Awesomely Off-Topic: Books, Brands, Business and Everything Else We’re Not Supposed to Say Out Loud

🎙️ Episode 21: Business With A Bang

• Taz Thornton and Asha Clearwater • Season 1 • Episode 21

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It’s bonfire season, so Taz and Asha are putting a firework up everyone’s backside to get your business burning bright. 

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SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to Automately Off Topic, the podcast that refuses to stay in its lane. We're Asher and Al, ex-journalists, now coaches, creators and chaos-embracing business owners. Each episode we'll dive into the world of books, branding, visibility, content, business, and wherever else our ADHD brains take us. This is unfiltered, unscripted, occasionally unhinged, and totally up.

SPEAKER_00:

Here we are again. What episode's this, Ash? I think it's something to do with Bonfinite, isn't it? Yeah. What number is it? Is it coming of age? Is this our coming of age up episode? Is it 21 already? This is our 21st.

SPEAKER_01:

Goodness ma. Cool, that takes me back on the city. Our 21st is going with a bang.

SPEAKER_00:

So uh well it is. Bonfire night.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Bonfinite. Yeah, this one actually launches.

SPEAKER_01:

The launch date for this episode is November the 4th, so almost. Okay, so I've got to start then because I'm going to ask you, right, what was Bonfire Night like for you as a kid growing up?

SPEAKER_00:

What are your memories? Mixed bag, really. I always remember being really upset that I wanted to build a guy and go do Penny for the Guy, and my parents would would never let me do that because you're not allowed to go. You're going out begging. Now that's interesting. Same with Trick or Treat, it was never allowed to do that either.

SPEAKER_01:

One of my friends from school did that, and she was literally just going out with a guy and sitting outside with a guy, not with a guy. No, with a well, yeah. Um but she used to do that regularly every year, and my mum and dad didn't want me to go. I wasn't allowed to go. Same. So same for you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. What other I what other memories do I have? I have memories of going round to an aunt and uncle's house for um fireworks and a bit of a bonfire in the back garden and toffee apples and stuff. We had our own fireworks.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we did sometimes. I was quite scared because um my dad would always take chances with them, and you're supposed to obviously leave it, so I'd get excited like a big kid and just light them all. And we'd have Catherine wheels on the treadmill.

SPEAKER_00:

And there was always a Catherine wheel that would ping off and chasing you.

SPEAKER_01:

And then it would go whizzing over and probably end up next door, in next door's garden. And because we had a cat, so mum was always worried about the cat and making sure he was okay. Lovely Tinger, he was a little rescue cat, he came from a factory cat. And um for anybody old enough, I don't know if we all have any listeners old enough to remember Tinger and Tucker, but it was a kids' programme years and years ago, we're talking 60s. So Tinger was like this black cat, he was my best mate, um, and we'd make sure he was safe and he was okay. But we'd have all sorts of fireworks, and I used to love sparklers. I grew to love.

SPEAKER_00:

How many times did you touch a hot ant uh antler? Sparkler. An antler. I don't know. Sparkler. Sparkler. How many times did you touch the handle of an antler or go to pick it up at the wrong end of it? You've done antler again. Why do you keep saying antler instead of sparkler?

SPEAKER_01:

Maybe you're thinking about you're getting towards Christmas now and thinking about Raindeer. Yeah. Rudolph. Rudolph the sparkling, reindeer. Yeah, but I did do it a couple of times, but for ages I wouldn't hold a sparkler, I was too scared. Yeah. I was really scared of them. Um and but then once I did and I got over that, I was like, oh, look at that.

SPEAKER_00:

Did you do the writing your name in the air with it thing?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And I also and also, but then you used to have those really screamer um ones of fireworks that used to chase you jumping jacks. Jumping jacks, yeah. They used to chase you across the garden, you wouldn't be allowed now. They were like, and then we'd have there'd always be a finale with a big rocket. There'd always be one at the end that would be like massive. You could probably you could probably could blow up the houses of parliament with that one. Oh I bet that would come up in the search now, we'll get arrested. Um but let's not make any comments there. But um it was it was great, and we had loads of what was yeah, toffee apples, you said. Toffee apples also had what else did we have? I'm trying to think what bonfire toffee. Bonfire Toffee would always send a toffee take your fillings out if you weren't careful, um, and loads of yeah, naughty things like that.

SPEAKER_00:

What about public displays?

SPEAKER_01:

Did you ever go to any of those? Yes, I did. Um because my dad used to work for Beau Water Scott, who were a big um place near where we lived where he'd work for years and years, and they make toilet rolls, good old Andrex. Um so we used to go to all their um does, which were good, including dinner dances and um also fireworks night as well, so we'd go to their things. But I did, I can remember when I was really little, really crying because it was really loud, really loud and a bit scary.

