The Matrix Green Pill

#278 From Corporate Advertising To Conscious Leadership With Jody Shield

 About Jody ShieldJody Shield is a visionary entrepreneur, business mentor, and global thought leader in energetic intelligence and conscious leadership. With a background in corporate advertising, where she worked with global brands such as Nike, Lululemon, and Sony Ericsson, Jody made a bold and unexpected leap in 2013 when she walked away from her high-flying career to follow an inner calling.Originally from Liverpool and now based in Lisbon, with expansion underway in Dubai, Jody has since built multiple purpose-led brands, including Magnificent Money and Visionary Entrepreneurs, and has guided over 100,000 women across more than 80 countries. Her work blends strategy, psychology, energetics, and leadership, helping women build aligned, multi-million-pound and dollar businesses without burnout. Known for pioneering conversations around the energetics of money, power, and success long before they became mainstream, Jody is a leader of leaders, supporting women to scale with clarity, confidence, and integrity.About this EpisodeIn this expansive and energising episode of The Matrix Green Pill Podcast, host Hilmarie Hutchison sits down with Jody Shield to explore what it truly means to lead, scale, and succeed in alignment. Jody shares the pivotal moment that changed her life forever: an inner voice that told her to quit her corporate job, setting her on an entirely new path of entrepreneurship, healing, and conscious leadership.Jody also speaks candidly about the patterns that hold women back from scaling with confidence, including fear of their own power, resistance to defining a clear vision, and inherited beliefs around money and success. She introduces a new paradigm of building businesses from feminine leadership and energetic alignment rather than force, hustle, or burnout, and explains why strategy alone is no longer enough.Quotes3:03 - I found myself with a really powerful indigenous culture. They actually taught me many of their principles and values. And that revealed some great knowledge in me consciously, which was the fact that the mind creates conditions in the body, creates illnesses, viruses, diseases in the body. 8:36 - We actually inherit information from our parents and their parents, and actually from our ancestral lineage. Many indigenous cultures already know this. 14:51 - It's actually very simple to deploy lots of these strategies and techniques and tactics. 18:38 - You will start to see more and more people around you in your network being more open, just naturally being more open. Sometimes we have to have a bit of a breakdown to have a breakthrough, depending on our journey. 21:02 - The biggest fear that I feel is present amongst women is a fear of how powerful we are, actually, how powerful we can be. 22:30 - We can observe women in power on our planet right now, and yet women are very much in power from a very masculine dominating energy. 23:56 - Building and scaling a business from a feminine energy is understanding that we are energy. We have power within us. 25:38 - We are seeing also, especially in my world or in my networks or in my industry, women transforming into very powerful women. 26:34 - Women are reluctant to define and solidify a vision for themselves.29:37 - We actually certify mainly women at the moment to be money coaches, to learn the tools and the techniques and the methods to dive deeply into their transformation around money and also to apply what we're teaching them to their careers doesn't need to be that they become a money coach.The Matrix Green Pill Podcast: https://thematrixgreenpill.com/Please review us: https://g.page/r/CS8IW35GvlraEAI/review

#277 How Franchising Can Be Profitable and Human – with Amrit Dhaliwal

 About Amrit DhaliwalAmrit Dhaliwal is the CEO and founder of Walfinch, one of the UK’s fastest-growing home care franchise networks. His journey into social care didn’t start in a boardroom but behind the counter of an Italian deli and inside a Mary Antoinette–style tea room he built from scratch. After studying economics and history, Amrit quickly realised corporate life wasn’t for him and threw himself into entrepreneurship, learning business the hard way through hospitality, long hours, and very little sleep.A chance introduction to domiciliary care through his now-wife’s family led him into the care sector as a franchisee. There, he saw first-hand the inefficiencies of paper-based systems and outdated models. He built and sold his first care brand, then founded Walfinch to reimagine home care and franchising: tech-enabled, scalable, values-led, and built to empower “everyday” entrepreneurs to succeed.Today, Amrit is focused on building a £100 million network across 100 locations, while reshaping how the UK thinks about aging. For him, care is not just about survival, but what he calls “time to thrive”, combining wellness, technology, and community so older adults can live better, not just longer.About this EpisodeIn this energising episode of The Matrix Green Pill Podcast, host Hilmarie Hutchison talks with Amrit Dhaliwal about how he went from running an Italian deli and tea room to leading a national home care franchise network that’s redefining both aging and entrepreneurship.Amrit shares the gritty early days of working multiple jobs, commuting long hours, sleeping four hours a night, and learning business by doing. He explains how becoming a care franchisee opened his eyes to serious gaps in the sector, from filing-cabinet systems to clunky franchising models, and how those frustrations became the blueprint for Walfinch.Amrit also shares practical advice for business owners considering franchising their model: why you must treat “being a franchisor” as a different business, the importance of mentors who’ve actually done it, and how not to fall into the trap of chasing money instead of learning.At its heart, this episode is about building businesses that care deeply and scale wisely, and about rebranding aging from something people endure to a stage of life where they truly have time to thrive.Quotes3:50 - My passion is very much with other entrepreneurs and really focused on trying to change how we think about aging in the UK and how we think about entrepreneurship within the social care space. 5:00 - We need to be more technology driven. 6:17 - Franchising is where you can get an average entrepreneur and make them successful. It's not just about getting the top-tier entrepreneurs and making them successful. 7:52 - I really pride myself on me and my team being able to sort of outwork people. 8:12 - There is no substitute for hard work. 9:11 - I'm all about resilience. I think there is no mindset that is more kind of useful than that. 10:01 - Having that growth mindset is very important, but actually really just being super, super resilient because actually business is really hard and you get knocked down on a regular basis, and the ability to stand up and go again is the ability to win. 15:07 - Having clear values is really important. 16:03 - Having awkward conversations regularly is important, making sure that you've got a clear set of values and vision and also people align in that vision and they understand those values. 24:07 - Don't chase money. Focus on learning, finThe Matrix Green Pill Podcast: https://thematrixgreenpill.com/Please review us: https://g.page/r/CS8IW35GvlraEAI/review

