The Good Listening To Show: Stories of Distinction & Genius

Founder Story: Carpe Diem, Buckle Up & Enjoy the Ride! With the Unstoppable Force of Nature, Holly Hull, Group CEO of Corporate Peaks, on Transforming the Events Industry by Reconnecting us to Nature

• Chris Grimes - Facilitator. Coach. Motivational Comedian

Share episode

Send us a text

What happens when personal tragedy becomes the catalyst for extraordinary Business vision? Holly Hull's journey as the founder and CEO of Corporate Peaks Group reveals exactly that transformative alchemy.

Holly joins us to share how losing her father to a freak wave accident fundamentally reshaped her outlook on life and business. Rather than being crushed by grief, she channeled this devastating experience into a Carpe Diem philosophy that drives everything she does. "Buckle up" became her mantra – a warning that the journey ahead would be challenging but beautiful.

Within the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) industry, Corporate Peaks stands apart through its human-first philosophy. Holly has reimagined corporate events beyond mere "jollies" into transformative experiences where executives can disconnect from technology and reconnect with themselves, their teams, and the natural world around them. From sunset hikes up Mount Ouzon to carefully crafted team-building experiences, her company creates environments where creativity flourishes and genuine connection happens.

The most surprising insight? How Holly's business philosophy directly reflects her personal values. She protects her Wednesdays for family time, leaving her phone behind to be fully present with her children. This commitment to walking her talk distinguishes her leadership style – she genuinely understands the value of presence in a distracted world because she practices it herself.

Whether you're an entrepreneur seeking inspiration, a leader looking to enhance team connection, or simply fascinated by human resilience, Holly's story offers precious wisdom. Connect with Corporate Peaks to discover how mountain views and nature's challenges might just unlock your team's untapped potential.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!

Chris Grimes:

Welcome to another episode of the Good Listening To Show your life and times with me, chris Grimes, the storytelling show that features the Clearing, where all good questions come to get asked and all good stories come to be told, and where all my guests have two things in common they're all creative individuals and all with an interesting story to tell. There are some lovely storytelling metaphors a clearing, a tree, a juicy storytelling exercise called 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, some alchemy, some gold, a cheeky bit of Shakespeare and a cake. So it's all to play for. So, yes, welcome to the Good Listening To Show your life and times with me, chris Grimes, are you sitting comfortably? Then we shall begin. Boom, as I've started saying of late, we're in. I'm Chris Grimes, motivational comedian, broadcaster, facilitator, coach. And welcome to another very, very exciting founder story of the Good Listening Tuesday Stories of Distinction and Genius. This supreme, awesome person pants on the other side of the table is called Holly Hull. Just check out the hat. You've got your own slide as well. Look at that.

Chris Grimes:

And I'm very into using what are called operator words in personal brands. So in researching you, your operator word is either the adventurous CEO, but I'm calling you the unstoppable CEO Because you were recently. Well, I can't remember when. Well, I don't know, I'll just ask the question when were you featured in World Leaders when they described you as being a trailblazing leader in elevating businesses? That was last year. That's very exciting 2024. Yes, indeed. So welcome to the show. Just to blow a tiny bit more happy smoke at what we're doing here, this is the show in which I invite movers, makers, shakers, mavericks, influencers and also personal heroes into a clearing or serious happy place of my guests, choosing as they all share with us their stories of distinction and genius. You were introduced to me by a wonderful copywriting client of yours called kazzy quinton. Yeah, you're so brilliantly spontaneous because I think, I think you flapped in from geneva this morning, is that?

Holly Hull:

uh, yes, well, I flew in yesterday and got the train today, so there we are and I think you're on some sort of adventure in a canoe or a boat.

Chris Grimes:

very recently as well, I was in the Ardèche in a canoe.

Holly Hull:

There's a long story behind that. It's quite a funny one. We'll get to that.

Chris Grimes:

You're the first person that's ever said the Ardèche in a canoe in one of my shows Was there a canoe in the background as well.

Holly Hull:

Was there a canoe?

Chris Grimes:

Behind the canoe.

Holly Hull:

I was the guru of the canoe. There we go. Good answer we're going for it.

Chris Grimes:

We also have, I gather from researching you, which I was doing. I always leave it, not to the last minute, but I love to do it, so I'm able to be as spontaneous as possible in giving you a damn good listening to. We also have Southend-on-Sea in common.

Holly Hull:

I know, literally this is blowing my mind. I want to know how, why?

Chris Grimes:

Well, I grew, lived in Hadley and my first ever job was head Saturday boy at Safeways before it became Morrison's.

Holly Hull:

No way, my oldest brother. He actually used to work in Safeways back in the day.

Chris Grimes:

I was probably his boss. You know what I mean. No, I'm too old, I'm probably his granddad actually. Yeah, so it's a small world, but wouldn't want to hoover. It is the joke that sometimes people use. So welcome to the show, thank you. We're here to talk all about corporate peaks. You know that awful clunky networking question. Let's face it, chickens, we've all got to face this. If someone doesn't have a frame of reference and they ask you the Galdorff or Clunky networking question, hello, what?

Chris Grimes:

do you do? What's your favourite way of avoiding or answering what the unstoppable CEO of Corporate Peaks Group does?

Holly Hull:

I deliver memories and experiences. Oh, I'm just going to leave it there. Just let that sit.

Chris Grimes:

This is dramatic. And you have redefined incentive travel to deliver jaw-dropping itineraries for global businesses, with your imperative being it's bold, it's human first, and you give your clients back the gift of time 100% Exactly so.

