On a Mission Podcast 2.0 with Ellie Mckay

About On a Mission Podcast 2.0 with Ellie Mckay

More Than a Podcast. A Mission. On a Mission is more than a podcast. It’s where the stories behind the stories are told. Every episode goes beyond the headlines and achievements to explore what it really took to get there. Hosted by UK Number 1 podcaster Ellie McKay, On a Mission brings together people from all walks of life to share the moments that shaped them, the setbacks they never saw coming, the lessons they learned the hard way and the experiences that made them who they are today. On a Mission is for people who believe some of life’s greatest lessons come from listening to those who’ve lived them. No topic is off limits because life doesn’t come with a script. That’s what On a Mission is all about.

Publisher

Ellie Mckay

Category

business · education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Sept 2024

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

112 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 Oct 2026

   “I Was Andrew Tate on Steroids”: James O’Keefe on Violence, Shame and Changing His Life

   James O’Keefe spent years around gangsters, dealing drugs, fighting and womanising. In his own words, he was “Andrew Tate on steroids.” Today, he’s the founder of Unguarded Warrior, helping people break the patterns that nearly destroyed his life. James grew up with an alcoholic father, was thrown out of home at 15 and lost his dad soon after. He went on to become a professional MMA fighter and build a successful property business, but the anger and need to prove himself never went away. He talks about the extortion that left him frightened enough to buy a gun, and the £700,000 business deal that ended in a loss so devastating he no longer wanted to live. Being married to Beverley Knight, one of the UK’s most successful performers, forced James to confront what he believed it meant to be a man. For years, he measured his own worth against an idea of what he should provide. He explains how that pressure shaped his relationship with money, the mistakes he made, and what he had to unlearn to show up as an equal partner. Few people discussing the manosphere can say they’ve lived the life it sells. James can. We talk about why that version of masculinity appeals to young men, what happens when boys grow up without anyone to guide them, and why he’s now determined to give people a way through the anger he once lived with. This conversation is about as real and raw as it gets. James is a man on a mission because he knows what can happen when anger and shame are left to run your life. We confront what it takes to face the person you’ve been, take responsibility for your choices and believe you can still become someone different. ⸻ Key moments include: ✔ James describes the violent, womanising version of himself as “Andrew Tate on steroids.” ✔ He explains how his childhood and his father’s alcoholism shaped the anger he carried into adulthood. ✔ James shares what happened when he was targeted for extortion and why he eventually gave the gun back. ✔ He opens up about losing £700,000, the shame that followed and the support Beverley gave him. ✔ We examine the manosphere, the appeal of toxic masculinity and what young men need from real role models. ⸻ Chapters: 00:00 Introducing James O’Keefe04:06 The work James does today13:24 Growing up angry and losing his father15:13 James’s rules for handling conflict42:58 Marriage to Beverley Knight and the pressure to provide45:01 Drug dealing, fighting and the man James used to be51:19 The manosphere and the role models young boys need01:08:15 Extortion and the decision to buy a gun01:10:31 Losing £700,000 in a business deal01:13:05 Shame, suicidal thoughts and Beverley’s support01:20:06 How to help someone who’s struggling01:25:06 James’s plans to work with young people ⸻ 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 James O'Keefe 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesokeefenrg/?hl=en

2. 

   24 Sept 2026

   The Psychology of Enough: What a $100 Million Exit Taught Andrew Hulbert About Success

   Andrew Hulbert went from starting a company in his bedroom in his pants to building and exiting a business for $100 million before the age of 40. An incredible achievement, but this conversation is about far more than business. Andrew’s life could very easily have gone in a completely different direction. He was wild, fiercely ambitious and willing to take risks most people wouldn’t entertain. At 15, he was brutally attacked and came within inches of potentially losing his life. Years later, those same extremes, channelled differently, would help him build something extraordinary. This episode is really about the pivotal moments that shape our lives and what happens when you’re prepared to back yourself when there are absolutely no guarantees. We talk about mindset, ambition, risk and sacrifice, and the uncomfortable truth about what it can take to achieve extraordinary things. Andrew is incredibly candid about the years when the business came before almost everything else, the impact that had on his marriage and family, and why he still wrestles with the contradiction that the very obsession he would approach differently today was also fundamental to his success. We also get into something that isn’t talked about nearly enough. What happens when you actually get everything you’ve spent years chasing? Why do so many founders struggle after selling their businesses? What happens to your identity when the goal disappears, and how do you find purpose when money is no longer the motivation? Despite Andrew’s monumental success, some of the biggest lessons in this conversation have very little to do with money. We talk about what success actually means, the risks worth taking, the price we’re prepared to pay for what we want and why achieving more doesn’t necessarily give us more of what really matters. ⸻ Key moments include: ✔ From starting a business in his pants to a $100 million exit ✔ The attack at 15 that could have changed everything ✔ Why the traits that can derail your life can also become your greatest strengths ✔ The mindset and appetite for risk behind extraordinary success ✔ Risking his marriage, mortgage and money to back himself ✔ The uncomfortable reality of what extreme ambition can cost ✔ Why founders can struggle with depression after selling their businesses ✔ What happens to your identity when the chase is finally over ✔ Preparing psychologically for life after a major exit ✔ Why making millions doesn’t necessarily make you feel successful ✔ The contradiction Andrew still wrestles with around ambition and balance ✔ Why his definition of success has completely changed ⸻ Chapters: 00:00 Andrew Hulbert on life after selling his business 01:45 From working-class beginnings to buying a farm 07:45 Getting into trouble as a teenager 11:46 The attack that nearly changed his life 15:12 A decision that could have cost him everything 18:56 Drugs, peer pressure and raising children 25:19 Finding a direction for his entrepreneurial drive 26:22 The friends who changed his ambitions 34:07 Growing up without money 38:10 Dealing with criticism and other people’s opinions 43:03 Learning to feel proud of his success 46:10 Building a business around people and culture 52:13 What the company sale meant for his employees 53:45 The reality of his extreme weight loss 58:10 Preparing for life after selling the business 01:05:16 Giving back to the parents who supported him 01:09:15 Was building the business worth the sacrifice? 01:16:16 What changed when he stopped working 01:20:01 His biggest lesson about success and family 01:26:42 Finding balance while raising children 01:31:24 Why money doesn’t guarantee happiness 01:34:11 Planting a forest and leaving a legacy 01:35:04 Why he became a platelet donor 01:40:19 Skydiving, travel and what comes next 01:43:53 The letters he writes to his children 01:46:00 Andrew’s mission ⸻ Connect & Follow Follow Ellie McKay: 🔗 Website: https://o

