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Episode 246: Christmas Parties, Career-Limiting Moments & Season Seven Wrap-Up

Sacha's in her pyjamas in Raglan (it was Coffee Culture's "Oops, I'm at the Wrong Party" themed Christmas party a week ago, she's just still wearing them), while Ish is fresh off winning a dance-off at their ABBA vs Spice Girls costume showdown at music bingo. As they wrap season seven with 246 episodes, they dive into Christmas party culture, the "no free willy" pyjama party rules, and why being first on the dance floor is actually good leadership.

Main Topics

• Christmas Parties Then vs. Now -- Less drunken carnage, more intentional fun. The question isn't whether "woke gone wild" killed parties, it's whether we've lost the ability to connect in real life without alcohol-fueled chaos as entertainment.
• The ABBA Dance-Off Victory -- Ish's team went as ABBA, got roped into TikToks by younger teammate Millie before the party, then won the costume contest dance-off when "Dancing Queen" played (the exact song they'd just practised)—multi-generational teamwork for the win.
• Coffee Culture's Theme Mastery -- "Oops, I'm at the Wrong Party" meant people came as bachelorettes, Halloween, and baby showers. Head office chose a pyjama party, leading to Sacha's critical briefing about appropriate underwear layering.
• The Leadership Responsibility Gap -- Someone needs to monitor the party end-to-end: Who's too drunk? Who's getting home safely? Is there enough food? Are people eating? The organiser can't just be "all in" - they need to stay responsible.
• Dance Floor Leadership -- If you've paid for a DJ from 8-12, leaders should start dancing at 8:30, not wait 2.5 hours for someone to get courage. Being first to dance or talking to wallflowers isn't brand-damaging; it's culture-building.

Bottom Line

Christmas parties work when leaders take responsibility for safety AND fun. Being first to dance, talking to wallflowers, and cross-pollinating departments is good leadership.

Have a great Christmas! We'll see you in 2026 with season 8

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Episode 245 - Hustle Culture: Is Working Harder Still Worth It?

Episode Summary
Ish wins the Exercise New Zealand Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Fitness Industry (and wasn't even there!), while Sacha hustles across the South Island. This leads to a deep conversation about hustle culture, rise and grind mentality, and whether working harder actually gets you ahead anymore.

Plus: AI end of the world chat, and why the younger generation wants their technology separated again.

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Midweek Mini - What's The One Thing For The Week?

Why One Thing? – You have 52 opportunities in a year to get one thing nailed each week. Clarity breeds genius.

Focus vs. Urgent – The one thing for the week isn't necessarily the most urgent thing—it's the meaningful longer-term thing that needs attention.

The Exercise – Dump everything that needs doing on paper, then identify the overarching focus that sums up what success looks like for the next 7 days