The Jasper Blueprint: Recent Episodes
Bessi Graham
Welcome to The Jasper Blueprint, a podcast for established business leaders to explore what it takes to build a robust business in a rapidly changing operating environment. In this podcast, we explore actionable steps you can take to strengthen the financial stability of your business. Shifting from business as a zero-sum game to one that merges money and meaning to leverage the competitive advantage your business has been missing.
Unexamined beliefs about the purpose of business are limiting your ability to make money. Let me show you a different way to think about, build, and run your business. You can create a win-win and build a business you’re proud of.
How do you use AI in business without losing the personal touch? In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint, Bessi Graham chats with Ana Raynes, CEO of Simplified Impact, about balancing automation with authentic customer relationships. You’ll discover how top businesses are leveraging AI to streamline operations, drive growth, and stay human in an increasingly digital world.
In this episode:
- Keep your business simple and personal — it’s the secret to lasting success.
- Treat tech like a helpful team member, not a replacement.
- Regularly check if your tools still work for your goals.
- Stay updated on tech trends through quick reads and social media.
- Only invest in tools that actually move the needle financially.
- Make curiosity part of your culture — experiment, explore, improve.
If you’ve been asking questions about how to keep pace with rapid technological advancements in Al, automation, and data analytics this is your chance to get some insights from someone who lives and breathes these things every day.
About Ana Raynes
Ana is the founder of Simplified Impact, a marketing agency focused on helping brands cut through the noise and get noticed. With a background in fashion and digital marketing, she’s known for turning complex strategies into real results.
Before this, Ana co-founded the fashion startup Smart is Cool, featured in Glamour and on Fox’s Strategy Room. Since then, she’s helped brands generate over $160M through SEO, Google Ads, and YouTube. She also supports top 10% podcasts in growing loyal, engaged audiences.
Connect with Ana
Website: https://simplifiedimpact.com/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi is joined by Kiva Slade to discuss the pivotal role of leadership and strategy in modern business success. Kiva provides insights into transforming business intelligence into confident action, a critical skill for leaders feeling constrained by the influx of data and change.
Bessi and Kiva explore how leaders can navigate and embrace strategic growth while ensuring their leadership consistently aligns with their strategic aims. They highlight the significance of refining organisational visions and values, emphasising their role in sustainable business growth. They discuss the necessity of having explicit systems and a leadership model that is adaptable to change. By providing guidance on assessing current operations and setting up essential systems, Kiva helps listeners understand the importance of strategic reflection and proactive leadership.
Also in this episode:
- Leadership requires a balance between strategic planning and the ability to adapt to ongoing changes in the business environment.
- Establishing and revisiting clear organisational vision and values are crucial for sustainable growth and should guide decision-making processes.
- Leaders should not only reflect on past performance but should also anticipate future business needs and adjust their strategies accordingly.
- Engaging external advisors or facilitators can provide fresh perspectives and ensure leaders and their teams stay aligned with their strategic initiatives.
Resources mentioned:
Elizabeth Gilbert - Brutal Honesty Learn the four questions that Gilbert suggests you use to figure out who to trust when it comes to taking on board advice or criticism: http://www.oprah.com/inspiration/Elizabeth-Gilbert-How-to-Figure-Out-Who-to-Trust
Harvard Business School Case - Tim Ferris: What Might This Look Like If It Were Easy? If you’re interested in reading the case study Bessi mentioned at the end of the episode you’ll find it here https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=66608 (NOTE: The case study is $11.95)
About Kiva Slade
Kiva Slade is the founder and CEO of The 516 Collaborative, a business consultancy dedicated to helping women small business owners thrive. As a certified coach and business strategist, Kiva combines data-driven strategic consulting with transformative leadership development.
Her approach helps clients elevate strategic thinking, implement systems that support their vision, turn business intelligence into confident action, and strengthen leadership effectiveness. After recently applying her expertise in a corporate setting, Kiva returns with enhanced insights to serve women entrepreneurs and business leaders.
As a thought leader in mindset transformation and operational excellence, Kiva partners with purpose-driven women ready to build sustainable businesses and create meaningful impact in their industries.
Connect with Kiva
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kivaslade/
Website: https://www.the516collaborative.com/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi is joined by Jo Stanley, a trailblazer in Australian radio who discusses her latest venture in breaking the sound barrier, Broad Radio—the first-ever radio network for women in Australia. Jo talks about her journey from being a successful radio host to a startup founder, emphasising her mission to amplify women's voices in an industry that has predominantly overlooked them.
Jo highlights the significant gender disparities in radio, citing only 27% of voices are women, and how Broad Radio seeks to address this imbalance by embracing a diverse range of perspectives. She discusses challenges and surprises encountered in launching a new media platform, along with the strategic blend of live radio and podcasts to reach and engage audiences effectively. Jo also delves into the core values driving Broad Radio and the innovative structures she has implemented to ensure the platform's authenticity and relevance.
Also in this episode: * Broad Radio was created to address the lack of women's voices and representation in the radio industry. * The importance of active listening and understanding the audience to create engaging and meaningful content. * Exploring bold ideas and inviting diverse perspectives are central to Broad Radio's mission to enrich the media landscape. * Community engagement and support are crucial for the platform's growth and long-term impact.
About Jo Stanley
Jo is a performer, writer, podcaster, broadcaster. Her 20 year career in radio included 2 record breaking, number 1 breakfast shows which makes her one of Australia’s most successful radio hosts.
Jo launched Broad Radio – Australia’s first radio network for women, and a platform that amplifies the full diversity of women’s voices.
Jo is a fierce advocate for gender equality. In support of these issues, she is a patron for Lighthouse Foundation and Wellsprings for Women, and an ambassador for Left Write Hook and Fitted for Work.
Connect with Jo Stanley
Linkedin: https://au.linkedin.com/in/realjostanley
Website: https://broadradio.com.au/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi and Melissa Dinwiddie, a prolific creativity instigator, explore the dynamic interplay between business creativity and innovation. The discussion challenges traditional notions of productivity, emphasising the value of play and experimentation in achieving groundbreaking results.
Melissa reveals how her "Create the Impossible" framework — highlighting "Play Hard," "Make Crap," and "Learn Fast" — fosters a culture of innovation essential for driving forward-thinking business solutions. By engaging in playful, exploratory activities and embracing the learning derived from failures, leaders can cultivate an innovative environment conducive to breakthrough solutions.
Also in this episode: * Play isn't an adjunct; it's integral to the innovation process and encourages new ways of thinking, essential for breakthrough results. * The key to unlocking research insights and engaging cross-functional teams is effective communication tailored to different audiences. * Leaders can foster innovative workplaces by encouraging exploration, experimentation, and empathy within their teams.
About Melissa Dinwiddie
Melissa Dinwiddie is on a mission to help leaders and teams turn the "impossible" into reality by uncovering their creative potential. A Juilliard-trained dancer, professional artist for 15 years, jazz singer-songwriter, and performing improviser, Melissa brings a wealth of creative experiences to her work with companies like Google, Meta, and Salesforce. As the author of The Creative Sandbox Way™, she’s passionate about showing people how to embrace play, imperfection, and experimentation as tools for innovation.
Connect with Melissa
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/melissadinwiddie
Instagram: https://instagram.com/a_creative_life
Website: https://melissadinwiddie.com
Link to download the first chapter of Melissa’s book:
https://bit.ly/tjbthankyou
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi and Lucinda Hartley explore adaptive leadership and thriving in the future of work. Lucinda, a seasoned entrepreneur and urban futurist, brings her wealth of experience to discuss how leaders can build adaptive mindsets to navigate the uncertainties of the modern work landscape. They cover various aspects of entrepreneurial thinking, strategic planning, and the importance of flexibility and discernment in leadership. Lucinda shares her thoughts on how leaders can drive their organisations forward amidst rapid change and technological advancements.
Together, they emphasise the need for strategic adaptability in business leadership, particularly within small to medium-sized enterprises. Lucinda discusses the evolving landscape of work, the role of technology, and the importance of breaking free from rigid business norms to embrace a more dynamic and resilient approach. Lucinda also explores the intersection of societal challenges, like housing affordability, and their impact on businesses, highlighting the importance of a holistic view in decision-making.
Also in this episode: * Thriving in the future of work requires leaders to cultivate adaptive mindsets, embracing entrepreneurial thinking and flexibility. * Successful leadership involves balancing high-level strategic vision with practical operational execution. * Clear and explicit communication is essential in aligning organisational goals with team execution, ensuring everyone is on the same page. * Understanding the intersection of societal challenges and business operations is crucial for sustainable growth and stability.
About Lucinda
Lucinda Hartley is an entrepreneur, award winning technology leader and urban futurist. Named as one of Australia’s 100 Most Influential Women by the Australian Financial Review, her work over the past decade has focused on pioneering innovative companies whose products have been used around the world.
Lucinda is a serial founder, currently focused on solving Australia’s housing affordability crisis, as co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of Mondus Capital, an innovative shared-equity home loan product for first home buyers. Prior to this she co-founded urban big data analytics company Neighbourlytics, where she spearheaded world leading technology for measuring urban life, now implemented in 10 countries. She also co-founded CoDesign Studio, which delivered more than 100 neighbourhood improvement projects across Australia.
Lucinda helps leaders and organisations think like an entrepreneur, and build the adaptive mindsets and tools needed to thrive in the future of work.
Connect with Lucinda
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucindahartley
Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/lucindahartley
Website: www.mymondus.com
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi shares "10 Rules I Live By", which they prefer to call "10 Mantras or Reminders" for achieving business excellence, as they don’t like the idea of rigid rules! These mantras have shaped their personal growth, relationships, and approach to life. Bessi shares their insights into navigating complex business landscapes while maintaining personal and professional integrity. From encouraging leaders to adopt a mindset of "Both/And" to challenging conventional business norms with the belief that "business is not a zero-sum game," Bessi inspires listeners to rethink how they operate both personally and professionally. They introduce listeners to influential quotes like Maya Angelou's "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." Sharing stories and lessons from their journey in business and life, Bessi emphasises that leaders can achieve both financial success and societal impact by embracing these philosophies.
Also in this episode: * The power of adopting personal mantras to guide both business and personal life. * Embracing a "Both/And" mindset to handle contradictions and complexities with grace. * The importance of giving from a place of overflow, ensuring personal well-being before helping others. * Business is not a zero-sum game; integrating purpose with profit can provide a competitive advantage.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi dives into navigating innovation in leadership styles. They unpack leadership styles, past and present, with a focus on wisdom, service, and the good of the many. Bessi dismantles traditional leadership perceptions like the "Great Man Theory," and introduces the “thrive cycle,” a framework designed to refine how businesses understand and actualize their value propositions and emphasizes the power of innovation in leadership, detailing the necessity of empathy and significant technological integration as beneficial competitive advantages.
Learn how foundational leadership theories, combined with contemporary needs for agile and empathic abilities, can be transformative for aspiring leaders. With Graham's distinctive approaches, discover how innovation in leadership may empower businesses to flourish in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Also in this episode:
- Ensure you are effectively differentiating your business to stand out in the market.
- Obsess over delivering results for customers rather than just promoting your own products/services.
- Use the “Thrive Cycle" framework to build a strong foundation for your business and leadership.
- Focus on tailoring your messaging and offerings to specific stakeholders by leveraging the insights from the "Thrive Cycle".
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- What I learnt about leadership from sitting in a bombed out building https://youtube.com/shorts/pUp6JG3WzrU?feature=share
- Listen to our previous podcast episode to help you unlock creativity in your team: Unlocking Team Creativity: Teach Innovation with Dr Amy Climer (Ep #85) https://bessigraham.com/2025/01/unlocking-team-creativity-teach-innovation-with-dr-amy-climer/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi dives into the growing importance of authentic leadership and how staying true to your values is essential for building trust in today’s competitive business landscape. Authentic leadership, Bessi explains, is about developing deep self-awareness, understanding your strengths, and fully embracing your core values. By doing so, leaders can express their truest selves while fostering transparency and alignment within their organisations. This level of self-discovery not only enhances leadership effectiveness but also strengthens communication and trust at every level of the business.
Also in this episode:
-
- Consistency between your words and actions is fundamental to establishing trust and credibility.
- Customers, employees, and stakeholders can easily detect inconsistencies between stated values and actual behaviour.
- Authentic leadership may not appeal to everyone, but it attracts the right customers and team members who align with your vision and values.
- Differentiating between core values and aspirational values is a valuable exercise when shaping your leadership approach.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi welcomes Co-Founders of Business Together, Nicky and Vanessa to discuss the concept of "Healthy Hustle" for sustainable business growth. They dive into their book Healthy Hustle: The New Blueprint to Thrive in Business and Life, a game-changing guide that challenges the grind of hustle culture, offering smarter strategies for business growth, empowering teams, and reclaiming time. By promoting sustainable business practices and personal growth, Nicky and Vanessa explore ways to integrate ambition with a healthier lifestyle.
Bessi challenges the notion of the hustle culture and suggests a middle path of achieving growth without destructive stress. Drawing on real-world examples and their own experiences, Nicky and Vanessa highlight strategic frameworks like the Growth Set Point and the Four Life Cycle Phases, offering practical advice for thriving in both business and life.
Also in this episode:
- Balancing personal ambition with sustainable business practices is crucial for long-term success.
- Identifying where your business currently stands and deciding which direction it should evolve towards.
- Focus on clarity of direction, sales, and profit to streamline business strategies that align with personal values.
About Nicky Miklos-Woodley and Ness Medling
Nicky and Ness are seasoned business leaders and coaches with over 50 years of combined experience in leadership, sales, and coaching. They co-founded Business Together to help business owners escape the cycle of "busy" and build thriving businesses on their own terms. Since 2015, they’ve empowered service-based businesses to move from chaos to clarity, giving owners and leaders the time freedom they crave through practical, real-world strategies.
They are also the hosts of the Smart Business Growth podcast, where they dive deeper into strategies for sustainable growth and leadership, providing listeners with practical advice to help them thrive in both business and life.
Connect with Nicky & Ness
BOOK - Healthy Hustle: The New Blueprint to Thrive in Business and Life: www.healthyhustle.com.au
TEDx Talk - Watch Nicky’s TEDx Talk The Art of Healthy Hustle: https://businesstogether.com.au/tedx-talk/
FREE SURVEY - Do the Smart Business Growth survey in under 2mins: https://businesstogether.typeform.com/smartgrowth
LINKEDIN - Connect with Nicky: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectwithnicky/
Connect with Ness on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessamedling/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi welcomes Joshua Spodek to discuss how leadership and personal transformation drive environmental sustainability. They explore how individual change can ignite systemic shifts toward more sustainable living, with Josh sharing his personal journey and the mindset shift that fueled his mission. He introduces the Spodek Method, a unique framework designed to help people discover and act on their intrinsic motivations for sustainability. The conversation covers key topics such as personal responsibility, behavior change, and leadership in sustainability, drawing from historical examples and modern applications. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their values and take practical steps to contribute to a more sustainable future, both personally and professionally.
Also in this episode:
- Leadership in sustainability begins with personal responsibility and understanding one’s intrinsic motivations.
- Approaching sustainable living is about challenging the perception of deprivation and instead recognising it as a source of personal and communal enhancement.
- The Spodek Method provides individuals and leaders with tools to discover and act in line with their intrinsic values, promoting sustainable practices.
About Joshua Spodek:
Joshua Spodek hosts the award-winning This Sustainable Life podcast, is a four-time TEDx speaker, bestselling author of Sustainability Simplified, Initiative and Leadership Step by Step, and professor at NYU.
He holds a PhD in astrophysics and an MBA from Columbia, where he studied under a Nobel Laureate and helped launch a satellite. He left academia to found a venture to market an invention that showed animated images to subway riders between stations.
Connect with Joshua
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaspodek
- https://joshuaspodek.com/bio
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi and Dr Amy Climer explore the power of team creativity and its essential role in driving innovation within small- to medium-sized businesses. They share practical insights on how leaders foster a culture of creativity, even when team members doubt their own potential, emphasising that innovation is a systematic, learnable skill—not just an inherent trait. Bessi explains that creativity isn’t about artistic ability but about developing novel solutions that add value. Key to cultivating team creativity are elements like a shared purpose, strong team dynamics, and a structured creative process. Drawing from real-world examples, including a response to Hurricane Helene, they illustrate how creative problem-solving leads to measurable improvements and efficiency.
Also in this episode:
- Creativity and innovation are systematic processes that can be learned and implemented in any team.
- The importance of shared purpose, strong team dynamics, and a structured creative process in achieving innovative results.
- Leaders must cultivate environments where team members feel safe to express and explore creative ideas without fear of judgment.
About Amy Climer
Dr. Amy Climer is a consultant, speaker, and coach focused on innovation and teams. She teaches leaders and teams how to be deliberate about creativity. She’s also an emcee, TEDx speaker, host of The Deliberate Creative™ Podcast, and artist and designer of Climer Cards. Her new book Deliberate Creative Teams: How to Lead for Innovative Results will be out Feb 6, 2025. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina in the U.S.
Connect with Amy and access resources we mentioned in the episode:
Climer Cards: www.climercards.com Unleash the Power of Collaboration & Creativity. We discussed the Climer Cards at the end of the episode so do check them out if you want to enhance group interactions, spark creativity, and foster deeper communication through unique, metaphor-inspired imagery.
