Problem Busters: Recent Episodes
Problem Busters
A show that highlights people with ideas, to help solve the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss the business of making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.
This one is something special. Shadia M joins Jon and Ollie to share what her new start in the UK has been like and her plans for the future.
We learn about her background, the journey her family took to get to the UK and how much the Breadwinners team have come to mean to her. Shadia shares her love of learning across a surprising mix of subjects and her current career trajectory.
We hear first-hand what being a Mentee in the Breadwinners programme means, how important Shadia's relationship with her Mentor has been and what she's learned in 2.5 years in the programme.
Shadia is eloquent, passionate and most of all inspiring.
This episode is a great reminder of the energy newcomers to any place bring with them, and the opportunities for the local community to be enriched by their presence.
Image credit: Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash
Guest: Martin Cosarinsky, Director of Breadwinners and Board Member at Praxis
Description:
Martin Cosarinsky Campos joins Jon and Ollie to share his story and how he came to be Director of Breadwinners, an inspiring Social Enterprise that provides young refugees both work experience and training on arrival into the UK. Refugees and their journeys from home country to new home is a topic close to many of our hearts, and this is a great opportunity to hear in detail from someone who has deep insight into what that journey is like. Breadwinners is an amazing organisation and this episode will certainly leave you inspired and enlightened.
Show Notes:Introduction to Martin Cosarinsky:
- Martin is introduced as the Director of Breadwinners, a social enterprise providing work experience and training to young refugees in the UK.
- He is also a board member at Praxis and has deep insight into the journey of refugees.
Mission of Breadwinners:
- Breadwinners supports refugees by offering them employment opportunities and training upon arrival in the UK.
- The organization aims to empower refugees and help them integrate into society.
Impact of Breadwinners:
- 90% of Breadwinners graduates have progressed into further paid work.
- The organization provides tools such as CV writing, networking, and interview skills to make refugees job-ready.
Key Moments in the Conversation:
- 06:00 - Martin shares his personal journey and how he became involved with Breadwinners.
- 13:30 - Insights into the challenges refugees face during their journey.
- 23:30 - Overview of Breadwinners' programs and their impact on refugees.
- 36:00 - Discussion on mentoring and its benefits for refugees.
- 48:00 - Martin's vision for changing the world.
Additional Information:
- Martin was highly commended as an "Impact Management Champion" at the 2023 NatWest SE100 Social Business Awards.
- Breadwinners' website: www.breadwinners.org.uk
This podcast episode delves into Martin Cosarinsky's impactful work with Breadwinners, showcasing how the organization empowers refugees through employment opportunities and support services. Join hosts Ollie and Jon as they explore Martin's journey, the challenges faced by refugees, and the transformative power of community and mentorship. #WeAreBreadwinners #RefugeeEmpowerment #ImpactfulLeadership
Hosts: Ollie and Jon
Guest: Graham Cullis, Founder of the #karmacardproject
Description:
Join hosts Ollie and Jon as they sit down with Graham Cullis, the passionate founder of the #karmacardproject, a movement dedicated to raising awareness for mental health through art and collaboration. Graham shares his inspiring journey of leaving his 9-5 job to pursue his passion for helping people with their mental health. Through interviews and collaborations with artists and charities, Graham spreads positivity and creativity while offering holistic methods for managing mental health. Tune in to hear about his globe-trotting adventures, his unique projects, and his mission to touch as many lives as possible through art.
Show Notes:* Introduction to Graham Cullis:Graham introduces himself as the founder of the #karmacardproject. * He discusses his background and his decision to leave his 9-5 job to pursue his passion for helping people with mental health. * Mission of the Karma Card Project:Graham explains that the project aims to raise awareness for mental health through interviews and collaborations with artists and charities. * He highlights the importance of spreading positivity and creativity as tools for healing. * Globe-Trotting Adventures:Graham shares stories of his travels around the world, painting and collaborating with amazing people. * He mentions projects he's initiated, such as art therapy, support groups, and cold water therapy through sea swimming. * Giving Away Artwork for Free:Graham discusses his decision to give away his artwork for free, aiming to connect with more people and spread his messages of positivity and creativity. * He hopes that by sharing his art, he can make a positive impact on people's lives and possibly lead to future collaborations or purchases. * Graham expresses his desire to make a great first impression through his art and encourages listeners to try his artwork for free. * He invites them to connect with him and join the movement to raise awareness for mental health through art and collaboration.
Links and Resources Mentioned:* Graham Cullis Artist Website * Patreon -Graham Cullis * Graham's Vlog: Experience Bali Art * The Karma Card Project * Graham Cullis Karma Club Podcast - Listen to the latest episode * Documentary: There once was an island
This podcast episode offers a glimpse into Graham's inspiring journey and his mission to make a positive impact on the world through art and advocacy for mental health awareness. Join us as we explore the power of creativity and collaboration in making a difference.
Follow Sanath on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/just_giving_sanath/
Donate via Just Giving: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sanath-demel
In this captivating episode of the Problem Busters Podcast, hosts Jon and Ollie dive deep into the extraordinary journey of their guest, Sanath de Mel, a digital nomad who transformed his life to become a humanitarian hero in Ukraine.
Sanath shares his early career as an engineer and his deep interest in cryptocurrency, exploring the potential of digital currencies and blockchain technology. This fascination with crypto laid the foundation for his future endeavors and set him on a unique path of exploration and problem-solving.
Living life as a digital nomad, Sanath cherished the freedom of remote work, allowing him to roam the globe while making a living. However, it was his unwavering desire to make a positive impact that eventually led him on an awe-inspiring mission.
The episode unravels Sanath's decision to purchase and modify a Mitsubishi L200 to deliver essential supplies in Kyiv, Ukraine. Through ingenious modifications, Sanath transformed his vehicle into a versatile resource capable of traversing challenging terrains and reaching those in need.
As Jon, Ollie, and Sanath recount his journey across Europe, listeners are taken on a virtual adventure, experiencing the trials and triumphs encountered during the testing phase. From navigating rugged Italian landscapes to braving the bustling streets of Kyiv, Sanath's modified Mitsubishi L200 proves to be an invaluable asset, highlighting the significance of innovation and adaptation during times of crisis.
The conversation then delves into Sanath's life in Ukraine before the country was engulfed in conflict. He offers insights into the local culture, the warm hospitality of the Ukrainian people, and his decision to remain when others chose to leave. Sanath's determination to assist those affected by the conflict becomes apparent as he shares his experiences fundraising and organizing initiatives to purchase and deliver essential supplies to the Ukrainian frontline.
Through Sanath's accounts, witness his resilience, determination, and selflessness in the face of adversity. His inspiring story serves as a reminder of the profound impact individuals can make, even in the direst circumstances.
Join Jon, Ollie, and their extraordinary guest, Sanath de Mel, on this episode of the Problem Busters Podcast as they explore the transformative power of crypto, the exhilaration of the digital nomad lifestyle, and the incredible journey of a man who became a true humanitarian, lending a helping hand to those in need on the Ukrainian frontline.
Liz Batalla shares how she came to realise her dream of helping women level up both individuals, groups and the organisations lucky enough to have them. This is an inspiring episode from an articulate and finely-honed leadership coach. We learn how to set about writing a book, what you could expect to learn on Liz' Masterclasses, what issues commonly hold women back at work, and most importantly, how to support the women around you. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Liz Batalla is the Founder and Executive Director of The Institute for Achievement and Excellence and the author of the book - Level up to move up. Liz helps women level themselves up and helps businesses educate and promote their female talent. Show mentions: A corporate and academic background 2020: create the Institute for Achievement and Excellence to help women level up across 9 life areas so they can better navigate the business world and step into leadership roles. As well as assist organisations better educate and promote their female talent. Working in male-dominated environments, finding women had concerns around personal and professional progress. A common question: how to navigate this space, in order to grow professionally and personally? 03:30 three things that worry women in the corporate environment. Lack of confidence, a feeling of overwhelm/imposter syndrome, a lack of flexibility in the organisation (e.g. flexible working hours). Women still tend to be the main carer at home. Having flexibility can really help. Female family members are the women I look up to (grandmothers, mum, god-mother, sisters). 06:00 Anything I'd do differently if I had my time again? Starting the process of what I'm doing now, earlier i.e. I'd have set up the Institute for Achievement and Excellence earlier. Providing help as a manager or lecturer is different than running the Institute. I am able to touch many more lives due to making my knowledge and experience available via: online, self-paced masterclasses. 09:00 What impact are the 3 challenges women are experiencing having on society? Monumental impace because it affects their contribution to their organisations, family and community. If they are unable to give of their best then the everyone they are in contact with never benefits fully from all she can offer. Article: McKenzie and Company (2020) - Women make up just 15% of executive-team membership, and more than a third of companies have no women at all on their executive teams. This due to not putting themselves forward as well as not being sponsored and supported into it. There are both intrinsic and extrinsic challenges. A man may put himself forward with 50-60% understanding of a role, a woman may require 90% upwards to feel confident to do the same. 11:00 How can the Institute help? Assisting companies to better educate and promote their femal talent and also helping the woman herself to take responsibility and level up herself so she can rise to the occasion. 12:00 The 3 forces in achieving excellence are: Identity of the individual (improving oneself), connections (relationships with self and others), status (managing one’s standard of living). 3 life areas in each of the 3 forces in achieving excellence, there are 9 life areas in total. 14:30 Women going through the process of a self-assessment. Easiest way to identify areas of strengths and areas for improvement. The three Cs: Courage, Confidence and Charisma. A lot of women coming into corporate environments are lacking the fundamental skills to navigate the world of business because these skills are not taught in schools. 18:00 What can women do now, to get the ball rolling? Establish where you are. Then establish where you would like to be. A gap analysis. If you don't...
