Maajid Nawaz was radicalised as a teenager and built his life around an extremist ideology that led to his arrest in Egypt, prison, and torture, before walking away from it and rethinking everything he once believed.

Years later, after becoming a well-known voice in counter extremism, he lost his role as a presenter on LBC during Covid, publicly labelled and ridiculed for his views.

This conversation lands at a time when the Home Office has apologised for what’s being described as one of the darkest periods in British history around the grooming gang scandal, and that’s where things open up.

We get into what actually happened, the cover ups, the corruption, the scale of what was allowed to go on, and why so many people were ignored or shut down for speaking about it, along with his take on who benefits when something like that is kept quiet for so long.

From there it builds into the bigger picture, power, influence, how decisions are made behind the scenes, from public narratives to government contracts, and what starts to come into view once you begin connecting the dots.

⸻

Key moments include:

✔ 00:00 Being drawn into extremism at a young age and how that path took hold.

✔ 09:00 Arrest in Egypt, time in prison, and the reality of torture and its impact.

✔ 22:00 Grooming gang scandal, the Home Office apology, and what was happening while it was being covered up.

✔ 36:00 Why people who spoke out were shut down and what that says about the system.

✔ 48:00 Covid, losing his role at LBC, being labelled publicly, and the personal fallout of that.

✔ 1:05:00 Power and influence, how decisions are shaped behind the scenes, and what drives them.

✔ 1:18:00 Government contracts, incentives, and what sits underneath public facing decisions.

✔ 1:30:00 Where this leaves people now and why more are starting to question what’s really going.

⸻

Connect & Follow

Follow Ellie McKay:

🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb

🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb

Follow Maajid Nawaz:

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maajidnawaz?igsh=OHZxMWI5OWxidGVh

🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1J9SUJ4cZn/?mibextid=wwXIfr

He Wasn’t Built For This… He Became It

Darren Grigas has completed a world first 127 mile foot crossing of the 55 million year old Namib, run 100 miles across a frozen lake in temperatures down to minus 50, taken on uncharted rainforest, and completed Marathon des Sables alongside Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

Most people look at extreme endurance athletes and assume they’ve always been wired differently, as though they were built for it from the start, but Darren’s story completely dismantles that.

This didn’t begin with a lifelong obsession for pushing limits. It started with a random morning, a car crash, and a body that didn’t work the same way anymore.

At that point, he wasn’t running ultra distances or training for deserts and jungles. He was living a normal life, working a job, following a routine, and struggling to run a single mile without his body breaking down.

What followed was anything but a sudden transformation. It was slow, frustrating, and at times painful enough that most people would have stepped back and accepted their limits, but instead of doing that, he started asking a different question around what the version of himself would look like if he actually overcame it.

That shift in thinking changed everything.

Over time, that mindset took him from barely getting through a mile to standing on the start line of some of the toughest endurance events on the planet.

It was great to have Darren back on the podcast for this one, because we go beyond the highlight reel and get into the reality behind it. The training around a full time job, raising kids, and dealing with pressure most people never see, along with the mental battles that don’t make it onto social media.

What stands out most isn’t just what he’s done, it’s how he thinks. The way he approaches pain, pressure and adversity, understanding the difference between discomfort and real damage, and knowing when to push and when to hold.

There’s also a side to this that most people wouldn’t expect, including personal pressure, family challenges and financial strain, all happening in the background while still showing up and doing the work.

That’s where this really lands, not in the extremes themselves but in the mindset behind them, and the idea that you don’t wait until you feel ready, you make the decision first and then build yourself into the person who can handle it.

⸻

Key moments include:

✔ The car crash that changed everything

✔ Struggling to run a single mile after injury

✔ The mindset shift that drove everything forward

✔ Marathon des Sables alongside Sir Ranulph Fiennes

✔ A world first 127 mile foot crossing of the Namib

✔ Running 100 miles across a frozen lake in minus 50 conditions

✔ Uncharted rainforest and extreme environments

✔ Training around work, family and real life pressure

✔ Understanding pain vs real damage

✔ Building resilience through real life adversity

⸻

Connect & Follow

Follow Ellie McKay:

🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb

🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb

Follow Darren Grigas:

🔗 Website: https://darrengrigas.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darren.grigas?igsh=Mzgwb2wxZmlqZzI4

🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/182m17a9ni/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🔗 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/darren-grigas

Renowned performance coach Michelle Flynn works with high performers operating at an elite level, people at the top of their game who, on the surface, look like they have everything under control.

She was doing the same.

