Send Leanne a messageIt's that time of year when you're probably reflecting and planning what 2022 looks like for you.If so, this is the perfect episode for you. It's a #fromthevault release of Episode 109 with Scott Armstrong.Scott is Canadian and he started his career as a corporate banker who was deeply frustrated and knew there had to be more for than pushing paper. He went on to work at Canada’s largest rehabilitation centre for abandoned exotic animals. Swimming with jaguars, running with wolves, playing in the snow with tigers, helping an owl take flight again. After that he started helping people create their own Limitless adventure. Over the last 20 years he worked with over 2000 businesses and individuals to help them create and grow. His company Limitless is now a group of passionate people with enough life perspective and skill sets to help you dream, create and live a life that satisfies like nothing else.In this episode, we talk about what left him to pivot and his fascination with getting others to lead limitless lives - and when he says limitless he means it, one of the images on the front page of his website, scottarmstronglimitless.com is an image jumping out of an aircraft. If you are soul searching, driving to work, feeling like you’re stuck in the rat race, wondering what on earth how to find your purpose, you’ll find this interview and Scott’s work very appealing.As a business owner, he also leads by example and shares a pretty vulnerable point about saying no to a job that he would have leapt to deliver recently. It’s part of staying strong and connected to his decision on his area of focus. He also talks through some very helpful Sales tactics if you are leading your own facilitation business at the back end of this conversation.In this episode you will learn:How to be brave enough to follow your passion and live your full potentialHow to be open to learning and vulnerability during career transitionFinding your niche and stamping your expert as an authorityHow to to get more sales as facilitatorEvery day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.Tune in over here!(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).Support the show

Send Leanne a messageWelcome to an encore episode! There is no one else I’d “open up” the podcast for, than the one and only, Jenny Blake. I shared this interview with the Booked Out Facilitator group, and I think it’s the perfect conversation to share with you today, as we close off the year and look to scheme + dream what we work on in 2022.This is the first interview Jenny has done to promote her fabulous (and much-needed) new book, Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love your Business. It’s a playbook to free your mind, time, and team for your best work. It is an invitation to reimagine how you run your business.I want to share an excerpt about her book, so you get a sense of what you’re in for in today’s chat:“Your time is far more precious than money.  It is your presence, your memories, your quality of life. For many, growth fuelled by added stress is not worth the tradeoff. You have an urge to simplify and streamline.  Ask yourself: are you consistently doing the work that you and only you can do? If you are burdened by busywork, the bottleneck in the way of your company’s profit and potential, this book is for you."  In this conversation, we also talk about choosing your niche, and how to build a business without social media. Jenny also takes us behind the scenes and shares how she uses Notion to capture and curate her ideas.After you listen, ask yourself this question: “What do you need a permission to do?”Jenny Blake is an author, podcaster, and keynote speaker who loves helping business owners move from friction to flow through smarter systems, powered by Delightfully Tiny Teams. Her third book, Free Time: Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business, launches March 22, 2022. Jenny’s previous book, Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One, won the Axiom award for best business book in the careers category in 2016. Licensing clients for her Pivot Programs include Google and CHANEL.Grab JB's preorder offer: Free Time on a Buy One, Get One, Gift OneClick here for show notes. Every day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.Tune in over here!(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).Support the show

Send Leanne a messageThis week's #fromthevault episode is with the delightful Mel Kettle. I'm replaying it because I spoke to her recently, and it was a great reminder of how great she is at navigating the two roles of 1) Being an expert and 2) Being a facilitator.I got off the phone to her feeling invigorated - she asks superb questions, and has a wealth of experience. You'll get to hear all of that today! Mel Kettle is a communication and engagement expert, speaker, author, facilitator, trainer and mentor. We recorded this chat in Brisbane in 2019, and she threw down a video challenge on that show, which is even more relevant today.Click here for show notes.In this podcast we discuss her work with social media and how she prepares and plans for upcoming facilitation events. Mel was also lucky enough to attend Social Media Marketing world in 2019, and she shares what she learnt from that. We again discuss video - you can’t escape the conversation around video these days! About today's guest: Mel KettleMel Kettle is an expert at communication that builds trust. She understands how to create strategies that have immediate, meaningful impact. Like baking a cake, it’s essential to have the right ingredients to communicate with clarity, compassion and consistency.She has over two decades of experience in strategic communication and leadership and a unique educational combination of a Master of Business (Marketing) and a Master of Public Health.She has a podcast called This Connected Life, author of The Social Connection  Resources mentioned in this episode:Mel Kettle's websiteMel's book, 'The Social Association'Mel Kettle on InstagramEvery day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.Tune in over here!(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).Support the show

