The Occupational Philosophers - A not-so-serious business podcast to spark Creativity, Imagination and Curiosity

In Episode 41 The Occupational Philosophers chat with Tiffany Markman, an international speaker, trainer and writer, known for her work on communication, messaging, marketing and more. She’s collaborated with over 450 brands worldwide — both big and small — over the last 17 years, encountering writing that ranges from the sublime to the absurd. She’s also delivered keynote addresses, created maste...

Have you ever been on a curiosity tour? John and Simon jump into some insights around what can happen when you tour all five of your senses and they pull the metaphorical golf balls from Simon's mind after his NYC sojourn.  Amongst other things, they explore:  What we can learn from public space and how it can influence workplace culture in making everyone feel welcome  What happens when we create...

In episode 39, The Occupational Philosophers honour their Philosopher forefathers and foremothers and unleash their Northern Hemisphere summer solstice Thought Experiment extravaganza!  Or in language with more brevity.....revisit some of their favourite thought experiments with their guests over the last year.  These include:  Famous love parents with Tamara Campbell  Is this a real job? with Ash...

As John and Simon traverse the northern hemisphere summer, John takes on a little walk into the world of Purposeful Questions.   Questions which: Ask for clarity on their thoughts  Ask to challenge proposals  Ask to examine ideas Ask to draw out someone's perspective Ask to understand the impact of an idea Ask to find out what are the right questions to ask! Key Things to Remember:  Ask with a cur...

In episode 37, The Occupational Philosophers chat with highly engaging, world class storyteller and very funny Tim Vaughan-Hughes.  Tim is one interesting cat!  He began his career with the stage management team at Glyndebourne Opera, and trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He has subsequently performed extensively in all media. He joined the Monty Python production team for...

In ep.36, The Occupational Philosophers explore the idea of tensions. Mmmm, what does the mean?  Que music...."Tensions here, tensions there, tensions everywhere, yeah, yeah, yeah..."  Whilst this lyric may never win a grammy (but lets not put boundaries on what's possible), tensions are everywhere i.e.  Working harder to achieve success v.s taking that little bit of extra time off to look after y...

In their 1st birthday anniversary show spectacular most amazing achievement podcast (yes, they made it to 1 year old - we are surprised as you are), the Occupational Philosophers explore the concept of the half baked idea and most importantly, how we need to create an environment where these 'half-baked ideas' thrive.  Half baked ideas and overcoming our addiction to perfection is at the heart of...

In Episode 34, The Occupational Philosophers explore the topic of play and ponder the crucial question “Why does any game of Monopoly always end in a fist fight? In this episode, they discuss: What happens to our brains when we play? Why unstructured play is key to our development as children (and adults!) How play improves our cognitive skills so we can problem solve, create and learn more effect...

In episode 33, The Occupational Philosophers explore the idea of looking at the world with travellers' eyes. Mmmm, what do you mean by that? Great question!  Think back to one of those great trips you have been on.....Just think about how curious you were about everything that you saw around you. It was eyes wide open taking in as much as possible.  Imagine.....What would things be like (at work o...

In Episode 32, The Occupational Philosophers chat with Dr Jen Frahm…a tamer of ambiguity, speaker of truths and a solver of problems. She is a global expert in change and organisational transformation. She is the author of two books, with the most recent being “Change. Leader” which offers 33 areas in which leaders can make small but intentional personal changes in the way they lead that will resu...

In Episode 31, The Occupational Philosophers reconnect with the amazing Jez Rose as they design a garden of creativity, curiosity and imagination. They loved this piece so much that it needed its own episode.  With Jez's love of nature, he became a landscape gardener as he designed his own garden of creativity, curiosity and imagination.  You will hear about what's needed for:  The soil, providing...

Would you like to have better ideas? Do you sometimes need more inspiration? Would you like an easy way to achieve both of these? If so, read on (and listen to this episode)  In episode 30, The Occupational Philosophers explore a really simple technique to create a bunch of new ideas, seek inspiration and have an enjoyable time in the process.  Importantly, it's easy, free and anyone can do it.  W...

