Episode Guest:

Sam Sims is the Chief Executive of National Numeracy, with a career rooted in empowering individuals through confidence-building and lifelong learning. His work focuses on supporting those often overlooked to realise their potential with the right tools and encouragement.

Episode Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction

0:32 Meet Sam Sims, CEO of National Numeracy

1:13 What National Numeracy does

1:54 Sam’s early work and first jobs

3:06 Lessons from the call centre

4:18 How Sam built confidence as an introvert

5:21 Honest talk on imposter syndrome

6:16 Why networking is Sam’s greatest professional tool

7:23 The right (and wrong) way to network

8:55 From research to running his own business

10:11 What his first company was really about

11:02 When business plans don’t go to plan

11:42 Discovering purpose through volunteering in the US

13:10 Helping a teenager unlock maths confidence

14:19 Why confidence is more important than skill

15:06 The long-term impact of belief and encouragement

15:52 Why Sam joined the charity sector

17:02 What keeps him motivated in the third sector

17:51 Why volunteering is the engine behind social impact

18:37 National Numeracy’s biggest annual campaign

19:45 The power of their partnership with Compare the Market

21:00 How number confidence connects to money

22:01 Why financial literacy is about mindset first

23:00 Sam’s biggest money regret

24:06 One money tip Sam wishes he knew at 18

25:00 Helping communities through local volunteers

26:04 What the charity sector gives back to professionals

27:13 The best work-life lesson Sam ever received

28:09 Sam’s final message on confidence and belief

29:00 What gets Sam out of bed in the morning — his duvet flip

Episode Partners:

📊 Compare the Market

Discover how you can make a difference at Compare the Market, the company behind one of the UK’s most popular comparison sites. From tech and data to marketing and operations, they’re on a mission to simplify decisions for millions.

https://bit.ly/4i53Svj

Disclaimer:

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If you’re struggling with debt, trusted advice and free support can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/debt-advice

If you’re struggling with mental health of any kind, you can find free support here: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/

Sam Sims, CEO at National Numeracy: The Volunteer Transforming a Nation’s Confidence with Numbers

My Duvet Flip by Jack Parsons