Shows
LifeDoneDifferent.lyBrad Carter - Raver and Michelin Starred Chef. Teach Yourself.This conversation is with the chef, raver and compulsively creative Brad Carter. Brad’s not averse to learning from others but his energy levels peak, his boat is well and truly floated, when he has a vision for something different. From winning a pizza-making competition at school through his partying years to a surprise Michelin star, Brad seems to relish constraints using them to make things his own. This includes his restaurant Carters, the one-star doner bar, Psychedelic Jam, and much more.
2024-04-232h 26LifeDoneDifferent.lyBoff Whalley from Chumbawamba - Let it BeWelcome to our conversation with the Musician and Artist Boff Whalley. Boff was formerly the lead-guitarist of British anarchist punk band Chumbawumba. Best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping".Boff grew up in Burnley, in a Morman family. He embraced the art and punk scenes, experimented with different types of music, and with his anarchist mates from the squat formed Chumbawumba which became famous for Tubthumping and pouring water over John Prescott at the 1998 Brits. Chumbawumba, unusually, seem to have navigated their way through an industry with their val...
2024-01-312h 04LifeDoneDifferent.lyDerek Sivers - The usefulness of oppositesDerek Sivers is a man with his own mind. To describe him as a musician, circus clown, entrepreneur, programmer, author, speaker, philosopher and Dad might whet your appetite but it would only be a part of the story. Whatever Derek does, he rarely does it on auto-pilot. He has a knack for questioning things. His beliefs are less likely to be a story he's inherited and more likely to be a useful experience. He listens to himself and when what he does fails to resonate, he notices it and explores the alternatives. He's learned to be unafraid of hierarchies...
2022-12-221h 33LifeDoneDifferent.lySteve Chapman (@stevexoh) - exploring the counter-intuitiveThis is a conversation with Steve Chapman. Steve worked for Glaxo Smith Kline for 20 years, he started packing boxes and ended up in a senior management role - and then he became an artist. It sounds like a huge dose of doing something very different but it's not quite as dramatic as that. Steve has found a way to do what he wants to do and earn a living selling his art and helping organisations understand creativity and the human condition. He says "I'm at my best when I’m on the edge of not quite knowing wha...
2022-08-291h 31LifeDoneDifferent.lyA Sneak Peek of a Project Neil has been working onBetter Business On Purpose is a book that Neil has recently co-authored.It's a practical guide for leaders who want to grow profit and have a positive impact on the world.Included in the book:Examples of inspiring businesses that have embedded purpose in their DNA, and who are making it work.The '7 Ps' - a systematic approach to making your business more purpose-led and profitable at the same time.The case for "doing more": why all business leaders have their role to play, and why it is never too late to begin.
2022-06-2911 minLifeDoneDifferent.lyPieter Levels - Thinking and doing for yourselfHello and welcome to our conversation with Pieter Levels. Peter is the man behind NomadList.com, remoteOK.com, InflationChart.com, rebase.co and more.Pieter is hard to describe if you’re after an old-world description. He’s most certainly a business guy and a software developer guy but he works remotely, sometimes he charges for his creations, sometimes he doesn’t. He practices radical honesty with himself and others. He’s unafraid to experiment, to play and learned as a student that doing something different can have unexpected and very rewarding consequences.
2022-05-161h 38LifeDoneDifferent.lySteph Smith - Life done differently for the risk adverseUntil she went to Sweden as part of a student exchange programme, Steph didn't really question the trajectory she was on. She was going with the flow. A spell in Sweden, a different culture with different people and in particular a different educational system woke Steph up to the idea that she had led a sheltered life and that different was at the very least interesting and at very best, significantly better than the way things were done back home.The idea that there were other ways to do things stuck . . so when it c...