SPEAKER_00:

But um I remember going to uh a local display in our village up on the big playing field and getting quite excited about it. I must have only been quite small, probably primary school age. I remember having a hot dog and thinking, oh we're gonna eat all of that.

SPEAKER_01:

Not not now. I'm sure they've got smaller too. But anyway, we're vegan, vegan dogs.

SPEAKER_00:

What really put me off them is I remember looking up to look at the displays and just look at the drawer, some of the firework ash f floated straight and it went into my eye. Oh no! And it really hurt like a mofo. And that really that really upset me as a kid. Oh bless you.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and it used to and it was always I don't know, it used to be really cold nights sometimes, didn't it? You'd have your gloves on, your fingers would be like you couldn't feel like. It would be drizzly. It's like don't make it rain on the bottom. No, but I used to prefer the in in the ones that and also I have to indoor fire.

SPEAKER_00:

This is where I was just gonna go, because you're because we're both children of the eighties. I mean you were born in the sixties, I was born in the seventies. 74.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, alright. It was the best year, obviously. But yeah, indoor firewinds are so cool. They were like little slugs, weren't they? And they just kind of appeared and it sounds really attractive. You know what?

SPEAKER_00:

We used to say they're really cool and we'd want them, but actually most of them just fizzled for a second and they're not like a crusty dog poo, didn't they?

SPEAKER_01:

Sometimes they help I feel, I feel like I fizzled and feel like a crusty dog poo. They never white anymore though, are they? No, they're not, no. But yeah, that we used to have yeah, we used to have the in and I say, please can we have the indoor fireworks? What was it about those days? And they just weren't that good. But do you know what I think it was? Uh for me anyway, it was like we're having fireworks and they're indoors. We're not outdoors, this is really dangerous.

SPEAKER_00:

You know what? Because we record these episodes quite a long way in advance, so this is the episode that goes out the the day before Bomfire Night, it's on November the 4th. But we're actually recording this on what date is it today? August the 22nd. Yeah. So I reckon we should order some indoor fireworks if we can find some, and then we'll do a little promo video for this episode with some indoor fireworks.

SPEAKER_01:

Find them like you used to, though.

SPEAKER_00:

I did try to I tried to get you some last year, but I couldn't get them in time.

SPEAKER_01:

I love it. I also bought you um I think it was I bought you a card, didn't I, for your birthday recently? It's one of those. Card. I need to enunciate more. A card.

SPEAKER_00:

Did anyone was anyone else with me then, listeners?

SPEAKER_01:

Anyone else thinking I should have bought me a car? I brought no, I bought you a card which had fireworks on it, didn't it? And you opened it up and they all went off. It did, you're so cool. Yeah, you brought me that for my fifty. Of course, I would say now, I'm going to be a little bit not controversial, but I think with the technology we have now, with drones, with everything else, we don't and we need silent fireworks. We don't need them. All the wildlife, all the animals that are terrified, all the wildlife that dies is in shock from it all. We don't need to do it now.

SPEAKER_00:

No, we don't.

SPEAKER_01:

Let's just think about that.

SPEAKER_00:

And I know that you know we've some of our pets are rescues, and it doesn't matter how much we try to, you know, desensitise them or use all the pheromones of that they're it every every year.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and we put on um usually it's classic FM. Yeah, they have a lovely um pets uh time on there, don't they? They have all their astic sort of relaxing dunes, as it were. Um and we we put that on as well and try I don't think we need them.

SPEAKER_00:

I think for I think if people are insisting on having fireworks in their back garden, I think uh at best case they they should be silent ones.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

But also think about the damage they do to wildlife. And it's the same with do you remember those lanterns that people used to send out?

SPEAKER_01:

Please don't use the lanterns. They just they're horrendous.

SPEAKER_00:

And that's not just bonfire night, all over the place, the Chinese lanterns that go up into the street.

SPEAKER_01:

They look so pretty, yes, but think about all the poor animals in the wildlife out there and what it does to them potentially. So please don't do them. There you go.

SPEAKER_00:

This is And it's gonna be the argument in our village village group. Every year there's an argument in the village Facebook group where people are talking about how stressful it is for their pets, and every year you get the callous numpties saying, Oh, it's only once a year, you should know it's coming.

SPEAKER_01:

But I think the other thing is it's about being courteous courteous, isn't it? If you've got neighbours, you know they've got pets, at least say to them, Look, between this hour and this hour we're gonna be doing this just to make you aware.

SPEAKER_00:

I just don't think we need them anymore. I think they should be banned. Yeah, I think. I mean look at the Edinburgh Zoo story where the the the red panda baby died from the stress of the fireworks. They've at least got an exclusion zone now, but I don't think it will be large enough for it for it to stop any impact. Anyway, okay, so back to the episode, we're going a little bit off topic, so we're don't I don't think we are, Taz. We're setting the scene. We are setting the scene. We're setting the scene beautifully. So we've talked about that, but what does this have to do with business, Ash? Ash don't go in my eye, don't go in my eye. Well don't go in my eye.

