I recorded this episode late.

All year I’ve been disciplined. Daily episodes. Even from Nepal with poor internet And yet here I am, back home, beachy, relaxed, watching eight hours of cricket… and suddenly a three-minute podcast feels heavy.

That’s the bit I wanted to call out.

It’s not that the work is hard. It’s that the perception of effort ramps up when you’re in soft mode. When you’re already moving, working, exercising, creating, the extra thing barely registers. When you’ve gone full couch, everything feels like a task.

I talk about why the last stretch of anything feels harder, just like the final kilometres of a run. Same effort, louder brain. And how habit stacking and timing matter more than motivation.

The takeaway is simple. Don’t wait to feel ready. Change the context. Do the thing while you’re already in motion.

Because once you start, it’s fine. It’s the thinking about it that’s exhausting.

• Why the last leg of the year feels heavier than the rest
• Effort vs perception of effort and why your brain lies
• Soft mode vs motion mode and how context changes everything
• Why doing the thing is easier than gearing up to do the thing
• How habit stacking saves you from yourself

• Where are you blaming fatigue when it’s really a context problem?
• What task feels big purely because you’ve stopped moving?
• What would change if you did that thing earlier, faster, or mid-motion?

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The Story Behind “Eat Clean, Drink Dirty”

A while back, my Red Carpet Campout collaborator, Steve Demedio, asked about my dietary requirements. I replied via SMS, “I eat clean and I drink dirty.” That phrase stuck with me, especially recalling a trip to Thailand with Chris.

Our mornings were all about a healthy routine—coffee, hydration, gym sessions, and a fruit-filled breakfast—while our afternoons melted into beautiful sunsets with a Chang or a mojito in hand. That contrast perfectly sums up my lifestyle: keeping things balanced rather than swinging to extremes.

Moderation: The Sustainable Way

I’m not here to dish out advice—this is about sharing what works for me and letting you decide what fits your life. I don’t follow the latest fad diets or extreme regimens; I simply opt for a moderate approach that supports both my well-being and my enjoyment of life. Sure, some folks might say that skipping alcohol entirely gives you extra energy and mental clarity, but I believe in the power of a couple of drinks to spark real conversations and genuine connections. For instance, I’ve seen how a casual beer can break down barriers—reminding me of my mate in the police force, who fondly recalled the old days when cops could wind down together over a few beers.

Balancing Health and Happiness

I’m aware that moderation isn’t for everyone, and there’s a fine line between maintaining a balanced lifestyle and potentially overdoing it. I keep my commitments to eating well, exercising, and living healthily, which helps counterbalance the occasional indulgence. For me, being 40 means I can experiment with this balance—eating clean while enjoying a little dirty drink—and find long-term sustainability without feeling deprived.

Where Do You Stand?

As of February 2025, I’m comfortably navigating my “eat clean, drink dirty” path. I’m curious about your take: do you find that moderation in your habits makes life more sustainable? Do you ever wonder if striving for extreme health benefits is worth sacrificing those spontaneous, fun moments?

Questions for You

• How do you balance a commitment to healthy living with the desire to enjoy life’s lighter moments?
• Have you ever noticed that a casual drink or relaxed conversation has led to unexpected clarity or connection?
• What does long-term sustainability look like for you when it comes to balancing healthy habits with a bit of indulgence?

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Today I’m pulling you into a conversation I’ve been hanging out to have again, because Julian Treasure is one of those rare humans who makes you rethink how you speak, how you listen, and even how your office is quietly wrecking your brain.

I open by asking a simple question: what’s your favourite TED Talk? Because TED is basically the internet’s global library of “oh wow” moments. I share a few of mine, and then we get into the reason Julian’s back, his talk “How to Speak so that People Want to Listen” is one I use all the time in my workshops.

Julian’s done five TED Talks, his videos have been viewed more than 100 million times, and he’s living proof that voice and listening aren’t “soft skills”. They’re career skills.

