Simon Sparks and I return for our first podcast of 2025 we reflect on our holiday experiences, discussing the pressures of consumerism during Christmas and the importance of family over materialism.

We explore the idea of letting go of past burdens as we enter this New Year, whilst emphasising the need for personal growth and setting intentions.

We shift gears to focus on the value of coaching and the importance of authenticity in a world increasingly influenced by AI, which leads to a prediction about the rise of micro communities and collaborative learning as a way to foster genuine connections and growth.

As usual, we delve into a variety of topics including, importance of collaborative learning environments, the need for creating a baseline for engagement, the significance of letting go of distractions (unless they’re cat videos!), the power of optimism in overcoming challenges, AND (deep breath!), the necessity of intentionality in self-improvement.

All this with a smattering of our usual humour, vulnerability, and honest truths.

* New Year reflections and Holiday Experiences (00:00)

* Cynicism and Consumerism During the Holidays (07:13)

* Letting Go of the Past and Embracing Change (13:01)

* Setting Intentions for the New Year (19:49)

* The Value of Coaching and Authenticity (27:00

* Micro Communities and Collaborative Learning (33:03)

* Collaborative Learning Environments (34:06)

* Creating a Baseline for Engagement (40:01)

* Letting Go of Distractions (46:11)

* The Power of Optimism (47:29)

* Intentionality in Self-Improvement (51:20)

* Micro Practices for Growth (58:05)

As we continue on this journey of weekly conversations to explore what a Better Me can be, through taking direct action, we’re also exploring the addition of a Guest segment. If you’re interested in joining us as a Guest, pop me a message.

Check out previous Better Me podcast episodes here…

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