People Are Everything

Julia Carreon: Reinvention, Resilience & The 5 People Who Shaped a Life of Leadership

S03EP10 Julia Carreon
 
In this inspiring People Are Everything conversation, Julia Duthie speaks with Julia Carreon — transformation leader, keynote speaker, and advocate for women redefining success beyond 50.
Julia shares her incredible journey from a turbulent childhood to leading billion-dollar innovation projects in financial services. Together, they explore the five most influential people who shaped her resilience, leadership, and voice.
 
🌟 In this episode:
✨ How a childhood friend’s kindness changed the course of her life
🧠 The therapist who helped her break destructive patterns
💍 An unconventional marriage built on independence and equality
🧭 The boss who believed in her during corporate transformation
👩‍👧 The mother whose strength and sacrifice defined her values
✨ “These people all want me to use my voice to help women — and I owe it to them not to be silenced.” — Julia Carreon
 
🌟 Highlights & Key Moments
💫 The Five Influential People
🚗 Maya Stonecastle — Lifelong friend who “rescued” Julia at 18 in a red convertible; non-judgmental anchor and weekly confidante.
🩺 Dr. David Stein — Therapist who “saved my life,” helping her rewrite patterns after a chaotic youth and glittery-but-empty Silicon Valley chapter.
🤝 Chris Carreon (husband) — Quietly confident partner of 25 years; love + autonomy can coexist (including the funny “we forgot our anniversary” story).
🧑‍💼 TJ Devaney — Mentor/boss for ~15 years; entrusted her with high-stakes integrations that propelled her into global leadership.
🍲 Maody (mother) — Indonesian roots, denied education; her strength and from-scratch cooking shaped Julia’s discipline, values, and advocacy.
 
🎧 Themes:
 Reinvention • Women in Leadership • Career Transformation • Friendship & Mentorship • Emotional Resilience • Gen Z & the Future of Work • AI as a Human Tool • Overcoming Trauma
 
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#PeopleAreEverything #JuliaCarreon #JuliaDuthie #FiveMostInfluentialPeople #WomenInLeadership #Reinvention #Resilience #CareerTransformation #HumanConnection #LifeStories #FemaleEmpowerment #LeadershipJourney #InspiringWomen #AIAndHumanity #GenZInsights #OvercomingTrauma #PodcastInterview #Storytelling #MentorshipMatters #EmotionalIntelligence

From Trauma to Transformation: Rachel Shelmerdine’s 5 Most Influential People & Her Path to Healing

S03EP09 - Rachel Shelmerdine
 
Rachel Shelmerdine, a leadership and transformation coach with over 26 years of experience, opens up about the five people who shaped her life—from a turbulent childhood marked by survival and reinvention to the spiritual and emotional breakthroughs that define her work today.
 
In this powerful and deeply human conversation with Julia Duthie, Rachel shares how early trauma became the foundation for empathy, how music and friendship saved her, and how motherhood became her greatest teacher. From punk rebellion and John Lennon obsession to shamanic awakening and unconditional love, her story is raw, reflective, and profoundly inspiring.
 
🌟 Episode Highlights
 
📸 Rachel was told her dad was dead at 9 — then discovered in her 20s he was alive, living in Orkney with another woman and all the money.
🎸 The Beatles (especially John Lennon) “saved” her: they blew open her world, led her to philosophy, spirituality, even vegetarianism, and gave her a sense of belonging.
💔 She turned childhood abuse into purpose: healing from it is what pushed her into her life’s work — helping other humans understand who they really are.
👩‍👦 Motherhood changed everything: after swearing she’d never have kids, she became a single mum, homeschooled her son Max, moved to Italy on instinct, and found unconditional love.
🔔 Subscribe to People Are Everything for more inspiring stories of connection, resilience, and the people who shape our lives.
 