1) Open plan offices: productivity killers in a suit

Julian doesn’t mince words: open plan offices are often a nightmare. Noise is the number one complaint and it’s not even close. Too loud, you lose focus. Too quiet, you feel watched and you stop talking anyway. Either way, it’s not the collaboration utopia architects promised.

He also shares the research that open plan can lead to more emails and less talking because people don’t want to be overheard.

2) Noise isn’t just annoying. It’s a health issue.

Julian explains that we’ve got limited bandwidth for conversations and when speech is around you, it hijacks your attention. Long exposure to higher workplace noise isn’t just “a vibe problem”. It can lift stress and impact health over time.

3) The office should be “activity-based”, not one-size-fits-all

We talk about activity-based working: the idea that an office should have different zones for different work types. Quiet space for deep work. Open space for collaboration. Booths for calls. A space designed like a living system, not a factory floor.

4) Biophilia and soundscapes (yes, it’s a thing)

Julian shares what his company has been building: soundscapes designed to improve wellbeing and productivity, using nature-based audio (often water) rather than artificial “coloured noise”. It’s niche, and it’s fascinating.

5) My favourite bit: how facilitators can design the room for better collaboration

Julian gives a simple, practical checklist for any workshop space:

• Acoustics: soft surfaces, curtains, carpet, irregular shapes help
• Noise sources: fans, traffic, hallway machines, anything that drags attention away
• Sound system: match it to room size and your voice, and consider your own mic rig
• Setup discipline: arrive early, reset the room at breaks, make it feel cared for

He even suggests the easiest room test: walk in and clap. Your ears will tell you the truth.

6) Why silence is the first lesson in a speaking course

This surprised me too. Julian starts his course with silence because silence is the baseline for real listening. If you can’t listen properly, you can’t speak into what people actually need. Speaking and listening aren’t separate skills, they feed each other in real time.

He drops a question I’m stealing forever:

“What’s the listening I’m speaking into?”

Different room, different time of day, different culture, different mood. If you don’t adapt to that, you’re basically performing at people, not communicating with them.

7) Handling disagreement without getting defensive

This part was gold. Julian says most of our defensiveness comes from two addictions:

• wanting to look good
• wanting to be right

Both are understandable. Both will sabotage you in front of a group.

The better move is curiosity: “I don’t agree, but I want to understand how you got there.” He talks about listening with compassion and recognising that people’s assumptions are shaped by their history. Same interaction, totally different interpretation.

• Julian’s book: How to Be Heard
• Free listening exercises via Julian’s website: juliantreasure.com
• Julian’s course: speaking and listening course at speaklistenbe.com (Julian mentions it’s discounted at time of recording)

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Ronsley was the person who told me, years ago, “If you want to start a podcast, start one about something you want to learn.”

That advice is the reason this show exists.

In this final interview, we don’t talk tactics. We talk identity, energy, reps, and why preparation is not the same thing as control.

We unpack why Ronsley doesn’t see himself as a “facilitator” even though he absolutely is one, how he creates rooms people want to be in, and why return on luck is really return on reps.

We talk about:

• Why great facilitation is about standing back, not stepping up
• How treating everyone as equal changes the energy of a room instantly
• Why clarity usually arrives late and that’s normal
• The difference between winging it and being deeply prepared
• Why audio strips away posturing and exposes truth fast
• How reps compound quietly while everyone else is chasing shortcuts

This episode is about trusting the process without pretending you’re in charge of it.

If you facilitate rooms, lead conversations, host sessions, or feel yourself in the middle of a professional skin-shedding phase, this one will land.

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I’ve just delivered my final webinar of the year and, honestly, I’m not gliding into the finish line. There’s still work on the table.

In today’s episode, I want to share something simple that worked beautifully in a live client session. A practical way to get buy-in without overcomplicating things.

The move is this

“Here’s what you said.”

That’s it.

