Comms from the Shed: interviewing diverse voices on our present and the future.

Training? “It’s started off quite informally, I left school in Taunton in Somerset not really knowing what to do…I even signed up for the Army but I missed an intake - there was a 6 month wait. My Dad was a Dairy Farmer, my Mum was a Nurse and a really good cook, and I had grown up on a farm with 3 brothers. I was used to an outdoorsy life, so perhaps I thought time in the army would be an adventu...

Angela Hui PART 2  INTRO 2mins - The awkwardness of the teenage years, trying to fit in and coming from a place 'where I didn't know who I was...' 6mins30s - We didn't really appreciate where we grew up...'but it was mine and I wouldn't change it for the world...it made me who I am' 8mins30s - Starting to be accepted into the community, keeping a balanced perspective on racism and the sadness of t...

INTRO 1mins30s - Paperback coming out, being shortlisted for Awards...and writing as the solitary profession. 2mins30s - Delighted by the response 'from such a wide demographic' 4mins - what was the original idea for the book? Multi dimensional approach...from extensive notes and memories taken during the Covid lockdown. 6mins30s - ...feeling very torn on identity growing up in rural South Wales,...

PART 2 - Sarah Lazenby in conversation with Sam Bleazard INTRO 1min - What communication skills might we have lost in the current landscape? "Keep adapting, and keep very open-minded..." 3mins - The missing insight into our audiences... 7mins - Finding your purpose post Covid-19, crisis comms and Communications professionals having a seat at the table. 14mins - Communicators that you admire? 17min...

Sam Bleazard in conversation with Sarah Lazenby pt 1. 1min30s - '...my heart is in healthcare...' 2mins30s - Investigative journalist at heart? "I was nosey as a child...and always loved writing..." 3mins30s - "Is there anything else you think I should know...?" 5mins - Working on the Eastbourne Advertiser and getting a letter from Levi Jeans in the US - threatening legal action. 6mins43s - "Savin...

Intro to part 2 1min30s - Tik Tok, Employer Brand and recruitment: sharing short form tips and tricks. 3mins30s - Tik Tok as educational platform and search engine. 5mins - Going viral without any followers via the For You Page #fyp. 7mins45s - Being a karaoke enthusiast, early gigs and wanting to be a backing singer 'when I grew up'. 9mins30s - Seeing The Cure, Bananarama, Duran Duran and Prince...

PODCAST notes 2mins - January being one of the busiest times of the year for recruiters 3mins - The role of recruiter as therapist, counsellor and advisor - 'has never been a transaction for me' - dealing with human beings and emotions. 5mins - Managing expectations as a recruiter - and the candidate experience 9mins - What is the legacy of 2021 and 2022 from a recruitment perspective? 13mins - Th...

Mustafa Tumburi - Bar Manager at 45 Jermyn St. On meeting Mustafa (or ‘Musty’ as he’s known) for the first time, I sit as he makes me a #55 - and I learn that each number corresponds to something to do with the drink..."it's served with a shot of Cachaça, a variant of rum made in Brazil..and 55 is the country code for Brazil." So I kick off with the obvious question… What's your history with Fortn...

INTRO from Sam Bleazard 2mins - My love of LEGO 3mins - Conversations with clients about LEGO mini figures...how to make sure 'everything is awesome'. 5mins - LEGO typewriter 6mins - Blogging for 4 years and going into business for the first time - 9 years ago - while on maternity 9mins30s - Formative experiences in journalism. Straight from Sixth Form in 199 12mins - Favourite podcasts, and launc...

INTRO 5mins - starting to think about brewing own beer, and starting from the bottom up. 9mins - making the decision to change focus: from Freelancing for drinks brands to  brewing 10mins - making the transition from hiring others equipment to creating new drinks independently   13mins - raising the funds and making it work financially 14mins30 - delays during the pandemic and starting the busines...

Cathryn Barnard is a partner and co-founder at Working the Future, a consultancy helping business leaders to make sense of the future of work and build easy-to-implement, people-centred, future-proof strategies.   With a previous career in workforce planning spanning three decades, and experience of starting and growing her own successful business, Cat recognises the criticality of human connectio...

Intro - Fortnum's hampers for 80s Pop Stars? 3mins - Grandad's piano 4mins - Talk of the Town and Uncle Bill's record collection 6mins - Mum and Dad at home in the 70s. Mum "delivering 5000 children in her time as a midwife in the town of Coatbridge...she brought most of the town into the world". My father sacked Alan McGee! 7mins30s - Playing in bands at school and Pat joining the band on vocals,...