2022-04-291h 27LifeDoneDifferent.lyRosie Sherry - Reckless MotherHi All - in this episode we talk to Rosie Sherry. Rosie is a self-declared introvert and community builder extraordinaire. She is best known for the Ministry of Testing, Indie Hackers, Rosie.land and RecklessMother.com Rosie builds communities and has done so for more than 15 years. It includes the Sherry community of Rosie, Graham and their 5 kids aged 17 to 3 - none of whom go to school. It’s not that Rosie is looking to rebel. It's just that she seems to be clear about how she wants to spen...
2022-04-141h 47LifeDoneDifferent.lyMills - Finding MyselfMills founded ustwo with Sinx, his mate from school. Ustwo has become a digital product studio, a games company and an investment business. They have always worked with the biggest brands in the world. In part, Neil & I enjoyed this because Mills is from a world we understand pretty well. It’s a world that’s exploded in the last 25 years or so. A world where creativity meets technology, a world where innovation is valued, where work and play, and an excess of both, is baked-in to most successful start-ups because it’s a world f...
2021-03-311h 44LifeDoneDifferent.lyEmile Bennett - Letting GoHi all - welcome to our conversation with Emile Bennett, Emile is a 37-year-old knife-maker and bladesmith but it’s taken him a while to feel comfortable with those descriptions. Previously his world was software, apps, websites and to begin with studio engineering. Originally from the UK, he now lives in Chamonix in the French Alps.Emile has spent most of his working life with the distinct feeling that he wasn’t doing what he was meant to do. This is Emile’s very frank story of his struggles with anxiety and his search for me...
2021-03-031h 48LifeDoneDifferent.lyCharles Wookey - Reinvent YourselfHi everyone. I hope you're doing okay given the circumstances. Welcome to our conversation with Charles Wookey. Charles is the CEO of A Blueprint for Better Business, a charity that helps organisations consider their social and environmental impact alongside their financial goals. This is how I know Charles. His organisation does some great work but how Charles' ended up with Blueprint is the interesting bit.Boarding school from the age of six is a mixed blessing. It's certainly not what he wanted for his children put it that way. Philosophy and Physics at Oxford followed school and...
2021-01-281h 36LifeDoneDifferent.lyJunior Smart OBE - Leader - Part 2Hello hello - welcome to Part 2 of our conversation with Junior Smart. If you haven't listened to Part 1 I suggest you do that first. Part One takes us to the point where Junior is just about to be sent to prison for what turned out to be a twelve-year sentence. This is Part 2 where Junior describes the shock of prison, the meanness and the compassion of both prison staff and inmates. He describes his journey from being scared to being respected, from someone who went with the flow to someone who swam against it . . . and ended up with an...
2020-11-131h 51LifeDoneDifferent.lyJunior Smart - Getting comfortable with uncomfortable - Part 1Junior Smart is a youth leader, an ex-offender, an academic and a couple of months ago he added father to this list. If you don't believe people can change, listen to this. This is a story about the power of belonging. A need we all have to belong to a group. A lesson in how we often attach importance to the wrong things and end up in the wrong group, the wrong Club. It's a lesson in how, with an open mind and good people in your support team, you can change beyond your imagination. Ju...
2020-10-1648 minLifeDoneDifferent.lyMatt & Lucia Long - I'm actually an opera singerHi everyone. Hope you're all okay, coping, surviving, learning, growing - it's hard to know what to say these days - we're all experiencing the same thing and whilst the experience is so shared sometimes . . . the more I talk to people the more I understand, at times, how very differently we're all experiencing it. This conversation is a good example. It's a conversation with Matt & Lucia, husband and wife, both professional singers, parents to Persephone, neighbours of my friends Caramel & Roger and most recently the creative and operational geniuses behind mini music makers which are fun, energetic, e...
2020-10-051h 22LifeDoneDifferent.lyBen Ivey - When did you feel most loved?Hi All - welcome to our conversation with Ben Ivey. Ben is a coach to Entrepreneurs but what makes Ben interesting is that he's interested in the Entrepreneur as a person, the whole person not just as a business person. He's as happy talking about love as he is margins. He wants you to live the best life you can, one where regrets are minimised and magic moments are maximised. Ben's awareness of business was there from an early age. Both his Grandad and Dad were property entrepreneurs and this feeling that he needed to take personal re...
