In this second follow-up episode of The Announcement, I explore a crucial counterbalance to the billionaire-driven change narrative: the power of citizenship and grassroots movements in reshaping our collective future.

I'm joined by Jon Alexander, co-founder of the New Citizen Project and co-author of the increasingly influential book Citizens - a work that offers a compelling, necessary vision about who we are and how we might move forward together.

This exchange builds directly on themes discussed in my original three-part Announcement series.

While those conversations examined top-down change models driven by government, business and the philanthropic sector, Jon presents a fundamentally different vision: one where citizenship, not consumerism, takes the leading role in driving societal transformation.

In the months since my original series aired, we've witnessed the increasing tension between communities, grassroots movements and wealthy power brokers playing out across global politics.

As we all navigate these complex dynamics, Jon's perspective - that ‘to change the future, we must change the story’ - couldn't be more timely.

In this conversation, you'll gain insights into:

Jon’s view of the three dominant post-war stories - the consumer story, the subject story, and the citizen story.

Why citizenship represents a more historically accurate and hopeful vision of human potential than the consumerist tale we’re currently shackled to.

How grassroots movements can effectively counterbalance billionaire and corporate power.

What a collaborative, empathetic vision of society might actually look like in practice.

Once you've had a chance to listen, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how Jon's citizenship framework might complement or challenge the perspectives presented in previous episodes.

For bonus and behind-the-scenes material, click here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

In this second follow-up episode of The Announcement, I explore a crucial counterbalance to the billionaire-driven change narrative: the power of citizenship and grassroots movements in reshaping our collective future.

I'm joined by Jon Alexander, co-founder of the New Citizen Project and co-author of the increasingly influential book Citizens - a work that offers a compelling, necessary vision about who we are and how we might move forward together.

This exchange builds directly on themes discussed in my original three-part Announcement series.

While those conversations examined top-down change models driven by government, business and the philanthropic sector, Jon presents a fundamentally different vision: one where citizenship, not consumerism, takes the leading role in driving societal transformation.

In the months since my original series aired, we've witnessed the increasing tension between communities, grassroots movements and wealthy power brokers playing out across global politics.

As we all navigate these complex dynamics, Jon's perspective - that ‘to change the future, we must change the story’ - couldn't be more timely .

In this conversation, you'll gain insights into:

Jon’s view of the three dominant post-war stories - the consumer story, the subject story, and the citizen story.

Why citizenship represents a more historically accurate and hopeful vision of human potential than the consumerist tale we’re currently shackled to.

How grassroots movements can effectively counterbalance billionaire and corporate power.

What a collaborative, empathetic vision of society might actually look like in practice.

Once you've had a chance to listen, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how Jon's citizenship framework might complement or challenge the perspectives presented in previous episodes.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 15% off anything from Db Journey.

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The notion of the visionary founder is the most ubiquitous of modern tropes.

It is also one of the most harmful, as one glance at the madness that unfolds on LinkedIn on any given day ably demonstrates.

And in a way the idea that the founder is fuelled by a weird diet, 4am starts and a particularly itchy social media trigger-finger reminds me of another toxic stereotype - the myth of the anointed creative.

Both rely on this idea that these roles are only open to a particular type of borderline toxic gunslinger, operating slightly outside the margins of society.

I was reminded of this during my recent Creative Exchange conversation with Db founder Truls Brataas, which I am sharing today.

Because Truls’ tale is a much-needed reminder that kindness, gentleness, and a constant striving for evolution, are equally valid foundations when it comes to running a successful, visionary company.

Truls’ story of how he steered Db from plucky winter sports start-up, to renowned global luggage brand, is the perfect demonstration of the value of doing things with care, and on your own terms.

That’s why, if you’ve ever wondered what it takes to run your own company, harbour ambitions to begin something yourself, or have launched your own start-up, my conversation with Truls is a must-listen.

Plus! A special Housekeeping Corner Db Fund update as we whittle down a record number of entries.

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To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

In this first follow-up Announcement episode, I explore a question which I began to examine in episode two of The Announcement, and which is now at the centre of global politics: are billionaires fundamentally damaging to democracy, regardless of their political leanings?

I'm joined once again by Carl Rhodes, academic and author of Woke Capitalism: How Corporate Morality is Sabotaging Democracy and his new book Stinking Rich: The Four Myths of the Good Billionaire.

This conversation builds on our earlier examination of Patagonia's decision to transfer ownership to a climate-focused trust, which formed a large part of episode two of the original series. When we first spoke, many viewed the critique Rhodes espoused as a nuanced and even obscure point (particularly to partial commentators inclined to see Patagonia and Chouiniard’s actions as ‘good’ by default).

In the months since, especially following Trump's inauguration, this critique has become one of the most contentious topics in global politics. The growing influence of Elon Musk and his DOGE cadre, for example, has suddenly made Rhodes' arguments much more accessible to millions of people worldwide.

Which is why I decided to release my first conversation with Rhodes in its entirety, and record a follow-up conversation in which we explore billionaire influence in our current political landscape, and discuss alternatives to billionaire-led social change.

From this conversation, you'll gain insights into:

How billionaire philanthropy can undermine democratic processes

Why the "good billionaire" narrative is problematic for public policy

What democratic alternatives to billionaire-led social change might look like

Once you've had a chance to listen, I'd love to know what you think about these conversations with Carl and the topics we discussed.

For bonus and behind-the-scenes material, click here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Use SIDE25WAVES10 for 10% off anything from session at The Wave in Bristol!

