Podcast
Crisis What Crisis with Andy Coulson
Hosted by Andy Coulson · EN
Hard-earned lessons from people who've faced the worst and come back stronger.
Hosted by Andy Coulson. Follow for weekly insights into the art of the rebuild.
Crisis What Crisis? is powered by Kingsley Napley — the lawyers you want in your corner when the pressure is on. Visit kingsleynapley.co.uk
36episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
UNDERSTANDING SHOCK: The body's crisis handbreak
4d ago00:24:50Tap to summarizeShock is a fundamental part of almost any crisis. It's a state of complete operating system override which, when left unacknowledged, can turn into something far more damaging.In this special compilation episode, Andy Coulson revisits five past guests who each experienced shock in very different ways, and found very different routes through it.POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEYI know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters, and build real resilience when the pressure is on. This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley. Visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.FULL EPISODES:Johnny Mercer: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson/id1517015748?i=1000482235919Rupert Soames: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson/id1517015748?i=1000700198554Dr Richard Shepherd: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson/id1517015748?i=1000533310865Jill Halfpenny: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson/id1517015748?i=1000661591052Kate Bowler: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson/id1517015748?i=1000762523544FOLLOW THE GUESTS:Johnny Mercer: https://www.instagram.com/johnnymercermp/?hl=enDr Richard Shepherd: https://www.instagram.com/drrichardshepherd/?hl=enJill Halfpenny: https://www.instagram.com/jillhalfpenny/?hl=enKate Bowler: https://www.instagram.com/katecbowler/?hl=en
Transcribe →
JEREMY KING'S CRISIS COMPASS
2w ago00:05:33Tap to summarizeJeremy King is the legendary restaurateur behind Le Caprice, The Ivy, The Wolseley and Simpson's on the Strand. His is a story of extraordinary gambles, of rooms that became London institutions, and of losing the company that carried his own name — and choosing to build all over again in his 70s.In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Jeremy to discuss his Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that he turns to in order to help survive a crisis – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice. If you haven't heard the full conversation yet, go back and find it in the feed. It's well worth your time.POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.CHAPTERS:00:59 A Person – Himself. The only person he can absolutely trust in a crisis.02:43 A Habit – Up at 5am, every day, it's the ritual that stabilises him before the world wakes up03:44 A Comfort – His children, and the different perspective they bring04:26 A Piece of Advice – Why get inordinately upset about something you'll forget about in future?BUY JEREMY'S BOOKWithout Reservation: Lessons from a Life in Restaurants – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Without-Reservation-Lessons-Life-Restaurants/dp/0008599025FOLLOW JEREMY KINGInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/jeremyrbking/?hl=enFOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcastTikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispodThis was a Crisis What Crisis Production – Rex Fisher (producer), Ioana Barbu (studio manager), Fred Sharp (research), Johnny Seifert (audio), Jasper Cullen (video)
Transcribe →
JEREMY KING: “Let them take your money but never your soul”
3w ago01:13:42Tap to summarizeIn April 2022, after a bruising auction battle with his own investors, Jeremy King lost the company that carried his name. He walked back into the Wolseley – the restaurant he had built into the highest grossing restaurant in Britain – to find his staff in tears and the new owners already arriving. His phone and laptop were taken from him, he felt, as he puts it, like a criminal – stripped of all his possessions and then cast out onto the street.But that was just the latest chapter in a career defined again and again by gambles, diligence, loss, and extraordinary success. Jeremy once handed the biggest decisions of his life to the roll of a dice. He built and sold an empire, built another, and now, at 72, is rebuilding for a third time – with Simpson's in the Strand, London’s most talked about restaurant of the moment and a venue he first tried to buy 26 years ago.Across the last forty-five years Jeremy has revived or built from scratch some of London’s most loved restaurants: Le Caprice, The Ivy, J Sheekey, The Wolseley and The Delaunay. His patrons have ranged from royalty to the greatest artists of the age, yet his gift has always been to make anyone who walks through his doors feel like they are the most important person in the room.POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEYI know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing a crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters, and build real resilience when the pressure is on.This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley. Visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.FOUR LESSONS FROM JEREMYLook for the good before the crisis has even hit. Whatever's going wrong, there's almost always something to salvage.Let them take your money. Never let them take your soul. You'll always find another way to make money.Don't act fast just to feel in control. People panic and make the wrong moves because they think a crisis demands speed. Often the bravest, smartest thing you can do is wait and see.Do the job better than it's ever been done – even sweeping a floor. Pride is yours to keep. That standard, once set, never leaves you.CHAPTERS04:54 – Why the best operators watch before they speak08:04 – How an early knock to your confidence can shape a whole career25:00 – Where a