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  • Founder interview: Gmax Trackstars / Dragonfly - Athletics Academy and yoga studio • UK | Rethinking the charity shop model | Mark Lancaster
    2026/08/31
    In this episode, we're talking to the founder of Gmax Trackstars Mark Lancaster. Gmax Trackstars  is a charity providing athletics training to young people in London, including to those from disadvantaged backgrounds. What makes it innovative is its funding model. Instead of relying on grants or donations, it's supported by a social enterprise called Dragonfly. The Dragonfly space is home to a yoga studio whose profits fund Gmax's work. It also houses a plant-based restaurant, a reuse and refill center, therapy and massage rooms, and more. Mark summarises the three key essential elements of the company's success as: ExperienceCaring about the purposeProblem solving A detailed breakdown of what's covered in the interview is provided below. 0:39 — What is Gmax? Gmax Trackstars is a London charity providing athletics training to young people, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 0:57 — The funding model: How Dragonfly — a social enterprise with a yoga studio, plant-based restaurant, reuse & refill center, and therapy/massage rooms — funds Gmax's work. 3:16 — Origins of the name "Gmax": The story behind the brand, its roots in the 2012 Olympics legacy, and the Greenwich Olympiads. 5:01 — Charity or business first? Mark explains how the athletics club and the charity developed side by side, inspired by the Cub Scouts model. 7:01 — Learning from McDonald's: Why Mark modeled Gmax's growth strategy partly on McDonald's youth engagement and brand-building approach. 8:39 — Marketing lessons from big brands: Eilidh and Mark discuss why values-driven organisations can learn from unlikely sources like McDonald's. 9:12 — Gmax's marketing approach: Social media, youth profiles, schools, and word-of-mouth as key growth channels. 10:49 — The power of partnerships: Mark discusses working with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, St Christopher's, local authorities, and football academies. 11:51 — Running the Dragonfly Yoga Studio: Team structure, management, and the vision for expanding "G units" across London. 13:11 — Surviving the pandemic: Mark shares the personal and financial toll of keeping Dragonfly open through COVID. 14:35 — Building community: How Gmax and Dragonfly foster leadership, friendships, and a sense of belonging among young people, volunteers, and staff. 16:28 — Keys to success: Mark reflects on purpose-driven work, experience, and why the mission doesn't feel like a job. 17:08 — Protecting yourself as a leader: Boundaries, self-care, mentorship, and problem-solving. 19:04 — "There's always a way": Mark's philosophy on persistence, avoiding excuses, and staying positive. Who is this episode most relevant for? Social entrepreneurs; youth sports and community program leaders; small business owners seeking partnership/marketing strategies. Business and charity websites: https://www.dragonfly-yoga.org/our-story https://gmaxtrackstars.com/ Resources Visit https://businessinnovators.global/interactive-workbook-exercises/ for workbook exercises Connect with Us: Website: businessinnovators.globalEmail: info@businessinnovators.globalFeedback and suggestions welcome! Please rate, subscribe, and share. Thank you for listening to Business Innovators. Stay tuned for more stories and strategies to help you grow your company.
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    20 分
  • Business Partnerships, Collaboration & Mentorship: A Thematic Episode
    2026/07/31

     Business Innovators is the podcast that explores how social enterprises, B corporations, impact companies, community interest companies, and other values-driven businesses have innovated to achieve long-term success. The focus of this episode is collaboration.

    We hear clips from guests who've appeared on previous shows talking about the importance of partnering with others and how to make it work.

    What's Covered

    1. Business Partnerships: Bow Arts
    The founder and CEO of Bow Arts (one of the UK's largest providers of studio space for artists), explains how partnerships became central to its business model. When London's property market surged in the mid-1990s, threatening the studio spaces artists relied on, Bow Arts turned to the housing sector, finding partners with a similar ethos but complementary resources. His key insight: finding the right partner takes persistence ("kissing a lot of frogs"), and a good partnership must deliver balanced value to both sides.

