Problem Busters

Soul led coach Stacy Holland explains what makes a conscious leader, how to spot them in your team and why they are so important to the building of a successful business.

We discuss Stacy's 20+ year career in high-profile corporate roles and how she knew when it was time to make a switch to coaching full time. Stacy shares how she moved the family to Dubai for a job at one point, and how ripping a whole floor out of a building is sometimes necessary to create the right culture at work.

This is an honest, straight-talking account of rising to the top of the corporate world, of living with purpose, and most importantly left us with the feeling that starting something new is not starting again - it is just the next step in your journey.

About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

About our guest:

Stacy Holland is a soul led leadership coach, a life coach and a mentor. She is the founder of Stacy Holland Coaching and lives in the UK with her family.

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Show mentions:

• The path to coaching.
• Leadership as being coaching in many ways
• The concept of a shadow leader. Be aware of the shadow you cast.
• Working with BT and digital transformation
• Culture being incredibly important during lockdown
• Setting up guilds where people support each other.
• How to handle feeling like you don't have enough time.
• Book: Marie Kondo - Joy at work
• Removing the clutter, in order to see clearly.
• The excitement and challenge of accepting a role overseas
• Taking the plunge and the risk of moving the family to Dubai.
• Going to a country where English wasn't the first language.
• Dubai's mall culture
• Ripping out an entire floor of the building to create a massive co-working space.
• How to develop female leaders.
• The value of choosing to be in a transformation role - to bring change.
• The need to have team members that represent all the cultures of your customer base
• The main barriers for entry for women come down to confidence.
• Study: The Confidence Gap
• There is often a wobble for women when they've had children
• What is a conscious leader?
• How to identify your purpose
• The role of conscious leaders in any business
• Burnout being a clear sign of needing to change
• Book: The big leap by Gay Hendrix
• Podcast: Dare to Lead
• Moving from corporate to entrepreneur
• The value of developing a coaching culture
• The big take away from this episode? Whatever you feel, listen to that. There is a message there. Just listen and trust what is being shown to you.
• The value of working with mentors and coaches

Logo and concept by Christy O'Connor

A sobering and inspiring episode where Aryaana Khan and Hakim Evans from NGO ACE (Action for the Climate Emergency) share a rare insight into the workings of the much-discussed COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. They describe what was missing, what was inspiring and what they'd like to see come out of the next: COP27 in Egypt.

We discuss the effects of climate change on both Aryaana's homeland of Bangladesh, and Hakim's of Jamaica, then hear how New York City is now very much also affected by the climate emergency.

What motivates young people to stop what they are doing, to get involved in fighting for climate justice, and to learn to engage young and old in this most urgent of debates?

And what type of world would both Aryaana and Hakim like us to create together?

Expect to be shocked, angered, inspired and to come away empowered with the knowledge that you too can in your daily actions make a difference.

About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

About our guests:

Aryaana Khan is a Youth Climate Organiser and ACE Fellow, born and raised in Bangladesh and recent delegate to COP26 in Glasgow Scotland. She is joined by returning guest Hakim Evans, a Senior Fellow with ACE and Founding Board Member of Climate Emergency Advocates. Both inspiring guests are based in Queens, New York City.

Show mentions:

• Growing up in Bangaladesh and moving to NYC in 2010.
• ACE Alliance for the climate education has rebranded to Action for the climate emergency.
• Why the new name? It speaks to the scale we need to address the issue - it is a climate emergency.
• Global Kids - the first NGO Aryaana worked with
• ACE had local fellowships all across the U.S. - including NYC.
• Learning how to teach and engage people in the climate debate.
• Words like the climate emergency have been so necessary to shift the discussion to the urgency of the situation.
• Aryaana's story: Growing up in Dhaka (capital city of Bangladesh). I started life with mango trees outside my window and I saw the growth of the city. It was beautiful yet jarring.
• Experiences of climate change in NYC
• Much of Long island is already under water. Hurricanes, insane storms.
• Parallels between growing up in NYC with Bangladesh and Jamaica
• Educating people and empowering them
• How to decide who to talk to about the climate emergency
• Helping people find their story
• COP26 Glasgow and what it was. What was Glasgow like as an event?
• Being on the ground at COP26 and reflections on it
• COP26 Glasgow: the horse and pony show
• NYC and The climate and community act
• Things young people are doing to bring change and the role of covid
• What can people at home do? - focus on the biggest issue.
• What is a food desert?
• ACE Creator Collective - getting the message out there over Tik Tok.
• ACE Launching action teams.
• The big message: don't stress out
• The kind of world Aryaana and Hakim would like to create