1min - role as a LinkedIn Changemaker. "LinkedIn have recognised that they can be a platform for good...driving progressive conversation in the new world of work.” 3mins30s - The recruitment landscape in 2022 - advice for candidates now. "More advertised roles than ever before...but the challenge is that the demand and supply isn’t joining up very well. And hundreds of talented people aren’t getti...

Multiple interviews, performance anxiety, psychological tests, nerves and a panel keen to know your back story...but this is not a description of someone applying for a leadership role in the corporate world. This is how Wayne Ellington described the process of going through ITVs The Voice as a contestant - an experience which he enjoyed.

INTRO 0-5mins A definition of emotional intelligence Evolving in groups and the safety of a community setting (and the development of social brains) Managing change and change management 5mins30s   Recognising that we have emotions Cognitive behavioural therapy: thought - emotion - action 7mins Getting in touch with ourselves and becoming more emotionally literate Love - only one word for it in En...

INTRO 1min30s - finding out more about Sproutl, and comparing notes on home gardening 5mins30s - why Mark joined a start-up after a varied successful career 9mins30s - Mark on Inclusion: "Diversity and inclusion isn't just something you do for a week or a year..." 11mins - Background on team Sproutl 14mins - How important is social media? 15mins - How to do gardening if you've never done it before...

Discussion themes for this episode of Comms from the Shed: A new profession called Internal Communication DIY learning in the spirit of a start-up (and why staying behind the scenes appeals) Being a journalist at heart and the power of editing Interviewing Noam Chomsky on political turmoil Mister Editorial, promotion and the importance of mentors Why we increasingly trust CEOs over authority figur...

Music for this episode was very kindly provided b y Gavin Calder - Who Wanna Be In The Band? (Funky Weapon remix), and True Funk soldier (Quiet Storm). 

The Porterhouse with Gregory Porter (hosted from the family kitchen in Bakersfield, California) - is a new show where the two time Grammy winner celebrates food, music, family and giving back. Gregory Porter's first two albums — Water (2010) and Be Good (2012) — both received Grammy nominations. In 2013, he released his Blue Note debut Liquid Spirit which quickly grew into a global phenomenon, sel...

Summary and themes 2mins - Supporting the mental health of pregnant women, and charting how far mental health services have come. 5mins - The mental health of teenagers during Covid-19, dementia support and 5 Ways to Wellbeing 12mins - Local council and mayoral elections - and what these might mean for the provision of services 15mins - Training housing associations and key workers such as nurses...

Career Change special part 2 - themes & chapters 2 mins - thinking about changing career for the first time (Katie Kelleher). 3mins - selling yourself and gaining the confidence to do so. 4mins - the fear of the unknown, sacrifice and being brave enough to make the jump. 5mins - from John Lewis to acting in the West End (Antony Antunes). 7mins - a parallel career as a scriptwriter and being inspir...

Episode chapters   1min - Publishing a book and interviewing in lockdown. 2mins30s - The centre half and their quirks. 4mins30s - Twin loves of football and journalism - keeping it in the family. 6mins30s - Ghosting David Beckham 10mins30s - Gaining respect as a writer and breakthrough moments. 13mins - Premier League football and the response to the pandemic. 18mins - Black Lives Matter in footba...

Andrew Macaskill  - Career coach, Board advisor and founder of Executive Career Jump - is on a mission to end our job search misery. 1min - the best and worst of Covid-19 and innovation in adversity. 3mins - communities, social media and serving others. 4mins30s - best pieces of career advice and treating the job search like a project. 7mins - ending job search misery: "getting the human back into...

From chatting to The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, about sustainability and the future of jobs, to binge watching MasterChef and Netflix with her young family. We talk about the changing priorities enforced by lockdown living on Yewande Akinola - an award winning female engineer, who shares memories of an inspirational childhood in Nigeria and her Mum's spicy Jollof rice. We also discus...

Beauty journalist, Brand consultant and former magazine editor Keysha Davis talks to us about community spirit  and raising two boys during lockdown, why black hair matters and feeling star-struck by Janet Jackson and Tyler Perry. Show summary 1min – Lockdown living with two young sons at home, and what matters in life. 2mins30s – Unconventional career route: intern to entertainment at Pride, and...