🎧 Listen to the full People Are Everything podcast on all major platforms
 
📺 Watch more episodes on our YouTube channel → @PeopleAreEverything
 
🌐 Find Rachel at www.alchemyinside.com
 

Sustainable Fashion, Sisterhood & The 5 Women Who Shaped My Life | Prune Allain des Beauvais

S03EP08   Prune Allain des Beauvais
In this episode of People Are Everything, Julia Duthie talks to Prune — founder of slow-fashion label Mademoiselle Prune — about purpose, female friendship, sustainability, courage, and the 5 most influential women in her life.
We talk:
Building a fashion brand in New Delhi using upcycled Indian textiles (Kantha)
Creating one-of-one jackets with story, provenance and dignity — not fast fashion
Empowering women and children through fair work, education and wages
Female friendship, international sisterhood, and running marathons across the world
Radical bravery at 23 years old: sailing solo around the planet
Michelle Obama as the gold standard of smart, stylish, honest leadership
 
💬 WHO IS PRUNE?
 Prune is the founder of Mademoiselle Prune, a sustainability-first fashion line she began in Delhi. Every jacket is made from reclaimed Kantha fabric sourced in Rajasthan, then finished in collaboration with women artisans in New Delhi. She’s already shown at London Fashion Week, and her pieces are worn by diplomats, lawyers, accountants and executives who want statement clothing that actually means something.
 
👥 THE 5 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN HER LIFE
 
👩‍🔬Leanne de Bassompierre – South African investigative journalist, diplomat’s wife, marathon runner, connector of women, “my African queen.”
👩‍🔬Sunita Bahsin – Director of SSMI NGO in New Delhi, 30+ years empowering marginalised women and educating their children through fair, dignified work.
👩‍🔬Adi (Dida Fitness) – Founder of a women-over-40 fitness community in Delhi, blending cardio, strength, yoga, meditation and joy (and Bangra!).
👩‍🔬Violette Dorange – At 23, solo-sailed around the world in the Vendée Globe: 90 days alone at sea in brutal weather, fixing her own boat mid-storm.
👩‍🔬Michelle Obama – Style, truth, service, honesty about anxiety and marriage, “boss lady with a big heart,” proof that leadership can be human.
 
💪 THEMES
 
 – Female leadership and generosity
 – Slow fashion vs fast fashion
 – Staying brave and joyful in midlife
 – Community as rocket fuel
 – Perseverance over instant success
 
👗 FIND PRUNE / MADEMOISELLE PRUNE
 
🌐 Website: https://www.mademoiselleprune.com
💼 Instagram: @studio_mademoiselle_prune
 
#PeopleAreEverything #SustainableFashion #SlowFashion #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFriendship #FemaleLeadership #EmpoweredWomen #ArtisanMade #Kantha #IndiaToLondon #LondonFashionWeek #SocialImpact #MichelleObama #MarathonMindset #MidlifeStrength #PerimenopausePower
 
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My Most Influential People: Mum’s Tough Love, Mr Pleat, Dad & Munger — Monsoon Pabrai on Money & Impact