Logo and concept by Christy O'Connor

Image credit: ACE acespace.org

The Problem Busters rave about flying cars (it's a thing), nuclear fusion and a simple way to prevent almost half of the catch of commercial fishing operations from getting caught by mistake. Also electric cars, solar power, paint that generates electricity (thanks Dulux!)

About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

Show mentions:

• Flying Car https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/a-flying-car-just-got-certified-as-airworthy-to-fly/
• China Achieve Nuclear Fusion https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/chinas-artificial-sun-broke-record-for-longest-sustained-nuclear-fusion/
• Europe Achieves Nuclear Fusion https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60312633
• Simple LEDs saving sharks and turtles https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/simple-green-led-lights-save-sharks-and-turtles-from-accidental-fishing-nets/

Logo and concept by Christy O'Connor

Photo by Mehdi MeSSrro on Unsplash

News but only the good bits, and this time it's a Christmas bumper edition, to warm hearts at the end of the year. Plenty of good news to be shared, hope you enjoy!

About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

Show mentions:

1. The right to repair movement .Claiming the right to repair - Positive News
2. Phone boxes put to use Thinking outside the box: unusual uses for the UK’s old phone boxes
3. The UKs largest rewilding project ‘Natural Health Service’: Derby approves UK’s largest urban rewilding project
4. HIV jabs approved New HIV jabs taken two months apart hailed as huge step forward
5. How Norway's pop stars pushed the government to electric cars How a pop star helped inspire Norway's electric car revolution
6. How Amsterdam stopped junk mail Amsterdam's Instant Fix for Getting Rid of Junk Mail
7. Biofuel trial in shipping tankers BP and Maersk Tankers team up to trial marine biofuel in decarbonisation push
8. Dyson award 2021 entries  Project gallery | James Dyson Award
9. kiva.org - Microcredit fantastic.

Logo and concept by Christy O'Connor

Photo by Kilian Seiler on Unsplash

Andrew Murphy from the Federation of Small Businesses UK (FSB) talks running a business post-lockdown. We talk trends in business and lifestyle, explore the experience of founding and growing a business. Most importantly, we discuss how it is OK to ask for help, how covid actually fostered networking and how we are better off sticking together.

The Federation of Small Business UK (FSB) is an undiscovered gem in the wild world of running your own business. Whether you are a freelancer or whether you employ a team - we feel there is so much support available in an FSB membership and hope to see more take advantage of it, so they can focus on their day jobs.

About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

About our guest:

Andrew Murphy is a Small Business Champion at the Federation of Small Businesses UK. A career at PwC led him to start his own removals business in London, which ultimately led to a lot of lessons in starting and growing a business. He is passionate about the importance of small businesses to our economy and community as a whole.

Show mentions:

• Starting off in PcW in Consultancy
• Started his own business, a removals business - ran it for 15 years, then sold it and moved to the FSB
• It was the Uber for removals - perhaps a bit before its time.
• 04:30 The challenges in building a business, and in hiring and managing staff.
• Remote staff management is one of the most difficult parts of the growth of the business.
• Finding good people is one of the hardest part of growing a business in my experience.
• Then looking after them and welfare is right up there with hard work.
• I had a friend in HR, but eventually realised we needed help with that.
• The Federation of Small Business (FSB) knocked on the door, and I was getting a lot of contacts at the time, but this guy made a good point and the offer was really strong
• A not for profit who helps small businesses.
• He talked about HR support, documentation and legal support, and it made a lot of sense to me as a business owner.
• 07:30 Small business owners want to be spending more time on running the business, not doing all the other paperwork.
• FSB has been running 45 years, has over 165,000 small business members.
• There is at times a disconnect between central government and small business.
• Example: The creation of the Furlough scheme, via the powerful lobbying voice of FSB, and a chap called Mike Cherry.
• It has supported a lot of businesses during the pandemic.
• The FSB legal hub was super helpful to me, had a series of documents in a library, we had access to an HR representative at no charge, and at one point, we had to visit the Employment Tribunal and they supported us through the process. We were not at fault, but it was great to have someone there to hold our hand through it all.
• 14:00 What would I do differently next time? I'd get help from people like the FSB earlier. You've got to know when to ask for help.
• What steps could people listening take to reach out and get assistance? Have a look at the website and all the services provided.
• Tax investigation protection is a part of the membership (an important one in coming years)
• Small businesses are the backbone of this economy. 70%+ of employers and an important part.
• We're not talking a lot of money for this membership, and every bit of revenue goes back into supporting Small Business - £147 per year (based on the number of people in the business).
• We have a lot of sole traders who are members. Sole traders also have legal obligations, tax returns.
• We cover right up to larger businesses of 50 employees or more.
• It can be quite isolating as a business owner. The buck does stop at you as owner.
• 22:00 What are the top areas small businesses worry about? Staff Management, Finance, Getting new customers on board, tax investigation protection.
• For every pound HMRC invests in tax investigation, they recoup £15 pounds.
• We are seeing a lot of positivity coming out of Covid now. It's been a roller coaster over the last 18 months but we are seeing a lot more positivity and businesses getting out there.
• How being remote has bought networking into a new age. We used to run monthly groups, a bit of a social thing and a lunch.
• Now it has all moved online, there is a huge opportunity to now network with your potential customers anywhere in the country and anywhere in the world.
• People are now happy to do these type of online meetings, and you still have the opportunity to meet in person also.
• Episode: Zoltan Vass - Building remote teams
• 31:00 The sharing section
• Who do you most look up to in the world? I spend my life talking to business owners, from people who are about to set up to people who have been running for a while. So I'll go business owners. It takes real courage to run your own gig. I have nothing but admiration for people who get out there and make it work.
• Book - Jordan B Peterson - 12 rules for life. There is some great stuff in there. He has a great understanding of the way we work as humans, or as a society.
• Book - Jordan B Peterson - Maps and meanings.
• What movements have you most excited?
• Cop26 summit is going on right now.
• I studied Environmental Science at University and it was a big deal for me.
• Agenda 21 back then was important
• Greta Thunberg famously summed this up - there's been a lot of talk and it's now time for action.
• There is a groundswell of people looking to take this into their own hands, and looking at how they can get involved in sustainability.
• 27:00 What tech is improving your life right now? I implemented Calendly.com into my work. It has taken away a huge part of when people can talk to each other. Send a link, sync with diary and it works for everyone.
• What is one thing you'd like to change in the world? I don't have a specific thing because the solutions to where we are are really really complicated. There is a lot of complication in all of this, which is why we haven't been able to solve it.
• There can be no question about the impact we are having on the environment.
• I'm pleased that this stuff is now on the agenda, and the fact that people are taking personal responsibility rather than waiting for something to happen.
• One thing people could take away from this episode? To recognise that you don't have to do everything yourself (like the FSB!) that help support you as a business owner.
• 40:30 Don't be afraid to reach out and ask for help, so that you can focus on the doing of the business, the growing of your business.
• The last 18 months for a lot of people have obviously been really difficult. Especially for men, we are kinda a bit guarded around asking for help. As part of the FSB, we have first aid and nurses. It's reaching out to the right people when you need it.
• Talking about mental health has become normal
• Getting in touch? Happy to use Calendly, or to email [email protected].
• FSB events - click here for events (going on almost every day), they are open access and you don't need to be a member to access those resources.

Logo and concept by Christy O'Connor

The Problem Busters have a quick chat through some positive news articles from October.

