YAlexander Bell — yes, that's his actual name — has built an entire career around our relationship with technology. He also once nearly got expelled for doing the Full Monty in a school talent show at age 11. The two things are more connected than you'd think.

In this episode:

•       Why a 7-year-old asking for an iPhone sparked a whole new direction

•       The 26% productivity boost that comes from putting your phone in another room

•       Infobesity, email bankruptcy and why your inbox is lying to you

•       The Full Monty phone pants — and the 2,000 unusable pairs from a surplus warehouse in Portsmouth

•       Why social media isn't cigarettes — and why he changed his mind on that

•       Anna's phone scoring 369 on a bacteria test. A restaurant would be shut down at 30.

Still think you're in control of your phone?

Consider this the episode we never planned to make.

In this episode:

•       Max the German Shepherd treats the microphone as a chew toy

•       Nobody can do their intro without bottling it at least four times

•       Fake tattoos make an appearance

•       Coffee goes everywhere it shouldn't

•       The Benny Hill theme plays in your head whether you like it or not

•       Snippets from guests you'll recognise from across the series

Still think everyone else has got it together?

Paul Lancaster organised his first ever event, got 600 people through the door, and ended the week with £3 in his bank account. Nobody tells you that part.

In this episode:

•       How he went from zero events experience to 600 people in nine months

•       The night before his first event when he couldn't string a sentence together

•       Why he went back into employment during lockdown — and why he's glad he did

•       Stoicism, thoughts becoming things, and weaponized distractions

•       Why doing it for the community and not the money is the only reason it lasted

•       What it actually feels like to be on the honeymoon after the wedding nobody warned you about

Still waiting for someone to give you permission?

Lucy Batley fell into business by accident, lost it all, hit rock bottom, took up white collar boxing at 50, and came out the other side with zero patience for hype.

In this episode:

•       What AI actually is — and what it absolutely isn't

•       Why your data is probably somewhere it shouldn't be

•       Losing her first business and her identity with it

•       What boxing taught her about focus, patience and discipline

•       Being a woman in tech and still fighting for a seat at the table

•       Why most business advice is just confident people talking shit

Still believing everything you're told?

You don't need to be ready, you just need to start. In this episode, I'm sharing 11 surprising things I've learned from doing the thing that scared me: launching this podcast. Only 5 episodes in, and it's already changed everything. This isn't a highlight reel — it's real momentum, raw lessons, and proof that showing up before you feel ready is where the magic happens.

Charlotte Windebank started her business on job seeker's allowance, living on a £2,000 boat in Newcastle marina with a cat that let itself in through the tarpaulin. She didn't know there was a startup loan available. Nobody told her.

In this episode:

•       Why that feeling of dread walking into a room full of strangers never fully goes away — and what to do about it

•       How to prep for a networking event so you're not just showing up and hoping for the best

•       Why talking at people instead of to them is the fastest way to get nothing out of networking

•       The moment she called out a government organisation in front of 100 people — and they changed their policy

•       Why underrepresented founders are still missing out on support that exists for them

•       Separating yourself from your business — and why it took 11 years and an MBA to figure that out

Still avoiding the room?

This episode is a masterclass in unapologetically showing up as yourself, from someone who's been doing it before personal branding even became a buzzword. Alan Robson brings stories, truth, humour and serious wisdom.

In this episode:

•       How to stop being scared of showing up

•       What to do about trolls and online critics

•       Why knowing your audience is everything

•       The power of listening and giving people what they actually want

•       And the quote that floored me: "If you're going to go on the journey... go all the way."

Still talking at people instead of to them?

You can find Alan's website at www.robsonsworld.com

In this episode, I turn the tables on Neil, normally behind the camera, to help him fix the real reason his messaging isn't landing. It's not about being louder or more polished. It's about saying what matters in a way that actually connects. We work through this live(ish) on air: stripping back the waffle, finding what makes his message resonate, and showing how to say what you do so people actually give a shit and want to buy from you.

Neil's website is at www.media-arts.co.uk

Alfie Joey has been terrible at everything he's ever done. Stand-up, radio, keynotes, podcasting — all of it, rubbish at the start. He also trained to be a priest, did 30 gigs a month to learn comedy, and went on to win Station of the Year at the BBC.

In this episode:

•       Why everyone starts rubbish — and why that's the whole point

•       The guy who texted saying Alfie wouldn't last 6 weeks on radio — and what happened next

•       What training to be a priest taught him about communication

•       The Gruffalo analogy that is genuinely the best business communication advice you'll hear

•       Why confidence is a skill, not a personality trait

•       If you're not doing reels you're an idiot — and it's free

Still waiting until you're good enough?

This one's a little rough around the edges... and that's exactly why I'm putting it out. Episode 2 is me, slightly stiffer, definitely less flowy, and absolutely overthinking it — but showing up anyway. Because that's what this whole thing is about: doing the scary, awkward, uncomfortable stuff even when you feel like it's not your best.

There's still plenty of value here — especially if you're someone who struggles to talk confidently about your business or second-guesses every sentence before you hit post.

So here it is: a slightly clunky but still useful episode that I refused to scrap. Because done is better than perfect, and brave always beats polished.

The app Anna mentions is:

https://www.sesame.com/research/crossing_the_uncanny_valley_of_voice#demo