Working Class to World Class
Hello! My name is Lynn Lester and the purpose of my podcast is to celebrate the dreamers, the fighters and the underdogs who despite coming from ordinary backgrounds, went on to achieve extraordinary success. It is my mission to help inspire people, no matter where they stand in society, to keep thinking big and to never give up. As Jim Kerr of Simple Minds told me ”Sometimes your disadvantages are actually forming advantages that you find a way to use later in life”.
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
Jeff Tan talks about bullying, religion, and not fitting in, and how this adversity focused him on becoming the success he is today.
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Season 2, Episode 13: From Ayrshire to an A-Class Football Legend, with Gordon Smith.
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Gordon Smith, well known for his performances at Kilmarnock, Rangers, and Manchester City, tells his story of living the dream as a football professional.
Wednesday Apr 03, 2024
Wednesday Apr 03, 2024
Bernard Ponsonby, a high profile broadcaster, tells how he could never have dreamt as a child that one day he’d be interviewing countless Prime Ministers and every single First Minister of Scotland.
Monday Mar 18, 2024
Monday Mar 18, 2024
Sir John Hegarty, one of the most prolific and respected figures in advertising takes a trip back down memory lane, reminiscing about the good old days.
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Season 2, Episode 10: From Car Boot Sales to a Creative Award Winner, with James Cross
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Sometimes life is about being in the right place at the right time, and James Cross, Founder of Meanwhile, tells me about his serendipity past which led him to become an award-winning creative.
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Season 2, Episode 9: From cleaner to TV creator and producer, with Rosemary Reed
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Rosemary Reed tells her fascinating story that changed her world from a proud cleaner to a TV Producer, mingling with the stars.
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Working class, Allan Blair talks about his rising career, which now sees him as strategist for one of the biggest influencers in marketing, Gary Vaynerchuk of Vayner Media.
Thursday Feb 22, 2024
Season 2, Episode 7: From Baltimore to Global CEO boss, with Beth Ann Kaminkow
Thursday Feb 22, 2024
Thursday Feb 22, 2024
Beth Ann Kaminkow tells her emotional story of growing up in a single parent family and how many lessons in life set her up to become one of the most successful CEOs in advertising.
* This recording was made prior to the launch of VML, through a merger of VMLY&R Commerce & Wunderman Thompson
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Season 2, Episode 6: From Knightswood to Hollywood, with Ross King
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Ross King, who has embraced our TV screens for over 3 decades tells his humble story, which eventually led him to Hollywood.
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Season 2, Episode 5: From a kid in Kinross to the Olympic Games, with Eilidh Doyle
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Eilidh Doyle, the most medalled Olympian in Scotland, for track and field, talks about her rise to the top with the support of her family.
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Season 2, Episode 4: From a fish town to Forbes, with Russ Lidstone
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Russ Lidstone shares his journey coming from a fishing town to working for and advising some of the biggest businesses in the world.
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
Business entrepreneur, Lee Puri, shares his working class journey that drove him to create a billion dollar business.
Monday Jan 08, 2024
Monday Jan 08, 2024
Meg Jones, Rugby Union legend shares her very candid story of how she became elite in her sport, whilst overcoming challenges along the way.
Friday Apr 07, 2023
From a spiritual upbringing to CEO of Sakara Life, with Whitney Tingle
Friday Apr 07, 2023
Friday Apr 07, 2023
Whitney Tingle, CEO of Sakara Life tells what it’s like growing up in an entrepreneurial household - having everything one minute and nothing the next.
Friday Mar 31, 2023
Friday Mar 31, 2023
In this week's episode I chat with the wonderfully engaging Sarah Drummond on her journey to success as a renowned producer and champion of the film industry.
About me
I'm Lynn Lester and despite being brought up in one of Glasgow's toughest neighbourhoods, orphaned at a young age, and having faced many challenges along the way, I feel utterly grateful every single day.
Through a combination of luck, hard graft and karma, I am fortunate to have been able to achieve success in the media, marketing and technology sectors.
I pinch myself when I travel the world, to host and present awards, TV shows, and events with some of the world's biggest companies. I have benefited from a career that a wee girl from Clydebank could never even have imagined, and this series is my way of helping others in their own journey to success.
But no matter where I go or what I do, I never forget where I came from.
About my guests
This series celebrates people who have come from humble backgrounds, and defied all odds to achieve success in their respective fields. From music to sporting heroes, from high profile business leaders to entrepreneurs, from overnight successes to those who have achieved their ambitions over time. Each episode features an inspirational guest whose insights, learnings and lessons will be invaluable to anyone looking to achieve their own dreams.