    2. Mentorship: The Poetry Pharmacy
    The Poetry Pharmacy is a business offering poetry prescriptions for emotional wellbeing. After catching the attention of Mark Constantine, CEO of Lush Cosmetics, Deborah gained a mentor who believed in her business model. Mark's support — including a pop-up at Lush's London HQ and a concession on Oxford Street — transformed how the world perceived The Poetry Pharmacy. Deborah reflects on how seeing Lush's creative culture validated her own unconventional approach to business.

    3. Internal Cooperation: Mondragon Federation
    Professor Fred Freundlich of Mondragon University describes how the Mondragon cooperative structures internal collaboration. Co-ops within each division meet monthly to identify business synergies, and each contributes between 15–40% of their profits to a shared pool that supports underperforming co-ops. This system balances solidarity with accountability, ensuring no co-op is left to fail while maintaining pressure to improve.

    Key Themes
    • Win-win partnerships as an alternative to competitive rivalries
    • The criteria for selecting the right partner: shared ethos, complementary skills, mutual value
    • How mentorship from an established business can unlock growth for an early-stage one
    • How cooperative ownership structures can embed collaboration into a business's DNA
    Reflection Questions
    • Have you identified organisations you could partner with?
    • Do you have criteria for selecting appropriate partners?
    • Do you have a culture that values collaboration?
    • Do you have ways of measuring the effectiveness of your collaborations?
    Resources

    Visit https://businessinnovators.global/interactive-workbook-exercises/ for workbook exercises

    Connect with Us:

    • Website: businessinnovators.global
    • Email: info@businessinnovators.global
    • Host: Eilidh Wagstaff.
    • Feedback and suggestions welcome! Please rate, subscribe, and share.

    Thank you for listening to Business Innovators. Stay tuned for more stories and strategies to help you grow your company.

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    14 分
  • Episode Extract: Quitting an office job to become a travel entrepreneur |  Gonzalo Fuenzalida, Founder and CEO of Chile Nativo Travel
    2026/06/29

    Episode Extract: Quitting an office job to become a travel entrepreneur |  Gonzalo Fuenzalida, Founder and CEO of Chile Nativo Travel

    This is an extract of the Business Innovators interview with Gonzalo Fuenzalida, founder and CEO of Chile Nativo Travel. The company offers a varied program of travel in the Patagonia region of South America. It's noteworthy for introducing multisport tours that combine activities such as kayaking, horse-riding and trekking in Patagonia.

    In the extract, Gonzalo explains why he decided to quit his finance job to start his own travel company and the approach he took to dealing with crises the company faced in the years after it launched.

    Who is this episode most relevant for?

    Are you looking to become a travel entrepreneur? Do you want to escape a desk job to work among people out in nature? If so, this episode extract is particularly relevant for you.

    Resources mentioned:

    • Overland adventure videos: vimeo.com/chilenativo

    Company website: chilenativo.com

    Show support:

    • Ease of Mind Productions – making audiobook recording easy (easeofmind.co)

    Connect with us:

    • Website: businessinnovators.global
    • Email: info@businessinnovators.global
    • Feedback and suggestions welcome! Please rate, subscribe, and share.

    If you're working for or running a values-driven business and you're facing a challenge you'd like another entrepreneur's take on, get in touch by emailing info@businessinnovators.global. We'll invite podcast guests to offer ideas and perspectives on your questions.

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    6 分
  • Founder interview: Chile Nativo Travel — tour operator and adventure outfitter • Chile | Turning crisis into opportunity | Gonzalo Fuenzalida
    2026/06/29

    In this episode, we speak to Gonzalo Fuenzalida. He's the founder and CEO of Chile Nativo Travel. The company offers a varied program of travel in the Patagonia region of South America. It's noteworthy for introducing multisport tours that combine activities such as kayaking, horse-riding and trekking in Patagonia.

    Another equally remarkable feature is the company's longevity. It has been in business for roughly a quarter of a century and has survived many crises in that time. The company has used each crisis as an opportunity to grow, making its program and offering more versatile and sustainable.

    Gonzalo Fuenzalida summarises the essential elements of his approach to business that have brought success as:

    • Never giving up
    • Keeping things simple
    • Growing carefully

    A detailed breakdown of what's covered in the show is provided below.