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“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play, his labour and his leisure, his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves other to determine whether he is working or paying. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.”

- Chateaubriand

Over the years, I’ve featured a lot of individuals on this show who aspire to the ideal articulated in the above quote.

But few have managed to combine their interests and their work to quite the same degree as Les Seddon-Brown, this week’s guest.

I’ve known Les for almost 30 years. We grew up together in the snowboarding industry, and were close friends from the very beginning.

In the intervening years, we’ve supported each other in our various ventures, and I’ve watched with pride and admiration as his career has evolved and developed.

And with the brilliant Rematch, his latest venture, Les is driving his own vision of creative, artistic and commercial excellence with complete single-mindedness, and with his ethics and values intact. It’s one reason I’m such an admirer of what he does, because I know how difficult it is, and how lightly he wears it.

It was Les who invited me to Sri Lanka in the first place. So after ten days of brilliant waves and good times, we headed to the spectacular Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, where we sat down for a reflective look back over Les’s brilliant career for this conversation.

This was a memorable one - and not just for because of that extraordinary recording location. Have a listen and let me know what you thought of our conversation.

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To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Use SIDE25WAVES10 for 10% off anything from session at The Wave in Bristol!

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Packing it all in to lead your dream lifestyle in an exotic location is a fantasy every traveller has indulged in at some point.

Few make it a reality. And yet that’s exactly what the inspirational Ed Templeton - no, not that one - and his wife Sofie have accomplished with the brilliant Soul & Surf community they have created in Sri Lanka, India and Portugal.

I’ve been hearing about Soul & Surf for a least a decade. I’ve crossed paths with Ed and Sofie over the years, and we’ve many mutual friends.

So when the pair invited me to stay with them for a couple of nights at the beginning of my recent trip to Sri Lanka in February 2025, I leapt at the chance. Sure, I was keen to check out their wondrous spot at the Cove in Ahangama, above.

But I was also curious. How had they done it? What sacrifices had they made to create this beguiling reality? And what lessons can others take from this tale of people dreaming big, and upending their lives to pull it off?

To find out the answer to these questions and more, I sat down with Ed towards the end of my trip to record this fascinating conversation. It’s a classic lifer tale, the supremely inspiring story of how the lessons you accrue over the years, if you’re prepared to listen, can be the foundation for the type of life you’ve always dreamed of.

I was also interested in Ed’s take on the current state of tourism in Sri Lanka; especially in the light of the explosion of development that has taken place on the island in the two decades since I last visited.

The result is a properly inspiring conversation about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and a snapshot of an island and community on the cusp of great change. My thanks to Ed, Sofie and Kit for the incredible hospitality, and for welcoming me into their community so whole-heartedly.

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To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

“Well, I think the simple answer, and nothing here is simple, is that capitalism dies with its mistakes.” - John Elkington, Founder, Volans

Patagonia’s September 2022 decisions to make ‘Earth’ the company’s only shareholder was huge news, particularly in the worlds of climate activism, business, philanthropy, the outdoors, and action sports.

And at the heart of this decision, as the company made clear at the time, was a desire to shake up the capitalist and democratic status quo.

What does this actually look like? Is The Announcement really at the vanguard of a ‘different form of capitalism’?

And where does it fit into the ongoing story of ‘business for good’, a story that has been unfolding for the last 50 years?

For bonus and behind-the-scenes material, click here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

“Whenever anybody with that level of wealth and power moves money into an opaque system, we should wave our red democracy flag, and say, ‘However virtuous they may be, we want to hold you to a higher standard’."

Patagonia’s September 2022 decisions to make ‘Earth’ the company’s only shareholder made headlines around the world.

So perhaps understandably, it wasn’t long before commentators began to scrutinise the details of the announcement.

Was it all just an elaborate tax dodge? What are the ethical implications of billionaire philanthropy on this scale?

And where does The Announcement sit within the context of the long history of corporate philanthropy?

The Announcement is a new three-part podcast documentary series from Looking Sideways, hosted by Matt Barr.

Episode 3 will be released on Monday January 27th.

For bonus and behind-the-scenes material, click here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

“Going purpose, not going public.”

Patagonia’s September 2022 decisions to make ‘Earth’ the company’s only shareholder was huge news, particularly in the worlds of climate activism, business, philanthropy, the outdoors, and action sports.

Here was the most influential company in the outdoor world, and one of the most influential businesses on the planet per se, relinquishing control of their profits for the greater good.

But … what did this actually mean? Why did the company do it? How was the decision made? Who was involved?

And is this really a critical moment in the history of capitalism, as Patagonia believe?

The Announcement is a new three-part podcast documentary series from Looking Sideways, hosted by Matt Barr.

Episode 2 will be released on Monday January 20th.

For bonus and behind-the-scenes material, click here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

"Earth is our only shareholder.”

In September 2022, Patagonia's billionaire owner Yvon Chouinard relinquished control and made 'earth' the company's only shareholder.

But … what did this actually mean? Why did he do it? What about the scrutiny the company received? And is this really a critical moment in the history of capitalism, as Patagonia believe?

The Announcement is a new three-part podcast documentary series from Looking Sideways, hosted by Matt Barr.

This is a story about legacy, purpose, what we leave behind, and courageous people doing things differently.

It’s about capitalism, democracy, the movement of money, and the history of giving it away.

Above all, it’s about the power of symbolism, and the importance of storytelling when it comes to helping us get our heads around something as vast and conceptual as the climate crisis, and our own role in it.

Episode 1 will be released on Monday January 13th.

Find out more here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe