You can be brilliant at what you do and still lose clients because your message isn't landing. John Maybury shares how to find your authentic voice and make business conversations count.

John Maybury joins Anthony Dahya at the Franchise and Small Business Expo Podcast Bach to talk about authentic business communication. Growing up around broadcasters, John developed a stutter as a child, yet went on to build a career in radio, voice artistry, advertising and storytelling. Today he helps business owners and leaders share clear, confident messages.

We explore how defining your values and ideal audience can improve a pitch, a presentation or a sales conversation. John explains how to find your unique business story, why consistent networking and video help people get to know you, and how feedback helps build practical communication confidence.

IN THIS EPISODE
• A childhood stutter and a broadcasting career
• Why your message needs values and a real audience
• One story that helps customers remember you
• How to improve client conversations through feedback
• Making time for the business-development activities that work
• Using video, podcasting and speaking to grow your impact

LINKS & RESOURCES

What's one thing you wish people understood about your business? Tell us below and subscribe.

#BusinessStorytelling #CommunicationSkills #FindYourVoice #JohnMaybury #ChampionMindsetCollective

Key Takeaways

• Define your values before crafting a pitch or presentation.
• Know exactly which customers or clients you want to reach.
• Find one meaningful story that explains your business difference.
• Balance human storytelling with clear supporting information.
• Build confidence through regular conversations, video and speaking.
• Review your conversations and ask for constructive feedback.
• Invest time in the networking or content channels that work for you.

Chapters

1. 00:04 Why good businesses struggle to be heard
2. Childhood, broadcasters and a stutter
3. Finding confidence and entering radio
4. Turning communication struggles into coaching
5. Working with founders and leaders
6. Values and a clearly defined audience
7. Finding a memorable business story
8. Practising better sales and networking conversations
9. What John's BNI activity taught him
10. Using video, speaking and podcasts to build impact
11. John's free assessment and resources
12. Quickfire: success, identity and integrity

Links

John Maybury website and coaching: https://www.johnmaybury.com/home
John Maybury LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmaybury/
Champion Mindset Collective: https://championmindsetcollective.com
Anthony Dahya LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonydahya/
Be a guest: https://championmindsetcollective.com/be-a-guest

Connect with Anthony Dahya

• Champion Mindset Collective
• AI Workflows Agency
• LinkedIn

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Trying to grow your small business while doing everything yourself? Carolyn Banks explains how confidence, community and a clear strategy make business growth less overwhelming.

In this episode of Champion Mindset Collective, Anthony Dahya sits down with Carolyn Banks, CEO of NZ Businesswomen and NZ Business Academy, at the Podcast Bach during the New Zealand Franchise & Small Business Expo.

Carolyn reflects on starting an IT consultancy after illness changed her working life and later helping build a national community of women in business. One of her biggest business lessons came from an unlikely place: selling her house, living on a boat and learning to ask for help.

We explore why networking needs to be relational, not transactional; how confidence grows through supportive connections; and why many capable business owners make growth harder by believing they need to know everything.

Carolyn and Anthony also discuss why business strategy should come before the latest AI tools, finding support for the tasks outside your strengths, and choosing action over endless second-guessing.

If you are running a small business and feel overwhelmed or alone, this conversation is about growing with more confidence, clarity and connection.

What is one thing in your business that you could stop trying to do alone? Let us know in the comments, and subscribe for more practical conversations about business, leadership and mindset.

#SmallBusinessGrowth #WomenInBusiness #ChampionMindsetCollective

• Small business growth becomes harder when the owner tries to do everything alone.
• Networking works when relationships, mutual support and trust come first.
• Asking for help is an important business skill, not a weakness.
• Understand the needs of the business before adding AI tools.
• Strategy, people and clear priorities must come before technology.
• Business owners are often more capable than they give themselves credit for.
• Build confidence through community, practical education, action and learning from mistakes.