    1:20 – Intro & background
    1:42 – Leaving accounting for adventure
    2:59 – Early struggles: post-9/11 launch, remote-first from day one
    4:33 – First crisis: park fire leads to ranch experiences & expanded offerings
    6:58 – 2008 crisis: budget trips & pioneering the independent W trek
    8:22 – Building the trip portfolio: horses, trekking, backpacking, tailor-made
    12:16 – Pandemic: zero layoffs, sustainability overhaul, overland trips born
    14:56 – Post-pandemic boom & accidental head chef stint
    17:01 – Team building: pay well, hire on gut, annual mystery staff trips
    21:11 – Camp contract cancelled → builds premium eco-camp from recycled plastic
    23:03 – Multi-sport tours & award-winning e-bike trips
    24:17 – 3 keys to success: don't give up, keep it simple, grow carefully
    26:18 – Handling complaints: the refund that avoided a lawsuit

    Who is this episode most relevant for?

    Are you looking to become a travel entrepreneur? Do you want to escape a desk job to work among people out in nature? If so, this episode is particularly relevant for you.

    Resources mentioned:

    • Overland adventure videos: vimeo.com/chilenativo

    Company website: chilenativo.com

    Show support:

    • Ease of Mind Productions – making audiobook recording easy (easeofmind.co)

    Connect with us:

    • Website: businessinnovators.global
    • Email: info@businessinnovators.global
    • Feedback and suggestions welcome! Please rate, subscribe, and share.

    If you're working for or running a values-driven business and you're facing a challenge you'd like another entrepreneur's take on, get in touch by emailing info@businessinnovators.global. We'll invite podcast guests to offer ideas and perspectives on your questions.

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    31 分
  • Business profile: Mondragon - Federation of cooperative businesses • Spain | Leveraging employee ownership as business strategy | Professor Fred Freundlich, Mondragon Unibertsitatea
    2026/05/25
    In this episode, we're profiling Mondragon. The corporation is noteworthy for being one of the largest cooperatively owned businesses in the world. It has around 70,000 workers and generates approximately eleven billion euros in annual revenue. Our guest, Fred Freundlich, offers a unique and interesting perspective. He is a professor at the Mondragon University business school and also a worker-member of the cooperative. This allows him to share both his expert academic opinion and his personal experience when talking about what makes the cooperative successful. Mondragon is made up of a network of different cooperative companies focusing on a wide range of sectors, from the most primal industry agriculture to AI and advanced robotics. Founded seven decades ago in northern Spain, the cooperative was inspired by the teachings of an unorthodox Catholic priest, who you'll hear more about during the show. Its approach to sharing profits among the workforce has led to higher median incomes and lower levels of inequality in the towns where it operates. Professor Freundlich summarises the three key essential elements of the company's success as: Shared ownership Inter-cooperationWork on 'soft skills' in people management A detailed breakdown of what's covered in the show is provided below. Timecodes 2:08 — Guest introduction: Fred Freundlich's role at Mondragon University 2:28 — Origins of Mondragon: the Spanish Civil War, poverty, and Father Arizmendiarrieta 3:28 — The founding vocational school and community organising under the church 5:07 — The five founders leave their employer and start the first cooperative 6:12 — How the federation is structured today: finance, retail, knowledge, and industry 6:51 — Creating a cooperative bank to fund new enterprises 7:35 — How co-ops cooperate: governance bodies, monthly management councils, and business synergies 8:39 — Profit pooling: solidarity mechanisms between co-ops in each division 10:57 — Transferring workers between co-ops; no lay-offs for economic reasons 12:23 — Worker engagement: structural governance bodies (general assembly, governing council, social council) 13:41 — Challenges to day-to-day participation; the role of leadership style and culture 14:45 — Pay ratios: how Mondragon's compressed pay scale works (max ~6:1 within co-ops) 15:52 — Advantages of compressed pay: solidarity, community development, lower inequality 18:42 — Impact on the local county: lowest poverty, highest median income, lowest inequality in the Basque region 19:03 — Disadvantages of compressed pay: some talent loss at senior levels 20:27 — Challenges recruiting engineers in a global talent market 20:45 — Profit sharing and long-term investment: how internal capital accounts work 21:48 — Membership fees and capital account structure; workers take out savings on retirement 23:04 — Three essential elements of Mondragon's success: 1) Shared ownership 24:45 — 2) Inter-cooperation — doing things together that can't be done alone 25:06 — 3) Working on the "soft stuff" — autonomy, participation, and relationships at work 26:02 — Fred's personal approach: listening, openness, and serving on elected bodies 28:09 — Closing remarks and thanks 28:21 — Host reflection: innovation as a fourth essential element; Mondragon's R&D and technology park 29:09 — How to learn more; links in show notes 29:42 — Next episode preview and sign-off Who is the episode most relevant for? Are you looking how to give workers greater ownership in your business? Are you interested in the in the history of the cooperative movement and how it functions in practice? If so, this podcast episode is particularly relevant for you. Additional resources: Book | Making Mondragón The Growth and Dynamics of the Worker Cooperative Complex (1988) By William Foote Whyte, Kathleen King Whyte Company website: https://www.mondragon-corporation.com/en/ Show support: Ease of Mind Productions – making audiobook recording easy (easeofmind.co) Connect with Us: Website: businessinnovators.globalEmail: info@businessinnovators.globalFeedback and suggestions welcome! Please rate, subscribe, and share. If you're working for or running a values-driven business and you're facing a challenge you'd like another entrepreneur's take on, get in touch by emailing info@businessinnovators.global. We'll invite podcast guests to offer ideas and perspectives on your questions. Thank you for listening to Business Innovators. Stay tuned for more inspiration and insights you can draw on as you grow your company.
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    30 分
  • Founder interview: Poetry Pharmacy - Book seller & producer of 'poetry prescriptions' • UK | Turning a creative passion into a business | Debora Alma
    2026/04/20
