Ollie on Work

In today's episode, my guest is Nik Whitfield, Chairman and Chief Seer of Panaseer, the cyber security business he founded in 2014. Nik’s is a computer scientist and technology entrepreneur who is now a passionate advocate for wellbeing, exploring consciousness and learning new ways to help entrepreneurs and leaders to stay well.After reading about Panaseer’s work and coming across Nik’s LinkedIn profile, I contacted him to ask if he’d be up for an interview as part of the research for my book, Work/Life Flywheel, which will be published next January. I find our conversation so interesting that I had to bring him on to the podcast too.During the chat you’ll hear today, we discuss how, after years of severe, chronic back pain, Nik was told by a consultant that he was going to eventually lose the feeling in his hands and that the only solution was inserting a shunt – a metal tube to drain fluid from his brain and spine. Understandably, he didn’t fancy the sound of that, and with a willingness to try anything he could to avoid such an invasive procedure, he tested what in our highly medicalised society appeared a radical solution – mediation and journaling.Nik and I go on to discuss the new habits he incorporated into his daily life, the impact they had on his ability to lead his growing business, and how he lent on the support of his family and colleagues to ultimately live a pain-free life.As someone first diagnosed with degenerative discs when I was 15 and having suffered ongoing back pain throughout my adult life, I found Nik’s story inspiring. I’ve already implemented some of the tips he’s given me and am looking forward to exploring the benefits of the practices in my work and personal life.As well as discussing Nik’s dramatic recovery, he also shares insights on his approach to leadership, which, as you might expect, includes a focus on wellbeing for the whole business.I’ll be writing about these topics in the book, as well as the newsletter, over the coming weeks, so make sure you sign up for updates. You’ll find a link in the show notes, alongside Nik’s profile and some resources he’s shared with me.LINKS:Nik's LinkedIn profilePanaseer's websiteDr Sarno's websiteDr Joe Dispenza's Mind MoviesFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a short interlude over the Christmas holidays, we're back with a brand new series. Back, in fact, a little earlier than planned. Why? Partly because I've got some wonderful guests lined up to share their stories and insights with you over the next couple of months, but more specifically to today's episode because we start by talking about new year's resolutions and goal setting.My guest is Grace Lordan. She is an Associate Professor in Behavioural Science and Director of The Inclusion Initiative at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She's also the author of Thing Big: Take Small Steps and Build the Future You Want.We have a fascinating discussion in which we explore the role of talent, hard work and luck in shaping your career. Grace explains why our emotions matter when it comes to how we receive feedback and act upon it, and how to ensure we feel like we're constantly moving forward towards our goals. All of which requires resilience and a willingness not only to accept failure but to learn from it. Finally, we discuss what the future holds with a wide lens – how, for example, people may need to accept a 'low-stuff life' – and from a personal perspective, why we should embrace uncertainty and stop striving to be in control of everything you do.If you haven't already, please also subscribe to this podcast and join thousands of other people interested in reading my analysis and insights on the future of work by signing up to the Future Work/Life newsletter. LINKS:Think Big: Take Small Steps and Build the Future You WantGrace's LinkedIn profileFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we examine the ways new technology will change how we manage our careers. My guest is Dror Gurevich, CEO of Velocity Career Labs and the Velocity Network Foundation. During our conversation, you'll hear Dror explain why he set these organisations up and how they'll shape what he calls the Internet of Careers. We started by discussing some macro trends affecting the way we work before diving into how blockchain technology enables a new method for people to own, share, and manage their career credentials and the economic cost of the inefficient way that they're currently checked. Along the way, we cover how crypto and web3 relate to work and where the Internet of Careers fits in.Dror also shares some fascinating data illustrating why the concept of CVs is outdated. For me, this is a huge problem that needs to be solved. I've rarely been so excited about the opportunities that I can envisage following a podcast conversation, and I'll share my thoughts about potential use cases with you over the coming weeks and months.I hope you've enjoyed the fifth series of this podcast. Thanks again to all the guests who have joined me and to listeners for your support. We'll be back in February 2022, and I already have some incredible guests lined up to share their thoughts on the future of work and life. Until then, I hope you all have a chance to relax