What if the most powerful leadership lessons start long before your first title? We sit down with Sumi Shukla, VP of Global Marketing at Riverbed, to explore how immigrant roots, blended cultures, and early responsibility shape a career built on resilience, fairness, and authenticity. Sumi’s story moves from a childhood balancing identity in a predominantly white town to leading global teams across field marketing, ABM, partners, and digital. Along the way, she learned to trade control for tr...

Leadership gets real when you stop chasing titles and start creating willing followers. That’s the heart of our conversation with Anna Lämber, VP of EMEA Marketing at AVEVA, whose career stretches from HP to ServiceNow’s hypergrowth years and into board work and executive coaching. We dig into the practices that actually move careers forward, such as writing goals, prioritising outcomes over hours, and leading with empathy and accountability, while staying honest about the hard parts. Anna s...

In this episode of Virtually Anything Goes, we dive deep into the remarkable leadership journey of Chris Knerr, VP of Strategy (MedTech) at Veeva Systems, Chris is a leader whose path spans entrepreneurship, Fortune 500 executive roles, and a lifelong love of philosophy. Chris shares how his early academic pursuit of philosophy shaped his thinking, his leadership style, and his ability to navigate complex human dynamics inside some of the world’s largest organizations. From his 14-year rise ...

The Leadership Conversation That Challenges Everything You Think You Know Join Lev Cribb on the Virtually Anything Goes podcast for an extraordinarily candid conversation with Charles McLachlan, Founder of the CEO Growth Academy. This isn't your typical success-story interview. It's a raw, honest exploration of failure, mental health, vulnerability, and what leadership actually means when you strip away the corporate facade. Three Truths That Define This Episode: Charles shares his journey...

Join us for an extraordinary conversation with Jacynth Ivey MBE, a trailblazing leader whose journey from the daughter of Windrush generation immigrants to becoming the first Black Chief Nurse in the West Midlands will leave you inspired and empowered. In this powerful episode of the Virtually Anything Goes podcast, Jacynth opens up about the obstacles she faced, the microaggressions she navigated, and the resilience she built from childhood through to receiving an MBE from His Royal Highnes...

In this episode, host Lev Cribb sits down with Emma Acton, VP of Marketing EMEA at Zendesk, to explore her career journey, leadership lessons, and what it takes to thrive as a modern marketing leader. Emma shares candid insights from her early days in sales, how that experience shaped her perspective on the vital partnership between sales and marketing, and why alignment across teams has never been more critical. She takes us behind the scenes of marketing’s evolution from the days before we...

Step into the future of media with the creator of Virtually Parkinson, the world-first podcast hosted by an AI recreation of legendary broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson. In this episode of Virtually Anything Goes, Deep Fusion Films CEO and Co-founder Ben Field reveals how he and his team brought the iconic interviewer back to life through cutting-edge AI and groundbreaking production workflows. AI That Thinks, Listens, and Interviews Ben takes us behind the scenes of building “AI Parky,” tra...

Is addiction really a brain disease, or have we been misled? On this eye-opening episode of the Virtually Anything Goes Podcast, we sit down with Professor Derek Heim from Edge Hill University, a leading voice in the psychology of addiction. In this episode, Professor Derek Heim challenges the traditional narrative by suggesting that addiction may be more of a societal label for undesirable behaviors rather than an actual disorder. We dissect the nuances between habits and addictions, urgin...

Eye Surgeon Mr Andrew Davies joins host Lev Cribb on the Virtually Anything Goes Podcast Expert Series to share his insights, stories, as well as humorously busting some myths about Eye Surgery. Andrew is an Ophthalmic Consultant, who is one of very few surgeons who specialise in Vitreoretinal Surgery, i.e. surgery at the back of the eye. Ever wondered how advanced surgical techniques are pushing the boundaries of eye care? Discover the intricate world of vitreoretinal surgery with our estee...

Public Speaking Expert and Coach Maryanne Johnston joins host Lev Cribb on the Virtually Anything Goes Podcast Expert Series to share advice and insightful stories about Public Speaking. Curious about the secrets of mastering public speaking? Our latest episode features Maryanne Johnston, a seasoned public speaking coach with over two decades of experience, who compares conquering stage fright to learning to drive a car. Maryanne breaks down how understanding your natural communication style...