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The Decision-Making Studio Podcast

The Decision-Making Studio Podcast (formerly known as the All Things Risk podcast) uses the lenses of decision-making, uncertainty and risk to better understand ourselves and our world. We feature fascinating guests across many fields from sport, the arts, current affairs and others. We have long-form conversations and our guests share insights, stories, tools and tips.
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Now displaying: 2016
Dec 25, 2016

I had a number of excellent conversations with awesome guests this year that touched on “big picture” topics and it is my pleasure to share some highlights of these in the first of two “best of” episodes.  They discuss the origins of the calendar and the concept of time, systems thinking, corruption and ethics, the global financial crisis of 07-08, Brexit, Trump and technocracies, counterinsurgency, and saving lives.  Featured clips are from:

Stay tuned for Part Two!

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Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings

Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com

Visit: www.allthingsrisk.co.uk – and find all episodes and ways to subscribe

Dec 19, 2016

We talk about "lenses" on the All Things Risk Podcast - ways of viewing the world.  One  of the lenses through which we can understand human potential is sport, and in particular, endurance sport.  The conversation in this week's episode may, at first glance, seem like a discussion about nutrition in this domain, and in a way it is.  But, it is about much more than that.

Meet Erica and Warren Pole. Erica and Warren are founders of the highly innovative sports nutrition company "33 Shake" - 33shake.com.  33 Shake sells  whole food plant-based sports nutrition products. Erica and Warren are endurance athletes and in the course of their training, they found it very difficult to get good, natural sports nutrition. So, they made their own based on research and experimentation.  Soon however, they were sharing their creations with others and before they knew it, they had a business on their hands.

Now, 33 Shake has grown very impressively.  They have a presence in 25 countries but more significantly, some of the world's elite athletes are customers (like British multi-Olympic Gold medallist and Tour de France Winner Sir Bradley Wiggins and British double Gold Medallist Phil Hindes), and Chrissie Wellington, 4 time Ironman World Champion is a brand Ambassador.  For a company that started out on a kitchen table, that is very impressive.  But how did that happen? Listen to find out!

This is a fabulous conversation that covers:

  • Entrepreneurship and risk-taking;
  • Nutrition and sports nutrition (particularly plant-based, vegan nutrition);
  • Superfoods;
  • Endurance sport as a channel to explore your limits;
  • Working together as husband and wife
  • Loads more!

Show notes:

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Dec 12, 2016

Like any other field, the professional discipline of risk management is filled with jargon and multi-syllabic words. That can make it seem distant and inaccessible to many.   That’s a problem because we all deal with risk and uncertainty on an everyday basis.  If only there was a way to make the practice and benefits of risk management accessible to all of us.

Meet John Lark, this week’s guest on the All Things Risk Podcast, John is a speaker, consultant, author, and risk management expert.  He recently authored a book which is designed to help small and medium-sized businesses get the most out of managing risk.  In actuality, it’s a book that can help anyone and John is perhaps the most qualified person on the world to have written.

John has worked in risk management for many years in the Canadian government and over the past several years via his own firm Coherent Advice.  He is an expert in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and has helped many organisations and individuals manage their risks.  Above all, John is fun and engaging.  He is also a friend and a mentor and all of this makes for an entertaining and informative conversation that covers:

  • Confirmation bias and how to overcome it;
  • The importance of context;
  • Trump and the outcome of the US elections
  • Getting what you want;
  • Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP);
  • Negotiation;
  • John’s book
  • Loads more!

Show notes:

John’s firm, Coherent Advice: http://www.coherentadvice.com/

John on Linkedin: http://bit.ly/2hj3EW9

John’s book Risk Management - A practical guide for SMEs - http://www.iso.org/iso/home/store/publication_item.htm?pid=PUB100367

Jonathan Pie’s post-US election rant - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLG9g7BcjKs

Neuro-linguistic programming - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuro-linguistic_programming

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Nov 29, 2016

Today, we revisit a theme we have explored many times on the show: resilience.  Resilience provides us with agency or control of our circumstances. Even though we live in one of the safest times in human history, we also live in the midst of high levels of uncertainty and ambiguity. If we want to be able thrive and perform well, cultivating resilience is an incredibly important skill and practice.  My guest is all about that.

Meet Sean Douglas. Sean works in the United States Air Force and is a resilience trainer, author and speaker. Nine years ago however, Sean faced the lowest point of his life. He was staring down the barrel of gun and almost committed suicide. Sean shares what he was feeling during this episode, and more importantly, what he did to bounce back and regain control of his life.

Since then, Sean has used this experience to help others. He trains people to become mentally, physically, spiritually and socially resilient. He combines his military and leadership training (he spent time as a drill instructor and has that drill instructor intensity!) with his personal experiences to help his clients. We talk about all this and lots more.