NOTE: If you’re in Australia it will be cheaper and quicker to buy your Climer Cards from https://www.playmeo.com/shop/climer-cards/
The Deliberate Creative™ Podcast: https://climerconsulting.com/podcast/
Website: climerconsulting.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyclimer/
Amy’s TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/wtfo_JBFVGk
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi engages in a powerful conversation with Ellen Hooper, a leader in culture and leadership coaching, about cultivating Authentic Leadership. As co-founder of The Growth Collective, Ellen shares her expertise on integrating diversity and inclusion into leadership and organisational culture, highlighting the crucial role of empowering middle management to drive thriving work environments. They explore the transformative potential of Authentic Leadership, emphasising the need for leaders to understand their personal strengths and leadership styles to effectively inspire teams. Through practical tools like profiling assessments and feedback techniques, Ellen addresses the challenges of balancing diversity and inclusion while fostering human-centered workplaces where individuals align with both their authentic selves and organisational goals.
Also in this episode:
- Authentic leadership is both an art and a discipline, centered on understanding and leveraging personal strengths and inclusion.
- Middle management plays a crucial role in enhancing employee and customer experiences, impacting organisational culture and engagement.
- Profiling tools like DISC, Myers-Briggs, and others provide critical insights into leadership styles and team dynamics.
About Ellen
Ellen Hooper is an award-winning coach and people leader. She's a certified coach with the International Coaching Federation, co-founder of leadership training business the Growth Collective, co-host of the I’ll Ask My Sister podcast and a passionate speaker and commentator. Ellen is a Top Leadership Development Voice on LinkedIn and her wisdom has been featured by the ABC, Channel 7, CEO Magazine, Smart Company, HR Leader, the Sydney Morning Herald and the West Australian.
Connect with Ellen
Websites: www.ellenhooper.com; www.growthcollective.com.au
Podcast: www.askmysisterpod.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenjhooper/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi dives into critical insights on business strategy and cultural shifts as we approach 2025. Bessi critiques the current market culture, highlighting how the rush for quick fixes and disconnected projects often divert resources from long-term strategic work and emphasises the importance of intentional decision-making and strategic planning to drive sustainable growth amid uncertainty. Bessi argues that true mastery in business strategy requires time, consistent practice, and embracing both novice and expert elements of leadership. By identifying and leveraging your unique strengths, your business can differentiate itself from competitors and secure a lasting competitive advantage. This episode is a must-listen for leaders aiming to align their company's goals with its core capabilities for continued success in 2025 and beyond.
Also in this episode:
- An unhealthy rush for quick success in today's market often distracts businesses from essential strategic work.
- True mastery requires time, intentional practice, and embracing the state of being a novice when necessary.
- Differentiation and leveraging a company's brilliance are key to achieving sustainable growth and competitive advantage.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi is joined by Marcia Dawood, an expert in angel investment and author of Do Good While Doing Well. They discuss the shift from traditional investment approaches to those that combine profit with purpose, driving sustainable growth and innovation. The conversation highlights how business leaders can become active investors, while addressing myths around angel funding and the growing accessibility of diverse investment opportunities. They also explore the growing number of innovative financial products, small businesses can tap into and the role of women in closing funding gaps. This episode is packed with actionable insights for anyone curious to understand how they can become more involved in supporting the growth and success of other small and scaling businesses.
Also in this episode:
- The historical exclusivity in investment is now shifting toward more democratic participation, allowing a broader array of individuals to become investors.
- Angel investing is not just for the wealthy; platforms today enable fractional investments, making supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses accessible at different levels.
- Women and other historically marginalised investors can play a pivotal role in resolving funding inequities by participating actively as investors.
About Marcia
Marcia Dawood is the author of Do Good While Doing Well, TEDx speaker, Podcast host, and an early-stage investor who serves on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. She is a venture partner with Mindshift Capital and the chair emeritus of the Angel Capital Association (ACA), a global professional society for angel investors. She is also an associate producer on the award-winning documentary Show Her the Money.
Connect with Marcia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marciadawood/
Website: https://www.marciadawood.com/
Buy the book - Do Good While Doing Well: https://bit.ly/3yxekKD
Watch Marcia’s TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI4i4qb3E8E
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi is joined by Derek Mumford to explore fundamental business strategies for increasing sales in today's challenging market. Drawing on his extensive experience in corporate leadership and consulting, Derek shares practical solutions that seamlessly blend financial success with meaningful impact. Together, they highlight the importance of returning to foundational business principles to achieve sustained growth while avoiding the distractions of industry noise. The conversation delves into simplifying business processes, building authentic relationships, and aligning business goals with core values. Derek emphasises the critical need to understand and target the right audience, urging businesses to differentiate between genuine engagement and superficial online visibility.
Also in this episode:
- Simplicity and fundamentals, returning to business basics often yields better results than chasing fleeting trends.
- Focus on finding and engaging with your specific audience instead of appealing to broader but less relevant markets.
- The Power of Asking Questions - regularly engaging with your audience to understand their evolving needs provides critical insights into your business strategy.
About Derek Mumford
With over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience, Derek Mumford has a proven track record of scaling, leading, and selling businesses to achieve multi-million-dollar success. As a former co-owner of a global manufacturing company, he grew the business to an 8-figure exit in 2021 before taking on a leadership role at a prominent global coaching company. Derek specialises in helping businesses achieve ambitious growth goals and prepare for future success, whether through strategic scaling or premium exit valuations. His passion for entrepreneurship and business coaching inspired him to co-found Mumford & Burns Consulting, where he guides others on their journey to building thriving businesses.
Connect with Derek
Website: https://www.mumfordburns.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-mumford-b19b2588/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi dives into branding strategies for business leaders with marketing expert Danielle Cevallos, exploring the evolving landscape of personal and company branding. Danielle shares powerful insights into the unique strengths of personal branding and explains why it remains essential, regardless of business size or type. Listeners will uncover actionable strategies to blend character-driven storytelling with strategic marketing, creating a lasting impact and gaining a competitive edge. They also break down the distinctions between branding, marketing, and sales, emphasising the importance of building a personal brand that transcends traditional business boundaries and aligns with various life stages and goals. Learn how to strategically leverage online platforms like LinkedIn and harness the power of email marketing to scale relationships, engage audiences, and drive sustainable success.
Also in this episode:
- Personal branding allows business leaders to establish deeper connections and amplify their reach while staying aligned with the company’s overarching goals.
- Leveraging social media is about building relationships at scale, offering a strategic advantage and enhancing brand visibility.
- Although leveraging online networks is critical, personal, face-to-face connections should not be overlooked as they complement digital efforts.
About Danielle Cevallos
Danielle Cevallos is the President of Conviction Marketing Agency, where she empowers prominent 7- and 8-figure brands to elevate their thought leadership and personal branding for transformative impact. With a rich background in psychology, education, and copywriting, Danielle brings a distinctive understanding of today’s marketing landscape and culture, making her an invaluable resource for strategic, creative brand direction. Her hands-on approach to content creation ensures that each client’s brand voice resonates authentically, helping them stand out in a competitive market.
Connect with Danielle
Instagram: daniellecmarketing
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-cevallos/
Website: www.convictionmarketingagency.com
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi delves into the transformative impact of purpose-driven storytelling and truth-telling within organisations, engaging with Dom Thurbon to explore how these elements drive meaningful change. With a focus on behaviour change and the realities of today’s fast-paced business environment, Dom offers invaluable insights from his extensive career as an executive and consultant. Together, they examine how unexamined assumptions about business purpose limits growth and how embracing change and disruption unlocks new competitive advantages. Bessi and Dom further dissect the essence of innovation within organisations, emphasising that true change begins with individuals, not just frameworks or strategies. Through Dom’s firsthand experiences and stories, they illustrate the essential role of organisational alignment, clear purpose, and honesty in driving transformative change.
Also in this episode:
- Truth-telling in leadership, leaders must model authenticity and honesty, fostering environments where truth prevails over convenient falsehoods.
- Storytelling as a catalyst, effective storytelling clarifies objectives and rally teams, transforming abstract ideas into shared missions.
- The power of shared purpose should be more than just a statement; it must align actions and serve as a guiding principle for decision-making.
About Dominic Thurbon
Dom Thurbin is an internationally recognised speaker, facilitator, and expert in driving behaviour change within organisations facing external disruption. As a former Partner at EY, one of the world’s largest professional services firms, Dom brings extensive experience in business strategy, purpose-driven leadership, and navigating change. His best-selling works, published in over 15 countries, span topics such as generational shifts, the future of work, and education. At just 23, Dom founded Karrikins Group, a behaviour change agency that grew to 150 staff across Australia, New Zealand, and North America before its acquisition by EY in 2019. He also founded Educator Impact, a tech company specialising in teacher quality and student wellbeing, which was acquired by Qoria in 2022. Fun fact: Dom is a world top-10 debater, devoted Tottenham Hotspur fan, and still harbours dreams of rockstardom with his band, The Glorious Fourth.
Connect with Dominic
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dominic-thurbon-95b56836
Websites: domthurbon.com
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi sits down with Brooke, CEO of Makor Resources, to explore her visionary approach to transforming the mining industry through sustainable leadership, ethical sourcing, and conscious consumerism. Brooke shares her journey from a young model in sustainable fashion to becoming a pioneering force in ethical mining. Together, they uncover the powerful synergy between marketing, community building, and mining, illustrating how these elements can create a lasting competitive advantage for businesses. Through Makor Resources, Brooke and her partner Rick are pioneering innovative ways to de-risk investments in artisanal and small-scale mining, creating pathways to sustainable economic growth that align with the Sustainable Development Goals. From forging deeper consumer connections to product origins through to Brooke’s bold mission of decentralisation, this conversation reveals how sustainable change in business is not just achievable but essential for long-term success and community empowerment.
Also in this episode:
- Business is not merely about profit, but creating sustainable, ethical systems that serve communities.
- Understanding the systemic challenges in the mining industry is crucial to implementing sustainable practices.
- It is essential for companies to build connected supply chains that give consumers insight into product origins.
About Brooke Bibeault
Brooke Bibeault, CEO of Makor Resources, is a visionary leader dedicated to enhancing economic opportunity and unlocking human potential through innovative, impact-driven solutions. Brooke excels at scaling brands, initiatives, and positive impact. Her expertise in value-based investing has led her to collaborate with top brands, influencers, thought leaders, and Fortune 50 companies, linking growth strategies with a commitment to societal purpose. Brooke’s work amplifies the voices of the unseen and unheard, driving meaningful change for people, profit, and the planet.
Connect with Brooke
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookebibeault/
Instagram: @theofficialbrooke
Website: https://www.makorresources.com/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi is joined by executive advisor Nadine Parkington, who shares her expertise in human-centric strategic planning, digital transformation, and leadership. They discuss navigating an evolving business landscape where technology and leadership shape the future. Nadine reveals her unique approach that integrates personal values with organisational needs for a competitive edge. She shares insights on guiding C-suite leaders to build digital strategies focused on trust, belonging, and identity, emphasising that technology should support, not overshadow, human-centric leadership.
Also in this episode:
- Operational and technology solutions should support, not overshadow, foundational leadership focused on human needs.
- The futures triangle is a valuable tool for exploring past, present, and future impacts on strategic planning.
- Prioritising internal alignment and trusted stakeholder relationships significantly enhances organisational resilience.
About the Guest:
Nadine Parkington is an Executive Advisor, Strategist, and Changemaker with over 20 years of experience in aligning data, digital, and technology strategies with organisational goals. Known for her innovative approach, she collaborates with commercial and financial teams to drive revenue and partnership value. With a dynamic ability to engage from the boardroom to the front lines, Nadine fosters unity and progress through strategic messaging and active listening. Her commitment to bringing people together around shared goals makes her a catalyst for meaningful change and value creation.
Connect with Nadine LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/parkington Website: thinknimble.com.au
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi explores the evolution of workplace wellbeing with social researcher and author Ashley Fell. They discuss how shifting employee expectations around workplace culture and leadership are driving the need for environments that prioritise wellbeing. Drawing on research from McCrindle, Ashley highlights how organisations can foster spaces where both leaders and employees thrive, even during challenges. The conversation covers key workplace trends, including the importance of multigenerational dynamics, creating meaningful work, and aligning business culture with both employee and consumer needs to gain a competitive edge. Differentiate your business by crafting an intentional workplace culture that prioritises wellbeing, team connections, meaningful work, and aligns with both employee and consumer expectations.
Also in this episode:
- The evolving role of leaders now includes a profound understanding of wellbeing as integral to business success.
- Wellbeing in workplaces is a multifaceted concept, encompassing physical, mental, and social health aspects.
- Successfully blending working environments for generational diversity enhances productivity and employee satisfaction.
About the Guest:
Ashley Fell is a social researcher, author, TEDx speaker and podcast host. She is the Director of Advisory at McCrindle and is the author of two books, titled Generation Alpha and Work Wellbeing. Ashley is invited to speak at over 50 conferences each year, and her data-led presentations are filled with insights and visual stories that not only educate audiences but inspire them as well.
Connect with Ashley through these channels:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyfell1/
https://www.instagram.com/ashleyfellofficial
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi engages with Paul Smith, the founder of Future Directors, to explore governance as a competitive edge in small to medium-sized businesses. Focusing on future-fit boards that manage responsibilities across all stakeholders, the conversation moves beyond the traditional view of governance as mere compliance. Paul Smith, a seasoned board director and futurist, shares their expertise on how governance can be transformed into a powerful competitive advantage by integrating it into core business practices. The episode highlights the pivotal role governance plays in decision-making, particularly in privately-owned businesses where it is often overlooked. Through discussions on stakeholder engagement, the integration of AI, and the evolving nature of board roles, this episode serves as a comprehensive guide to leveraging governance for strategic success.
Also in this episode:
- Effective governance includes diversity of thought, curiosity, and ongoing education for all involved participants in board settings.
- Stakeholder mapping reveals overlooked perspectives that significantly influences decision-making and strategic direction.
- Emphasising fit-for-purpose governance structures significantly improves the functionality and inclusivity of board and decision-making processes.
About Paul Smith: Paul Smith, known as the Board Futurist, is one of the leading global thinkers in corporate governance, renowned for his expertise in impact governance, board effectiveness, inclusive decision-making, and the use of technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence, in boardrooms. As the founder of Future Directors, a governance technology platform, Paul is dedicated to empowering boards and directors through affordable, high-quality education, resources, and community. An award-winning author of Right Seat Right Table and host of the popular Future Directors Podcast, Paul is currently working on his second book, The Artificially Intelligent Boardroom.
Resources Paul recommended in the episode:
Future Directors Courses
- https://members.futuredirectors.com/
- The two mentioned were: Building & Applying Governance Frameworks, and Managing your Board Processes.
Books
- Right Seat Right Table. https://www.amazon.com.au/Right-Seat-Table-Outsiders-Securing-ebook/dp/B07RXN5Y69?ref_=ast_author_dp
- Effective Directors: The Right Questions to Ask https://www.amazon.com.au/Effective-Directors-Right-Questions-Ask/dp/1032062045
Podcast
- OMG: One Minute Governance: https://open.spotify.com/show/6kMufvaOIcVxsye01qqqvB?si=a2ad41d136944a9a
- Future Directors: https://open.spotify.com/show/0f2k2e4j6ykC54p0fNc78K?si=0d860ab581284a34
Connect with Paul
LinkedIn: futurepaulsmith
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi welcomes Maraya Brown, a leading women's health expert, to explore the critical role of well-being in achieving peak performance for business leaders. Using the powerful metaphor of "food as medicine," we expand the conversation to encompass a holistic sense of nourishment, focusing on how leaders can harmonise their professional and personal lives for long-term success. Their conversation covers everything from actionable health tips to the psychological toll of leadership, offering listeners valuable strategies for maintaining wellness in the midst of a demanding career. This episode offers a wealth of insights for leaders looking to optimise their health and enhance their leadership impact.
Also in this episode:
- Incorporating nutrition, hormone balance, and overall well-being significantly enhances your personal and professional life.
- Leaders should prioritise personal health and be mindful of ignoring underlying health issues, despite being high achievers.
- The importance of accurate, tailored medical testing to identify and address specific health issues. Personal health directly impacts professional interactions, decision-making, and business outcomes.
About Maraya Brown:
Maraya Brown is a Yale-educated, Functional Medicine-trained Women’s Health Expert (CNM, MSN) and the Founder of the Women’s Vibrancy Code. With over 23 years of experience, Maraya has supported thousands of women across the globe, helping them achieve vibrant health, hormonal balance, and unshakable confidence. As a mother of three and a devoted wife, Maraya’s personal and professional life is deeply intertwined with her passion for empowering women. Today, Maraya leverages her extensive expertise online, offering women around the world the tools they need to live with purpose, passion, and well-being.
