Leadership & Life Chat

James and Mark chat about how desk-bound workers can increase their energy levels despite the increasing demands of virtual meetings. As usual, they provide 3 top tips, and along the way they take inspiration from Aubrey Marcus' recent podcast with author and body alignment expert Aaron Alexander (episode #319), American social psychologist Amy Cuddy and James' 90's smash hit Sit Down!     We woul...

James and Mark chat to the woman known as 'The Business Motivator.' Susannah Brade-Waring is a renowned and trusted business advisor and coach for SME businesses. A member of the global business coaching platform, Mindshop, Susannah recently received the coveted Value to Others award for European advisors. She started out with a Master's degree in IT from Loughborough University before becoming a...

Mark and James respond to a listener suggestion to chat about the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence in business, particularly to review the hidden meanings within business communications. As usual, they provide 3 top tips, and along the way they take inspiration from FT's podcast 'Tech Tonic', Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, and hit US comedy Friends!     We would love to hear from you - you...

James and Mark chat about the multiple benefits for businesses encouraging their teams to embrace cycling and similar activities.   As usual they provide 3 top tips, and along the way they make reference to the UK government's Cycle to Work Scheme, Amsterdam's cycling culture, foxes, badgers and Katie Melua!   We would love to hear from you - you can get in touch with us on podcasts@larking-gowen....

Mark and James share their views and personal experiences of Covid induced anxiety. They offer 3 top tips to help reduce anxiety levels, and along the way they make reference to the theory of Hedonic Adaption, the book Getting Things Done by David Allen, the work of Peter Crone (AKA The Mind Architect) and the song-writing skills of family entertainer Ken Dodd! Find about more about David Allen's...

James and Mark respond to a specific listener request to chat about a very important topic; Men's Mental Health. They share their personal experiences and offer ideas and practical tips to help promote better mental well-being (which are applicable regardless of gender). As usual, they sprinkle the episode with references to a mix of credible authors and speakers, along with some light-hearted mus...

How we build relationships with our customers, clients and contacts during the last year has changed dramatically. Podcasts have helped many business leaders reach their audience during the pandemic. They have helped fill the void where physical connection was almost eliminated, and in celebration of their 50th episode, James and Mark decided to reflect on why they chose to start Impromptu Busines...

Mark and James chat about the benefits to business owners and their teams of adding more meaning to their businesses and lives. As usual, they end with 3 top tips, and along the way they refer to Professor Brian Cox, Motivational Maps and Limp Bizkit!     We would love to hear from you – you can get in touch with us on podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk . If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe, and...

James and Mark chat about the challenge for businesses and their people returning from furlough, including changes to anxiety, confidence and motivation levels. As always they end with 3 top tips, and along the way they take inspiration from Motivational Maps, Sir Clive Woodward and Mohammad Ali.     Show notes:     https://www.motivationalmaps.com     We would love to hear from you – you can get...

Mark and James chat about how business owners can share in their teams anticipated changes to working practices in life after lockdown. As usual, they end up with 3 top tips, and along the way take inspiration from top business coach Brad Sugars, a strategy from the US Navy and Mark's flawless impression of Tom Jones! We would love to hear from you  - you can get in touch with us on podcasts@larki...

Mark and James welcome special guest, TEDx Talk presenter and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) legend, Owen Fitzpatrick! They chat about the language of leadership, the science of decision making, reframing the language we use to motivate and positively influence ourselves and those around us, and how this applies to businesses! As a qualified psychologist, Owen has coached more than 10,000 clie...

James and Mark chat about how business owners and their teams can use body language to build rapport on video calls. As usual they provide 3 top tips, and along the way make reference to Richard Bandler (the co-founder of Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Tony Robbins and top road cyclist Peter Sagan. Show notes: NLP - eye patterns   We would love to hear from you - you can get in touch with us on po...

Mark and James talk about the importance of business owners challenging and embracing their use of technology. As usual they provide 3 top tips and along the way they take inspiration from The Way Home (by Mark Boyle), The Machine That Changed The World (by James P Womack, Daniel T Jones and Daniel Roos), supermarket checkouts, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. We would love to hear from you - you can ge...