Repair Cafe Portsmouth founder Clare Seek opens the Problem Busters' eyes to the Right to Repair. We learn about the growing, global community of Repair Cafes and most importantly - how to start one in your town. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Clare Seek is all about building community for people and planet. Based in Portsmouth, a city in south west England, she is the founder of Repair Cafe Portsmouth, Green Drinks Portsmouth and other community-based projects besides. Clare lives in Portsmouth UK with her family. Show mentions: 02:00 A bit about Clare and how a move into motherhood coincided with an interest in the environment and our impact on the planet. Repair is at the heart of walking more lightly on the planet. The sheer existence of my children had a lot to do with my becoming interested in treading lightly, and my community 04:00 Why https://www.repaircafe.org/en/foundation/ (Repair Cafe)? Started in the Netherlands by a woman who initiated what has become a global movement. What is a Repair cafe? A place that brings together people who fix things with people who have things to fix. 05:30 The setting up of a Repair cafe. 200 people showing interest within 1 day! Portsmouth is an island city, one of the most densely populated areas of the UK outside of London. 4 months later, we ran our first Repair Cafe. Starting with people who could repair and fix each other's stuff. 07:30 What is next for https://repaircafeportsmouth.wordpress.com/ (Repair Cafe Portsmouth)? We are a pop-up event, we hold it once or twice a month. We've had to stop advertising because we are at capacity. Opening up a space permanently, taking it to the next step The library of things concept - we will work it in with that. 09:00 Campaign - The right to repair. A global campaign. Most of the carbon in electronics happens before the first use of the item. The right to repair campaign is focusing on manufacturers and policy makers to provide goods that are designed to last longer, can be fixed, have manuals and spare parts available. Right to repair as a justice issue - lobbying to create a fairer way to consume goods and services. 11:00 Petition - https://therestartproject.org/petition-right-to-repair/ (The restart project). And changing where tax is applied. 12:00 Shifting culture from wastage to consumers being able to repair. In https://repair.eu/news/one-year-on-has-the-french-repair-index-kept-its-promises/ (France) - they have a system that shows on products how repairable they are. Consumers are better informed. [13:00 Jon Coughs] The UK is the second biggest producer of e-waste per capita in the world. It's shocking. 14:30 Why is the UK so high on the e-waste scales? We have an appetite for the latest gadgets, Norway is ahead of us, we are second. 16:00 There is a pressure in our culture to have the latest thing and the best tech for that. 17:00 What do kids learn in school about sustainability? Very little. However, thankfully coming generations are taking more of an interest in the environment anyway. There is very little in schools that leads kids down a repair career path, although elements of sustainability are sprinkled through other career paths. Concept - https://therestartproject.org/petition-right-to-repair/ (the circular economy) There is a stronger voice from individuals and community groups, than the Government, when it comes to pushing for real change. Episode - Hakim and Aryaana 19:30 Where is the concern in the young coming from? Concern about climate change. Kids are really aware of that. They have clear and vivid imaginations about these things. Kids wonder about the world, they question things. They sense the urgency. Conference: Cop26 Extinction rebellion Pester power - from kids
Candice Gasper of Valley Mill Microgreens shares her story from bright-eyed environmental science graduate, to corporate, to ultimately becoming an Urban Farmer. She explains what urban farming is, what microgreens are (and why they are such a great way to get nutrients from your veggies) and how anyone, with as little as a sunny windowsill of space, can grow their own food. It's a great time to talk to Candice as her startup Valley Mill Microgreens is still in its first year, so we talk about the joy of working for yourself and soak up her enthusiasm for growing. We talk about the state of food, why the world needs more Farmer's markets, and how wonderful it is to connect directly to those who grow what we eat. Candice describes the foraging movement and gives us step by step instructions on how to germinate your own seeds, and grow your own food. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Candice Gasper is an Urban Farmer and is the founder of Valley Mill Microgreens. An Environmental Scientist by trade, she has worked in both the corporate world and scaled urban farming but these days is enjoying the life of a startup founder. She lives with her partner in Baltimore USA and is passionate about educating people about nutrition and the joy of growing your own food. Show mentions: A childhood outside, and choosing to study environmental science. A career in sales for environmental consulting and green construction. 02:00 Volunteering at the neighbourhood farmers market. One of the only place you can meet local farmers in a city. Food justice and food equity - and how access to food affects people 03:30 getting my first part time job on a women-owned microgreen farm. Saving up, losing my job and then going full time as a farmer 05:30 Hydroponics and how they work. Pros and cons. Learning what it's like to work in a large scale production facility. 07:30 Starting up my own business growing in my back yard. And the pride to get to here. The love of what I do. 10:00 Microgreens - what they are and why they are so cool. They can be added to any dish. You can sneak them in and get nutrient density into any dish. They are packed with flavour. Microgreens are nature's multivitamins 12:00 Anybody can grow microgreens, all you need is a sunny windowsill, a container, some water, some soil and some seeds. 12:30 Urban farming allows people to be more connected to their food. It's just neat to see my peers doing this and just right down the street, not in the middle of nowhere or far away. Saving on carbon emissions by not having to truck food into the city. There is really nothing cooler than getting to know your farmer 14:30 There is a lot of healing in growing - it teaches you patience. 50% percent of plants will die, and you learn how to care for them. The quality of food that is readily available not being great in many cities. Is soil quality deteriorating due to constantly farming them? 16:30 Cover crops are something you can plant between seasons that will extract nitrogen out of the air and regenerate the soil. Mass production leads to no breaks in the growing season and leads to less nutrients in the soil and therefore in the food. Microgreens grow so fast - they are only growing 2-3 weeks at most and they really don't need fertiliser. 18:30 how to get started growing microgreens in your own home. Kale microgreens have the cutest miniature kale leaves when they grow 21:30 There is a certain level of acceptance of failure in farming. Everything has been a learning process - if something doesn't work, I don't feel like I'm failing, I feel like I'm going into the next round of learning. 23:30 It's hard to make a good living as a farmer. Farming is difficult to get into because land access is
Nathan Ranklin has lost 18.5 stone, over 200kg and half his body weight. He talks the Problem Busters through what it's like to be a "big kid" growing up, how he took control of his weight (and kept it off), and most importantly - how he's helping others do the same. This is an honest look at a global issue which affects many in our lives at any given moment. Nathan has a disarming yet straight up style and therefore delivers a punchy and important message in an easy to digest way. We talk diet, lifestyle and modern food. Nathan explains how listening to those who have an addiction to food (or anything else) is the single most important step. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Nathan Ranklin is a 1:1 Diet Consultant for Cambridge Weight Plan. He lost 18 and half stones in 14 months, and won the male slimmer of the year 2020. Now he is here to share his gift with the world - the ability to take charge of your weight. Show mentions: 02:00 Growing up as a "big kid", being isolated as a result of my size Issues with food: comfort, binge and secret eater. For me, food was just there as my best friend - I'd just turn to it. Being a secret eater, it's hard for friends and family to monitor - as they don't see the eating 03:00 First realisation of being big at Alton towers, being taken off the ride at age 12. Doctor at 14 saying if you carry on like this, you would make it to 30. As a teenager I was still quite active, running about. 05:00 At 18, sitting down and doing nothing, I piled the weight on. There is always a reason to eat in the office. I was a yes man to eating. Being a binge drinker as well as a bing eater. At 20, diagnosed with sleep apnea. The fat around my throat limiting my breathing when I lay down at night to sleep. Being on a machine to sleep all through my 20s. At 26 being bed bound for a few days - the doctor turned around and said the weight you are, what do you expect? This was when the hard reality really set in. At 29 - went to Budapest, was quite sluggish this time. I wasn't the same, I was always tired. I needed a machine to stay alive at night time. Having to shop online or at big shops. 09:00 the moment I had an intervention from a Jamaican woman I sat down next to. I ran away for 4 months, but this woman was so persistent, she kept catching me in all the worst moments. Catch me having naughty meals. Eventually I gave in and went to her house on 22 March 2019. I weighed 36.9 stone (239 kilos). She promised me that I would never see that weight again, that she promised I would go down to a L size shirt size. How could she change my life in a week? I did the 1:1 diet by Cambridge Weight Plan. I hated it, hated everyone around. 13:00 I had tried a lot of diets before, but there was no one really there. Even through the doctors. No real structure. This was the first time I had someone on my ass the whole time. A week later I came back, I didn't feel like I can lost any weight To my surprise I lost 17 pounds (just over a stone, 7.7 kilos). Next week, another 10 pounds (almost 2 stone in 2 weeks!) I was hooked, the calculations were done. That was it, there was no turning back. I'm thinking I have a second chance here. The result - in 14 months straight, lost 17.5 stones (107 kg). How I did it, a lot of walking then I started the gym afterwards. The 1:1 diet is a combination of meal replacements and a healthy meal plan. It's all calculated for you, then I had to make myself the two additional meals. The thing was cutting out the carbohydrates. I kept seasoning all my food I started using fry light instead of oil, a george forman and an air fryer Tech: Air fryer - I absolutely love it! 19:00 The way to losing weight is - Water, your sleep, diet then exercise. Water...
Life Coach Kapil Pankhania takes the Problem Busters through finding a coach, how to make the most out of being coached, and how to coach and mentor those in your team. Kapil has a refreshingly open and honest way of talking about coaching. He explains the difference between mentoring and coaching, tells his story and answers common questions about how both life coaching and coaching in general can benefit us. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: https://my.captivate.fm/www.kapil.coach (Kapil Pankhania) is a life coach from North London, currently working with Ollie at Form3. Kapil has a background in Finance and technology. website: https://my.captivate.fm/www.kapil.coach (www.kapil.coach)
Show mentions: Realising that coaching was a good route to becoming a better person, both professionally and personally App: https://www.spotify.com/ (Spotify) Arriving at coaching as an idea Looking for a workshop and running into Becky, who was running the workshop. Life Coach: https://beckybalzanocoaching.co.uk (Becky Balzano) became my first coach The benefits of coaching Coaching as a way to become more self-aware 05:00 Overcoming the excuse of "I have no time", and the importance of finding time for myself The value of putting time aside for myself every morning, for journaling, reading and plugging away Becoming aware of where you are spending your time Identifying where time is not being spent well, and substituting it for something more valuable 07:00 The emotional aspect of coaching. Digitised world, rare to have a time to have a proper conversation, about you. The value of saying things out loud - taking a big breath of fresh air. 09:00 Listening but also being present in the conversation. Really understanding where they are at before suggesting solutions. Coaches are not perfect, we are all humans. Trying not to relate to the client, but remaining separate in order to focus entirely on them and their challenge. 12:30 Advice to people who are looking for a coach Look for a coach you can trust, who is a good listener and is non-judgemental Suggest a first discovery session to see if you will work well together. 15:00 Figuring out what coaching is to you - and what each person wants to get out of the process. The importance of momentum and impact 18:30 What to expect from your first discovery session with a coach 20:00 How to get the most out of working with a coach Insight: The goal presented initially is not always the ultimate goal The importance of picking a place to start - the first challenge to tackle Write down as much as possible before the session Take notes as you go, so you have something to refer back to 24:00 The value of being accountable for your actions - of committing to take action. Playing back in next session on which actions you've taken. The value of taking action between sessions 26:30 What I've learned from coaching people 28:30 The importance of just letting people speak. The importance of reading body language 31:00 The difference between mentoring and coaching. The value of asking good questions 33:30 Advice for Managers wanting to coach their teams better Demonstrating the power of coaching is the way to sell it. 34:30 The value of developing a coaching culture, both between managers, at the exec level and out to all people in the business. 36:00 common mistakes managers make when coaching others The importance of not making assumptions. Ask, don't assume. Ask questions first in order to understand 37:00 How to develop a feeling of trust, of being heard 38:00 Daily habits I have picked up from coaching The value of a solid early morning routine Journaling as a daily practice. Thoughts on the day, what I've learned, unlocking your thoughts and...
