This week, I chat with Tim Curtis—consultant, academic, and all-around sharp thinker on how change really happens in complex systems. We talk about what it takes to go beyond ticking boxes when it comes to listening, engaging, and actually designing with people in mind.

Whether you're trying to scale a social innovation, avoid polished flops, or just want to hear someone explain why "best practice" might be a myth, Tim brings a mix of deep insight and good humour to this one. Whether you geek out on stakeholder theory or just want to stop designing things no one asked for, there’s something here for you.

What We Dug Into:

• --What German petrol buyers, Greenpeace, and Shell teach us about real stakeholder power.

• --Why traditional stakeholder maps fall short—and how to think more dynamically about influence and relationships.

• --How real engagement requires real listening: yes, that might mean paying people or working in multiple languages.

• --The danger of designing “for” instead of “with”—and how to use empathy maps and personas without faking it.

• --The value of sharing your messy middle—especially for founders and innovators.

• --Why “best practice” doesn’t always scale, and how to focus on what actually works in context.

• --The difference between managing a project and creating innovation.

• --The potential (and pitfalls) of AI as a tool for human-centered design and rapid prototyping.

• 
  

  Innovators Who Have His Attention:

• Andrej Karpathy – for his framing of LLMs as a new “operating system” for human creativity.

• 
  

  If you know someone who would be a great guest, please email me at rachel@sixdegreesstrategy.co or send me a message on LinkedIn.

  Podcast recording and editing by me, Rachel Sosin.

  Cover art by Danielle Brooks: https://www.daniellebrooksillustration.co.uk/

  Technical support from Abhinav Wadhwa: https://www.abhinavwadhwa.in/

  Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

  https://uppbeat.io/t/vocalista/strangers-in-the-night-acapella

  License code: IP17ENDYVQGNUH6E

  
  

This week, I chat with Debbie Judd, the inspiring founder of Wool on the Exe, a truly special yarn shop and community interest company in Exeter, UK. From a quiet life in New England to Exeter, where Debbie has created a thriving fiber arts space that goes far beyond just selling yarn, we will dive into her journey from AmeriCorps to building a sustainable social enterprise that fosters connection, reduces isolation, and even gets kids knitting!

Whether you are as passionate about knitting and wool as I am or just here for the community building, I hope you enjoy the episode!

What We Dug Into:

• Her transformative experience with AmeriCorps and asset-based community development.

• The evolution from the Blanket Box Scheme and NeighborWorks to the Knit Stop.

• The birth of Wool on the Exe and the Community Interest Company (CIC) model that funds social impact through business, easing reliance on grants and donations.

• The power of knitting and crochet to fight loneliness and build community across demographics.

• How Wool on the Exe fostered community connection during the pandemic, including the heartwarming "Christmas tree" project.

• The historical significance of fiber arts communities as spaces for activism and idea sharing.

• Exciting future plans to expand into a community "pocket park" for plant dyeing and workshops.

Innovators who Have Her Attention:

• FLOW Orchard: a communal orchard along 5km of the River Exe, running through Exeter.

Links:

Wool on the Exe: Check out their shop in Exeter for beautiful yarn and a vibrant community!

The Knit Stop: The impact arm alongside Wool on the Exe, planting knitting groups in underserved areas.

Knit for Peace: An organisation that uses knitting for charitable purposes.

Devon School for Social Entrepreneurs: Where Debbie developed the NeighborWorks business plan.

Camfed: An NGO founded in 1993 whose mission is to eradicate poverty in Africa through the education of girls and the empowerment of young women.

Stitchlinks (Betsan Corkhill): Pioneering an exciting approach to improving health and wellbeing through the use of therapeutic creative activities, particularly knitting.

If you know someone who would be a great guest, please email me at rachel@sixdegreesstrategy.co or send me a message on LinkedIn.

Podcast recording and editing by me, Rachel Sosin.

Cover art by Danielle Brooks: https://www.daniellebrooksillustration.co.uk/

Technical support from Abhinav Wadhwa: https://www.abhinavwadhwa.in/

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/vocalista/strangers-in-the-night-acapella

License code: IP17ENDYVQGNUH6E

This week, I had an awesome chat with Dr Milette Gillow and Sedinam Simpson, the brilliant minds behind The Tech Bros. These ladies are shaking up the male-dominated world of tech by increasing the number of all-female, all-technical startups with hackathons, panels, and workshops…AND a newly launched accelerator programme!

If you're a woman in STEM with a startup itch, or just curious about how we can level the playing field in tech, you definitely want to listen to this one.

What We Dug Into:

• Milette and Sedi's stories and why they said "enough!" to the status quo.

• The sneaky ways bias shows up for women founders.

• How The Tech Bros are creating a supportive community and giving women the tools to build amazing tech companies.

• Their upcoming accelerator – seriously exciting stuff if you're looking to launch!

• Cool tech areas they're hyped about (robotics, anyone?).

• Why building a strong network is EVERYTHING.

• Their big dreams for a more diverse tech future.

• Plus, a quick chat about the different hurdles for women coming from academia vs. industry.

Innovators who Have Their Attention:

• Polari Labs: Making preparation for anal sex effortless, quick, and totally spontaneous.

• Level Zero Health: Leveraging continuous monitoring for reproductive health

• YAMLRG (Yet Another Machine Learning Group): - An awesome community for machine learning researchers, engineers, and hobbyists.

Applications now open!

If you have a brilliant tech idea, applications are now open for The Tech Bros accelerator! Deadline to apply is May 31st!

If you know someone who would be a great guest, please email me at rachel@sixdegreesstrategy.co or send me a message on LinkedIn.