Show notes:

Article in Rolling Stone "Why We're Living in the Age of Fear" - http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/why-were-living-in-the-age-of-fear-w443554 

Sean's website - http://sdsmotivates.wixsite.com/seandouglasspeaks 

Sean on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SeanDouglasSpeaks 

Sean on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-douglas-a0890473 

Sean's book Decisions: The Power to Overcome Self-Defeating Behaviourshttps://www.amazon.com/Decisions-Power-Overcome-Self-Defeating-Behaviors/dp/1532943865/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 

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Nov 20, 2016

Probabilistically speaking, if you were born without your right hand, what are the odds that you would become a world-class concert pianist? You might be mistaken (and forgiven) for assuming that the chances would be relatively low. However, that's perhaps because you have not heard of my guest on this week's episode.

Meet Nicholas McCarthy. Nicholas is a world-class concert pianist who has played all over the globe. He was born without his right hand. He was the first left-hand only graduate of the prestigious Royal College of Music in London. He has played alongside Coldplay at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Paralympic games, has a wonderful solo album, was a guest presenter at the BBC Proms, is a radio host and will soon launch his own podcast called "Of Note". He has also appeared on several prominent podcasts, including the Tim Ferris Show.  

Nicholas is hugely inspirational. In addition to this however (and as usual as this show's USP), I apply a risk lens to Nicholas' story and it provides some wonderful insights into the question: "how can you turn the odds of something you want to achieve to your favour?" We cover loads of great stuff in this incredible conversation:

  • Nicholas' background growing and how he got interested in the piano (and some great insights on parenting here);
  • The challenges that he faced in studying the piano at a world-class level (there were several!)
  • Left-hand repertoire, the style of playing in which Nicholas specialises;
  • The balance between talent and diligent practice;
  • Risk and risk-taking;
  • Much, much more

I am delighted to bring this conversation to you and I hope you check out Nicholas' work.

Show notes:

Nicholas' website: http://nicholasmccarthy.co.uk/

Nicholas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NMcCarthyPiano

Nicholas on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicholasMcCarthyPianist/

Nicholas' solo album: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Solo-Nicholas-McCarthy/dp/B0113MCFVU

Nicholas' YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/nmccarthypiano

Nicholas playing Nocturne by Alexander Sciarbin (the piece this episode opens with) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwNxn-iFRuI

Twitter Account for "Of Note" Nicholas' podcast (to be launched at the time this episode went live) - https://twitter.com/OfNotePodcast

Facebook page for the "Of Note" podcast - https://www.facebook.com/OfNotePodcast/ 

Nicholas' TEDx talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9dNZKNVqrw

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Nov 14, 2016

Today we take a look at the important and fascinating world of humanitarian aid and conflict  and disaster response, particularly in some of the world's most crisis-stricken areas. My guest is Ros Kirkland. Ros has eighteen years of experience in this field for both the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the British Red Cross.

Ros has been involved in relief operations in North Korea, the Great Lakes Region of Africa, China, Mongolia, Bangladesh and Darfur, Sudan. We talk about these experiences and she provides some interesting insights into how these operations work.  In addition, we also cover:

  • Governance in disaster relief
  • What it's like to have a career in this field, including challenges and ways in which to overcome these
  • Climate change and the future of humanitarian aid
  • Loads more!

I'm sure you will enjoy this great conversation!

Show notes:

Ros on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosalind-armitage-95477623?authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=W3cK&trk=tyah&trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Amynetwork%2CentityType%3AentityHistoryName%2CclickedEntityId%3Amynetwork_82520272%2Cidx%3A1

Ros in her Trustee role in the Women's Sport Trust: http://www.womenssporttrust.com/our-trustees/ 

The International Committee of the Red Cross: https://www.icrc.org/en 

The British Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org.uk/ 

Mark Blyth on Global Trumpism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkm2Vfj42FY

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Nov 8, 2016

What happens to our brains when we take risks? How do successful risk-takers process information? Do they look at risk any differently? What does the science of risk-taking tell us?

Meet Kayt Sukel, author of The Art of Risk: The New Science of Courage, Caution and Chance.  Kayt is a science writer and traveller who “has no problem tacking interesting and often taboo subjects spanning love, sex, neuroscience and politics.”  Her work has appeared in Atlantic Monthly, New Scientist, The Washington Post and National Geographic Traveller.

In the Art of Risk, Kayt studies “risk-takers” of various vocations – from base jumpers to fire fighters. We talk about this, and the conversation brings up loads of great stuff around diligent practice and hard work, decision-making, and how we can all get better at taking risks.

 But – there’s more to Kayt than this.  According to Forbes magazine, Kayt “knows more about sex than you or I do.”  Her first book is titled Dirty Minds: How Our Brains Influence Love, Sex, and Relationships (retitled This is Your Brain on Sex: The Science Behind the Search for Love).  So, as you would do with anyone you speak to the first time, we talk about sex – that’s the beauty of podcasting!

Along the way we touch on a range of fascinating topics:

  • Pop science;
  • How the brain works;
  • The nervous system;
  • Decision-making;
  • Gut feelings;
  • And much more!

Show notes:

Did you like what you heard? Subscribe to the All Things Risk podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it on social media: 

Nov 1, 2016

 

What would life be like if you could read people’s minds? Of course “mind reading” isn’t magic.  However, why mind reading tricks work is fascinating stuff.  What is even more fascinating is knowing the power of an understanding of how the mind works. This can be used to take risks successfully, improve performance, and design your life.  That is exactly what I discuss with my guest on this week’s episode (among many other things).

Meet “mind reader”, mentalist, coach, author and entertainer Jonathan Pritchard (check out his main project http://www.likeamindreader.com/).  Jonathan also hosts a podcast and runs a website called “A Life Well Designed” (in which I had the pleasure recently of being a guest).  He’s also a martial artist (he studies Wing Chun) and we connect all of these threads, plus a few more in this super fun conversation that covers:

  • Mind reading and mentalism;
  • How mind reading can be applied to lifestyle design;
  • Why and how pickpocketing works;
  • “Echo time” versus “real time”;
  • Martial arts;
  • Design concepts and lifestyle design;
  • Cognitive psychology and how we navigate reality
  • Much more!

Show notes:

Jonathan's main project "____ like a mind reader": http://www.likeamindreader.com/

Jonathan’s site and podcast “A Life Well Designed” - http://www.alifewelldesigned.com/

A Life Well Designed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alifewelldesigned

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/alwdtweets

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alifewelldesigned/

A free preview of Jonathan’s book How to Think Like a Designer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8DfZgHPERJ_T3hSWm0zYllISHM/view

David Epstein’s book The Sports Gene: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16171221-the-sports-gene?from_search=true

Apollo Robbins on “The Art of Misdirection”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZGY0wPAnus

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Oct 17, 2016

Imagine that an obstacle (like a wall) that has been in your way is removed.  Would you take that risk you’ve always been meaning to take?  How about when you no longer find joy in what you are doing?   What steps would you take to change it?

Meet Anke Herrmann.  Anke is my guest on Episode 26. She is an entrepreneur and coach and lives in Andalucia Spain where she runs her own studio specialising in making custom flamenco dance costumes.   Anke takes both an inspirational and very practical approach to these types of questions.  And, while we’re on the topic of uncertainty and obstacles, Anke took her first (and biggest) risk in February 1989.  Born and raised in East Germany, she moved across the Iron Curtain to West Germany.  At the time, no one had any idea how long the Eastern Bloc would remain closed to the world.

When the Berlin Wall came down later that year, a world of opportunities opened up for her and she took full advantage.  She lived in Australia and the UK and has worked in areas as diverse as translations to software development.  Throughout her career and life, she seemed to know when and how to make a change. Eventually, she found her way to Granada, Spain where she opened her studio.

We talk about all of this in a fascinating conversation that I am sure you will not only enjoy, but get a number of pearls of wisdom that you can apply in your own life.  We discuss:

  • Growing up in East Germany before the fall of the Iron Curtain;
  • Moving to West Germany
  • Taking risks and balancing certainty with uncertainty;
  • How and why she decided to move to Spain;
  • The beauty of flamenco;
  • Lessons in entrepreneurship
  • Coaching others (Anke helps self-employed creative women “kick the stress out of their business”)
  • Loads more!

Show notes:

Anke’s about.me site: https://about.me/anke_herrmann

Anke’s coaching: http://sewingenious.co/

Anybody interested in learning how to sew flamenco dance costumes? http://www.flamencodressmaking.com/

Anke on Medium: https://medium.com/@sewingenious.co

Anke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anke-herrmann-751a8965

Anke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/anke_herrmann

Anke on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herrmann.anke or https://www.facebook.com/flamencodressmaking/

Anke on Pinterest: https://es.pinterest.com/sewflamenco/

Anke on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sewflamenco/

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Oct 10, 2016

Where does the rise of anti-elite sentiment, as evidenced by Brexit and Trumpism come from? Why and how have much of the Western world, particularly in the EU, been told what to do by a bunch of technocrats?  Why is government debt not like household debt? And why is austerity (the policy of cutting back public spending) dangerous?

This episode is a “big picture” conversation with a focus on the global economy. Don’t worry - you don’t have to be an economist or a financier to only follow and enjoy it. However, you do have to think critically to get a lot of it. Fortunately, my guest will help you do that.