GirlCode co-founder Adeola Haruna shares how she got into tech, the experience of being a minority (a woman) in tech, and what motivated her to founding a non-profit coding academy to give back. GirlCode Academy is a volunteer-powered organisation that is rapidly becoming a movement. Headquartered in Lagos Nigeria, they have off their own backs created courses that have given hundreds of women the chance at a career in tech. Whether the students opt for Product Design, Frontend coding or perhaps Product Management, they have had an incredible impact on the people involved, many of whom return as volunteers to help others. This is an awesome story and includes the ability for us too to help - by https://girlcode.academy/donate/ (donating) a used laptop or https://girlcode.academy/donate/ (supporting a woman) in learning to code. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Adeola Haruna is the co-founder of GirlCode Academy - a volunteer organisation in Nigeria that has trained hundreds of women in Frontend coding and Product Design. She is a Project Manager, now a Product Manager and has a background in Fintech. Adeola is from Lagos Nigeria, and now resides in Aberdeen Scotland (for the castles, what a great reason to move anywhere!). Website: https://girlcode.academy/ (https://girlcode.academy/) Twitter: https://twitter.com/GirlCodeAcademy (https://twitter.com/GirlCodeAcademy) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GirlCodeAcademy (https://www.facebook.com/GirlCodeAcademy) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlcodeacademyng/ (https://www.instagram.com/girlcodeacademyng/) Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adeola-haruna-24490434/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adeola-haruna-24490434/)
Show mentions: Adeola is the co-founder of the https://girlcode.academy (GirlCode academy,) and by day is a product manager and former software engineer and graphic designer. 03:00 What is the https://girlcode.academy (GirlCode academy)? Being the only woman in every technical team, from company to company In 2016: In Lagos Nigeria - decided to find a solution to being the only technical woman in tech Women were interested in technology but didn't have the opportunity to participate in tech. The idea: train women in coding. 2017 - https://girlcode.academy (GirlCode academy) was launched. 2017 - 25 women trained We have 100 applications in the first batch, then 300+ for the second. 2018 - 66 women trained in a bigger office Why do girls want to learn to code? "I tried to learn online, but I didn't get it, so I want to be in the class" 2021 - now over 1,000 applications each time We added more classes; front-end engineering, product design. 09:30 Is there disparity between men and women in Nigeria? Yes. We grew up with mothers with roles such as nurses, catering, fashion. In Nigeria you keep hearing "this is for men, this is for women" The problem we wanted to solve - having the right information and the right opportunity. We want to place a women in tech in every family Plenty of my cousins have taken up product and web design 12:30 Representation really matters. When you have someone who looks like you doing a thing, you want to do it too. What it's like to be a woman in tech. It's not difficult, but you will encounter some forms of discrimination or bias. 13:00 Example of looking for work and experiencing discrimination It's getting better in Nigeria - there are a lot of women I look up to in media and tech now, so it's getting better by the day. 17:30 What career paths did the GirlCode graduates end up taking? An internship is included in the program. A lot of them have gone on to bigger things. Example: someone studying medicine, but wanted to learn to code. She started the program, was one of our best and now...
Soul led coach Stacy Holland explains what makes a conscious leader, how to spot them in your team and why they are so important to the building of a successful business. We discuss Stacy's 20+ year career in high-profile corporate roles and how she knew when it was time to make a switch to coaching full time. Stacy shares how she moved the family to Dubai for a job at one point, and how ripping a whole floor out of a building is sometimes necessary to create the right culture at work. This is an honest, straight-talking account of rising to the top of the corporate world, of living with purpose, and most importantly left us with the feeling that starting something new is not starting again - it is just the next step in your journey. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Stacy Holland is a soul led leadership coach, a life coach and a mentor. She is the founder of Stacy Holland Coaching and lives in the UK with her family. https://stacy-holland.com/ (Website) https://uk.linkedin.com/in/stacy-holland (LinkedIn) https://www.instagram.com/stacyhollandcoaching/ (Instagram)
Show mentions: The path to coaching. Leadership as being coaching in many ways The concept of a shadow leader. Be aware of the shadow you cast. Working with BT and digital transformation Culture being incredibly important during lockdown Setting up guilds where people support each other. How to handle feeling like you don't have enough time. Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53071025-joy-at-work (Marie Kondo - Joy at work) Removing the clutter, in order to see clearly. The excitement and challenge of accepting a role overseas Taking the plunge and the risk of moving the family to Dubai. Going to a country where English wasn't the first language. Dubai's mall culture Ripping out an entire floor of the building to create a massive co-working space. How to develop female leaders. The value of choosing to be in a transformation role - to bring change. The need to have team members that represent all the cultures of your customer base The main barriers for entry for women come down to confidence. Study: https://www.workplacetoday.co.uk/news/the-confidence-gap/ (The Confidence Gap) There is often a wobble for women when they've had children What is a conscious leader? How to identify your purpose The role of conscious leaders in any business Burnout being a clear sign of needing to change Book: The https://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Leap-Conquer-Hidden-Level/dp/0061735361 (big leap by Gay Hendrix) Podcast: https://brenebrown.com/podcast-show/dare-to-lead/ (Dare to Lead) Moving from corporate to entrepreneur The value of developing a coaching culture The big take away from this episode? Whatever you feel, listen to that. There is a message there. Just listen and trust what is being shown to you. The value of working with mentors and coaches
Logo and concept by https://christyoconnor.design/https://christyoconnor.design/ (Christy O'Connor)
A sobering and inspiring episode where Aryaana Khan and Hakim Evans from NGO ACE (Action for the Climate Emergency) share a rare insight into the workings of the much-discussed COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. They describe what was missing, what was inspiring and what they'd like to see come out of the next: COP27 in Egypt. We discuss the effects of climate change on both Aryaana's homeland of Bangladesh, and Hakim's of Jamaica, then hear how New York City is now very much also affected by the climate emergency. What motivates young people to stop what they are doing, to get involved in fighting for climate justice, and to learn to engage young and old in this most urgent of debates? And what type of world would both Aryaana and Hakim like us to create together? Expect to be shocked, angered, inspired and to come away empowered with the knowledge that you too can in your daily actions make a difference. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guests: Aryaana Khan is a Youth Climate Organiser and ACE Fellow, born and raised in Bangladesh and recent delegate to COP26 in Glasgow Scotland. She is joined by returning guest Hakim Evans, a Senior Fellow with ACE and Founding Board Member of Climate Emergency Advocates. Both inspiring guests are based in Queens, New York City. Show mentions: Growing up in Bangaladesh and moving to NYC in 2010. ACE Alliance for the climate education has rebranded to https://acespace.og (Action for the climate emergency). Why the new name? It speaks to the scale we need to address the issue - it is a climate emergency. Global Kids - the first NGO Aryaana worked with ACE had local fellowships all across the U.S. - including NYC. Learning how to teach and engage people in the climate debate. Words like the climate emergency have been so necessary to shift the discussion to the urgency of the situation. Aryaana's story: Growing up in Dhaka (capital city of Bangladesh). I started life with mango trees outside my window and I saw the growth of the city. It was beautiful yet jarring. Experiences of climate change in NYC Much of Long island is already under water. Hurricanes, insane storms. Parallels between growing up in NYC with Bangladesh and Jamaica Educating people and empowering them How to decide who to talk to about the climate emergency Helping people find their story https://ukcop26.org (COP26 Glasgow) and what it was. What was Glasgow like as an event? Being on the ground at COP26 and reflections on it COP26 Glasgow: the horse and pony show NYC and The climate and community act Things young people are doing to bring change and the role of covid What can people at home do? - focus on the biggest issue. What is a food desert? https://acespace.org/creator-collective/ (ACE Creator Collective) - getting the message out there over Tik Tok. ACE Launching action teams. The big message: don't stress out The kind of world Aryaana and Hakim would like to create
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The Problem Busters rave about flying cars (it's a thing), nuclear fusion and a simple way to prevent almost half of the catch of commercial fishing operations from getting caught by mistake. Also electric cars, solar power, paint that generates electricity (thanks Dulux!) About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. Show mentions: Flying Car https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/a-flying-car-just-got-certified-as-airworthy-to-fly/ China Achieve Nuclear Fusion https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/chinas-artificial-sun-broke-record-for-longest-sustained-nuclear-fusion/ Europe Achieves Nuclear Fusion https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60312633 Simple LEDs saving sharks and turtles https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/simple-green-led-lights-save-sharks-and-turtles-from-accidental-fishing-nets/
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News but only the good bits, and this time it's a Christmas bumper edition, to warm hearts at the end of the year. Plenty of good news to be shared, hope you enjoy! About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. Show mentions: The right to repair movement https://www.positive.news/economics/claiming-the-right-to-repair/ (.Claiming the right to repair - Positive News) Phone boxes put to use https://www.positive.news/society/how-old-phone-boxes-are-still-serving-communities/ (Thinking outside the box: unusual uses for the UK’s old phone boxes) The UKs largest rewilding project https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/11/derby-approves-uk-largest-urban-rewilding-project-aoe (‘Natural Health Service’: Derby approves UK’s largest urban rewilding project) HIV jabs approved https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/nov/18/new-hiv-jabs-taken-two-months-apart-hailed-as-huge-step-forward (New HIV jabs taken two months apart hailed as huge step forward) How Norway's pop stars pushed the government to electric cars https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/01/17/pop-star-helped-inspire-norways-electric-car-revolution/ (How a pop star helped inspire Norway's electric car revolution) How Amsterdam stopped junk mail https://reasonstobecheerful.world/amsterdam-junk-mail-opt-in/ (Amsterdam's Instant Fix for Getting Rid of Junk Mail) Biofuel trial in shipping tankers https://www.cityam.com/bp-and-maersk-tankers-team-up-to-trial-marine-biofuel-in-decarbonisation-push/ (BP and Maersk Tankers team up to trial marine biofuel in decarbonisation push) Dyson award 2021 entries https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/2021-entries/ ( Project gallery | James Dyson Award) http://kiva.org/ (kiva.org) - Microcredit fantastic.