Holly Hull:

We work predominantly within the mice industry, which is meetings, incentives, conferences and events.

Chris Grimes:

Not small rodents.

Holly Hull:

No, not those, no, no and uh and it's. It's effectively business events in any form. So we deliver across the globe and we are really people-centric. We like to really focus on people being present, like especially in this day and age. That, for me, is absolutely everything. It's something I've learned over the past course of the year that is more important than ever. So that's why I say we deliver experiences and we create memories, because we allow people to have that moment together and I know that you have a fierce adaptability in your creativity.

Chris Grimes:

Yes, and you know, I think your leadership reflection is buckle up.

Holly Hull:

Buckle up. Yes, all right.

Chris Grimes:

And also we resonate, because I do a lot of comedy, improvisation. There's a mindset of yes and yes and yes. And as soon as kazzy mentioned asked you if you'd like to be in it and you instantly said yes which I thank you for yeah, thank you.

Chris Grimes:

So I'm going to curate you through the storytelling unique structure of the show. There's going to be a clearing a tree, a lovely juicy storytelling exercise called five, four, three, two, one. There's going to be some alchemy, some gold, a couple of random squirrels, a cheeky bit of Shakespeare a golden baton and a cake and if we go down any rabbit holes, I've got a comedy bell which is shapeage number 4 please welcome to the show.

Chris Grimes:

Thank you, thank you so Holly Hull group, CEO of Corporate Peaks Group, where would you say a clearing or serious happy place was for you? Where do you go to get ready to?

Holly Hull:

be creative. It depends on the time of year. Can I have two?

Chris Grimes:

Be greedy. I like that Okay.

Holly Hull:

I'm going to be greedy. Actually, can I have three? I'm going to be trivially greedy. She doesn't ask so much, right, okay? Snowboarding for me. I fell in love with snowboarding again this winter. For me, just being out on the mountain, everything for me, that was my childhood thing and now an adult thing Running. I haven't been running for a while due to injury, but I'm running again and for me, it's just everything goes silent. And then the third is actually dancing. I absolutely love just going out dancing. I'm just forgetting everything, because I feel like when you, when you stop for that one moment, whether it's running, snowboarding, dancing, you can give yourself a breather, you can create, you can just come up with the most magnificent things, because you have to stop also I love the synergy of throwing some shapes snowboarding dancing.

Holly Hull:

Yeah, I dance whilst I snowboard and run to the snowboarding dance area.

Chris Grimes:

So you're just a Well, the unstoppable and shape-shifting corporate CEO.

Holly Hull:

It's a wild world.

Chris Grimes:

That's wonderful, thank you. And also what I love is the fact that this is the equivalent of me snowboarding you through some storytelling gates. Board across. I'm here for it. Wonderful, where would you like to be? You said you wanted three, so which one should we arrive at a tree with and plant?

Holly Hull:

Let's go, because we started originally in the mountains. Let's go for snowboarding.

Chris Grimes:

And of course the corporate peaks has sort of mountain iconography in it as well. Exactly Okay, so which mountain, in particular, which mountain range, would we like to be at?

Holly Hull:

Oh, let's go for where I live. Let's go to Saint-Jean, saint-jean.

Chris Grimes:

We've never been to Saint-Jean before. You have now and for common people, is that Saint-John?

Holly Hull:

Saint-Jean.

Chris Grimes:

Yeah, Saint-Jean.

Holly Hull:

Saint-Jean and Southend Of.

Chris Grimes:

Southend. And where is St John? It sounds French, obviously French.

Holly Hull:

Alps. It is just below Morzine, which is a really famous ski area, port Salon, and it is about an hour away from Geneva, so I'm on the Franco-Swiss border, darling.

Chris Grimes:

These all sound like nightclubs in Southend.

Holly Hull:

I'm just making it up, Exactly exactly.

Chris Grimes:

They're all clubs, yeah yeah, now we're going to arrive with a tree in your clearing, and this is a bit Waiting for Godot-esque, a bit deliberately existential because of my acting background Go where you like, how you like, as deep as you like. So you do have quite a sort of serious and profound backstory as well. So it's now where you've had five minutes, literally as we spoke before you came into the studio.

Holly Hull:

And I loved the cut of that.

Chris Grimes:

Jim, you said what do I need to do? Right, tell me boss Now. Boss, here we go. So you've had five minutes. Literally watch and learn to have now thought about four things, first of all, that have shaped you, holly Hull. So over to you.

Holly Hull:

Four things that have shaped me. Child number one. He shaped me in ways that I was ready for actually at the time. Second child, my youngest, he shaped me, it just gave me. It's the whole. I never really understood and just think of context I never understood when I was lucky enough to fall pregnant with the second, with my second child, how you could ever love another in the same way. I know that sounds totally non-relevant to work or business, but it just opened up my heart and I was like wow, okay, cool, so you could love the same amount, but differently. What shaped me? Loss and losing. I lost, whether it was personally, through loss of bereavement, or also lost in terms of capital. I went through a real tricky patch and I lost a lot and learned a lot from the same way.

Chris Grimes:

And with the loss, the personal loss, may we ask about your father and what happened? There was a particularly extraordinary event.

Holly Hull:

Yeah.

Chris Grimes:

I'll just let you tell the story.

Holly Hull:

Yeah.

Chris Grimes:

This is Chris Hull, circa 2012.