S03-EP07 - Monsoon Pabrai
At 29, Monsoon is an Indian-American fund manager and founder of Drew, managing ~$25M across 100+ clients. In this conversation she unpacks the 4 most influential people in her life (without myth or hype): a tiger-mum who engineered discipline, a history teacher (Mr Pleat) who sparked real-world curiosity and financial literacy, a North-Star dad (Mohnish) whose integrity and philanthropy shaped her compass, and Charlie Munger, whose's “no self-pity, no envy” mindset anchors her investing and life philosophy.
✨In this episode we explore:
Building a people-first investment firm (Buffett-style 0/6/25 fees, no management fee on main funds)
Finding purpose through Dakshina, the family education nonprofit changing social mobility in India
Managing other people’s money with care (families on Zoom, transparent communication)
Why integrity beats shortcuts (anti-bribery stance, doing hard things the right way)
Career path: UC Berkeley → Dalton Investments → beauty-tech startup → launching her own fund
✨Highlights✨
👩‍🔬 Harina (Mum) — Engineer, tough-love “tiger mum” who paused her Physics PhD to coach Monsoon through high school; instituted structure, study discipline, and tech-free nights that led to straight A’s.
🌟 Mohnish (Dad) — “My North Star.” Modeled uncompromising integrity, philanthropy and clear principles; annual rural-India trips; taught business culture, ethics, and the meaning of independence.
📚 Mr Pleat (AP U.S. History) — Treated students like future decision-makers; brought the financial crisis and real-world literacy into class; returned large parent gifts on principle; funny, curious, and deeply invested in students.
🧠 Charlie Munger — Philosophy of “no self-pity, no envy,” multidisciplinary thinking, independence over money, and partnership wisdom.
@peopleareeverything
Find out more about Monsoon here:-
🌐 www.drewinvestments.com💼 LinkedIn @monsoon-pabrai📘 Facebook @monsoon.pabrai🐦 Twitter @Typhoon_Girl
#PeopleAreEverything #PodcastInterview #ValueInvesting #WomenInFinance #YoungFounder #InvestingMindset #IntegrityMatters #FinancialLiteracy #EducationChangesLives #Philanthropy #CharlieMunger #WarrenBuffett #MohnishPabrai #BerkshireHathaway #ImmigrantStory #ImpactDriven #FounderLife #Nonprofit #LifeLessons #Mentorship
If you care about values-driven finance, education, and impact, this one’s for you.

"Yasmin Ibrahim: The 5 People Who Transformed My Life — Healing, Intuition & Feminine Power"

S03-E06   Yasmin Ibrahim
Psychic medium and wellbeing coach Yasmin Ibrahim joins Julia Duthie on People Are Everything to explore the five most influential people who shaped her life, her healing journey, and her calling to help others overcome burnout and rediscover feminine balance.
From surviving trauma and hopelessness to building a purposeful, intuitive practice that empowers women, Yasmin shares how each person — from her selfless mother Seema to her fierce mirror Nick — helped her uncover truth, love, boundaries, and joy.
✨ In this episode:
- Growing up in a world that didn’t understand her psychic gift- How trauma and intuition intertwine- Learning to give from the “saucer, not the cup”- The women who taught her service and the men who showed her honesty- Releasing guilt, finding balance, and creating “Afterglow” — her Lisbon retreat celebrating feminine essence
🌟 Episode Highlights
🧘‍♀️ 1. Seema (Her Mother)Traditional Indian upbringing and lifelong service to others💫 2. Mel (The Presence Teacher)Friend who modelled the art of true presence — listening deeply and making others feel seen🔮 3. Anna Kittney (The Mentor)Theta Healing teacher who blended glamour with grounded spirituality💔 4. Nick (The Fierce Mirror)Recovering alcoholic who reflected her shadow and truth❤️ 5. Jack (Her Fiancé)50 first dates led to finding someone who holds space for her mission
🔔 Subscribe to People Are Everything for more inspiring stories of connection, resilience, and the people who shape our lives.
@peopleareeverything
Find out more about Yasmin here:-
https://yasminibrahim.myflodesk.com/clicklink?fbclid=IwY2xjawNYY9BleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETAycUF5cWF1eFNwUVpuSWhNAR5v6xZVbs9DyxrjPa_i-bJqVtpuMTvg21fFqmQKZK1du66DwtE9tahkR5OoRA_aem_NmtYqIR1JgIMEBFinQmgzw
https://www.facebook.com/yasminibrahimintuitivechannel/

From Barefoot Boy to the United Nations/ILO: Dr Eleazar Iwuji on the 5 Most Influential People Who Shaped Him