Connect with Maraya Brown:
- Podcast: marayabrown.com/podcast
- Instagram: @marayabrown
- LinkedIn: Maraya Brown
- Facebook Group: Women’s Vibrancy Code
Learn more about Maraya’s work: marayabrown.com/get-started
Free Resources:
- Adaptogenic Elixir Recipes: marayabrown.com/resources
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi delves into market trends within real estate syndication and business innovation with special guest, Annie Dickerson. Annie shares her inspiring journey from an educator and game designer to co-founding Good Egg Investments, a company transforming the investment landscape by democratising access to real estate opportunities. She reveals the driving forces behind the creation of Good Egg Investments, including her deep passion for real estate and mission to provide everyday investors with opportunities typically reserved for the wealthy. Annie’s educational background has been instrumental in shaping the company’s mission to simplify and demystify the investment process. By prioritising education, transparency, and community, Annie and her co-founder, Julie Lam, have built a brand that deeply resonates with their target audience, particularly women and mothers aiming to secure their financial futures.
Also in this episode:
- The concept of living intentionally and building a business that aligns with personal values and goals.
- Good Egg Investments' transition to lower minimum investments and inclusive opportunities showcases the company's commitment to democratising investments.
- The ripple effect of empowering investors and contributing to their communities through knowledge and resources.
About Annie Dickerson: Annie Dickerson is a seasoned real estate investing expert with over 15 years of experience, earning accolades such as Real Estate Investor of the Year by the Motley Fool. As co-founder of Goodegg Investments, alongside her partner Julie Lam, Annie has led the firm to be recognized as the Best Real Estate Syndication Company in North America by Build Magazine. Together, they’ve facilitated over $1.4 billion in commercial real estate investments, empowering investors across the nation. Annie and Julie are also best-selling authors, hosts of the Life & Money Show podcast, and creators of the renowned Real Estate Accelerator mentorship program, where they teach aspiring investors how to raise private capital and succeed in real estate syndication.
Connect with Annie:
- Website: Goodegg Investments
- Podcast: Life & Money Show
- Book: Investing For Good: The Surprising Strategy for Building Wealth While Also Making an Impact
- Instagram: @goodegginvestments
Free Resource: Passive Real Estate Investing 101
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi dives deep into the intricacies of leadership, team dynamics, and organisational growth with Paul Crick, founder of The Elevate Partnership, focusing on how fostering innovation through "uncommon conversations" drives team performance. They explore both individual and collective leadership behaviours, drawing from Paul's extensive experience as a management consultant and his passion for authenticity in leadership. Paul emphasises the critical role of language and intentional communication in shaping human interactions and enhancing team dynamics. He shares valuable tools and techniques for assessing and improving leadership qualities, including the use of 360-degree assessments and team-building exercises. Additionally, Paul highlights the significance of creating a safe environment for feedback and the transformative impact of understanding one’s internal assumptions and behaviours.
Also in this episode:
- Uncommon Conversations engaging in deep, challenging discussions enhances team performance and drives leadership growth.
- The Power of Language, intentional communication shapes perceptions and is crucial for effective leadership and team dynamics.
- Feedback for Growth, the usual 360-degree assessments offer valuable insights, fostering continuous leadership improvement and better decision-making.
About The Guest:
Paul Crick is the Founder and Managing Partner of The Elevate Partnership, serving as a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies, Times 250 corporations, public sector institutions, and nonprofit organisations. With a deep commitment to authenticity and personal growth, Paul helps clients embrace their unique identity and purpose, empowering them to create meaningful and lasting impact in their industries and beyond.
Connect with Paul
Website: https://theelevatepartnership.com/
Podcast: https://the-pocket-dojo.captivate.fm/
Substack: https://thepocketdojo.substack.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulcrick/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi and Mel Rosenthal explore the nuanced dynamics of unlocking leadership potential, particularly focusing on the significance of powerful questions and authentic conversations in building a robust business culture.
Throughout the conversation, Mel shares her transition from a corporate career to coaching and mentoring, emphasising the valuable lessons from both experiences. They discuss common leadership patterns, the importance of introspection, and the practical steps leaders can take to foster a culture of safety, curiosity, and powerful communication within their teams.
If you’re interested in checking out Mel’s card deck, mentioned in the episode, you’ll find them at www.52conversations.com.
You can also connect with Mel via her website www.melissarosenthal.com or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosenthalmelissa/
Also in this episode:
- Merging money and meaning is a competitive advantage and not a zero-sum game.
- Leaders must understand and prioritise their own needs to show up as their best selves for their teams.
- Building a culture where team members feel safe and confident to ask questions is crucial for organisational growth.
- Leaders should be true to their values and authentic in their approach rather than mimicking others.
About Mel Rosenthal:
Mel is a coach, mentor and educator based in Melbourne, Australia. Her specialty is navigating the leadership, culture and people-related challenges that emerge as people and teams scale.Working with Founders and Leaders across the globe to drive growth for companies and the people in them. Mel spent the first 15 years of her career in corporate roles responsible for Product, Marketing and Innovation. Over the last 15 years, she has built a reputation as a coach and mentor who is commercially minded, straight-talking and pragmatic. Mel has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, is a Professional Certified Coach accredited by the ICF and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi interviews John Briggs, the author of "The 3.3 Rule:The New Workday Standard of Creating More by Working Less." His approach has not only led to significant revenue growth for his company and clients but also promotes sustainable work-life harmony by combating the damaging hustle culture mindset. With a background rooted in the demanding field of accounting, John shares his journey from working extensive hours to developing a framework that emphasises efficiency and balance.
John brings a wealth of expertise to small business owners teaching strategies that nurture the economy’s lifeblood—small businesses—while challenging the deep-rooted norms of overwork prevalent in most industries today. He is a staunch advocate for solid tax strategy, healthy cash flow systems, and hard work followed by intentional breaks.
To buy John’s book and download his free resources and try the 3.3 Rule in your business just head over to: https://33rulebook.com/
Also in this episode:
- Discover how John Briggs developed the 3.3 Rule, inspired by a need to disrupt the traditional 40-hour workweek and mitigate employee burnout.
- Learn about the research from the University of Illinois and the Princeton NeuroInstitute that underpins the effectiveness of shorter, focused work periods followed by breaks.
- Understand how the 3.3 Rule is applicable not just in accounting but across multiple sectors, providing a universal framework to enhance productivity.
- Gain insights into why work-life harmony is more sustainable and achievable than striving for balance, and how this can positively impact company culture.
About John Briggs:
John Briggs, widely recognized for his innovative approach to productivity and work-life harmony in his book "The 3.3 Rule," shares strategies that combat the damaging hustle culture mindset. In this episode, we explore how his approach has led to significant revenue growth for his company and clients while promoting sustainable work-life balance. John delves into achieving more with less, improving employee retention, and avoiding burnout. His expertise empowers small business owners with solid tax strategies, healthy cash flow systems, and the importance of intentional breaks, challenging the deep-rooted norms of overwork in today's industries
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi explores the critical role of vision in business, emphasising its impact on successful enterprises. Bessi delves into the necessity of an inspiring vision and offers a detailed guide on crafting a vision statement that can drive your company toward meaningful and sustainable success. Bessi contrasts different approaches to vision statements, highlighting the significance of depicting an ideal world your business seeks to be part of shaping, rather than just focusing on market dominance. By sharing examples Bessi demonstrates how to articulate a vision statement that is inclusive and aspirational—capable of uniting both internal and external stakeholders around a shared purpose.
Also in this episode:
- Your vision should describe the ideal world you want to help create, not just your place in it.
- Vision statements must be clear and concise to effectively communicate the company's long-term goals.
- Reflect on the long-term impact you want to have on your community, industry, or the world.
- A powerful vision statement motivates and inspires both your team and stakeholders.
- Grounding your business in values and an inspiring vision enriches human experience and drives sustainable success.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi delves into the evolving landscape of core values in business and their critical role in shaping thriving organisations amidst changing market dynamics. They emphasise how effectively articulated and genuinely enacted company values can drive behaviour, enhance culture, and influence the decision-making processes in an authentic and competitive manner.
Businesses must reevaluate and reinvigorate their core values to resonate with modern consumers, employees, and investors who are increasingly prioritising alignment with social and environmental causes. Bessi discusses the transformation from treating company values as superficial to leveraging them as a powerful, competitive differentiator. The episode uncovers the application of values as a 'cheat code' to unlock enhanced engagement, trust, and long-term success. They give practical advice on how to reassess and champion their company values to create a supportive, values-driven culture that fosters alignment, motivation, and strategic advantage.
Also in this episode:
- Understand how the emphasis on values has shifted from a marketing gimmick to a fundamental business strategy.
- Learn about the significance of values-driven buying, with 64% of consumers seeking brands that align with their beliefs, rising to 89% seeking positive societal impact.
- Discover why businesses that genuinely integrate and live their values can achieve higher levels of engagement, employee satisfaction, and customer loyalty.
- Values act as a superpower or 'cheat code' providing businesses with the ability to swiftly navigate challenges and leverage opportunities for growth.
Timestamps
0:00 - The Importance of Authentic Company Values in Modern Business
2:18 - Consumers Prefer Brands That Share Their Values and Beliefs
2:54 - The Evolution of Values in Business Practices
5:10 - Using Values as a Cheat Code for Business Success
7:03 - Unlocking Business Potential Through Genuine Core Values
9:10 - Aligning Values: From Conceptualization to Action
9:49 - Unlocking Business Success Through Authentic Values Alignment
10:50 - Embrace Uniqueness to Thrive and Create Win-Win Business Scenarios
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi delves into the intricate relationship between business success, core values, and meaningful leadership. Bessi invites you to reflect on how to thrive as an established business leader in a complex world fraught with decisions, uncertainties, and constraints. Challenging the traditional belief that business is a zero-sum game and showcasing how integrating money with meaning can serve as a competitive edge.
Bessi illustrates how these principles have shaped their own business decisions, rooting this guidance in personal experience and practicality. With an emphasis on supporting leaders and weaving core values into business operations, the intent is to demonstrate how you can streamline your own decision-making and lead with renewed passion and purpose. Key concepts revolve around taking risks with support, moving beyond mere conversation into impactful action, and building a robust support system for leaders like you.
Also in this episode:
- Business is not a zero-sum game — you succeed without others losing, and money and meaning can coexist.
- Thoughtfully articulated core values provide a solid foundation for streamlined decision-making in your business.
- As a leader you focus on creating "win-win" situations that benefit both your business goals and your personal fulfilment.
- Ensuring you as a leader are supported and not shouldering risks alone is crucial for sustainable business practices.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi delves into the future of leadership, offering a paradigm-shifting perspective on the lifelong journey of becoming an effective leader. Bessi dismantles traditional beliefs surrounding success and explores the symbiotic relationship between money and meaning and shares their unique approach, categorised into two streams: 'My Business' and 'None of My Business.'
The first stream focuses on key elements that strengthen leadership, summarised with the three Cs: Cultivate, Channel, and Curate. Cultivating the right conditions enables you as a leader to channel your calling effectively, while curating your message ensures it is delivered consistently and impactfully. The second stream, 'None of My Business,' emphasises the importance of letting go of aspects beyond your control, including realising your role and releasing responsibility for whether the message resonates or yields results. This crucial mindset shift helps you maintain focus and effectiveness, avoiding frustration and fostering an empowered and sustainable approach to how you lead.
Also in this episode:
- Leadership requires you to cultivate a supportive environment to effectively embody and express your unique calling.
- As a leader, being consistent and curated in your messaging is crucial for maximising impact; the tricky thing is that it takes discipline!
- Recognising the boundaries of control as a leader improves your focus on areas that truly matter and where you can make the most difference.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi explores evolving business models and discusses the complexities of business in a dynamic environment, where decisions are plentiful and certainty is a luxury. This episode highlights the culmination of discussions on the 3Bs Framework: beneficiary, business, and banker, offering established business leaders like you a comprehensive lens to view and develop your business.
Bessi delves into the delicate balance of integrating money with meaning and how businesses can secure a competitive edge by harmonising the two. The discussion shifts focus to the 'banker,' representing stakeholders who inject capital into the business, such as customers, internal shareholders, or external investors. Drawing on insights from listener questions, Bessi tackles the nuanced art of communicating blended purposes to investors who may not share your vision, and addresses customer feedback regarding pricing strategies. This episode provides you with effective strategies to better understand your target audience and to communicate the impact your company is contributing to, demonstrating the value provided to all stakeholders involved.
Also in this episode:
- You can build a robust business by blending money with purpose, moving away from zero-sum scenarios, and rejecting the notion that capturing value comes at another's expense.
- The 3Bs Framework helps you prioritise understanding needs from three perspectives: the beneficiary, business, and banker.
- When communicating with investors (bankers) who may not share the same social priorities, focus on sharing the incremental changes (outputs) that align with their interests.
- Customer loyalty should increase by openly sharing transformation stories and areas of your business contributing to issues that align with shared values and sense of identity.
DON’T MISS OUT! Want to reclaim the reins and restore order in your business amidst uncertainty? It’s not too late to register for our FREE masterclass Merging Money & Meaning. Head to www.bessigraham.com/masterclass to sign up and you can use the replays to catch up on what you’ve missed and join us LIVE on Zoom for the remaining sessions.
You’ll find more on the 9 Competitive Advantages here.
You can download The 3Bs Framework here.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi explores practical strategies for modern businesses, focusing on how to balance a business's financial health with its capacity to contribute meaningfully to society. They dismantle the age-old myth that business is a zero-sum game, arguing instead for a synergy between making money and fostering meaning.
Bessi encourages you to use the 3Bs framework again this week;a strategic tool designed to help prioritise the needs of beneficiaries, the business itself, and “bankers”. They tackle the practical challenges businesses face, answering a listener's question about how to implement environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives with limited resources. By drawing from real-world questions submitted by listeners, Bessi offers tangible solutions for integrating purposeful practices into core business operations.
This episode highlights the necessity of aligning philanthropic endeavours with a company's origin story and operational capacity, ensuring that such efforts genuinely reflect the values and drive of the organisation.
Also in this episode:
- Being purposeful in business does not always require grand gestures; small, strategic decisions aligned with core values have a significant impact.
- Challenges within the AI and online media space, such as a lack of diversity or unaddressed negative impacts should be reframed as opportunities for meaningful engagement and differentiation.
- Successful ESG implementation must consider the unique motivations and operational strengths of a business rather than solely relying on external partnerships or gestures.
You can download The 3Bs Framework here: The 3Bs Framework.pdf
Download your Origin Story Worksheet now: https://bessigraham.com/origin-story
Want to reclaim the reins and restore order in your business amidst uncertainty? Register now for our FREE masterclass Merging Money & Meaning. Head to www.bessigraham.com/masterclass to sign up and we’ll see you LIVE on Zoom.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi explores how to foster a supportive work environment by integrating meaningful contributions into your business model without harming cash flow. She guides you through making informed decisions about enhancing customer retention by testing your assumptions and gathering evidence.
Introducing a dynamic framework encouraging you to embrace nuanced decision-making over binary choices. Their 3Bs approach to equally prioritising your Beneficiaries, Business, and Bankers, demonstrates how strategic questioning can align your business decisions and eliminate the conflict that so often exists between contribution and cash flow.
Also in this episode:
- Your business will flourish by merging the seemingly opposing goals of making money and contributing meaningfully to society.
- The 3Bs Framework helps you refine your strategy and ensure that efforts align with the desires of customers, team members, or production needs.
- You’re encouraged to ask pertinent questions and gather evidence to substantiate your business decisions, aligning operational strategies with stakeholder interests.
You can download The 3Bs Framework here: The 3Bs Framework.pdf
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi delves into how profit meets purpose through sharing their extensive experience, offering actionable insights on how to communicate a business's impact authentically, rather than as mere marketing rhetoric. Using their Three Bs framework, Bessi provides a nuanced perspective on managing the subtle power dynamics among these varied audiences or stakeholder groups. Through their insightful exchange, Bessi demonstrates the crucial role of targeted communication that resonates well with the right audience and steers clear of issues like greenwashing or hollow claims.
Also in this episode:
- Merging money with meaning unlocks a competitive advantage in business.
- Meaningful contributions should not be underestimated, as they directly impact recruitment, brand position, and customer loyalty.
- Identifying and focusing on specific competitive advantages relevant to your business unlocks potential revenue streams while bolstering social impact.
Download the 3 Bs Sheet: The 3Bs Framework.pdf
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi encourages you to rethink your approach to making money by emphasising how gaining a competitive edge with social impact in business does not have to result in someone else's loss. Exploring the concept of 'competitive advantage,' urging business leaders like you to view the conjunction of money and meaning not as opposites, but as a powerful partnership that fosters both growth and success.
Also in this episode:
- Merging money with meaning can lead to a sustainable competitive advantage in business.
- Competitive advantages stemming from meaningful contributions should not be overlooked, as they directly impact recruitment, brand position, and customer loyalty.
- Identifying and focusing on specific competitive advantages relevant to your business can unlock potential revenue streams while bolstering social impact.
To help you connect what you care about to how you make money we’re sharing the nine competitive advantages Bessi identified that you can tap into by merging money and meaning. You can download an overview here.
If you’re not familiar with The Two Camps Trap, you can scroll back to these two earlier episodes to learn more:
- S1 Ep 3. Breaking the Two Camps Trap: How to Merge Money and Meaning in Your Business
- Ep 34. Breaking Free from The Two Camps Trap By Building A Cohesive Business Model For Impact And Profit
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Group
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi explores how socially impactful businesses can navigate the complex interplay between operational strategies, profitability, and their contributions to social change. Bessi challenges you, as a visionary business leader, to reflect on your strategic decisions and the broader social and environmental effects your decisions have. Emphasising the danger of mistaking good intentions for positive outcomes, Bessi equips you with the tools to assess whether your activities genuinely contribute to desired societal changes.
