It only seems right that we end this season with the godmother of uncertainty, Dr Margaret Heffernan, an entrepreneur, professor, and the multi award winning author of seven books, including Sam and mine’s absolute favourite - Unchartered.

But it seems somewhat wrong to introduce her by way of books, titles and accolades because as you’ll hear in this episode, Margaret intentionally lives life at the edge of the map, in pursuit of anomalies. Uninterested in fashion or fads, she mentors her students on how to effectively question and disobey norms. In this conversation we discuss what she's learnt about embracing uncertainty - the title of her latest book, and whether willfull blindness has now become strategic denial. Margaret pulls no punches when it comes to leaders peddling outdated ideas. So if you want to know how to live and lead well in an uncertain world, this is a conversation you will definitely enjoy.

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This week we are delighted to introduce you to STORRY, an independent singer-songwriter, speaker, filmmaker, and advocate. From opera to reggae, to hip hop, hand on heart, she is one of the most talented people you’ll ever see perform. In 2024, she was a finalist on the Voice UK, and has also been nominated for two Juno awards, but her story is also one of deep focus and healing. After being coerced into the sex industry as a young women, STORRY has rebuilt her life, and her sound.

Whilst not shying away from her experiences, she has turned pain into power and demonstrates extraordinary clarity and conviction in everything she does.

Here is a woman who truly lives life on her own terms.

You can follow here here:

IG: @storrymusic

Youtube

Spotify

https://www.storrymusic.com/

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Now we definitely need some more (local) pirate politicians so let us introduce you to Tara Fisher, who, as of this year, is a town councillor for Calne in Wiltshire.

Councillors don't always get a good rep, but as you’ll hear in the first few minutes of this conversation, Tara has started challenging things from the get go.

It is her ambition to make Calne the most connected and least lonely town in the county, but she is also fairly accustomed to challenging the status quo. An avid rule breaker in her former workplaces, Tara is driven by putting people at the centre. You'll hear how exactly she defied her line manager to win over the CEO and take her organisation in a different direction, and how she manages the fear and very real consequences of putting forgiveness above permission.

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Today’s guest is a special one because he is about to become my quartermaster on the first ever Be more Pirate leadership programme.

Introducing....Nick Heard-Jones, a former teacher, turned learning designer and coach, Nick has spent the last decade working with school leaders to help them challenge and change things both inside and outside the school gates. He’s been National Director of System Leadership at the Shaw Education Trust, and Chief Learning Officer at the NCE, but no matter the title, he is resolute in always asking the question, what does it mean to lead like a pirate?

For the past 7 years He has loudly and steadfastly supported Sam and I selling more books to teachers than we ever could alone and now that he is managing director of Ioda education, we’re heading into exciting new territory together...

We have fused Be More Pirate into the The Level 7 Senior Leadership Apprenticeship Programme, and are now assembling a crew for an 18 month learning adventure. It's open to anyone employed at a company based in England, and aimed at those in, or working towards a senior leadership position.

So, if you want to lead more like a pirate then please fill out our form here: we will then be in touch for a call, and invite you to an info session.

At the time of publishing we have already have 130 register interest so it's looking like it will be an incredible community.

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Our guest this week is the very lovely Lee Chambers, a business psychologist and the founder of Male Allies UK. In 2023 Lee was named by UN Women as a Gender Equality Changemaker and has subsequently become one the most well recognised voices on gender equity.

But, as is usually the case with these podcast bios — the job titles and awards are not the real story and in this episode we talk about both the leverage and limitations of identity.

With characteristic care and humility Lee challenges a number of well worn ideas: we discuss the fallacy of failing forward, how capitalism is hijacking community, and some of the pitfalls of the self-help genre.

Sam and I certainly learnt a lot from Lee about how to express difficult ideas so we very much hope you enjoy this episode.

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This week’s episode features our very first Danish pirate, a musician and actor with a background in gender studies.

In this conversation we talk about his experiences as a drag queen, the ways in which he’s used performance to break the fourth wall and push people to their edge, and we discuss why the world needs a slow rebellion.

Through endless cultural experimentation Mathias has become unafraid of life. He embodies an attitude that is inherently pirate "if someone tells me it's impossible, I will prove that it can be done."

You can connect with him on LinkedIn

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Our guest this week is the absolutely brilliant V Spehar, a former New York chef turned journalist and hugely influential tiktokker whose account Under the Desk News has now amassed over 3.6million followers. Which is fairly astonishing for someone who never set out to become a journalist.

It all started when V posted a short video about the 2021 insurrection from under their desk. The video went viral and they realised there was an opportunity for a new type of reporting that could help the American public navigate through the swamp of biased media. I

They are the one staying up all night to listen to dull but important Senate hearings so that the American public knows what's coming and how it might affect them.

We talk about:

💬 what is means to be a 'safe adult'

💬 power crying as a coping mechanism

💬 what you learn being invisible at an AI conference

In an age of algorithms and misinformation V is cutting through the noise, making important but otherwise dry topics funny and relatable. And slowly it seems that the mainstream is catching on, and realising that there is another way to do this.

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Di Macdonald is a native Australian, adopted Brit and all round formidable leader. She has has worked across many industries, but notably at companies like Apple and EE, so this conversation is an unfiltered take on how to survive in corporate if you’re not willing to tow the line.

One for the intrapreneurs or 'pirates inside', she gives rare insights into the conversations that happen behind closed doors; in board rooms, at company off sites and leadership meetings.

Telling it like it is, there's plenty of advice here for how far to push the limits of your role, and how to go about rule breaking in a strategic way.

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