#276 How Grief Broke Me Open And Taught Me To Grow, featuring Leena Magdi

About Leena MagdiBorn in Sudan, raised in California, and now living in Egypt, Leena Magdi writes about grief, love, and healing with disarming honesty. After losing her 21-year-old brother in August 2022, Leena turned to the page as her only safe place to feel. Her debut book, Mourning Air, published in April 2025, blends poetry, prose, and narrative to trace the non-linear terrain of loss; shock, acceptance, anger, guilt, longing, and the slow work of integration.Grounded in her master’s studies in positive psychology and a bicultural life between Sudan and the United States, Leena explores how grief can “break us open,” expanding our capacity for compassion, faith, and growth. She advocates for conversations around underrecognized grief, especially sibling grief, and for welcoming emotion rather than resisting it.About this EpisodeIn this deeply moving episode of The Matrix Green Pill Podcast, host Hilmarie Hutchison sits down with author and poet Leena Magdi to explore the many layers of grief, identity, resilience, and healing. Leena shares the story of losing her younger brother Hamoodi following the 2021 military coup in Sudan, a loss that shattered her world and ultimately reshaped her life.The conversation moves gently through Leena’s lived experience: the cultural contrasts of growing up between Sudan and California, the shock and sudden acceptance that carried her through the immediate aftermath, and the quiet ways she hid her grief to protect her family. She talks about how writing became her only outlet when her mind felt too heavy to meditate or process emotion, and how her book emerged from a need to make sense of the overwhelming weight inside her.Leena reflects on the many “faces” of grief, shock, guilt, denial, longing, anger, and the strange moments of recognition when she still thinks she sees her brother. She explains why grief doesn’t get easier, why it isn’t meant to, and how being “broken open” can expand a person’s ability to grow, love, and understand themselves.She also discusses the cultural silence around sibling grief, the hierarchy of who is “allowed” to grieve, and why she felt compelled to share her story so others wouldn’t have to navigate their loss in isolation. From prayer and poetry to carrying forward her brother’s kindness and generosity, Leena offers a vulnerable and profound look at rebuilding a life after unimaginable loss.Quotes2:29 - There's a lot of tolerance there in the culture. The culture is a very tolerant type of culture. And in Sudan, your differences are kind of pointed out. 2:59 - The lives of people are different. The way people think is different, the priorities are different. Even the way people approach well-being, what's important in life, is very different. 3:55 - Just as how there's so many differences, there's also shared similarities and shared values. 6:38 - It really was a gift from God because there was no other way I would have been able to function mentally, emotionally, and physically if I didn't have that innate feeling of acceptance. 9:52 - I don't think the grief itself is a negative thing. I think it's something that should be welcomed as a part of your life. 13:33 - I realized that if this is helping me so much and grief is so universal, it's gotta relate to other people. 18:50 - It can't get easier, but you just learn different ways to keep going in life and to keep them with you. 20:35 - Open yourself to the whole feeling and then see how you can grow through that. As painful as that thought and that concept is to grow through your grThe Matrix Green Pill Podcast: https://thematrixgreenpill.com/Please review us: https://g.page/r/CS8IW35GvlraEAI/review