Holly Hull:

Yes, yeah, yeah. My father. He was my absolute inspiration. It was like him and my mum were my cheerleaders. My mum, fortunately, bless her, she's still with us, which is amazing. But my dad? He was delivering a yacht so totally for fun. That wasn't his vocation. And sadly, when he managed to get past the Bay of Biscoe, which is always the tricky one, sadly he came to Porte de Vazim and they entered a port and a freak wave sadly hit them and we spent some time in Portugal looking for my dad. It was hard, but probably the hardest thing I would ever have ever imagined to go through. My life brought me to where I am today ever imagined to go through. My life brought me to where I am today and the outlook of. I'm always trying to find the light in such horrifically dark experiences and that did, and may I ask did you find him?

Holly Hull:

because of course he's lost at sea with a freak wave sadly we did, but it took 20, takes 21 days for a body to come to the surface. So we found out. We found him in a pretty savage way, but he's here, he's with us, he's guiding me with his very annoying songs that keep coming on all the time and in researching you.

Chris Grimes:

I know that it made the national news.

Holly Hull:

It did, it's a BBC.

Chris Grimes:

News article, which is still there. Yeah, and you can see this extraordinary happenstance and freak occurrence of a freak wave. Yes, it and freak currents of a freak wave?

Holly Hull:

Yes, it defined me and all of our family. I think he was just this beautiful energy. I said this to one of my really good friends, laura. Actually, the other day I was like I just can't describe it. He'd walk into a room and he taught me just this. He was just so beautiful and he would just listen and had energy that was just so. He was always listening and he was always kind and he kind of led me to go down to be the person that he aspired to meet. You know, just full of love.

Chris Grimes:

And do you have siblings as well?

Holly Hull:

I do. I do Two older brothers who I love dearly, and it's weird because actually my oldest brother, sean, he's starting to resemble my dad more and more every day. It's quite freaky, they're both sort of turning into him. So I'm like, oh, but it's special. It feels like actually now, the last time I came to Essex, it feels like we have something changed in a really good way, in a really positive way, and it felt like, after a 10 year circle of, or cycle of going through the motions of this extreme grief and trauma, it feels like we're at this beautiful kind of calm plateau.

Chris Grimes:

It feels like we're really close again, and a guest just two guests ago talked about peaks and troughs yeah peaks and troughs. That's not deliberately meant to be a nautical analogy, but no, yeah, yeah out. You know, after the storm there is calm and then often in your. When you're in a beautiful seascape like portugal, you assume nothing tragic could ever happen here.

Holly Hull:

Yeah, yeah.

Chris Grimes:

But of course the freakness of the force of nature.

Holly Hull:

I mean, we still made it quite. This is quite dark humour. Are you ready for this? We still I'll never forget getting on the plane and we were like, right, ok, what shall we take, you know, in case we could attract him in? And we were just trying to think of coping mechanisms, mechanisms I think we had a wilson. And one thing for anyone that's ever seen castaway of course we had a wilson on the go. We had some roll-ups. He used to smoke going in virginia, so we made a few dodgy roll-ups to throw in. Don't sorry, we threw into the sea to try and entice him. We had some blossom hill soft and fruity, beautifully ritualistic.

Chris Grimes:

So you've got. You've got a watermelon called wilson yeah, big deal or a rugby ball. I can't In the film.

Holly Hull:

I know it's.

Chris Grimes:

Tom Hanks' Cast Away.

Holly Hull:

Exactly, and the Wilson.

Chris Grimes:

Is it a watermelon? I think it's a volleyball, or a ball or something. Yes.

Holly Hull:

It was a strong, strong way, but we were just like we've just got to keep going. We've got to keep going and find the humour and find the light, and I think that's what I mean it was that just taught us so much and took us to where we are now and who we are.

Chris Grimes:

I do completely get it. It's the equivalent in old seafaring stories of someone leaving a candle in the window, so somebody returns like a moth to a flame. You're doing something very ritualistic to try and bring your dad back to the surface. Exactly, but with.

Holly Hull:

Blossom Hill, soft and fruity, pouring it into the sea, trying to entice him. But you know, it was just the. It was the most horrific thing to ever experience. And I think now and actually I've been doing a lot of work, doing a big circle and therapeutic actions, to understand my trauma, my pain and how I've been met in my behavior, and now I actually think, and now I, when I talk and relay the story, I'm like, oh my god, it was actually me. I used to always relay in a third person and now I'm like, oh my god, I went through that. That was hell, that was unfathomable.

Chris Grimes:

You said that it also helped and shaped, so is that the idea of a carpe diem sort of seize? The day psychology that developed ever since then.

Holly Hull:

I think. So it kind of definitely gave me the kick up the arse to do something. Excuse my french, it did. You know, I was kind of at that point in my life I was going back and forth. I was going between London. Know, I was kind of at that point in my life I was going back and forth, I was going between London and then I was doing my ski seasons.

Holly Hull:

I was kind of that in-between phase of I don't know what I want to do, but I know I'm going to be an entrepreneur and I know what I'm good at hosting events, parties. You know I'm your gal, but I didn't really put anything to it and I think that going through this, really I just felt this guidance and it was like this calling just to get the job done and to move. And actually in every serious experience that I've gone through with regards to anything you know from a business perspective or personal, his bloody song always comes on at the moment. You know he's always that one time when you're like I'm really struggling and then you just have this moment of light.

Chris Grimes:

What's the song?

Holly Hull:

Hotel California. But it's got to be the special version. It's got to be the Hell Freezes Over. It's got to be the Hell Freezes Over tour that one, and that was it. We'd have to sit in a room and he would shut the door and we would have to literally watch this live version. He was just passionate about music.

Chris Grimes:

And just for you, for your dad, Chris Hull, we For you, for your dad, Chris Hull, we're going to do a slightly extended birdie OK, lovely. Now we're still in the canopy of the tree doing the shaping, so what else would you like to talk about in terms of what shaped you?