This team had been involved earlier in the year, sharing input on their future direction and identity. The leadership team took that raw input away, did the hard thinking, and came back with something clear, sharp, and aspirational. And instead of opening with “Here’s what we’ve decided,” the leader opened with a slide that said, Here’s what you said.

That one move changed the energy in the room.

People could see themselves in the work. They could recognise their language, their intent, their concerns. It showed respect for the process and for their contribution. And importantly, it didn’t try to include everything. It highlighted patterns, not noise.

There’s a myth that if you ask for feedback, you have to use all of it. You don’t. What you do need to do is acknowledge it, synthesise it, and show how it informed the direction you’re taking. Even if you ultimately choose a different path, transparency earns trust.

This is also a timing lesson. If you gather input and then disappear, you do more damage than if you’d never asked at all. Feedback needs a visible return loop.

As we head into the end of the year, when energy is patchy and attention is stretched, this is one of those low-effort, high-impact moves that actually works.

I’m heading into a writing-heavy summer, with fewer client interruptions and, let’s be honest, a bit of sloth mode sprinkled in. We’ll see how disciplined I am.

Thanks for listening. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.

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I negotiated a book deal with Wiley.

• Who I’m writing this book for: an earlier version of me, sitting on a train in South Bank three months into a “dream job on paper” that I hated.
• The trap I fell into: job hunting as avoidance. I thought a new role would fix it. It didn’t.
• A line I can’t unhear: “The grass isn’t greener… it’s just another shade of brown.” Every job has brown patches. The question is what you do about it.
• The premise of the book: it’s not about finding your dream job. It’s about making your job a dream through personal agency and deliberate moves.
• Practical toolkits I’m planning to include: reaching out to people, getting meetings, hosting lunch and learns, building reputation, and understanding what “value” actually means.
• The deadline pressure: aiming for an October 2026 release, with structure and a couple of chapters due early January.
• The provocative opening (current working idea): why “be so good they can’t ignore you” is a lie.

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Today’s episode started with a simple client conversation about recognition.

. I shared a moment I’ll never forget from a workshop I ran in India with 30 construction leaders. One card said, “I’d be happy if my leader just said thank you.”

That card stopped the room.

Everyone stood up.

That memory took me straight back to a book I keep coming back to, The Courage to Be Disliked. It’s easily the most annotated book on my Kindle, and honestly, it feels like one long highlight.

I read out passages that question our obsession with recognition, approval, and being liked. The book makes a brutal point: when your sense of contribution depends on recognition, you are no longer free. You start shaping your life around other people’s expectations. You end up loyal to everyone and owned by all of them.

I also touch on workaholism as a “life lie” – using work to avoid other responsibilities and parts of life that feel harder to face. That one stings for a lot of high performers.

The thread that ties it all together is this:

Real contribution doesn’t need applause.

If you genuinely know you’re useful, you stop chasing validation.

This episode is part reflection, part reading, part uncomfortable mirror. If recognition is driving your decisions more than you’d like to admit, this one will land.

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I woke up to the news out of Bondi. A targeted shooting. Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah. It’s horrifying, heartbreaking, and deeply unsettling. Like many Australians, I’m angry, sad, and shocked that this happened here.

I talk about what it’s been like trying to function creatively in the middle of that. And the very real tension between staying informed and protecting your sanity.

I share why I made the call to switch the news off, physically leave the room, and create some distance. Not out of disrespect.

I also reflect on a moment from Nepal, meeting someone who had completely opted out of the news cycle altogether. At first, I judged it. Then I understood it. And that’s where this episode really sits.

This isn’t about ignorance or avoidance. It’s about asking what constant exposure actually does to us. A 24-hour news cycle. Clickbait headlines. Endless updates that pull you back into grief, outrage, and helplessness.

There’s no solution offered here. No tidy takeaway. Just an honest conversation about compartmentalising, protecting your energy, and doing the best you can on days when the world feels overwhelming.

If you’re feeling flat, distracted, or emotionally flooded right now, you’re not broken. You’re human.