    In this episode, we speak to Deb Alma, the founder of the Poetry Pharmacy. Her business runs bookshops and it's pioneering a new model of selling poetry by prescribing it based on emotional needs. It's an innovative approach that many have fallen in love with, including the multi-millionaire founder of the cosmetics brand Lush. He became Deb's business mentor and encouraged her to expand. Deb was in her 40s when she first began dispensing poetry from her vintage ambulance and in her 50s when she opened her first shop. In the interview, Deb discusses her colourful and creative journey in entrepreneurship. She summarises the key essential elements her as business approach that have brought her success as: CollaborationCreativityListeningKindness A detailed breakdown of what's covered in the show is provided below. 1:51 — The origin story 2:02 — The vintage ambulance and prescribing poetry at festivals 2:43 — Discovering the old ironmonger's shop and opening the first Poetry Pharmacy 4:56 — The early years: media attention and then COVID 6:10 — BBC Breakfast, award nominations, and early community building 6:41 — The innovative packaging: poems in pill capsules 7:08 — How the pill bottles became a bestselling product (60+ titles) 8:08 — Balancing creativity and business: work and life as one 9:30 — The turning point: meeting Mark Constantine (CEO of Lush) as a mentor 11:19 — Oxford Street concession goes viral: NBC News, Kelly Clarkson, and rapid growth 12:35 — Hiring for kindness: building a values-led team 13:57 — Publishing 8 poetry anthologies with Macmillan 14:23 — *The Poetry Business School* — the book co-written with Mark Constantine 16:13 — Inside the shops: aesthetic, events, and what makes each location unique 18:04 — Deb's keys to business success 18:53 — The future: consolidation over expansion, and saying "no" more 19:46 — Host reflections: innovation through packaging, emotional connection, and growing pains Who should listen to this episode? Are you looking to turn a creative passion into a business? Are you looking for information on how to run a bookshop? Are you looking for information on how to start a business in your forties or in your fifties? Are you looking for information of how to build a community around your business? Are you looking for information on business mentorship? Are you looking for information on how to grow a values-driven team? If so, this episode is relevant for you. Resources mentioned: Deb Alma's blog about the challenges of scaling a business: https://poetrypharmacy.co.uk/blogs/our-journal/why-growth-can-feel-more-fragile-than-starting-outThe poem The Arrival by RS Thomas: https://youtu.be/p2xpbdVRk0cThe poem The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran: https://dn721709.ca.archive.org/0/items/the-prophet-kahlil-gibran/The%20Prophet_Kahlil%20Gibran.pdf Company website: https://poetrypharmacy.co.uk/ Show support: Ease of Mind Productions – making audiobook recording easy (easeofmind.co) Connect with Us: Website: businessinnovators.globalEmail: info@businessinnovators.globalFeedback and suggestions welcome! Please rate, subscribe, and share. If you're working for or running a values-driven business and you're facing a challenge you'd like another entrepreneur's take on, get in touch by emailing info@businessinnovators.global. We'll invite podcast guests to offer ideas and perspectives on your questions. Thank you for listening to Business Innovators. Stay tuned for more stories and strategies to help you grow your company.
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    23 分
  • Founder interview: Rubber Republic - Communications Studio • UK | Realigning a business with your values | Matt Golding
    2026/03/29
    In this episode, we speak to Matt Golding, co-founder and head of the Communications Studio Rubber Republic. The agency was started in 2001. It made a name for itself by creating fun, irreverent content that generated millions of views for some of the world's biggest brands. In 2019, the company pivoted to working exclusively for organizations that generate positive impact. The episode is particularly relevant for listeners looking to realign their businesses with their values, implement flat management structures, and communicate in a way that connects. In the conversation we explore the essential elements of the company's approach that have brought its success. Matt Golding summarises the three key essential elements of the company's success as: OpennessResilienceCreativity A detailed breakdown of what's covered in the show is provided below. Guest: Matt Golding, co-founder and head of Rubber Republic. Host: Eilidh Wagstaff 1:08 - Introduction - overview of Rubber Republic 1:42 - Origin Story — Starting the business at university with two friends; DIY ethic, teaching themselves animation, games, and film on a Mac G3 2:36 - Getting Noticed — Early political satire, playful content, and people in the media reaching out 3:18 - The "Say Yes to Everything" Model — Accepting jobs they didn't know how to do, learning on the fly, and delivering under pressure 4:30 - Building the Business — Incorporating, bringing on a financial director, learning business fundamentals with gentle mentorship 6:35 - Branching Out — Political satire campaigns, getting on national TV, promoting voting among young people, working with Paramount Films 9:05 - Recruiting & Culture — Early hiring mistakes; learning to communicate values rather than micromanage; empowering people 10:09 - Growing & Separating the Businesses — Cross-subsidizing divisions, then separating them for investment and professionalisation 11:33 - Questioning Business Norms — learning where traditional business rules help and where they don't 12:28 - The Tax Conversation — Realising advisors were automatically minimizing tax 14:11 - Taking Over Rubber Republic — Running it independently; the challenge of losing co-founder balance 15:10 - The "10x the Price" Decision — Choosing to charge 10x more instead of doing 10x more work; mapping out what quality actually costs 16:37 - Pricing Strategy in Action — Landing major brands like Disney and eBay 18:50 - The Pivot to Impact — 2019 shift to working exclusively with positive-impact organizations; buying out shareholders 20:58 - Running as a Not-for-Profit — Operating lean, scaling impact not finances, bringing people together on projects 22:01 - Questioning Growth — Why bigger doesn't always mean more impact; flexible business models 23:06 - The Antidote Project & Podcast — "Screw This, Let's Try Something Else"; telling stories of community-led change across energy, food, homes, and decision-making 24:30 - Empowering Communities — Helping people at community level build the world they