Also in this episode:
- Your business can achieve both financial success and social impact without detriment to one another; merging money and meaning allows you to leverage competitive advantages.
- Good intentions do not inherently equate to positive outcomes—rigorous evaluation is necessary to measure impact.
- Clarity on your organisation's origin, mission, and vision is crucial for guiding focus areas for meaningful contributions to societal change.
- The process of aligning your business to contribute to social impact is ongoing and requires reflection and strategy adjustment.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi delves into purpose advantage, the idea that aligning business with a broader purpose not only adds meaningful direction, but also serves as a competitive advantage. Encouraging you to step beyond traditional business paradigms to pursue both money and meaning without the need for trade-offs.
Reflecting on the early days of your business is a practical first step to identify what contribution your business is uniquely equipped to make in the world. To help you uncover more purpose in your work we’ve included a link below to the Origin Story Worksheet Bessi mentions in the episode.
Also in this episode:
- As a business leader you can leverage competitive advantages by connecting financial objectives with meaningful impact.
- Understanding your business's origin story is a powerful tool for uncovering its inherent values and potential contributions to society.
- Merging money and meaning requires identifying what is important to you as an organisation, exploring areas of influence within the business, and ensuring the right skills and resources are in place.
Download your Origin Story Worksheet now: https://bessigraham.com/origin-story Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi explores the intersection of profit and purpose, how it can fortify business foundations, creating a stronger and more resilient enterprise.
Bessi highlights Dr. Avis as a wonderful example of embodying this symbiotic relationship between financial success and social impact with her firm, Media to Millions. If you didn’t catch our earlier episode with Dr Avis that’s one well worth scanning back through the show to find (it was Episode #30 - Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Through Entrepreneurship: How Black Women Can Write Their Own Checks).
Also in this episode:
- A more powerful understanding of the purpose of business - know the value you bring; understand the value customers want; and capture value in return.
- How does clarity around what your business is uniquely positioned to offer help you identify competitive advantages you can leverage?
- Addressing discomfort and pushback around high price points by designing a business model with a mutually reinforcing relationship that delivers better results for your customers AND drives revenue into your business.
Learn more and connect with Dr. Avis here: www.themilliondollarpivot.com
Listen to our previous interview with Dr. Avis here: Episode #30 - Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Through Entrepreneurship: How Black Women Can Write Their Own Checks https://bessigraham.com/2023/05/closing-the-racial-wealth-gap-through-entrepreneurship-how-black-women-can-write-their-own-checks-feat-dr-avis-jones-deweever-both-success-and-integrity-with-bessi-graham/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi shares common challenges leaders face on the journey toward sustainable success in business. If the last few years have thrown you off your game, this episode will shed light on potential causes as well as practical solutions for you to reclaim the reins in your business.
Consultants and advisors are promising to help small and medium businesses navigate the current climate, but more often than not they fail to deliver. As a result, business leaders are falling into one of two unhelpful responses: overwhelmed by the speed of change and demoralised by not knowing how to respond in a way that delivers results and makes commercial sense, many choose to do nothing. The second common response is not even to begin exploring but instead stick with “business as usual” and wait and see.
Bessi runs through the risks of these approaches and offers an alternative based on a broader understanding of risk and return.
Also in this episode:
- It is important to get “fresh eyes” on your business model to identify low-hanging fruit in your business.
- How clarity on foundational elements will save you massive amounts of money when engaging external experts.
- The free masterclass, underway this week, could be a great next step to explore how you can break the cycle without having to do it alone. Use the link below or join our private Facebook group to get more information.
Register for the FREE 2-day Masterclass: https://bessigraham.com/masterclass/
Join our private Facebook Group - Merging Money & Meaning: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mergingmoneyandmeaning/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi invites visionary leaders like you to re-examine your beliefs about the intersection of profit and purpose. Challenging traditional approaches to business we’re advocating for a strategy that doesn’t see monetary success and meaningful impact as mutually exclusive. By weaving in discussion around the pitfalls of traditional consulting advice, Bessi presents you with an alternative perspective that fosters a self-reinforcing loop of success.
Also in this episode:
- You don’t have to choose between making money and experiencing meaning in your business; merging the two enables you to leverage powerful competitive advantages.
- Adopting a 'Both/And' mindset allows you to operate beyond binary choices, embracing the complexities and interconnectedness of your actions.
- We’ll show you how to "Think like a system, act like an entrepreneur" — balancing big-picture perspective with actionable entrepreneurship.
Register for our FREE 2-day Masterclass Merging Money and Meaning now at: https://bessigraham.com/masterclass/
Download the 5 Steps to Reclaiming Decisive Leadership free resource now!
Join our private Facebook Group - Merging Money & Meaning: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mergingmoneyandmeaning/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of the Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi explores the theme of how to thrive in uncertainty through the lens of business modelling and strategy, addressing the challenges that established business leaders encounter in today's volatile market.
Bessi encourages you to identify your own areas of brilliance and what makes your organisation unique. From that insight you are better equipped to identify strategic partnerships and when to delegate tasks to others. We circle back to Bessi’s concept of “The Two Camps Trap" and uncover how it hinders your potential growth when you fail to recognise the intersectionality within your business operations.
Also in this episode:
- Your business can thrive without resorting to zero-sum tactics. Blur the lines between money and meaning rather than treating them as mutually exclusive.
- As a leader, you don't need to master everything - identifying core strengths and leveraging partnerships is key.
- Mastery in business modelling is vital for understanding the interconnected nature of all parts of your business.
- The Business Model Canvas is a powerful tool for innovation and understanding Frontstage and Backstage business processes.
Register for the Masterclass: https://bessigraham.com/masterclass/
Purchase the Business Modelling Series: https://bessigraham.com/business-modelling
Join our private Facebook Group - Merging Money & Meaning: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mergingmoneyandmeaning/
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of the Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi navigates the complexities of leading a strong business in an ever-changing and demanding environment. We dive into the critical task of reevaluating deeply rooted assumptions about the fundamental role of business, specifically highlighting the intersection of money and meaning in business. This conversation aims to inspire a profound reflection on how financial success and ethical purpose can and should coexist within your company’s strategy.
Bessi asks you to reassess the foundational aspects of your business — its mission, vision, values — and your articulation of how you will achieve sustainable growth, financial stability, and resilience in the face of change.
Also in this episode: * Business success does not have to be a zero-sum game; your company can thrive financially while maintaining an ethical backbone and meaningful purpose. * Decisive leadership often flounders due to a lack of clarity and articulation of the business's foundational elements—vision, mission, values—and these need to be redefined and communicated for effective navigation through turbulent operational environments. * A business model that focuses on delivering value and results, rather than cost reduction or mere profit maximisation, can rejuvenate your experience of your business and lead to sustainable, long-term success. * Engaging in deep reflection and intentional decision-making based on the identified patterns of your leadership and behaviours across the company can empower you to reclaim your ability to make decisive, impactful moves.
Achieve clarity, inspire your team, and build a thriving business model in an ever-evolving landscape. Download 5 Steps to Reclaiming Decisive Leadership now! Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of the Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi explores the unconscious beliefs about profit and purpose in business and how that drives decision-making and behaviour. We discuss the urgency of shifting these beliefs and the negative impacts they can have on your business. By aligning money and meaning, you can reduce risks, spot opportunities, and strengthen your business's long-term viability. Learn how to attract and retain the right talent by articulating your company's values and vision.
Also in this episode:
- Shifting Mindsets: Recognising and challenging unconscious beliefs regarding the role of profit and purpose in business.
- Urgency of Integration: The compelling need to merge financial stability with meaningful contributions for long-term business resilience.
- Impact on Leadership: Understanding how biases affect decision-making, hiring practices, and overall business conduct.
- Positive Opportunities: Leveraging a combined focus on money and meaning to unlock competitive advantages and potential market opportunities.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of the Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi walks us through the complexities and honest realities of being in the 'messy middle' of achievement and offers an entrepreneurs’ guide through the messy middle. Bessi employs the 'messy middle' narrative to explore broader themes of leadership and the entrepreneurial experience. She highlights the necessity of aligning work with core values and allowing oneself the grace to be human—even in the face of business goals.
Also in this episode:
- Even accomplished leaders experience periods of uncertainty and frustration known as the 'messy middle' when working towards their business vision.
- Embracing humanity and sharing struggles without judgement can create stronger connections and drive progress in leadership and entrepreneurship.
- Merging money with meaning is crucial to creating a business that is both successful and impactful.
- It’s important to cultivate non-negotiable conditions based on core values to thrive both personally and as an organisation, especially during the growth phase.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of the Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi invites established business leaders to reflect about the interplay between continuous learning, operational agility in entrepreneurship, and the pursuit of both meaning and money in business.
Bessi begins with a personal recount of her podcasting journey, emphasising the value of endurance and the perspicacity gained through consistent effort – a metaphor for the entrepreneurial voyage.She examines the dichotomy between diving into new experiences as a novice and seeking expertise to leapfrog pitfalls. She argues for a balance between explorative curiosity and strategic outside help, both aimed at enhancing business acumen and personal fulfilment.
Also in this episode:
- The importance of stepping into new endeavours with curiosity, allowing oneself to be a beginner and embracing the learning process, which can ultimately inform business innovation.
- Recognizing when to leverage external expertise to save time, money, and sidestep potential pain points instead of striving to solve every challenge independently.
- The benefits of reintroducing playfulness and novelty into professional and personal life to refresh one's perspective and avoid the stagnation of thought and action.
- The necessity of initiating change and adopting new strategic frameworks now rather than delaying in anticipation of a more stable future.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of the Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessie captivates entrepreneurs and business leaders as she unravels the necessity of having a tool like the Jasper Blueprint the key to strategic decision-making for entrepreneurs in the modern, fast-paced business landscape. She talks about the challenges of conventional norms and endorses the integration of strategy with purposeful decision-making.
Bessie emphasises that waiting for normalcy is a futile endeavour, as the normal we once knew is constantly being reshaped by global forces. She introduces the Jasper Blueprint methodology, a unique strategic tool designed to align business decisions with deeply held organisational values. This blueprint stands as the cornerstone for businesses to forge their path in a competitive market without succumbing to industry pressures to conform.
Also in this episode:
- There is a profound need for a Jasper Blueprint; a customised decision-making framework enabling businesses to navigate complexity and change.
- A Jasper Blueprint solidifies strategy, fortifies financial resilience, and simplifies decision-making processes, anchoring businesses to their core values.
- Clarity on one's unique brilliance and openly celebrating that of others is fundamental to standing out and thriving amidst competition.
- Recognizing that business is not a zero-sum game is key to developing a mindset of abundance over scarcity.
- Engaging in reflective exercises can help business leaders articulate and claim their business's unique brilliance in public domains.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi dives into the compelling concept of merging financial success with a purpose-driven business approach. The episode unravels the inherent potential in businesses to be a force for good, without sacrificing profitability.
Bessi introduces listeners to a dichotomy she calls The Two Camps Trap. This way of thinking drives the often subconscious beliefs business leaders hold about the purpose of business, limiting their ability to make more money .
Also in this episode:
- Business leadership involves an understanding of the connection between what makes you profitable and your part in taking responsibility for your decisions.
- The Two Camps Trap sheds light on the limitations of a belief that business should focus solely on profit-maximisation and treating contribution as sitting external to the business.
- Integrating "money" and "meaning" in business operations can enable you to leverage significant competitive advantages.
- The design phase of a product sets in motion 80% of its environmental impact, providing business leaders with massive opportunities for positive change through innovation.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi discusses the strategic groundwork you need to do as an established business leader aiming to prosper amidst uncertainty and change. Introducing the Jasper Blueprint as a revolutionary approach that weaves monetary success with meaningful business practices, extending beyond the outdated concept of business as a zero-sum game. Bessi expands on the process of crafting a Jasper Blueprint that resonates with your individual philosophy, facilitating strategic choices that embody your organisation's core values, vision, and mission.
Also in this episode:
- The Jasper Blueprint is a unique set of customised decision-making tools that align business decisions with core values, vision, and competitive advantage.
- By mastering business modelling, leaders can enhance their ability to make informed, aligned decisions and confidently navigate risks.
- The Jasper Blueprint fosters a self-reinforcing business cycle where meaningful contributions to society fuel financial success.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
In this kickoff episode of The Jasper Blueprint podcast, Bessi unveils a groundbreaking approach aimed at established business leaders striving to navigate the uncertain and complex business landscape. As Bessi introduces the Jasper Blueprint, she encourages listeners to rethink traditional approaches toward business strategy, leadership, and financial stability.
Bessi outlines the core premise of the Jasper Blueprint: a rejection of one-size-fits-all solutions and an embrace of tailor-made processes that allow leaders to find their own unique paths to success. The episodes promise to deliver rich insights on sharpening strategy, bolstering financial resilience, and simplifying decision-making processes—all while aligning with an organisation's core values and goals.
Also in this episode:
- The Jasper Blueprint is a custom-fit process designed to help business leaders streamline decision-making and align actions with their unique business values.
- Business strategy and financial stability can be strengthened without sacrificing meaningful impact; merging money and meaning is the competitive advantage modern businesses need.
- Developing customised decision-making filters is crucial for leaders to confront market uncertainty and make aligned, effective choices.
Subscribe to the Jasper Blueprint podcast: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With nearly 25 years’ of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to merge money and meaning, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective.
Bessi looks to help you prepare for mandatory climate reporting and explores the world of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) as well as its profound implications for businesses. This five-part series simplifies ESG strategy, guiding you through its core elements and practical applications.
In part 2, Bessi introduces the practical IDEO Overlay framework to demystify ESG considerations for businesses. Discover how to align ESG efforts with your business model, creating a win-win situation. We explore the BRAC Dairy case study, highlighting how BRAC, the world's largest nonprofit organization, successfully integrates ESG principles into its business model. Learn how they provide fair prices to dairy farmers, reduce environmental impact, and make dairy products accessible. The IDEO Overlay, focusing on desirability, feasibility, and viability, helps you assess your ESG integration journey. Embrace ESG as a strategic play, strengthening your business and society simultaneously.
Also in this episode:
- People, planet and profit categories.
- Using IDEO to ensure that ESG does not become an expensive distraction and to strengthen your business.
- Building a business that does good in the world.
- How to drive efficiencies in the back-end.
- How to use Esg as a strategic play.
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business w/ Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience as a Global Leadership Consultant spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham: Business Level Strategy With Social Responsibility
Bessi looks to help you prepare for mandatory climate reporting and explores the world of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) as well as its profound implications for businesses. This five-part series simplifies ESG strategy, guiding you through its core elements and practical applications.
In part 1, we establish ESG's importance, moving beyond compliance to make it a cornerstone of your business strategy. Discover how ESG can expand your business horizons, boost stability, and give you a competitive edge. Dive into inspiring company stories and global trends, uncovering the benefits of ESG integration. We'll even introduce a valuable tool to make ESG a strategic asset, not a distraction. Bessi hopes to help demystify ESG, challenge myths, and align your business for success and integrity. Start your journey towards ESG excellence today.
Also in this episode:
- How mandatory climate reporting is imminent.
- Environmental considerations.
- Environmental factors and governance.
- The importance of looking at the time horizon.
- Understanding the current state of environmental governance and data.
- Environmental, social and governance components and the expectations that are around those are growing from all fronts.
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business w/ Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience as a Global Leadership Consultant spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham: Business Level Strategy With Social Responsibility
44. ESG Strategy (Part 1): Using Mandatory Climate Reporting As A Competitive Advantage For Your Business
In this episode of Both Success and Integrity with Bessi Graham, Bessi delves into and dissects a recent Harvard Business Review (HBR) article about start-up companies' options related to legal structures of nonprofit or for-profit.
The HBR article proposes a framework that founders, board members, investors, and donors can use to make a decision around the legal structure the start-up should use. In the podcast, Bessi critiques the article's binary approach and the author’s misnaming of the key problem as a legal structure issue rather than properly addressing how deeply and unconsciously they are wedded to the old paradigm of abstraction and false distinction. Bessi challenges their claims about the conflicts between social mission and venture capital and argues firmly against their recommendations that entrench dangerous and exploitative power dynamics.
Also in this episode:
- The problem with the old paradigm lies in the unquestioned acceptance that doing good and making money are mutually exclusive.
- The limitations of hybrid organizations.
- Understanding business modeling is key to creating impactful organizations.
- Nonprofits often encounter certain pitfalls when creating a viable and long-lasting business model.
- The dangerous consequences of the entrenched views around not valuing “caring roles” and the parallel between the gendered “othering” of unpaid labor and not paying people properly in the charitable sector.
The Harvard Business Review article: Should Your Start-up Be For-Profit or Nonprofit? A guide for social entrepreneurs by Cait Brumme and Brian Trelstad
Message Bessi the phrase "business model" on social media for details on our Business Model Workshop so you can master how to think about your organization in a more holistic way that allows you to do good and make money.
We also have a workshop for NFPs and Social Enterprises to avoid the 6 common traps hindering business sustainability.