2020-10-021h 36LifeDoneDifferent.lyTom Libelt - The Reluctant AdventurerThis episode is a conversation with Tom Libelt, salesman, musician and DJ, coffee shop owner, publisher and most recently digital nomad.Thank you to Tom for a thoroughly enjoyable conversation. As you've probably noticed, our title for Tom is 'The Reluctant Adventurer'.For Tom, adventure is a reaction to boredom, not the primary motivation. It seems clear that Tom's parents and his wealth of experiences as a child played a role in shaping him. I loved hearing about the VCR and blueberry hustles. I loved the way he dealt so nonchalantly with the...
2020-09-251h 23LifeDoneDifferent.lyRay & Neil | Change Uninvited Kick-OffThe benefits of being forced to do something we said we'd never do Responding to changeThe difference between hearing a story and experiencing itThe need for human connectionThe importance of humourFinding ups within the downsCan you build real relationships via technology?How we can all experience the same event so very differently When fear and excitement become the same thingCOVID-19 as a magic wand for the environmentThe possibility of Universal Basic Income (UBI) The importance of taking aim
2020-08-0738 minLifeDoneDifferent.lyClare Farrell - RebellionShe tried mainstream fashion but didn't fit in. Clare doesn't fit in - in so many ways! Clare's a rebel. She suggests that rebellion became a part of her when she moved schools and studied the same syllabus and sat the same exams two years on the trot. Clare, because she was bright got very bored and that bred rebellion. I'm sure that year shaped Clare but I have very little doubt that Clare was born to rebel. Her childhood was characterised by instability and change. She learned to cope with the unknown. As an adult with h...
2020-07-102h 03LifeDoneDifferent.lyKatey Wiseman | Why we all need a support teamWe met up a few weeks later and Katey told me more. More about: The wasted years of her life and how she started to doubt people were goodNoticing she was angry with herself and everyone around herThe point at which she decided not to be angryHow she became braver, how she started to changeHow the simple act of liking an instagram post became the first step of her journey The importance of her friends who act as her support teamThe moment when she realised she was strong Her brother's suggestion to make a list of the things she...
2020-07-0123 min
Heart of Dad PodcastHeart of Dad Season 2 Episode 1 - Ray RichardsRay Richards is a social entrepreneur and a founder of tech wellbeing company, Do Something Different, the Life Done Different.ly podcast and Port Moor Cottage, a men’s wellbeing retreat that floods. His work seeks to understand how we can all find balance in our lives through the lens of the unknown and the known, how we can all benefit from taking small slightly uncomfortable steps into the unknown and turning that experience into the known. His work explains how that process of expanding our comfort zone is crucial for our wellbeing.In t...
2020-04-1852 minLifeDoneDifferent.lyDamian Keyes - F**k Plan BWe have a big old natter about:Growing up in SwanseaThe problem of doing what you want on your wedding day - when others want you to go with the flow (one week after this conversation Damian was getting married Vegas) Moving to New YorkThe problem of describing what he does; Musician v Builder of BusinessesThe creativity of building businesses When he gets bored it's time to move onBeing a five-star failerGood drummers = good videographersPlaying Wembley Arena & Hyde Park Meeting your heroesBeing paid to do what you loveFailing all his GCSE'sJoining a bandSigning a record deal and the ant...
2020-03-062h 00LifeDoneDifferent.lyDave Cornthwaite - Say Yes MoreIn this episode, we talk to Dave about:the importance of articulating a vision when you're working in a teamthe move from graphic designer to Adventurerthe move from adventurer to community leadernot wanting to wait for the bad thing to happen before making changes to his lifebeing a fortunate kidhaving 18 different addresses by the time he was 18 (because his Dad was in the RAF)not needing to make long-term friends because he was going to move onbeing physically and mentally bullied at schoolwhen football isn't enoughplanning his suicide feeling there was something important inside waiting to get outthe d...