Holly Hull:

what shaped me, I think, for I think it's really important to talk about loss in a business perspective, because that really really did. I think you mentioned earlier, aptly, I said, buckle up. Buckle up is one of the things I often say, because when you start a business, you think it's all going to be beautiful roses, let's go. I've got my Ferrari ordered. All of that nonsense. It's not. And the more that you lose, the quicker that you lose, the quicker that you go through these trials and tribulations, I feel like the better leader you become. And I'm telling you, I've been through quite a lot from the get go, but I've survived and I've learned and I've grown and I love her. I really, really do, because I'm becoming better, have become considerably better from having gone through this another entrepreneur that I really like, called David Hyatt, said there's no shortcut to success.

Chris Grimes:

Tomorrow we go again, yeah, and you sound like you're a living, breathing personification of that too, because you keep going yeah, 100%.

Holly Hull:

Part of you has to trust the process and trust yourself. You will not always get your decisions right, but I do think that losing is important. I mean, I survived a bloody global pandemic, don't know how, went very grey, but I learned a lot and I restructured the business and I improved myself off of that. I can't change this, so I'm going to have to go with it, because at one point I was like, oh God, it's all me, it's me, I'm failing, I'm failing and I'm like no, holly, there's a global pandemic, pandemic, it's quite.

Holly Hull:

It's not you it really isn't just you, because I have what I have on as well so it's like it's all of these things, yeah, it's the losing, in that sense as well, which I think really, really has shaped and defined me, because now I can be better for my team, for my family getting there and in terms of peaks and troughs, my assumption is you're on a bit of a peak at the moment.

Chris Grimes:

Would you say that's the case with corporate peaks?

Holly Hull:

Yeah, I think so. Last year we went through a lot as well and obviously the economic landscape has been changing and geopolitical which does affect what we do, of course, which we can't really have too much of a comment or say in, we just have to ride with it and it does have an effect. So, whilst we're going through all these things, experiencing that we have really redefined who we are, what we want, the type of clientele we want to work with. We've become bolder, smarter, we've implemented new systems like, and even me as a leader, from a personal perspective, I would say that we're on a peak, because I now understand the mindset of the end of the individuals that work within our entity, so I can then understand, create better training programs, just develop better systems alongside my team and just be the best version.

Chris Grimes:

So, yeah, I would say we're on a peak and what's an event that you're most proud of that may be in your sort of arsenal of what you're doing at the moment that I'm most proud of.

Holly Hull:

I personally cannot take credit for this and I can't talk too much about the client we don't talk about the clients but I would say an event that I was very proud of was actually one of my. It was my, my ops manager, heidi. She's phenomenal. She did a fantastic event september for one of our insurance clients and it was just so well coordinated and so well-organized and there was a bit of the crystal maze in there for their activity. It was just everything about it was just so well done and I think that that really refined.

Holly Hull:

It was a mixture we call it a consentive, so a mixture of an incentive and a conference. It's like their AGM and it was just such a perfect blend of fun and integration and strategy and development and learning and it just worked and actually for me that was such a refinement of who we, what we are, who we've become, and I've actually was very proud of that because I didn't have a huge amount of input. I was able to continue to do what we needed to do to get to where we are now, whilst trusting somebody who believes and loves in what we do as much as as I do, which is cool and a really good definition of culture is what happens in your business when you're not there, and the fact that you've said heidi was flying the flag extremely high, yeah, and did everything.

Chris Grimes:

And now we're on to three things that inspire you at holly hall. So what would you like to say about that?

Holly Hull:

my team number one my goodness, that is by me. Obviously. I mean, obviously we all annoy each other. There are times when we can't stand each other because we work in events, you a lot of the time you can be on top of each other and there's a lot of different mindsets, but we, we work so well together and I think, as I just said before, I've learned to understand everyone better.

Chris Grimes:

And how big is the squad?

Holly Hull:

There's five of us that are perma.

Chris Grimes:

Yeah.

Holly Hull:

Five of us that are perma. We were more. It was one of those things where I should have listened to some advice and we were too big. You know, we grew too quickly after COVID and actually there were too many differences in mindsets that didn't really have the same core values, and you know, that's normal, that's natural. I didn't have the knowledge that I have now and, yeah, we're a good team. We're a really good team and they inspire me Like really really do, Because you've got someone like Fernando, who's the latest member of our team from Madrid and he is so tech savvy. Myself and one of my colleagues, Inga, we are not tech savvy whatsoever, but it's the ability to learn. I feel like we've got this real learning, forward-thinking mindset now.

Chris Grimes:

And surrounding yourself with brilliant people who begin where you end, is obviously a really good entrepreneurial thing to do. Exactly To give you the coverage you need to make the business successful.

Holly Hull:

Yeah, and every single one of them inspire me in very different ways. I think that that's actually yeah, and I think that's important to mention, and I've always said that, but I've realised that, especially nowadays.

Chris Grimes:

And five sounds like a really good optimum squad, the crack squad, the crack squad. Well, I'm talking more Mission Impossible.

Holly Hull:

I feel like we need to ring the bell for that one.

Chris Grimes:

Somebody said crack squad.

Holly Hull:

Thank you.

Chris Grimes:

We won't need to edit it. That's fine. Next inspiration now, please.

Holly Hull:

Next inspiration my children. I do. That's a very softy question, I suppose. But they, I do that's a very softy question, I suppose, but I'm so inspired by them. They are so clever. How old are they? So we've got Felix, or Feliciano is about to call him, that's his pet name, Foxy boy. He is eight years old. My goodness, he's smart. What have we done? And then Marley. So Marley is actually. His name is spelt with an I, so he's actually inspired by Limar or the sea, and he's here with me in Essex actually at the moment.