Comment “cheat sheet” and we’ll send you our FREE PDF with some key elements on why we think the business model canvas is such a powerful tool.
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business w/ Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience as a Global Leadership Consultant spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham: Business Level Strategy With Social Responsibility
In this episode of "Both Success and Integrity with Bessi Graham," Bessi discusses businesses that attain both financial success and positive impact by having a broadened perspective.
Bessi expresses the importance of building a successful business that positively impacts society, which requires challenging traditional beliefs and adopting a long-term outlook. To achieve sustainable growth and success, it is essential to integrate principles of positive impact into overall business strategies. Effective leaders are encouraged to exercise sound judgment, celebrate achievements, and be open to change by letting go of outdated approaches. Bessi advocates questioning the status quo and adopting a mindset that combines doing good and making money. Key traits for decision-making include discernment, humility, and curiosity. Additionally, the text highlights the significance of acknowledging both successes and necessary endings in the world of business.
Also this episode:
- Why it is hard to discern what is in and out of our control
- Recognizing the Importance of Humility
- The importance of discernment as a leader
- The importance of celebrating accomplishments
- How Avoidance of difficult conversations creates tension
- What makes it bold to intentionally build a business to make a positive impact?
- The importance of asking questions about the status quo.
- How to be bold in operating differently
If you interested in joining a business model workshop connect with Bessi:
Bessigraham.com
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business w/ Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience as a Global Leadership Consultant spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham: Business Level Strategy With Social Responsibility
In this episode of "Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham," Bessi is joined by Brad Graham, the Director of Design and Innovation for Benefit Capital and Founder of Working Design. Together they discuss designerly disposition and how that could help tackle the “wicked problems” in our society.
Discover the distinction between complicated and complex systems, with wicked problems defying traditional solutions. Brad suggests that we embrace a design disposition's open curiosity and wonder and focus on problem contexts rather than people as the issue. Together, Brad and Bessi unpack the ethical responsibility of redesigning human-made systems and challenge common misconceptions. They also discuss how we can learn the value of provisional quality and failure in the design process by cultivating a radical beginner's attitude. They also address power dynamics and how we can respect diverse voices to create meaningful change. Get inspired to approach complex issues with empathy and innovation in this enlightening conversation.
Also in this episode:
- “Wicked problems” and system science.
- No one person or organization can be the answer to every problem.
- How to think differently about the role of your business.
- Reframing the problem as a human-made problem.
- Cultivating a way to enjoy failure.
- What starts with management culture?
- The role of experience in the design process.
- Do we need representative voices in design?
- A radical break from material culture.
About Brad Graham
Brad is the Director of Design and Innovation for Benefit Capital and is the Founder of Working Design. Brad holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Social System Design; his thesis explored new methods of design thinking and dialogue to complex social systems. For the last 13 years, Brad has worked with Benefit Capital and The Difference Incubator (TDi) to bring methods of design and innovation to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to enable them to better tackle complex social challenges. Prior to this, Brad was a Principal at the Australian design firm 2nd Road for 12 years, gaining extensive experience and expertise in strategy and design. He worked with an extensive catalog of large government, commercial, and NGO clients. Brad’s particular expertise was facilitating executive-level strategic dialogue and providing advisory and education services to large organizations seeking to apply design and design thinking to their organizational challenges. Brad also happens to be Bessi's partner of 20 years and the father of her children!
Referenced in today’s episode:
The paper by Webber and Rittel
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business w/ Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience as a Global Leadership Consultant spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham: Business Level Strategy With Social Responsibility
In this episode of "Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham," Bessi explores the multifaceted concept of success, aiming to break free from its narrow and societal-driven definitions and asks, "what does success look like to you?"
Bessi embarks on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, encouraging you to personalize your idea of success and create a life that truly resonates with your values and aspirations. Bessi aims to help cultivate a genuine sense of accomplishment and fulfillment by questioning and challenging conventional notions. Throughout the episodes, Bessi explores the importance of self-awareness and how it plays a pivotal role in achieving authentic success. Bessi emphasizes the need to set meaningful goals, ensuring they align with your core beliefs, so you can craft a purposeful path that leads to contentment and purpose. Moreover, Bessi delves into the potential of dreams as directional cues instead of rigid end objectives, enabling you to traverse your path while relishing the experience.
Also in this episode:
- Many people need a better sense of what success truly means.
- How to mitigate the risk of not feeling fulfilled.
- How to choose what to say yes to.
- Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.
- The importance of being brave and trying new things.
- How to free up your time and energy.
- How to get clarity on your vision.
- Dreams are not meant to be achieved; they are a directional signal.
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business w/ Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience as a Global Leadership Consultant spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham: Business Level Strategy With Social Responsibility
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi explores the power dynamics and behaviors of business leaders and how we can do better in our business leadership building.
Inspired by a listener's question, she unravels the reasons behind witnessing the worst aspects of humanity in business environments. Delving into three main factors, Bessi challenges conventional notions of power, emphasizes the need for aligned incentives, and cautions against the pitfalls of action-driven leadership. Throughout the episode, Bessi also invites reflection and community engagement, sharing practical insights and recommending books for further exploration. Join us as we navigate the complexities of power, uncovering new pathways towards ethical and impactful business practices.
Also in this episode:
- How to spark a conversation about leadership.
- The misunderstanding of power and profit maximization.
- What will end up diminishing your power?
- How we structured our attention and incentives in business.
- How to use flexibility to your advantage.
- How to think like a business leader.
- The practice of self-knowledge and reflection.
- The four quadrants of good leadership practice.
Books referenced in the episode:
The Paradox of Power – Dacher Keltner
Positive – Paul Polman & Andrew Winston
Fixing the Game - Roger Martin
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business w/ Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience as a Global Leadership Consultant spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact
Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi is joined by Khaïry Varre, a renowned business strategist who has guided accomplished CEOs to self-mastery and reach new heights.
Together, they explore the challenges faced by successful individuals and reveal the often-overlooked aspects of achieving greatness. From self-awareness to systems thinking, mindset to self-reflection, Khaïry shares invaluable insights and practical tips for business leaders striving for mastery and fulfillment. Discover how to navigate uncharted territories, build habits, and transform negative patterns in pursuit of a first-class life.
Also in this episode:
- How to think like a system and act like an entrepreneur
- Fear of failure and self-sabotaging yourself out of contracts
- The most foundational part of gaining clarity
- How introverts can develop a rich life
- Getting comfortable with being a novice again
- The journey from novice to mastery
- The one thing that business leaders can do to change
About Khaïry Varre:
Khaïry Varre is a trilingual Business Strategist helping elite entrepreneurs become game changers in their field and achieve million-dollar + breakthroughs in their business. As a martial artist, former MBA lecturer, and former Director of project management consulting in a Canadian firm specializing in mega projects (up to $6B in scope), she brings decades of business and life principles, strategic expertise, and actionable tools that help her clients bring their vision to life in record time. Khaïry is also a podcast host and speaker on a mission to help individuals reframe their perspectives and build their minds, body, spirit, and systems for greatness.
Connect With Khaïry Varre:
The Mastery Matrix With Khaïry Varre Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business w/ Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience as a Global Leadership Consultant spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi is joined by Kieron Boyle to dive into the world of impact investment and the transformative power it holds for businesses and society.
The Chief Executive of the Impact Investing Institute, Kieron joins us to share his wealth of experience and insights. Kieron's journey across government, philanthropy, and business sectors has equipped him with a unique perspective on effecting positive change. Throughout the conversation, we explore practical strategies and real-world examples that demonstrate how businesses can align their interests with social and environmental impact. From employee engagement to supply chain considerations, Kieron emphasizes the significance of small tweaks that can lead to significant positive change within organizations. We challenge traditional assumptions and discover how intentional business practices can drive sustainable growth while creating a better future for all.
Also in this episode:
- Embrace collaboration and shared values across sectors to achieve impact.
- Start with small, practical steps to create change within your business.
- See the integration of business and social impact as a single unified approach.
- Assumptions hinder innovation and alternative approaches in business experiments.
- Impact investing focuses on positive social and environmental outcomes while ensuring financial sustainability.
- Businesses have the power to showcase alternative ways of doing things and influence government policies.
- "Impact investing" is positioned as "good investing" for the future.
- Business leaders are challenged to take up their part in creating change
About Kieron Boyle
Kieron Boyle is the Chief Executive of the Impact Investing Institute, the UK’s national body for impact investing. Its mission is to make capital markets fairer for people and for the planet. From 2016 to 2023, Kieron was the Chief Executive of Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation, one of the world's oldest health foundations. Through this period, the foundation transformed its £1 billion investment arm into one of Europe's leading responsible investors. Kieron was formerly the UK government's chief advisor on impact investment. He started his career at the Boston Consulting Group. Kieron is a Governor of the Southbank Centre, a Trustee of the Design Council, and the Chair of the Long-term Investors in People’s Health programme, a $7 trillion global alliance of institutional investors.
Connect With Kieron Boyle
Impact Investing Institute: https://www.impactinvest.org.uk/
The Just Criteria: https://www.impactinvest.org.uk/news/just-transition-criteria-launch/
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business w/ Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience as a Global Leadership Consultant spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
Impact Investment: Transforming Your Business Today For A Better World Tomorrow | feat. Kieron Boyle Both Success And Integrity: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business with Bessi Graham
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi explores the power of money, the tendency to compartmentalize, and the negative consequences of a one-dimensional approach that separates how we make money from what we do with it.
Bessi explores this topic from three perspectives: personal, business, and philanthropic. While we are witnessing positive changes and a growing recognition of the role businesses play in making a difference, there are still entrenched views that separate doing good and making money. We share conversations and insights that challenge these views and emphasize the importance of integrating our values into how we generate wealth. By thinking like a system and acting like entrepreneurs, we can create exciting impacts and break free from the outdated paradigm that separates these dimensions of our lives. Join us as we explore new possibilities and encourage intentional engagement in all aspects of life.
Also in this episode:
- Why do so many commonly believe that doing good and making money are incompatible
- How to hold yourself accountable with the power you already have
- The downside of compartmentalizing philanthropy
- Compartmentalizing business from who you are and your values
- The importance of aligning philanthropic strategies
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity: Doing Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business w/ Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience as a Global Leadership Consultant spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham: Do Well By Doing Good Inside Your Business
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessie explores the roadblocks that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face when competing in global markets.
Bessi highlights the importance of SME leaders in driving transformation and encourages them to integrate their business purpose with profitability. Furthermore, Bessi provides practical solutions and support for SMEs committed to making a positive impact. Overall, it emphasizes the crucial role of businesses in promoting positive change in society and the environment. Bessi challenges SME leaders to embrace their potential, overcome obstacles, and engage in empowering conversations that enable them to create lasting and meaningful change through their enterprises.
Also in this episode:
- Making solutions too complex can result in unnecessarily complicated outcomes
- Time-consuming vs time-saving
- Biggest stumbling block for most businesses
- The gap between dualistic concepts and simplistic worldviews
- Discovering answers in the messy middle
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity with Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi delves into the "two camps trap"; where there is an External Camp that sees doing good sit outside the core business and only relate to donations of profit or time; and the Internal Camp that develops a business model which actively embeds contribution into how you run the business itself.
Bessi believes and stresses the significance of adopting a "both and" mindset as a business leader. Thus, the ability of businesses to make a positive impact on society while remaining profitable is truly remarkable. There are two main approaches to achieving this: through philanthropic efforts and charitable donations or by incorporating the pursuit of social good into all aspects of the company's operations. Ultimately, it's a matter of changing one's perspective and discovering innovative ways to make a difference.
Also in this episode:
- Doing good through your core business
- The importance of aligning profit and purpose
- Why doing good looks different for each person
- A client's story about feeling lost
- Unconscious acceptance of the external camp from the two camps
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham:
Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi is joined by Kelly Roach - a remarkable business owner and leader to delve into the practical aspects of doing good through your business while emphasizing the importance of team focus and team strength.
Kelly shares her unique journey, from an NFL cheerleader to an eight-figure online business owner, highlighting the transformative power of building and nurturing a winning team. They discuss the significance of investing in your team and creating a space where individuals can align their dreams with a larger mission. The conversation explores the challenges and misconceptions surrounding entrepreneurship, the complexities of balancing risk and return, and the importance of self-growth for leaders. Gain valuable insights into building a winning team, nurturing a team-focused culture, and achieving both business success and social impact through collaboration and shared vision.
Also in this episode:
- The evolution from NFL cheerleader to 8-figure+ entrepreneur
- Why building a team is more difficult today than 20 years ago
- The disconnect between risk and return
- The five stages of building a successful team for your business
- Creating integrated business models and maintaining long-range vision
- The greatest personal development exercise
- Benefits of purpose in the workplace
- How to build a win-win culture for your team members
About Kelly Roach:
Kelly Roach is one of the only female founders in the online space to build her company from 0 to 8 figures with 0 debt, investors, or outside funding. Kelly is a former NFL cheerleader turned 8-figure+ entrepreneur empowering thousands around the globe to achieve financial and lifestyle freedom through entrepreneurship. Kelly is an 11x international best-selling author, Top 20 podcast host, and philanthropist who has been featured in major media such as ABC, NBC, Fox, and Forbes - as well as the recipient of prestigious awards such as #287 on the Inc. 5000 list, The Stevie® Awards Woman of the Year, TITAN CEO of the Year, and Inc.’s Best in Business.
Connect With Kelly Roach:
The Kelly Roach Show: https://link.chtbl.com/KRS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyroachofficial/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyroachint/
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity with Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi discusses the transformative power of recognizing and embracing threshold moments for your leadership goals.
Learn to take your time, listen inward, and let change unfold naturally instead of forcing it. Discover the beauty of pausing and honoring transitions while understanding the significance of negative capability, the ability to sit with uncertainties. Reflect on two foundational questions: "Do I know myself deeply and truthfully?" and "Who is in the driver's seat: myself or my shadow?" Gain valuable insights to become a more intentional, impactful leader, finding calm amidst chaos and living authentically.
Also in this episode:
- Two questions to find calm in chaos
- Understanding what creates the noise, swirl, and anxiety
- How you will know if you’re acting from the self or shadow
- What exactly is a threshold moment?
- John Keats’ negative capability vs. positive capability
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham:
Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi is joined by Tom Morris, a former professor of philosophy at Notre Dame and current public philosopher, to discuss the importance of philosophy and wisdom in leadership principles.
Drawing on the insights of ancient thinkers such as Aristotle and Xenophon, Tom believes that business should be more than just a profit-making machine, but rather a tool for human good. We discuss the need for individual leaders to work on themselves and their thinking in order to positively impact the world, and touch upon topics such as polis as a partnership for living well and the power of language. We also delve into the challenges of leadership, including the effects of power on the brain and the dangers of surrounding oneself with yes-men. This episode offers valuable insights for leaders seeking to lead with purpose and make a positive impact on the world.
Also in this episode:
- The three elements of partnership
- A one-dimensional mindset in modern life
- The greatest book on leadership ever written
- Marcus Aurelius, the emperor of Rome, and his personal journal, The Meditations
- The paradox of power and how it plays out.
- Epictetus and the chains of enslavement.
- The seven universal conditions for success in any challenging endeavor
My Experience With Tom Morris:
He’s been called the world’s happiest philosopher. Wherever he goes, Tom brings the wisdom of the ages into the challenges of everyday life with high energy and good humor. I can personally vouch for Tom as the world’s happiest philosopher as well as for his generosity, kindness, and willingness to treat each person as valuable and worthy of his time. I met Tom when I was twenty and was struck by the way he sat with me, gave me his time, thoughts, and insightful questions when I’m sure he had far better things to do and more “important” people to be meeting with. As a lost twenty-year-old Australian travelling around the world my time with Tom was influential and one I will never forget. I am so thrilled to have him on the podcast, and I know his wisdom will inspire you to think and reflect more in your journey as a business leader.
About Tom Morris:
Tom Morris is one of the most active public philosophers in the world. For fifteen years, Tom Morris was one of Notre Dame's most popular professors, often having in class one-eighth of the entire student body. He now serves as a public philosopher and works to rediscover the greatest ideas that have ever been thought or written. Tom is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead-Cain Scholar. He holds a double PhD from Yale University and has won many awards in the academic world, including the University of North Carolina’s Distinguished Young Alumnus award, an honor he shares with former basketball great, Michael Jordan. Tom is a prolific author, his widely acclaimed 12th book, True Success, launched him into a new role as America’s most active public philosopher dealing with issues of success and personal growth. His next book, If Aristotle Ran General Motors, followed up with advice from ancient thinkers linking happiness and excellence. His more recent books include The Art of Achievement, The Stoic Art of Living, and that extremely popular, big yellow book often seen in college dorms the night before final exams, Philosophy for Dummies.
Connect With Tom Morris:
Website: https://www.tomvmorris.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-morris-0955474 Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomVMorris
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity with Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi is joined by Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever, an author and co-founder of MAXBLACK Media, to discuss the surprising data that shows entrepreneurship, not education, as the key to closing the racial wealth gap in America, particularly for the black community.