Send Leanne a messageI'm interviewing one of the world's legends today!Michael Bungay Stanier's (MBS) newest book, "How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters" is now available for pre-order. Find out more about Michael over at mbs.worksWatch our video interview in Brisbane on YouTubeClick here for show notesMichael Bungay Stanier helps people be a force for change. He’s best known for his book The Coaching Habit which has sold close to a million copies and has thousands of 5-star reviews online. His book The Advice Trap focuses on what it takes to tame your Advice Monster.He founded Box of Crayons, a learning and development company that helps organizations move from advice-driven to curiosity-led. They’ve trained hundreds of thousands of managers to be more coach-like and their clients range from Microsoft to Gucci.He left Australia about 30 years ago to be a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University … where his only significant achievement was falling in love with aCanadian … which is why he now lives in Toronto, having spent time in London and Boston.Balancing out these moments of success, he was banned from his high school graduation for “the balloon incident” … was sued by one of his Law School professors for defamation … and his first published piece of writing was a Harlequin Romance-esque story involving a misdelivered letter … and called The Male Delivery.Join The Flipchart community on FacebookSubscribe to Leanne's email dispatchConnect with Leanne on LinkedInFind out about Leanne's work at leannehughes.comEvery day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.Tune in over here!(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).Support the show

Send Leanne a messageIn this week's #fromthevault episode, I talk to Neen James. Neen is a sought-out, high-energy keynote speaker in the States who challenges her audiences to leverage their focus and pay attention to what matters most at work and in life. In this episode you’ll learn: How a happy little Aussie wound up killing it on stages in the USThe differences between Australian and US audiencesWhy it’s important to change your focus and stand in service (and how this helps with overcoming nerves)Understanding the importance of the three types of attention and how you can apply that to your facilitationHer speaker role models (and the mad genius they focus on)How the three types of attention drive profitability, productivity and accountabilityTips and tricks on how to contextualise your training content and marketing collateralStrategies on how to engage with your audience.About our guestNeen James is the author of Folding Time™ and Attention Pays™. In 2017, she was named one of the top 30 Leadership Speakers by Global Guru because of her work with companies like Viacom, Comcast, and Abbot Pharmaceutical, among others. She earned her MBA from Southern Cross University and the Certified Speaking Professional designation from National Speakers Association. Resources mentioned in this episode:Neen James' websiteNeen's latest book, 'Attention Pays'Attention Pays Sample Chapters (a gift from Neen)Neen's speaking kitScott McKainMatt Churchhttps://marksanborn.com/Jay BaerTami EvansJudson LaipplyTamsen Webster - Red ThreadConnie PodestaSally HogsheadLike this show?Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally!Click here to let Leanne know about your number one takeaway from this episode! (or, leave a comment below)Tweet your thanks to Neen.Quotes of the show:“I want to make sure that every interaction they have, they feel like they are getting the attention that they want and need and deserve.”“It's not about you and it's not about them, it's simply about a conversation you're going to create in the room.”“One of the best engagement techniques is to keep it reEvery day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.Tune in over here!(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).Support the show