Chris Grimes:

And you've come in from Fort Bay today, haven't?

Holly Hull:

you yeah.

Chris Grimes:

And we're broadcasting from Bristol just to get everyone's ponytails in match.

Holly Hull:

There's a commitment to be on this show.

Chris Grimes:

Which I'm very chuffed about. Sincerely. I love the fact that both of the wonderful kids have qualified for shaping and inspiring, which is wonderful.

Holly Hull:

Yeah, they are, yeah, they do, because I think again, going through all these changes and experiences and development, personal development. I've spent this past year geeking off with them and having the best time and again, but that inspires me. Like I said earlier, I've been so. So Felix is obviously, he's a. He's snowboarding is incredible, did his first freestyle park competition this year, which was which blew my mind, and then I was snowboarding with him so much this year and, and I think that's it, like I would be snowboarding and then my mind would be clear and I could think and then you can be creative and then you're inspired. So, yes, that. And then marley, his imagination is so beautiful. You know he's three years old, which is quite common, but I've spent so much time with him no phone, no phone, get rid of the phones, just being present and being outdoors and being weird and that's a lesson to us all, myself included.

Chris Grimes:

My, my phone is my eyb, my evil yellow box yeah and yes, the quicker we can learn to extricate, and this is ironic because I'm struggling at the moment yeah, yeah, yeah.

Holly Hull:

So I think for where I live in france, it's quite good, because wednesdays the kids don't go to school. Yeah, so on every wednesday. So I'm one of them, I'm one of those annoying four day, four day work.

Holly Hull:

Well you're in charge, you can do what you like. Yeah, I mean, I mean, obviously I'm always on. I do work the late nights to keep up, but my team, they're incredible, we've worked out this system. They don't bother me. They do not bother me Unless it's obviously an emergency, which I'm happy to they allow for that time. And ever since I've really gone, I need this time. I'm not going to get it back. I leave my phone. I've left my phone in the car countless times going. Oh, I don't know where my phone is.

Holly Hull:

If I'd have done that a year or two ago, I would have been having heart palpitations, I would have been freaking out. But now I'm like no, well it's in the car.

Holly Hull:

There's a lovely connection there with your own purpose in business, which is giving back the gift of time to your clients, and then you're sort of living that yourself, exemplifying that yourself exactly, and that. But that's what's really. That is what's really harnessed our direction, our directive as a company, because we are trying, you know, we've given people these incredible events and experiences across the globe, yeah, but we've also had men, you know, ceos and directors turn around and go my god, you've given us, given us time. Thank you, we didn't know these people.

Chris Grimes:

Time to step off. Breathe, reflect. It's called slow leadership. When you stop, breathe, reflect.

Holly Hull:

But to give them time also just to spend with their teams, and it's really value. It's very important to do that in order to kind of have the retention, respect and the retention levels that you need to.

Chris Grimes:

To give them the present of presents, to give them, you, the gift of gift.

Holly Hull:

Yeah, Then you can't continue to preach the why, the how, the what, because if they don't know you, then why would they believe in it?

Chris Grimes:

Wonderful stuff. Also, it said in your recent series of events Ibiza to Morocco, to Japan, to Amsterdam. So, you really are going fairly.

Holly Hull:

There's another song in there, yeah.

Chris Grimes:

We could be on to one other thing that inspires you.

Holly Hull:

Nature. If I'm really honest, nature really inspires me and I recently actually did my LinkedIn post. I think this first thing this morning I did because I recently was in the Ardash On a canoe With the Guru. But I just think, and again I forgot this. When I've been through a lot, I kept forgetting it. But when I'm in nature it's just brilliant. It's why I live where I live. But it just gives you a minute just to step out and just go and then to come back and you just come back so inspired.

Chris Grimes:

And again, that's very relatable. I love nature too and, if I may, you're like me in that you're quite frenetic, and that's a compliment, yeah, and that's how you get stuff done, yeah, but the fact you're able to find that happy place of calm is obviously very, very powerful.

Holly Hull:

Absolutely. But again, I was never able to previously.

Chris Grimes:

Yes.

Holly Hull:

These are all things. This is learned behaviour from going through losses, from going through the trials and tribulations, from the peaks and troughs to get to this point where I'm like actually yeah, and if I may ask, is your father's demise your only experience of death?

Chris Grimes:

It's a bit of a deep question, I know.

Holly Hull:

No, no, no. There are a couple of other elements in my life that have been tough, for sure, but that was definitely for me, the most profound, because he was my everything. He was our everything at that point.

Chris Grimes:

He because he was my everything, he was our everything. At that point he was the glue, just allowing a bit of silence there, lovely. And now we're on to. This is not this next bit. We're on to squirrels. Can I throw a squirrel?

Holly Hull:

at you. You can throw a squirrel at me. Don't knock my hat, though.

Chris Grimes:

Don't knock your hat. So this is borrowed from the film Up.

Holly Hull:

Have you seen the film Up? I have seen it very much when the dog goes oh squirrels.

Chris Grimes:

So we've all got what are called shiny object syndromes or what are your two squirrels or monsters of distraction that never fail to stop you in your tracks, irrespective hollyholl of what's going on for you in your very hectic, busy and happy life.

Holly Hull:

Inquiries Really really good inquiries I get so because the creativity levels and I think I speak for the whole team when we get a sick inquiry come through, we're like, yes, when we get a sick inquiry, I mean because we do, we get some incredible ones. We get some really really just where our creativity can just go through the roof. And we're like that Because obviously they come to me first.