want; partnership with Immediate Media 26:36 - Three Key Principles — Openness, Resilience, Creativity Resources mentioned: 'Screw this...Let's try something else' podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/screw-this-lets-try-something-else/id1863391095 Company website: https://www.rubberrepublic.com/about/ Show support: Ease of Mind Productions – making audiobook recording easy (easeofmind.co) Connect with Business Innovators: Website: businessinnovators.globalEmail: info@businessinnovators.globalFeedback and suggestions welcome! Please rate, subscribe, and share. We want to hear from you! If you're working for or running a values-driven business and you're facing a challenge you'd like another entrepreneur's take on, get in touch by emailing info@businessinnovators.global. We'll invite podcast guests to offer ideas and perspectives on your questions. Thank you for listening to Business Innovators. Stay tuned for more stories and strategies to help you grow your company.
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    29 分
  • Founder interview: Bow Arts - Arts Provider • UK | Turning existing business models inside-out | Marcel Baettig
    2026/02/15
    In this episode of Business Innovators, we profile Bow Arts, speaking to its founder and CEO Marcel Baettig. The organisation was started in the 1990s to provide affordable studio space for artists. It has grown to become one of the UK's largest providers of creative workspaces. Bow Arts is noteworthy for reinventing the business model for providing studio space. Marcel says when he was a sculptor looking for a studio, he couldn't find options that worked. Business models for renting studio space at that point were designed around "property, not artists." Bow Arts set about turning the traditional model inside out. It pioneered what it called the "holistic model" (though Marcel disliked this description for being too hippyish!). The idea was to put artists, rather than property, at the centre of the business model for providing studio space. The 'holistic model' looked at the needs artists have (for income to provide food and shelter, space to produce work, development of skills, etc.) and works to meet them. Pursuing the 'holistic model', Bow Arts expanded from providing affordable studio space to offering a whole range of support services for artists. It now provides everything from affordable accommodation to skills and training development to support for artists in marketing their work. In the interview, Marcel Baettig identifies two essential elements of Bow Arts' approach that have brought it success: 1) Forming partnerships 2) Reinvesting 3) Being a service provider, not seeking to be the centre. A detailed breakdown of what's covered in the show is provided below. 1:07 - About Bow Arts Today Supporting 1,100+ artists with affordable workspacePartnership with 100 schools across LondonReaching 15,000 young people annually 2:10 - Origin Story Searching for artist-centered support models 4:41 - Finding the Space 3-4 years searching for suitable propertyDiscovering abandoned 35,000 sq ft building during recessionWorking with the landlord 6:33 - Rapid Growth Filled entire building in 3 months (expected 1 year)Incorporated and registered as charity within monthsPartnership model: artists built their own spaces 8:08 - Innovative Studio Design Semi-open plan model instead of isolated boxesCreating a "friendly studio" reputationBuilding collegiate artist community 8:47 - "Inside-Out" Model Reaching out to schools and businessesCreating work opportunities for artistsFlipping traditional arts organization approach 10:02 - Charity vs. Business Model Why they chose charity statusRejecting "funder-facing" charity culture 12:11 - Social Enterprise Approach Removing capitalist profit extractionReinvesting surplus back into servicesPioneering circular economy model 13:52 - Gallery, Café & Learning Programs Original holistic vision for artist supportGallery as promotion spaceCafé as community landing zoneEducational outreach to local schools 15:42 - Artist Career Acceleration Traditional 15-year path to financial independenceAccelerating timeline through professional skillsReducing reliance on low-paid supplementary work 16:49 - Housing Partnerships Begin 1995: London property market explosionStudio and talent crisis emergingSeeking long-term partnership models 18:35 - Creative Guardians Scheme Partnership with Poplar HARCA housing associationTaking over residential spaces120 live-work spaces for artists 21:33 - Community Impact Artists as active community membersWorking in local schoolsCommunity Arts Chest funding model 22:24 - Lessons Learned Poplar HARCA project: 8-9 years (planned 3-4)2013: Artist exodus from London due to rising costsAdapting model based on experience 23:37 - Path to Property Ownership Started savings schemeLiving on short-term leases for decadesNeed for permanence and stability 25:00 - First Purchase Nearly 30-year wait for first buildingPartnership with Mount Anvil and Peabody26,000 sq ft space filled in 3 months 27:19 - Growing Property Portfolio Three properties purchased 28:00 - Financial Legacy Reinvesting into communities perpetuallyNew funding model built for artists 28:55 - Key Success Principles PartnershipReinvestment over profit extractionBeing a service provider, not the centre Company links https://bowarts.org/ Show support: Ease of Mind Productions – making audiobook recording easy (easeofmind.co) Connect with Us: Website: businessinnovators.global We want to hear from you! If you're working for or running a values-driven business and you're facing a challenge you'd like another entrepreneur's take on, get in touch by emailing info@businessinnovators.global. We'll invite podcast guests to offer ideas and perspectives on your questions.
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    31 分