2019-11-291h 52LifeDoneDifferent.lyKim Slade - Licking the Lid of LifeWe talked to Kim aboutStudying the stoner's degree that is music technologyNot feeling he could focus enough to become a professional singer-songwriterSwapping music tours for travellingEnjoying the creative processGoing to the Happy Startup School Summercamp five years previously when first looking to leave employmentOn the travelling bug and finding the places that other people don'tHaving a Mum and Dad who encouraged adventureThe importance of a 'Buddy' (Nicola in Kim's case) when stepping outside a comfort zone Wanting to be a pioneerTravelling to Central America not understanding that no one speaks EnglishAlmost leaving Central America because it was t...
2019-11-181h 52LifeDoneDifferent.lyNeil and Ray at the CottageWe recorded this episode at Port Moor Cottage, a shack on stilts sitting on an island in Essex. It would be an understatement to say we've learned from our conversations with guests. They have been kind enough to share their stories of change and do so in some depth. In this wrap-up episode we talk about:The importance of a Support Team, positive people that have a genuine interest in you, your wellbeing and your growthThe benefits of adopting a child-like curiosity to lifeThe doors that can open when we reassess what we value (trading with different currencies...
2019-10-2133 min
LifeDoneDifferent.lyMike Dicks - Who's saying you can't do what you want to do?In this conversation we explored:Why people often apologise for the work they doThe stories we tell ourselves and how they can limit our developmentThe inevitably of the ups and downs in our livesWhy he eventually got expelled from collegeHis first job selling computers at DixonsMeeting Sir Clive SinclairHis expected life trajectory of marry, kids, mortgage His problem with authority His ability to translate the features of technology into the benefits for humansThe moment he realised his employer was trying to trap himWhy it's important to expose your kids to people who live different livesWhy Mike leaves things to...
2019-09-131h 56
LifeDoneDifferent.lyPablo Woodward - What would you do if you only had one life?This conversation in the Bunny Bus covered many moments in the life of Pablo Woodward. This includes the arrival of his 3 children and the Disco Bunny plus:Realising he didn't have a life he'd asked for or wantedHis quest to understand himselfGoing from not believing in himself to doing what he does with passionGoing into shock when one of his first video's went viralBeing accepted His need to learn, grow and push himselfHis sales pitch of free positive energy, free music, free smiles, free glitter, free chalkPablo noticing the different reactions from different people and understanding he makes p...
2019-07-191h 37
LifeDoneDifferent.lyRik Turner and Henrietta Jayden - What would you notice, if you slowed down?We talked to Rik and Hen about the new life they've created and how. They talk to us about:The productivity benefits of slowing downThe importance of taking ownership of how we spend our timeThe importance of understanding when working harder isn't workingFinancial security in the future v being energised and healthy nowThe importance of creating time in order to connect with oneselfRecognising rock bottom'Time' becoming their new currency The vicious circle of the hard working week followed by the getting smashed weekend The crucial difference between knowing what to do and doing it How a focus on his...
2019-07-051h 39
LifeDoneDifferent.lyLiam McGough - From big trees to Big Brother and back again - Part 2These show notes are a duplicate of those found in Part 1. Our conversation with Liam covered many topics. He talked openly about:Growing up thinking he was the dumb oneFailing all his GCSE's Thinking he has undiagnosed dyslexiaFinding confidence in his quick-wittedness and his climbing ability Deciding to study climbing trees because he was already good at thatFeeling part stupid, part geniusHis talent for doing dickish things, just to see a person's reactionTelling himself "don't be nervous because your brain will cope when the time comes"His preference for enduring the feeling of being afraid than bei...
