
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


Are you a coach, consultant or solo business owner struggling to attract clients despite being great at what you do?
In this episode of Champion Mindset Collective, host Anthony Dahya sits down with Sarah Davies, founder of Sweet Spot Business Coaching and creator of Beyond the Hourly Rate, at The Podcast Bach during the New Zealand Franchise & Small Business Expo.
Sarah shares why being brilliant at your profession doesn't automatically mean you know how to build a successful business. Her Proof First approach helps self-employed professionals stop guessing what clients want and start building businesses based on real evidence.
From a two-minute phone call that changed her career to building and selling businesses, Sarah shares valuable lessons about finding your niche, attracting paying clients and creating a business that supports the life you want.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL DISCOVER
• Why being great at your work doesn't guarantee business success
• How to identify clients who are willing to pay for your expertise
• Why narrowing your niche can help you stand out
• How the Proof First approach takes the guesswork out of business growth
• Why customer conversations reveal more than surveys and social media likes
• How to avoid wasting money on websites, marketing and offers nobody wants
• Why confidence, positioning and understanding your customers matter
• How to build a business around freedom, purpose and meaningful work
THE PROOF FIRST APPROACH
Before investing heavily in marketing, Sarah encourages business owners to speak directly with potential clients.
Understand their frustrations, challenges, motivations and what they've already tried. Look for common patterns before developing your services, messaging and marketing.
Because attention doesn't always mean demand. Social media likes don't necessarily translate into paying customers.
WHAT DOES SUCCESS REALLY MEAN?
Sarah challenges the traditional definition of success. Rather than chasing a bigger business, more employees or more money, she now values freedom, meaningful work and control over her time.
Her message? Stop letting everyone else's priorities dictate your day. Back yourself, understand your customers and build a business that works for you.
EPISODE CHAPTERS
00:00 Stop building a business on assumptions
01:00 The phone call that changed Sarah's career
02:53 Why professional skills aren't business skills
05:04 Why corporate strategies don't always work
06:22 Letting go of sunk costs
08:33 Finding your niche and backing yourself
09:46 The Proof First research process
11:49 Why likes and surveys can mislead
13:13 Be brave, niche down and think bigger
15:22 Sarah's resources and free quiz
16:33 Redefining success and freedom
18:37 Protecting your time and champion mindset
CONNECT WITH SARAH DAVIES
Sweet Spot Business Coaching:
https://sweetspotbusinesscoaching.co.nz/
Beyond the Hourly Rate:
https://www.beyondthehourlyrate.com/
Win More Work Quiz:
https://win-more-work.scoreapp.com/
Built on Assumption Report:
https://go.sweetspotbusinesscoaching.com/built-on-assumption
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-davies-business-coach/
CHAMPION MINDSET COLLECTIVE
Discover more inspiring conversations:
https://championmindsetcollective.com
Become a podcast guest:
https://championmindsetcollective.com/be-a-guest
Connect with Anthony Dahya:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonydahya/
Follow Champion Mindset Collective for honest conversations about mindset, resilience, entrepreneurship, leadership and building a life of purpose.
#BusinessGrowth #SmallBusiness #BusinessCoaching #Entrepreneurship #SarahDavies #ChampionMindsetCollective
Before you pour your savings and years into a business idea, how do you know whether it's worth building? Walt Thiessen shares the risks to check and how AI can help you test your plan.
When the 2008 financial crisis wiped out the income from Walt's business and his wife's gardening service, their family struggled for years. Unable to afford a coach or even a self-help book, Walt started a podcast to learn from guests. That unexpected step helped him rebuild his outlook and discover new possibilities.
Today, Walt brings his experience in business, podcasting and AI to Super-Fluidity, a service that researches and scores business ideas. He joins Anthony Dahya to explain why hard work alone cannot rescue a business built on the wrong assumptions.