Training hard, disciplined, performing at a high level, until her body shut her down. Twice.

It’s something she now sees constantly, high performers still delivering, still pushing, while carrying chronic stress and having no real understanding of what it’s doing to their body.

This goes far beyond mindset and habits.

We get into mental health, suicide, hormones, menopause, emotional pressure, and why so many people who look “fine” are anything but.

Michelle also challenges a lot of the advice being pushed in the health and performance space, and why some of it isn’t just ineffective, it can actually put people at risk when it’s followed blindly.

This is about what’s really going on underneath performance, and what it actually takes to sustain it without paying for it later.

⸻

Key moments include:

✔ The moment Michelle collapsed and no one could explain why. ✔ Why stress isn’t always obvious and can build without you realising. ✔ The “work hard, play hard” lifestyle and its hidden impact. ✔ How pushing through eventually leads to your body forcing you to stop. ✔ The turning point that led her to completely rethink her life. ✔ Why small daily habits matter more than extreme health routines. ✔ How to manage stress and perform without burning out.

⸻

Connect & Follow

Follow Ellie McKay:

🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb

🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb

Follow Michelle Flynn:

🔗 Website: https://www.michelleflynncoaching.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelleflynncoaching?igsh=cnhma2V1YjRpYTF6

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleflynn?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

Mark Whittle is someone who’s spent years studying what actually drives human behaviour, performance, and fulfilment, and why so many people still feel lost even when they “have it all”.

From working with high performers, athletes and entrepreneurs to building his own platform, Mark has seen first-hand what happens when success on paper doesn’t translate to real happiness. Because for a lot of people, hitting the top isn’t the answer, it’s where the real questions begin.

This conversation goes deep into identity, self-worth, and the unconscious patterns that quietly control most people’s lives. From building self-trust and discipline to recognising the decisions that shape your future, this is a powerful breakdown of what actually creates change.

⸻

Key moments include:

✔ Why success often doesn’t fix how you feel.

✔ The danger of tying your identity to what you do.

✔ How to build real confidence by keeping promises to yourself.

✔ Why most people operate unconsciously and stay stuck.

✔ The “sliding door” moments that shape your life.

✔ Why you need the right people around you to grow.

⸻

Connect & Follow

Follow Ellie McKay:

🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb

🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb

Follow Mark Whittle:

🔗 Website: https://www.takeflightworld.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwhittle_tf?igsh=eHp1bno2eG54aXF3

Caprice Bourret is proof that reinvention doesn’t have an expiry date.

From becoming one of the most photographed women in the world to building a film career from scratch in her 50s, she’s lived multiple lives and she’s still not done.

Three years on from her first appearance on On A Mission, Caprice is back and this time she’s gone all in. Producing, acting, writing and running entire film productions herself, often with limited budgets and no safety net, creating opportunities instead of waiting for them.

This is a raw, unfiltered conversation on authenticity, social media, and the world we’re living in today. From online hate and parenting in a digital age to mindset, resilience, and life after surviving a brain tumour, Caprice doesn’t hold back.

A powerful reminder that you can reinvent yourself at any stage, if you’re willing to do the work.

⸻

Key moments include:

✔ Why Caprice believes authenticity is disappearing.

✔ Building a film career from scratch and doing everything herself.

✔ The mindset that’s driven her success: play the game, don’t play the victim.

✔ Her warning about influence and why she says “don’t be a useful idiot”.

✔ How she handles online hate and protects her energy.

✔ Life after her brain tumour and the shift in her priorities.

✔ Why it’s never too late to reinvent yourself.

⸻

Connect & Follow

Follow Ellie McKay:

🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb

🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb

Follow Caprice Bourret:

🔗 Website: https://www.capricebourret.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capricebourret?igsh=MXR1d3VqYmY5dmZ2Zg==

Great to welcome back Dr. Dain Heer, internationally renowned speaker, bestselling author, and co-creator of Access Consciousness, a global movement active in over 170 countries. From a childhood marked by abuse and poverty to a career as a chiropractor who once felt suicidal, Dain’s life radically changed when he discovered practical consciousness tools that opened a completely different way of living and creating.

We always have so much fun when Dain’s on the show. In this conversation, he shares powerful insights on authenticity, self-judgement, and what it truly means to be you. This one’s for you if you’ve ever felt stuck trying to fix yourself, conflicted about success and spirituality, or unsure how to trust your own knowing, this episode offers grounded tools and fresh perspectives to help you create a more expansive life but be warned, we go off on a few very unexpected tangents.

