Life Beyond The Numbers

#52 Everything's Okay - Alan Creedon

"Everything's okay. And if everything's okay, what's the problem? And actually, it's a very fulfilling place to be; everything's okay." Alan Creedon.
 
If you ever feel tortured by your own thoughts this episode is for you as Alan Creedon and I delve into talking about our minds in a world of 'shoulds' and 'doing'. Alan explains how to find stillness, connections, how to be and how to use your mind and not be used by it. Alan explains what mindfulness is and the benefits of mindfulness from his own experience: 
worrying less,
far less bothered about what other people thought about him,
being less judgemental, 
fewer barriers to doing what he wanted to do, and
gaining clarity.
Alan talks about nature, nature connection and discovering nature even if we live in an urban setting. We discuss the value of relationships, interactions, nature and creating. And we talk about everything being okay - not amazing, not terrible, but okay. 
 
Alan Creedon is a qualified mindfulness teacher with a passion for the outdoors and nature. He is all about the people and a big believer in cooperation and personal development within the workplace and works with individuals and businesses. He has considerable experience in buying and selling, creating and building markets and helping local, organic food businesses work. He loves being creative and nature plays a big part in that. He writes. He also plays music and composed the music that features on Life Beyond the Numbers Podcast. 
 
Connect with Alan:
On LinkedIn
His Endless River website
And on Instagram 
 
 
 
 

#51 One to Many - Kaveh Sadeghian

"We always say: to design for many, you have to design for some and to design for some, you have to design for one." Kaveh Sadeghian.
 
Kaveh Sadeghian would love to hand over a series of beliefs and systems to the next generation that might undo some of the industrial era and set them up with a little bit more success in terms of integrating their purpose and themselves and their work. We talk about how a systems and scale approach is not the only one and that he says solutions will move at the pace of trust. And we talk about design thinking and inclusive design. Kaveh shares how he first discovered being in a state of flow and how although it is not an inherently efficient state that if we don't have it at work we run the risk of being unfulfilled. We talk about compassion fatigue and how to distinguish between compassion fatigue and burnout. Kaveh speaks passionately about community and the power of storytelling. 
 
Kaveh Sadeghian develops and facilitates transformative educational experiences for mission-driven leaders using trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and equity-centered pedagogies. Kaveh is currently a Lead Strategist at 2U, where he directs the company’s learning strategy for undergraduate programs. Prior to 2U, Kaveh helped create Penn’s Center for Social Impact Strategy and served as its Creative Director. Today, Kaveh continues his work at Penn as an instructor, where he teaches courses on design-thinking, social innovation, and social impact strategy. As an independent consultant, Kaveh develops and facilitates leadership programming for high-impact organizations, including the Obama Foundation, the Aspen Institute, and the World Bank. He is also a regular speaker and facilitator at mission-driven conferences.
 
Connect with Kaveh:
By email at kaveh@upenn.edu
 
Resources Mentioned:
Centre for Social Impact Strategy U Penn
Inclusive Design @ Microsoft
Kirstin Neff - Self Compassion
Dr. Sandra Bloom - Trauma

#50 A Journey - Kiki Kirby

"We've got to take ownership of our leadership with our people because we're leading people." Kiki Kirby
 
People are at the heart of what Kiki does. As this episode was recorded at the beginning of summer (UK) Kiki and I kick off chatting about the importance of taking rest - not just during the summer but on a daily basis. Kiki has overcome many things in life - her mother died when she was 13, she suffered from burnout at work and is a cancer survivor. In this episode she shares some reflections on these life events and also how she incorporates them into the work she does now. Reflection, she says, is one of the most under-utilised and underused success tools. Kiki is so open and generous with what she shares about how she has evolved and continues to evolve. She admits "I've probably made work the idol of my life at many times." Have you? 
 
Kiki Kirby has developed a methodology that frames and structures the work we do, to help bring clarity to the chaos of any people-related situation. With a successful corporate career in HR and recruitment, Kiki has seen her fair share of people challenges. Having worked for over a decade in consultancy, coaching and recruitment, her whole career has been about people at various stages of their professional lives. Kiki is a heart-centred business and life coach. 
 
Connect with Kiki
Her consultancy business website 
Her coaching business website
On LinkedIn 
 
Resources Mentioned:
Helen Joy @ PeopleSpark
Susan David TED Talk  and her book Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life

#49 A Sense of Belonging - Jenny Ashmore

"Teams are built on how tense moments are handled." Jenny Ashmore
 
Jenny Ashmore and I chat about the similarities between business and sports especially when it comes to high-performance. Jenny feels that there are some profound techniques we can learn from sport that can easily translate into the workplace - how goals are set, fostering a sense of belonging, dealing with tensions and stress and setting team standards. Safety and feeling safe as humans, individually and as part of a team, comes up a number of times during our conversation. As do the stories we tell ourselves (and we all do it). Jenny asks how we might unpack our realities and check our stories with facts. She also talks about how much we embody, including our values. Jenny has some great insights into how you might assess whether you are better suited to an Exec or Non-Exec role and she talks about how powerful relationships are reciprocal relationships. 
 