S03E05 - Dr Eleazar Iwuji
In this deeply human conversation, Dr Eleazar Iwuji—born in rural Nigeria, a teacher-turned-academic, judge of Nigeria’s National Industrial Court, and later a United Nations/ILO official—shares the 5 most influential people in his life and how they forged his character, career, faith and service.
You’ll hear how parental courage, a mentor’s belief, a wife’s wisdom, friends’ extraordinary generosity, and a Mauritanian UN leader’s advocacy propelled a journey from no shoes at 14 to global impact.
Who is Dr Eleazar Iwuji?
Nigerian educator, former Judge, National Industrial Court (Lagos)
Later International Labour Organization (UN) official
Author of Memoir of a Country Boy
Father to accomplished children in medicine, diplomacy, the arts, and academia
The 5 Most Influential People
His Parents (Mother & Father) – Faith, discipline, equality, courage (“How can a tiger have a sheep?”), and a fierce commitment to education.
Alfred (mentor/friend) – Spotted potential, mapped an alternative route via teacher training, and armed him with better materials (e.g., Dudley Stamp’s Geography of the World) to pass key exams.
Dorothy (his late wife) – Intelligent, decisive, faith-filled partner; community-builder and home-science entrepreneur who trained street girls in Addis Ababa; her counsel steadied him after setbacks and clinched the ILO decision.
Emmanuel & Jonathan (college friends) – Lifelong allies who funded £300 of the £450 needed to get him to the UK—sacrificing months of salary and changing his trajectory.
Elimane Kane (Mauritania, ILO) – Senior ILO leader who kept opening doors, commissioning research, and ultimately recruiting him to the UN/ILO.
What you’ll learn
How character + community beat circumstance
Practical models of mentorship, partnership, generosity, and leadership - Why investing in education compounds across generations
The power of faith, humility, service, and respect for every person

Investor Bogumil Baranowski: The 5 Most Influential People Who Shaped His Life, Money & Purpose

S03E04 - Bogumil Baranowski
How does an investor keep money human? In this intimate birthday-day conversation, Bogumil Baranowski (investment advisor, author, pilot) shares the 5 most influential people who shaped his life, philosophy, and approach to long-term, purpose-driven investing. We explore family stories, stewardship across 100-year horizons, the difference between price and value, and why confidence (in cockpits and careers) is everything.
What you’ll learn
Why money is a human experience—not just P&L
The grandmother who taught value over price and built a seniors’ home from scratch
Jay Hughes’ “five capitals” and gifting wealth with warm hands
A flight instructor’s rule: never undermine a pilot’s confidence (and how to ask for help)
Toastmasters craft: structure, delivery, and authenticity on stage
Charlie Munger’s “web of deserved trust” & “planting trees” for future generations
Dakshana Foundation and the compounding impact of small, well-aimed help
People mentioned
His Grandmother (accountant & community builder) • James “Jay” Hughes (family wealth lawyer) • Tom Fisher (flight instructor) • Eric Rock (Toastmasters mentor) • Charlie Munger (with nods to Warren Buffett, Ben Graham, Monsoon Pabrai, Mohnish Pabrai, and the Dakshana Foundation)
Listen for candid stories: Polish hyperinflation, pennies you can’t throw away, ATC angels in your headset, and a 1917 oak tree that still teaches legacy.
If you enjoyed this, hit like/subscribe, share with someone who’s navigating money, legacy, or leadership, and tell us which moment landed most for you.

Matthew Stafford: The 5 Influential People Who Shaped Entrepreneur & Investor Matthew’s Life | People Are Everything