He is economist, researcher and author Mark Blyth.  Mark teaches political economy at Brown University in Rhode Island, USA. If you were to place a bet on Mark ending up teaching at an Ivy League school, you would have received long odds.  Mark was born and grew up in Dundee, Scotland in relative poverty. As he puts it, “probabilistically speaking, I am as an extreme example of intragenerational social mobility as you can find anywhere.” He is a product of the welfare state.

Mark’s background is part of the story.  Mark’s book Austerity: History of a Dangerous Idea discusses the history of the (empirically wrong) theory that cutting public spending (austerity) can spur economic growth.  You may have seen video clips of Mark talking about austerity and describing The Hamptons as “not a defensible position” in describing the anti-elite sentiment and the results of the Brexit vote in the UK.

Mark is not only knows his subject, he is very engaging and entertaining. He’s the economics and political economy professor you wish you had.

We have a fascinating and fun conversation that covers a lot of very important ground:

  • Mark’s background;
  • The history and practice of austerity;
  • Technocracies;
  • The Euro and Europe’s future;
  • Brexit, globalisation and anti-elite sentiment;
  • His outlook and the risks he sees to the global economy (it's much more positive than you might think);
  • Loads more!

 Show notes:

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Oct 3, 2016

 

We have long-form conversations in large part because we get to go deep with our guests.  Today, we almost get to do that literally as we go under the surface of the ocean and discuss a fascinating world.  My guest is maritime historian, shipwreck expert and author Taylor Zajonc.  Taylor is an incredibly interesting guy and we have the rare opportunity to talk about topics that are both fascinating and have few people know as much about them as Taylor.

At the age of 19, Taylor was part of an expedition to explore the deepest archeological site on the planet – a trading ship three miles (over four km) under the ocean’s surface in the Bermuda Triangle in the 1800s. 

Having done this, it was clear that Taylor was not going to become an accountant!  Instead, he became a shipwreck researcher and has now studied numerous shipwrecks (from The Titanic to many others).  We talk about all of this in this very interesting conversation that covers:

  • What the ocean floor looks like several thousand meters below the surface;
  • Risk in undersea expeditions;
  • Insights into the commonalities in the causes of shipwrecks;
  • Wilderness survival – Taylor is also a trained wilderness survival expert;
  • The psychology of human beings when everything goes wrong;
  • Becoming an author and his inspiration for writing his first novel The Wrecking Crew.

And loads more!

Taylor is very interesting and a lot fun.  I am sure you will enjoy the conversation!

Show notes:

Taylor’s site: http://expeditionwriter.com/

Taylor on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaylorZajonc

Taylor’s first book The Wrecking Crew: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27181669-the-wrecking-crew?from_search=true

Taylor’s upcoming sequel Red Sun Rogue: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29887294-red-sun-rogue

Taylor’s interview with Outside magazine: http://expeditionwriter.com/undersea-survival-stories-with-outside-magazines-new-podcast/

Article in National Geographic referencing Malcolm Gladwell’s “cockpit culture” theory in his book Outliers: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130709-asiana-flight-214-crash-korean-airlines-culture-outliers/

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Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on:

iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh

Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast

Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo

Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings  

Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com

Visit: www.allthingsrisk.co.uk - and find all episodes and ways to subscribe

Sep 20, 2016

Imagine bringing together some of the world’s most distinguished artists to tell the story of arguably the most important advancement in the recent history of humankind.  That advancement is the vaccine.  And just some of the artists we’re talking about are:

 Imagine working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to make something called “The Art of Saving a Life”.  Who could make something like this happen?

Meet Christine McNab. Christine is my guest on this week’s show.  She is a photographer, development consultant, TED speaker, and many other things (including being a fellow Canadian). Christine is one of those rare and wonderful people who can connect things.  She was the designer and driver behind the Art of Saving a Life and joins me to share the story of this amazing initiative.

However, there is more to Christine than this (and to understand how the project came to be you need to understand how Christine approaches things). We discuss a wide range of topics, including her most recent project “A River Runs With Her”.  We also cover:

  • Christine’s background in journalism;
  • Her work as Director of Communications at the World Health Organisation (WHO) – and we get into things like SARS, risk communication and related areas;
  • Moving on from that role (and taking risks);
  • The Art of Saving a Life of course
  • A River Runs With Her
  • And much more!

 I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and am very excited to share it with you!

Show notes:

Christine’s website: http://www.christinemcnab.com/

Christine McNab Photography on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineMcNabPhotography/?fref=nf

Christine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Christine_McNab

Christine on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinemcnab

Christine’s wonderful TEDMED talk “Capturing the Art of Saving a Life”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U12agLV1DAI

The Art of Saving a Life: http://artofsavingalife.com/

__________________________ 

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Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on:

iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKhSubscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcastSubscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo

Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings  

Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com

Visit: www.allthingsrisk.co.uk - and find all episodes and ways to subscribe

Sep 13, 2016

Sometimes, that “edge” you may be looking for ends up providing you with an advantage, but in unexpected ways.  That’s just how uncertainty works.  This was true for my guest on this episode Drew Taddia.  Drew spent many years as a professional baseball player.  Being from Canada, one of the disadvantages he had to contend with is not playing as many games as his American counterparts prior to taking a risk and moving to the USA to try his hand at that country’s “greatest pastime”. 