In episode 29, the Occupational Philosophers ask the very important question of "Is technology killing our creativity?"  Fulfilling John's high school dreams of a career in law they take a for and against argument and explore both sides of the argument.  In this episode, they discuss:  The different types of curiosity and how technology drives each of them  How technology both fuels and diminishes...

In this short, sharp episode of starting your week goodness, The Occupational Philosophers explore the idea of priming the pump for creativity and curiosity, and why it's important.  Think of it like this..... Imagine if someone at work said, "the whole company is going to run a marathon, it will be great for company morale, raise money and we are going to do it RIGHT NOW! It just wouldn't work. Y...

n Episode 27, The Occupational Philosophers chat with Jez Rose, a true example of someone with boundless curiosity and a hunger to keep learning. He has been a presenter on children’s television, hosted his own show for ITV1, been a co-host of Saturday Kitchen (BBC1) and special guest on James Martin’s Saturday Morning. He’s written six books,  including ‘Flip the Switch: achieve extraordinary thi...

In Episode 26 - an Inbetweeners episode - The Occupational Philosophers explore Simon's epiphany whilst watching MTV out of the corner of his eye at the gym and ask, "Are we disrupting enough?"  What are the areas in our lives - work or otherwise - that absolutely ripe for disruption? Or, in another way; what needs a really good dose of creativity, freshness or some new ideas?  Have things been th...

In Episode 25, The Occupational Philosophers dive into the world of Philosophy as they learn more about some of their favourite chin strokes and importantly, what we can apply in life and business right now (yes, that's correct - right now!)   In this episode, they explore: How asking questions like Socrates can help teams define success Why humility is the essential wingman of curiosity What can...

In episode 24, The Occupational Philosophers explore the question, "How often do we date life?"  Life throws us up many opportunities but how often do we take them, embrace them and date life?  Do we date life often enough?  Inbetweeners episodes are a short, sharp blast of 10 minutes to kick start your week with a sweet boost of creativity, curiosity and imagination (and some other things thrown...

In Episode 23, The Occupational Philosophers chat with Mike Parsons - This guy is one curious cat. He’s left a footprint across the globe with multiple careers in music, advertising, design, technology and innovation.  Since quitting university after seven weeks, Mike has gone on to achieve remarkable feats. He launched Australia's first internet radio station, lived and worked in Europe and USA,...

In this Inbetweeners episode, The Occupational Philosophers build on the idea of a curiosity advent calendar - for teams.  Imagine.....every team meeting, reaching into the curiosity box (interesting already isn't it?) and pulling out a short activity to drive creativity, curiosity and imagination in that meeting or in the week ahead? Or in a more businessey way - "driving an innovative force of a...

In Episode 21, The Occupational Philosophers re-dive into the business, life, and leadership lessons we can learn from three very well-known artists - Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, and Picasso.  Along the way they explore:  How innovation happens when we join the dots and make connections from wildly different things  How we need to be open to change and constant reinvention  The importance of not o...

In episode 20, The Occupational Philosophers build on the idea of a curiosity advent calendar - for teams. For all of us, it's easy for things to become a little 'vanilla/boring/same-same. As we know, a great question can do the heavy lifting and can power creativity. Imagine, sitting down each day and asking one of these questions each day?  If we hosted a forum on why our products and services s...

In Episode 19, The Occupational Philosophers chat with the Amazing Entrepreneur Danielle Chiel.  Danielle's story is a great yarn (pun intended). Danielle Chiel is an Australian entrepreneur who founded KOCO (Knit One Change One). She has a Ph. D. in Musicology, sits at the intersection of fashion, entrepreneurialism, creativity, and joy, and making a more beautiful, creative, and happy world and...

Despite speaking regularly, The Occupational Philosophers realised that they missed each other greatly in 2021. As such, they have decided to catch up more regularly - which brings us to this episode.  Whilst all of the above is true, The Occupational Philosophers have decided they need to drink their own Kool-Aid and explore what's possible with micro experiments, trying new things, understanding...

In Episode 16, The Occupational Philosophers chat with the very talented and very funny, Neil Mullarkey. Neil co-founded the world-famous improvisation group The Comedy Store Players in the UK with Mike Myers, later appearing with him in the fabulous Austin Powers movies. He has appeared on TV over many years, including Have I Got News For You, Whose Line Is It Anyway, Saturday Live and QI. He has...