IN THIS EPISODE
• Why hard work isn't the same as business viability
• How financial hardship and podcasting changed Walt's direction
• What to examine before starting: competition, funding and your available time
• What Walt learned when his own idea received a two-star rating
• How he experiments with teams of AI agents—and why human judgement matters
• Why small experiments and curiosity can help you discover your passion
THE BIG TAKEAWAY
Test the foundations before committing your savings or years of effort. AI research can expose assumptions and risks, but no score guarantees success.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Before you risk everything on an idea
02:57 The 2008 collapse and a painful reset
06:36 Starting a podcast when money was tight
13:27 Being good at technology but not loving it
16:17 The hard-work myth and entrepreneurial burnout
35:42 What thousands of podcast conversations taught Walt
41:19 Curiosity reveals the next option
46:58 Finding new energy in AI
52:49 Building a collaborative AI team
01:03:27 How Super-Fluidity evaluates business ideas
01:08:21 Five-minute experiments to discover your passion
01:09:41 His own business idea scored two stars
01:13:05 Business red flags: competition and funding
01:21:40 Managing self-doubt and inner chatter
01:30:59 Passion, risk and letting go of rigid plans
01:35:13 Removing business friction before launch
01:37:02 Quickfire: success, beliefs and champion mindset
CONNECT WITH WALT
Super-Fluidity: https://super-fluidity.com/
Request a business-idea dossier: https://super-fluidity.com/request-a-dossier/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walt-thiessen-43904734/
LOA Today: https://www.youtube.com/@LOATodayPodcastVideos
CHAMPION MINDSET COLLECTIVE
Website: https://championmindsetcollective.com
Champion Reset: https://championmindsetcollective.com/champion-reset
Be a guest: https://championmindsetcollective.com/be-a-guest
Anthony Dahya: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonydahya/
AI Workflows Agency: https://aiworkflows.agency
Contact: [email protected]
QUESTION FOR YOU
What's the biggest risk you'd want to investigate before launching a business? Share your thoughts, and follow Champion Mindset Collective for more conversations about entrepreneurship, resilience and purpose.
This episode shares Walt's experiences and personal spiritual perspectives. AI research and business scores do not guarantee future results.
#BusinessStrategy #BusinessIdeas #EntrepreneurMindset #BusinessResilience #AIForBusiness #WaltThiessen #ChampionMindsetCollective
You can be brilliant at what you do and still lose clients because your message isn't landing. John Maybury shares how to find your authentic voice and make business conversations count.
John Maybury joins Anthony Dahya at the Franchise and Small Business Expo Podcast Bach to talk about authentic business communication. Growing up around broadcasters, John developed a stutter as a child, yet went on to build a career in radio, voice artistry, advertising and storytelling. Today he helps business owners and leaders share clear, confident messages.
We explore how defining your values and ideal audience can improve a pitch, a presentation or a sales conversation. John explains how to find your unique business story, why consistent networking and video help people get to know you, and how feedback helps build practical communication confidence.
IN THIS EPISODE
• A childhood stutter and a broadcasting career
• Why your message needs values and a real audience
• One story that helps customers remember you
• How to improve client conversations through feedback
• Making time for the business-development activities that work
• Using video, podcasting and speaking to grow your impact
LINKS & RESOURCES
What's one thing you wish people understood about your business? Tell us below and subscribe.
#BusinessStorytelling #CommunicationSkills #FindYourVoice #JohnMaybury #ChampionMindsetCollective
Key Takeaways
Chapters
Links
John Maybury website and coaching: https://www.johnmaybury.com/home
John Maybury LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmaybury/
Champion Mindset Collective: https://championmindsetcollective.com
Anthony Dahya LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonydahya/
Be a guest: https://championmindsetcollective.com/be-a-guest
Connect with Anthony Dahya
Be a Guest on the Show
When your career no longer defines you, how do you start over? Zahrina Robertson shares the fear and creativity behind her reinvention.
On Champion Mindset Collective, Anthony Dahya talks with Australian artist, author and speaker Zahrina Robertson about starting over when a career no longer fits.
After fifteen years in branding and photography, Zahrina faced a professional conflict that shook her confidence. She shares her fear of leaving that identity behind, and how art, writing, speaking and nature helped her build a completely new life.