Key moments include:

✔ Why Dain says heaviness is often a lie, and how truth tends to feel lighter.

✔ The difference between fighting darkness and feeding it, and why resisting something can strengthen it.

✔ Why becoming a brighter light is a greater contribution than living in constant reaction to the chaos of the world.

✔ The Access Consciousness tools Dain returns to again and again, including “All of life comes to me with ease and joy and glory”.

✔ How point of view shapes reality, and why what you decide to be true starts filtering everything you see.

✔ Money, receiving, and the belief that there is no such thing as a money problem, only an issue with what you are willing to receive.

✔ The conflict between spirituality and money, and why Dain believes money can be used to change people’s realities.

✔ Why force, control, and overplanning can block creation, and what happens when you start working with energy instead.

✔ Dain’s take on goals, five year plans, and why that structure may work for some people but not for everyone.

✔ The difference he draws between humans and humanoids, and why so many people feel like they do not fit this reality.

✔ Self judgement, awareness, and why having the thought “I’m so judgemental” may actually prove the opposite.

✔ AI, authenticity, and why real human energy can never be replaced by data alone

⸻

Connect & Follow

Follow Ellie McKay:

🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb

🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb

Follow Dain Heer:

🔗 Website: https://drdainheer.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dainheer/

🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrDainHeer

🔗 Access Consciousness: https://www.accessconsciousness.com

In this episode of the On a Mission podcast, I’m joined by Jess Cunningham, TV personality and founder of Belief Coding.

Jess talks candidly about her time on the hit BBC show The Apprentice, the biggest opportunity of her life, when suppressed memories of childhood abuse surfaced out of nowhere, just as she was stepping into the limelight for the first time.

Trying to hold it together on the outside while everything internally was starting to unravel. What you see on the surface rarely reflects what’s actually going on behind the scenes, and this conversation shows you why.

We get into self sabotage, addiction and identity, and the messy reality that most people are reacting without even realising it. Jess doesn’t shy away from the dark moments as we dive into how Belief Coding originated and why she believes most people are stuck solving the wrong problem.

⸻

Key moments include:

✔ The exact moment suppressed memories of abuse came back, just as she was about to go on The Apprentice.

✔ Holding it together in public while everything internally was starting to break down.

✔ Why she was chasing validation and trying to prove herself on a national stage.

✔ The reality behind her behaviour on TV and what was actually driving it.

✔ How unresolved trauma showed up through self sabotage, addiction and identity.

✔The link between childhood experiences and the patterns people repeat in adulthood.

✔ Why most people are reacting to life without understanding why

✔ How Belief Coding came from trying to make sense of her own behaviour.

✔ The uncomfortable truth that people are often solving the wrong problem.

✔ What changes when you stop avoiding it and actually face what’s underneath.

⸻

Connect & Follow

Follow Ellie McKay:

🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb

🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb

Follow Jess Cunningham:

🔗 Website: https://beliefcoding.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theprodigalfox?igsh=bWk0bGtlNTR4aWJq

🔗 LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jesscunninghamcfe

🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EKy9pvsCQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

As the biological uncle to Catherine, Princess of Wales, Gary Goldsmith is no stranger to media scrutiny, scandal and public controversy.

Gary made his millions in the IT recruitment world and was a prominent figure within the recruitment sector long before the press notoriety.

In this episode, we talk about all of it. Entrepreneurship, success and being part of the royal family. The scandal that landed him in hot water and the mindset required to withstand the public fallout.

Gary reflects on building serious wealth from the ground up, taking risks without guarantees, and what happens when private decisions become national headlines.

We also discuss what William and Kate are really like behind the scenes, his time inside the Celebrity Big Brother house, and the reality of having your character shaped in the public eye.

Key moments include:

✔ Making his millions in the IT recruitment sector and becoming a prominent figure in the industry.

✔ The risks, setbacks and financial decisions behind building wealth.

✔ The “shake” incident and the tabloid fallout that followed.

✔ Living through front page coverage and sustained media scrutiny.

✔ Royal family proximity and public perception

✔ The mindset required to handle controversy and reputational pressure.

✔ Inside Celebrity Big Brother and how reality television edits shape narratives.

✔ His candid views on Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne.

✔ Accountability, loyalty and standing by your decisions.

A conversation about business, notoriety, reputation and the resilience required when success and scrutiny collide.

⸻

Connect & Follow

Follow Ellie McKay:

🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb

🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb

Follow Gary Goldsmith:

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garygoninsta?igsh=MWNxZTR3NXBwZWd3MA==

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garygoldsmith/