Trying to bridge the gap, Drew turned towards nutrition.  He started to figure what works (mostly a plant-based whole foods diet).  Eventually, these efforts paid off – but not exactly as intended.  Drew decided to try his hand at coaching and training others in diet and nutrition.  What started off rocky, has turned into a successful career as an author, fitness expert, podcast host and many more things. 

Today, Drew joins me for a fun, engaging and informative conversation about:

  • Drew’s background story including his baseball career;
  • Taking risks;
  • Building resilience through:
    • Nutrition, particularly of the plant-based (vegan) variety;
    • Managing stress
    • Mindfulness
  • How to make positive changes that will endure
  • Finding a career that you love
  • Loads more

It was a blast speaking to Drew and I am sure you’ll find it entertaining and extremely useful.

Show notes:

Drew’s website: http://trueformlife.com/

Drew’s podcast “Exploring Mind and Body” - http://exploringmindandbody.com/

Drew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrueFormLife

Drew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trueformlife

Drew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewtaddia/

Drew’s book Detoxify Yourself: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21398927-detoxify-yourself?from_search=true

 

Did you like this episode? Subscribe to the All Things Risk podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it on social media:

Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh

Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast

Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo

Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings  

Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com

Visit: www.allthingsrisk.co.uk - and find all episodes and ways to subscribe

Sep 4, 2016

How many people can draw a line in their lives that connects living in the West Bank, yacht racing around the world, doing polar expeditions, and becoming the CEO for a highly successful technology firm?  Probably one - and this week, he joins me on the All Things Risk Podcast to talk risk, digital media, leadership, and much more.  Meet Tony Haile, founding CEO of Chartbeat (www.chartbeat.com), explorer, adjunct Professor, and many other things.

The things that Tony has done may, at first glance, seem disparate and unrelated.  However, as you'll soon grasp, the way that Tony looks at them, they are completely connected.  One of the threads that runs through Tony's endeavours is around risk and risk-taking.  Tony has for instance, applied many lessons from his polar expedition days to the world of tech start-ups.

Chartbeat, the company Tony led as CEO for seven years is similarly an interesting story - not only because it went from start-up to market leader in its field, but also for what it does.  Chartbeat helps media companies understand how its audience engages with content (as opposed to the blunt instrument of measuring clicks and page views). Tony's work at Chartbeat revealed that in spite of the click bait economy of which we are a part, there is a massive demand for thoughtful and nuanced content.  We talk about this, including the future of digital media and investigative journalism in part of this episode.

This all makes for a fun, wide-ranging and very insightful conversation that I am certain you will not only enjoy, but also take away some practical things you can use.  We cover:

  • Tony's background, including studying International Relations and living in the West Bank Palestinian territory;
  • Polar expeditions and working with explorer and endurance athlete Ben Saunders;
  • Lessons in risk management Tony took from the world of yacht racing and polar expeditions and applied to the world of tech start-ups - this part of the conversation will perhaps challenge any preconceptions you might have about tech entrepreneurs being risk-seeing mavericks prone to recklessness;
  • Chartbeat - what it does and how he helped make it a success;
  • Lessons from his time as a CEO;
  • The state of digital media;
  • The future of investigative journalism;
  • Book recommendations - Tony is a avid reader and lists the books he as read each year on his website (www.tonyhaile.com) - this led to an interesting discussion on genes and transhumanism (although we did not have enough time to cover this properly!)
  • And much more!

Show notes:

Tony's website - www.tonyhaile.com 

Tony on Twitter: https://twitter.com/arctictony 

Tony on Linkedin: http://bit.ly/2c7fb7E 

Chartbeat: https://chartbeat.com/ 

Tony's article in Time Magazine "What You Know About the Web is Wrong" - http://time.com/12933/what-you-think-you-know-about-the-web-is-wrong/ 

Feature on Tony and Chartbeat in the Columbia Journalism Review: http://www.cjr.org/innovations/tony_haile_chartbeat.php 

Ernest Shackleton - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Shackleton 

Ben Saunders - http://www.bensaunders.com/ 

The Scott Expedition: http://scottexpedition.com/ 

Control Risks: www.controlrisks.com 

Article "What ISIS Really Wants": http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/03/what-isis-really-wants/384980/ 

The Last Lion 3 by William Manchester and Paul Reid (although also check out 1 and 2): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/746673.The_Last_Lion_3?from_search=true 

The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddharta Mukherjee: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276428-the-gene?from_search=true 

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Aug 30, 2016

This is just a short in-betweenisode in which I look ahead to our exciting autumn line-up and make a few announcements about the show. Enjoy the rest of your summer and check in for the next full episode on Sept 6th!