Jenny Ashmore is a persuasive and inspirational senior Board adviser, and consultant with 15+ years of Board-level experience across Financial Services, Private Equity, international sports, charities, and member organisations. She is also a former GB age-group triathlete (qualifying for World & European Championships) and as a coach is passionately interested in the components of what drives peak performance and winning podium positions in business as much as sport. This comes after an Executive career working for some of the world’s largest businesses and brands with the best-known household names - Pampers, SSE, Mars, P&G. And Jenny was President of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) for 3 years. 
 
Connect with Jenny:
On LinkedIn
 
Resources Mentioned: 
Belonging: The Ancient Code of Togetherness, Owen Eastwood
 
 
 
 

#48 Baby Steps - Rebecca Cheetham

"It's going to be hard to form a habit, but once you do it becomes non-negotiable and that shifts things for you. But like you said, baby steps, baby steps, add in small little things everyday." Rebecca Cheetham.
 
Can you live a life where you feel good about it? Can you wake up in the morning and feel positive about what you're going to do that day? Can you build strong relationships? Can you enjoy yourself? Rebecca and I chat about what we might believe we should do and the choices we have in our lives. Rebecca talks about how moonlighting as a mental health worker while working in banking brought her to 'how can we get people proactive about looking after their mental health?' Rebecca shares four easily accessible and often freely available personal wellbeing strategies - meditation, yoga, sleep and gratitude.   
 
Rebecca Cheetham set up Siendo in Feb 2020. She trained as a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor, Yoga & Meditation Teacher, Personal Development Coach and Public Speaker while working in corporate banking giving her a unique perspective. She saw, first hand, the importance of proactive wellbeing support within high-performance environments. She knew this was an area where she could make a real difference; removing the stigma, encouraging conversations, and making wellbeing a priority in people's lives.
 
Connect with Rebecca
Through her website Siendo
On LinkedIn and Instagram
 
Resources:
Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl 
Yoga Nidra 
 
 

#47 Social Glue - Steve Haines

"So, I want you to be a sommelier to your body!  But to do that we have to practice. You start with really fundamentals. How do I know what joy is?" Steve Haines.
 
Steve's fourth book, Touch is Really Strange, was released in April 2021. Steve explains the science of touch. We talk about how in social groups where there's an equality touch is supportive and helps the process of working as a team and clearly in work situations that can be useful. Steve says we can rediscover our sense of safety and agency through safe touch or skilful touch and reminds us of the need to negotiate consent around touch and be aware of how your touch might be received. Steve describes hugs as transformational gestures of acceptance. He says that when we touch someone we touch their whole person and not just a part of them and that we are far more complex than our parts. We also talk about how touch helps us feel real, the armness of an arm and why we can't tickle ourselves! 
 
Steve Haines has been a bodyworker for over 20 years. Understanding the science of pain and trauma has transformed his approach to healing. He runs regular clinics in London and Geneva and teaches all over the world. He is the author of the award winning ‘Anxiety Is Really Strange’, part of a series of graphic books that include ‘Pain Is Really Strange’, ‘Trauma Is Really Strange’ and 'Touch is Really Strange'. He has studied Yoga, Shiatsu, Craniosacral Therapy, and Trauma Releasing Exercises TRE®.
 
Connect with Steve:Through his website
On Instagram
And on Facebook
 
Resources Mentioned:
Touch is Really Strange, Steve Haines - https://bodycollege.net/touch/
Antonio Damasio - https://www.technologyreview.com/2014/06/17/172310/the-importance-of-feelings/ 
Lisa Feldman Barrett - https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com 
Episode 10, Life Beyond the Numbers, This Feeling Business
 

#46 Being Bold - Lọ́lá Béjidé

"It's not about where you start. It's about the potential you show others that will determined where you finish." Lọ́lá Béjidé
 
Lọ́lá is an early career strategist and we talk about how, as you navigate your career, do you figure out the best way to step up and stand out with your skills, talents, potential, and you demonstrate it all. We cover the difference between culture fit and culture add, promoting diversity, moving from 'fantasy land' to 'reality land' and how to know as a manager, leader or employer that you are actually equipping and empowering your talent to grow, develop and flourish. Lọ́lá encourages us not to sell ourselves short, to be architects of our career and she says if you start strong, you're only going to get stronger. 
 
Lọ́lá Béjidé is a certified ICF career coach specialising in helping young professionals navigate their corporate careers and being “architects of their career”. A passionate believer in empowering the learners today to become the leaders of tomorrow. Before founding Soluman Consultancy, she spent 20+ years as a senior Business Manager & Global training lead in the corporate world working within organisations such as Merrill Lynch, Zenith Bank (Nigeria), HSBC, JP Morgan, ABN AMRO and Barclays.
 
Connect with Lọ́lá:
On LinkedIn
Visit her website
Or by email: lola@solumanconsultancy.com

#45 Wellbeing Toolbox - Nicholas Jemetta

"...understanding your strengths and also understanding other people's strengths is the key to effective communication, effective relationships and avoiding some of the conflict that can happen, especially in the workplace..." Nicholas Jemetta.
 