Chris Grimes:

Yeah.

Holly Hull:

So if I get that, I'm like hold the phone. This is important and it may not be imminent.

Chris Grimes:

So inquiries come to you, first To the business.

Holly Hull:

Yeah, so they come to me first through the business.

Chris Grimes:

So you're the conduit, then passes them down the line.

Holly Hull:

Which I think potentially I need to consider changing because if I wouldn't be so distracted, but it's great because it reminds us of why we do what we do so, in terms of you being the ambassador for the brand, the fact that you're the, you're broadcasting majestic and people inquire directly to you, and then, you delegate along generally. So inquiries at corporatepeakscom that will come naturally I'll oversee it.

Chris Grimes:

That's a very lovely corporate story in terms of connection, because most entities, if you write to inquiries at corporatepeaks- you expect to get a really low reminion not when you have any. But you know what I mean. It's rare that you'd get that to go to the CEO.

Holly Hull:

Yeah, I think it's important. I think it's important. I think it's important. I'm always aware when it comes to the fruition point. I don't always know exactly what's going on in the internet, but at the very beginning I like to know who's coming through our doors.

Chris Grimes:

Yes.

Holly Hull:

And we don't speak about who our clients are. We don't talk about anyone at all. But it's important because A I feel like now we need to have synergies between those companies. We need to have the same kind of mindsets and focuses and business ethos, company ethos. So it is important for me.

Holly Hull:

And I like to see these aspects. I like to see it, like I said, because it just re-inspires you. It reminds you of why I do what I do and why we do what we do. So, yeah, that's definitely my biggest squirrel. If I get a really, really good inquiry come through, I'm that's it. I'm training thoughts gone love that.

Chris Grimes:

That's a wonderful squirrel. People don't love it if they've got meetings with me. So being a super connector for your own business is obviously your finger on the pulse and therefore nothing gets goes past you in the wrong way exactly, but also know which team member would it would best be suited, because I've spent the time to learn the team.

Holly Hull:

I will be able to direct it to the best person in my opinion and obviously everyone will know about it, but I will say this is who I think it should go to Like. If it was a tech-related conference, then for me personally it would go to Fernando, because he's inspired and he loves this and he's got that profound knowledge and we're still kind of learning about that. So that's quite important. It's just good about knowing.

Chris Grimes:

And you did say, with the geopolitical situation and everything else in the complex world in which we live, you're trying to curate a particular type of client as well, aren't?

Holly Hull:

you? Yeah, definitely Somebody that just cares about being present as much as we do, we've implemented, we've got this amazing new training.

Holly Hull:

I mean there's a lot, particularly within, let's just say, the recruitment industry has notoriously been suffering somewhat recently and we've kind of just been really focusing on what products we can create to help improve productivity, creativity, drive sales in the right way and performance within the right way, and so we're kind of trying to align our products to the right people in the right way. But yeah, it's important to know who's coming through your door. Yes, for sure.

Chris Grimes:

And in terms of events outdoors with leaders, I must introduce you to someone called Dave Stewart and why I'm telling you that is he very beautifully gave me the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 exercise back in the day. He runs a company called Fresh Air Leadership which is all about getting people outdoors to breathe, talk, reflect, you become so inspired by it so.

Chris Grimes:

Inspired so connecting to nature not in a tree huggy way but in a really pragmatic, but also, you know, it's important to get the business done 100 and we've got this, we've got the products.

Holly Hull:

at the moment. That is inspired by practice. We've done this before whereby on night one, when people arrive, it's like like a two or three night experience in edge training, and it's actually done it in the mountains, lakes and mountains, rather than beachfront, because you can get distracted by the excitement, by being by the sea, by the daculis and all the fun, the colours of being by beach. And on day one you actually get to do a really, really nice sunset hike. So it's a place called Mount Ouzon, beautiful where we live, so it's really accessible for all kind of various different levels. It's not high-level hiking, yes, so you do that on day one. And there's a final bit of the climb which is, quite literally, you've got to pull up on a rope.

Holly Hull:

So, it's a little bit daunting. We tend not to tell people to make them overthink it, yes, but we very much say look, if you don't want to do it, you don't have to do it. Every single person that has done that will climb up to the top. And when you get to the top, no way to rely. You overlook the whole of Lake Geneva. You can see Mont Blanc it's the most phenomenal thing and you're on rocks. You're on the peak of a. So imagine the levels of creativity and productivity that come the next day, because everyone's like oh my god, I never thought I'd be able to do that. I'd never. I never thought. I thought that would take years and years of training. If I can do that, what can I do?

Chris Grimes:

so the way and this is why, again, in your purpose imperative, you're curating executive training programs that cultivate individual growth 100%. And the really important thing I noticed in researching you these aren't just about corporate jollies for fat cat rich entities. These are proper, curated programs that make a difference.

Holly Hull:

Absolutely, and I think that's it. I mean, obviously it's a mixture. We're going to get a lot of the fun incentives. The fun incentives are hilarious. You know, everyone has a lot of fun and that's fine, they deserve incentives are hilarious. But you know, everyone has a lot of fun and, yeah, that's fine, they deserve it. It's their reward program. Go for it. You worked hard, you party hard. It's like I think that that's that's life.

Chris Grimes:

That's really living, that's a great mantra.

Holly Hull:

You've worked hard, you've worked hard, I think everyone should go dance.

Chris Grimes:

We're back to the nightclub in south end we've got the list of the top two.