Also, if you are wondering about how to get the show on you Android device but don't know how, there are several ways.  You can download and listen to the show on any of the following apps:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast 

Spreaker: http://www.spreaker.com/show/the-all-things-risk-podcast 

Tunein: http://tunein.com/radio/The-All-Things-Risk-Podcast-p869339/ 

Acast: https://www.acast.com/allthingsrisk 

Or any one of the apps here: http://subscribeonandroid.com/feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:119601698/sounds.rss 

And check out our new website (shh - still a secret!): www.allthingsrisk.co.uk 

Aug 24, 2016

Do you ever feel like our organisations are trying to chisel fine sculptures with blunt instruments?  This could be a company pursuing a cost-cutting drive at the expense of innovation and growth, a public policy that aims to solve last year's problem instead of dealing with future challenges, or an education system transfixed on improving test scores at the expense of deeper education.  The world is complex, nuanced and much like one of this show's running themes, interconnected.  The world is digital, and yet, many of our approaches are analog, particularly in the realm of public policy.

Fortunately, there is a better way to look at the world that embraced uncertainty and complexity.  It's called systems thinking and my guest today is an expert in this field.  Michele Battle-Fisher is a professor in the Department of Community Health at Wright State University in Ohio, USA.  She is also the author of a book called "Application of Systems Thinking to Health Policy and Public Health Ethics: Public Health and Private Illness".  She is fun and engaging and we have a very nutrient dense conversation that covers:

  • Michele's background and systems thinking origin story that involves a 5th grade speech contest;
  • What systems thinking is and why it is useful for dealing with uncertainty and risk;
  • Public policy, sub-optimal outcomes and predicting public behaviour;
  • Health and the challenges associated with creating and meeting health targets (including an example from her book that looks at HIC amongst teens);
  • Artificial intelligence (AI);
  • Donald Rumsfeld's famous quote on "known unknowns" and "unknown unknowns";
  • "policy puffins"
  • How we can all become better systems thinkers
  • And much more!

Show notes:

Michele's archived blog: orgcomplexity.wordpreess.com

Michele's scholarship webpage: mbattlefisher.wix.com/orgcomplexity

Michele's book- Amazon- https://www.amazon.com/Application-Systems-Thinking-Health-Policy/dp/3319122029/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470658466&sr=8-1&keywords=michele+battle-fisher

Springer (publisher) http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319122021

Twitter @Mbattlefisher

LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/mbattlefisher

Facebook author page @michelebattlefisher

HumanCurrent podcast @Letsworkhappy http://www.human-current.com

Design4Emergence magazine @d4emergence @gabbleduck (editor- Stacy Hale) design4emergence.com

LinkedIn Groups:

  1. System thinking network (formerly Systems Thinking World)
  2. UK Systems Society
  3. SNA for health
  4. Systems Thinking & System Dynamics Practitioners Global Network

Select Research Institutes and Systems Focused Organizations:

  1. Sante Fe Institute santafe.edu
  2. Complexity Explorer (Sante Fe Institute) www.complexityexplorer.org
  3. Donella Meadows Institute www.donellameadows.org
  4. Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science http://www.bcsss.org/
  5. International Society for the Systems Sciences http://isss.org
  6. Rethink Health rethinkhealth.org/
  7. Waters Foundation www.watersfoundation.org
  8. System Dynamics Society systemdynamics.org/

Donald Rumsfeld Documentary http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2390962/

A few recommended books to introduce systems thinking:

  1. Meadows, D. (2008). Thinking in Systems- a primer. Chelsea Green: White River Junction, Vermont.
  2. Mitchell, M. (2011). Complexity: a guided tour. Oxford : New York.
  3. Kadushin, C. (2012). Understanding Social Networks. Oxford: New York.
  4. Caldarelli, G. & Catanzaro, M. (2012). Networks- a very short introduction. Oxford: New York.
  5. Holland, J. (2013). Complexity- a very short introduction. Oxford: New York.
  6. Watts, D. (2003). Six degrees- the science of a connected age. Norton: New York.
  7. Barabasi, A-L. (2010). Bursts- the hidden patterns behind everything we do, from your email to bloody crusades. Plume: New York.
  8. Barabasi, A-L. (2014). Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life. Basic Books: New York.
  9. Booth-Sweeney, L. & Meadows, D. (2010). The Systems Thinking Playbook. Chelsea Green: White River Junction, Vt.