true standard of excellence actually comes from30:08 – What it really feels like to lose the company with your name on it39:26 – Why selling too early can be the smartest deal you ever do45:00 – Holding your nerve on the worst day of your business life49:16 – Protecting your reputation when the story's out of your hands51:44 – What five years with Lucian Freud taught him about risk and danger57:18 – Why integrity is simply never trying to get away with anything58:32 – The art of defusing a crisis before it becomes one01:03:20 – Keeping perspective: why every crisis is relative01:07:09 – Starting over at 72BUY JEREMY'S BOOKWithout Reservation: Lessons from a Life in Restaurants https://www.amazon.co.uk/Without-Reservation-Lessons-Life-Restaurants/dp/0008599025FOLLOW JEREMY KINGInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/jeremyrbking/?hl=enFOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcastTikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispodThis was a Crisis What Crisis Production – Rex Fisher (producer), Ioana Barbu (studio manager), Fred Sharp (research), Johnny Seifert (audio), Jasper Cullen (video)
Transcribe →
JEREMY HUNT'S CRISIS COMPASS
4w ago00:02:56Tap to summarizeOver 20 years in frontline politics, Sir Jeremy Hunt held three of the great offices of state – Health Secretary, Foreign Secretary, and Chancellor of the Exchequer. He survived some of the most bruising political battles of his generation, and grieved, throughout, the loss of his father, his mother, and his brother.In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Jeremy to discuss his Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation he turns to on his darker days – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice.POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.CHAPTERS:01:02 A Person — the one who'll still be there when the job, the title, and the headlines are long gone01:21 A Habit — the cross-country team he was forced into at school, and why he still hasn't stopped01:55 A Comfort — six and a half weeks of Lent torture, and why Easter makes it worth it02:15 A Piece of Advice — why criticism only hurts when it comes from someone you knowBUY JEREMY'S BOOK:Can We Be Rich Again? The Surprising Potential of Britain's Economy – https://shorturl.at/4Kv0DFOLLOW JEREMY:Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/jeremyhuntmp/TikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyrshuntmpX — https://x.com/Jeremy_HuntLinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyhuntuk/FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?Instagram — www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcastTikTok — www.tiktok.com/@crisispodThis was a Crisis What Crisis Production — Rex Fisher (producer), Ioana Barbu (studio manager), Fred Sharp (research), Johnny Seifert (audio), Jasper Cullen (video)
Transcribe →
JEREMY HUNT: Frontline politics is poisonous and I'll never go back
Jun 1600:47:35Tap to summarizeIn October 2022, the British economy was in freefall. Liz Truss's mini-budget had sent the pound into a nosedive, mortgage rates were climbing at a terrifying speed, and the IMF had issued a public warning to the government to reverse course. It was, by any measure, a national crisis.Into that emergency stepped Sir Jeremy Hunt who, over a single weekend, dismantled almost the entirety of the economic programme he'd inherited.But that was just the latest chapter in a political career defined again and again by an extraordinary capacity to absorb difficulty and get on with the job. All while managing a private grief that would have broken most people in any role, let alone one of the most demanding in the country. The loss of his father, mother, and brother, all lost to cancer.His new book, Can We Be Rich Again? The Surprising Potential of Britain's Economy, is an act of deliberate optimism in a country that has largely forgotten how to be optimistic. Sir Jeremy Hunt joins Andy Coulson for a conversation about loss, resilience, reputation, and what it really takes to keep your nerve when everything is falling apart.POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEYI know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing a crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters, and build real resilience when the pressure is on.This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley. Visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.FOUR LESSONS FROM JEREMY:Start a business in your 20s if you possibly can. You've got no mortgage, no kids, no dependents – it doesn't matter if things go wrong, and you'll learn more from failure than you ever will from success.You can cope with one thing going wrong. It's when two or three things go wrong at once that life gets really hard – so close down the smaller crisis as fast as you can, even if that means caving in.The most important thing any leader can build is a team that will tell you when you're wrong. If people are afraid to speak truth to power, you will make bad decisions.Grief gives you something a successful career can't: a sense of what actually matters.CHAPTERS03:34 – Why naive goals are sometimes the most powerful ones05:20 – His father's greatest lesson07:50 – The tragedy his family never spoke about10:35 – What unconditional belief from a parent actually does to a child13:37 – Why failure in your 20s is an asset, not a setback17:07 – Why business and politics require completely different skills22:11 – Starting a business with your best friend26:43 – The junior doctors dispute30:09 – How to survive being the most unpopular politician in the country33:01 – Losing his brother Charlie: what grief teaches you that success never can36:56 – Walking into the eye of the storm as Chancellor40:59 – How to restore trust when trust is the only thing that matters44:20 – Why knowing who you are is the foundation of every crisis skill worth having44:59 – Why Britain thinks far worse of itself than the rest of the world doesBUY JEREMY'S BOOKCan We Be Rich Again? The Surprising Potential of Britain's Economy – pick up a copy here: https://shorturl.at/DfIZaFOLLOW JEREMY HUNTInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/jeremyhuntmp/TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyrshuntmpX – https://x.com/Jeremy_HuntLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyhuntuk/FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcastTikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispodThis was a Crisis What Crisis Production – Rex Fisher (producer), Ioana Barbu (studio manager), James Quinn (research), Johnny Seifert (audio), Jasper Cullen (video)