They explore career change, lost confidence, reinvention before burnout, comparison, creativity and moving forward without all the answers.
If you've ever wondered who you are without your job title, this discussion may help you consider a different next chapter.
Key Takeaways
Chapters
Links
Zahrina Gallery (original art, book, experiences): https://www.zahrinagallery.com/
Zahrina's story: https://www.zahrinagallery.com/pages/about-zahrina
Zahrina on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/zahrinarobertson
Zahrina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zahrinaartist/
Champion Mindset Collective: https://championmindsetcollective.com
Anthony Dahya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonydahya/
Become a guest: https://championmindsetcollective.com/be-a-guest
Connect with Anthony Dahya
Be a Guest on the Show
Trying to grow your small business while doing everything yourself? Carolyn Banks explains how confidence, community and a clear strategy make business growth less overwhelming.
In this episode of Champion Mindset Collective, Anthony Dahya sits down with Carolyn Banks, CEO of NZ Businesswomen and NZ Business Academy, at the Podcast Bach during the New Zealand Franchise & Small Business Expo.
Carolyn reflects on starting an IT consultancy after illness changed her working life and later helping build a national community of women in business. One of her biggest business lessons came from an unlikely place: selling her house, living on a boat and learning to ask for help.
We explore why networking needs to be relational, not transactional; how confidence grows through supportive connections; and why many capable business owners make growth harder by believing they need to know everything.
Carolyn and Anthony also discuss why business strategy should come before the latest AI tools, finding support for the tasks outside your strengths, and choosing action over endless second-guessing.
If you are running a small business and feel overwhelmed or alone, this conversation is about growing with more confidence, clarity and connection.
What is one thing in your business that you could stop trying to do alone? Let us know in the comments, and subscribe for more practical conversations about business, leadership and mindset.
#SmallBusinessGrowth #WomenInBusiness #ChampionMindsetCollective
Key TakeawaysNZ Businesswomen: https://www.nzbusinesswomen.co.nz/
NZ Business Academy: https://nzbusinessacademy.co.nz/
Carolyn Banks on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynbanksnz/
Contact Carolyn: [email protected]
Be a Guest on the Show
Business growing but everything still depends on you? Eddie Yi shares how delegation, clear systems and practical AI can help you step out of daily operations and lead.
In this Champion Mindset Collective conversation, Anthony Dahya sits down with Eddie Yi, founder and CEO of Ditans Group. Eddie shares how a staffing problem he disliked became a business opportunity, and why working harder alone does not create a company that can run without its owner.
We explore the link between marketing, delivery and internal operations; how to document knowledge before delegating; and where AI can support a team. Eddie also shares his perspective on AI search, customer reviews and learning through action.
What is one task you could document and hand over this week? Subscribe for more practical conversations on leadership, business growth and mindset.
#Delegation #BusinessGrowth #ChampionMindsetCollective
Key TakeawaysDitans Group: https://ditansgroup.com/
Eddie Yi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-yi
Contact: [email protected]
GEO services: https://ditansgroup.com/generative-engine-optimization-services/
Review management: https://ditansgroup.com/review-management/
Be a Guest on the Show
Afraid of hearing no? For a lot of business owners, fear of rejection is what holds them back, not a lack of ideas. Verity Craft shares how to stop fearing no and build confidence through action.
Verity is a keynote speaker, facilitator, book coach and co-founder of Intelligent Ink. After a lifetime of theatre auditions and more than a decade growing a business, she learned that rejection is not a verdict. It is information, and often a redirection.
We talk about why our brains fear rejection, why the outcome is often not about you, and how treating feedback like director's notes changes everything. Verity also shares her Audition Mindset, a simple three-part way to move from fear into action: Aspire, Craft, Take Your Shot.
Verity shares her personal experience and coaching perspective. This is not therapy or professional mental health advice.
