Secret Leaders Case Study

Secret Leaders is one of Europe’s top business podcasts, where bold founders and world-class operators reveal the real stories behind their success. Hosted by entrepreneur Dan Murray-Serter and Chris Donnelly, each episode explores the mindset, strategy, and lessons that help extraordinary leaders build extraordinary companies. It’s honest, unfiltered conversation from people who’ve been through it—and want to help others do the same.

The podcast is a personal project by Dan Murray-Serter, a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, braincare advocate, and co-founder of several ventures, including Heights and Founders. Dan created Secret Leaders to open up the kinds of behind-closed-doors conversations that fuel real growth—and to share them with the next generation of founders and leaders.

To sharpen and scale Secret Leaders, Dan partnered with Lower Street for production. The podcast already had a strong base, but with Lower Street’s support in story editing, sound design, and show notes, it evolved and was primed for growth.

This Secret Leaders case study explores how that collaboration took the show to the next level.

Secret Leaders at a Glance

Launch Year: 2017
Format: Long-form Interview
Category: Business

Bringing the Show to Life

Secret Leaders was born from the idea of having founders talk not just about success, but about the mess, the mistakes, and the mental toll of building companies. It was a concept by Dan Murray-Serter, a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of the braincare brand Heights. He was ready to deliver honest and in-depth conversations with some of the world’s most successful founders, entrepreneurs, and business leaders.

The show quickly gained traction, featuring guests from top-tier companies. It stood out for its mix of deep business insight and personal storytelling, all wrapped in a compelling, long-form interview format.

Originally a project with Kindling Media, which Dan co-founded, Secret Leaders then came to Lower Street for extra support in helping shape its high-quality sound and story structure. As the show gained traction, Dan stepped back to focus on other ventures, while the Kindling team expanded into new titles. But eventually, Dan returned to double down on the original vision. He sold off other podcast projects and teamed up with entrepreneur and longtime fan Chris Donnelly. Together, they launched Leaders Media to invest in bigger production, a London studio, and a dedicated team.

With Chris joining as co-host and business partner, the show now has bold new goals: expand across YouTube and audio, grow the community, and become the most entertaining business channel in the UK. Lower Street was brought in to support that evolution—helping the team refine production, grow listenership, and set the foundation for scale.

Secret Leaders Achievements

Secret Leaders has become one of the UK’s top business podcasts. With a guest lineup that includes founders and CEOs from Monzo, Slack, Jo Malone, Calm, Deliveroo, and more, the show has built serious credibility across both UK and US audiences. Its uncensored, irreverent style sets it apart—diving deep into both wins and fails, with real lessons for listeners building businesses of their own.

The show’s success has gone beyond podcasting. After its first two seasons, Secret Leaders hosted multiple sell-out live events, growing a loyal audience offline as well as on. It’s been featured in outlets like Startups Magazine and Business Matters, praised for its honest storytelling and high-profile interviews.

Most of all, the show has earned a reputation as a go-to for practical business advice, founder inspiration, and startup real talk.