Amanda gets inside the minds of the most successful sales leaders so you can apply their secrets to your business and inspire your team to grow sales. Strive to become the best version of yourself with words of wisdom from some of the best in the business.
About Your Host:
Amanda Downs is Uspire's Director of Commercial Leadership and a commercial training and coaching expert. She has worked extensively in Europe, EMEA, the US, and Asia and is an accredited Insights Discovery practitioner. She also leads Uspire's commercial leadership proposition.
She produces the popular Sales Growth Expert blog and is currently writing her first sales leadership book.
About The Uspire Partnership
Uspire challenge, energise and upskill leaders to set the stage for business transformation and commercial success. Members of the Uspire team are all industry professionals and have first-hand experience of the commercial challenges you face. We develop leadership skills and commercial capabilities; delivering profitable growth and a sustainable legacy of change.
Connect with Amanda:
Website: theuspiregroup.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandadowns2/
Connect with Uspire:
Website: www.theuspiregroup.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uspire-ltd/
What does it take to scale a bakery into Ireland’s largest vegan cookie supplier starting from your mum’s kitchen at 21? In this inspiring episode of Sales Leader Secrets, Amanda Downs chats to Aisling Tuck founder and CEO of Naked Bakes, who shares her journey from passionate home baker to entrepreneur and emerging sales leader.
From experimenting with vegan recipes to overcoming a steep learning curve in leadership and finance, Aisling opens up about the realities of running a fast-growing business. She discusses building a team from scratch, the impact of lockdown, and learning to set the right culture from the top. Plus, hear how Naked Bakes’ products make a real difference for customers, and why empathy and networking are essential for success.
Here are the highlights:
00:00 Introduction: Aisling’s journey from Dublin kitchen to scaling a business
06:42 Rushed hiring due to stress led to mismatches
09:46 It's about the people: Working with an amazing team and making a difference in customers' lives.
11:20 Balancing your time and work stress is challenging; downtime is essential for productivity.
14:34 Future plans and launching new products
18:14 Never leave anyone on a sinking ship
23:32 Networking is essential for growth
24:36 Prioritise empathy with team and customers.
If you loved hearing Aisling’s honest reflections, make sure to follow the show so you never miss an episode of Sales Leader Secrets.
Join us each month for the Uspire webinar series “Become a Better Leader” and get valuable leadership frameworks and techniques to help you achieve sustainable growth that lasts. https://theuspiregroup.com/uspire-events/become-a-better-leader-webinar-series/ (https://theuspiregroup.com/uspire-events/become-a-better-leader-webinar-series/)
About Amanda Downs:
Amanda Downs is Uspire's Director of Commercial Leadership and a commercial training and coaching expert. She has worked extensively in Europe, EMEA, the US, and Asia and is an accredited Insights Discovery practitioner. She also leads Uspire's commercial leadership proposition.
She produces the popular Sales Growth Expert blog and is currently writing her first sales leadership book.
Connect with Amanda:
Website: theuspiregroup.com (http://theuspiregroup.com)
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandadowns2/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandadowns2/)
About The Uspire Partnership:
Uspire challenge, energise and upskill leaders to set the stage for business transformation and commercial success. Members of the Uspire team are all industry professionals and have first-hand experience of the commercial challenges you face. We develop leadership skills and commercial capabilities; delivering profitable growth and a sustainable legacy of change.
Connect with Uspire:
Website: theuspiregroup.com (http://theuspiregroup.com)
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uspire-ltd/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/uspire-ltd/)
About Aisling Tuck:
Aisling Tuck is an entrepreneur from Dublin and the founder of two food brands shaping the future of plant-based baking in Ireland. She began studying Commerce International at UCD but left to pursue her passion for entrepreneurship. After gaining hands-on experience in hospitality both in Ireland and abroad, she launched her first baking venture from her parents’ kitchen in 2018 at the age of 21.
Since then, she has scaled the business into one of Ireland’s leading producers of...
4 Nov 2025
S2, Ep 11: Leading Through Language with Anne Unsworth
What does it mean to lead with trust and transform an organisation for the future? In this episode of Sales Leader Secrets, Amanda Downs chats to Anne Unsworth, Head of Retail Operations at Dee Set: Complete Retail Solutions, master practitioner of NLP, and a passionate champion of people in commercial teams.
Anne’s journey is a lesson in resilience and curiosity. From building her career at Master Foods (Mars), through two decades at Tactical Solutions supporting iconic brands in retail, to leading ESG strategy and championing diversity, her approach is founded on integrity, transparency, and the belief that people are at the heart of every successful business.
If you’re interested in leading sustainable change and tapping into the power of communication, make sure you tune in.
Here are the highlights:
00:00 Introduction: Anne’s career journey from hospitality to field marketing
02:09 What is field marketing in retail?
