We've had to postpone Sophie's appearance on Delightful Dissent until the end of the month. Instead, there's going to be a short bonus episode from me about the idea we should always meet expectations.

I'll be talking a bit more about the show, how things are developing, and what the plans are for the future. Please do ask any questions in the chat and join me live!

Delightful Dissent is a live-recorded oddcast about challenging assumptions. You can find upcoming episode livestreams, and past recordings, at https://www.matthewbellringer.com/delightful-dissent.

We’re told that being yourself is the best way to approach. That being yourself is the easiest way to a good outcome. That there’s no need to be nervous, because all you have to is be yourself. But what if being yourself isn’t such a simple thing to do?

In this episode of Delightful Dissent I’ll be talking to Vix Anderton about the saying “just be yourself”. We’ll explore what it really means to be yourself and whether that’s always good advice. We’ll see if there are more helpful ways to give advice than telling people to “be” something. We’ll share our own approaches to more meaningful self-expression.

Vix guides overachievers, overthinkers and recovering perfectionists to be more authentic and more resilient. With her own experience in high-stress environments from the RAF, to international development and the tech start-up world, she is an advocate for using the principles of cyclical living to help people manage their energy and their emotions to build a more sustainable and authentic way of living and working.

You can get in touch with Vix and find out more about her work on her website - https://www.thepracticalbalance.com

Delightful Dissent is a live-recorded oddcast about challenging assumptions. You can find upcoming episode livestreams, and past recordings, at https://www.matthewbellringer.com/delightful-dissent.

We're told that you change the world by finding your purpose, getting a clear vision and making it happen. But what if the quest for your purpose is preventing you from enjoying your work and making the greatest difference you can?

In this episode of Delightful Dissent I'm talking to Carlos Saba about the idea "I need a clear purpose". We'll explore what it means to do meaningful work. We'll look at how pressure to have purpose and do meaningful work, whilst well intentioned, can do more harm than good. We'll share our own experiences of looking for meaning and the approaches we've found helpful along the way.

Carlos is co-founder of the Happy Startup School. He creates spaces and experiences that help people find their role in the world before it's too late. With tools, technology, coaching and community he helps them make that vision happen.

You can get in touch with Carlos through LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kungfucarlos/ - and find out more about his work on his website - https://thehappystartupschool.com

He's running a course on pricing soon - http://happypricing.co/course

Delightful Dissent is a live-recorded oddcast about challenging assumptions. You can find upcoming episode livestreams, and past recordings, at https://www.matthewbellringer.com/delightful-dissent.

We’re told that business is all about the numbers. That it’s the metrics that matter. That anything we do to score more than the others - to win - is just part of the game. But what if trying to win the game this way just makes us miserable?

In this episode of Delightful Dissent I’m talking to Ben Tucker about the assumption “Business isn’t personal”. We’ll explore how the way we think about work and business affects our whole lives. We’ll see if cutthroat competition is the only way to win the game. We’ll share our own approaches to finding joy and playfulness in serious stuff.

Ben is an immersive experience designer and director of Buckbuck Games. He has 20 years experience in the ad industry and is a lecturer in creativity for London College of Communications, BIMM University and California Polytechnic State University.

You can find out more about Ben's work and get in touch with him at https://www.buckbuckgames.com - he's also offering a free upgrade to his interactive team games for Delightful Dissent viewers/listeners.

Delightful Dissent is a live-recorded oddcast about challenging assumptions. You can find upcoming episode livestreams, and past recordings, at https://www.matthewbellringer.com/delightful-dissent.

We’re told listening to feedback is a vital leadership skill. Being evaluated by colleagues is a core part of our professional development. But what if understanding takes more than listening to, and agreeing to fix, what’s “good” and “bad”?

In this episode of Delightful Dissent I’ll be talking to Sally-Anne Airey about the assumption “I should listen to feedback”. We’ll explore what it means to engage with others with compassion. We’ll see if there’s more to feedback than an objective evaluation. We’ll share ways of turning feedback into something which opens up, not closes down, possibility.

Sally-Anne is a former Royal Navy Commander turned leadership coach, who works with leaders who understand that to lead others well, you must first know and master yourself. Her leadership framework, Mindful Command®, gives leaders the foundations for lifelong clarity, self-mastery and true leadership presence.

You can find out more about Sally-Anne's work at her website - https://skilfulleaders.com

Delightful Dissent is a live-recorded oddcast about challenging assumptions. You can find upcoming episode livestreams, and past recordings, at https://www.matthewbellringer.com/delightful-dissent.

Trust is vital to good working relationships. Challenging people damages the trust we need to work well together. But what if leaving things unchallenged does even more harm? What if there are ways to challenge people which create rather than erode trust?

In this episode of Delightful Dissent I’ll be speaking to Adrian Ashton about the assumption “we damage trust when we challenge other’s actions”. We’ll be exploring the relationship between trust, conflict and change. We’ll share our own approaches for challenging people in a positive way.

Adrian is a recognised authority on business start-ups, and social enterprise (amongst other things) having worked with government on national policy initiatives; enterprise education programmes with several universities; creating acclaimed programmes with sector bodies - and picking up a few ‘paperweights’ along the way for his role in these.