#275 From Setbacks To Community-Led Success story of Victoria Myers

About Victoria MyersVictoria Myers is the founder of the Small Retailer Network, the UAE’s leading membership community for product-based business owners. With a two-decade career in the UK retail industry, she worked her way up from the shop floor to managing 13 stores across Scotland and Northern England for major fashion and accessories brands, including Radley and Karen Millen.Her experience spans customer experience, trading cycles, sales leadership, store operations, and head-office strategy. After relocating to the UAE, Victoria shifted from corporate retail to consultancy, eventually creating a community-driven network that now supports more than 350 small business owners through training, mentorship, and collaboration.Her mission is to bring big-brand structure, strategy, and trading knowledge to small independent brands while creating a space where founders, especially women—can learn, connect, and grow without isolation or competition.About this EpisodeVictoria shares her journey from teenage retail assistant to leading one of the UAE’s most influential communities for product entrepreneurs. She talks about the early lessons she learned selling bed linen at 16, why the customer’s needs go far beyond the product in their hands, and how working across multiple UK brands taught her that behind every successful retailer lies the same set of systems, planning rhythms, and trading strategies.We explore the pivotal moments that shaped her career—not the promotions she earned, but the ones she didn’t. Victoria explains how rejection pushed her to seek new opportunities, how tough feedback became a catalyst for growth, and why success often follows our most painful setbacks. Quotes2:59 - It's very easy to exceed customer expectations and go above and beyond and really delight them when you listen to them and understand what it is that they need. 7:44 - I think it really taught me like success is not necessarily linear, and sometimes the things that you think are the right thing for you is not necessarily the right path. And actually, just because something doesn't work out doesn't mean there's not some other opportunity, there's something else around the corner that will end up being a better opportunity in the long run. 9:25 - I always want people to tell me what they think, so that I can improve myself and continue to progress. 9:38 - Feedback, and sometimes it can feel scary to ask because sometimes people don't say what you want to hear. Honest feedback is always positive in the long term. You just need to make sure that you don't take it too personally and see it as the learning opportunity that it is. 13:25 - I just really wanted everybody to be able to come together and support each other to succeed in a way that at that time they didn't really have that support network around them.15:30 - If you collaborate and work together with others, then not only do you get that support and that confidence to keep going when things are tough, but you also just progress so much more quickly and with so much more confidence. 16:03 - Working together and collaborating just brings success for everybody across the board, and it just makes the journey so much easier. 23:13 - Find some support, find some help, start talking to other people about what advice they can give you. 30:01 - You need to be able to keep going even when things are challenging. You need to be able to dust yourself off and start a game if things don't go according to plan. 30:29 - Community means everything to me. It means support, it means growth, and it means success together.The Matrix Green Pill Podcast: https://thematrixgreenpill.com/Please review us: https://g.page/r/CS8IW35GvlraEAI/review

#274 How Ayah Yahia AlRashdan Built Teams, Campaigns, And Confidence Across Cultures

About Ayah Yahia AlRashdanAyah Yahia AlRashdan is a marketing strategist and leader who blends engineering-level analytical thinking with a deep understanding of culture, people, and place. Born in Jordan and raised in Qatar, she earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering before pivoting into marketing through an MBA in Malaysia, where she also landed her first role in the industry.Over the past 15 years, Ayah has worked across government, private sector, startups, and SMEs, building campaigns that don’t just reach audiences but move them. Today, as Marketing Director at LinkViva, she has helped transform marketing from a one-woman function into a 40-person operation, delivering large-scale experiences such as Liwa Village and other flagship events across the UAE.Her leadership is shaped by time spent in male-dominated boardrooms, dealing with toxic environments, and rebuilding her confidence by carving out her own space and voice. She is passionate about empowering women in leadership, building teams grounded in respect rather than fear, and using storytelling-driven marketing to create genuine emotional connection, not just impressions and clicks.About this EpisodeIn this conversation, Ayah walks us through her journey from electrical engineering to executive marketing leadership, showing how a willingness to pivot can completely reshape a career. She shares how growing up between Jordan and Qatar, then moving to Malaysia for her MBA, exposed her to different cultures and perspectives that later defined her storytelling-first approach to marketing. Ayah explains how her engineering background, far from being wasted, gave her the analytical mindset and problem-solving instincts that now serve as the backbone of her strategic work.We explore the moments that tested her confidence, from early imposter syndrome to navigating male-dominated boardrooms and dealing with toxic leadership environments. Ayah opens up about the setback that pushed her to step away, rebuild her confidence, and reinvent herself during the pandemic by creating content, launching her own platform, and learning how to stand on her own professionally. Her story highlights how resilience isn’t always about enduring; sometimes it’s about walking away to protect your growth.Ayah also shares the remarkable transformation she led at LinkViva—scaling marketing from a one-person role to a 40-member team delivering major cultural, entertainment, and wellness events across the UAE. She breaks down how storytelling, emotional connection, and cultural insight shape her campaigns, and offers practical advice for women in leadership: keep your voice loud, support your team, stay current, and step outside your comfort zone. Her path is a reminder that breaking stereotypes, staying curious, and trusting your instincts can lead to a purpose-driven and impactful career.Quotes2:50 - One of my main goals at that age was basically to love what I do and to wake up happy to go to work. 3:09 - We are very problem-solving oriented and very analytical. And that helps a lot when it comes to developing a career in marketing. 6:02 - I believe basically that when it comes to workplaces, I think females and males have different mentalities of how they handle specific situation challenges. And it's usually that I think men have been more empowered to take leaps into uncomfortable zones. But women always do more calculated uh risks. 9:15 - We hired the right people, delivering the right quality of work. 10:52 - It's keeping yourself busy and never giving up, no matter what you're doing. Sometimes a smallThe Matrix Green Pill Podcast: https://thematrixgreenpill.com/Please review us: https://g.page/r/CS8IW35GvlraEAI/review