S03-E03 People Are Everything with Matthew Stafford
Entrepreneur, investor, and Nine Others co-founder Matthew Stafford joins Julia Duthie on People Are Everything to share the 5 most influential people who shaped his life and career.
From Margaret Thatcher’s enterprising Britain, to Richard Branson’s fearless entrepreneurship, a teacher who took a chance, the investor Chris Sacca’s philosophy of being “default helpful”, and value investor Guy Spier’s wisdom on goodwill and handwritten letters — Matthew reflects on the mindsets and people that defined each decade of his journey.
Along the way, he recalls early connections with startups like Citymapper, Uber, and What3Words, why building networks is about generosity, and how life events reshaped his perspective on money, patience, and impact.
Episode Highlights
Margaret Thatcher (1980s) – Inspired Matthew’s early view of enterprise and business, watching his farming family experience the shift from high taxes to entrepreneurial opportunity.
Richard Branson (1990s) – A poster child for risk-taking and adventure; Matthew modelled early hustles (videotaping The Simpsons, selling t-shirts) on Branson’s fearless approach.
Brendan Hodgson (2000s) – Durham University teacher who took a chance on Matthew despite poor A-levels, reigniting his love of maths and teaching him the creativity of problem-solving.
Chris Sacca (2010s) – Investor who inspired Matthew’s “default helpful” philosophy; the idea that generosity and connection build long-term success in startups and investment.
Guy Spier (2020s) – Value investor and author of The Education of a Value Investor, who reinforced Matthew’s practice of handwritten thank-you letters and the idea of goodwill compounding.
Nine Others community – Founded in 2011, small curated dinners where founders share challenges; has grown into a worldwide movement.
Startups connected to Nine Others –
Citymapper: Asmat’s focus on user experience over Google Maps.
Uber: Matthew met early team in London, saw the “magical” product before global domination.
What3Words: Worked with founder Chris Sheldrick in early days, now life-saving tech. – Matthew opens up about his son’s serious illness and how it reshaped his perspective on life, long-term thinking, and the importance of impact.
Both Julia and Matthew bond over the lost art of thank-you notes as a legacy more lasting than digital communication.
👉 Matthew’s book Find Your Nine Others (Amazon) captures stories and lessons from a decade of dinners that helped founders worldwide connect, collaborate, and grow.
Matthew Nine Others - https://9others.com/
Matthew LinedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/staffordvc/
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Justin Castelli on Authentic Living: 5 Influences That Shaped His Life, Family & Creative Path

S03-E02 People Are Everything with Justin Castelli
Financial advisor, creator, and podcast host Justin Castelli joins Julia Duthie to explore the 5 most influential people and forces in his life. From his father’s selfless sacrifices to the support of his wife, the mentorship of Josh Brown, the energy of hip hop, and his own inner self, Justin shares a candid journey of authenticity, creativity, and impact.
In this episode, Justin reveals how he built his business around family, why money is energy and not just numbers, and how following curiosity can unlock your authentic life.
✨ Some of the topics covered:
The influence of family, mentors, and music
Lessons from basketball, business, and entrepreneurship
Finding spirituality in financial advice
Building Pursuit (PRST), a creative collective and family legacy
Why listening to your inner self may be your greatest guide
👉 Discover Justin’s work: https://justincastelli.io
👉 Listen and subscribe to Julia’s People Are Everything podcast for more inspiring stories.
 
#PeopleAreEverything #JustinCastelli #AuthenticLife #5InfluentialPeople #MoneyAndPurpose #FamilyFirst #FinancialWisdom #CreativeEntrepreneurship #HipHopInspiration #livingauthentically

Nancy Burger: 5 People Who Shaped a Keynote Speaker—Mindset, Music & Finding Your Voice

S03-E01 People Are Everything with Nancy Burger
Keynote speaker, coach, and performer Nancy Burger shares the five most influential people who shaped her life and work. From parenting lessons in self-awareness to a teacher who sparked a 35-year writing career, a trusted therapist who championed steady progress, and a larger-than-life uncle who modeled joy — Nancy shows how mindset, curiosity, and creativity can change the way we live and lead. Plus: why starting a music journey at 40 supercharged her presence on stage.
What you’ll learn
Simple reframes to change unhelpful thoughts
How performance skills boost public speaking & leadership
Parenting as a path to noticing and healing patterns - Everyday language shifts that reduce self-made stress
Choosing presence over counting down the future
 
#PeopleAreEverything #NancyBurger #Mindset #Leadership #Coaching #Communication #Parenting #Therapy #MentalHealth #Creativity #Music #PublicSpeaking #SelfAwareness #Inspiration #LifeLessons @peopleareeverything