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Andrew Murphy from the Federation of Small Businesses UK (FSB) talks running a business post-lockdown. We talk trends in business and lifestyle, explore the experience of founding and growing a business. Most importantly, we discuss how it is OK to ask for help, how covid actually fostered networking and how we are better off sticking together. The Federation of Small Business UK (FSB) is an undiscovered gem in the wild world of running your own business. Whether you are a freelancer or whether you employ a team - we feel there is so much support available in an FSB membership and hope to see more take advantage of it, so they can focus on their day jobs. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Andrew Murphy is a Small Business Champion at the Federation of Small Businesses UK. A career at PwC led him to start his own removals business in London, which ultimately led to a lot of lessons in starting and growing a business. He is passionate about the importance of small businesses to our economy and community as a whole. Show mentions: Starting off in PcW in Consultancy Started his own business, a removals business - ran it for 15 years, then sold it and moved to the FSB It was the Uber for removals - perhaps a bit before its time. 04:30 The challenges in building a business, and in hiring and managing staff. Remote staff management is one of the most difficult parts of the growth of the business. Finding good people is one of the hardest part of growing a business in my experience. Then looking after them and welfare is right up there with hard work. I had a friend in HR, but eventually realised we needed help with that. The Federation of Small Business (FSB) knocked on the door, and I was getting a lot of contacts at the time, but this guy made a good point and the offer was really strong A not for profit who helps small businesses. He talked about HR support, documentation and legal support, and it made a lot of sense to me as a business owner. 07:30 Small business owners want to be spending more time on running the business, not doing all the other paperwork. FSB has been running 45 years, has over 165,000 small business members. There is at times a disconnect between central government and small business. Example: The creation of the Furlough scheme, via the powerful lobbying voice of FSB, and a chap called Mike Cherry. It has supported a lot of businesses during the pandemic. The FSB legal hub was super helpful to me, had a series of documents in a library, we had access to an HR representative at no charge, and at one point, we had to visit the Employment Tribunal and they supported us through the process. We were not at fault, but it was great to have someone there to hold our hand through it all. 14:00 What would I do differently next time? I'd get help from people like the FSB earlier. You've got to know when to ask for help. What steps could people listening take to reach out and get assistance? Have a look at the website and all the services provided. Tax investigation protection is a part of the membership (an important one in coming years) Small businesses are the backbone of this economy. 70%+ of employers and an important part. We're not talking a lot of money for this membership, and every bit of revenue goes back into supporting Small Business - £147 per year (based on the number of people in the business). We have a lot of sole traders who are members. Sole traders also have legal obligations, tax returns. We cover right up to larger businesses of 50 employees or more. It can be quite isolating as a business owner. The buck does stop at you as owner. 22:00 What are the top areas small businesses worry about? Staff Management, Finance, Getting new customers on board, tax...
The Problem Busters have a quick chat through some positive news articles from October. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. This show's reading list: Most plans for new coal plants scrapped since Paris agreement: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/14/most-plans-for-new-coal-plants-scrapped-since-paris-agreement Firm raises $15m to bring back woolly mammoth from extinction: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/13/firm-bring-back-woolly-mammoth-from-extinction Sep: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea has been billed as the world’s first major net-zero carbon football match. https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/sport/climate-crisis-the-football-clubs-making-net-zero-more-competitive/ One of London’s busiest streets goes car-free (a section of the Strand): https://www.positive.news/society/one-of-the-busiest-streets-in-london-goes-car-free/ Renaming Revolution: the campaign to change the language of maternity care: https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/wellbeing/the-campaign-to-change-the-language-around-maternity-care/ Magnetic male contraceptive invented.https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2021/07/29/magnetic-male-contraceptive-birth-control/ Food market in Vancouver https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/rescued-food-market-vancouver-sells-food-saved-from-landfills-at-pay-what-you-feel-prices/ Berlin campaign to ban cars https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/06/berlins-car-ban-campaign-its-about-how-we-want-to-live-breathe-and-play Fossil Found by Kids in New Zealand Turns Out to Be 27 Million-Year-old Giant Penguin https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/giant-pengiun-fossil-found-in-new-zealand-by-kids-unites-ancient-genus/ How India’s Air Pollution is Being Turned into Stylish Floor Tiles https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/indian-entrepreneur-invents-cheap-air-purifier-and-sends-the-waste-to-be-made-into-tiles/ Ireland pilots basic income for creatives. https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/basic-income-scheme-for-artists-art-workers-to-be-piloted-in-2022-1.4698533 Plyscrapers in Sweden: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/oct/14/skelleftea-swedish-plywood-eco-town-20-storey-wooden-skyscraper-worlds-tallest
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Energetic Physiotherapist Kristi Barker gives us the low down on the science of keeping moving to stay healthy. With so many of us now heading into our second year working from home, it's more important than ever that we spare a thought for the need to mix it up, to sit and to stand, to get outside and stay active, but most of all - to find our own balance of activity. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Kristi Barker is a Physiotherapist from Regina Saskatchewan, in Canada who specialises in rehabilitation and injury recovery. https://instagram.com/reach.rehab (Kristi on Instagram) https://www.tiktok.com/@reach.rehab (Kristi on Tik Tok) https://beacons.ai/reach.rehab/ (Sign up to Kristi's mailing list) https://gohappygun.com/?ref=KRISTIBLOCK (For $50 off the Happy Massage Gun) (Discount code: REACHREHAB)
Show mentions: I've been a Physical Therapist for 5 years now. I was really into Volleyball when I was younger and kept injuring myself 02:30 I got into Physio after a trip to Uganda to help distribute wheelchairs. A young man who was destined for a wheelchair was re-diagnosed, educated and avoided being put into a wheelchair! Where Reach Rehab came from: How can we use education to help educate in a bigger scale? I put it on Instagram and it's taken off. I've never looked back since! It has been such an amazing way to educate thousands of people at once. Instagram - a social media platform for images and videos. Tik Tok is the new version. Instagram: Reach.rehab. Videos of Kristi explaining how to recover from injuries. 06:00 What is Physiotherapy when you really get down to it? A mix of Chiropractor and Massage therapy. Clicking and joints, to working with muscles. We look at the muscles and joints, how they work together and we are the doctors of movement. To ensure you are moving optimally and functioning at your best. There are so many different regions of Physiotherapist. With babies, in the hospital, with patients, with people who are recovering, with athletes. There is a lot of research going on. The Masters program made it a 6.5 year degree. In the USA, there are doctors of Physiotherapy. 09:00 Jonathan's first introduction into Physiotherapy - Science faculty folks were working alongside sports doctors. For teeth health it is ingrained in us as a child that we should brush our teeth daily. So why isn't mobility and strengthening daily ingrained in us? That majority of people who are on pain medication, by the time I see them, don't want to be on them. Movement is medicine! Prevention is an exciting trend. People coming in to prevent future injury. You don't need to have an injury to come and see a Physical Therapist, you can talk to us to help prevent injuries. What complaints from working from home? Back pain, neck pain, hip pain and tennis elbow. It is more the static posture we are in for prolonged periods. This leads to lengthened and shortened ligaments. The wonderful people who work in the NHS. It is great to see Physiotherapy embedded in Hospitals and within the healthcare system. Being prescribed a Physio in a situation that used to lead, with the same doctor, to being prescribed pain medication. 16:00 Post-surgery it is almost imperative to see a Physio. What is the difference between Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists? Occupational Therapists look at your movement for every day life. Exercises specific to daily living. 18:30 What are the main causes for discomfort in patients? How often we move and how we move. Be careful not to move from static to extreme exercise. Match the activity levels. Don't push too hard. Most people I see are either not doing enough and doing too much. It's about finding a balance for you. Some of it could be improper form as...
Entrepreneur, founder and coach Henry Latham shares the low down on how to start a business. From deciding if you really want to, to evaluating ideas, to building it in a way that fits in with your lifestyle (rather than replacing it). We cover a lot of ground here while discussing the founding game, and explore what might be in it for you and your family. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Henry Latham is a London-based Entrepreneur and founder of Prod MBA. First attracted to starting his own business while backpacking in South America, Henry has founded, grown, funded and wound up his own business and is now enjoying helping others evaluate and pursue their own business ideas via the Prod MBA course. Henry now lives in sunnny Middle England. Show mentions: 01:00 It started when backpacking in Brazil by myself, floating down a boat in the Amazon. Backtracker - my first idea and first business. An app for tracking travel. As a Politics and Spanish major I had to learn it as I went along. Fast forward a year or so, we'd been through an accelerator program and raising investment, the business failed due to making every mistake in the book. Book - Product Leadership starts with you My second business: Prod MBA and helping people succeed. 04:00 What lessons did you learn from the initial business failure? I could dig into many things, but many are well trodden. The surprising thing for both Product leader and entrepreneur is the disillusionment with the business you are building. Looking back, I never believed in raising investment and shaping a pitch deck to show scaling 10x per year. I started the first business because I liked travelling. In the end I became stuck in London in the funding cycle. But I was really wanting to build something that was more aligned with my beliefs and the lifestyle I wanted to life. 06:00 Does starting a business have to mean building an app? We have a misconception that a product equals a solution. What what we need to be successful in business is to understand where value lies in a market and how best to deliver that value. Take coaching: There could be many way to achieve this. It could be an app, but you could deliver more value in say a high level coaching program. It is a big mindset shift for many. Obviously technology enables delivery of value, but it isn't the only way to get them to their desired outcome How do we get customers to their desired outcome the fastest way possible? This is what we need to be doing. 10:00 What is the Prod MBA? The market need is that there are Product Managers to master core competencies of Product Management. As a Product person, I was seeing so many courses and books that were so far removed from reality, that it wasn't helpful. The real world of product is messy, it's uncertain and you come up against challenges of your own ego, pressure of people pulling in different directions. There is a psychological aspect to product We teach these competencies by building a real product from scratch - because that is the best way you are going to learn. 13:00 Some examples of ideas people have tackled in the gym? Akash: Gym towels and prototyping bamboo towels. Nittin: Healthcare and how to choose healthcare options in the U.S. What we teach is that it is all about understanding where the biggest problems are in the market Is it an addressable problem? Is it an acute problem? Is it worth addressing? We don't talk about solutions until 8 weeks into the program. It's a massive mindset shift for many. We break down many of the misconceptions about product. What is a product in simple terms? We look at how to evaluate good ideas and how to filter them, then how to go out and talk to people 16:00 Week by week, what we do in the Prod MBA...
