Gardening and Repair

Sometimes you don't realise something needs attention until you finally have time to look at it. In this episode of Remote Pep Talks, Ryan talks about gardening, home repairs, a car that was mysteriously filling with water, and the slightly overwhelming realisation that life is basically one long list of things that need tending.
The house is one thing. But so are your body, your work, your friendships, your marriage, your kids — all the things you care about.
It's easy to keep knocking off whatever's next on the list. It's harder, and more exhausting, to stop and look at the whole picture.

Ryan also reflects on Die Empty, a book he's been reading and enjoying, and a question that's been on his mind: if today really mattered, would the way you're spending it reflect the people and things that matter most to you?

Maybe taking care of a plant isn't so different from taking care of a life. Like... your own life.

In this episode:

• Are you noticing what's been quietly neglected?
• What happens when you stop looking at life as a list of separate tasks?
• Are your actions matching the people and things that matter most to you?
• What does caring for a plant have to teach us about caring for a life?
• Why sometimes you just need to do the thing — and get it out there?

Remote Pep Talks with Ryan Millar is a podcast about communication, confidence, work, creativity and figuring out how to be a human being while doing all of it.

This is something different. I told a story at Mezrab and it was recorded. As part of my work on developing a new hip-hop storytelling show I talked about a very distant brush with possible fame, on the theme of Bittersweet. So, no pep talk, per se, but still, a pretty nice story, recorded live. Enjoy!

Ryan broadcasts from a spaceship to talk about a risky experiment with EU food safety negotiators—and why the world needs more A+ attempts instead of guaranteed C+ outcomes.

Episode Summary:

Ryan takes you to space (sort of) to talk about a trip to Brussels, where he ran communication sessions for 60+ food standards negotiators—despite knowing nothing about food standards. Instead of playing it safe, he designed a custom negotiation game called Space Race Quest: personas with conflicting priorities, made-up planets, and real practice in listening, clarifying, and finding compromise. It could have flopped. It didn't.

This episode is about the case for trying the risky thing—the work that only you can offer—instead of settling for lukewarm.