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Aug 17, 2016

In this in-betweenisode, I offer a "yin and yang" perspective on intelligent risk-taking.  "Think Big" is a about finding an aspiration, vision or goal that based on deep meaning and will keep you motivated during times of adversity.  "Start Small" is all about taking practical steps towards that goal.

Show notes:

Pablo Casals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Casals

"The Black Swan" by Nassim Taleb: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Swan-Impact-Highly-Improbable/dp/0141034599/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471474779&sr=8-1&keywords=the+black+swan 

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Aug 10, 2016

I thoroughly dislike New Year's resolutions because in the vast majority of cases, they fail.  So, I think it is highly appropriate that we have an episode in August that revolves around the themes of health, wellness, resilience improving performance and becoming a better version of yourself by a measure of 10x.  Today's show discusses all of these things and much more without relying on the clichéd and popular methods we hear about that ultimately do not work.

My guest is Hari Kalymnios.  Hari is a keynote speaker, trainer, author, Tedx speaker, executive coach and many other things.  He is all about helping people become what he likes to call "super leaders".  He owns a leadership training company here in London called "The Thought Gym" (thethoughtgym.com) and has a very interesting background.  We have a wonderful conversation that covers:

  • Hari-s interesting background including how he got into training and coaching;
  • Things he learned from studying high performers;
  • Mental strength
  • Building energy;
  • Food and nutrition;
  • Daily rituals
  • Adopting new and positive habits sot that they stick;
  • Fixed versus growth mindsets;
  • Risk and intelligent risk-taking;
  • The power of consistency
  • and loads more!

Show notes:

Hari's website: harikalymnios.com 

thethoughtgym.com 

Hari's Tedx talk "Unlock Your Inner Superhuman": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQWGgO4pWy4 

Hari's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/thethoughtgym 

Hari on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thethoughtgym 

The Thought Gym on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheThoughtGym/ 

Hari's book "The Thought Gym": https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thought-Gym-Train-mind-follow/dp/1481966294/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470868480&sr=8-1&keywords=the+thought+gym 

Joseph McClendon III: makeyourfate.com

Book "The Ph Miracle": https://www.amazon.co.uk/pH-Miracle-Balance-Reclaim-Health-ebook/dp/B00FOSA8M8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470868538&sr=1-1&keywords=the+ph+miracle 

_______

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Jul 27, 2016

Ep 18 Laura Bingham

Imagine cycling up and over the Andes mountains in Ecuador and Peru (a few times), into the Amazon, across the desert in Bolivia, then into Paraguay and finally Argentina, finishing in Buenos Aires.  Sounds pretty gruelling, doesn't it?  Now let's add a twist: do this on no money, nothing.  Well, that is exactly what my guest Laura Bingham recently accomplished.

Laura is an adventurer and very recently completed this epic journey.  I had the pleasure of speaking to her about it all on this episode of the show - and you will have the pleasure of listening to it!  This was an amazing conversation that I am sure you will enjoy and from which get plenty of inspiration and advice, regardless of whether or not you are into cycling or travel.

Laura and I discuss:

  • Her background, which includes teaching in Mexico and sailing across the Atlantic Ocean back to her native England;
  • The origins of her idea to cycle across South America;
  • How it worked - how she found food, places to stay, and navigated several challenges;
  • Mental strength, including overcoming difficult periods;
  • Some of the highlights of the adventure;
  • Advice for anyone looking to meet a challenge;
  • Tarantulas, armadillos, and chicken dinners;
  • Much much more!

Show notes:

Laura's website: www.laurabingham.org 

Laura on Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurabingham93 

Laura on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurabingham93/ 

Laura in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurabingham93/ 

Operation South America: http://www.operationsouthamerica.org/ 

Motivational Madness on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/viralrescue 

The All Things Risk Podcast Episode 2 - Martian Cioana: http://allthingsrisk.libsyn.com/ep-2-martian-cioana 

The Transcontinental Race: http://www.transcontinental.cc/ 

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Jul 20, 2016

People love to hear expert predictions and forecasts during times of high uncertainty and volatility.  Many of these are wrong - with an important exception. In this this short episode, I discuss why we should embrace nuance ("shades of grey") and how to do so. 

Show notes:

Future Babble by Dan Gardner: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Future-Babble-Expert-Predictions-Believe/dp/0753522365/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469049168&sr=8-1&keywords=future+babble 

"Science Says There's a Surprising Way to Change People's Political Views": http://uk.businessinsider.com/surprising-way-to-change-political-opinions-2016-6?utm_content=buffer487d3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer?r=US&IR=T 

"Rise of the 'alta-male'": http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/rise-of-the-alta-male-the-new-priorities-of-men-in-2016/ 

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Jul 11, 2016

Risk management needs an overhaul.  It needs to join the 21st Century.  Daniel Wagner and Dante Disparte's new book Global Risk Agility and Decision-Making: Organisational Resilience in the Era of Man-Made Risk not only discusses why this is the case, but also provides a great road map of how to achieve it.