About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

This show's reading list:

• Most plans for new coal plants scrapped since Paris agreement: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/14/most-plans-for-new-coal-plants-scrapped-since-paris-agreement
• Firm raises $15m to bring back woolly mammoth from extinction: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/13/firm-bring-back-woolly-mammoth-from-extinction
• Sep: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea has been billed as the world’s first major net-zero carbon football match. https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/sport/climate-crisis-the-football-clubs-making-net-zero-more-competitive/
• One of London’s busiest streets goes car-free (a section of the Strand): https://www.positive.news/society/one-of-the-busiest-streets-in-london-goes-car-free/
• Renaming Revolution: the campaign to change the language of maternity care: https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/wellbeing/the-campaign-to-change-the-language-around-maternity-care/
• Magnetic male contraceptive invented.https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2021/07/29/magnetic-male-contraceptive-birth-control/
• Food market in Vancouver https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/rescued-food-market-vancouver-sells-food-saved-from-landfills-at-pay-what-you-feel-prices/
• Berlin campaign to ban cars https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/06/berlins-car-ban-campaign-its-about-how-we-want-to-live-breathe-and-play
• Fossil Found by Kids in New Zealand Turns Out to Be 27 Million-Year-old Giant Penguin https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/giant-pengiun-fossil-found-in-new-zealand-by-kids-unites-ancient-genus/
• How India’s Air Pollution is Being Turned into Stylish Floor Tiles https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/indian-entrepreneur-invents-cheap-air-purifier-and-sends-the-waste-to-be-made-into-tiles/
• Ireland pilots basic income for creatives. https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/basic-income-scheme-for-artists-art-workers-to-be-piloted-in-2022-1.4698533
• Plyscrapers in Sweden: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/oct/14/skelleftea-swedish-plywood-eco-town-20-storey-wooden-skyscraper-worlds-tallest

Logo and concept by Christy O'Connor

Cover art credit: Sven Scheuermeier on Unsplash

Energetic Physiotherapist Kristi Barker gives us the low down on the science of keeping moving to stay healthy. With so many of us now heading into our second year working from home, it's more important than ever that we spare a thought for the need to mix it up, to sit and to stand, to get outside and stay active, but most of all - to find our own balance of activity.

About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

About our guest:

Kristi Barker is a Physiotherapist from Regina Saskatchewan, in Canada who specialises in rehabilitation and injury recovery.

• Kristi on Instagram
• Kristi on Tik Tok
• Sign up to Kristi's mailing list
• For $50 off the Happy Massage Gun (Discount code: REACHREHAB)

Show mentions:

