Always a pleasure catching up with James Ashford, a working class Yorkshire lad putting Doncaster on the map. He has faced more than his fair share of adversity and refused to let any of it define him. From a standing start to a multi figure exit, he has achieved more than most people could ever imagine.

This is not a business podcast. We get into the real stuff. He talks openly about overcoming addiction and learning to rechannel his energy and focus. He talks about becoming a multimillionaire and reaching the point where he finally had everything society insists will make you feel successful, only to realise that the feeling never came. Instead of fulfilment he felt a growing emptiness that made him question everything he had worked for.

And then there is the part most people never admit. The depression that followed. The sudden loss of purpose. The realisation that money and status do not fix the parts of you that need attention. These are the conversations that matter. Real chats. None of the bullshit.

James is the real deal. An ordinary man achieving extraordinary things and brave enough to talk about the parts that usually stay hidden.

⸻

Key moments include

James speaking openly about addiction and how he learned to take the same intensity that once pushed him off track and redirect it into something healthier and more constructive.

✓ The moment he became a multimillionaire and realised the fulfilment he had been chasing never arrived. He talks about the unexpected emptiness that surfaced the second he achieved everything he thought he wanted.

✓ The breakdown that hit him when everything looked successful from the outside but felt like he was crumbling internally. He explains what triggered it and why it forced him to stop and reassess his entire direction.

✓ The depression that followed and the sudden loss of purpose. He talks plainly about the reality of that chapter without dressing it up.

✓ His take on the world during Covid, the way people became more divided, the impact of online conflict and how it shifted his entire worldview.

✓ His trip to Necker Island and the clarity he gained from the experience, including what he learned from spending time with Richard Branson and how those conversations reshaped his thinking.

✓ The work of rebuilding identity and meaning once the external achievements no longer held any weight.

⸻

Connect & Follow

Follow Ellie McKay:

🔗 Website: https://onamissionpodcast.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_mckay_official/?hl=en-gb

🔗 On a Mission Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onamissionpodcast2.0/?hl=en-gb

Follow James Ashford:

🔗 Website: https://jamesashford.com

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejamesashford/?hl=en

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesashford/?originalSubdomain=uk

🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/THEJamesAshford/?locale=en_GB

🔗 X: https://x.com/THEJamesAshford