The Problem Busters celebrate reaching the big 1 year of podcasting together in this short yet witty episode. What were we thinking setting this show up? What have we learned and what is next for the show? All will be revealed in this annual celebration episode. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. Show mentions: Happy Goodwin day!!! 1 year today What we planned when we started? It was a crazy idea... to highlight people helping fix things around them. What we have learned? People were interested! and hundreds of people have listened. We've met some amazing people. "Met" 😁 There is a lot of improving going on. When you start to look for it, we are surrounded by people doing positive things. There is plenty of positive news around. Lock down has been both master and teacher. It held us apart physically, yet brought many together. Lockdown was a mirror we couldn't help but look into. The air was cleaner, no cars, peace and quiet, trivialities no longer important. Focus on what was important - planet, freedom and loved ones What we are doing next? A long list of interesting people to talk to Happy good news, each month. More nerdy science!! https://problembusterspodcast.com/episode/avoiding-burnout-with-daryl-woodhouse (Episode: Avoiding burnout with Daryl Woodhouse) https://goneworkabout.com/episode/it-began-in-the-90s (Gone Workabout - Episode: Made in the 90s)
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In this first edition of Happy Good News, the Problem Busters have a quick chat through some positive news articles from the week that was. This may even become a regular fixture on the show... About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. Show mentions: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/09/worlds-biggest-plant-to-turn-carbon-dioxide-into-rock-opens-in-iceland-orca (Carbon capture Iceland) (or https://youtu.be/7nDZg5MzHAY (on YouTube)) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/10/uks-green-economy-four-times-larger-than-manufacturing-sector-says-report (UK green sector nearly 4 times side of manufacturing:) https://www.positive.news/lifestyle/travel/green-travel-alternative-to-flying-uk/ (Low-cost rail firm Lumo launches in UK) Rewilding - https://www.positive.news/environment/rewilding-sixty-years-ago-scientists-let-a-farm-rewild-heres-what-happened/ (The Monks Wood Wilderness experiment) https://www.positive.news/society/donate-blood-people-will-no-longer-feel-theyre-not-good-enough/ (An NHS rule change means more gay and bisexual men can now donate blood) https://www.positive.news/environment/climate-crisis-the-rise-of-the-climate-cafe/ (Climate cafes) - getting together to discuss climate change.
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Ecological artist and activist Eva Bubla shares how art can challenge us to see the wood for the trees when it comes to our impact on the planet. She takes the Problem Busters on a fascinating tour of eco-clever projects spanning multiple countries. If you have ever wondered if your creativity could get people thinking in a positive way, then this episode is for you. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that highlights people with ideas to solve the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Eva Bubla is a Hungarian artist who deals with environmental and ecological issues. Her insightful and thought-provoking projects have both an activism and education element and have been widely recognised. Eva has participated in a range of projects and artist collectives, including Green Root Lab and PAD. Eva is currently based in Budapest. http://evabubla.art/ (Eva's website)
Show mentions: 01:50 Art has always been in my mind. Ever since being a child. My current practice is rooted in Indonesia, because that is where I started dealing with environmental issues. I studied there and stayed longer, those experiences pushed me in this direction. Wanting to deal with environmental issues both as a person and as a citizen. 03:00 What sparked the interest in the environment specifically? 2011-13 I was at University, we had a task to form groups and experiment using art. I used to study painting before (a solitary process), but this working with a group, on location at the beach, was exciting. We were asked to use materials we found on the spot. Using material on-site was one of the sparks in taking me in this direction. Because the materials included a lot of rubbish on the beach - it was obvious to use that, and one of the experiences that started my journey. This was 9 years ago and my perspective has changed a lot. I would not now use rubbish as a material (I find it contradictory), but at the time it was a moment that got me starting thinking about the environment. 06:00 The question of visibility. We have services that take rubbish away, so it is not visible how much rubbish we create. Governments such as the UK government pay for rubbish to be exported to other countries. Many just put it to landfill, it's important to follow the chain and have visibility of it. https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/ (Greenpeace UK) as an important group in raising awareness here. https://www.cnex.tw/plasticchina (Documentary: Plastic China). A movie about family businesses that process plastic, horrible waste, which was imported into China from other countries. It's a must-see for all of us. Regulations are already changing, a lot of countries are already saying no to waste that is exported to them from other countries. Making art from things that have been found can really shock people. In that project - we built the shape of a nautilus shell, but the material related to this human habit of generating waste. I no longer want to create artworks from waste because it has the risk of making waste look aesthetic. 11:00 Earliest memory of being interested in art - kindergarten! My first memory that comes to mind is sitting at a small table in kindergarten and drawing a tale for children. 12:30 http://evabubla.art/designated-breathing-zone/ (Project: Designated Breathing Zone). The first version came out of a residency with HONF foundation (art and engineers - makers). My process: I have an initial idea but decide a topic to explore only once I am on the spot. The place is important for the people, the materials I work with. I got sick in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, related to air pollution I think. This is a global issue (not related to a specific country). Certain green areas where I used to ride my bike disappeared, so I started to dig into it and read into local regulations, how much green area the city is...
We talk to Daryl Woodhouse about burnout and how to avoid it. A timely episode for many who have survived lockdown by working (even harder) from home. As we step out into the world again, some will be in balance and looking to keep it that way, while others will have lost sight of the outdoors and be in need of a rethink. Daryl shares his story from corporate to start-up, the experience of running a coaching and training business during lockdown, and what he has learned along the way. Plenty of tips are shared in a bite-sized and easy to apply way. This episode will get you thinking, and will likely cause you to reclaim a bit of your precious daily time for spending what you love most. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Daryl Woodhouse is a speaker, coach and founder who helps leaders and their teams grow performance and maximise life-work balance. He has a long track record of working with businesses ranging from Fortune 500 to plucky startups. His most recent program The Life Work Effect has just hit the market to help people achieve balance. The Life Work Effect site Daryl's https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryl-woodhouse-keynote-speaker/ (LinkedIn) Daryl's https://darylwoodhouse.com/ (website)
Show mentions: Two halves of career to date: Corporate leadership up to a FTSE Top 10 level, and lucky enough to benefit from a leadership development program that got me where I am today. Then in 2012, I started my first business. Starting a business and there being a lot to learn to do so (and how to beat the odds and not fail). Advanced Business Partnerships scaled up to 7 figure revenues in the first few years in the areas of leadership, coaching, mentoring and non-executive leadership training. 2016 coming away from that business and getting involved in several technology companies and a few exits, and getting into lecturing in business, then keynote speaking. 05:00 Having a major burnout was the result. Something that was a long time coming as a workaholic who put work before life for too long. A personal tragedy finally brought everything out and showed that life happens and if burnout is not dealt with, then health problems result and relationships are the result. Coming back from burnout and moving to a 4 day week, seeing work life improving as a result, means I've realised that less is sometimes more. Less is sometimes more, I've realised there is a better way than the traditional rat race many corporates and entrepreneurs just accept. 07:20 It should be life work balance, not the other way around. Sustained success comes with planning life first, then fitting work around it. 08:00 Signs of burnout? A number of things came up for me. Things like working long hours, always being too busy, too rushed and regularly late for meetings (even just a few minutes), they love work and see it as a hobby, but it can be a very unhealthy one. For overachievers, it is a natural habit to try to pack too much into the day. Being aware of being too reactive to time gremlins and to be proactive in how we spend our time (and the boundaries we set) is the key to overcoming them. 10:00 Tips for putting life first? Do exercise at the start of the day, not at the end. Make time for lunch. Garmin watches as a way to track stress during the day and as a trigger to have down periods during the day. 14:30 Research proves that when overworking, less is actually more. There are a range of benefits that come from more balance, and being happier. A study from Oxford University showed that people who were happier in their work and what they were doing, were 13% more productive. 15:20 Tips as a team to make yourself a little bit happier during the day. Notice your energy levels during the day and when they dip (or are lower)....
Jason Knight takes the Problem Busters through the ins and outs of Product. What is Product as a function and why is it so important? What do businesses stand to gain from becoming "Product companies" and why does doing it your way matter so much? This episode answers the "what is Product anyway?" question and will leave you with a solid understanding of the product-driven mindset that permeates modern companies and has resulted in the products you love, and the apps you use every day. Jason is a straight-talking Product leader who hosts the One Knight in Product podcast, and we talk about how to start a podcast, what is involved in podcasting and why we all love it so much. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Jason Knight is a Product Leader, Podcaster and speaker. He is Product Director at RegTech startup DueDil, and is host of the popular One Knight in Product podcast. Jason lives with his family near London. Jason's podcast: https://www.oneknightinproduct.com/ (One Knight in Product) Contact Jason on https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-knight/ (Linkedin) Follow Jason on Twitter
Show mentions: Starting out with 19 years in big corporate, from research, to analytics, to product management and now product leadership Transitioning to a Fintech startup 02:15 Doubling down on the growth journey and ensuring you don't go stale by keeping learning and getting to understand things you didn't understand before. Podcasting as an interesting ride - and a way to talk to interesting people. A way to talk to up and coming product leaders Podcast: https://www.oneknightinproduct.com/ (One Knight in Product) 03:00 Anyone could start a podcast. Anyone can! As with most things, just go for it, try it and get started. Apply the Lean startup terms to learning podcasting - test and learn. Just get started with a cheap mic, plugged into your laptop. You will meet some really interesting people. Book: Lean Startup There are now well over a million podcasts out there in the world. 07:45 It being easy to set up a podcast means that many people have. That also means there are many - and it's hard to get attention of people who you want to have tune in. It can be an emotional rollercoaster YouTube as the second largest search engine on the planet and a great place to get into podcast promotion and discovery 09:00 One Knight in Product as a podcast focused on Product Management themes Inclusion and Diversity as important topics in our world today Themes in Product, things people are struggling with and focusing on. 10:00 Aspirations of becoming a Product company don't always match with reality of a business. Need to find your own way. 11:30 Top down, setting of culture is vital for becoming a product company. Having the correct mindset and alignment is absolutely critical. Enabling the culture and the cross-functionality and the teams that are needed to have discussions and make difficult prioritisation decisions. 12:30 What is a product? Something that solves and important problem in a scalable way, for as many people as possible, in a profitable way. 16:40 What is a product company vs. what is a professional service company? A product is something you can buy in a standard way, a professional service is a service that is customised for you. As a product person, you will be asked to do a lot of things and many times you will have to say no You cannot rely on your customers to identify the biggest most important problems in your market - because they only care about their own problems. 19:30 The difference between a large corporate and a plucky startup in culture and being product-led. Starting with a simple piece of technology and backfilling with human effort is a valid first step, a valid business model. But you...
