The Good Listening To Show: Stories of Distinction & Genius

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A single sentence on a wall changed everything. Ben, the founder of Kempton Installation Services, walked into our Inner Circle meeting ready to blame the weather for a quiet order book—and walked out with a different story. We dig into how he stopped thinking like a small business owner, doubled down on what actually worked, and built a six-to-eight-week pipeline without praying for rain.

We explore the surprising hero of his marketing: a trust-first “killer flyer” that beats flashy tactics. In a market plagued by scepticism, Ben’s piece leads with clarity—top customer questions answered, the real team on show, recent reviews, and a short founder story. After iterating, it scaled from 10,000 to 80,000 drops and outperformed every other channel. That decision to choose substance over sizzle didn’t just fill the diary; it filtered for serious buyers and sped up sales. Alongside that, we unpack the harder decision to hire—bringing in operations and sales to protect momentum—when fear might have said “cut.”

The human threads matter just as much. Ben’s childhood built a voice that can stand alone; his dad’s perspective supplies grit when things wobble; his partner’s decisiveness balances his instinct to ponder; his daughter reframes success as kindness and joy. Those experiences shape the leader behind the rota, the quote on the wall, and the way the phone is answered. Expect practical, repeatable lessons for any service business: identify channels that consistently deliver, tell the truth better than your competitors, and create capacity before you hit the ceiling. Success, as Ben puts it, sits on the other side of fear—and ownership is the bridge.

If this resonates, follow and share with a founder who needs the nudge. And if you got value from the show, leave a quick review—it helps more builders, makers, and doers find the mindset and methods to grow.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'.  If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email  me about the Show: [email protected]
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening! 

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A single choice can shape a lifetime. When Nigel Hughes told a careers panel he’d choose ballet over the Marines, he set a compass for courage, creativity, and connection that still points true decades later. We invite you into Nigel’s “clearing”—a 1642 Suffolk cottage turned open house—where hedges host micro-moths, neighbours drop by for sugar-free Black Forest gâteaux, and leadership looks like tending land until it teaches you how to lead.

The story travels far beyond the garden gate. In Papua New Guinea, Nigel and his partner used theatre—songs, stories, and dugout canoes—to help local communities see what was at stake as industrial logging closed in. Their work helped protect 2,000 square miles of primary rainforest and seeded a long-term push toward World Heritage status. He calls it global kinship, a respectful exchange that begins with listening rather than lecturing. Along the way, we meet mentors who challenged him to be “dangerous or dead,” and we hear how personal rituals—like watching evening primrose bloom at dusk—guided him through cancer and back into purpose.

Closer to home, Nigel’s philosophy shows in the details: a biodiverse, organic landscape that encouraged neighbouring farms to go chemical-free; a practice of meditation and deep listening; a belief that internal diversity—ballet in the morning, county rugby in the afternoon—creates stronger, more human leaders. He worries about phone addiction and the loss of face-to-face connection, yet remains relentlessly optimistic that attention, courage, and care can leave places and people better than we found them. If you’re ready to rethink leadership as leaving more life behind than you took, this conversation will meet you where your feet are and invite you to stand for something that lasts.

Subscribe, share with someone who loves nature and bold ideas, and leave a review to help others find the show. What’s one brave choice you’re ready to make today?

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'.  If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email  me about the Show: [email protected]
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening! 

Send us Fan Mail

What if the moments that break you could become the blueprint for how you lead? That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with Gina Gardiner—leader, author, broadcaster, and unapologetic catalyst for change—who turned a devastating ski accident and years of chronic pain into a living masterclass on resilient, human leadership.

We trace the arc from breaking gender barriers as a young deputy head, to running a high-performing school largely from a wheelchair, to building a global platform that champions empowerment and psychological safety. Gina shares the operating system she designed under pressure: define excellence together, make praise habitual, and treat people as the treasure of your organisation. The approach is crisp, compassionate, and deeply practical—built from assembly halls and classrooms, refined in boardrooms, and now delivered across airwaves and social channels via Genuinely You.

