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Only a tiny proportion of Professional Speakers are able to land the best stages again-and-again-and-again - and it is not always the celebrities. I’m joined by Maria Franzoni, Speakers' Advocate, Speaker Coach and former Speaker Bureau Owner, to dig into what actually drives paid Speaking engagements, repeat bookings, and higher Keynote Speaker fees. If you’ve ever wondered why brilliant talks still struggle to sell, Maria brings the Agent’s-eye view that cuts through noise and gives you practical clarity.

We start with the story behind the strategist: growing up British Italian, learning to navigate culture and language, and inheriting a serious work ethic from parents who built stability through sheer persistence. That personal foundation matters, because the stage is never only about slides and scripts. We also talk openly about gender assumptions, what it means to choose a childfree life, and how those experiences shape confidence, boundaries, and message.

Then we get into the heart of it: Maria’s "Bookability Formula" and what the top 1% of bookable Speakers do. We break down the four pillars the market rewards most: being relevant to a paying market, being known for one clear thing, being memorable to audiences and bookers, and being easy to find and easy to work with. We also explore the multiplier of value (ROI, outcomes, change) and the role of ego, which can help you step on stage but can also undermine trust if it grows too big.

If you want a sharper speaker positioning, a more commercial topic, and a clearer route to getting booked more often, this conversation gives you a grounded framework to act on. Subscribe, share this with a speaker friend, and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

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He helped raise £225 million, worked punishing weeks, and then walked away from it all. Jon Kaye joins me in The Clearing to unpack the moment he stopped chasing the obvious definition of success and started rebuilding a life around creativity, community, and better questions.

We talk through Jon’s founder story in private equity: the risk of resigning with a pregnant wife, a new house, and no salary, and the life-changing power of one credible person saying “yes”. From there, the conversation turns to burnout, the decision not to launch “fund two”, and the radical reset of taking three young children out of school to travel the world for a year. If you’re thinking about career change, work life balance, or designing a second act, John’s honesty lands hard.

From his basement music studio packed with modular synthesisers and miles of cables, Jon explains why friction matters and why making things harder can lead to more original work, especially in a world flooded with AI content. We dig into his Unmastered newsletter ethos of thinking clearly, living deliberately, and creating without chasing, plus the community-first mission behind DO Radio, a live station you can’t pause or download by design.

If this conversation sparks something in you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review. What would you stop chasing first if you could redesign your life this week?

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

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You can hear a whole philosophy of change hidden inside one simple move: Put the bike where you can see it. That is the kind of practical, human behaviour design we get into with Mike Coulter, a lifelong Creative who’s worked across advertising, helped shape projects at the DO Lectures, and now teaches tools for building 'Tiny Habits' that actually stick.

We start with the stories that made Mike: Growing up in Yorkshire, learning his dad’s rule for a good job, cutting his teeth at a local newspaper, then spotting the world of advertising and chasing it hard. Along the way we talk about the craft behind great creative work, why the best ideas often arrive away from the desk, and how places like Cornwall’s Camel Trail and the Atlantic can become thinking environments that support focus, calm, and better decisions.

Then we go deep on BJ Fogg, Stanford, the Tiny Habits Method, and what changed for Mike when he stopped trying to “motivate himself” and started making behaviours easier to do. We explore behaviour matching, prompts, ability, and the ethics of influence, plus why so many products win by serving people who already want the outcome. If you care about habit formation, productivity, mental health, marketing psychology, or simply building a healthier routine without burnout, you’ll leave with clear takeaways you can test immediately.

Find more of Mike’s work at https://www.habitualise.com, and if you enjoy the conversation, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s the tiniest habit you’re willing to start today?

Tune in next week for more stories from the clearing, and don't forget to subscribe and review wherever you get your podcast.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!