2019-06-211h 09
LifeDoneDifferent.lyLiam McGough - From big trees to Big Brother and back again - Part 1Our conversation with Liam covered many topics. He talked openly about:Growing up thinking he was the dumb oneFailing all his GCSE's Thinking he has undiagnosed dyslexiaFinding confidence in his quick-wittedness and his climbing ability Deciding to study climbing trees because he was already good at thatFeeling part stupid, part geniusHis talent for doing dickish things, just to see a person's reactionTelling himself "don't be nervous because your brain will cope when the time comes"His preference for enduring the feeling of being afraid than being someone who couldn't do thingsTelling people he can do things and then wo...
2019-06-2152 min
LifeDoneDifferent.lyAlastair Humphreys - Fear is an adventureWe chatted to Alastair at the British Library. He talked to us about:His natural personality of nervousness, stress and hate of late Coaxing himself to become more curious, more spontaneous, more relaxed and more adventurous Differentiate between the things where you have control and those you don't i.e. don't get frustrated with the waves because you can't change themConfidence is built from doing things and the trick is to keep the momentum goingThe impact of his adventures on his life - and becoming more of the person he wants to beLearning to focus on what matters in...
2019-06-071h 18
LifeDoneDifferent.lyHamish McKenzie - How to recycle yourself out of the systemIt would be fair to say Hamish is not a conventional man. Check out The Bizarre Houseboats of Britain to see what I mean. He thinks and acts differently and the effect is certainly different. In this conversation he tells us: - Why he got rid of the TV at 18 years old- Why he rescued a shapely old Portsmouth Ferry from the riverbed- How his floating home became a reflection of his warped self - What a squircle is- The freedom that comes from a frugal lifestyle- The s...
2019-04-291h 19
LifeDoneDifferent.lyLaurence McCahill - Chipping away at the rock until the image reveals itselfLaurence and Carlos are designers of events and an online community that make entrepreneurs happy. In this conversation, Laurence talked to us about:Growing up in London pubsThe family DNA of bringing people togetherThe benefits of aligning what you think, say and doHow he helps corporate hippiesA life spent working out what he doesn't want to doForgetting his vision which became a reality 20 years later (his wife Tamsin did not forget)Breaking his back in the middle of nowhere The merits of 'temping' The benefits of not being an artist when in a creative roleRealising that culture is th...
2019-04-291h 42
LifeDoneDifferent.lyBruce Daisley - How 'Cartoon Boy' finds the fast laneWe wished we'd had longer with Bruce. He's a brilliant demonstration of what you can achieve if you truly understand your strengths. He seems very able in many areas but what sets him apart is his ability to understand and therefore reach his audience. He seems to always find a way to stand out from the crowd and when he doesn't, he persists. Bruce is a people person through and through. We talked about:His frustration with Greenpeace*Working hard but not compromising on his 8 hours sleep.Why he shies away from telling people he works at Twitter wh...
2019-03-201h 00
LifeDoneDifferent.lyFiona Oakes - Searching for pain in pursuit of purposeFiona is the antidote to any 'get rich quick' or 'instagram' society. Her philosophy on life is simple; if there's a problem that needs fixing, fix it yourself. Don't talk about the problem, paper over the cracks, ask for help or look for shortcuts. Just get stuck in and learn from your experience. Expect problems and deal with them as they arise, the more you experience problems, the better equipped you'll be to deal with them in the future. In this conversation Fiona sheds light on:the 'doing' motivation versus the 'achieving' motivation how she moved 'p...
2019-02-141h 55LifeDoneDifferent.lyOliver Dall - Wrap Up EpisodeIs this a useful format? Please tell us what you think over on twitter https://twitter.com/lifedonediff
2019-01-0708 min
LifeDoneDifferent.lyOliver Dall - How your weirdness can be your most valuable assetOliver was our first ever guest. Neil happened to go into Oliver's store and was so enamoured with both the store and proprietor, he asked if we could meet. LifeDoneDifferent.ly was born. Oliver talked to us about: Selling plums outside his parents houseHow school really wasn't entertaining enough for himThe benefits of having supportive, positive parents and positive friendsAt 16 why he ditched the idea of college for a job selling phones for O2His experience of going from a terrible manager to a fantastic manager as a Trainee Estate AgentHis need to stand out and be independentHis s...
