Learn from inspiring leaders in the Charity Champions Podcast, powered by Charity Recruit.
In our podcast, we share powerful stories from charity leaders. We talk to them about their journeys, their passion for the sector, and the challenges they have faced along the way.
Charity Leadership Lessons From Vicky Beevers, Founder, Sleep Charity
Charity Champions Podcast: Vicky Beevers, Founder and CEO, The Sleep Charity
In this episode of Charity Champions, host Emily Formby is joined by Vicky Beevers, founder and CEO of The Sleep Charity. Vicky shares her journey from deputy head teacher to national charity leader, built from her own family’s experience of sleep deprivation.
Vicky talks openly about starting the charity alongside her teaching career, the naivety and ambition that drove her early years, and the moment growing national media attention forced her to choose between the two. She explains how the charity grew through grant funding and local commissioning, pivoted online during Covid, and went on to win the GSK Impact Award despite her own imposter syndrome.
The conversation also covers the realities that no one warns you about as a founder, from funding constipation and single-year contracts to burnout, boundaries and living with ADHD as a charity leader. Vicky reflects on the value of mentoring and networking, and why hearing the difference the charity makes keeps her going.
8 Sept 2026
Building an LGBTQ+ Safe Space: Liam Swanston, The Proud Trust
In this episode of Charity Champions, host Emily Formby is joined by Liam Swanston, Director of Development and Partnerships at The Proud Trust. Liam shares his full circle journey through LGBTQ+ youth work, from growing up as a young carer in Bury to leading national LGBTQ+ youth charity work in Manchester.
Liam talks openly about losing his brother at eleven, becoming a young carer for his mum and how the support he received from youth workers shaped the career he has now. He explains the moment he first discovered youth work as a job rather than ”just what you do,” his path from frontline delivery to charity leadership, and how The Proud Trust supports LGBTQ+ young people across the UK today.
The conversation also covers what changes when you move from hands on youth work into a leadership role, why lived experience matters in charity leadership, and what keeps Liam hopeful for the next generation of LGBTQ+ young people and youth workers.
25 Aug 2026
From Homelessness to Charity Leadership
Charity Champions Podcast S03E06: Brian Willmore, Non-Executive Director, Riverside
In this episode of Charity Champions, host Emily Formby from Charity Recruit sits down with Brian Willmore, a charity and housing sector leader of more than three decades, non-exec director at Riverside Housing Group and advisor to the Ministry of Defence on veteran support. Brian shares how experiencing homelessness as a teenager shaped his path into charity leadership, why compassionate decision making matters in the not for profit sector, and what he tells anyone stepping into their first CEO role.
If you work in the charity, non-profit or housing sector, this conversation on authentic leadership, neurodivergence at work and staying connected to frontline services is one you won’t want to miss.
Who has been a guest on Charity Champions Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Matt Hyde
Helen Barnard
Debra Allcock Tyler
Michelle Baharier
June O’Sullivan
Reach and audience
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Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
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Guest appearances
Books guests
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Questions about Charity Champions Podcast
Who hosts Charity Champions Podcast?
Emily Formby host the show. Published by Emily Formby.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Charity Champions Podcast take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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