• I've been a Physical Therapist for 5 years now.
• I was really into Volleyball when I was younger and kept injuring myself
• 02:30 I got into Physio after a trip to Uganda to help distribute wheelchairs. A young man who was destined for a wheelchair was re-diagnosed, educated and avoided being put into a wheelchair!
• Where Reach Rehab came from: How can we use education to help educate in a bigger scale?
• I put it on Instagram and it's taken off. I've never looked back since!
• It has been such an amazing way to educate thousands of people at once.
• Instagram - a social media platform for images and videos.
• Tik Tok is the new version.
• Instagram: Reach.rehab. Videos of Kristi explaining how to recover from injuries.
• 06:00 What is Physiotherapy when you really get down to it? A mix of Chiropractor and Massage therapy. Clicking and joints, to working with muscles. We look at the muscles and joints, how they work together and we are the doctors of movement. To ensure you are moving optimally and functioning at your best.
• There are so many different regions of Physiotherapist. With babies, in the hospital, with patients, with people who are recovering, with athletes.
• There is a lot of research going on. The Masters program made it a 6.5 year degree.
• In the USA, there are doctors of Physiotherapy.
• 09:00 Jonathan's first introduction into Physiotherapy - Science faculty folks were working alongside sports doctors.
• For teeth health it is ingrained in us as a child that we should brush our teeth daily. So why isn't mobility and strengthening daily ingrained in us?
• That majority of people who are on pain medication, by the time I see them, don't want to be on them.
• Movement is medicine!
• Prevention is an exciting trend. People coming in to prevent future injury.
• You don't need to have an injury to come and see a Physical Therapist, you can talk to us to help prevent injuries.
• What complaints from working from home? Back pain, neck pain, hip pain and tennis elbow. It is more the static posture we are in for prolonged periods. This leads to lengthened and shortened ligaments.
• The wonderful people who work in the NHS.
• It is great to see Physiotherapy embedded in Hospitals and within the healthcare system.
• Being prescribed a Physio in a situation that used to lead, with the same doctor, to being prescribed pain medication.
• 16:00 Post-surgery it is almost imperative to see a Physio.
• What is the difference between Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists? Occupational Therapists look at your movement for every day life. Exercises specific to daily living.
• 18:30 What are the main causes for discomfort in patients? How often we move and how we move. Be careful not to move from static to extreme exercise. Match the activity levels. Don't push too hard.
• Most people I see are either not doing enough and doing too much. It's about finding a balance for you.
• Some of it could be improper form as well. Dead lifting too heavy, or improperly can also cause problems.
• What is the asymmetry aspect? Can people favour one leg or the other? Don't be fearful of discovering asymmetry. It is common. What is a problem is repetition. E.g. using the mouse with one hand.
• Ollie's Penguin ambidextrous mouse.
• 21:30 What about switching? It isn't about doing it all one way. Switching from side to side is great, giving each side a break.
• Yoga, Occupational Therapy, Massage, Lifting, it's all movement.
• 24:00 We are built to be movers, to be hunters and gatherers. We weren't built to be sitting still all day. Our bodies tell us. This hurts, I've been sitting still. It encourages us to get the body moving.
• 27:00 If you think about how you move and what you do most throughout your day. Say you are at your desk all day, then you go weight lift. Visualise it. You are getting the strength component. But what about mobility? Perhaps try yoga.
• Even marathon runners need to add strengthening to their running endurance.
• What is Crossfit? Think of weight lifting, timed exercises, a community of people, there are gyms, there are competitions. High-intensity based exercise.
• The Crossfit games
• Things you could ask your Physical therapist - how is my form? How am I moving?
• The importance of finding great instructors to make sure your technique is good.
• What do you think of standing desks? Recent reports came out stating that they are helpful if you are changing posture every hour, or even every half hour. If I'm still just sitting here for 5 hours, it's all about moving as frequently as possible.
• Have a little timer, and remember to switch it up every 30 minutes or an hour.
• If you could have office workers do strengthening exercises on one area, what would it be? There is never one fix. I'd give you two things
• 32:00 The number one takeaway: Get moving. If you are sitting then stand. If you are standing, then sit. This will have the biggest impact on your pain.
• A good mobility one, if you have been sitting. Is to get you up and standing. I would go for a good chest opener. Don't pull on your head, but rest your hands behind your head and curl down and breath out. Then breathe in and look up.
• A good strengthening one: 4 point. Getting onto your hands and knees. A scapular pushup. Think about pressing palms into the floor, press away with a straight elbow pushup.
• How many you do, the sets and reps and duration - depends on the people and their goals.
• If you are not ready to commit to 3-5 mins of exercise, then start small - create habits of starting small and giving you a reason to get out of your desk.
• The Happy gun massager. Ollie has one too and loves it!!
• 40:00 What does Kristi do for mobility? I do about 5-10 minutes of morning mobility, targeting whatever is sore. Mine has been neck and shoulders. I do some in between my patients. I'll take 5 minutes to move during the day in between appointments. I'll typically go to the gym after work. I mix it up, do a bit of weightlifting and more mobility while watching Netflix. So about an hour of weightlifting and half an hour of mobility.
• How to watch Netflix and do mobility. Every time an episode changes, I'd get up and do 5 mins. Now I'm feeling so good that I'm doing it during the show.
• People can be doing stretching.
• Tell us about the Happy gun massager. Ollie has one too and loves it!! It is a percussion gun which adds small beats to your muscles. The different attachments do different things. The beats help to give pain relieve. It is taking our nervous system, from fight or flight, and the impulses can help take us into the rest and digest phase of nervous system.
• But, that shouldn't be the end all treatment. It is a passive-based form of rehab. It will give pain relief, but won't necessarily fix the underlying issue.
• So we have to pair strengthening with stability.
• Comparing Dentistry to Physio - and it being interesting how many different areas a Physio needs to know about.
• 49:00 Who do you most look up to in the world? My sister. I've consistently always looked up to her. She's one of those people who is her true authentic self. I respect the life that she lives. It's just her as a person.
• 51:00 I want to be people's biggest cheerleader and to motivate them to be better.
• Book: Self-observation. It really forces you to observe your patterns and your thoughts. The more we can stop just reacting and just responding, the better outlook and impact we can have. Our reactions are based off our past experiences. Our bodies automatically go into that reaction and emotion. By being aware of it, you can stop yourself and wait, and give a difference response instead. It can be applied to anything in life.
• I'm all about mindset and getting that straight. Mindset so heavily impacts us and is so heavily related to the body.
• My goal with Reach Rehab? I'm interested in making programs to help people to work on their injuries. How can you get involved? Sign up on Instagram, and I'll send more detailed information about it - and ask people what they want. Give me feedback on what you need.
• My ultimate goal? To give back. To be able to use my skills as a Physical therapist to help.
• InShot: An app I use to make my videos
• Canva: An app for graphic design
• What is a reel? A shorter, quicker reel on Instagram. I try to incorporate fun!
• The biggest takeaway? Move your body as much as possible. And find that balance between strength and mobility.