SPEAKER_01:

No, it's a I can't really, honestly. Right, moving on to the whole podcast. It's over. What was the question, Taz? What's this got to do with business? Fireworks. Fireworks equals visibility. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? Are you actually lighting up your channels, as it were, your social channels? Are you lighting up your the room when you go in to present? Yeah, your customers, your potential customers. You know, what's lighting up the sky for your customers with what you offer them and how you talk about what you offer?

SPEAKER_00:

So what it's not just about books or about speaking, is it? I wouldn't say books or speaking. It's not just about social media or about speaking. I might have accidentally dropped a bit of a you know what's coming next now. It's not just about social media or speaking. Well you've just given a massive clue. Okay. So if it's not just about social media or about speaking, it could also be about books. Books. Exactly the book.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah, books is a fantastic way to light your fire for others to enjoy. Like if you but also, you know, if you've written a book, sometimes that book fizzles out. It you know, it's a bit like those rockets I was talking about, or those those screamers, you know, that used to chase me around the garden. Not me around the garden, the jumping jacks. You know, jumping jack, great launch, excitement for your book, and then it just sits on the shelf and doesn't do anything, or sits on Amazon wherever it may be. Never had a screamer chasing me. But anyway, so we move on. But um so we go, you know, so we just let our book completely stay where it is, it doesn't do anything, and yet you've got so much content in there, much of it could be evergreen content that you can bring out and use parts of it for promotion.

SPEAKER_00:

And the other way that you can really light things up with books is if you get books that are written by, for instance, JKKK, they could be brilliant on a bonfire. Anyway, moving on.

SPEAKER_01:

After you So, yes, right, you know, with those books that you wrote six months, a year ago, five years ago, ten years ago, I had a client not that long back that had written a book not far off ten years ago, and we looked at how we could bring out some of that content again and make it relevant for today, and there was loads in it, loads of gems that we could bring out and use. So it's not just a one, you know, one hit pony one hit pony? What do I mean?

unknown:

One pony.

SPEAKER_01:

One trick pony. One trick pony. One trick pony? Is it one track pony, one trick?

SPEAKER_00:

One trick dog wrencher than a one-trick pony, shouldn't they? I think we're being a bit or a one trick seal. I think we're glitching a bit now. But yes, I'm just being awesomely off topic.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we well yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

So how how does writing a book get you seen in a way that social posts alone can't? Because it can go so much deeper.

SPEAKER_01:

A higher like a big, like a big firework, yeah. Um without a doubt that, because you you know, obviously on your social posts you can write articles, you can do a newsletter, etcetera, etc. Yes, you can go deeper on that. But with a book, you can show so many aspects of what you do and how you do it and why you do what you do. You can go into a lot more detail. And of course, again, it's something that you can take out with you really easily and take to events and market yourself that way. Is that you creaking on me? No, it's the chair. Oh, okay. But is it your chair, not mine?

SPEAKER_00:

I think my chair might be on on your pet like Fairy Mike. I've got a creaky chair.

SPEAKER_01:

Quaky Queaky chair? So no, this could go this is going horribly, horribly wrong. Everything's exploding around.

unknown:

No, okay.

SPEAKER_00:

So, yeah. So you're Imagine what this podcast would be like if it was actually produced professionally and all the silly bits were cut out. I know. It'd boring is bat shit, wouldn't it? Why is batshit boring? Why do we say boring is batshit? Well, have you guano. Have you experienced batshit? No, but I can't imagine it's that boring in the world of poo. Wombat poo, that's interesting, because they're poo squares, don't they? Cubes. Cubes of wombat poo. Cubic poo, that's gotta hurt when it pushes out the sharp edges. Anyway. So how writing a book gets you seen like a giant fireworky rocket.

SPEAKER_01:

Can we go back to the sparklers? I need a sparkler.

SPEAKER_00:

I want a sparkler too. I'm gonna sit under the table. Turn all the lights off in the room with a sparkler.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

Should we try and do a sparkler effect? No.

SPEAKER_01:

How would we do that?

SPEAKER_00:

That sounds like static. But they do sound a bit like static, don't they? They'll go.

SPEAKER_01:

I don't think my sparklers ever did that. They do. I can't remember it's so long ago since I held a sparkler. Oh, maybe. We'll do that then. No, scare the pets. Well, if you try to pet them with a sparkler, she'd never do, because that would be cruel.