As a freelancer who tries to keep his values front and centre in how he approaches his work and all he does, he has been publishing an annual impact on himself for nearly 2 decades. This has not only been identified as a leading example of integrated impact reporting, but has recently been aligned to explore how he is contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Find out more about Adrian's work and get in touch at https://about.me/adrianashton

Delightful Dissent is a live-recorded oddcast about challenging assumptions. You can find upcoming episode livestreams, and past recordings, at https://www.matthewbellringer.com/delightful-dissent.

The point of success is to feel good. The more successful you are, the more you’ve solved your problems, the happier you’ll be. But what if avoiding negative emotions is getting in the way? What if you don’t have to be successful to be happy?

In this episode of Delightful Dissent I’m speaking to David Papa. We'll explore the relationship between how we feel and what we do. We'll see whether we can truly describe emotions as "good" or "bad". We'll share what success means to us and the ways we like to work with it.

Many people analyze, plan, control, set goals, achieve them and find out they are still absolutely miserable. David did that twice. Finally in 2013 he left everything behind to explore his spiritual path, his heart, and his intuition.

David dove into deep shadow work, created multiple businesses, coached hundreds of leaders and entrepreneurs around the world, and helped many others emotionally heal. David found happiness. Most recently, he co-founded 3 Spirits Coaching to help successful people actually enjoy their lives and help humanity.

You can get in touch with David via LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpapa/

Delightful Dissent is a live-recorded oddcast about challenging assumptions. You can find upcoming episode livestreams, and past recordings, at https://www.matthewbellringer.com/delightful-dissent.

The best leaders are completely certain about their vision. If you’re not 100% sure then something is wrong. Conflicting feelings and paradoxical thoughts prevent us from succeeding. But what if clinging to directness confuses instead of clarifies? What is stopping us from enjoying our incongruity?

In this episode my guest is Patricia von Papstein. We’ll be exploring the assumption that “feeling ambivalent is a sign of trouble”. We'll look at how we can decipher and play with mixed emotions. We'll explore their role as a subtle driver of innovation and change. We’ll see if it’s possible to resolve emotional discord and play a different tune.

Patricia is a business lady, a clinical and organizational psychologist. She invests in and mentors start-ups that focus their products and services on emotional wealth creation.

She has a podcast called "Bliss to Business!" where she reimagines a more utopian business world, zeroing in on current stereotypes and doctrines. https://www.blisstobusiness.com/deutsch/mein-podcast/ (In German).

Sensitive to the pressure the corona pandemia brings to leaders, she has designed an ad hoc service offer for emotional bravehearts in the business community: https://www.blisstobusiness.com/english/emo-emergency-for-biz

Delightful Dissent is a live-recorded oddcast about challenging assumptions. You can find upcoming episode livestreams, and past recordings, at https://www.matthewbellringer.com/delightful-dissent.

Confident people are confident because they know what’s going to happen. That’s what lets them avoid being wrong. To get more confident, I need to know as much as I can. But what if confidence isn’t all about certainty? What If I don’t have to have everything under control?

In this episode of Delightful Dissent I’m talking to Alice Reeves about the assumption “some people know what’s going on”. We’ll explore what it means to do something genuinely different. We’ll consider if all confidence comes from the same place. We’ll see how the aspects of you that don’t “fit” can be your greatest strength.

Alice Reeves is Co-Founder & Director of The Joyful, an impact-led brand and marketing agency for movers, shakers and change-makers. Alice has worked in marketing for the last 11 years, specialising in social media and content. She is also the author of the Truth & Tails children’s books series which promotes diversity, inclusion and acceptance.

Her business - https://wearethejoyful.com/

Delightful Dissent is a live-recorded oddcast about challenging assumptions. You can find upcoming episode livestreams, and past recordings, at https://www.matthewbellringer.com/delightful-dissent.

If something takes me longer to do, I should charge more for it. If it takes me less time to do, I should charge less for it. It’s dishonest to charge a lot for something that’s easy for me to do, because I’m paid for time and effort. But what if your effort isn’t really what people are paying for?

In this episode I’m talking to Fox Geere about the idea “I’m only worth the effort I put in”. We’ll explore how under-valuing your work reduces your ability to serve people. We’ll discuss whether being friends with someone means you shouldn’t charge them for what you do. We’ll see if it’s possible to do purpose-led work and make a profit at the same time.

Fox is on a mission to make it Impossible to do bad business. He helps ‘Founders of Good’ to grow the businesses the world needs.

He is a business strategist, optimist & mentor to the cause-driven. Working with cause-driven teams to grow profitable, impactful businesses through coaching and strategic support. He lives and breathes good businesses that make good profit so they can do more good. You can find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/foxgeere/

Fox has an entirely free book (with no form to fill in either) to help you better understand the value you have to offer and move to charging based on what your work is worth to the buyer rather than the time it will take to do it. This small but punchy book of questions will have you armed with a set of powerful ‘value based pricing’ questions that will transform your meetings with potential (and existing) customers. Download it at https://foxgeere.com/41.pdf

For more in-depth support, he is running a pilot of a new course called “Stop Selling Hours. Start Charging More”. Transform yourself from commodity service provider to an 'in demand', highly profitable business in 4 weeks.

Delightful Dissent is a live-recorded oddcast about challenging assumptions. You can find upcoming episode livestreams, and past recordings, at https://www.matthewbellringer.com/delightful-dissent.