1. 00:00 Why small business growth feels complicated
2. 01:04 Carolyn's early career and first business
3. 02:09 Why she built a businesswomen's community
4. 03:10 Networking is about relationships
5. 04:37 Collaboration instead of competition
6. 06:05 A major growth challenge and boat-life lesson
7. 07:03 Learning to ask for help
8. 07:36 Carolyn's perspective on gut instinct
9. 09:51 Why business owners overcomplicate growth
10. 10:58 The cost of trying to do everything
11. 11:51 Strategy before AI tools
12. 13:22 Confidence, community and capability
13. 15:16 Taking action and learning from mistakes
14. 15:41 Connect with Carolyn
15. 16:18 Quickfire: success, inspiration and beliefs
16. 17:46 Backing yourself and the champion mindset
17. 18:20 Closing thoughts

NZ Businesswomen: https://www.nzbusinesswomen.co.nz/
NZ Business Academy: https://nzbusinessacademy.co.nz/
Carolyn Banks on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynbanksnz/
Contact Carolyn: carolyn.banks@nzbusinesswomen.co.nz

• Champion Mindset Collective
• AI Workflows Agency
• LinkedIn

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Business growing but everything still depends on you? Eddie Yi shares how delegation, clear systems and practical AI can help you step out of daily operations and lead.

In this Champion Mindset Collective conversation, Anthony Dahya sits down with Eddie Yi, founder and CEO of Ditans Group. Eddie shares how a staffing problem he disliked became a business opportunity, and why working harder alone does not create a company that can run without its owner.

We explore the link between marketing, delivery and internal operations; how to document knowledge before delegating; and where AI can support a team. Eddie also shares his perspective on AI search, customer reviews and learning through action.

What is one task you could document and hand over this week? Subscribe for more practical conversations on leadership, business growth and mindset.

#Delegation #BusinessGrowth #ChampionMindsetCollective

• Find the bottleneck before adding more work or tools.
• Document standards and training so knowledge can be shared.
• Delegate repeatable work with clear expectations and feedback.
• Use AI to support people and reduce repetitive administration.
• Connect marketing, delivery and internal operations.
• Treat each attempt as information; use money to build a meaningful life.

1. 00:00 When your business depends on you
2. 01:17 Eddie's journey from South Korea to the US
3. 05:45 Learning to run a business
4. 07:53 Turning an HR problem into a company
5. 10:57 The request for 4,000 staff
6. 15:03 Self-employment versus business ownership
7. 16:24 Three divisions of a working business
8. 25:09 Why founders struggle to delegate
9. 27:26 When one employee holds all the knowledge
10. 30:47 Delegation across multiple businesses
11. 35:23 AI voice agents and clinic administration
12. 38:32 Finding the weakest link
13. 41:20 Eddie's perspective on SEO and AI search
14. 48:11 Influencer seeding and business visibility
15. 54:01 Reviews, reputation and AI
16. 1:00:19 From overwhelm to scalable systems
17. 1:03:05 The hesitation that holds growth back
18. 1:05:35 Connect with Eddie
19. 1:06:48 Quickfire: success, money and purpose
20. 1:10:46 Closing reflections

Ditans Group: https://ditansgroup.com/
Eddie Yi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-yi
Contact: info@ditansgroup.com
GEO services: https://ditansgroup.com/generative-engine-optimization-services/
Review management: https://ditansgroup.com/review-management/

• Champion Mindset Collective
• AI Workflows Agency
• LinkedIn

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Afraid of hearing no? For a lot of business owners, fear of rejection is what holds them back, not a lack of ideas. Verity Craft shares how to stop fearing no and build confidence through action.

Verity is a keynote speaker, facilitator, book coach and co-founder of Intelligent Ink. After a lifetime of theatre auditions and more than a decade growing a business, she learned that rejection is not a verdict. It is information, and often a redirection.

We talk about why our brains fear rejection, why the outcome is often not about you, and how treating feedback like director's notes changes everything. Verity also shares her Audition Mindset, a simple three-part way to move from fear into action: Aspire, Craft, Take Your Shot.

Verity shares her personal experience and coaching perspective. This is not therapy or professional mental health advice.

• Rejection is information, not a verdict.
• Your job is to show up with your best, not to control the yes.
• It's okay to be bad at something while you build the skill.
• Treat feedback like director's notes.
• The Audition Mindset: Aspire, Craft, Take Your Shot.
• Confidence builds through action, so start with one small, less scary step.
• Success is who you become as a result of trying.