Send us Fan Mail

A Dorset walk to a walled garden. Light dancing on water. A motto whispered at crossroads: onwards and upwards. Linda Jacob invites us into a life built on fairness, quiet courage, and the everyday craft of choosing our response when events feel out of hand. We talk about here roots in Buckinghamshire, a grandmother named Florence who taught kindness without gossip, and the determined climb from leaving school early to earning skills through night classes and long bus rides. One formative moment—watching a senior leader belittle a colleague—sparked a promise to lead with dignity, a pledge she kept across decades in social work, supported housing, pubs, and company directorships.

The centre of gravity is service. Linda shares intimate, hard-won stories from homelessness support, including a young father who, after months of learning and resolve, won custody and a new home for his child. These are victories measured in confidence regained, routines restored, and doors opened. Her inspiration comes from ordinary people facing extraordinary pressure and from the disciplined habit of finding a usable positive in the negative. We explore how she practises emotional agency—separating content from reaction—and why “Just for today” remains a practical anchor for focus and wellbeing.

There’s tenderness, too: Halcyon days in the long spring of 1975 when her first child Brennan was born; music that holds memory—Simon and Garfunkel’s Bookends, the ache of Going Home; and a signature coffee cake taught by Nanny Taylor that became a small community legend. We linger at twilight, that moment when day blends into night, and consider legacy without fanfare: protect dignity, pass on what works, laugh when you can, make one good thing well and share it. Linda also speaks candidly about facing serious illness and her plan to turn hardship into guidance for fellow social workers, transforming pain into a map others can use.

Come for the stories; stay for the tools. If you value humane leadership, homelessness advocacy, emotional resilience, and the restorative pull of nature, you’ll find a generous guide here. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs steadiness today, and leave a review with your own motto for moving forwards—what keeps you going onwards and upwards?

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

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Your Team can tell when you’re not really there and horses can tell even faster! Leadership Strategist, Speaker, Author & Equine-guided Coach Julia Felton, joins me to unpack “Business HorsePower”: the practical Leadership lessons that we can borrow from nature and horse-herd-dynamics to build trust, presence, and stronger Teams in the 21st century. We talk candidly about burnout that hides behind adrenaline, the identity wobble that shows up when the job title disappears, and why reinvention is no longer a one-off event but a constant Leadership capability.

Julia shares how time in the African bush sharpened her ability to be present and how that same discipline translates into psychological safety at work. When leaders are distracted, inconsistent, or living in the future, teams feel unsafe and performance suffers. We explore the ripple effect leaders leave behind them, the difference between doing and being, and why sustainable pace matters more than perpetual drive.

We also dig into technology and AI: the gift of lifelong learning, the curse of FOMO, and the growing trust problem when it’s hard to know what’s real. Julia introduces her diamond model of leadership for navigating uncertainty, built around attention, direction, energy, and congruence with belonging at the centre, and explains why equine-guided experiences create embodied learning that sticks long after the workshop ends.

If you enjoy leadership development, team performance, reinvention, and human-centred communication, you’ll take away clear ideas you can apply immediately. Subscribe for more stories from The Clearing, share this with a leader who needs a reset, and leave a review telling us what builds trust fastest in your workplace.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!

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If you don't yet have a frame of reference for Design Response Queen Lori Haller, then here she comes! "The reason I named my company Designing Response is that's how I show up: I'm not here to just create a beautiful design and jooje the copy. I'm here hardcore to hop-on-top of whatever project it is and make sure I get a RESPONSE: Click a button, say "Yes!" and get out your wallet": BOOM!

Pretty design is easy. Design that makes someone stop, FEEL something, and take ACTION is a different craft entirely and that’s where Lori Haller lives. From just outside Washington, DC, Lori joins me in The Clearing to unpack what she calls “designing response”: showing up with copy, visuals and strategy that align so tightly the next step becomes obvious. We get into what congruence really looks like in direct mail, sales pages and campaigns, and why being the brave voice in the room can be the difference between a nice-looking piece and a profitable one.