Holly Hull:

Yeah, tots, but it's seriously that that level of doing, of achieving something that you never thought you could achieve, and then rolling into a sales training course or productivity course the next day, my goodness, you are going to have some inspired people because they're all fully oxygenated exactly wonderful.

Chris Grimes:

So that squirrel was inquiries. I think you've now got another squirrel, so have you got a second squirrel?

Holly Hull:

music. I'm obsessed with music. If I hear a song that I absolutely love, I will get up. If there was a song playing now, I would get up and have a little dance have to work harder to keep me concentrating.

Chris Grimes:

So what's the music of the moment?

Holly Hull:

so this could be another opportunity for dan to text her in a track oh my, I'm really trying to be careful not to go down a rabbit hole. Music, absolutely everything. There is no, I'll get down to play everything I love, absolutely everything. I saw Banner Boy actually last year and that was phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal, and now it's the one.

Chris Grimes:

It's a quirky or unusual fact about you.

Holly Hull:

Holly Hull Group.

Chris Grimes:

CEO of Corporate Peaks. A quirky or unusual fact about you. Holly Hull Group. Ceo of Corporate Peaks. A quirky or unusual fact.

Holly Hull:

I am very weird, I am very quirky and I am very unusual, but I love that That'll do as an answer. Yeah, just you Me.

Chris Grimes:

Yes. Google me and she'll come up Just me. Generally Lovely and I used to hide it but now I'm like sign above my desk that says stay weird. I'm big fan. Love that there was a funny story recently. If I may just quickly, yeah, please. I'm involved occasionally with the entrepreneurs circle this lovely.

Chris Grimes:

They've got a brand new swanky building and there's a great big legend on the wall which is really profound, which is know the difference between your purpose and your task, and underneath it sits it happened. I went in and one person is sitting there and out of view of the camera shot there's about 200 other people, and I wandered up to this woman and said if you?

Chris Grimes:

don't know we're all fucked, but she did know and we all had a big laugh about it. But it's just a really good having the right legend behind your. You are the legend under the legend. Yeah, yeah, exactly my, you are the legend under the legend.

Holly Hull:

Yeah, stay weird. Yeah, exactly, I'll give you that my dad was the weirdest of them all. My brothers are quite weird. I'm just carried on.

Chris Grimes:

Hollyholl, we've shaken your tree, hurrah. Okay, now we stay in the clearing, move away from the tree. Next we talk about alchemy and gold. When you're at purpose and in flow, what are you absolutely happiest doing in what you're here to reveal to the world?

Holly Hull:

When I'm in purpose and flow. Honestly and this sounds really cliche, because it is my job, just I love doing what I do, like when I am, when everything is in balance, I am just performing, but Not in a way of I'm creating events, as in I'm leading the team. That, for me, is my purpose. My purpose is to help people not get better, to see how incredible they are, and it's always been a big deal for me for people to believe in themselves and to help them get to that point because obviously, their performance retention, just everything, just the recognition of themselves. That's my purpose to be a leader for sure.

Chris Grimes:

Lovely answer.

Holly Hull:

Get your armbands on Lovely.

Chris Grimes:

Buckle up chickens, and now we're going to award you with a cake, hurrah. So this is now.

Holly Hull:

Do you like cake? I do yes.

Chris Grimes:

I was expecting a real one. Well, I have mentioned, actually, new news. I have recently, in Bristol, partnered with Anna's Cakes. Guess what she does? Donuts and she. Well, in time it's going to evolve and I will actually send you a cake. So what's your cake of flavour?

Holly Hull:

Oh, I've two. I'm being greedy again.

Chris Grimes:

Okay, can I?

Holly Hull:

please have red velvet. Yeah, and what's?

Chris Grimes:

that face. No, no, carrot cake. Oh yes, red velvet carrot cake. I love that, so let's go with the red velvet carrot cake.

Holly Hull:

Let's go for a blend. Yeah, let's just put it in the blender and yeah, let's mix it on your plate.

Chris Grimes:

Recreate so it's the final, suffused with storytelling metaphor, where you're going to put a cherry on your sort of mulched up cake now in the blender of carrot and red velvet. And this is stuff like now. What's a favourite inspirational quote that's always given you sucker and pulled you towards your future?

Holly Hull:

Oh, ready for this one. This is big. I live by this motto Be the person you aspire to meet. I know, I live by that.

Chris Grimes:

And do you remember where you got that from?

Holly Hull:

there were two people that actually told it to me. One was a very good friend, but it was my dad who told me that that's perfect.

Chris Grimes:

Yeah, with the gift of hindsight. Next question what notes, help or advice might you proffer to a younger version of Holly Hull?

Holly Hull:

again. I say this frequently, but I genuinely think buckle up still stands. I don't think I can change that. I think buckle up because the life that you're about to go on the journey will be hard, but it's beautiful. It's really quite simple. Actually I used to think it was so complex and all these things were happening to me and a little bit of victim mindset, but actually I've realised that it's pretty simple when you break it down.

Chris Grimes:

What's the best piece of advice, yeah, you've ever been given, obviously by somebody else it's a strange thing.

Holly Hull:

I've been saying this a lot to females recently and actually this is quite female relatives, so apologies to all the gents out there. You know, when you compliment a woman on her outfit, or another woman compliments another woman, and they go oh, you know, it's only one pound from Primark, or something like that. Somebody once told me that that you have immediately devalued yourself by saying that, by already putting yourself below. You know someone has given you a compliment so effectively. The advice is to learn to accept the compliment and to embrace how wonderful they think you are. And actually I listened and everyone was going oh, they're only two pounds from Primark. Oh, it's only this. I got it from a charity shop. It doesn't matter where you got it from.