1. 00:00 Why fear of hearing no holds business owners back
2. 01:05 Verity's journey: theatre, auditions and Intelligent Ink
3. 03:37 When audition lessons became business lessons
4. 06:10 Fear as a companion, not an enemy
5. 08:22 Four redundancies and rejection as redirection
6. 12:00 What stops people moving forward
7. 13:40 Hearing no in business and learning to sell
8. 17:46 Relationship first and feedback as director's notes
9. 19:57 Rejection as information, not a verdict
10. 22:33 The Audition Mindset: Aspire, Craft, Take Your Shot
11. 25:06 Confidence comes from action
12. 26:03 Reframing the words you tell yourself
13. 28:06 One practical way to get comfortable with no
14. 29:43 Success is who you become
15. 30:33 Connect with Verity
16. 31:02 Quick Fire Questions
17. 33:43 Closing message

Website: https://www.veritycraft.com/
Intelligent Ink: https://www.intelligent.ink/posts/member/verity-craft/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verity-craft/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verity.craft/

• Champion Mindset Collective
• AI Workflows Agency
• LinkedIn

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Are you constantly saying yes when you really mean no?

People-pleasing can look like kindness, but over time it can leave you exhausted, resentful and disconnected from what you actually want.

In this episode of the Champion Mindset Collective, transformational coach, speaker, entrepreneur and bestselling author Sunniva Holt shares what it really takes to stop living for everyone else and start choosing yourself without the guilt.

One of Sunniva’s strongest reminders is simple:

“Your no needs to come with a full stop.”

We explore boundaries, self-worth, journalling, redefining success, protecting your energy and becoming the version of yourself you actually want to be.

✨ In this conversation:
• How to stop people-pleasing without feeling guilty
• Why boundaries only work when you uphold them
• How to recognise repeating patterns
• Why self-observation can create real change
• How journalling helps you reconnect with what you want
• How to redefine success on your own terms
• Why small, sustainable changes matter
• How to stop living around other people’s opinions

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Choosing yourself without guilt
02:56 Sunniva’s childhood and early independence
05:33 What choosing yourself really means
06:31 Why your “no” needs a full stop
09:04 How people-pleasing keeps reappearing
09:56 Boundaries only work when you uphold them
12:39 Self-observation and becoming your own life coach
15:29 Successful on paper vs truly fulfilled
18:30 Building confidence and independence
54:04 Connecting with your future self
55:14 Why small changes are more sustainable
1:00:50 Stop caring what other people think
1:03:48 Quickfire round
1:08:58 Remember who you are
1:12:48 Life On Your Terms and final thoughts

🎙️ About Sunniva Holt

Sunniva Holt is a transformational coach, speaker, entrepreneur and bestselling author who helps high-achieving women stop living by default and create lives and businesses on their own terms.

🔗 Connect with Sunniva
🌐 Website + Journal Your Way To Success guide
💫 1:1 Private Coaching
👥 Group Immersives
✨ VIP Intensive Days
📸 Instagram
▶️ YouTube
💼 LinkedIn
📘 Facebook
📖 Life On Your Terms

📚 Read the article
The Hidden Cost of People-Pleasing: How to Choose Yourself Without Guilt

📝 Practical Guide
Choosing Yourself: A Guide to Overcoming People-Pleasing and Cultivating Authentic Success

🏆 Champion Mindset Collective
🎓 Champion Academy
🎙️ Podcast
🎤 Apply to be a guest

💬 Where in your life are you saying yes when you really mean no?

Has your business become busy without really moving?

In S3E274 of the Champion Mindset Collective, Anthony Dahya speaks with Ankur Shrivastava, founder of StratMate, startup mentor, Senior Business Analyst at ASB and host of Let’s Talk Strategy.

After redundancy in 2024, Ankur chose to create rather than simply wait for the next opportunity. That decision led to entrepreneurship, startup mentoring, community building and StratMate.

At the heart of the conversation is Ankur’s Soda Fizz Theory. A business can begin with energy, excitement and momentum, but over time that fizz can disappear into admin, process and too many competing priorities. You can feel productive while the business itself stops moving.

Ankur’s practical reset is simple:

REINVENT.

RECONNECT.

REFOCUS.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why too many priorities can kill momentum

• The difference between being busy and actually growing

• How redundancy changed Ankur’s definition of success

• Why saying no can protect your direction

• Why customer conversations matter as you grow

• Why you do not have to quit your job to start something of your own

• How to keep the fizz alive through different phases of business and life

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Busy is not the same as growing.

• Ten or twelve priorities are not really priorities.

• Reinvent through small useful improvements.