Send Leanne a messageWhat can I say that hasn’t already been said?There’s a temptation because it’s the last show to try to share something that’s the most valuable thing, that summarises the last 200 weeks of my life. Then perspective hits and I realise, that’s nothing I can really say in “one final episode” to summarise two-hundred weeks of conversations, content creation, Monday deadlines, audio editing, posting on social media, laughs, workshops, travel, Covid, etc.  Some key things:Yes! I will be starting something new, I’m still working my way and deciding what that is. In the meantime, you’ll hear some “From the vault” episodes every Monday (with new intros) The best way to keep in touch with what’s next is to;Sign onto my email listHit Subscribe to this podcast in your favourite podcast app of choiceClick here for show notesEmail Leanne if you're curious about the Gold Coast retreat in Feb 2022 (leanne@leannehughes.com)Ending a podcast is very different to ending a job. You know when you leave a job, you get all these lovely messages/people who you least expected signing your farewell card?  The magic of hosting this show, is that as the show continued, every week I’d hear from someone who found an episode helpful, or they discovered the show at EXACTLY THE RIGHT TIME for them in their career.The show couldn’t have got here without you. It’s been a co-creation process this whole time. I’d like to thank the following people who submitted voice notes and emails for the final episode, in no particular order:Juan Daniel Sobrado, Beth Wonson, Tom Scantlebury, Prina Shah, Garbiel Furman, Jan Szmanda, Tim Ferguson, Tony Brazelton, Julia van Graas, Kevin Meenaghan, Sally Prosser, Paul McGregor, Sean Lavin, May Lee, Lauren Scholz, Ken Burgin, Joeri Schilders, Deanne Gagnon, Gordon Rhodes, Cathryn Lloyd and Thomas Fry.A reflection question that’s fitting to ask you now is this: Is there anything you need to stop, in order to progress where you’d like to be?About your host: Leanne HughesLeanne Hughes is an international facilitator, speaker and coach who loves creating unpredictable workshop experiences, that predictably work. She combines her experience in Marketing, with her education in Human Resources and Psychology, to help leaders create engaging everyday experiences - that are so contagious they scale across teams, functions and regions.Leanne has facilitated leadership, onboarding and team-development workshops across Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore and believes in a strengths-centred approach to learning and development.  She has over 14 years’ of experience across a range of industries including mining, government and tourism sectors.She’s the host of the First Time Facilitator podcast and is the Winner (External) in the 2021 Australian Learning Impact awards for Learning Professional of the Year.Social MediaSubscribe to Leanne’s weekly newsletterConnect with Leanne Hughes on LinkedInEvery day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.Tune in over here!(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).Support the show

Send Leanne a messageIf I were to think of two words that describe this podcast's main themes, they would be "courage" and "preparation".Preparation - so that we can feel ready to adapt to what happens in the room, a feeling of, "I/the group have got this -- Whatever happens!" Courage is about taking the opportunity, saying yes to when we feel like we're not just ready yet.  With the emergence of Clubhouse and launch of audio-only rooms across platforms like Twitter and Facebook, how do you create an environment where people have the courage to come off mute? How can you create an inclusive conversation, when you can't see people and pick up on their body language?There's no one better to riff on this topic than the CEO of Australia's first audio agency. Yes, he loves audio more than I do!My guest today is Ronsley Vaz. Ronsley is the reason I started this podcast. I went to his We Are Podcast event in Brisbane in Nov 2017, without any intention of starting a podcast. Three months later, First Time Facilitator was launched into the world.  This interview was a ton of fun to record, at Ronsley's home studio in Brisbane and I'm so glad I could share a full-circle moment with all of you.Ronsley has recently started identifying himself as a facilitator but I placed him in that bucket a long time ago.  He has an insane ability to connect, bring people together, and make magic happen.Ronsley is a keynote speaker, author and business leader. He is the author of the book AMPLIFY – How to raise your voice, boost your brand and grow yourbusiness. He is on the board for freetoshine.org, an organisation that prevents children from being sex trafficked. His TEDx Talk which was made a TED talk in 2020, “The Perfect Recipe for a Deep Conversation”, touches on his passion of exploring the world through his voice, and the voices of others.Ronsley has an MBA in Psychology and Leadership and a Master’s in Software Engineering as well as a Diploma in Financial Services. His show The Psychology of Entrepreneurship, ‘Bond Appetit’ podcast and ‘Should I Start a Podcast? have reached over 4 million listeners in 133 countries. Click here for show notes.Every day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.Tune in over here!(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).Support the show

Send Leanne a messageSomething I'm pondering right now is how often our ideas are cemented in reality ("How would this actually work?") which can limit our capacity to dream big.My guest today inspires her guests to go against that inclination, and to start exploring possibilities. We often go through a live role-play on this call to see how we can bring this approach to exploration in our workshops.My guest today is Shannon Dean Hughes. Yes, you can never have enough Hughes’ in your life!Shannon  is an experiential trainer with a calling to enliven the innate genius, creative resourcefulness and easeful collaboration in businesses of all shapes and sizes. In her practice, Enlivened Studios, she brings strategic business mentorship and experiential teaching practices to break down cross-team silos and embolden transformational leadership.With 20+ years of corporate marketing and HR strategy experience, plus a lifetime of proven leadership, performance and creative devotion, her work combines skill + heart into every Enlivened Studios session. Through this work, she’s on a mission to help people live fully, lead consciously and impact the world with joy and collective aliveness.In this conversation, Shannon shares how she incorporates improv techniques into her work to enliven creativity and collaboration - I like her ideas around making your partner look good. She shares some activities she’s delivered on virtual calls as well - listen in for the activity she delivers using SILENCE.Click here for show notes.Click here to leave a goodbye voice note on Episode 200!Every day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.Tune in over here!(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).Support the show