Getting in touch

• Follow me on Instagram
• Kristi on Tik Tok
• Sign up to Kristi's mailing list
• For $50 off the Happy Massage Gun (Discount code: REACHREHAB)

Logo and concept by Christy O'Connor

Entrepreneur, founder and coach Henry Latham shares the low down on how to start a business. From deciding if you really want to, to evaluating ideas, to building it in a way that fits in with your lifestyle (rather than replacing it). We cover a lot of ground here while discussing the founding game, and explore what might be in it for you and your family.

About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

About our guest:

Henry Latham is a London-based Entrepreneur and founder of Prod MBA. First attracted to starting his own business while backpacking in South America, Henry has founded, grown, funded and wound up his own business and is now enjoying helping others evaluate and pursue their own business ideas via the Prod MBA course. Henry now lives in sunnny Middle England.

Show mentions:

• 01:00 It started when backpacking in Brazil by myself, floating down a boat in the Amazon.
• Backtracker - my first idea and first business. An app for tracking travel. As a Politics and Spanish major I had to learn it as I went along.
• Fast forward a year or so, we'd been through an accelerator program and raising investment, the business failed due to making every mistake in the book.
• Book - Product Leadership starts with you
• My second business: Prod MBA and helping people succeed.
• 04:00 What lessons did you learn from the initial business failure? I could dig into many things, but many are well trodden. The surprising thing for both Product leader and entrepreneur is the disillusionment with the business you are building.
• Looking back, I never believed in raising investment and shaping a pitch deck to show scaling 10x per year. I started the first business because I liked travelling.
• In the end I became stuck in London in the funding cycle.
• But I was really wanting to build something that was more aligned with my beliefs and the lifestyle I wanted to life.
• 06:00 Does starting a business have to mean building an app? We have a misconception that a product equals a solution. What what we need to be successful in business is to understand where value lies in a market and how best to deliver that value. Take coaching: There could be many way to achieve this. It could be an app, but you could deliver more value in say a high level coaching program.
• It is a big mindset shift for many.
• Obviously technology enables delivery of value, but it isn't the only way to get them to their desired outcome
• How do we get customers to their desired outcome the fastest way possible? This is what we need to be doing.
• 10:00 What is the Prod MBA? The market need is that there are Product Managers to master core competencies of Product Management. As a Product person, I was seeing so many courses and books that were so far removed from reality, that it wasn't helpful.
• The real world of product is messy, it's uncertain and you come up against challenges of your own ego, pressure of people pulling in different directions.
• There is a psychological aspect to product
• We teach these competencies by building a real product from scratch - because that is the best way you are going to learn.
• 13:00 Some examples of ideas people have tackled in the gym?
• Akash: Gym towels and prototyping bamboo towels.
• Nittin: Healthcare and how to choose healthcare options in the U.S.
• What we teach is that it is all about understanding where the biggest problems are in the market
• Is it an addressable problem? Is it an acute problem? Is it worth addressing?
• We don't talk about solutions until 8 weeks into the program. It's a massive mindset shift for many.
• We break down many of the misconceptions about product. What is a product in simple terms?
• We look at how to evaluate good ideas and how to filter them, then how to go out and talk to people
• 16:00 Week by week, what we do in the Prod MBA program
• We then look at how to flip an idea into a product vision
• Then how to turn that into a viable business
• 18:00 What is a no code prototype?
• MVP: Minimal Viable Product. MVP was meant to be the quickest experiment to validate if anyone is interested in this thing we have to offer.
• The problem in the majority of cases I see, is that companies take an MVP and make that the first version of what they build. They are committing to a coded solution (weeks or months), delaying feedback on the idea.
• Everyone talks about an MVP, we are talking about mapping out a problem, validating first to gauge interest, then perhaps a landing page, then a design prototype with something like Figma, then a no-code prototype that is a real app for a user, but is not coded.
• Book: Eric Reis - Lean Startup
• The problem stems from a narrow idea of what success looks like. You don't need to go zero to 1 hundred, to run before you can walk.
• As a Product person you have limitations on resources, so you need to be disciplined about step 1 and what you really need to do, what stepping stones you need to take to get there.
• Product is the whole experience of the customer. Everything they touch and every experience as a customer. There are a lot of issues created when we create silos. We lose sight of why a product really exists.
• 27:00 Why does a product really exist? To fulfil a customer promise. Everything we do should be geared to ensure our strategy delivers actionable and hands on learning.