• Reconnect with customers and their real frustrations.

• Refocus on the few things that genuinely move the business forward.

• Redundancy can become redirection.

• You can start building something of your own without immediately leaving your job.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Why Good Businesses Lose Momentum

1:06 Ankur’s Journey From India to New Zealand

2:03 Redundancy in 2024 and the Decision to Build

3:03 Discovering the Startup Strategy Gap

4:28 Creating Let’s Talk Strategy

4:48 Building the AI Nexus Community

6:25 How Redundancy Changed Ankur’s Definition of Success

8:01 Learning to Say No in Business

9:22 Balancing Career, Business and Community

10:22 The Soda Fizz Theory

11:08 Why 12 Priorities Means No Real Priorities

12:37 Reinvent, Reconnect and Refocus

13:41 Entrepreneurship, Risk and Fear

14:46 How to Connect With Ankur

15:29 Quickfire: Success, Inspiration and Entrepreneurship

16:18 Why You Don’t Have to Quit Your Job to Start

17:06 Keep the Fizz Alive

17:31 What a Champion Mindset Means

CONNECT WITH ANKUR

StratMate:

https://stratmate.co.nz/

LinkedIn:

https://nz.linkedin.com/in/ankur-shrivastava-622a4a28

Let’s Talk Strategy on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@stratmatenz

Let’s Talk Strategy on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/5pRB8VcoGOZky8FqP46foL

EPISODE RESOURCES

Episode Page:

https://championmindsetcollective.com/episode/ankur-shrivastava-S3E274

Article - Busy Isn’t Growth:

https://championmindsetcollective.com/blog/busy-isnt-growth-why-good-businesses-lose-momentum-and-how-to-get-it-back

CHAMPION MINDSET COLLECTIVE

Website:

https://championmindsetcollective.com/

Champion Academy:

https://championmindsetcollective.com/academy

Be a Guest:

https://championmindsetcollective.com/be-a-guest

#BusinessGrowth #BusinessStrategy #SmallBusiness #BusinessMomentum #FounderMindset #Entrepreneurship #StartupStrategy #StratMate #AnkurShrivastava #ChampionMindsetCollective

Why do capable people know what they should do, yet become a completely different version of themselves when pressure rises?

In this episode of the Champion Mindset Collective, Anthony Dahya sits down with Dr Travis Fox, creator of MindPersonas®, MPHIOS® and co-creator of PersonaForce™, to explore the identity patterns influencing decisions, relationships, leadership and performance.

Dr Fox makes a powerful distinction:

“Mindset is what you think. Identity is who shows up at the moment of pressure.”

Rather than seeing ourselves as one fixed identity, Travis explores how different parts of us can emerge under pressure, often in an attempt to protect us.

The conversation covers self-sabotage, burnout, nervous-system warning signs, subconscious patterns, performance under pressure and a practical framework:

Who? What? How? When?

One of the most practical ideas is the first 5%. You do not have to fix everything at once. Sometimes transformation begins with becoming just 5% more aware of the pattern showing up.

Anthony also shares his own experiences of abandonment and rejection, and how greater awareness helped him understand and rewrite some of the stories that shaped his identity.

Chapters

00:00 The Hidden Identity Running Your Life
02:37 35 Years Studying Identity and Human Behaviour
13:50 Mindset vs Identity
21:28 The Nervous System and Protective Patterns
28:31 Who, What, How and When
31:23 The First 5%
37:01 Trauma and Protective Patterns
44:03 Anthony’s Story of Rewriting Identity
59:24 Aligned and Non-Performing Personas
1:07:15 Self-Sabotage, Burnout and Warning Signs
1:15:11 Presence and Stillness
1:18:35 AI, Identity and Human Agency
1:27:40 Where to Start With PersonaForce
1:32:00 Quickfire Questions

Connect with Dr Travis Fox

PersonaForce™
LinkedIn
Instagram

Complimentary Identity Map
Dr Fox mentions the code CHAMPION20 during the episode. Visit PersonaForce for the current offer and redemption details.

Champion Mindset Collective
championmindsetcollective.com

The Champion Reset
Explore The Champion Reset

Champion Academy
championmindsetcollective.com/academy

This conversation includes personal-development and psychological concepts shared through Dr Travis Fox’s framework and perspective. It is intended for education and reflection and is not personalised medical or mental-health advice.