Dr. Avis explains that recent research shows that entrepreneurship, rather than educational attainment, is the most effective way to close the racial wealth gap in America, particularly for the black community. This has led to a shift in focus towards helping women start their own businesses, which she is passionate about. She helps black women translate their skills and expertise into profitable businesses, allowing them to properly monetize their genius and achieve intergenerational wealth. To measure success, Dr. Avis emphasizes being data-driven and making adjustments along the way to provide ongoing support and guidance for clients. She also aims to expand her reach to support women internationally. Additionally, Dr. Avis has established different cohorts based on where women are in their business journey, providing targeted support for each group to help them achieve specific goals.
Also in this episode:
- Recent research shows that entrepreneurship is more effective than educational attainment in closing the racial wealth gap in America, especially for black communities.
- Black women are the most likely demographic group to start businesses in America but face challenges in achieving high revenue.
- Why Dr. Avis helps women see their value and translate their expertise into profitable and high revenue-generating businesses to achieve intergenerational wealth.
- It is important to quantify the impact of one's work and make data-driven adjustments along the way to ensure continued improvement and support for clients.
- The issue of women and business ownership is a trending issue globally, and the speaker intends to focus on reaching and supporting women internationally.
- How Dr. Avis provides small group support for women based on where they are in their business, with specific goals to help them achieve recurring revenue and higher revenue levels.
About Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever:
Dr. Avis is an Award-Winning Author, Media Commentator, Global Speaker and the Co-Founder of MAXBLACK Media, a forthcoming digital streaming network that centers the Black experience with the goal of maximizing Black social, political and economic power (Launching 2024). Outside of MAXBLACK, Dr. Avis has served as the Founder of the Washington DC Boutique Consulting Firm, Incite Unlimited, along with Media to Millions, a media, marketing and sales training organization. Her clients range the gamut from small business owners to major corporations, non-profit organizations, governmental entities, and political campaigns based both domestically and abroad. Formerly, Dr. Avis served as the youngest-ever Executive Director of the National Council of Negro Women, a historic membership organization touching the lives of over four million women of African descent worldwide. Dr. Avis’ distinct perspectives have been shared through a variety of media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, PBS, C-Span, TV One, BET, BBC, NPR, Sirius XM Radio, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, The Huffington Post, Essence Magazine, Ebony Magazine, Black Enterprise Magazine, the Grio, NBC BLK and many more. As a prolific writer, she is the author or co-author of numerous publications, including her award-winning book, How Exceptional Black Women Lead along with The State of Black Women in the U.S. 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022; Beyond Broke: Why Closing the Racial Wealth Gap is a Priority for National Economic Security; and You Mad? Black Women, Work, and the Normalcy of Disrespect, among many others. Dr. Avis currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and Sister’s Lead Sister’s Vote. In addition, she’s the Sr. Public Policy Advisor to the Black Women’s Roundtable, and an Affiliated Scholar to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
Connect with Dr. Avis Jones DeWeever:
Scalethemasterclass.com
nextlevelabundancetour.com
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About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi is joined by Dominic Pelligana, a founding partner of the Lineage Group, to explore the challenges and opportunities faced by any family business as they transition from one generation to the next.
Dominic shares insights from his experience working with multi-generational family businesses. He explains the key differences between a family business and a business family, and how the emphasis shifts from serving the business to serving the family as the generations progress. We delve into the importance of having a strategy to support the transition, the natural tensions that arise between the first and second generations, and the need to balance different interests and passions. Join us as we uncover the unique dynamics of family businesses and the strategies that can help them thrive across generations.
Also in this episode:
- A family business is oriented around a business, with the family serving the business in the first and second generations.
- A business family is where the emphasis shifts to the family in the third generation, while still being good at business.
- Families may have different interests and passions, and accommodating them requires a mindset shift.
- The founder of a business is different from the next generation, who may prefer professional managers and systems.
- Natural tension exists between the first and second generations, which can be resolved through agreed-upon strategies.
- Family businesses are the optimum business model, but require a strategy and supportive structure for successful implementation.
About Dominic Pelligana – Founding Partner, Lineage Group
Dominic is a partner of Lineage Group with over 25 years of experience working exclusively with large private and family-owned businesses and family office groups across numerous sectors. More than an adviser on strategy, governance, succession, tax, and accounting, Dominic understands the normal & predictable opportunities and challenges facing business families and can offer insights into best practices and industry leaders. Dominic helps owners; their families and their businesses get to where they want to go by sharing what is possible. Dominic’s extensive experience as an adviser, director, and business owner enables him to offer rich commercial and technical perspectives to his clients. As a trusted adviser to some of Australia’s largest and most successful business families, Dominic holds more than ten positions on Business, Family and Shareholder Boards. Dominic also holds multiple roles with charitable entities including the John T Reid Charitable Trusts, The Madge Brown Foundation, The Haymes Family Foundation, and The Kelly Family Foundation.
Learn More:
https://www.lineage.group/
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity with Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi is joined by Dr. Christine Whelan, an author and professor at University of Wisconsin Madison and Emory University, to discuss the deeply human need to find your why, your fulfillment and purpose, and how she defines purpose.
The term "purpose" has become a buzzword in the business world but much of the discussion around it is more performative than substantive. In order to make progress, it is essential for leaders to personally explore their own purpose, rather than simply treating it as a slogan. This personal journey is important because traditional definitions of purpose, such as a singular life aim, can be overly restrictive. A more realistic definition is using one's gifts, in keeping with their values, to make a positive impact on others. This definition is action-oriented and adaptable as values, gifts, and priorities change over time.
Also in this episode:
- Dr. Whelan’s passion for translating research into action
- Practical tools to help you figure out the disconnect
- How you should think about mission and purpose
- The parable of the Traveler and the Cathedral
- Narrowing down your values to fit your purpose
- How we find the confidence that we’re making aligned decisions
- Understanding the power paradox
About Dr. Christine Whelan
Dr. Christine Whelan is known as the “happy professor” at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and the “purpose professor” at Emory University. Dr. Whelan is an author, speaker and consultant. And with a partner, five kids, and a dog, she does her best to embrace this chaos... happily, on purpose, and not lose her mind in the process.
Dr. Whelan is the author of Living on Purpose, a bestselling Audible Original lecture series from The Great Courses (2021), The Big Picture: A Guide to Finding Your Purpose in Life (Templeton Press, 2016), Generation WTF: From “What the &%#$?” to a Wise, Tenacious and Fearless You (Templeton Press, 2011), Marry Smart: The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to True Love (Simon & Schuster, 2009) and Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women (Simon & Schuster, 2006).
Dr. Whelan teaches on topics of purpose, well-being and personal definitions of success through the life course. At UW-Madison, she directs the Money, Relationships and Equality Institute, a program dedicated to facilitating those tricky conversations about the intersection of love and money. Dr. Whelan is passionate about translating academic research into actionable programs for our everyday lives. She has been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and countless other national and international publications. Dr. Whelan earned degrees from Princeton University and the University of Oxford. Her motto comes from Seneca — “not for school but for life we learn” — and she does her best to practice what she preaches. Most days.
Stay Connected With Dr. Christine Whelan
Website: http://www.christinewhelan.com
Dr. Whelan’s audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/Finding-Your-Purpose-Audiobook/B08S95SWDC
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham:
Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi is joined by investment specialist, Noah Beckwith, to discuss why sustainability is important in business and how it can converge with your profits.
Noah is a private equity and investment specialist working across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. As such, he brings a really genuine, global perspective to this conversation, with advisory mandates with some of the biggest names like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Clinton Foundation, Bank of America, Asian Development Bank, and the foreign affairs departments in both the UK and Australia. One approach that can prove useful is to adopt a different perspective by stretching one's viewpoint. It entails zooming out to gain a comprehensive understanding of the risks and opportunities that business leaders must consider to achieve sustained success. The experience in this area could provide valuable insights into the potential opportunities and challenges businesses face in the pursuit of profitability and social responsibility.
Also in this episode:
- Starting a mindset shift of business leaders
- Why you will realize that longer term vision means you have to start behaving differently now
- Why the small and medium businesses have the most opportunity to affect change
- The most cutting edge companies and countries in this space
- The many lessons from microfinance and how they can relate to agriculture, healthcare and other avenues
- How addressing these issues creates a mutually reinforcing cycle which increases the financial stability of your core business
- How you can have beginning success by driving down on the core components of your business
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity with Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi discusses why you cannot be the best at everything and how you can embrace imperfection.
So much of the advice, for want of a better word that we are being given as leaders, is actually deeply unhelpful. In the book, “Uncommon Service”, authors Frances Frey and Anne Morriss posit that no business or organization can be excellent at everything. In fact, it's just not possible. If you try to be good at everything, you will end up being mediocre at everything and you will not clearly differentiate in a market between yourself and your competitors of what it is that you bring that is unique. Thus, the challenge really, is to choose that at which you are going to be bad.
Also in this episode:
- You can’t be all things to all people
- Strategy is about saying no to good things
- How you can choose what you’re going to prioritize
- Why we have to stop perpetuating “overachieving” behavior even though there is an element of truth in widely held business advice.
- Why Bessi hated being bad at something and fell for the lie that “Second Place Is The First Loser”
- Why I want you to come in first, and care about the outcome, but in the context, details, and specifics that truly matter to you
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity with Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi chats with Business Advisor, Isaac Jeffries about the Business Model Canvas.
Isaac Jeffries explains that IDEO's three lenses - desirability, feasibility, and viability - help to understand how to use a business model. Every business owner needs a sustainable way to find and delight customers, run the business smoothly, and make more money than they spend. The Business Model Canvas helps you unpack these three lenses and how you can use them to strengthen your business. The Canvas helps to identify the incentive for customers to try something new and switch from what they are doing today. Isaac Jeffries suggests that starting with the customer and their needs is the best place to begin building a business model.
Also in this episode:
- Why desirability, feasibility, and viability are the three lenses every business owner needs to use when designing their business model.
- While your personal mission may not always be part of your marketing message, alignment between your mission and your business will sustain you over the long haul and create loyalty with ideal customers.
- The Canvas is a useful tool for quickly adapting and changing your business model, as it allows you to easily make adjustments based on changes in partners, location, customer, revenue streams, and more.
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity with Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
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About Isaac Jeffries: Isaac works with social entrepreneurs around the world, helping them design businesses that are both sustainable and impactful. He was the first employee Bessi hired at The Difference Incubator, where he still facilitates accelerators and investment readiness programs all these years later. Isaac also delivers two university programs (Startup Ideation + Entrepreneurial Mindset) and coaches a wide variety of businesses across Australia, Asia and the South Pacific. You can learn more about Isaac and his ideas at www.isaacjeffries.com
Relevant links:
How To Fill In A Business Model Canvas: https://isaacjeffries.com/blog/2018/9/8/how-to-fill-in-a-business-model-canvas
How To Make Good Decisions With The Business Model Canvas: https://isaacjeffries.com/blog/2019/5/6/how-to-make-good-decisions-with-the-business-model-canvas
The Three Ways A Business Can Create Impact: https://isaacjeffries.com/blog/2018/5/1/the-three-ways-a-business-can-create-impact
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi discusses how leaders need to have the courage to have difficult conversations. They also need to earn the right to deliver that difficult feedback.
If you want to lead in the 21st century, you need to have a stomach for disequilibrium. This idea is more relevant than ever, as you embark on your journey of figuring out what “doing good” looks like in your business. You must work to ensure you design a business model that delivers the “win-win”, and also positions you with the competitive edge you've been missing. Finding stability or equilibrium is going to, at times, be impossible. Your job as a leader, however, is going to be to acclimatize to that, learn to operate, make decisions, and paint a compelling vision of the future for your team, customers and investors to follow.
Also in this episode:
- Cultivating a stomach for disequilibrium
- To be an effective leader, you're going to need to have the self awareness, do the ongoing work of growing and evolving as a human yourself,
- You’re not the answer to every problem
- The Buck Stops Here: don’t be the kind of leader who blames everyone else
- Have the courage to have difficult conversations: many leaders often lack a functioning spine and they avoid these awkward and difficult conversations
- Questions to ask before giving difficult feedback and earning the right to have difficult feedback
- Your energy sets the tone and carries the organization
- There’s nothing easy about leadership: how comfortable are you with being uncomfortable?
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity with Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi discusses the many options which are at your disposal in how to get your business more attractive to potential investors.
The data tell us about how a build to sell approach will give you an edge because a growing number of businesses are looking to acquisitions to achieve their growth targets. In fact, a recent polling shows that 46% were looking to buy assets, and a further 39% are seeing these investments as a way to position themselves more competitively, to improve sustainability, and resilience. This shows that an increasing number of businesses are realizing that achievement of growth is not simply going to be them acquiring new customers, but it's going to be the acquisition of other businesses, to help them grow, and to break into new markets. So positioning yourself in this way is important because there will be a growing number of opportunities where potential investors will be looking at your business as a way for them to grow.
Also in this episode:
- The three buckets of examples which prove how taking this approach will set your business apart
- Appealing to investors while still maintaining a place for shareholders to keep winning
- Why research shows higher valuations and quicker deal times for businesses which have embedded, quantifiable and tracked approaches to environmental, social and governance principles
- How do you know when you’re on the right path
- The myth of financial freedom
- The myth of financial freedom
- Building a built-to-sell approach
- Building resilience into your business model
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity with Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi chats with Be Slavery Free Co-Directors, Fuzz & Carolyn Kitto.
There are more slaves now than at any point in history. In fact, we have more slaves today in 2023, than the whole transatlantic slave trade put together. Modern slavery is an issue your business is coming up against, whether you're conscious of it or not. To understand the impact your business is having, we must take a more intentional approach to the decisions you're making, and the way that you're spending money. A significant part of that taps into who you are procuring goods and services from today. You can play an important role in ending modern slavery by facing these hard conversations and learning much from the two leaders in the field of stopping modern slavery.
Also in this episode:
- The definition of modern slavery
- How many people are tricked or coerced into modern slavery without realizing it
- Why it’s important for us in the west to avoid the “all or nothing syndrome”
- How being active and promoting the fight against modern slavery can increase sales
- Why social audits in companies are only about 30% accurate
- If you don’t know where your goods are coming from then you can’t know what's actually happening in your company
- Being efficient and effective in your company’s messaging about values, strategies, and the language we use to talk about modern slavery
Connect with Carolyn & Fuzz Kitto
Website: https://www.beslaveryfree.com/business
About Carolyn Kitto & Fuzz Kitto
Carolyn Kitto, Co-Director, Be Slavery Free: Carolyn is passionate about eliminating modern slavery with over 20 years of experience working with business, government, civil society and society to bring awareness, legislative change and equip business. Carolyn was engaged in introducing and implementing the Australian Modern Slavery Act and the New South Wales Modern Slavery Act. As part of a global think-tank, she helps support and promote the introduction of legislation to eradicate slavery throughout the world.
Fuzz Kitto, Co-Director, Be Slavery Free: Fuzz leads Be Slavery Free - a coalition of civil society, community and faith groups and unions seeking to prevent, disrupt and abolition modern slavery. He has extensive experience in undertaking community consultations, strategic planning and human rights engagement. His work in recent years has been in supporting business with resources in their role in ending modern slavery; curating and convening conversations which promote best practice learning and through designing and experimenting with system changes and collaborations.
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity with Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With Bessi Graham: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
In this episode of Both Success And Integrity With Bessi Graham, Bessi discusses why many business leaders have developed a warped sense of the role business plays in the world, and why doing good is actually the competitive advantage your business has been missing.
Bessi dives deep into why we have had this really warped view of what the role of businesses, being about profit maximization, about focusing solely on the shareholder, and making the practices all external so we don't really have to take them into consideration. If we operate like this, then we don't have to take responsibility for and we can push it off to be someone else's problem down the track. While it's not simply about saying that every single business leader is now going to suddenly be an environmentalist, or driven by a sense of the meaning and purpose of a bigger vision for what you want to be part of in the world, it is a good idea to begin to think about this idea of "doing good" being a competitive edge for your business as one worth considering.
Also in this episode:
- The competitive edge comes when you are able to bring doing good back inside the business
- How are your actions, your decisions, and your practices as a business having an impact environmentally
- The relational web between our customers, suppliers, and their communities
- Why broadening the diversity in our governance structures actually derisks our business
- Redefining how we think about family businesses
- Three steps to bring doing good back inside the business
- Five key areas where doing good gives you a specific competitive edge
- Why not having solid grasp of the foundational fundamental drivers in your business model, will create big mistakes and losses
Subscribe To Both Success And Integrity with Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With The Show: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
About Bessi Graham:
With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant, so don’t leave it to chance.
Family Businesses contribute 70% or more of global GDP. Join us as we dive in to explore the role of family businesses, the challenges and opportunities they present, and how you can build a business that creates the freedom and fulfillment you’re looking for.
Today’s guest on the podcast, Nikè Anani, is the author of Lifetime to Legacy, the co-founder of African Family Firms, a pan-African association of family businesses, and the host of The Connected Generation podcast - a top-10 Family Business podcast globally.
Nikè knows the world of family business inside and out. She’s a second-generation family business owner, the voice of the NextGen in Family Businesses, and was rated as a top-100 Family Business Consultant globally.
At the end of the day, she’s a woman you need to know, and I’m thrilled to introduce you to her!
You can connect with Nikè on LinkedIn and check out her podcast The Connected Generation which is a top-10 Family Business podcast globally.