Key TakeawaysWebsite: https://www.veritycraft.com/
Intelligent Ink: https://www.intelligent.ink/posts/member/verity-craft/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verity-craft/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verity.craft/
Be a Guest on the Show
Are you constantly saying yes when you really mean no?
People-pleasing can look like kindness, but over time it can leave you exhausted, resentful and disconnected from what you actually want.
In this episode of the Champion Mindset Collective, transformational coach, speaker, entrepreneur and bestselling author Sunniva Holt shares what it really takes to stop living for everyone else and start choosing yourself without the guilt.
One of Sunniva’s strongest reminders is simple:
“Your no needs to come with a full stop.”
We explore boundaries, self-worth, journalling, redefining success, protecting your energy and becoming the version of yourself you actually want to be.
✨ In this conversation:
• How to stop people-pleasing without feeling guilty
• Why boundaries only work when you uphold them
• How to recognise repeating patterns
• Why self-observation can create real change
• How journalling helps you reconnect with what you want
• How to redefine success on your own terms
• Why small, sustainable changes matter
• How to stop living around other people’s opinions
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Choosing yourself without guilt
02:56 Sunniva’s childhood and early independence
05:33 What choosing yourself really means
06:31 Why your “no” needs a full stop
09:04 How people-pleasing keeps reappearing
09:56 Boundaries only work when you uphold them
12:39 Self-observation and becoming your own life coach
15:29 Successful on paper vs truly fulfilled
18:30 Building confidence and independence
54:04 Connecting with your future self
55:14 Why small changes are more sustainable
1:00:50 Stop caring what other people think
1:03:48 Quickfire round
1:08:58 Remember who you are
1:12:48 Life On Your Terms and final thoughts
🎙️ About Sunniva Holt
Sunniva Holt is a transformational coach, speaker, entrepreneur and bestselling author who helps high-achieving women stop living by default and create lives and businesses on their own terms.
🔗 Connect with Sunniva
🌐 Website + Journal Your Way To Success guide
💫 1:1 Private Coaching
👥 Group Immersives
✨ VIP Intensive Days
📸 Instagram
▶️ YouTube
💼 LinkedIn
📘 Facebook
📖 Life On Your Terms
📚 Read the article
The Hidden Cost of People-Pleasing: How to Choose Yourself Without Guilt
📝 Practical Guide
Choosing Yourself: A Guide to Overcoming People-Pleasing and Cultivating Authentic Success
🏆 Champion Mindset Collective
🎓 Champion Academy
🎙️ Podcast
🎤 Apply to be a guest
💬 Where in your life are you saying yes when you really mean no?
Has your business become busy without really moving?
In S3E274 of the Champion Mindset Collective, Anthony Dahya speaks with Ankur Shrivastava, founder of StratMate, startup mentor, Senior Business Analyst at ASB and host of Let’s Talk Strategy.
After redundancy in 2024, Ankur chose to create rather than simply wait for the next opportunity. That decision led to entrepreneurship, startup mentoring, community building and StratMate.
At the heart of the conversation is Ankur’s Soda Fizz Theory. A business can begin with energy, excitement and momentum, but over time that fizz can disappear into admin, process and too many competing priorities. You can feel productive while the business itself stops moving.
Ankur’s practical reset is simple:
REINVENT.
RECONNECT.
REFOCUS.
IN THIS EPISODE
• Why too many priorities can kill momentum
• The difference between being busy and actually growing
• How redundancy changed Ankur’s definition of success
• Why saying no can protect your direction
• Why customer conversations matter as you grow
• Why you do not have to quit your job to start something of your own
• How to keep the fizz alive through different phases of business and life
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Busy is not the same as growing.
• Ten or twelve priorities are not really priorities.
• Reinvent through small useful improvements.
• Reconnect with customers and their real frustrations.
• Refocus on the few things that genuinely move the business forward.
• Redundancy can become redirection.