How do we make the most of this new normal? How do we break out of habits we no longer need? Growth and Mindset coach Heather Rooke of https://instagram.com/stalbansholistictherapies?igshid=k4ct4plsqhb5 (St Albans Holistic Therapies) takes a practical and straight-talking approach with the Problem Busters - encouraging us to investing in ourselves, dispelling common myths along the way. Heather has a no-nonsense, down to earth way to explaining phrases and terms we hear often, but may not understand (such as Mindset, Therapy, Meditation, Yoga, or the concept of Perception vs. Reality). We look at the current situation many of us find ourselves in, as we emerge from consecutive lockdowns, and uncover a healthy list of practical advice that can be applied to many areas of life right now. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Heather Rooke is a Growth and Mindset Coach, an NLP Practitioner; a Psychodynamic Counsellor and a Holistic Therapist. Heather believes that we all have an innate ability to achieve our dreams and grow far beyond our perceived potential and in listening to her explain so many of life's realities, we fully agree. St Albans Holistic Therapies on https://instagram.com/stalbansholistictherapies?igshid=k4ct4plsqhb5 (Instagram) Contact Heather on https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather~rooke/ (LinkedIn)
Show mentions: What is a Multi-hyphenate? A person with several sets of skills, several strands to their career. What is a Holistic therapist? Someone who works with different therapies that support the mind, body and soul 03:20 Have we lost touch with ourselves as a society? We have tech, we are connected, but some of these tools have disconnected us from ourselves and others. So we have an opportunity to reconnect. 04:00 90s babies that can't even have a meal without watching something. Jonathan growing up with screens all around him. So how do we help people who have grown up with screens all around them to get to know themselves? 05:20 I work with people to help them listen, to their mind, body and soul, so they can optimise their lives. By truly listening, people come to identify who they really are and what they really want. Mind, body and soul? What does that mean? How do we differentiate between them? The Mind is our thoughts and our reasoning. The soul is far more intuitive, the emotion and how we feel within ourselves. The part that knows whether we are feeling joy or not. Mindset and coaching people to help them change it. 08:00 It starts with learning to listen, to emotions, to your body, to your thoughts and to pay attention to what is happening. This leads to understand ourselves and to think about how they want to be. Heather's passion: to support people in investing in themselves and helping them to optimise their lives. Things to try: Meditation, journalling and focusing on your general healthy 09:30 The different types of councelling and psychodynamic councelling as a way to understand the present. 12:00 Councelling looks at the past and impact on the present, holistic therapies around about living the best life in the present and coaching is looking at the future. What is self-care and what tips could people apply to their daily lives? 13:00 Self care is about more than downtime. It goes a lot deeper to really focusing on ourselves internally. Book: Miracle mornings by Hal Elrod 13:30 Savers: Silences (e.g. meditation), Affirmations (positive thoughts, songs that lift you), visualisation (dreaming about what you want), exercising (needed daily), reading and scribing (journaling your thoughts). Drawing is a form of meditation as you are focusing and stilling the mind. Teaching a friend to draw as if it is tai-chi! Drawing as a similar type of meditation, as the...
Dance movement Psychotherapist Eszter Ivan talks movement, breathing and how we all need to take time to reconnect with ourselves. This is a far-ranging episode and covers a lot of interesting and helpful ground including mindfulness, meditation, many types of therapy and of course - the joy and value of a jolly good dance. Eszter is straight-talking, genuine and both Jonathan and Ollie left this episode glowing (while holding their Buzz Lightyear power poses). Over stunningly varied career, Eszter has learned a great deal and is kind enough to share a lot of practical wisdom in this episode. At this moment in time, after a year of lockdown for many of us, Eszter's message of the need to pause, to rest and to shake your arms and legs to the beat if it takes you has never been more vital. May this episode warm you up and get you smiling. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Eszter Ivan is a Dance movement Psychotherapist, student councellor and Somatic coach. Eszter's wide-ranging career has centred around the themes of movement and therapy. More recently, she became a transformational coach at the Animas Centre for Coaching. She is currently Head of People for https://georgianhousehotel.co.uk/ (Gregorian House Hotel), a student councellor for https://www.iriedancetheatre.org/ (Irie Dance Theatre company) and is currently building her own practice. https://www.linkedin.com/in/eszter-ivan-7221a150/ (Eszter's LinkedIn)
Show mentions: 02:00 https://admp.org.uk/ (Dance movement psychotherapy) as a dream career, combining the two passions of psychology and dance. Dance as something in my life that helped me to deal with many problems and conflicts in a positive way. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatics (Somatic coaching) as a way to deal with conflict in the workplace Somatic coaching believes that body and mind are connected. I see the person as a whole, body and mind. 03:22 There are always observations of the posture and body that when awareness is raised, clients can notice, initiate change on a body level and this can help both behaviour and emotional level. If a client shares an experience, and I notice they don't breathe, if I raise this to their attention, just starting to breathe can help let go of tension and have positive downstream effects. This goes for muscle tension and many other areas of life By picking up on the physical signs of clients (or indeed anyone around us), we can learn more about their state of being, can share it as feedback and they will improve things for themselves. 06:30 Clients once they realise what they are doing in their body, can use this understanding as a way to regulate their emotions and their reactions to situations, for example a stressful moment with their manager. 08:50 If someone comes to me that they are always tired and really exhausted, I help them to see the signs the body is showing, so they can notice and prevent their suffering. Reconnecting with our body's wisdom as a concept - learning to listen to the signs, to where I feel tension and this helps to better understand our state and to be able to do something about it. My field is more about non-verbal communication. 10:30 wanting to use non-verbal communication led me to Somatic coaching, but dance was always there for me. 11:30 Applying a somatic approach to grief recovery. This helps when clients need help with self-regulation (perhaps getting up in the morning or managing at work due to grief). 13:00 Self-regulation relates to the need to regulate the reactions of our nervous system. Our nervous system responds to the world around us but we can take action, such as touching our own skin or regulating the way you walk. 13:30 Lying on the ground can give you so much benefit, to feel the support...
Dave Martin of Right to Left and the Problem Busters talk leadership and how to do it right. Whether you are a first-time leader or an old hand at it, there is plenty to learn here from Dave's experiences as a Software Engineer, Product Leader and eventually, as an Executive coach. Dave shares plenty of practical advice for remote working, running effective meetings, the styles of leadership and of course his own model for Product leadership: The Product Leader Map. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Dave Martin is an Executive coach with a background in Engineering, Product and as an Executive himself. Dave coaches leaders to grow SaaS companies with Product Led Growth, via his Consultancy Right to left. Dave's Consultancy: https://www.righttoleft.io/ (Right to left)
Show mentions: Starting as a Software engineer in the days of C++ A couple of decades in Product leadership, even before it was called product 15 years in roles of transformation from the old world to becoming product-led (and unlocking product growth) Tes global (Times Education Supplement) and time spent helping Tes transition to a subscription-based revenue model. 03:00 Moving Tes global from a transaction-based business to a subscription-based business. 04:20 The decision to move into Executive coaching - as the thing I enjoyed the most. The first job, at 16, teaching windsurfing and sailing - and loving that the most. 05:00 enjoying watching individuals grow and prosper. Learning a new skill and controlling a boat on their own. Teaching people and helping people grow and reach their ambition being the biggest kick. 07:00 Today we develop our skills and are measured individually. As you become an expert, the journey to leadership eventually emerges as the way to grow your income and your impact. <------ 08:00 Having to relearn your job when you become a leader. To delegate and yet still be responsible <----- 09:30 The key mistakes many make when moving from doing to leading <---- It's hard when your message isn't landing, that you aren't communicating well and that folks haven't heard what you said. There is too much pressure on the word "great" and being a "great leader". We are not all going to be charismatic leaders who will change the world, but we can all help people achieve their goals and the business along with them. 11:00 Give yourself permission to not be the very, very best. Be open to don't knowing everything. To being vulnerable and accepting you'll get some things wrong. The best leaders don't protect their teams like some sort of military leader. Empowering teams to fill the gaps you leave with your own ability and limited time. 12:00 You are not a leader just because people have to follow you. That's a Manager. If people choose to follow you, then you are a leader. What makes a competent leader? What about a competent coach? 14:30 Leaders of leaders and the Situational leadership model. The first box is about telling. Be clear when you have to tell non-negotiable things to your team (quality, core principles, contractuals). The next box is supporting. Supporting is helping individuals with their tasks, their problem to solve. Helping, showing, and knowing when to stop supporting. Coaching is guiding them to work it out for themselves. Finally delegating is sharing a task, making it clear and stepping back to let them do it. Coaching in it's truest form is questioning and helping people work it out for themselves. Guiding, but not telling or supporting. 19:00 As a leader the key is to know when you need to step in, or step back and which situation needs which type of leadership. Too often the more immature leader gets stuck in a box and forget to switch style when necessary. 20:00 What is the goal for
Career Coach Rick Veronese shares his story from Italy to England, from pre-career to UX Designer to Career Coach. Most importantly, he and the Problem Busters discuss how all of us can reframe our views on our careers and having identified what matters to us, take charge of our careers and next steps. We also talk tech, FIRE (Financially Independent retire early) and how keeping expenses low can shave years off your working life (and how retirement for many is not stopping, merely starting to do only what you love, for the love of it). About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Rick Veronese is a Career Coach currently based in Valencia, Spain. He built a successful career of his own in UX (User Experience) Design in the thriving Bristol startup scene and is now taking all he has learned, adding a healthy dose of living within your means, and helping others take control of their careers. Rick's LnkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickveronese/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickveronese/)
Show mentions: Growing up in a small town in Italy, and realising that travel was the passion Moving to the UK, to Bristol and studying design After 7 years working in Design for Fintech in Bristol, moving to Valencia Spain 03:42 making a life change based on google search - to Bristol London not being the only tech hub in the UK, Brighton, Bristol and others now included in the mix. 05:45 Self-taught design and how getting on google helped to understand the fundamentals of design, online resources etc. 06:30 Why Design? Wanting a creative career and just simply searching for jobs that you could do on a computer Web design with Adobe PhotoShop and Adobe Fireworks Moving into HTML and CSS Then moving into a pure play Design role and into UX, then into research and strategy UX and going into the rabbit hole with learning more about design. 09:00 the journey from google search into web design 09:30 What is UX? User Experience. And why should we and our organisations care about it? <----- Good UX and Bad UX and how UX has emerged from Design over the years. 11:45 What is the role of the Designer and the Design team in a digital business? The Designer as a connector of sorts, between the product and how it should work, and the business objectives of the company. Designers connecting different elements of the company The sociology and psychology behind exploring the human psychy. 15:00 The career problem - and realising that life is short and not wanting to go on spending it in a job doing something they don't like. The fulfillment question - are we entitled, unique snowflakes who expect too much from our careers and wanting it all right now? Or do we all deserve to be fulfilled and to have a choice? 17:00 The fulfillment gap and there being a stressed out, burned out state for so many people (and wanting to help them find their place). 18:45 The unrest that comes from a misalignment between what I want to do and what I am doing, leading to stress. Career coaching as a way to help people find their way to their own path 20:30 Summing up the concept: The person comes before the professional. Career growth as a by-product of growth as a person. When I focused on my career, I didn't see career growth, when I focused on me as a person, the career grew. <---- The painful realisation when understanding that for there to be growth, there needs to first be a period of non-growth. Of stagnation. 22:00 Career progress as similar to the creative process. You struggle but you know after this will some kind of epiphany, eventually. Lay-offs and lockdown creating a period of stagnation and struggle for many people. The role of guilt in realising that a well paid job may not be what you love to do, especially if you have it...