SPEAKER_00:

No, exactly, that's true. Okay, safety first. Anyway, books. Yes. How does your book light up and make a big bang? She says while expressively opening her arms in a giant sun salutation movie.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, which is so I feel like an alter uh what do I mean? Alternative universe. Yeah, I do. I perhaps I'm wishing I was actually right at this moment, so I could go and sit with my sparklers. Sit with my sparklers in a dark.

SPEAKER_00:

Try not to set your fringe on fire.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and don't let them go up your nose. Because then it'd be like a mummy and you could kind of pull the brain through the room.

SPEAKER_00:

I challenge you to write a blog or a social post with the headline. You're pointing at me with your I am. I challenge you to write a blog or a social post with the headline. Never pick your nose with a sparkler.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm gonna write that down. She's writing it down there.

SPEAKER_01:

Look out for it, people, if you haven't seen it yet. She's writing it very seriously writing with her pink. Um what do you call these type of pens?

SPEAKER_00:

It's a multicoloured ink pen, and there's a big what's supposed to be a heart on the top, but if you hold it up the other way, it looks like a droopy bottom.

SPEAKER_01:

With eyes? With eyes. Yeah. A droopy bottom with eyes. Never. Do sleep well, everyone. Don't have nightmares. Right, so you've got a pink heart on there, and you've got lots of different colours that you can choose. So she's currently writing purple. Oh, it looked like it was pink.

SPEAKER_00:

No, that's purple. Right, okay. Never pick your nose with a sparkler. Do you have a challenge for me? No. Okay, that's yours, then you have to write. Look out for it, dear listeners. A beautiful blog or social piece post from our Asher with the headline, Never Pick Your Nose with a Sparkler.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you, Taz. What a lovely challenge that is to end the week. I'm so excited by that one. Thank you for watching. I'm excited by it. So over to you now. Do some serious talking, Taz.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, there's about if it's about showing up with a bang, or showing up with and lighting up the space that you're in, there's the speaking as well. So stepping onto stage, once you really know how to do it properly, how to how to hold the room and how to engage with the people in the room, that can really create a a big bang moment too, because you can really connect with everybody in that room in a way that I don't think you can with social media. So social media you might be able to hit more people with the message, so long as you're doing it regularly enough and the algorithm loves you, which it should do if you've been listening to this podcast and following our advice and writing blogs about picking your nose and sparklers, that'll always do it.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh definitely. I think we're gonna have hundreds of those, if not thousands.

SPEAKER_00:

Dear listeners as well, just a safety announcement. Please do not ever try this. Your nose deserves better. And also if you are going to pick your nose, you might want to just trim your nails first. Anyway, so if you're in a room with people, with social media you can you can arguably hit more people with your message, but it won't go as deep.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Whereas if you can be in a room with people and you're there and you and and and your energy is in that room, you can read the room as you go. You've got a a a live canvas. Can you have a live canvas? Oh you have you can't. I have now, we have now. We've made one. I'm now picturing a live canvas. You nearly took my eye out there and you're gesticulating. I don't even have a sparkler. No. A big canvas is made made of little people. Yeah. Anyway. So you you can you can connect on a much deeper level, on a on a soul level, on a heart level. You can make much more of a physical, a soul deep and energetic impact, I think, with speaking when you do it well. And I think when you're training other people to do the same as well, that's creating an even bigger impact. It's one of the reasons I love our heart of speaking, um, speaker training retreat.

SPEAKER_01:

And you can have those ooh and ah moments if when you get it right, that you wouldn't necessarily have in other ways with other types of content for your marketing. So that's important, isn't it? Ooh and ah, there's nothing I can ooh and uh. Oh no. So isn't that with typho tea though? Yeah, that's it. You can get an ew with typhoo. That's gone now, hasn't it?

SPEAKER_00:

I think Typho tea. I'm sure it did. You don't even get Munker anymore, do you?

SPEAKER_01:

No.

SPEAKER_00:

Anyway, so you might say that books and speaking gigs, things like that are the kind of the the bigger pieces. But what about if if they're the the big bangs, what about what's what's taken the the the place of the the Catherine wheel and and again the sparkler? What's the kind of the steady what what's the steady? Well the bonfire, the bonfire. What what is it that starts out and you have to nurture it and it grows over time? What in terms of content and visibility, what's the bonfire then?

SPEAKER_01:

I think for me that well firstly that's consistent content, isn't it? Yeah so it's things like journaling um and mindset work as well. So that's all tied into the.

SPEAKER_00:

Because they're not necessarily the public facing stuff, but they're the stuff that's gonna be. No, but that's good for your soul. That underpin your confidence, your ability, your mindset, your learning, your growth.

SPEAKER_01:

And I know when I take those out for me, I think I've spoken about that probably on one of these other podcasts, but also on my social post recently, because I'd taken it out of my daily routine and like it showed, it showed for me because I needed that time to just bring in that regular, consistent um work for me.

