man who never gave in — even when everything gave out. 🎵 "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" | 🎬 Filmmaker | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Friend of Wales --- 📩 Subscribe for more conversations with maverick thinkers, creators and disruptors. 🔔 Hit the bell so you never miss an episode of Inside the Maverick Mind.

Ep 15 | HENRY ENGELHARDT CBE| The Man Who Proved Happy People Build Better Companies

Henry Engelhardt didn't just build a successful company. He built one of the most loved workplaces in British corporate history - and did it by betting everything on a single, radical idea: that happy people build better businesses. Starting as a complete outsider to the insurance industry - a Chicago kid who'd worked a hotdog stand, the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and McDonald's on the Champs-Élysées - Henry co-founded Admiral Insurance in 1993 from a standing start, without offices, without a name, and as the seventh player in a market already crowded with giants. By the time he stepped down as CEO, Admiral was a FTSE 100 company employing over 10,000 people across four continents, had been named one of the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For more times than most businesses even try, and had made its entire workforce shareholders. On his final day as CEO, hundreds of staff lined the car park wearing T-shirts printed with his face. That's not a corporate valediction. That's a movement. In this conversation, Henry talks candidly about growing up in 1970s Chicago, the mentors who shaped him, why being an industry outsider was his greatest competitive weapon, how he turned culture into a hard financial advantage, the four pillars that drove everything Admiral became, and why - even now - he writes down what he's grateful for every single day. This is one of the most honest, warm and genuinely useful conversations about leadership, people and business we've ever recorded. Inside the Maverick Mind is the podcast that goes beyond the boardroom and behind the breakthrough. Each episode, host Emyr Afan sits down with the entrepreneurs, leaders and rule-breakers who didn't just build successful businesses — they changed the game entirely. These aren't polished corporate interviews. This is real talk: about failure, obsession, instinct, culture, and what it actually takes to build something that lasts. From startup scars to FTSE 100 boardrooms, from Chicago hotdog stands to Cardiff Bay — every guest has one thing in common: they refused to play it safe. New episodes every [frequency]. Subscribe and join us inside the minds of the people who dared to think differently. Until next time — remember, the world doesn't change by playing it safe.

Ep 14 | Craig Maxwell OBE | The Man Who Was Given 12 Months - And Changed Welsh Cancer Care Forever

YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION: In 2022, Craig Maxwell OBE was told he had a rare form of cancer and 12 months to live. Most people would stop. Craig accelerated. In this extraordinary episode of Inside the Maverick Mind, Craig — a former Welsh Rugby Union executive and one of the youngest commercial directors in world rugby — sits down to talk about the moment that changed everything. The diagnosis. The fear. The clarity that followed. But this isn't just a story about facing death. It's a story about what you choose to do with the time you have. Since his diagnosis, Craig has run marathons, cycled across countries, climbed mountains, and walked the entire Welsh coastline — all while undergoing treatment. In doing so, he has raised over £1.7 million to fundamentally change how cancer is diagnosed in Wales. So that others are found in time. So that no one else hears the words "we can treat it, but we can't cure it" when it's already too late. In this conversation, Craig talks about: * The moment he received his diagnosis — and what happened in the hours that followed * What he's most afraid of, and the things no one can prepare you for * How a terminal illness made him a better husband, father and friend * What "keep going" really means when the stakes are as high as they get * The £1.7 million mission to save lives through early cancer detection * What he wants his children to know about who their father was This is one of the most remarkable, thought-provoking and life-affirming conversations we have ever recorded. Please watch. Please share. It could save a life. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with people who think differently when the stakes are real. CraigMaxwell #CancerAwareness #EarlyDetection #TerminalCancer #Podcast #WelshRugby #LungCancer #Mindset #Legacy #InsideTheMaverickMind

Ep 13 | Chris Macnamara | From Homeless Teenager to National Retailer

What does it take to build a premium national brand when you couldn't write your name at age 10? Chris McNamara, founder of The Brogue Trader, is living proof that instinct and resilience can outrun any traditional path. In this raw and refreshingly honest conversation, Chris opens up about struggling with dyslexia and ADHD in a school system that didn't know what to do with him, moving into a council house at 19 with a newborn, a bean bag, and a borrowed microwave - and somehow building a shoe brand with stores from Cardiff to Edinburgh. But this isn't just a business story. It's a story about a boy who chose work over school at 14, who nearly got involved in a post office robbery out of desperation, who survived a heart attack and an armed confrontation at Le Mans - and who has never once stopped moving forward. We explore: * Why The Brogue Trader was built on experience, not just footwear * How a car sales training process still drives his shoe business today * The mentor who told him "it's okay to be skint - it's not okay to look skint" * Why family is the true foundation of everything he's built * What a heart attack at the peak of his success taught him about vulnerability Whether you're an entrepreneur, a parent, or just someone who's ever been told they're not enough - this one will hit home. 🎙️ Inside the Maverick Mind - exploring the thinking behind people who refuse to follow the expected path.

Ep 12 | Prof. Laura McAllister | Inside the Maverick Mind | Captaining a Nation, On & Off the pitch

What does it take to captain your country on the pitch, then go on to shape how that country governs itself?  This week, we sit down with Professor Laura McAllister CBE - former Wales women's football captain, Vice President of UEFA, co-chair of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales, and one of the most compelling voices in Welsh public life. Laura takes us from kicking a ball with her grandfather in the Llynfi Valley to sitting at UEFA's top table as the only woman in the room. She talks candidly about what sport taught her about leadership, why she never had to choose between football and politics, and why Wales is far better regarded abroad than many at home dare to believe. We cover the Euros breakthrough for Cymru women, the slow grind of gender equality in global sports governance, the real risks facing Welsh democracy, and why she thinks "authenticity" as a leadership concept is mostly nonsense. This is a conversation about quiet power, honest challenge, and what it really means to represent your nation - on the pitch and off it. Topics covered: Women's football in Wales | UEFA governance | Constitutional future of Wales | Welsh identity & independence | Public service broadcasting | Leadership, legacy & the maverick mindset