The Problem Busters talk remote work and how to do it well with expert Zoltan Vass of London Tech Advocates. What do teams and individuals need to focus on in order to do remote working right? And does remote work hold more promise that simply a way to get through consecutive lockdowns? Are geographically-diverse teams the way to driving business growth and diversity of knowledge? From his London home, Zoltan reflects on his Serbian background and pan-european experience of over 20 years building and running highly-functioning remote teams across multiple geographies. He brings a unique perspective to the concept of remote work and how to do it well. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Zoltan Vass is a remote delivery and innovation consultant with over 20 years experience in sourcing and growing remote teams. His background in project delivery brings a unique perspective to the logistics of effective management in a remote setting. Zoltan is a co-founder and active member of https://www.techlondonadvocates.org.uk/working-groups/remote-working-initiative/ (Tech London Advocates) (TLA), a unique collection of tech leaders, experts and investors who form a combined strength of opinion in tech. Zoltan believes strongly in the potential globally-distributed teams offer to both economic growth and diversity. Zoltan's http://www.zoltanvass.com/ (Website) Zoltan on https://www.linkedin.com/in/zvass/ (LinkedIn) Join the free Tech London Advocates group https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-london-advocates-limited/ (on LinkedIn)
Show mentions: Many companies think that remote working is just sitting with a computer at a desk, but there is a lot more to remote working than that. 04:32 It's important to realise that remote working is the future and is underlined by issues including cyber security, work life balance and more. Most companies have been forced to work remotely and this is why the experience to many are not as expected. It wasn't planned. Once people know how to operate in a digital space, they can connect with talent outside their home market 05:45 Remote working and digital collaboration is crucial for the UK economy Studies indicate a large number of CEOs see a proportion of their workforce continuing to work remotely after the pandemic. 07:45 Advice for moving towards remote working and recognising that people need greater flexibility - leading to some companies offering a more hybrid environment There are companies that will offer great flexibility post-pandemic and that will attract more talent The hybrid environment we are likely to see will be a bridging state to a future, more fully remote working environment The effect of remote working on people and businesses depends on the business and their working culture. I see that if remote work is done carefully, then productivity can increase significantly. Survey with Loughborough university and collaborating on research around remote working challenges We are seeing remote leadership emerge as one of the key issues with running remote teams 12:00 The Zoltan Vass framework to help understand the remote working. You need dedicated space to work. You need dedicated space to work, a desk, lighting and this is the bare minimum. Need to look at body and soul - as employees as humans. Mental fitness, physical fitness are so important for productivity. If productivity drops for someone, it could be due to many factors at home as well as at work in this new working world. The hard pillars of need the basic technology standard, cybersecurity and policies and procedures Soft pillars of ownership and collaboration. 14:30 The future of work. Diversity is critical to innovation. If we bring in people who have different perspectives, it helps...
The Problem Busters explore how to stay healthy while working from home with Ben Musio, health advocate and as with many of us right now, a work from home employee. We discuss how Covid-19 has affected our mental and physical health, the highs and lows of working from home and share the tech and gear we simply wouldn't be without in this new home office environment. We talk home gyms, the importance of getting outside, how JustEat has become Ben's best friend and how the little things are now so important after a year of working from home. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Ben Musio is a husband, father to be and a Tax Advisor. A lifelong learner, Ben is interested in keeping fit both in body and in mind. He lives with his wife in the South East of England. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-musio-143886174/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-musio-143886174/)
Show mentions: Office for national statistics reports that in the UK in Jan, adults staying at home or only leaving for work, exercise, essential shopping or medical needs continued to increase, to 65% of adults this week; the highest proportion since May 2020. Lockdown has been harder for some, and easier for others. Especially more introverted folks Just Eat as your best friend 05:50 Because I didn't have to present in a suit, it was easy to let myself go while working from home and to transition to put on a "winter coat" Sport is good for introducing structure into your life, but when that is taken away, it's important to get yourself back into a fitness regime Walking the dog as a way to have companionship and also to get you out of the house Kids not going in to school is difficult enough in terms of home schooling, but the communication was lax via the school, we found out over the news! 12:30 mental health connected to physical health Intermittent fasting as a way to control grazing on food Making time to exercise is an important part of the day 13:40 Mental health being as if not more important than physical health The ability to say how are you, are you finding this difficult like I am? Has been so important Supporting each other as the way through this. Workmates were the only people you really get to see during the day, even outside of lockdown. 15:25 there has been a positive shift in discussing mental health becoming a normal topic of conversation Intermittent fasting being where there is a window during the day where you can eat, and outside of that time window you drink mostly water. This being a way to extend the period of burning fuel (fat) that you normally get between meals or while sleeping. Flexitarianism is growing (as is being vegan) during the pandemic. People are eating less meat. 22:00 There is no magic bullet to losing weight, if you eat too many calories and don't exercise, you will like me, gain weight <------- When we are hungry, are we hungry or are we just thirsty? You lose weight in the kitchen and build muscle in the gym Weightlifting and compound movements as an enjoyable way to exercise. Building up a very minimal home gym as a long-term investment Winter swimming as a way to get exercise and a worldwide boom in it as time has gone on in the pandemic The cold shower in the morning as a way to boost immunity The pandemic as something that has accelerated the trend towards mental health becoming something that is now OK to talk about 29:00 Mental health has entered the mainstream and is now OK to talk about There is an awareness about the need for mental health and it is vital that people feel OK to talk about it. 31:40 There has been a stigma about feeling unwell mentally and not telling people about it. Now it is becoming a lot more acceptable. <------- Asking about wellbeing in...