This conversation goes beyond tactics. We dig into the cost of over-responsibility, the discipline of protecting health, and the courage to confront injustice—whether that’s unfair systems at work or the quiet disregard for the “little people” who keep everything moving. Gina also opens up about her partnership with Olympian Fatima Whitbread, working to improve outcomes for young people in and leaving care, proving that leadership at its best builds communities, not just KPIs.

If you’re hungry for a people-first, performance-strong model that you can use tomorrow—clear standards, kinder feedback, braver conversations—this one will land. Leadership is how you show up, moment by moment. Subscribe, share with a leader who matters to you, and leave a review to tell us the one habit you’ll change after listening.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'.  If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email  me about the Show: [email protected]
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening! 

Send us Fan Mail

What if the next chapter of your creative life needed a stage you had to build yourself? We sit down with Steve Furst—comedian, actor, writer, and the man behind cabaret icon Lenny Beige—to share how an eviction notice on a beloved Hampstead room sparked Circle and Star, a new intimate theatre with a big heartbeat. From raising funds at speed to converting favours into an opening season, Steve reveals the practical playbook and the personal resolve it takes to bring a venue back to life.

We dig into the why and the how: why Hampstead lost something vital when its small spaces closed, and how a modern theatre can serve both the room and the wider world with streaming, multi-cam capture, and podcast capability. Steve talks candidly about the network that rallied—Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Marcus Brigstocke—and the decision to prioritise community over hype. He also shares the quieter habits that keep him match-fit: Transcendental Meditation as a reset that sharpens presence between shows, and a habit of listening forged by a childhood steeped in classical music.

Fans of character comedy will love the peek into his creative toolbox: the Hammond organ’s pull (Jimmy Smith, McGriff, McDuff), the communal charge of Northern Soul, and the power of unfussy documentaries that let real people speak. We explore Lenny Beige’s continuing life at Circle and Star, including a playful AI assistant voiced as Lenny’s mum, and a new project re-examining Fagin—juxtaposing Dickens and Lionel Bart while wrestling with identity and representation. It’s part love letter to small theatres, part field guide to building one, and wholly a testament to staying curious, collaborative, and brave.

If you care about live arts, new voices, and spaces that make talent possible, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves intimate theatre, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show. Your support keeps stages like this alive.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'.  If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email  me about the Show: [email protected]
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening! 

Send us Fan Mail

Hungry buyers don’t need convincing; they need finding. That’s the heart of our conversation with strategist and storyteller Erica Mackay from the Marketing Detective Agency, where “Giraffes Don’t Eat Steak” isn’t just a catchy title—it’s a sharp reminder that not every audience is your audience. We swap spray-and-pray tactics for research-led clarity and show how to spot the lions who actually want what you sell.

Erica takes us from her childhood in apartheid South Africa—where questioning unfair rules became second nature—to a global marketing career across EMEA and a bold pivot into entrepreneurship. Along the way, she reveals an unexpected chapter as a close protection officer and unpacks how that discipline translates into better marketing: map the environment, profile the actors, plan the route, and prepare contingencies. In business terms, that’s voice-of-customer research, competitor insight, channel focus, and message testing that saves time and money.

We break down practical steps any founder or marketer can use now: narrow your segment to people who want, need, and can afford your offer; capture the exact language your buyers use; craft a simple value proposition; and place it where attention already lives. Erica’s throughline is human connection—help people feel seen, whether they’re customers or young speakers finding confidence—and the results will follow. Expect smart positioning tips, memorable metaphors, and candid life lessons on courage, curiosity, and asking for help.

If you’re ready to stop waving steak at giraffes and start serving the right audience, hit play and bring a notepad. Then share this with a founder who needs a nudge, subscribe for more brand strategy conversations, and leave a review to tell us which insight you’ll test first.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'.  If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email  me about the Show: [email protected]
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening! 

Send us Fan Mail

A quiet letter. A packed car on the way back from university. A house that suddenly feels bigger than your life. These moments whisper the same question: who are you now? Coach and founder Mary Van Eker joins us to share the story behind her new signature 'The Me I Forgot' Programme, a 4 week programme designed for women 45+ who want to rediscover their identity, purpose, and joy after decades of caregiving or career-first living.