Lori also opens up about how she finds creative flow and why nature is not a luxury but part of the job when you are paid to think. We talk about her serious happy place at the ocean, using music to match the heartbeat of a project, and the joy she gets from coaching writers and designers into stronger collaboration. If you have ever watched a team argue in circles, you will love her practical take on how to work together, speak up, and still keep it human.

We also go head-on into AI in marketing and design. Lori sees AI as a force multiplier when it frees talented people from endless “doing” and gives them back the time to dig deeper and find the explosive ideas. You’ll hear how she helps companies improve systems, adopt new tools and drive real profitability, plus the personal values underneath it all: making ripples that help someone else live better.

If you enjoy the conversation, subscribe, share the show with a friend who cares about direct response marketing and creative leadership, and leave a review so more listeners can find us. What part of Lori’s approach are you going to try first?

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!

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What does it take to turn a derelict pub, a borrowed hotel room, and a spontaneous spa acquisition into a thriving Suffolk brand? Meet the Pilleys! Daniel, James, and Rebecca—for a fast-moving 'Founder Story' about gutsy bets, patient craft, and the kind of trust you can only build at home and at work.

From Salon 9’s leap from 2 hotel rooms to a 9 chair high street salon, to the complete rebirth of The Suffolk Hotel’s bar into the Tiger Fusion Restaurant, to taking the reins of the Gainsborough Health Club and Spa, every chapter is rooted in one idea: Design the feeling first, and the rest will follow.

Daniel shares how leaving a safe job before Rebecca was born set the tone for decades of entrepreneurship, why marketing is oxygen, and how “anything is possible” became the family’s operating system. James opens up about swapping a desk for the kitchen, the art of getting a concept to hum, and a Marco Pierre White–inspired focus on atmosphere over perfection. Rebecca reveals the spark behind Salon 9’s growth, how she builds a team culture that’s warm and a bit wild, and why happiness is her filter for every decision. Along the way we talk teams at scale, managing shiny-object energy, building lanes for momentum, and a win that brings Joe Wicks’ Body Coach app to premium spa members.

Expect practical tactics and real stories: deadline sprints that stick the landing, the value of a coach who compresses time, and the discipline to keep hospitality, wellness, and beauty aligned. If you’re building a family business—or want your company to feel more like one—you’ll find a blueprint here for culture, brand experience, and growth that still feels human.

Enjoyed the conversation? Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend who’s building something bold. Which lesson will you try first?

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!

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What if a Martial Arts Academy wasn’t about belts first, but about belonging? Tony Rice, 5th Dan and Founder of Yarm Martial Arts, opens the doors to a place parents call a "Confidence Factory" - where 5 year-olds learn eye contact and kindness, teens find a safe refuge on tough days, and adults rediscover calm between work and family. We dig into the simple habits that build real courage: greet by name, hold eye contact, ask "how can I make your day better?" and mean it. From the family room where parents exhale to the Reception Desk that becomes a village square, this is a living lesson in community done right.

Tony shares the life events that shaped his ethos—the loss of his dad at 42, a mum whose mantras still steady him—and how those threads are woven into the academy pledge: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit. He explains why sparring isn’t the UFC stereotype; most students never compete. The win is stronger minds, steadier moods, and friendships that outlast school years. You will also hear about Mat Chats that turn mornings and sibling squabbles into teachable moments, a praise–correct–praise coaching style that treats kids with honesty and respect, and black belt celebrations where 11 to 16-year-olds deliver speeches that move a room to tears.

We travel beyond the dojo too. During COVID, Tony kept classes alive online and even coached swimming, proving that great coaching is about people first. Flow shows up when structure meets freedom, and that is why his best talks are unscripted and human. There is humour—yes, the legendary Tony Talks and those fifteen-minute rabbit holes of training videos—and there is heart: a garden where the noise falls away, and a vision to build a space that endures long after the next move. If you care about youth confidence, mental health, positive parenting, and community wellbeing, this story will stay with you.

Enjoy the conversation, then share it with a parent, coach, or teacher who needs a fresh way to build courage. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what value do kids most need right now?

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!