03:17 Leading ESG: sustainability and social responsibility
05:10 Focusing on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
06:52 Anne’s first management role and building relationships
07:32 How team meetings shaped her approach to leadership
08:45 Learning every day in ESG
12:39 The core leadership values: trust, transparency, and integrity
13:58 How personal adversity shaped Anne’s leadership journey
16:42 Discovering NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and its impact
17:51 Why the language we use matters in sales and leadership
22:11 Training Tactical teams in NLP for confidence and communication
23:31 Building team resilience and delivering change projects
25:43 Advice for sales leaders: be authentic, encourage debate
27:25 Anne’s sales leader's secret.
Join us each month for the Uspire webinar series “Become a Better Leader” and get valuable leadership frameworks and techniques to help you achieve sustainable growth that lasts. https://theuspiregroup.com/uspire-events/become-a-better-leader-webinar-series/ (https://theuspiregroup.com/uspire-events/become-a-better-leader-webinar-series/)
About Amanda Downs:
Amanda Downs is Uspire's Director of Commercial Leadership and a commercial training and coaching expert. She has worked extensively in Europe, EMEA, the US, and Asia and is an accredited Insights Discovery practitioner. She also leads Uspire's commercial leadership proposition.
She produces the popular Sales Growth Expert blog and is currently writing her first sales leadership book.
Connect with Amanda:
Website: theuspiregroup.com (http://theuspiregroup.com)
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandadowns2/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandadowns2/)
About The Uspire Partnership:
Uspire challenge, energise and upskill leaders to set the stage for business transformation and commercial success. Members of the Uspire team are all industry professionals and have first-hand experience of the commercial challenges you face. We develop leadership skills and commercial capabilities; delivering profitable growth and a sustainable legacy of change.
Connect with Uspire:
Website: theuspiregroup.com (http://theuspiregroup.com)
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uspire-ltd/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/uspire-ltd/)
About Anne Unsworth:
With 25 years in the Grocery Retail industry, I have built a successful career in account and field performance management. Working with some of the UK’s biggest retailers and brands.
I’ve also led...
2 Sept 2025
S2, Ep 10: Leading The Disability Activism Agenda
What’s it like to build a career around changing the way we think about disability? In this episode of Sales Leader Secrets, Amanda Downs talks with Esi Hardy, founder of Celebrating Disability and a leading voice on inclusion.
Esi’s path has been far from typical. From training as an actress and working in performing arts in LA, to moving into health and social care, she’s now running her own business helping organisations and individuals create spaces where disabled people can thrive.
If you’re interested in leadership with purpose and building workplaces where everyone belongs, this episode is worth a listen.
Here are the highlights:
00:00 Introduction
04:50 Starting a business after leaving charity work
06:42 Driving disability inclusion with Homes for Students
09:53 Learning leadership through early challenges
13:04 Building inclusive hiring practices
18:48 Choosing value-driven clients and redefining authenticity at work
22:40 Building a value-led pipeline through SEO and exploratory calls
28:36 Disability activism shifted my mindset
33:09 Faking It, Making It
Join us each month for the Uspire webinar series “Become a Better Leader” and get valuable leadership frameworks and techniques to help you achieve sustainable growth that lasts. https://theuspiregroup.com/uspire-events/become-a-better-leader-webinar-series/ (https://theuspiregroup.com/uspire-events/become-a-better-leader-webinar-series/)
About Amanda Downs:
Amanda Downs is Uspire's Director of Commercial Leadership and a commercial training and coaching expert. She has worked extensively in Europe, EMEA, the US, and Asia and is an accredited Insights Discovery practitioner. She also leads Uspire's commercial leadership proposition.
She produces the popular Sales Growth Expert blog and is currently writing her first sales leadership book.
Connect with Amanda:
Website: theuspiregroup.com (http://theuspiregroup.com)
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandadowns2/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandadowns2/)
About The Uspire Partnership:
Uspire challenge, energise and upskill leaders to set the stage for business transformation and commercial success. Members of the Uspire team are all industry professionals and have first-hand experience of the commercial challenges you face. We develop leadership skills and commercial capabilities; delivering profitable growth and a sustainable legacy of change.
Connect with Uspire:
Website: theuspiregroup.com (http://theuspiregroup.com)
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uspire-ltd/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/uspire-ltd/)
About Esi Hardy:
Esi Hardy is the founder and Managing Director of Celebrating Disability, a consultancy established in 2017 to promote disability inclusion in workplaces. With a background in public services, social care, and the charity sector, Esi has consistently focused on advocating for the rights of disabled people. Her diverse career path includes experiences as a theatre actress and a psychodynamic counsellor, all unified by her commitment to disability advocacy.
As she has cerebral palsy and identifies as a hybrid wheelchair user, Esi draws on her lived experience to highlight the barriers faced by disabled people. This perspective enriches her consultancy work, enabling organisations to implement strategies that foster truly inclusive environments.
Celebrating Disability offers tailored services, including disability...
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