We dive into the real triggers that spark change—menopause, empty nests, shifting family dynamics—and how to turn them into a reset rather than a crisis. Mary unpacks her coaching craft: creating a mental “clearing” where thinking deepens, using silence to surface insight, and blending agile methods with human warmth. Think sprints, backlogs, and tiny experiments that build confidence without burnout. 

She speaks candidly about belonging, from Liverpool’s grit to Portsmouth’s community, and how parenting four children trained her to hold space, listen for truth, and celebrate the moment a client’s face lifts with an aha.

This conversation moves beyond platitudes. You’ll hear practical steps to reclaim your voice, set boundaries, and map a life that feels chosen. We explore women’s networks as lifelines, the courage to be seen and heard, and the gentle power of asking one question without apology: what do you want? If your inner narrator has gone quiet, Mary’s invitation is simple and strong—have a go, learn in public, and iterate toward a life that fits.

Ready to find the you that went quiet while you were holding everyone else together? Listen now, share this with a friend who needs it, and tell us one small step you’ll take this week. 

If you find value here, follow the show, leave a review, and help more women see what’s possible.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'.  If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email  me about the Show: [email protected]
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening! 

Send us Fan Mail

A host hands over his own mic, steps into the straw-lit ring, and lets his story breathe. Chris Grimes invites us into “the clearing,” a warm, curated space where presence comes first and stories find their shape. From a Uganda childhood and the hum of a TV showing Laurel & Hardy to the ache of losing a sister and the discipline of actor-teacher training, Chris traces the real forces that shaped his craft, his humour, and his ethos of yes-and.

We dig into the 5-4-3-2-1 framework he uses to spark honest conversation, and why comedy can be the first evidence of freedom. Expect Stan Laurel’s kindness, Michael Palin’s curiosity, and a dash of John Cleese; a tender nod to Federer’s focus on the next point; and a confession about a £2,000 wheelie bin in the name of creative risk. Chris shares the quotes he keeps in his pocket—be where your feet are; nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so—and the one story he returns to when doubt creeps in: the Helsinki Bus Garage. Translation for creatives and leaders alike—stay on the bus long enough to reach the route only you can travel.

The heart of the conversation is Legacy Life Reflections, a human-led way to record personal histories before voices fade. Chris talks about capturing his father’s story in the halcyon years and why every family has a documentary inside it, not a footnote. It’s story craft with care: listening deeply, framing gently, and creating a keepsake that outlives the moment. Along the way, we talk tennis, ping-pong, presence, and the north star of a dream guest—Sir Michael Palin.

If you’re building a career in the arts, leading teams, or simply trying to honour the voices you love, there’s gold here: practical storytelling tools, resilience reframes, and a reminder to laugh when you can. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs the nudge, and leave a review to help more people find the clearing. Then tell us—what’s your story?

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'.  If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email  me about the Show: [email protected]
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening! 

Send us Fan Mail

What if your copy worked because you thought better, not because you wrote harder? That’s the challenge David L. Deutsch lays down as we dive into the craft of response-driven writing—from Ogilvy roots to billion-dollar wins—and the mental models that make persuasion stick in the real world. 

We go beyond formulas and catchy lines to ask sharper questions: who is your reader, what does their day feel like, and what would actually move them now?

David shares how he turns “boring” into compelling by reframing problems and dramatising the cost of inaction, a lesson echoed by the genius behind “Got Milk?”. 

We explore systems thinking for marketers—mapping loops, incentives, and constraints—so you fix the pattern, not just polish the prose. Music and copywriting meet as he explains pattern recognition, cadence, and structure; improvisation shows up in the yes-and approach that meets readers where they are and guides them forward without friction. And we talk about working with vistas in mind: motion, cities, and the right constraints that free your best ideas.

Along the way, you’ll hear why “consistently not stupid” beats “very intelligent,” how to write as if you’re persuading across a table, and what it takes to make the obvious inevitable. We also touch on legacy—how capturing stories helps those who listen and those who tell—and the long view that puts craft, clarity, and human connection ahead of noise. 

If you want copy that gets response, these are the habits and mindsets to adopt.

Enjoy the conversation, then try this: before you write your next line, map your reader’s day, name their stakes, and decide the one action that would truly help. 

