For this My Working Life edition of the Nowhere Office, Julia Hobsbawm and Stefan Stern are joined by Sam McAlister, the former Newsnight producer best known for securing the game-changing interview with Prince Andrew.

She shares details of her background from working-class childhood to criminal barrister and her jump into TV. She talks about the joys of her newfound autonomy and the relentless hustle required to make it all work. 

Sam takes us behind the scenes of TV news and gives her take on the pernicious role of class in the workplace. 

The Nowhere Office is a Fully Connected Production in association with Sandstone Global Productions. Music by Julian Brezon. Learn more at workathon.io.

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Julia Hobsbawm and Stefan Stern are joined by John Bond, founder of Whitefox Publishing to discuss the business of publishing. 

We hear about how the industry has changed since the 1980s and 1990s when huge advances were handed out at the drop of a hat and books were acquired on professional instinct. That’s been replaced by data-driven metrics and a clearer understanding of what consumers want.

The episode provides advice for anyone looking to have a book published, explaining the current market, the steps involved and the roles that agents play. The episode features clips for Rebecca Frayn’s novel Lost in Ibiza and Emily Ross and Alastair Crowl’s Just Evil Enough. Both are published by Whitefox.

This episode is brought to you in association with Whitefox—exceptional publishers for exceptional stories. Learn more at wearewhitefox.com. The Nowhere Office is a Fully Connected Production in partnership with Sandstone Global Productions. Music by Julian Brezon. Discover more at workathon.io.

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In this episode of The Nowhere Office, Stefan Stern and Julia Hobsbawm discuss leadership with Barbara Kellerman. Our My Working Life feature is an interview with American union organiser Jaz Brisack, who has been involved with movements at Nissan, Starbucks, and Tesla.

This episode covers:

The Nowhere Office is a Fully Connected Production in partnership with Sandstone Global Productions. Music by Julian Brezon. Discover more at workathon.io.

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Julia Hobsbawm interviews Syreeta Brown, Group Chief People & Communications Officer at Virgin Money. They explore the huge changes that have taken place in the workforce in recent years, whether those changes can be unravelled and discuss how ripping up the rule book can help to get, grow and retain great talent. 

Also featured is a clip from an upcoming interview with Barbara Kellerman, renowned leadership writer and academic. She discusses the upcoming inauguration of President Trump, likening his bombastic style to that of a prizefighter.

The Nowhere Office is a Fully Connected Production in partnership with Sandstone Global Productions. Music by Julian Brezon. Discover more at workathon.io.

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This is a tribute to a dear friend of The Nowhere Office, Charles Handy, the management writer, who died this week aged 92.

Julia Hobsbawm and Stefan Stern are joined by the FT’s Andrew Hill to discuss Handy's life and legacy, his extremely sharp predictions about work, the humanism at the heart of his thinking, and his unconventional practices like ‘empty chair’ exercises. We have included an interview with Charles Handy from the very first episode of The Nowhere Office.

In this episode's My Working Life segment, Indrani Sen, Features Editor at Fortune Magazine, tells us about journalism on 9/11 in New York, the sheer fun of her job, anxiety in legacy media, and a possible career shift. This sponsored feature is brought to you in association with Whitefox—exceptional publishers for exceptional stories. Learn more at wearewhitefox.com.

The Nowhere Office is a Fully Connected Production in partnership with Sandstone Global Productions. Music by Julian Brezon. Discover more at workathon.io.

Books mentioned in the episode:

By Charles Handy:

Also mentioned: 

• Dan Davies, The Unaccountability Machine: Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions - and How The World Lost its Mind (Profile Books, 2024). 

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Julia Hobsbawm speaks with Peter Miscovich, Executive Managing Director and Global Future of Work Leader at JLL, to explore the past, present, and future of offices around the world. They discuss the tech transformations in workplaces, quantum computing on the horizon and the massive changes in the past 50 years of work. 

In this episode's My Working Life segment, we hear from Birgitte Stoerger of AuPairCare. With years of experience matching au pairs with families, Birgitte shares the joys of her work and the challenges faced by Au Pairs navigating a new life in the US. 

This sponsored feature is brought to you in association with Whitefox—exceptional publishers for exceptional stories. Learn more at wearewhitefox.com.

The Nowhere Office is a Fully Connected Production in partnership with Sandstone Global Productions. Music by Julian Brezon. Discover more at workathon.io.

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For this My Working Life edition of the Nowhere Office, Julia Hobsbawm is joined by Iain Dale to discuss his career as a broadcaster, author, publisher, editor, lobbyist and much more.

This week’s My Working Life segment features Olivia Alexander, a SoulCycle instructor. Olivia shares how the pandemic disrupted her musical theatre career and how SoulCycle has not only "filled her cup" but also helped her navigate grief. This sponsored feature is brought to you by Whitefox—exceptional publishers for exceptional stories. Discover more at wearewhitefox.com.

The Nowhere Office is a Fully Connected Production in association with Sandstone Global Productions. Music by Julian Brezon. Learn more at workathon.io.

Also mentioned in the episode: Our Brain Bank: ourbrainbank.org.

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In this News from Nowhere, we bring you a conversation from a recent Workathon event in London: How the Media Works. Ravi Mattu, managing editor of The New York Times' DealBook, and Matthew D’Ancona, editor of The New European, joined Julia Hobsbawm to discuss the state of the media.

Stefan Stern talks to journalist Carole Cadwalladr about the Tortoise-Observer deal. Carole shares candid views on paywalled versus free journalism and what she describes as the breathtaking arrogance and contempt of The Guardian's management.

In this week’s My Working Life, Jess is disappointed in the work ethic of younger colleagues and tells us about hospitality at 30,000 feet.

The Nowhere Office is a Fully Connected Production, in association with Sandstone Global Productions. Music by Julian Brezon.

This episode's sponsored feature is brought to you by Whitefox—exceptional publishers for exceptional stories. Learn more at wearewhitefox.com.

For more information, visit workathon.io.

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In this episode of The Nowhere Office, Julia Hobsbawm is joined by author and speaker Terence Mauri to discuss his new book The Upside of Disruption: The Path to Leading and Thriving in the Unknown.

Terence explores the risks of standing still in an age of rapid change and shares how a serious accident reshaped his career and perspective. The conversation covers warm and cold AI, future readiness, and his philosophy of reduction.

This week’s My Working Life features Declan Hogan, CFO of O’Dwyer Steel, who discusses the business of building. This sponsored feature is brought to you by Whitefox—exceptional publishers for exceptional stories. Discover more at wearewhitefox.com.

The Nowhere Office is a Fully Connected Production, in association with Sandstone Global Productions. Music by Julian Brezon.

Find out more at workathon.io.

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In this episode of The Nowhere Office, Julia Hobsbawm and Stefan Stern welcome leadership coach and author Tiffany Gaskell, who has updated Sir John Whitmore’s classic Coaching for Performance for its sixth edition. Since it was first published, the book has sold over one million copies.

They explore coaching’s origins in sports, the evolution of leadership styles, the impact of the pandemic on leadership, and whether AI could disrupt traditional coaching models.

This week’s My Working Life features Tony Michael from the Village Garage. He and Julia discuss his long career as a mechanic, being a one-man band, and why he never became a pilot. 

The Nowhere Office is a Fully Connected Production in association with Sandstone Global Productions. 

Music by Julian Brezon.

Find out more at workathon.io 

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