and refresh before the new year begins. Cheers!OllieLINKS:Velocity Network FoundationDror's LinkedIn profileTalent Tech Labs' report on The Role of Blockchain in the Future of Work Dror's article on the 'Climate crisis and self-sovereign verifiable career credentials'Future Work//Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, my guest is Damian Hughes, organisational psychologist and author. He's written several books about leadership and high-performance culture within some of the world's most successful businesses and sports organisations, including Barcelona Football Club, and Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson. You'll probably know him as the host of one of the UK's top podcasts, which he presents with Jake Humphrey. The High Performance Podcast has been listened to millions of times and has featured incredible guests like Dame Kelly Holmes, Jo Malone, Sir Chris Hoy, Matthew McConaughey, Chris Voss, and Tim Peake.We discussed how establishing your non-negotiables can help remove ambiguity from setting goals, managing your time, and ensuring you're aligned with the people you're working with. We also covered how to get over the sense that when you're in the middle of a project, everything can look like it's not working, as well as the why being crystal clear on the outcome you're aiming for will help with establishing the small steps you need to take every day to help you get there.Damian was a fantastic guest who was very generous with his time and insights. He's also got a real talent for breaking down potentially complex challenges into easily understood and practical advice, so please enjoy listening, and if you've not already heard his show, check the podcast and his upcoming book out (links below).As always, please make sure you subscribe to this podcast, and if you enjoy it, please give it a rating. Also, check out my newsletter via the links in the show notes for more analysis and insights on the changing world of work.LINKS:The High Performance PodcastHigh Performance: Lessons from the Best on Becoming the BestFuture Work//Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode, we'll be talking about writing with Alison Jones.Alison is the founder of Practical Inspiration Publishing, a publishing partner for businesses, and host of The Extraordinary Business Book Club, a podcast and community for writers and readers of extraordinary business books.She has written and edited several books herself, including This Book Means Business: Clever ways to plan and write a book that works harder for your business. We discuss how to decide whether writing a book is right for you and your business. We also explore how to develop a positive mindset for writing, whether the end result of it is a book, a blog, or a business report. Alison shares some fantastic insights on the habits of a successful writer and some practical tips that will immediately improve the consistency and quality of your work. As you'll hear, Alison is also the person who offered me my book deal, which tells you that she is both knowledgeable and has impeccable taste. In September, I joined her 10-Day Business Book Proposal Challenge with a vague notion of what I'd like to say were I to write a book at some point. I finished with a clear idea about why now is the perfect time to write it, who my audience is, and the steps I'll follow to publish something that I hope you'll all want to read. All of which is a massive compliment to Alison, the course, and the community you join when you take part in it.If you enjoy listening to our conversation, please make sure you subscribe to this podcast and my newsletter, which I'll link to in the show notes, but without further ado, here's my conversation with Alison Jones.LINKS:The 10-Day Book Proposal ChallengeWriteBrained: A 28-day exploratory writing adventureThis Book Means Business: Clever ways to plan and write a book that works harder for your businessFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest, Geoff McDonald, worked at Unilever for 25 years and, at the end of his time there, contributed to the company's transformation from an ailing business into a thriving global organisation with purpose at its heart. He now works with businesses that believe that purpose can give them a strategic advantage by creating a company that the best people want to work for.He's also a passionate mental health campaigner and is now able to follow his own purpose to create a world where everybody in every workplace feels they genuinely have the choice to put up their hand and ask for help when they are suffering from mental ill-health.We explored the difference between using purpose as a tool to improve business performance instead of a marketing exercise, practical examples of how Unilever and other companies succeeded in achieving this. We also discussed why personal struggles and the tragedy of losing a close friend inspired him to leave the corporate world and advocate for open conversations about mental health.Geoff also shared his CANDO framework - a helpful reminder of the importance of consistent habits to maintain positive physical and mental health.If you enjoy our conversation, please check out the accompanying newsletter, which I'll be publishing later