If this episode resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who writes or sells, and leave a review to tell us the one idea you’ll use today.

Join David at https://www.speakingofwriting.com for free trainings and coaching. Connect with me, Chris Grimes on LinkedIn; Gift a Legacy Life Reflections conversation at https://www.legacylifereflections.com

And if you’d like to be in the show too, find out how at The Good Listening To Show website.  Contact me at [email protected] On X and Instagram, it’s @thatchrisgrimes

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'.  If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email  me about the Show: [email protected]
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening! 

Send us Fan Mail

What if the shortest path to better work is learning to be where your feet are? That’s the spark behind our conversation with Matt Zeigler—producer turned financial adviser, community builder, and host of the very excellent "Just Press Record" Podcast —who shows how presence, listening, and thoughtful connections can turn chance into momentum.

We trace Matt’s arc from teenage gigs and studio life to a mid‑career pivot into finance, where he discovered the same skill set applies: translate feelings into form, complexity into clarity, and fear into decisions. When a singer once asked for “more yellow,” he knew what to do. Years later, executives arrive with different words for the same fog—and Matt helps them find the signal by naming the gap between story and reality.

That gap is the heart of Epsilon Theory and Panoptica, where Matt collaborates to decode how narratives shape markets, media, and culture. Think of epsilon as the error term between the map and the terrain—the place where headlines distort, incentives mislead, and human judgment goes sideways. Matt shares how better questions, cleaner language, and subtraction over addition can align plans with reality. It’s strategy as craft: roll off the noise, let the truth breathe.

We also dive into the “three‑body problem” of networks: you, one other person, and both of your audiences. The math stops behaving, and that’s the point. Serendipity compounds when you curate introductions and record the moment, which is exactly what Just Press Record does so well. Along the way we meet his “squirrels” (Premier League football and new music), hear why introverts make strong hosts, and unpack a line that changes lives: “How am I complicit in creating the things I say I don’t want?”

If you value practical wisdom, human‑centred strategy, and stories that actually help, press play. Then subscribe, share this with a friend who loves smart conversations, and leave a review to tell us what you’ll subtract this week to move forward.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'.  If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email  me about the Show: [email protected]
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening! 

Send us Fan Mail

Laughter can be a compass. Sitting with DeCastro—one of the world’s best-loved clowns—we step into Why Not Land, a clearing where play is protected, truth has room to breathe, and imagination outruns fear. From South London to Rio’s shoreline, she maps an art form often trivialised, arguing with warmth and precision that clowning is education, rebellion, and radical compassion all at once.

We journey through the founding of the Why Not Institute, born after Slava’s Snowshow and sustained by a fierce belief that clowns are truth tellers, entertainers and subversives. The pandemic cost the Institute its physical home, but not its purpose: keep the archive alive, keep the training accessible, keep the doors open to every line of clowning—circus, theatre, street, musical, spiritual, and rebel. Along the way, DeCastro dismantles the lazy insult that calls selfish power “clowning.” Real clowns risk themselves to say what others cannot, with tenderness and wit.

Her practice is anchored by “How to Be a Stupid,” a title that hides a serious proposition: the work is not technique first; it’s a state. Intensive training helps students unlearn perfectionism and step into a creative intelligence where failure is feedback and play is disciplined. We talk honour, friendship, and compassion; we talk samba beats that change your heartbeat; we talk Giulietta Masina, Wings of Desire, and painters whose generosity outlives them. There are trees with winter scarves, red motorbikes humming low through London, and bus rides where a stranger’s new phone becomes blue because a clown’s kindness tipped the scales.

What remains is a living legacy. Students write years later from rehearsal rooms and boardrooms, now “stupid in charge” of their own brave choices. DeCastro wants the Institute’s next home to be near a tube and open to all, so the archive—props, films, books—can breathe and be shared. Until then, the state of clown keeps migrating: into hearts, spirits and minds that choose curiosity over cleverness and play over posturing.

If this conversation moved you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs permission to take fun seriously. And if you can help the Why Not Institute find a new home, reach out—let’s make the land of Why Not easier to find.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'.  If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email  me about the Show: [email protected]
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!