This week, Daniel joins me as the first guest to make a re-appearance on the show.  He discusses many of the book's themes and we have a fascinating conversation that I felt could have gone for hours.  We talk about:

  • Brexit - while I never want to date any of my episodes, I thought I'd be re-miss not to tap Daniel's expertise on country risk management and spend some time getting his take on Britain's recent referendum;
  • The Anthropecene Era and man-made risks - we spend some time talking about climate change in particular, but the book also discusses things like terrorism and cyber risk;
  • Where risk management goes wrong for organisations - short-termism, greed, etc.; 
  • Risk agility;
  • Systemic issues like corruption and vested interests in global politics;
  • Organisations "having a conscience";
  • Individual and organisational leadership;
  • Disruption
  • Common sense
  • and much more!

It is a wonderful conversation that I am sure you will enjoy!

Show notes:

__________________________

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Jul 6, 2016

What is it about travel? Why put yourself in positions of almost pure uncertainty in foreign lands? What is about not knowing what a place is going to be like that is so wonderful?

To explore these and other topics, Hayden Lee joins me today. Hayden is the host of a show called “The Travel Stories” podcast. Hayden is also a musician (he was the bassist for a band called Lazarus Mode), sound technician, and many other things. He is also loads of fun and a great story-teller.

This was a fantastic conversation with some great stories, loads of laughs, and some wonderful insights.  We get into: 

•Hayden’s background – he is the ”son of a hippie mom and a biker dad”
•His experience picking up and moving to Australia with all but $300 to his name
•Going back to England a few years later via Asia
•Three of Hayden’s “I almost died” stories
•Motorbiking in the Mekong Delta
•What makes travel so wonderful
•Uncertainty, taking risks
•And loads more!
 
Show notes:
 
•Check out Hayden’s show, “The Travel Stories Podcast”: http://travelstoriespodcast.com/
•Follow Hayden on Twitter: https://twitter.com/travelstoriesuk
•Check out his show’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/travelstoriespodcast/?fref=ts

 

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Jun 30, 2016

This is an in-betweenisode in which I offer some thoughts on the recent UK referendum to leave the EU (Brexit), and how to respond to greater uncertainty caused by changes in our external environments.

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Jun 22, 2016

How do leaders, innovators, and successful entrepreneurs practice resilience?  How does resilience help to create success (and how do we even define success)?  My guest on this week’s episode is best-selling author, CEO, management expert and technology entrepreneur Faisal Hoque.  Faisal currently runs a company called Shadoka and is a regular contributor for Fast Company.  Faisal has a very interesting background.  He moved from Bangladesh to the USA when he was 17 and by the age of 22, started his own company and was on the way to achieve tremendous success.  However, he eventually had to deal with tremendous adversity and that’s when he started to make a number of changes in his life and approach.  We get into all of that, and much more. 

We discuss:

•Entrepreneurship
•Resilience
•Mindfulness
•Meditation
•Life paths and trajectories
•Emotional intelligence and systemic thinking
•Success
•Risk and living in uncertainty
•Overcoming adversity

And much more!

Show notes: 

Faisal’s website: http://faisalhoque.com/

Shadoka: http://shadoka.com/

Faisal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/faisal_hoque

Faisal in Fast Company: http://www.fastcompany.com/user/faisal-hoque

Faisal in Business Insider: http://uk.businessinsider.com/author/faisal-hoque

Survive to Thrive: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Survive-Thrive-Practices-Entrepreneurs-Innovators-ebook/dp/B0101FI78A/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1466638185&sr=8-5&keywords=survive+to+thrive

Everything Connects: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everything-Connects-Creativity-Innovation-Sustainability-ebook/dp/B00HSO0YIE/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1466638220&sr=8-1&keywords=everything+connects

Lydia Dishman article on having mulitple jobs: http://www.fastcompany.com/3060326/the-future-of-work/in-the-future-well-all-have-multiple-jobs

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki-ebook/dp/B00I8USOM0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1466638892&sr=1-1&keywords=zen+mind+beginners+mind

River Monsters: http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/river-monsters/

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Jun 15, 2016

This is a short in-betweenisode in which I discuss grit and motivation.  I offer four tips and steps around how to push through when a lack of motivation is a factor.

 

Show notes:

Article on negative thoughts: http://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/three-techniques-to-manage-40000-negative-thoughts

Article on how action creates emotion: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/insight-therapy/201010/action-creates-emotion

Article on habits: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-happiness-project/200910/stop-expecting-change-your-habit-in-21-days

Tim Ferriss on habits: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2009/01/07/the-power-of-less-leo-babauta-zen-habits

Rich Roll: www.richroll.com 

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