James and Mark share their professional experiences on the key traits of successful family businesses. They reflect on the recent Meghan and Harry "debacle" and end with 3 top tips whilst drawing inspiration from industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, thrash metal band Anthrax and US comedy smash Modern Family. We would love to hear from you - you can get in touch with us on podcasts@la...

This episode can best be summed up by the word's 'inspiration' and 'perspiration'! James and Mark chat to special guest, and professional adventurer, Freddie Bennett. Listen to how Freddie uses the lessons he's learnt in life to advise and inspire businesses on how to motivate their teams and embrace change.   Freddie worked for many years in management consultancy, in London, but felt like an imp...

Mark and James chat about the importance for business owners and their teams to take effective breaks to recharge their batteries. As usual, they come up with 3 top tips to help achieve this, and along the way they try out their Swedish pronunciation skills and draw inspiration from Gandhi, the benefits of meditation and the Black Eye Peas Resources mentioned in this episode: Lillördag: Sweden's w...

James and Mark chat about the likely challenges businesses will face as lockdown restrictions are eased and hopefully removed as the UK targets its "VC Day" on 21 June 2021. As usual they come up with 3 top tips to prepare businesses for the 'new normal', and along the way they take inspiration from Larking Gowen, Silicon Valley, and Madonna. We would love to hear from you - you can get in touch w...

James and Mark talk about the encouraging signs coming out of lockdown and the prospect of economic recovery and growth. They provide 3 top tips to help you grow your business over the coming months by proactively managing cash flow and managing working capital. Along the way they  make reference  to the Toyota production system, Johnny Cash, and Mark's Fridge freezer. We would love to hear from y...

In this special episode Mark and James pick the brains of Marketeer extraordinaire, Damian Horner.   They draw out some amazing advice, tips and insights from Damian that are relevant to SME Business owners on the use of marketing and marketing strategies in the digital age. Damian has used the skills he acquired when building a career in a London marketing agency to not only advise global brands...

James and Mark chat about the benefits of sleep for business leaders and their teams, and share 3 top tips on ways to improve the quality of our sleep. They discuss what does and doesn't work for them, and along the way refer to Ruari Fairbairns and Andy Rammage of One Year No Beer, Jon Kabat-Zinn of Full Catastrophe Living fame and The Lion Sleeps Tonight by Tight Fit!   Links and resources:   On...

James and Mark share their experiences of the video blues. Since the first lockdown, businesses have become ever more reliant on video calls, but is it now starting to impact our metal health and wellbeing. As usual they share 3 top tips, and along the way they draw inspiration from Harvard Business Review, Jeannette (Pritchard) Pearce MBE and Huey Lewis & The News!   We would love to hear from yo...

Mark and James discuss the booming self help industry and the promises it makes to solve life's problems. Looking back on their own experiences, they come up with 3 top tips, and along the way they name check the Dalai Lama, Mark Manson and Mark's growing library.  We would love to hear from you – you can get in touch with us on podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk . If you enjoy this episode, please subs...

Mark and James welcome broadcaster and presenter Simon Mundie.   Simon has been a presenter on BBC Radio 1, and has covered sporting events like Wimbledon as well as a number of large music events. In more recent years, Simon has been hosting BBC Radio 4's critically acclaimed Don't Tell Me The Score, which uses sport to explore life's bigger questions. He has interviewed many of the most well kno...

James and Mark highlight the power of storytelling in business. Whether you're selling products, services or yourself, stories can make all the difference. As usual they come up with 3 top tips, and along the way they make reference to Andrew Brammer's book Telling The Tale, the late Max Bygraves and Mark's new spectacles!   We would love to hear from you – you can get in touch with us on podcasts...

James and Mark talk about the importance of forming effective teams in business. As usual, they come up with 3 top tips and make reference along the way to 'Good to Great' author Jim Collins, Jordan Belfort and Culture Club! We would love to hear from you – you can get in touch with us on podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk . If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe, and whilst you're there, we would...