Transcribe →
LESSONS ON CONTROL: How to manage a crisis
Jun 900:17:41Tap to summarizeWhat is the single most important concept in crisis management? Andy Coulson believes it's control — a lesson he first learned sitting on a plastic mattress in a Glasgow police cell, with nothing to focus on but his own breathing.In this special compilation episode, he revisits four past guests who each arrived at the same conclusion through very different routes.POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEYI know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters, and build real resilience when the pressure is on. This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley. Visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.FEATURINGRyan Holiday — bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and The Daily Stoic, on why Stoicism is history's greatest crisis management framework, and the remarkable story of Admiral James Stockdale tapping Epictetus through a prison wall in Vietnam.Alix Popham — former Welsh international rugby player, diagnosed with early-onset dementia and probable CTE, on how the athlete's instinct for discipline becomes a survival strategy when the stakes are as high as they get.Natasha Silver Bell — international model turned recovery coach, on the moment she stopped blaming her external circumstances and took control of her internal state.Cally Beaton — comedian, writer, and former Viacom CBS executive, on surrender, mayhem, and why she refuses to call herself a stoic — despite sounding exactly like one.Control the controllables. It sounds simple. It isn't. But as every guest in this episode shows, it is learnable — and it might just be the most important lesson crisis has to offer.FULL EPISODES:Ryan Holiday: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson/id1517015748?i=1000755722247 Alix Popham: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson/id1517015748?i=1000712166764 Natasha Silver Bell: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson/id1517015748?i=1000722574377 Cally Beaton: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crisis-what-crisis-with-andy-coulson/id1517015748?i=1000717250391FOLLOW THE GUESTS:Ryan Holiday: https://www.instagram.com/ryanholiday/ Alix Popham: https://www.instagram.com/alix_popham/ Natasha Silver Bell: https://www.instagram.com/natashasilverbell/ Cally Beaton: https://www.instagram.com/callybeatoncomedian/
Transcribe →
HOMESERVE FOUNDER: Going from broke to billions | Sir Richard Harpin
Jun 200:45:36Tap to summarizeSir Richard Harpin wanted to be an entrepreneur since before he knew the word. He sold conkers in the playground, bred and sold rabbits in his garden, ran a tuck shop from his school locker, and by 15 was bunking off chemistry to cash cheques with the bank manager.In this special episode of Crisis What Crisis – recorded in front of a live audience at the Walbrook Club in the City of London – Andy sits down with the founder of HomeServe, the company Richard built over 30 years and sold in 2023 for £4.1 billion. Richard was knighted in the 2024 New Year Honours. His Sunday Times bestselling book, How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps, is out now.This episode is for anyone who has ever wanted to start something, scale something, or is simply looking for guidance on how to manage the day-to-day crises of running a business.POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEYI know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters, and build real resilience when the pressure is on. This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley. Visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.FIVE BUSINESS LESSONS FROM SIR RICHARD HARPIN1) Copy. Richard didn't invent the HomeServe model – he openly admits that he copied it (and then did it better). If someone else is doing it and it works, the risk is lower. 2) Prove the model before you scale it. HomeServe burned through half a million pounds trying to grow a loss-making business. With modern technology, Richard says, you really don't have to do that.3) The best time to build is when conditions are hardest. Comfortable conditions produce cautious thinking. The best businesses are built with their backs against the wall.4) Admitting the mistake is often the fastest route out of it. Richard told the stock market he'd wasted £130 million, wrote off the assets, and said sorry. The share price went up £250 million the same day. The market doesn't punish honesty. It punishes opacity.5) Not taking a risk is itself a risk. Staying still has a cost that compounds invisibly. The test isn't whether the risk is scary. It's whether you can live with not taking it.CHAPTERS04:52 – Why Richard wanted to be an entrepreneur 10:35 – His first businesses13:28 – What working at P&G taught him 19:22 – How HomeServe started 19:22 – Running out of money at Christmas 21:07 – Taking investment at the wrong terms 22:00 – The moment he nearly quit 23:00 – The £50 letter that saved the business 24:43 – The importance of copying 25:34 – Why he hired someone to replace himself 27:06 – Breaking America30:01 – The £100m mistake he made publicly 30:59 – How he structures his day 36:10 – Negotiating a £4.1bn exit 37:37 – What selling actually feels like 38:55 – Why he's still working 42:25 – His advice on AI and careers 44:46 – Starting over with nothingBUY SIR RICHARD'S BOOKHow to Make a Billion in Nine Steps – Sunday Times Bestseller https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Make-Billion-Nine-Steps/dp/034944644XFOLLOW SIR RICHARD HARPINLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rharpin/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/richard_harpin/ TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@richard.harpinFOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISISInstagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcastTikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispodFOLLOW THE WALBROOK CLUBThis episode was recorded live at the Walbrook Club, London. Special thanks to Philip Palumbo and his team for hosting us.Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thewalbrookclub/
