What do you get when a tech-savvy CEO obsessed with impact builds a travel app? Something the world didn't know it needed. In this episode, Clare Jones, CEO of Polarsteps, unpacks the soulful mechanics behind scaling with care, leading with values, and building tools that don't just inspire wanderlust, they transform it.
🔍 Inside the Episode:
(00:00) What if travel changed you more than the destination?
(01:04) Why Polarsteps is more than a map, it’s a memory machine
(03:45) From Cambridge to CEO: Clare’s unexpected path to leading Polarsteps
(07:11) What travel really teaches us about kindness and humanity
(10:25) A Mongolian visa disaster and the adventure that followed
(14:36) The moment Clare knew she had to join Polarsteps
(17:12) Building products people feel - the magic behind user retention
(20:20) Can you scale a company without breaking the culture?
(23:01) Why she listens more than she leads (at first)
(25:33) Travel as activism: curating responsible journeys through design
(29:08) The powerful reason Polarsteps lets employees spin a globe
(32:54) What it’s really like stepping into a founder-led company
(36:30) Planning your trip? The AI feature that personalizes everything
(39:05) One app to plan, reflect, and relive your entire journey
(41:16) Could Polarsteps become the travel super-app?
(45:12) The radical leadership lesson Clare lives by: trust first
(49:50) On refugee hosting: why a spare room changed her life
(52:48) What 400 books a year can teach you about empathy
(54:34) Leading with transparency even when the stakes are high
(57:22) What does the future look like for Clare, and for travel?