2019-01-071h 44
LifeDoneDifferent.lyTom Hall - A life of risk and a heart attack at the balletWe met Tom at his very nice house in London. It's really nice! He shared his experiences in business and in life. He shared how he's changed and how his motivations have changed. What I like most about Tom is his ability to focus but never lose sight of the bigger picture including a super-skill in bringing his wide circle of friends and colleagues together. We talked about :How Miami Vice provided him with a focus on money Taking two companies public Having a rocket scientist for a DadTom, the 10 year old entrepreneurWhy he chose a job over un...
2019-01-051h 42
LifeDoneDifferent.lyMark Williamson - Confessions of a recovering people pleaserWe've known Mark and Action for Happiness for many years but this conversation was different. Here we learned about Mark's sometimes painful journey into the world of social entrepreneurship. It was a real pleasure to talk about: Big questions such as "What really matters in life?"What happens when you climb the ladder of success only to find you're climbing the wrong ladderWhat it takes to help people experience and create a happier worldHow our leaders have forgotten to focus on the greatest happiness for the greatest numberWhy measuring GDP at a national level and personal wealth at a...
2018-12-191h 19
LifeDoneDifferent.lyMonty Munford - Take it to the edge or don't take it at all"Those who tell stories rule society" so said, Plato. Monty Munford collects and tells very good stories. He doesn’t run society yet, but we’ll have more fun when he does.Monty was on the way to the pub when the lure of a few unusual beers persuaded him to join us in Ray’s cellar for a conversation that helped explain:Why he runs fast towards the edge of life’s cliff and then walks back Why he’s fed up with journalismWhy Peter Jones in Sloane Square is unlikely to replace his...
2018-11-301h 09
LifeDoneDifferent.lyAlan Phillips - When work is lifeAlan says "creativity is intelligence having fun”. He balances some very rigid and carefully designed routines with architectural anarchy. He joined us in The Walrus pub where he shared his thoughts on life including:Why everything will be fineOn vision as an ability to visualise and create order when others can only see chaosWhy he’s looking for £100 per week from each of his kidsA rock ‘n’ roll year working with Bono and The Edge Why Architects make very good lovers but very bad husbandsBecoming a committed Mod in 1965What it’s like to have two mothers and two fathersLa...
2018-10-241h 21
LifeDoneDifferent.lyGina Lyons - When you have nothing to lose, you have everything to gain“I want one moment in time. When I'm more than I thought I could be”, so sang Gina Lyons and Whitney Houston every morning for two weeks as Gina’s dreamed of becoming Britain’s first reality TV appointed TV Producer.Gina met us in the Prince Albert pub to tell us what it’s like to be a rude working class girl with no fear and:How a night on the rum resulted in her purchase of a Sri Lankan hotelHow her big break in TV evaporated and then reappeared How Ross Kemp beat h...
2018-10-1841 min
LifeDoneDifferent.lyNeil and Ray - Introducing a Life Done Different.lyWe recorded this episode in Ray's cellar having just recorded the ninth episode. We provide a bit of background which explains who we are, how we met and what we're interested in. Our plan is to have this sort of conversation every 10th episode or so.We cover the ideas that:successful lives are lived with a foot in each the known and the unknownif you want different results, you have to do something different the stories of others are what helps us focusbeliefs have no value without actionthe bigger the comfort zone, the bettergrowing one's c...
2018-10-0139 min
Life Done DifferentWelcome to Life Done DifferentFor show notes, links and more info, visit http://www.lifedonedifferent.com
2017-09-1101 min