Transcribe →
ANYA HINDMARCH'S CRISIS COMPASS
May 2600:04:23Tap to summarizeDame Anya Hindmarch started her global fashion business on a gap year trip to Italy aged just 18. Four decades on, she is the founder of one of Britain's most recognisable brands – worn by the Princess of Wales and a new holder of a royal warrant from Queen Camilla.In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Anya to discuss her Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that she turns on her darker days – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice.POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.CHAPTERS:01:00 A Person01:36 A Habit03:01 A Comfort03:45 A Piece of AdviceBUY ANYA'S BOOKIf In Doubt Wash Your Hair – https://www.anyahindmarch.com/products/if-in-doubt-wash-your-hair-paperback-book-in-paper-off-whiteFOLLOW ANYA:Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/anyahindmarch/TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@anyahindmarchFOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcastTikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod
Transcribe →
ANYA HINDMARCH: “Everyday is a crisis when you’re running a business”
May 2000:56:33Tap to summarizeDame Anya Hindmarch started her global fashion business on a gap year trip to Italy aged just 18. Four decades on, she is the founder of one of Britain's most recognisable brands – worn by the Princess of Wales and a new holder of a royal warrant from Queen Camilla. Anya joins Andy for a candid conversation about courage, control and how treating fear and excitement as the same emotion has proved to be her superpower.This is a masterclass in resilience from a founder who has dealt with the ‘daily stomach punches’ of being an entrepreneurPOWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on. This episode is powered by @kingsleynapley – visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.FOUR BUSINESS LESSONS:Doubt is your friend. Don't try to silence it. The moment you stop being scared is the moment things will go wrong.Cling on to your equity. Getting investment isn't winning a prize. When you do it the hard way, you stay in control.Be honest about the journey. Admitting what you've got it wrong buys you more credit than pretending you've got it right.Sometimes you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelette. You will get things wrong. Get them wrong, correct, and learn.CHAPTERS:03:09 – Learning to accept that in life you’ll never be fully satisfied06:47 – How Thatcher's Britain created a generation of founders08:19 – Dyslexia and the entrepreneur's brain15:55 – Starting at 18 with no network, no internet, no clue18:09 – "Stupid determination" – the trait every founder shares20:09 – The lonely years of building a business21:17 – Anxiety vs stress24:07 – Why imposter syndrome is healthy24:58 – I'm Not A Plastic Bag: changing national behaviour with a £5 product27:35 – Honesty as a brand strategy30:10 – Building a blended family without dropping the business35:06 – The mistake of stepping away as CEO40:16 – Buying it back: how to turn a crisis into a restructure41:32 – Localising in a global business44:20 – Her creative process46:30 – Outside investment: why she'd tell founders to wait48:08 – Perspective: what a child's illness teaches a CEO52:06 – Brand Britain – what we're selling and what we're missing54:41 – AI: "Stop moaning and get really good at it"BUY ANYA'S BOOK If In Doubt Wash Your Hair – https://www.anyahindmarch.com/products/if-in-doubt-wash-your-hair-paperback-book-in-paper-off-whiteFOLLOW ANYA:Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/anyahindmarch/TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@anyahindmarchFOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcastTikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod
Transcribe →
ESTHER GHEY'S CRISIS COMPASS
May 1200:04:55Tap to summarizeEsther Ghey's 16-year-old daughter Brianna was murdered in a park near their home in Warrington in February 2023. What followed — the campaigning, the memoir, the forgiveness, the compassion — has made her one of the most consequential reform voices in contemporary British life.In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Esther to discuss her Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that she turns on her darker days – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice. Esther is the founder of the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project and Peace in Mind UK, a social enterprise focused on mental health in schools. She launched the Phone Free Education campaign, has campaigned in parliament, and last month received an honorary doctorate from the University of Chester. She was named The Independent's Most Influential Woman of 2024. Her memoir Under a Pink Sky, published by Penguin, is out now in paperback.POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.CHAPTERS:01:16 A Person 02:04 A Habit 03:10 A Comfort03:39 A Piece of AdviceFOLLOW ESTHER GHEY:Instagram – www.instagram.com/esther.ghey/ Peace in Mind UK – www.peaceinminduk.com Under a Pink Sky – available now in paperbackFOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod
Transcribe →