3. 

   17 Sept 2026

   Martin Stapleton: Cheerfulness in the Face of Adversity | Royal Marine Commando & MMA World Champion

   What happens when you stop trying to avoid adversity and start seeing it as part of the deal? Former Royal Marine Commando, MMA world champion and elite performance coach Martin “Stapes” Stapleton returns to On a Mission, and as always, no subject is off limits. Stapes has spent most of his adult life operating outside his comfort zone. From war zones and professional fighting to business, coaching and starting again, his life has taught him a lot about what we’re capable of when things don’t go to plan. You don’t really discover what you’re made of when everything is going well. More often than not, you find out when it isn’t. We live in a world where we’re constantly trying to make life easier. We avoid discomfort, fear failure and increasingly try to protect ourselves and our children from the very experiences that often teach us the most. Stapes sees things differently. We talk about the difference between surviving and thriving, why your identity can’t be built around what you own or achieve, what happens when you become addicted to chasing the next goal and why being willing to start again is something we should never be afraid of. We also get into masculinity, mental health, politics, censorship, the media and Stapes’ belief that there comes a point where empathy can stop helping people move forward and start reinforcing the idea that they can’t. There’s a lot in this one, but so much of it comes back to one thing. Life is going to test every single one of us at some point. We can’t always control what happens. We can control what we do next. ⸻ Key moments include: ✔ Why focusing on not losing can stop you from truly living ✔ Stop chasing status and start building capability ✔ What happens when high performers become addicted to chaos ✔ Why starting again is a skill ✔ The difference between a great coach and someone you become dependent on ✔ Has our obsession with comfort made us less resilient? ✔ Stapes’ controversial take on toxic sympathy and empathy ✔Why struggle isn’t always something we should protect people from ✔ Masculinity, responsibility and what it really means to be strong ✔ Raising children to navigate adversity rather than fear it ✔ Politics, censorship and the growing distrust of mainstream media ✔ Knowing when it’s time to close one chapter and start another ⸻ Chapters: 00:00 Martin Stapleton Returns 00:49 Why Martin Needed One Final Fight 03:22 Resilience, Defeat & Walking the Walk 08:16 Did Martin Actually Enjoy His Fighting Career? 10:08 From Royal Marine to MMA Fighter 13:50 Why Starting From the Bottom Matters 16:08 Stop Chasing Status, Start Building Capability 18:15 The Problem With Chasing the Next Achievement 20:01 Coming Home From Iraq 24:32 Do We Realise How Good We Have It? 29:18 Learning to Connect With People Again 31:36 The Importance of Keeping the Right People Around You 34:01 How the Royal Marines Prepared Martin for Business 35:04 What Makes a Great Coach & Leader? 36:14 Leaving the Marines to Build a Business 38:06 The Fight That Paid for Christmas 42:34 The Reality of Building a Profitable Business 44:00 The Dunning-Kruger Effect in Business 45:40 How COVID Changed Everything 51:21 Mainstream Media, Censorship & Trust 57:04 Political Division & Party Politics 01:01:17 Why Martin Thinks Politics Needs to Change 01:04:02 The Rise of Alternative Media & Long-Form Podcasts 01:07:22 Martin’s Experience of Military Leadership 01:10:28 Why People Are Craving Real Conversations 01:12:26 When Martin Realised His Purpose Was Coaching 01:15:20 Finding a New Challenge After Fighting 01:18:12 The Resilience Programme 01:18:49 Men, Pressure & Mental Health 01:22:31 Why Facing Adversity Builds Resilience 01:24:51 What Masculinity Means to Martin 01:30:19 British History, Identity & Modern Culture 01:36:16 Martin’s Next Chapter 01:38:02 Stepping Away From MMA Coaching 01:39:03 The Mission Behind Resilience 01:

Who has been a guest on On a Mission Podcast 2.0 with Ellie Mckay

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Mark Wright
• Rebecca May
• Emma Sayle
• Will Geddes
• Will Polston

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

590 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

50

Social presence

97

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact On a Mission Podcast 2.0 with Ellie Mckay

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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