Alice Lieutier of Makers Academy discusses the issue of retraining with the Problem Busters, and explains how teaching the world to code (in perfect harmony) is so important right now. As Head of Coaching, Alice describes the boot camp model for learning to become a software developer and contrasts semester length courses with the traditional route of 3 years at university. She shares what she has discovered about the process of teaching, talks diversity and we discuss how we need more women in tech. Finally we discover how anyone can learn to code and break down perceived barriers to "becoming a software engineer". . About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Alice Lieutier is a software engineer who after a career including a role at Facebook and time spent as Chief Technical Officer at a start up, turned her attention to being a software coach at Makers. She now leads the coaching team and lives in London UK. Show notes: maths and it leading to an interest in problem solving, then engineering and finally software engineering coaching as a way to do something completely new, but related to engineering 03:30 Winning a hackathon at Facebook and then joining their team Facebook and the Women in tech hackathon The role of a good pain au chocolat as a way to entice new potential staff Burn out and the need to rebalance your life SheCanCode as a women-run business The shortage of women in technology Why are there so few women in technology? 09:30 The experience of being a co-founder and the difficulty in solving a problem for users Trying to grow a business as a life lesson in business and diversity 11:00 The problem: the tech industry needs more people and more diverse people at that 13:37: The core of the problem: the idea that you need a computer science degree and if you didn't have it early in life, it's too late The problem of representation in technology Makers.tech as a training option for people wanting to learn to code. 14:00 The role of Makers and making a career change a reality for people wanting to get into tech The fact that there are self-taught developers, unlike doctors! Coding bootcamps as a way to learn in a year, what might take 4-5 years via the computer science degree alternative Mental health and maintaining balance in your life as key to the successful software engineering career An alumni community and a Slack workspace as a way to support people in their new career 23:00 Learning so much about education and how people learn since becoming a coach <---- Moving beyond teaching and beyond the idea of knowledge transfer 24:00 The learning concept: That people build their knowledge based on their own experiences Modelling as a method of observational learning Coding challenges as a method of experiential learning Pairing as a method of team work, of two people working on a problem together. 26:30: Pairing as a way to get more done, to do your best work and a way to learn together 99% of bugs as a beginner developer are going to be typos. They are hard to find when you are new, so pairing is a great way to avoid them. Powerpoint and death by powerpoint as something to avoid in the learning process 31:30 As a developer you have to learn throughout your life, learning about new technologies is a constant thing. So learning to learn is the key. 34:00 The levels of mastery of a concept in software development The need for people to complete their studies and to feel ready to work. To have the skills they need to start work immediately, and not be full of abstract knowledge. You can learn so much on the job 40:30 The idea of Makers: to get people to the level they can get their first job, be productive from day one and know how to solve a problem, along with the context to
In 2016 teenager Hakim Evans was one of a handful of young people to witness the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement in New York City. Hakim shares with the Problem Busters how hurricane Sandy inspired his becoming a climate advocate and tells the story of how he came to rub shoulders with world leaders on that auspicious day. We chart the rise and fall of Trump, the subsequent exit from the Paris Climate Agreement and Hakim describes how this shift in policy away from the environment during from 2016-2020 helped fuel the growth of the youth climate movement globally. Climate change is one of the defining problems of our age and yet we don't yet understand as a population what is driving so many young people to take a stand for what they see happening around them. Hakim's account is refreshingly honest, raw and logical and via describing why he joined the movement, he shares in simple terms why now is the time and how we all have a part to play in helping solve this global problem. His approach is inclusive, understanding and seeks to educate the people around him, people from all walks of life, to the need to clean up our act. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guest: Hakim Evans is a Youth Ambassador for climate change and through his involvement in ACE (Alliance for Climate Education), is a member of the Your Advisory Board in New York City. Inspired by President Barack Obama for his leadership on climate change, Hakim decided to pursue his interest in climate leadership by joining the ACE Action Fellowship. Hakim has a deep interest in public health, and the intersections of climate change and environmental justice. Hakim played a role in NYC Climate Week, joining Presidents, Prime Ministers, and other world leaders at UN Headquarters in New York City for the UN Paris Climate Change Agreement Ratification Ceremony. Show mentions: https://acespace.org/ (ACE: Alliance for Climate Education) The climate crisis and how it impacts communities Hurricane Sandy in 2012, a highly-politicised climate event 04:00 hurricane sandy and the impacts on NYC and far occaway the water reservoir crisis in London and a ban on hose pipes snow in colorado and wildfires in california at the same time 08:20 the climate crisis and specifically, how we get involved <---- Lower income communities being affected more heavily by health, pollution and climate change 09:30 what climate change actually means - extreme events <---- 12:00 the most affected people by climate change are those with no power climate racism 13:40 civic engagement and how to not just educate, but get people engaged holding elected officials accountable and changing who represents them Obama and personal experience of the climate crisis as the genesis of getting involved 15:00 climate change disrupting your flow and getting educated about how to get involved. John Carey and Leonardo Di Caprio Jamie Patel, Greta Thunberg and people working to help us reclaim our future 17:30 people speaking out, taking back control and getting involved 19:00 Trump's poplulist approach to climate change vs Biden on the left and a more centrist approach to climate action, due to pressure groups 20:30 Biden's route to office being aided by environmental groups applying pressure and being heard 22:00 Environmental groups continuing to lobby as the final vote counting continues, ahead of the 1 January final election result 25:00 How ACE works, what they do and why. The just and equitable transition to a more renewable world that they seek. A just and equitable transition to renewable energy without disparaging anyone else. 25:00 there is no climate justice without justice for women, justice for youth, justice for race. 26:30 the blame game as a comfortable approach
Author Sophia Wilson and Illustrator Earl Wilson help the Problem Busters see the world through the eyes of a little left-handed boy in a right-handed world. We discuss differences including handedness, race and gender and are inspired by how Sophia helped her son overcome his challenges. This discussion turns to parenting more generally, to how society's views of left-handedness have changed in the last hundred years since Ollie's grandmother was at school as a leftie in London. Problem Busters podcast is about highlighting people solving problems and this episode soon turns from left-handedness to discuss race and equality. The team then move on to how Sophia's journey with the book has given her the chance to share so much with so many parents and to help them with their parenting of their little superheroes. Left-handed champ is an inspiring and beautifully illustrated story about a boy named Callum who overcomes challenges and achieves his dreams by using his imagination and belief that he has a superpower. This book is a perfect blend of teaching self belief and helping children to be familiar with the difference between their left hand and right hand while having fun. Families can use this book as a tool to build self esteem in children and it is a great book that can be used by teachers to explore culture and diversity within classrooms. About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. About our guests: Sophia Wilson is a writer, mum and author of Left-handed champ and other stories. Sophia lives in London UK with her left-handed son Callum. Earl Wilson is an illustrator and works with children to help them express themselves through art and creativity. Earl also lives in London UK. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lefthandedchamp/ (https://www.facebook.com/lefthandedchamp/)
Show mentions: Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Left-Handed-Champ-Sophia-Wilson/dp/1838144501/r (Left-handed champ by Sophia Wilson and Earl Wilson) Left-handedness vogue magazine 6:40 left-handed child felt the difference 07:35, 09:00 bed time stories 09:30 working with kids 10:40 being special and not feeling different 10:55 people don't realise but being left handed can get connotations 12:20 a mother with 3 left handed children left-handed champ 13:00 experiences of being a left-handed person 14:35 left handed needs overlooked in class 15:30 the unsung kids <------ 16:15 the relevance of the book - championing children with challenges 17:00 the book is touching children with autism SEN special educational needs children samsung art classes 19:30 we want differences clint eastwood finding nemo 21:00 books with black children were not around at 5yo <----- black panther falcon movie BLM black lives matter autism in children powerman black lightning 24:00 diversity in character races 24:30 the main character looked like me 26:30 if stuck and facing a challenge, use imagination 27:20 a book through a child's perspective 30:15, 31:35 true story about the table tennis raising dion tv show static shock superman http://www.callumandtreasures.com (www.callumandtreasures.com) 45:20 kids in art space and reading spaces are best of friends 47:00 what would you say to people who feel different?
. Logo and concept by https://christyoconnor.design/https://christyoconnor.design/ (Christy O'Connor)
Nik Haidar of Consultancy Four23 takes the Problem Busters through the Brexit issue and explains what it really means to businesses both in the UK and in European nations trading with the UK. He then outlines a Brexit survival guide for both businesses and indviduals and finally explains how to make the best of this moment of great change and opportunity. The UK has now officially "Brexited", yet the year of grace that began at the start of 2020 draws to a close on 1 Jan 2021 - this is the date we will really feel Brexit for the first time. What does Brexit mean for your business? How will it affect our lives as the effects of a hard Brexit are felt? And what do businesses need to do to prepare themselves for the years ahead? Nik covers this and more in a surprisingly positive episode about making the most of a difficult situation (and how we can get through this together). . About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. Show mentions: Free Brexit readiness checklist: https://www.four23.com/your-brexit-readiness-analysis/ (https://www.four23.com/your-brexit-readiness-analysis/) Four 23: https://www.four23.com (https://www.four23.com) Gov.uk transisiton site: https://www.gov.uk/transition (https://www.gov.uk/transition) Amazon online shopping: https://amazon.co.uk (https://amazon.co.uk) Book - Andrew Carnegie, Autobiography: https://www.carnegie.org/news/articles/the-autobiography-of-andrew-carnegie-with-an-introduction-by-vartan-gregorian/ (https://www.carnegie.org/news/articles/the-autobiography-of-andrew-carnegie-with-an-introduction-by-vartan-gregorian/) Book - Drive by Daniel Pink: https://www.danpink.com/books/drive/ (https://www.danpink.com/books/drive/) Book - The Prophet by Khalil Gibran: https://the-prophet.com/ (https://the-prophet.com/)
. About our guest: Nik Haidar is a founding partner at Four 23, a Growth Consultancy specialising in cross-border trade and Brexit readiness for businesses small and large. A Lebanese Londoner, Nik has lived and worked in economies as diverse as Russia, Italy, Lebanon, the UK and most recently, France. Nik is a passionate advocate for UK businesses both in the UK and abroad and is determined to help exporters and importers to prepare themselves for Brexit. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhaidar/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhaidar/) Website: https://www.four23.com (https://www.four23.com)
Logo and artwork concept by https://christyoconnor.design/ (Christy O'Connor)
In the first episode, Edward Fenech takes the Problem Busters on a tour of why we all need a low carb diet in order to tackle climate change. And he's not talking about carbs as we know them, rather our personal carbon emission footprint and a simple solution to this being too high for each individual. If Edward's CARBZ carbon emission trading scheme, as proposed in his paper "https://tinyurl.com/yxzy32pn (Clean New World)" was adopted, we could all bring the climate crisis under control, together. His market-led approach to developing a Citizen’s Carbon Credit Currency (CARBZ) is exactly the kind of thinking we need to leverage to survive and thrive in the 21st century and beyond. . About the show: Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide. . Show mentions: Clean New World (Carbz) paper: https://tinyurl.com/yxzy32pn (https://tinyurl.com/yxzy32pn) Greenpeace: https://www.greenpeace.org/international/ (https://www.greenpeace.org/international/) Extinction rebellion: https://rebellion.global/ (https://rebellion.global/) Amazon plc: Amazon.co.uk Greta Thunberg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Thunberg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Thunberg) Elon Musk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk) The United Nations: http://www.un.org/ (http://www.un.org/) What is Carbon trading? https://www.fern.org/publications-insight/what-is-carbon-trading-584/ (https://www.fern.org/publications-insight/what-is-carbon-trading-584/)
. About our guest: Edward Fenech is an Accountant with a passion for environmentalism. He works in Fintech and lives with his family in London England. Originally from Malta, Edward has long been concerned with climate change, but takes a practical and logical approach to the challenge of changing behaviour. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-fenech-8197629/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-fenech-8197629/) . Logo and concept by https://christyoconnor.design/https://christyoconnor.design/ (Christy O'Connor)
A trailer for something new: The Problem Busters podcast. A show that explores simple solutions to complex problems, sharing the ideas of people who are improving the world around them. Join hosts Jonathan Goodwin (of http://bouyonboys.com/ (Bouyon Boys)) and Oliver Happy (of https://oldfoxyoungfox.com (Old Fox Young Fox) and https://goneworkabout.com (Gone Workabout)) on this journey of discovery which is at times slapdash, sometimes humorous but always focused on making the world a better place. We believe in ideas worth sharing and in inspiring others to do their part. Problem Busters is our way of giving back, by sharing these ideas to inspire others. So join us on this adventure and trace our journey to getting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk (Elon Musk) to appear on the show!! Show mentions: Why Problem Busters and why now? Show concept and goals Our dream - to have Elon Musk guest on the show
Artwork photo by https://unsplash.com/@olegixanovpht?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText (Oleg Ivanov) on https://unsplash.com/s/photos/confused-cat?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText (Unsplash)