Chris Grimes:

You look awesome in it. But you look awesome yeah.

Holly Hull:

And actually to turn around and go yeah, cool. So now I just turn around and go. Thanks, versace. It was only one pound from Primark, but it was so you're saying take the glow up, take the glow up.

Holly Hull:

Yeah, so take the glow up but we often and it does apply to men too, actually but we often devalue ourselves before the conversation's even started. And actually, sometimes people connect with fashion or with, how you know, with aesthetics, and that's the way the world sometimes. And if you're being given that compliment, roll with it, go for it, take it and run.

Chris Grimes:

Wonderful advice. We're now ramping up shortly to talk about Shakespeare, but just before we get there, this is the pass, the golden baton moment, please so now you've experienced this very spontaneously from within. Who might you like to pass the golden baton along to in order to keep the golden thread of the storytelling going?

Holly Hull:

Okay, so I have a wonderful friend of mine called Kate Gathart, who I think should be on this show for sure. She's a firecracker, she's been through a lot, just like me, and she's come out fighting and I'm here for it.

Chris Grimes:

I'm here for her. Thank you for that. And now, inspired by Shakespeare and all the world's stage and all the bed of women billiards players, this is now, when All Is Said and Done. Legacy Howell group CEO, the unstoppable force behind Corporate Peaks Group, how would you most like to be remembered?

Holly Hull:

Full of life, vivacious ooh, I like that word pretty much. Yeah, just living alive, that's everything that I just want. I want to be alive and I want to be present and I want to be happy and I feel like I'm finally there.

Chris Grimes:

Yeah, love that. Perfect, so just talk us through the URL domain. Where can we find out all about you, holly Hull, on the internet?

Holly Hull:

Very simply, either on my LinkedIn or you can go onto wwwcorporatepeakscom and, as we know, the inquiry email goes straight. It goes straight to me so be kind, put something exciting in, and I tell you, that is really exciting and I'd be very interested in people in the comments whether that sounds unusual to me.

Chris Grimes:

Because it to you too, because it sounded unusual yeah, I think it's important to be connected to the to the boss lady in charge the boss lady love that be, the squirrel distract me, so is there anything else you'd like me to ask you? This is a new question oh, is there anything?

Holly Hull:

do you know what? I don't think there is. I think some of the best things. I just happen naturally and I feel like, yeah, I feel like we chatted it all out. Maybe we should have a 2.0.

Chris Grimes:

Yes, come back.

Holly Hull:

Yeah, and then we'll ask some crazy questions.

Chris Grimes:

Get in? Yeah, lovely, brilliant. So then another question. As this has been your moment in the sunshine, in fact, let me do some announcement first.

Holly Hull:

Then I'll come on to that.

Chris Grimes:

So if you've been watching the show and you've enjoyed it too and you'd like a conversation about guesting, my own domain is thegoodlisteningtoshowcom. Very excitingly, it's also a theatre show and in a couple of weeks' time, tickets going like hotcakes, I've got Rob Brydon coming to do my live show, which is Saturday, the 5th of July at 7.30pm.

Chris Grimes:

My live show, which is Saturday, the 5th of July at 7.30pm. I know this will be on the timeline forever, so you might have missed it and tough titties if you have. But anyway, that's Rob Brighton coming into the live theatre show version. Also very, very excitingly, there is a new series strand that's been there all along within the mountainscape of the Good Listening To show. This has been a founder story where founders like Holly Hull come in.

Chris Grimes:

But a series strand that I'm particularly excited about at the moment is called well, in perpetuity, is called LegacyLifeReflectionscom, which is to use the curation of this unique storytelling structure to record either your life story or the life story of somebody near, dear or close to you for posterity, without any morbid intention, but lest we forget before it's too late. And my own father I know yours is Chris Hull, the legendary Chris H isn't with us anymore. My own dad was a very willing guinea pig for this five years ago. He died last August, but without any morbid intention. He knew exactly what I was doing and I recorded him in the halcyon days of his 80s before he slipped into a crater of declining health, and what we miss the most when someone precious has gone is what they sounded like and the sound of their voice oh, I bet that's phenomenal, I'd have.

Holly Hull:

Yeah, that's a brilliant concept.

Chris Grimes:

So thegoodlistingtoshowcom, and also part of that is legacylifereflectionscom. So I've been Chris Grimes, but most importantly, this has been your moment in the sunshine in the Good Listening To show. Thank you for flapping in all the way from Geneva Rundope, you're very welcome. Is there anything else, Holly Hull, you'd like to say?

Holly Hull:

I'd love to see some really exciting new squirrel moments into my inbox. That's all I'd like to say Inspire me.

Chris Grimes:

Lovely, so thank you very much for watching, listening, I've been Chris Grimes.

Chris Grimes:

Thank you. This has been Holly Hull and drop the mic. Thank you to Courtney as well, and for Kazzy, for Quinton, for recommending your awesome self to come along today. Thank you and good night. You've been listening to the good listening to show with me, chris grimes. If you'd like to be in the show too, or indeed gift an episode to capture the story of someone else with me as your host, then you can find out how care of the series strands at the good listening to showcom website, and one of these series strands is called brand strand founder stories for business owners like you to be able to tell your company story, talk about your purpose and amplify your brand. Together we get into the who, the what, the how, the why you do what you do and then, crucially, we find out exactly where we can come and find you, to work with you and to book your services. Tune in next week for more stories from the Clearing and don't forget to subscribe and review wherever you get your podcasts.