Podcast recording and editing by me, Rachel Sosin.

Cover art by Danielle Brooks: https://www.daniellebrooksillustration.co.uk/

Technical support from Abhinav Wadhwa: https://www.abhinavwadhwa.in/

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/vocalista/strangers-in-the-night-acapella

License code: IP17ENDYVQGNUH6E

Welcome back!

As part of my planning for season 2, I invited the brilliant Nick Drage to interview me and help me figure out what I'm doing with this project. Of course, with the tables turned, and me as the interviewee, I have to give this episode an E for language.

While I'm sure Nick is quite expert in the types of cyber security things he's built a career on, I want to emphasise what a fantastic thought partner he is. He creates the space for you to examine your own thoughts and asks questions that help you dig deeper. If you are looking for someone to help you extract your own thoughts, or if you are curious about the intersection of gaming and business strategy, check out his website at https://www.pathdependence.co.uk/ or drop him a line at nick@pathdependence.co.uk.

This week, I’m talking with Dan Phan, founder of Workbreaker, providing unique business experiences that blend Dan’s leadership and training expertise with time to focus on your work and curated exploration of Lisbon, Portugal, where he lives. This Study Abroad for Grownups was what drew me to interview Dan, but the conversation turned into a great brain wander through how we engage with learning, new ways to frame our time, and lots more.

Find out more about Workbreaker here: https://www.workbreaker.com/

The Zeus Jones report: https://zeusjones.com/athena/articles/rethinking-resilience-at-work-a-qualitative-research-study

Vox article on semester planning: https://www.vox.com/even-better/23835758/divide-life-semesters-not-in-school-motivation-goals#:~:text=Semesters%20can%20help%20you%20maintain%20motivation&text=Having%20a%20distinct%20cutoff%20to,more%20realistic%20goals%2C%20Woolley%20says.

Dan’s Six Degrees of Innovation recommendations are: pot-sized spaghetti (why has this taken so long?!), https://mysimplepetlab.com/, and the broader re-imagining of Uber as a transporter of people, food, and even packages with Uber Connect.

If you know someone who would be a great guest, please email me at rachel@sixdegreesstrategy.co or send me a message on LinkedIn.

Podcast recording and editing by me, Rachel Sosin.

Cover art by Danielle Brooks: https://www.daniellebrooksillustration.co.uk/

Technical support from Abhinav Wadhwa: https://www.abhinavwadhwa.in/

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/vocalista/strangers-in-the-night-acapella

License code: IP17ENDYVQGNUH6E

Today’s guest is Tim Ward, co-founder and CEO of Think Cyber, a company taking an innovative approach to cyber security awareness. We’ve all made it through those periodic cyber security training quizzes that are a regular part of work these days. But do we actually feel any more prepared about what to do when faced with a risky situation?

Think Cyber is the only company utilising behavioural change theory in the moment to teach employees how to make better decisions! Real time nudges to broaden awareness and encourage you to pause and assess if you are making the right choice. Behaviour change is hard but with the help of Think Cyber’s RedFlags, companies are seeing real, substantive improvements.

Listen in as we discuss the psychology of cyber safety!

Find out more about Redflags at https://thinkcyber.co.uk/

Tim’s Six Degrees of Innovation recommendation is Phil Guest, the CEO of Revcelerate.

Tim references BJ Fogg throughout the episode - you can find out more about his research and buy his book at https://www.bjfogg.com/ or check out his TED Talks online.

If you know someone who would be a great guest, please email me at rachel@sixdegreesstrategy.co or send me a message on LinkedIn.

Podcast recording and editing by me, Rachel Sosin.

Cover art by Danielle Brooks: https://www.daniellebrooksillustration.co.uk/

Technical support from Abhinav Wadhwa: https://www.abhinavwadhwa.in/

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/vocalista/strangers-in-the-night-acapella

License code: IP17ENDYVQGNUH6E

Today’s guest is Adina Rose Levin, a fellow American living abroad, who is based in Barcelona, where she has recently completed a master’s degree in territorial studies and urban planning at the Autonomous University. Perhaps thanks to her undergraduate studies that spanned economics to the arts, or as she likes to call it, a degree in “cocktail conversation” Adina is a really talented storyteller and has put that skill to good use as a freelance copywriter. Now that she’s completed her master’s degree, I think you can find her doing a lot more writing in her own voice as a thought leader on urban studies and community. Or at least I hope so! Join me for a fascinating discussion and a bit of a wild romp through urban studies, history, politics, and the need to listen to your neighbours.

You can find Adina’s Six Degrees recommendations here:

Lior Steinberg, Hayden Clark aka @the_transit_guy and Feargus O'Sullivan

With a bonus recommendation: female-led group Col·lectiu Punt 6, urban planners who shine a light on making cities accessible and more liveable for marginalized communities, like women and elderly people who (newsflash) tend to use public spaces and public transportation (at least in Europe and LATAM) way more than one might think.

Adina also mentions more writers, academics, and Barcelona mayors than I could capture here, so if you want to know more about any of them, contact her on LinkedIn here.

If you know someone who would be a great guest, please email me at rachel@sixdegreesstrategy.co or send me a message on LinkedIn.

Photo credit: Michelle Rose

Podcast recording and editing by me, Rachel Sosin.

Cover art by Danielle Brooks: https://www.daniellebrooksillustration.co.uk/

Technical support from Abhinav Wadhwa: https://www.abhinavwadhwa.in/

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/vocalista/strangers-in-the-night-acapella

License code: IP17ENDYVQGNUH6E