Nicholas Jemetta is merging his two worlds of digital technology geekery and mental health and wellbeing. In 2018 he shared his mental health story and it awakened something in him. He took that energy into the workplace and started to lobby for change by being proactive and taking responsibility. During lockdown he started #fancydress4mentalhealth and on June 11th (2021) he will wear his 100th fancy dress costume to work. Nick says we are all overflowing pots of awesomeness and just because we might struggle with our mental health at some points in our life it shouldn't put us a box, apply labels to us, limit our happiness or our potential. Nick also speaks about his wellbeing toolbox, growing and nurturing a network, loving his squiggly life and being able to see the lighter side of life. He also shares his strategy of (1) tuning in to yourself and your feelings, (2) having a wonder wall and worry wall, and (3) asking for help and support. 
 
Nicholas Jemetta, an Award Winning Mental Health Campaigner, uncovered a deeper purpose as a motivational speaker and mental health campaigner.  He is on a journey to fuse his product management craft with a passion for mental health, whilst meeting as many inspiring people as he can on the way. He has accepted anxiety as one of his superpowers. If you think you can help, reach out! Alternatively, get in touch if he can help you create memorable software products, or memorable and mentally healthy cultures where people love to work.
 
Connect with Nicholas:
On LinkedIn, on Twitter and on Instagram
And donate at Just Giving
 
Resources Mentioned:
Hub of Hope App
Hub of Hope App is developed by Chasing the Stigma
The Squiggly Careers Podcast
Just Giving
 

#44 Preparation & Practice - Carlos Gimeno

"I think that's a key component of public speaking, a key component of communication and a key component of confidence because the more you listen in the better your answers and your statements become the more powerful and influential and respected you become." Carlos Gimeno. 
 
Carlos Gimeno thinks there are two things that everyone should know about before they join the workplace, yet no school or university teaches them, one is financial literacy and the other is public speaking skills. Public speaking is something we all do all the time - every time we speak with another human. It is not a one-way exercise. Carlos shares some great practical strategies to improve our public speaking. We talk about crafting your message, simplicity, silence, listening, pausing and clarity. We also talk about how much our eyes and hands are involved when we speak. Carlos shares why feedback can be so frustrating and the power of posing questions. He also introduces us to his technique of 'Storyology' and the four steps involved in effective storytelling.  
 
Carlos Gimeno founded Cg to fill a gap in the education and professional training system: Public Speaking Coaching. Carlos believes in the power of the spoken word to drive positive change. Expressing your ideas clearly, meaningfully and persuasively is a fundamental skill in the world we inhabit.  Cg helps you and your organisation craft and deliver memorable Public Speaking, whether you are communicating with an audience of one or hundreds. Carlos has 16 years of international commercial experience in Publishing, a degree in Journalism, fluency in English and Spanish and 10 years of training as a Public Speaker.
 
Connect with Carlos:
On his website Cg Public Speaking Coaching
On LinkedIn
 
Resources Mentioned:
Public Speaking: A Very Practical Introduction by Carlos Gimeno
Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen
Toastmasters International 

#43 Putting People First - Luke Kyte

"And I know those results have really just materialised from that dynamic of putting people first." Luke Kyte. 
 
Those results include:
Team retention: 97% team retention over the last two years. 
Revenue & profit: increased 40% and 60% respectively 
Annual leave: Since the introduction of unlimited holiday, annual leave has increased an average of 37% in the team 
Sickness: per person has dropped to 0.46 days a year – the UK ave is 4.1. This demonstrates the effectiveness of policies that put people first. 
 
Luke Kyte speaks openly about a cultural revolution at Reddico. In the early years the focus was on creating a fun place to work but they had missed some important ingredients that create a culture - like putting people first and giving people more responsibility, trust and freedom to work in a way that is right for them. Luke talks us through their journey from traditional management and traditional mindsets to where they are today with self-management. As a company they are constantly evolving and changing, there is no standing still. But now they have a way of working and level of transparency that reassures people and creates psychological business owners out of the team. 
 
Luke Kyte is Head of Culture & Business Improvement at Reddico. His background is in Journalism and he originally joined Reddico as a content writer. He rolled out Reddico's culture manifesto in 2018, and has since helped Reddico to become the 4th best place to work in the UK, transitioning the business from a traditional framework, to one focused on self-management. He writes for the Corporate Rebels and speaks at events on Reddico's journey as well as workplace culture. 
 
Connect with Luke
On LinkedIn
On Twitter @LukeKyte101
On Email luke.kyte@reddico.co.uk 
 
Reddico recent awards
Best Large SEO Agency Finalist European Search Awards 2021
Best Agency to Work For Winner Company Culture Awards 2021
5th in UK’s Best Workplaces™ Great Place To Work® 2021
Best Small SEO Agency Winner European Search Awards 2020
 
Resources Mentioned
Maverick - Ricardo Semler
The Happy Manifesto - Henry Stewart
Reinventing Organizations - Frederic Laloux