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This episode exists because a completely normal Christmas catch-up in Brisbane somehow turned into a 30-minute in-depth chat about bidets.

It started at our Red Carpet Campout reunion. Darts. Drinks. Way too much food.

So today, I’m talking about bidets. Yes, really.

I explain what they actually are, why they’re everywhere in Japan and much of Asia, and how staying in a hotel in Sriracha, Thailand sent me down a very unexpected rabbit hole that ended with installing one at home.

We get into the practical stuff.

How much they cost.

Attachments versus full toilet replacements.

Why occupational therapists are quietly recommending them for accessibility and ease of use.

Then it gets bigger.

Environmental impact.

Water use versus toilet paper.

The strange panic-buying habits we’ve all seen during floods and lockdowns.

And the uncomfortable truth that wiping with paper might not be as “normal” or clean as we think.

There’s also a nod to South Park’s Japanese Toilet episode and the not-so-subtle message underneath the jokes.

Also, yes, “Bidet Mate” is already a real company.

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I’m joined by Jordan Mendoza, a sales and training pro with 25+ years in sales and marketing, and 14 years in the multifamily housing world (he explains what that actually means, so you’re not left guessing). I first heard him on a group Zoom call through Andy Storch’s Talent Development Summit and within minutes I knew: this guy is a live wire. He trains, he sells, he hosts the Blaze Your Own Trail podcast, he breakdances, he does impressions, and he’s built a LinkedIn audience of 60,000-plus by showing up consistently and making business content genuinely watchable.

We go deep into the stuff most people avoid. Like imposter syndrome. Jordan tells the story of being sent to an “advanced instructor” course when he was anything but advanced, walking into a room full of experienced trainers… and seeing a camera recording everything. Present. Get the DVD. Watch yourself. Critique yourself. Repeat. It’s brutal. It’s also a fast track if you can handle the discomfort instead of hiding behind “I’m not ready yet”.

From there, we unpack what actually keeps people engaged for long sessions (Jordan runs full eight-hour days in a six-month leadership program). He’s big on open-ended questions, mixing the pace, and designing the day like a system: breaks that hit at the right time, music and snacks to lift the energy, and activities that aren’t random, they’re tied to the content.

We also get practical about virtual selling and trust-building. When COVID killed in-person tours, Jordan’s team didn’t sulk, they rebuilt the whole experience online: virtual tours booked via chatbot, Zoom walk-throughs, even live tours streamed from inside the actual apartment. Then they made the close frictionless: “Here’s the link, apply now, take it off the market today.” The result: a 25% increase in new leases year-over-year, during a pandemic. Translation: virtual doesn’t have to mean weaker. It means you need better design.

Then we talk LinkedIn and content. Jordan’s rule is simple: create content that educates, inspires, or entertains. Most people stay stuck in “professional beige”. Jordan leans into personality, fun, tagging others, and relationship-building at scale. And yes… he drops a Simpsons impression and demos Zoom studio effects mid-conversation to prove the point: you can use tiny moments of play to break the ice and lift attention.

If you’re a facilitator, trainer, consultant, or leader trying to build momentum, this episode is a reminder that “more polished” isn’t the goal. More useful and more human is.

• Ask better questions. Open-ended questions create thinking, and thinking creates conversation.
• Design for attention, not ego. Long sessions need rhythm: breaks, activities, sensory shifts, and clear purpose.
• Create “home base”. A physical spot you return to when you need to reset your focus while presenting.
• Virtual trust is built with video + ease. Show the thing, remove friction, make the next step obvious.
• Content works when it’s usable. If people can apply it immediately, you’re building future demand.
• Consistency beats planning. Jordan’s growth came from showing up daily, not over-engineering a content calendar.

• Andy Storch’s Talent Development Summit
• Jordan’s podcast: Blaze Your Own Trail
• LinkedIn content: educate / inspire / entertain
• “Lack of friction” as a selling and engagement principle
• Zoom studio effects and filters as lightweight icebreakers

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