Episode #550 - From Performer to Purpose-Driven Leader: Vision, Inspiration & Personal Discovery - with Nigel Hughes

Hi there and welcome back to another edition of ScaleUp Radio, the podcast brought to you by Smart90, inspired by the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System and designed to make navigating our ScaleUp journeys that little bit easier by learning from others' experiences.

I’m Kevin Brent, and in today’s episode I’m joined by Nigel Hughes, a former professional performer turned leadership advisor and founder of Outstanding Global.

Nigel’s journey is anything but ordinary. At just 13 years old, he chose ballet over the Marines — a decision that marked the beginning of a 20-year career on stage and eventually led him into the world of leadership development and sustainability advocacy.

We cover a lot of ground in this conversation, which is structured into three parts:

1. First, we dive into Nigel’s business, the philosophy behind Outstanding Global, and where he is on his ScaleUp journey.
2. Then, we explore Nigel’s unique approach to the challenges of scaling, including his thoughts on mindset, identity, and the ScaleUp Challenges Report.
3. And finally, we round off with a few quickfire questions to get to know Nigel that little bit better.

One of the standout messages from this episode is Nigel’s call to “stand up for who you are” — a timely reminder for leaders navigating uncertain environments.

The one key thing I took away from this conversation?
If you want to lead effectively, you must shift from being a reactive victim to a proactive chooser — and Nigel shares exactly how to do that with a practical framework you can use right away.

 

👉 Quick heads-up — we’re looking for a handful of founders to test our new AI-powered Smart90 Lite app. It’s built to help you stay accountable and actually deliver on your goals — in just a few minutes a day. It’s free while we’re in testing, and your feedback will directly shape the final version. You can get access by emailing [e-mail].

 

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For now, continue listening for the full discussion with Nigel.

Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.

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Kevin's Latest Book Is Available!

Drawing on BizSmart’s own research and experiences of working with hundreds of owner-managers, Kevin Brent explores the key reasons why most organisations do not scale and how the challenges change as they reach different milestones on the ScaleUp Journey. He then details a practical step by step guide to successfully navigate between the milestones in the form of ESUS - a proven system for entrepreneurs to scale up.

More on the Book HERE - https://www.esusgroup.co.uk/

 

Nigel can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-hughes-outstanding-global/

https://www.outstanding.global/

 

Resources:

Becky Hemsley Poem ‘Breathe’ - https://www.thethinkingproject.co.uk/poemsofathinkingenvironment/breathebybeckyhemsley