• You can start building something of your own without immediately leaving your job.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Why Good Businesses Lose Momentum
1:06 Ankur’s Journey From India to New Zealand
2:03 Redundancy in 2024 and the Decision to Build
3:03 Discovering the Startup Strategy Gap
4:28 Creating Let’s Talk Strategy
4:48 Building the AI Nexus Community
6:25 How Redundancy Changed Ankur’s Definition of Success
8:01 Learning to Say No in Business
9:22 Balancing Career, Business and Community
10:22 The Soda Fizz Theory
11:08 Why 12 Priorities Means No Real Priorities
12:37 Reinvent, Reconnect and Refocus
13:41 Entrepreneurship, Risk and Fear
14:46 How to Connect With Ankur
15:29 Quickfire: Success, Inspiration and Entrepreneurship
16:18 Why You Don’t Have to Quit Your Job to Start
17:06 Keep the Fizz Alive
17:31 What a Champion Mindset Means
CONNECT WITH ANKUR
StratMate:
https://stratmate.co.nz/
LinkedIn:
https://nz.linkedin.com/in/ankur-shrivastava-622a4a28
Let’s Talk Strategy on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/@stratmatenz
Let’s Talk Strategy on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/5pRB8VcoGOZky8FqP46foL
EPISODE RESOURCES
Episode Page:
https://championmindsetcollective.com/episode/ankur-shrivastava-S3E274
Article - Busy Isn’t Growth:
https://championmindsetcollective.com/blog/busy-isnt-growth-why-good-businesses-lose-momentum-and-how-to-get-it-back
CHAMPION MINDSET COLLECTIVE
Website:
https://championmindsetcollective.com/
Champion Academy:
https://championmindsetcollective.com/academy
Be a Guest:
https://championmindsetcollective.com/be-a-guest
#BusinessGrowth #BusinessStrategy #SmallBusiness #BusinessMomentum #FounderMindset #Entrepreneurship #StartupStrategy #StratMate #AnkurShrivastava #ChampionMindsetCollective
Why do capable people know what they should do, yet become a completely different version of themselves when pressure rises?
In this episode of the Champion Mindset Collective, Anthony Dahya sits down with Dr Travis Fox, creator of MindPersonas®, MPHIOS® and co-creator of PersonaForce™, to explore the identity patterns influencing decisions, relationships, leadership and performance.
Dr Fox makes a powerful distinction:
“Mindset is what you think. Identity is who shows up at the moment of pressure.”
Rather than seeing ourselves as one fixed identity, Travis explores how different parts of us can emerge under pressure, often in an attempt to protect us.
The conversation covers self-sabotage, burnout, nervous-system warning signs, subconscious patterns, performance under pressure and a practical framework:
Who? What? How? When?
One of the most practical ideas is the first 5%. You do not have to fix everything at once. Sometimes transformation begins with becoming just 5% more aware of the pattern showing up.
Anthony also shares his own experiences of abandonment and rejection, and how greater awareness helped him understand and rewrite some of the stories that shaped his identity.
Chapters
00:00 The Hidden Identity Running Your Life
02:37 35 Years Studying Identity and Human Behaviour
13:50 Mindset vs Identity
21:28 The Nervous System and Protective Patterns
28:31 Who, What, How and When
31:23 The First 5%
37:01 Trauma and Protective Patterns
44:03 Anthony’s Story of Rewriting Identity
59:24 Aligned and Non-Performing Personas
1:07:15 Self-Sabotage, Burnout and Warning Signs
1:15:11 Presence and Stillness
1:18:35 AI, Identity and Human Agency
1:27:40 Where to Start With PersonaForce
1:32:00 Quickfire Questions
Connect with Dr Travis Fox
PersonaForce™
LinkedIn
Instagram
Complimentary Identity Map
Dr Fox mentions the code CHAMPION20 during the episode. Visit PersonaForce for the current offer and redemption details.
Champion Mindset Collective
championmindsetcollective.com
The Champion Reset
Explore The Champion Reset
Champion Academy
championmindsetcollective.com/academy
This conversation includes personal-development and psychological concepts shared through Dr Travis Fox’s framework and perspective. It is intended for education and reflection and is not personalised medical or mental-health advice.
From the publisher's feed