SPEAKER_00:

So start with the kind of mindset and soul and personal development work that keeps that fire going. Yeah, exactly. That yeah. So you start off with kindling and then you have to nurture it into a big flame. And so that that applies to your social content as well, because when we keep showing up regularly with content that people are enjoying and engaging with, again, you start off with a tiny little bit of kindling and then you're gradually growing, yeah, you're growing that fire and then you have to keep it going.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, that's interesting because that came up today, didn't it? Because we've been speaking to somebody here where you know where we are today, just when we went and got some brekkie this morning, and it's exactly that, because sometimes it can feel overwhelming. I know I get like that before I even start with, you know, particularly if I'm doing um audio or video content, particularly. Um and you said to me, didn't you? And you always say that to your clients, just start small, start with something, but make it consistent, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

So it could just be So we were talking about video, weren't we? So many people are are really resistant and reluctant to go towards video. But particularly with Instagram and Facebook, the way things are right now, well, back in August when we were recording this unless it's drastically changed by the time we get to November, I doubt it. If you weren't regularly including reels in your in your your content you're just gonna flatline. Yeah. Because the algorithm wants video. So it's not necessarily that you're being penalised for not creating video, but those who are creating video are being rewarded. Yeah. So you could you could flip that the other way and say, well, if that's the case, we are effectively being penalised for not doing video.

SPEAKER_01:

I like this whole bonfire thing, because when you think about it, one of the great memories I have, we used to have bonfires at home as well as going to public ones as well. Yeah. Um because usually it's for my dad an excuse to get rid of all the stuff he cut down in the garden. And hopefully not the shed, because my mum would have been really upset with that. That was his pride and joy, actually, that wouldn't have happened. Well his mum was the shed.

SPEAKER_00:

Both. His mum, your mum on the shed.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, but also no, his runner beans, don't touch the runner beans. Touch the runner beans. Don't touch the runner beans. But that whole bonfire thing around sitting around um a bonfire, you know, people gathering round, telling stories, all of that stuff, and that's so pertinent to what we do in a business, isn't it? We sit around, we tell stories, but by giving stories to other people, providing a bit of us in those stories, that brings more people to the bonfire. It brings more people to want to join in and be part of it.

SPEAKER_00:

And whenever we click share on something, then that's sharing that story.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so it's it's that, and that's really important as well. I think sometimes we we forget that. Sometimes the really basic stuff, like I put on a thing this morning, I think about I had toast and jam for breakfast at the venue before we got working. But that was for me a real treat. I know it's just a few things, but it gets me, fires me up and think, right, I've got a really good day ahead. And it it got me off to a good start. And I thought, oh, it's a bit naughty because it's there's a bit too much jam here, as I l I ladled another spoonful of.

SPEAKER_00:

Also, you created you turned it into a reel.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah. Keeping it real with a reel.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So all that.

SPEAKER_00:

It doesn't have to be you talking to camera or some great big, you know, storyboarded piece. It can just be a video of your toast and jam.

SPEAKER_01:

So all almost, there's an enjoyment in that, just like sitting with that sparkler, because you never quite know how you're gonna feel doing that, but actually it's not too bad at all, and I quite enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_00:

That's not to say that all our roo should be about what we're eating, by the way. Don't do that. So we talked about sparklers a lot and the fun times for sparklers. Yes. But the flip side with sparklers, if we've just talked about the the consistency of a bonfire, how do you avoid being the sparkler? Because the sparklers are nice and bright and uh they come out. Yeah. There's a quick flash, so to speak.

SPEAKER_01:

I've sat and done a holiday a couple of times, that's another story for another day.

SPEAKER_00:

How do you avoid being a sparkler with your marketing? I quick buzz but gone in seconds.

SPEAKER_01:

It comes back to that consistency again, doesn't it? You know, you can't it's nice to sometimes do one of those off-the-cuff moments of right, I'm gonna grab that, that's great content, I'm gonna use that, but alongside that you need content that's gonna keep you um ahead for Taz is doing funny gesticulations. We've got about seven minutes to stay on top of the page. Okay. So so yeah, so it's about yes, be consistent again. It's about the consistency, I think. If you've got a fizz a sparkle that's gonna fizzle out, and it's got one big shelf life, it's got no shelf life. So you need things, products and services, all the things.

SPEAKER_00:

All ego and no substance.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that has got shelf life. And that's where your books come in again. They're brilliant for that.