If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with another business leader you think could benefit from it.
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https://link.chtbl.com/BothAndwithBessiGraham
In this episode of Both/And with Bessi Graham, Bessi interviews Melissa Browne. Listen in to hear Mel’s reasons for why you should break up with money! Whether it’s loving, lustful, or longing, Mel wants to teach you to end your relationship with money and instead learn to see it as a tool to get you where you want to go.
Hear Mel share her lessons learnt from building three 7-figure businesses, selling one, and getting to a place where she is living a life by design.
Also in this episode:
- The 4 traps that keep you in an unhealthy relationship with money.
- 3 easy ways to transition from having a relationship with money to seeing it as a tool.
- Breaking money myths and unpacking what you really want.
- The 2 areas Mel thinks every business owner should master when it comes to running a business well.
- What Mel loves most about living a life by design.
Subscribe To Both/And with Bessi Graham: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify
Connect With The Show: Website | Facebook | Private Facebook Group | LinkedIn | Instagram
Mel has put together a page of resources for Both/And listeners which you can find here: https://www.melissabrowne.com.au/podcasts-bessi-graham About Melissa Browne Mel is an ex-accountant, ex-financial advisor, accidental entrepreneur, financial educator, speaker, and author. She's as comfortable talking about scarcity mentality, comparison culture and shame as she is about bank accounts, shares, investing and entrepreneurship. Oh, and shoes. She can talk shoes for days.
Mel is a multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur: she's CEO of Melissa Browne Courses which has had over 1000 humans through her signature course, My Financial Adulting Plan. She's also co-founder & Director of Business at Thinkers.inq, an innovative long day preschool based on creative and critical thinking and up to 2019 when she sold her business to an ASX listed accounting firm, was CEO of A&TA, an award-winning Accounting Firm.
Mel has written four books; More Money for Shoes, Fabulous but Broke, the global best-seller Unfck your Finances and her most recent, Budgets Don't Work (But This Does)*. She was a regular Money Columnist for Fairfax for over 7 years and has been featured in, written for, or appeared on everything from Triple J, Vogue, Cosmo & Harpers Bazaar through to CEO Magazine, the AFR, Huffington Post, The Today Show & Sunrise.
Join the waitlist for the next round of the My Financial Adulting Plan by clicking here!
Connect With Mel: Website | Instagram
About Bessi Graham With over 20 years of experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together, my experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
Breaking Up with Money: Whether you think it’s a healthy or toxic relationship money expert Mel Browne says it’s time to break up.
In today’s episode I want to sit down and have a cup of tea with you as we explore how to get unstuck.
Are you feeling stuck right now or listening in for some preemptive strategies so you’re more prepared next time you find yourself in that situation? Either way, let’s jump right in and talk about some of the reasons why we get stuck and how to move through it in ways that honor you and your needs.
I’ll show you how to:
- Tune In
- Filter Out
- Discern; and
- Make a Plan.
I hope that as you listen you find yourself a little more tuned in to your own voice and that the clarity you have of what it is you seek becomes just a little sharper. More than anything, remember that this too shall pass. You will not always feel stuck or overwhelmed and you are certainly not alone.
So, pour that cup of tea, grab your journal and let’s dive in.
Please subscribe and share this episode with someone you think might benefit from it.
You can find me at www.bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram: www.instagram.com/bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly, and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app and connect with me on social media.
I’ve been saying this for many years but, now more than ever, I want to make it very clear that you don't have to set up a social enterprise or run a charity, to have a positive impact in the world. Business can be a powerful agent for change.
How are you using your business in ways that are good for the world and good for your bottom line?
If people you don’t aspire to be are currently in positions of power and controlling the placement of capital and you don’t like what they’re doing and how they’re doing it - whether in an investment or a philanthropic sense - then change the game. Don’t complain about it; do something about it!
Listen to this week’s episode to stir your interest to want to know more and engage differently and if you need a thinking partner to help unlock, frame, and shape your ideas on what this could look like in your business then please reach out and let’s talk.
Please subscribe and share this episode with anyone you think will benefit from it.
You can find me at www.bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram: www.instagram.com/bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly, and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
In this week’s episode we’re going to explore what I call the Mother Teresa trap. I’ll outline the four common features I’ve identified over the years, and I’ll give you some tips on how to avoid them.
Having spent more than 20 years in the world of impact investment, social enterprise, philanthropy and non-profits, I have seen it all folks, and in today’s episode I want to put up a few guard rails and signposts for you so that as you go further on your journey of creating a life and legacy that is both fulfilling for you and impactful on the world you can avoid some of the common traps that others have fallen into before you.
As always good intentions aren’t good enough so grab your journal and find a quiet place to listen to this week’s episode and reflect on if you’ve fallen into any of the traps I outline. Awareness is the first step so if you want to lift your game and be more impactful in your work, I’m sure there will be something in this episode for you.
Cultivating your Both/And mindset is always a good place to start.
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at www.bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram: www.instagram.com/bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly, and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
“Doing good” doesn’t have to wait till you retire or sell your business. It doesn’t need to be limited to making a donation or giving your time or services away pro bono.
In this week’s episode I’ll walk you through three of the most common approaches that business owners and leaders can take when looking to make an impact through the way they run their business.
Whichever approach fits you best: Customer Focus; Team Focus; or Production Focus, there will be something in this episode that you will be able to put into action immediately and begin to increase the positive impact your business is having on the world.
Who said you can’t do good and make money! Not me…
Happy listening and, as always, sing out if you have questions or want to learn more about what all of this could look like in your business.
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You can find me at www.bessigraham.com
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and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly, and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
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In her book ‘Wintering: The power of rest and retreat in difficult times’ Katherine May beautifully describes the gift of the periods of life when we must retreat to care for and repair ourselves. Most of us have experienced versions of ‘wintering’ over the last few years and what may have once been a whisper is now shouting at us that something must change.
Living a disconnected life with pieces of ourselves that never seem to merge or align is exhausting. In this week’s episode I’m asking you to listen to your body and not run from periods that call you to care for and repair yourself. Understanding these times as opportunities to winter can soften the edges of the experience and make us conscious of the choice we can make about how we will engage with these inevitable moments so that we do as little damage to ourselves and others while we’re in them and have a chance to come out the other side wiser and kinder as a result.
Learning to winter well and going through an intentional process that walks you through the exploration of what is uniquely you, what allows you to level up, and then makes possible a next level of you leads to a life and legacy that is bigger than you.
I hope that you feel reenergized and have a new sense of hope of what is possible. You will be a far more impactful leader if you weave these ideas into your life. I’d love to hear where you’re at on your journey and what you’re discovering as you do the inner work of leadership. Please reach out.
If you haven’t read Katherine May’s book, Wintering, I highly recommend you grab a copy now; it will be good for your soul.
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at www.bessigraham.com
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and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly, and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
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In today’s episode I speak with Berry Liberman about her journey of transforming the financial and intellectual capital she has into purposeful work and a meaningful life.
From one of Australia’s wealthiest families, Berry has done (and continues to do) the work of integrating a love and respect for her family’s journey with her own path to make something meaningful of her life and owning her voice.
I hope you enjoy the conversation and come away with both a sense of encouragement AND challenge. Wherever you are in your journey, remember Berry’s advice that this work takes time so “be kind to yourself on the road”.
Some of Berry’s tips to listen out for:
- Act from a place of love, wholeness, and connection.
- If you think the end of your work around your privilege is fear, anger, resentment, and self-loathing then you haven’t finished the journey! You have to keep going.
- Don’t move from a place of guilt. Come from a place of integration and presence.
- “Throwing your privilege away is not being accountable for it.”
When she grappled with the question ‘what is the purpose of capital?’ Berry landed on:
“The purpose of capital is to be in service of life.”
Some of the big questions Berry returns to:
- What do I want to be in service of?
- If you had only a year to live, what choices would you make?
Berry mentioned a book that her husband Danny Almagor recommends called Preparing Heirs: Five Steps to a Successful Transition of Family Wealth and Values by Roy Orville Williams and Vic Preisser.
If you’d like to learn more about Berry you can visit Small Giants website, or check out Dumbo Feather and subscribe for a regular dose of inspiration! You may also be interested in the six-part online Journey to Impact course.
Journey to Impact is designed to educate and empower you to explore the alignment of wealth with values, and to inspire others to do the same through your leadership. This six-part virtual course hosted by Small Giants Academy will support you in thinking about how to transition your resources to impact, and provide you with a network of like-minded peers to explore how to use private capital to manifest and implement personal and family values – for current and future generations.
Find out more and join the July course https://www.smallgiants.com.au/journey-to-impact
About Berry Liberman
Berry Liberman founded an impact family office called Small Giants with her husband, Danny Almagor. Their investing philosophy is to use financial capital in service to create the world they want to leave their children and grandchildren.
As the first B Corporation in Australia, they commit to using business as a force for good in the world and are constantly asking the question – can we pivot to a Next Economy model which has us living within the bounds of the ecology and towards human flourishing?
She is the editor-in-chief of Dumbo Feather magazine and media platform and creative director of Small Giants Academy, an education platform as well as their sustainable property, renewable energy, regenerative agriculture, impact investing and community development portfolio of businesses that make up Small Giants. She is a mum of three beautiful kids and a Bordoodle puppy named Cookie.
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at www.bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
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and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly, and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
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It's time to find your genius in the parts of you that you may have been pushing down or attempting to resolve and compromise.
In today's episode of Both/And with Bessi Graham, I talk about the power of embracing the contradictions within you rather than living in turmoil or being at war with yourself.
We’ll discuss:
- Your contradictions as the way into your unique brilliance
- Harnessing your contradictions as a source of creative tension
- Finding aspects of your life and your legacy that come into alignment so that work that doesn’t feel like work.
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at www.bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram: www.instagram.com/bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly, and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
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Unless you provide practical examples of what an intellectual or theoretical idea looks like in the real world, it’s difficult for people to make the leap and integrate the abilities, routines, and rituals they need to achieve the desired outcomes they want into their day-to-day practices. Years of experience have taught me this.
Good or bad, I want you to know you’re not alone and I’m doing my best to make it as easy as possible for you. It’s my hope by sharing my experiences, you know you’re not the only one going through the same thing.
In today’s episode, I’ll ask you to identify an area where you can go through a similar process to the one I’ve shared in the last few episodes. Our primary focus will be the significance of providing clarity regarding matters, until this point, may have seemed obvious to you but have been cloudy for those who are attempting to collaborate with or provide support for you.
In this episode, listen for:
- Simple acts that force us to be explicit and limit the chance of uncertainty or assumptions leading to misunderstandings
- We may have knowledge but we fail to put it into practice in our daily lives - Intellectual knowledge isn’t enough
- How to design sessions in a way to ensure no one walks away from their 1:1 confused or aimless
Must-listen Moments:
[2:09] If others are baffled or regard your vision as opaque, it can be a roadblock for you to realize your goals
[4:55] The work I’ve done to break down and properly explain something that to me may seem obvious, but that is not intuitive to others
[9:19] Take a moment to reflect on your behavior, your actions, the way you make decisions, and how you read risk
I challenge you to reflect on the areas in which your work and interactions could need more clarity. You can help unleash your brilliance in ways that make the world a better place by paying attention to how you’re showing up in the world and how you’re functioning from an intuitive place, and I’m here to help you do that.
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram @bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhWaYIRD_A0G4_cQkfrY2A
As I wrap up a three-part series, I’m going to explain what a Both/And attitude entails in practice.
“ A thoughtful approach to how you put your Time, Talent and Treasure to work in the world will be life changing.”
In today’s episode, I’m excited to get started with the discipline of anticipating and running scenarios through the practice of LOOKING AHEAD. I’ll be pointing out some pitfalls I’ve identified over the years and putting some simple reference points to help you as you try to put this component of a Both/And attitude to work.
Legacy is something that falls into one of three camps.
First camp: Those who want to leave a lasting impression based on what others think is significant.
Second camp: Inundated with martyrs and those driven to burnout because legacy is altruistic and always about the other person.
Third camp: With those who use legacy to cover up their lifetimes of wrongdoing
Looking back at the previous episodes, we highlighted the need for LOOKING BACK to gain self-understanding and acceptance. I then highlighted how LOOKING AROUND can help you read a room or situation. These two episodes may have helped you understand how to use a Both/And mindset to be more effective and fulfilled.
Having worked hard to gain a better understanding of yourself and the impact your actions have on others, the next step is to clarify your goals and how you want to make a difference going forward.
In this episode, listen for
- LOOKING AHEAD requires us to recognize the crucial role played by our ability to pay attention
- The most precious resource you have is your attention
- To avoid wasting time and energy on irrelevant things, we must review our priorities, goals, and progress
Must-listen Moments:
[2:30] How you make money counts as much as what you do with it, so don’t pass it off as an externality or hide behind generosity if you’ve made yourself comfortable at others’ expense.
[4:56] Richard Lanham’s Attention Economy concept applies to us as individuals
[12:28] Reflecting on three ideas when you’re LOOKING AHEAD - Run your current actions through a scenario to check if they get you to your desired destination.
Your attention is the most valuable resource you possess; therefore, you should intelligently use it when you organize, construct, and describe your life. In the event we don’t learn how to focus our attention and make intelligent decisions about where we invest our time, talent, and treasure, we risk confusing progress with movement.
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at www.bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram: www.instagram.com/bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhWaYIRD_A0G4_cQkfrY2A
About Richard Lanham
“A life well lived doesn’t take one form.” The purpose of these three episodes is to provide you a better understanding of the concept of Both/And and to assist you in implementing the techniques, routines, and rituals necessary to get the results you desire.
In order to have a Both/And perspective, I believe the following three things must take place:
A foundational understanding of LOOKING BACK
The ability to “read a room” involves the practice of LOOKING AROUND
Discipline to anticipate through the practice of LOOKING AHEAD
In today’s episode, we’re focusing on the second step, looking around. Having the ability to read a room or a situation is essential for us as leaders, as business owners, entrepreneurs, or in any setting where we wish to influence and impact others.
One of the most significant benefits of taking a look around is that it allows us to broaden our perspective beyond just our own needs and desires, and to consider the impact we have on others.
In this episode, we dissect how looking around can shape and broaden your approach to the world. Begin to lift your vision toward how you can contribute in a way that incorporates what you’ve learned about yourself from LOOKING BACK. Infuse more meaning and purpose into your vision by allowing it to take shape within context informed by LOOKING AROUND.
There are three steps you can practice LOOKING AROUND
- What do you care about contributing to positively?
- What do you have control over?
- Do you already have the resources and skills to contribute?
In this episode, listen for
- It’s important to look at the context that we operate in
- How are you fighting against injustice that gets you mad and the hints in your moments of anti-flow
- Ask yourself: “Do you already have the skills, experience, resources to contribute to this issue or area you have identified?”
Must-listen Moments:
[5:54] Contributing to positively through your efforts
[9:10] It’s important to look at your business as a whole, not just as a way to make money to give to a good cause.
[11:23] “Those who claim business’ sole purpose is profit or shareholder value maximization…..” -Roger Martin’s book Fixing the Game
There is no right or wrong solution here, as I continually remind you. Not one aspect of your life should be more significant than another. Our goal is to help you find balance and fulfillment, but the form that takes for you will be distinct from what it is for me. It’s important to look at your business as a whole, not just as a way to make money to give to a good cause.
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram @bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhWaYIRD_A0G4_cQkfrY2A
Book Mentioned - “Fixing the Game” by Roger Martin
Together, we’re exploring what a Both/And attitude requires in practice over the next few episodes. It’s difficult for most individuals to make the leap and apply the skills, habits, and rituals that will achieve the intended outcomes, unless you’re provided with practical next steps and real-world examples. With that in mind, I present three features of a Both/And practice.
Looking Back
Looking Around
Looking Ahead
As an established leader who is working to contribute and build a legacy, you are operating in a complex, multifaceted environment with competing demands and expectations being placed on you every day.
To leave a lasting legacy, you must be self-aware and introspective. You must consider others. It requires you to consider the implications of your actions, both intended and unintended. A thoughtful and multi-dimensional leader must have a solid foundation of knowledge and self-awareness based on continual contemplation. This is called LOOKING BACK.
You must be able to “read the room” or scenario in order to triage or appraise it. This is called LOOKING AROUND.
The ability to foresee by projecting forward is also required. This is called LOOKING AHEAD.
In today’s episode, we’ll focus on LOOKING BACK, and the following two weeks will focus on the others. My goal is to assist you in taking the first step toward living a Both/And life and bringing your unique brilliance to the world by showing you a few routines, rituals, and practices.
To achieve flow and fulfillment, you must first embrace and own who you are. This is a critical first step. REFLECTION is the foundation of LOOKING BACK, in which you’ll find out who you are and what you’re meant to become.
A worldview that considers choices as either/or is for the intellectually lazy and unevolved. I doubt you’d be listening to this if you were in that category, so let’s assume you want to live a more intentional and designed life going forward.
We’re going to frame our LOOKING BACK exploration today around two simple ideas: that of Flow and Anti-Flow.