Send Leanne a messageOooh… this episode is a watershed moment. I make a big announcement. Back in episode 50, I gave the podcast microphone to my colleague and friend Sean Lavin to interview on the show, to reflect on what i’d learnt both personally and professionally from the show.It’s now 147 episodes (and weeks!) later. I think I’ve grown up a little. My perspective has changed, so I thought it was a fitting moment to sit back into the guest seat and reflect on that journey, while also sharing a pretty massive update (from my perspective!) about the First Time Facilitator podcast.This time, I invited a listener to jump into the host seat.When I was planning this episode and releasing “the news”, I wanted to pull it back to my intention of starting the podcast in February 2018.  Back then, I really was a first time facilitator, working in Organisational Development but pulled in to lead workshops with little experience - desperately wanting to get better at creating engaging experiences and group dialogue.So,  I handed the microphone to a listener who demonstrates the values of this show: An energy and willingness to reach out, a growth mindset, someone willing to say yes, accept opportunities..I’m delighted to announce your host for today’s episode is Jan Szmanda. Jan is a facilitator, L&D geek, board gamer, new puppy parent, and long time FTF listener. Based out of Madison WI in the US, he currently has the privilege of running workshops on leadership development and team effectiveness and is excited to continue growing in the field of organizational development. You can find him most active on Twitter and LinkedIn and he'd love to connect with you! Jan’s enthusiasm about this podcast shines through, he’s listened to the show since 2019 and taken great  notes over the years. Most importantly, he’s taken ideas from this show, tried things out.As I mentioned, there’s a big announcement in this podcast and if you’d like to help me in celebrating 200 episodes of First Time Facilitator, I’d really love to get your voice on the show.To share what First Time Facilitator has taught you, has inspired from you, or anything really - head on over to leannehguhes.com/200 to share what the show has done for you!About today's host: Jan SzmandaJan Szmanda is a facilitator, L&D geek, board gamer, new puppy parent, and long time FTF listener. Based out of Madison WI in the US, he currently has the privilege of running workshops on leadership development and team effectiveness and is excited to continue growing in the field of organizational development. You can find him most active on Twitter and LinkedIn and he'd love to connect with our listeners.Resources mentioned in this episode:ATD MAC Fall 2021 Conference: Facilitating the Unnown. It’s on 9 November. Please, please please - jump into action and share how this podcast has helped you out - 200th Episode of First Time FacilitatorJump into The FlipchartClick here for show notesEvery day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.Tune in over here!(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).Support the show

Send Leanne a messageThe magic of this podcast is that I get to connect with amazing facilitators around the world. I met today's guest through the podcast. She also lives in Brisbane and over the last couple of years we’ve hung out at various events, she's hosted some Flipchart meetups at her property and over coffees (and wine!) we've riffed off all of the topics related to group dynamics, learning and facilitation. Her passion simply shines through. So of course, I had to get her on the show!My guest is Suzanne Rose and she is a Sergeant of the Queensland Police Service, having joined in 1998. She was poached by a spotter in recent years, and landed the perfect role for her personality, running professional development workshops for police training facilitators. This includes her favourite signature three-day facilitation skills workshop - 'Facilitate with Flair'. Her role has led her to study the craft of facilitation beyond her organisation, and to learn what is best practice based on research from around the world, including studies from the fields of neuroscience and educational psychology. We talk more about her Facilitate with Flair experience and how she navigates the mindset of "doing things differently" when working in an organisation which is hierarchical, and where things are done a certain way.Suzanne is committed to transforming aspects of police organisational culture around training. She hopes to reduce the mortality rate with the cause of death being PowerPoint, and actively inspires facilitators to be brave enough to try more engaging and fun ways to deliver their sessions - even the heavy, dry and serious policing topics. Suzanne is a full-time working mum who lives in Brisbane on acreage in koala habitat, with her husband and their two young daughters, a Labrador, pet chicken, and an abundance of wallabies, possums, rainbow lorikeets and kookaburras around their property. She spends any spare time making fun memories with her girls, and can't wait to take them on adventures through far-away lands abroad where nothing is taken for granted.Click here for show notesEvery day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.Tune in over here!(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).Support the show