SPEAKER_00:

They're blooming evergreen. Building your personal brand, so not just thinking, Oh, we've got to post something on social tick done.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, because that shows, I think. It does. So it's alright, somebody might go, Oh, that's lovely, but does that stay with them? No, because just like that little sparkler, it's gone now, it's just ash.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So this mor no, of course not. You're beautiful. Thank you. So this morning you followed someone on Facebook, but how many of their posts had you seen and laughed at and written and decided you'd enjoy them before you actually went and then liked and followed the page? A few, quite a few. But it was had me laughing out loud. So that consistency, if you'd only ever just seen one of those posts and then she'd gone flatline for for months, you probably would never have gone.

SPEAKER_01:

Because it's my s my silly sense of humour and my kind of language I like it.

SPEAKER_00:

And by the same token, because you looked at that post and spent some time, so therefore the um the the element of the element of of of time you spent looking at that post will have given an indication to the algorithm that you were enjoying it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um but if then there hadn't been something else for them to show you, you've got more of those posts on your feed because you spent time on and because it's a consistent content creator.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So therefore the algorithm was able to go, oh let me show you some more of that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And I'll laugh even more, which I did. Yeah. But that's another thing. If you are not consistent with your content, if there's not enough out there, even if somebody really engages with one of your posts, the algorithm cannot show up show them more of your stuff because it doesn't exist.

SPEAKER_01:

So you'll be in that little sparkler for like 30 seconds and then it's gone. Into the ether, to be forgotten. So sad. Sorry, I'm just in a space now where I'm thinking of the little sparkler. I want to write a story about the little sparkler. No one understood me. Thank you, Taz. Yeah, thanks. You're singing a lot today, aren't you? You are singing. Just you're showing off your soprano thing. Oh, don't be interested. Just because I'm a lowly alto mouth.

SPEAKER_00:

Right, so alright. Shush you l shush your little alto mouth for a minute. Fingers or lips. Which ones? So, because we are the the clever cards that we are, um, before we came on to this episode, we we sat down and thought, well, what what could those different types of fireworks actually represent? Now here's what we came up with brace yourselves listers. This is gonna change your life. So obviously. Yeah, of course. So we've got the rocket. Which one of these are you? There's the rocket which goes high, makes a big bang. So great for launches, but you need the groundwork first.

SPEAKER_02:

Like that.

SPEAKER_00:

What else do we have, Ash?

SPEAKER_01:

We have the Catherine wheel, which we talked about a little bit earlier, goes round and round, but it doesn't move forward. So it's content without any direction and speaking without purpose. Is that you?

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, and again we've just touched on this one, the sparkler, fun but short lived. It's a flipped, it's a a flashy idea, but there's no follow-through. So which one are you, listeners?

SPEAKER_01:

Which one are you? Come on, be honest about it. We all want to I suppose there's a part of me that wants to do this great thing, you know, the rocket, that sounds the exciting thing, that's the big thing at the end, the finale, the really exciting moment, the big cheese as well. Um but is it is it better to be that? But then you haven't done any groundwork, you've not got you might have done the great big event launch or whatever, but then it just it's gone.

SPEAKER_00:

I think for me the thing to aim for is being the bonfire.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Because it because again, the thing with it, the thing anyone listening to this who's ever tended fires of any of any kind. Now I'm a firewalk instructor, so I've done a few of my time, and you've certainly helped me tend many fires, Asher. Um that's me, Taz. I glitched for a second there.

SPEAKER_01:

You did, didn't you? I could tell you, Asher. Who are you? Oh, yeah, she's my wife, yeah. Well done, Taz. That's really good.

SPEAKER_00:

So again, we've said this, but you have to build it from a spark, but then you can't just say, Well, I've done that and move on. You have to keep tending the fire to keep it burning, and that for me is very much personal brand. And your visibility, whether it's books, whether it's speaking, whether it's social media, whether it's PR, whether it's marketing, whether it's flyers and leaflets and adverts, whatever it happens to be for you, attending events and networking, if you don't continue to nurture that bonfire, it's gonna burn out.

SPEAKER_01:

I've got a lovely visual, as you're saying that I've got this vision where I've got this bonfire going beautifully, and then you go off to do something. I don't know, you go off and oh, I've got to go and do that. I've got to do something for something else for you know for the kids or something, or you come back and it's just a pile of ash. Nothing there's there's nothing wrong with ash, of course, but a pile of ash and that's gone. That heat, that burn, that fire, that passion, yeah, all of that's gone. It's just ash now. So what do you do with that? How do you pick it up and run with that? Well, you gotta keep remote. It runs through your fingers and there's no substance to you. You've got to keep reinventing inventing it. You've got to keep remote.

SPEAKER_00:

You can't work at it, isn't it? Why you why you're inspired? Why are you doing this work in the first place? You have to find your own inspiration. It's not gonna just come and land in your lap, well sometimes it does, but sometimes we have to seek it. Sometimes instead of saying I'm not feeling inspired today, you need to go and create some inspiration. Well that told us, didn't it, listeners? But how do you do that? I don't know, over to you. Maybe that maybe we should do another podcast on that for another day, how to create inspiration. Because we do. I have inspiration tribe, we have our inspiration days. We could talk about inspiration.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we have talked about inspiration days, haven't we?