• Recent episode: Jason Knight
• 29:30 Examples of companies who scale really well: Loom
• Loom conferencing - loom.com
• They have a huge profit margin and have raised a lot of investment.
• Why have they scaled so well? A simple promise, and a simple delivery method.
• Promise: Video communication is better. Video is a great way to save time. Everything they do is geared up towards that.
• If you are looking at multiple products or opportunities, and if it isn't clear what the customer is, you'll end up with challenges.
• The strategic step is key - at what point do you look to expand your offering?
• Now we are doing well with our first product - Prod MBA, we are looking at launching a second product (Helping prepare for interviews), but we are taking our time, researching it.
• How do you fast track a product manager's career? with hands on, actionable learning.
• 34:00 What trends did you see in product/lifestyle during the pandemic? I started the business before the pandemic, specifically during the pandemic (which was great for our business), I had a lot of conversations with people who had for the first time in years, had paused to consider what they wanted out of their careers. To start their own business, or take charge of their own career.
• I suspect we will see a massive boom in new businesses, new successful businesses, as a result of the pandemic
• Recent episode: Heather Rooke
• Recent episode: Darrell Woodhouse
• 37:00 Henry's founding story. Unfortunately as human being it takes a moment of crisis for things to really crystalize. I had the first business then the second, then freelanced. I keep a journal every morning, then do an annual review (reading everything from the year before). It was clear I had a classic lack of focus. I wrote one line on the page: "nobody is coming for you".
• Nobody is coming for you to found this business. I realised I had created this false belief that I would need a co-founder or investment to get started. I realised if I wanted to take control of my life, then I would need to go and take charge myself.
• That simple mental shift, that massive mental shift, got me down the path of starting a business in a very real way.
• Timing was fortunate for us - luckily good for us just before the curve.
• Example - Life isn't as certain as I thought.
• Example - now I'm not commuting into London every day, am I happy with the life I am now living
• 41:00 Is the founder's life really work all the time for 5 years, then retire? It's part true, and part BS. There is a path that leads to going big, via investment, with specific targets. You need to hit 2x growth per month, 10x growth per year. You will have many employees and handling the myriad risks of a business. You won't have a great life balance. That's fine, delivers more impact for more people. Personally I decided on another way. Yes initially, you work hard (10-12 hour days), but you have choices early on. If you want to take walks and exercise, you can.
• More work is not the answer. It is going to come down to a few big strategic things, placing the right bets on the right market, opportunity, offer you might make to your customers. That's the thing you need to be iterating on. Product people are builders and we like building stuff. Hold yourself back deliberately, so you can be thinking through these high level things.
• 45:00 The sharing section
• 46:00 Who do you most look up to in the world? Ryan Holiday.
• Tim Ferriss - the 4 hour work week
• Ryan Holiday - was at American Apparel, doing really well, then launched his career as an author. About Stoicism and a practical guide to living well. He lives a very intentional life, lives on a farm, spends 4 hours a day, spends time with his kids. I have massive respect for wisdom he passes on in his writing.
• Brewdog as an example of not living in line with their own ethos.
• Book: Ryan Holiday - Ego is the enemy
• Book: Essentialism by Greg McCowan. Teaches you how to operate in a way that focuses on what is really important.
• Book: Product Leadership starts with you by Henry Latham. Whatever you do, particularly true with Product, you need to start with your foundations and be mindful, resilient and focus on the essential - to be great at focusing on what really matters.
• A huge amount of success comes down to managing yourself effectively and using that as a foundation.
• What tech is improving your life at the moment? Automations!!!
• Tool: Active Campaign (as you scale up) or MailChimp (the starter version). Used to automate a sales funnel, tracking and automating people showing an interest, booking a call, and auto invoicing.
• Quote: Products come and go, but data will be there forever - Tim Bernards Lee
• You want to start in month 3 with some strong customer management tools.
• 55:00 What is one thing you'd like to change in the world? For people to qualify their fears more effectively. For example, the fear of thinking to start a business, people must quit their job and take a bit risk. They can do it with zero risk! Realising that the idea of things is more scary than reality.
• 56:30 What one thing would you like people to take away from this episode? To take time to write down your ideas, to create little habits, that stack with other habits, that effectively fulfil your goal.
• 58:30 Getting in touch
• Free 7 day course: Go to prod.mba and sign up
• Henry is happy to have questions on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/henrylatham/
• Book: Product Leadership Starts with you by Henry Latham