this week. Also, check out Geoff's website, where you can find out more about his work.LINKS:Geoff's websiteFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I speak to Naomi Shragai, author of The Man Who Mistook His Job for His Life: How to Thrive at Work by Leaving Your Emotional Baggage Behind. Naomi is a consultant, a coach, and uniquely a business psychotherapist. Her book focuses on the unconscious motivations behind our behaviours and decisions in the workplace and is based on 30 years of experience working with organisations and executives, as well as individuals, couples and families. We had a riveting discussion covering topics including the long-term effects our personal histories have on our careers; whether the trend towards authenticity is actually meaningful; whether we should bring emotion into the workplace, and, if so, how much; why autonomy isn't always a good thing, and mistakes aren't just inevitable, they're essential to our learning and development. If you enjoy this conversation, please make sure you check out previous podcast episodes and subscribe. Also, check out the Future Work/Life newsletter on Substack. LINKS: The Man Who Mistook His Life For His Job: How to Thrive at Work by Leaving Your Emotional Baggage Behind Naomi's website Naomi's Financial Times articles Future Work/Life newsletter Future Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I welcome Danny Fortson to the show. Danny is the West Coast correspondent for the Sunday Times and the host of Danny in the Valley.Anyone who reads my newsletter will know that I'm a regular listener to his podcast, on which he consistently invites fascinating founders of some established and emerging tech businesses that are attempting to solve some of the world's most exciting and important challenges.During our conversation, we discuss tech's approach to remote work and why although some founders and venture capitalists are choosing to leave California, Danny still believes it will remain THE global innovation hub.We also discuss what he considers to be the most exciting future tech innovations, the growth of blockchain, crypto and Web3, and how new business models are changing the way we think about work.If you enjoy this show, please check out previous episodes, such as my conversations with Azeem Azhar and Dror Poleg. Also, check out my newsletter in which I'll be about our conversation over the course of the next week.Until then, please make sure you subscribe to the show and, if you have a moment, please rate it. LINKS:Danny in the ValleyFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life websitePodcast interview with Azeem AzharPodcast interview with Dror PolegMy newsletter about Axie Infinity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If the quality of a podcast directly correlates with the practical value that you get from it, then I think today's episode might be the best one I've released so far. My guest is Marc Effron, the author of Eight Steps to High Performance: Focus On What You Can Change (Ignore the Rest).We had a fantastic conversation in which we discussed the importance of big goals., what changes managers need to make now that they're working with remote teams, and the difference between evidence-based advice and management fads.He also offered some incredibly useful insights about how to build up a network from scratch and how to keep your connections engaged by LinkedIn and by email. We also discussed the connection between physical health and performance. As you'll hear, there isn't much evidence to prove the link, but one vitally important thing is a good night's sleep.LINKS: Eight Steps to High Performance: Focus On What You Can Change (Ignore the Rest)Marc's LinkedIn profileFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture work/life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may have noticed something different about the podcast. That's right; I've decided to change the name of the show! Take My Advice (I'm Not Using It) has served me well over the past year, but since the business and the newsletter share the same name, leaving the podcast out didn't seem fair. In today's episode, I talk to Elizabeth Ogabi, the author of Side Hustle in Progress: A Practical Guide to Kickstarting Your Business. Liz previously founded For Working Ladies, a digital media platform focused on equipping women with the information and tools they need to start a successful business. She's also the host of the podcast, How I Made It Happen, on which she invites female entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders to share their stories and advice.We had a great chat covering why side hustles have become a thing, the differences between attitudes to work in Nigeria and the UK, the skills you can apply and learn from entrepreneurship, and some of the tools and resources that will help you kickstart your business.If you enjoy this podcast, please check out some of the previous episodes, subscribe, and leave a rating if you have a moment.LINKS:Side Hustle in Progress: A Practical Guide to Kickstarting Your BusinessHow I Made it HappenLiz's LinkedIn profileLiz's Twitter profileFuture Work/Life newsletterFuture Work/Life website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.