SPEAKER_00:

And depends what you're driven by at the time. It could be something creative, it could be a piece of artwork you've seen that could inspire you. It could be looking out of your garden and watching the birds fluttering in and out of your garden that does it. It could be it could be a drive that you need to get some some better cash flow going in your business and get some money. Maybe you want to clear off a credit card or pay off a bill, or or maybe you just want to save up enough money for a for a new holiday or a new car, whatever it happens to be. Find the thing that's going to incentivise you in that moment. It gives you that spark. And then use that as your as your impetus, that's your inspiration. So, moving swiftly on, dear listeners. Just as we came up with which one of those fireworks are you? Of course, that that took us down a bit of a bonfire rabbit hole. And we started coming up with other things and lots of other little talking points. So the first one we we we noted ourselves down under our risk and reward section, as we ha as we we called it, is lighting the fuse, the courage it takes to publish, to speak, or to share your story. See, we're building a little bonfire analogy in here every time. So Ashid, lighting the fuse, talk about that a little bit.

SPEAKER_01:

Sometimes I don't know if they're gonna get any noise from next door. We're sitting next to the kitchen today, aren't we? Well I've run it through the separate noise, so you might not hear it, it was just making me laugh. Sorry, I'm distracted. Um, always courage. Always huge amount of courage. You know, whether you're speaking on the stage or you're publishing a book, you're sharing your story in some other form. online maybe whatever it is it always takes courage and I think the important thing to remember is that you have got this, you've lived it, you've gone through that and you're out of the other side of it. And however much I always say that to people and I've probably said it in earlier podcasts, but I always pride myself on being that safe space for someone. You know, that I acknowledge and and encourage them to acknowledge their courage and actually going to that place for this content that they're gonna they're gonna create but also working with them to get them out of that space. If they're talking something that's a big moment in their life however many years ago it was it might have been 20, 30, 40 years ago but when they could maybe when they go back into that space they're in that space and it can be really quite tough. So working with them to come out the other side of that. So that's really important and I think what I love is the you know light and that fuse. When it's there you can you can see it you can feel it it's almost like an energy in its own right that has this big clues that actually that's the bit maybe that we need to look at if that feels right for that person and we'll sit down and work with it. So that for me is all about sharing your story is all about finding the courage to do that.

SPEAKER_00:

We've had seen that in action just this past week or so haven't we? Because I mean this will be well underway by the time this this is live but you finding the the the courage to finally go yeah I I can create a collaborative book with with other really kick ass women and sh help them to share those stories. Yeah you wanted to help them to give them the power to the courage to share the stories but first you had to find your courage to go how am I going to do this differently? How am I going to stand out from the crowd? Why me?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah and that's really taken me to all sorts of limiting beliefs and all sorts of doubts and fears about yeah and also that and there's there's a touch of is it arrogance there's a touch of kind of well everybody else has done it now what's the point? How's that gonna how's mine gonna be different? I mean how ridiculous is that statement as I say that now I'm like for goodness sake actually with you with your what a dozen authors or something you're looking for. And and the whole point is to celebrate that courage in ourselves so that when we put that out into the world other women other people can come forward and say that's really inspired me thank you. So I get that I get the most incredible jobs because I get the honour of working with people on that. But for me to get to that point and believe that I could actually create that took a lot quite a bit of my my courage in my own way.

SPEAKER_00:

And in the end what did it is I had a full day coaching um session with one of our clients the awesome Vicky head who's also our photographer so thanks Vicky we love you she's our client and we're her clients as well and at the end of that we got chatting about it. You were there because I couldn't drive at the time because of my p um my eye issues that I had back then.

SPEAKER_01:

And so you ended up chauffeuring me and coming along and um after we'd finished Vicky's coaching toward the end of the day Vicky and I kind of turned the tables on you and coached you in a fear around I was in a coaching sandwich everyone that was lovely. Lots of great flavour but um yeah it was what was needed because I wouldn't have done that and this week I've put out again it'll be a few weeks ago now by the time you hear this but um sort of stuck you know dipped my toe in the water with it with a social post on LinkedIn and it felt good because I could see the wonderful opportunities not just for my clients but also for me and that and you know helping people to to take that step just as I'm taking that step to create it in the first place.

SPEAKER_00:

Which brings us nicely onto the next little firework of firework bonfire night metaphor we wrote down here. Okay. The fear of what if it blows up in my face how to re how to reframe that and move through it.