Logo and concept by Christy O'Connor

The Problem Busters celebrate reaching the big 1 year of podcasting together in this short yet witty episode. What were we thinking setting this show up? What have we learned and what is next for the show? All will be revealed in this annual celebration episode.

About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

Show mentions:

• Happy Goodwin day!!! 1 year today
• What we planned when we started?
• It was a crazy idea... to highlight people helping fix things around them.
• What we have learned?
• People were interested! and hundreds of people have listened.
• We've met some amazing people. "Met" 😁
• There is a lot of improving going on. When you start to look for it, we are surrounded by people doing positive things.
• There is plenty of positive news around.
• Lock down has been both master and teacher. It held us apart physically, yet brought many together.
• Lockdown was a mirror we couldn't help but look into. The air was cleaner, no cars, peace and quiet, trivialities no longer important.
• Focus on what was important - planet, freedom and loved ones
• What we are doing next?
• A long list of interesting people to talk to
• Happy good news, each month.
• More nerdy science!!
• Episode: Avoiding burnout with Daryl Woodhouse
• Gone Workabout - Episode: Made in the 90s

Logo and concept by Christy Connor.

In this first edition of Happy Good News, the Problem Busters have a quick chat through some positive news articles from the week that was. This may even become a regular fixture on the show...

About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

Show mentions:

1. Carbon capture Iceland (or on YouTube)
2. UK green sector nearly 4 times side of manufacturing:
3. Low-cost rail firm Lumo launches in UK
4. Rewilding - The Monks Wood Wilderness experiment
5. An NHS rule change means more gay and bisexual men can now donate blood
6. Climate cafes - getting together to discuss climate change.

Logo and concept by Christy O'Connor