In this episode, listen for
-
If you want to leave a lasting legacy as a leader, you can't be one-dimensional
-
The situation or environment your operating in, the impacts of your decisions and your desires are layered and nuanced
-
To develop a life that is distinctively yours, you must first delve deep enough in this initial phase of LOOKING BACK
Must-listen Moments:
[5:32] Working with people who want to use their Time, Talent, and Treasure to positively impact the world
[6:54] The Ancients knew that a comprehensive understanding of the past was essential to creating into the future
[18:21] People who operate from flow are more courageous, quick-witted, more self-confident and have high control over attention and their consciousness
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram @bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhWaYIRD_A0G4_cQkfrY2A
In order to move forward and take a more active role in defining the legacy you want to leave and how you can achieve that, you need to believe you’re already a well-established leader who doesn’t need to justify or defend your accomplishments.
In today’s episode, I will help you recognize and appreciate your accomplishments as well as the goals you still have yet to achieve. It’s critical to incorporate this step now, after some of the work we’ve done in prior episodes, to develop a more complete picture of the multi-dimensional version of you as a leader and as a person.
In the world of business and visionary leadership, we’re one-of-a-kind creatures. Unlike others, we become stuck on the future rather than the past. For most, achieving goals they thought were impossible or life-changing is merely a stepping stone to the next accomplishment. Sound familiar?
In this episode, listen for
- Being in The Gap happens when we measure ourselves against the ideal
- Beginning to become more conscious of self-talk, the language, and the tone are important aspects
- Defend yourself and celebrate what you’ve already achieved
Must-listen Moments:
[1:48] Our ability to create a vision, set goals and strive to achieve
[5:58] According to the book, “Being in The Gain means you measure yourself backward, against where you were before…”
[12:13] This episode’s thoughtwork and some questions that may help you focus on different time horizons
Whenever words, ideas, concepts, or different components that come to mind right now, I advise you to record them. It’s important to keep track of your thoughts because becoming more conscious of and having the ability to look back and see patterns, being prompted and reminded of breakthroughs or “aha moments” you’ve had, and revisiting them to see the progress you’re making will all be important aspects of this next chapter of your life.
Understanding who you are and what motivates you is the key to your success in the future.
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram @bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast goes live weekly and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhWaYIRD_A0G4_cQkfrY2A
Book referenced in this episode: The Gap and The Gain
Book referenced in this episode: What Not How
In the previous episode, we discussed how to respond to various situations as leaders. This week, we will discuss whether there are situations in which we need to be more adaptable or more self-aware in our leadership style. Continuing our two-part exploration of “time and place,” we’re tapping into and building upon the self-discovery and leadership development work we’ve done as we focus on our strengths-based approach.
The language and framing of my strengths greatly aided my personal development when I took the CliftonStrengthsFinder assessment back in 2008. The relationship between my Achiever strength and the need to learn to live with the “whisper of discontent” was one of the most powerful phrases in the description of my strengths.
A “whisper of discontent” was the best way to describe my feelings of restlessness. I suddenly felt seen and understood and was better able to navigate the thoughts that often accompany my Achiever traits.
I’ve taken you on an exploratory journey in the last few episodes, each one encouraging you to dive deeper into your understanding of yourself. We developed a richer naming system that better represented the totality of you, rather than the one-dimensional naming system you are often forced to use.
Rather than concentrating your attention and effort on your shortcomings and attempting to develop in areas where you will never achieve success, a strengths-based approach teaches you how to accomplish more using your innate strengths. It assists you in appreciating both your own and other people’s abilities, allowing you to work together to complement and fill gaps for each other’s benefit.
In this episode, listen for
- Understanding your strengths and knowing the language to use when you’re talking about it to bring a richer sense of who you are to the table and not have to pretend you know everything
- Knowledge about what you can and can’t contribute to the world isn't selfish
- A strength-based approach will help you appreciate your strengths
Must-listen Moments:
[7:32] My desire for you is to not have a cookie-cutter answer to what success looks like but to know what is uniquely yours
[10:47] When you take the strengths-based assessments and evaluate how you typically react, what projects and tasks you love and thrive in, and your typical relationships, the descriptions of your key strengths can be quite revealing
[14:07] The questions surrounding my primary domain, Strategic Thinking
Gallup’s 34 Strengths-based approach to leadership encourages you to not spend all of your energy on areas of weakness. The Four Domains are helpful both as an individual and when looking at your team or partners. If you want to approach this from a different angle, I’d recommend you read “Who Not How” by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy.
The 34 CliftonStrengths are separated into 4 main domains:
Executing
Influencing
Relationship Building
Strategic Thinking
As a leader, it's essential to be mindful of where your strengths lie and find methods to draw on your own and others’ talents. At the same time, it's important to decide whether you should add new team members with strengths in the same or other domains.
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram @bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhWaYIRD_A0G4_cQkfrY2A
Four Domains of the Strength-Based Approach
To be a successful leader, use the concept “time and place” to help guide your decisions and actions. Being able to read a situation, recognize what to disregard or prioritize, and know how to assess competing needs are all aspects of understanding the unique context of each challenge - the primary role of a leader. Although there is no single best way to lead, if you are rigid and one-dimensional in your approach, you’ll accidentally find yourself to be ineffective in your efforts to influence positive change.
In my master’s thesis, I analyzed the leadership styles of three Timorese leaders who had just gained recognition as an independent nation after decades of struggle under Indonesian sovereignty and Portuguese colonization. I examined Xanana Gusmao, Jose Ramos Horta, and Mari Alkatiri respectively as The Charismatic Leader, The Diplomat, and The Competent Manager.
While there were many fascinating things I learned in that process, through the conversations I had with leaders and the interviews I conducted with others who knew and worked with them, the piece that stood out the most and shaped my future as a leader was the concept of Situational Leadership and insights on knowing yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses, your patterns, and when to get out of the way in order to achieve the greater goal when you are not the one who is in charge.
I’m someone who loves building things from nothing. I like to kick down doors and open up unfamiliar territory. One of the ways that I try to manage that and “stay in my lane” is to have an approach where I always see my primary role as making myself redundant.
In this episode, listen for
- Leaders often disregard the “time and place” approach, causing them to misread the situation
- Let the right people in, then step aside so they can bring their brilliance to the table
- Don’t go into the extreme or judge yourself, think about the conditions that suit your leadership style
Must-listen Moments:
[5:45] To be effective in times of crisis, one needs to be certain they aren’t the cause
[7:33] Adapting your leadership style to a variety of elements depends on what you’re attempting to achieve
[17:24] To leave a lasting impression and contribute to something more than yourself, you must develop the skills of discernment, judgment, and wisdom
Effective leadership is about adapting your style to a range of factors depending on what it is you’re trying to accomplish. For you to be effective, you’ll have to adapt to your preferred leadership style. Here are some questions to reflect on.
- What are the “conditions” where you feel most comfortable and able to operate in your preferred leadership style?
- Do you find yourself trying to create those conditions even when they are not needed or are not naturally emerging?
- Is it unhelpful or helpful for your team and broader organization when you do this?
Using these questions as prompts, I strongly advise you to consider them for some time and even go back to this episode if necessary in order to gain some insight that might help you become a more effective leader while also increasing the influence of the job you perform in the lives of others.
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram @bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhWaYIRD_A0G4_cQkfrY2A
Prior to this episode, I discussed the meaning and power behind Both/And and observed how humans avoid the muddy, grey areas in between two polar opposite beliefs or actions. For a life that is distinctively yours, with a legacy that is connected to you and meaningful, rather than one that others respect but doesn’t resonate with you, we must explore your core values.
De-cluttering and freeing up part of our mental bandwidth allows us to focus on the necessary explorations that will ultimately lead us in the right direction.
As we embrace the saying “slow down to speed up,” I’ve walked you through a few exercises that led you to identify what brings you joy, energy, and flow. We are not one-dimensional beings and together, we’re discovering how to look at life through the both/and lense.
In this episode, listen for:
- Your core values are usually between two and four descriptive words that describe you and your organisation and these do not change overtime
- In order to prosper, values must be included as an integral part of your plan and will steer you as an individual or organisation
- Aspirational ideals are the qualities you aspire to have and are working to implement
Must-listen Moments:
[5:57] In my experience with an organisation that accidentally broadcasted their aspirational values as their core values, feedback is met with resistance, dismissal, and excuses.
[11:52] Lencioni says core values should be used to guide every aspect of an organisation, from hiring and firing and performance management.
[14:42] When you name core values for your organisation, you are setting standards for yourself, your employees, and your business, and if you reflect them improperly, you may find your credibility undermined.
In today’s episode, What I want to do is begin a journey that will last a lifetime; a journey of discovering your truest core values and the role aspirational values play in your life. Aspirational values are those we or others, named as core values, but are, in fact, something we’re striving for.
Why is this so vital? Without distinguishing between core and aspirational principles, our efforts to live and act in alignment with our values and clearly communicate them to our team, customers, and others can sometimes backfire.
When you examine what you’ve declared about your own or your organisation’s core values, see if the ideas you’ve mentioned are already firmly ingrained in your daily operations.
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram @bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
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Does stating your true needs and wants out loud make you anxious? Do you lose focus on your own goals because you’re distracted by others’ expectations? Or have you always been clear and quick to answer what you deeply want, but in pursuing them, you’ve reached a point of burnout? I want you to leave here with a new perspective that you do have the power to shape the life you want. If you haven’t heard of slowing down to speed up, that’s what we’re going to do in this episode. Pressing hard to achieve what you want without a rational plan or strategy can be exhausting and use a ton of energy, all while making very little progress. However, if you spend time getting to know yourself better and identifying your true goals, when you do take action, progress, alignment, and fulfillment will be much more likely. Life Mapping is an exercise that may reveal to you the truth behind misnamed goals. There’s a chance you might realize that you’ve been pursuing ambitions that have nothing to do with your core ideals.
A life map helps us to see the patterns and themes in your life that can help define and direct you toward your true goals.
As long as you’re interested and brave enough to be open to whatever happens, life mapping can provide insight and clarity. In today’s episode, we will quiet the distractions while simultaneously gaining an understanding of what makes you feel most at ease.
I encourage you to monitor the energy and patterns that you notice and try to name them. Identify periods of frustration and boredom in contrast with moments of flow and events that inspired you or felt satisfying.
A more precise picture of your life’s journey can be gained by asking yourself these two questions:
What could you do that will give you joy, energy, and flow?
What decisions could you make that could bring that into your life?
In this episode, listen for:
- Do you feel anxious when naming or pursuing what you want
- Your effectiveness, judgment, and satisfaction will rise when your purpose is clear
- My own life mapping exercise and how it helped me refine the direction of my life’s work
Must-listen Moments:
[8:24] Shaping and designing my life in a way that incorporates what I need
[14:26] My goal with this activity is to let the things you need and want emerge and for your life to be fulfilled
[17:43] The meaning of a quote by Gretchen Rubin
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram @bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhWaYIRD_A0G4_cQkfrY2A
As we try to balance the various demands around our time and attention, we often find ourselves feeling faced with a choice - this or that. The gray area between the two extremes. Feeling stuck in the middle between two drastically different styles of leadership, impact, income levels, relationships, etc.
At times, it may feel like making a choice in either direction has a downside you’re not willing to accept. To make it worse, there’s no shortage of other peoples’ opinions to sway and influence you. But if you could quiet the noise and really lean into what you truly desire, can you imagine a life where you could have both?
Could you be a strong and compassionate leader?
Can your career have both an impact and make you an excellent income?
Can a mother prioritize her own health and be present with her family?
The good news is, you don’t need to choose between the two. You can have both/and.
We all need time and space to clear our minds and sit with our ideas. In this first episode, I will guide you through an activity in which you’ll have a chance to evaluate your options. Whether or not you feel you’re facing an obstacle right now, you’ll find the exercise in this episode helpful.
It’s possible something unexpected will present itself and I encourage you to allow it to bubble to the surface.
In your current situation, what’s not pleasurable, draining your energy and causing you to procrastinate and fail to complete tasks? Keep the crucial parts and delegate those that are unnecessarily consuming your time.
When you take the time to pause with me, relax, and just consider the possibility that you can have both - that you are no longer faced with an either/or choice, you’ll find clarity, peace, and opportunity in the choices you face.
In this episode, listen for:
- Sit in the discomfort so that you can design a life that is uniquely yours; create your own solution to having both/and
- It can be scary to sit in that space that is between extremes
- As your vision emerges, you’re able to shape it with a both/and lens
Must-listen Moments:
[3:40] My personal story; How I handled the desire for my life to be different.
[7:22] I began to let my vision take the shape toward a life where I could be fulfilled as an individual and also love my children well.
[8:01] The importance of regularly taking time to dive into ourselves, to question, name our fears, and notice our extremes.
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram @bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhWaYIRD_A0G4_cQkfrY2A
You didn’t get where you are by being timid or holding back when you had something to express or an opinion to share. As a strong leader, the decisions you make set the course for those around you. Paired with this responsibility is the requirement that you more deeply and accurately know who you are.
It’s not enough to describe yourself with cliches or surface level responses such as “I’m a people person,” “I’m driven,” “I’m an introvert,” etc.
To come up with more aligned words and phrases that will more accurately describe who we truly are, we’ve got to slow down and identify how we feel about the go-to names, phrases, and descriptors we’ve used in the past.
Then, it’s important to sit with those adjectives and pay attention to how each description affects your emotions.
Ask yourself, “Do these names fit my purpose?” How do the names you’ve identified make you feel? From here, you can begin to more selectively craft and choose descriptions of yourself.
It may take some reflection, but practicing this exercise often will have you naming your innate traits and describing yourself in a deeper, more aligned way, thus choosing people, events, work, and joy that fulfills those new descriptions.
The unique nature of the Both/And concept makes it a powerful tool for expanding your thinking and making an effect in the world. For example, it's applied to the outside world and to our own inner worlds.
In this episode, listen for:
- Examine how you describe and talk about yourself, and pay attention to how it makes you feel and whether it benefits you.
- Listening to your body takes practice, especially if you’re someone who prefers to spend most of your time thinking
- Wherever you’ve landed today is where you’re meant to be
Must-listen Moments:
[10:40] Cognitive dissonance is what I’ve been experiencing my entire life, and I reexamine how it affects my life and my thinking often.
[13:32] Neither you nor I can determine what makes up a well-lived life for the other.
[14:32] It’s important to look at yourself and dig deeper into any restricting labels that limit you to becoming a one-dimensional person
Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends.
You can find me at bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram @bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhWaYIRD_A0G4_cQkfrY2A
Have you ever wanted to change the world? Wanted to look on at a group of people whose lives you have influenced through your work? Or to know you will be remembered for leaving the world better than you found it?
As visionary leaders called to make a difference in the world, this is what lights us up. The adventure of creating a legacy so much bigger than ourselves.
I'm a fan of paradox. And passionately believe that we don’t have to look at the world in a way that sees things as black and white where our only option is choosing either/or the fact is we can in fact choose Both/And!
Leadership is a great example of the reality of Both/And. As leaders, we are both privileged, and we carry a heavy burden. Both these things are equally true.
So, who do you go to when you want to have conversations? Who is supporting you? And how do you find the considered views that help sustain and guide you in your work? Where do you go to have the conversations that remind you, you're not alone and at the same time hold you accountable and challenge you when you need that?
I’m Bessi Graham, an award-winning entrepreneur with over 20 years’ experience working with business owners, governments, and large funding bodies to bring “doing good” and “making money” back together. My experience spans from the grassroots of sitting in the dirt working with business owners across the Pacific Islands through to the United Nations in Geneva. This has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes change happen.
You know you were born to do something significant so don’t leave it to chance. Join me each week on my podcast Both/And with Bessi Graham. Think of this as your weekly inspiration to reflect on how you’re using your Time, Talent and Treasure to create a legacy bigger than yourself.
We both know everybody has an opinion about what you should do and how you should live. There's no shortage of loud voices imposing their views and values on you.
I'm here to quiet that noise and give you ideas and easy tools to tap into what you need and want so you can design a meaningful life that aligns with your values and puts you on a path to creating a legacy you can be proud of.
To bring beautiful ideas to life, so that we have that glorious experience of looking on in wonder at the lives we've changed and the impact we've made possible, we need to be giving from a place of abundance and clarity.
We need to have a dream and vision that is truly ours. A sense of success and a fulfilling life that inspires and sustains us as we support those around us.
If you’re a leader who wants to make a difference in the world, you love to learn, are willing to grow, and have the scars of lessons learned, then this is the podcast you’ve been waiting for!
I want you to not only make the distance but to flourish and find yourself along the way.
I've made money and lost money. Built things and broken things. I've learned many lessons and almost all of them the hard way. Now I want to share what I know to make it a little easier for you and a little less lonely.
I want to help you tune in to your own voice more clearly so you can contribute from a place of authenticity. Let’s remove the frustration and pressure that comes from living someone else’s idea of success and replace it with a sense of flow and fulfillment that can only come when you tap into the fullness of who you are and who you are becoming.
You can find me at bessigraham.com
on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessi-graham-48a31323/
on Instagram @bessigraham
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessi.graham
This podcast will go live weekly and I’d love for you to follow on your podcast app, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and join our private community on Facebook.
Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789735838552817/members/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhWaYIRD_A0G4_cQkfrY2A
I look forward to sharing this journey with you as together we explore what it means to live and lead a meaningful life.