SPEAKER_01:

You're one for you're the reframing woman I mean you often sit with me when I will have the monkey monkey mind going on in my head and you'll you'll help me to reframe that and that's so important you know that if we don't have that you know talk to somebody that can help with that because it's made such a difference to me. It will stop me in my tracks with some do you think all our listeners will know what reframing means?

SPEAKER_00:

Go on you didn't no no no no please because that because you helped me a lot it's it's repackaging that thought in a different way. Yeah. So the classic what if I fall yeah but what if you fly?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah it's that it's that classic isn't it so you know what if this all blows up in my face but but what if it doesn't? What if you really empower and uh inspire these women to go out there and make a real difference in the world and help them to stop hiding and then how are you gonna feel when that happens? Instead of who am I to do this, who are you to not do this?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah I love it.

SPEAKER_00:

Really good. So um from that I suppose we we should be talking about empowerment and mindset tips for facing fear and again reframing is an awesome one. And the classic classic with fear is remember that physiologically we said this on an earlier podcast I think physiologically the way our body reacts to fear under excitement are exactly the same. The only difference is the way that we process them in our brain. So you know when you when you feel fearful if you literally keep saying as a mantra I'm excited I'm excited I'm excited it does start to flick things sounds so easy but it does really work I've experienced that personally and I've used that quite a few times um and we talked about that in an earlier podcast but yes go ape let's leave it there but I did it. There's so much more we could talk about that we could talk about creating anchors and collapsing anchors we could talk about mantras we could talk about meditations, mindfulness practice, breath work there's so many ways hypnosis and LP, so many ways that we can face fear and change our fear into something that's an exciting challenge rather than something to to back away from to move to move us from running away from something towards it. There's so much better so that's probably another podcast in its own right.

SPEAKER_01:

I think it is too there's loads of things aren't there around this one you can say something else aren't you?

SPEAKER_00:

I am just on that fear thing. Okay. You've worked I'm fearful now Tells you've worked with so many people who've been fearful of writing a book or even cre creating content. Yeah with something like a book how does finishing and sh and sharing that book change that narrative for them because as soon as they start seeing the impact that can have on somebody else you know we also don't we I'm sure we've all said that times if it just helps one person but that is such an important point.

SPEAKER_01:

If it helps one person look what you've just done with your words with your story with your words of inspiration of support of courage of all of that amazing stuff so why wouldn't you? So that's one of the first things as soon as people start getting that feedback and they get maybe they're at some business event or something personally somebody says I read a copy of your book and that bit where you spoke about that that really resonated that really helped me so thank you. When you start getting those personal thank yous and it will happen and sometimes in the least likely of experiences you know it's cutting through all that noise that we get on social. You know I've done this and rah rah rah but actually where's the soul where's the heart of the story and when you find that heart of the story and you start sharing that in a way that is I've been with you and I've seen clients seen your clients have that breakthrough moment of realizing what means my body tells me at literally I get the goosebumps and it's like there that's it that and guess what three months down the line six months down the line two weeks down the line when it's published a year later five years later that will come up because you know that you've just tapped into something really really special and that's like it for everybody I've ever worked with. I can't think of one example where that hasn't happened.

SPEAKER_00:

I've seen some of it just this week so again remember that we're we're recording this back in August where um Emma Sheardowne's just published her second book with you so the first one I think she was the first author you worked with on there's no such word as can't yeah and she'd just written a micro book with you which is the little book of disability but the diss is crossed out so the little book of ability and just where she was sharing that on the socials and she kept saying to me I can't believe I published two books. One I think that only a few months back I was saying to her of course you can do it. Go do it. Grab it get on that programme with Asher it's a no-brainer when she's because you don't charge enough for them. It's an absolute no brainer.

SPEAKER_01:

I think it opened your mind and your heart to the fact that all those things maybe we've held on to when we were younger about I can't write, my English isn't very good, my grammar's terrible my spelling's awful we've got everything in place now to help us with that all the you know all the apps and various bits of software that can help but it doesn't almost I want to put those to one side because it doesn't matter if you're not giving your all and you're not taking that in in a courageous way and running with it and writing just writing and see what seeing what comes and when it does when you tap into something in there that is really personal but really it comes alive and it will for your reader and I think that's what's happened with with Emma along with a lot of well all of the authors that I've worked with that they've kept going even in those moments it's like I'm not sure if I can do this. They've kept going and then somewhere along the line it's almost like if you believe in spirit the universe whatever it may be has cut has provided something to show you yes you can here you go here's a leg up look at this look what you can do perfect.

SPEAKER_00:

I think as we move towards wrapping this episode let's just talk about a few of those other metaphors we dropped it down before we started these are for you've jumped. We wrote down this whole section on lighting up the dark oh you're trying to stand the bonfire thing. Alright okay cool so I went off a bit your story and your message is like a spark that cuts through the noise yeah well that's the same well that's what we were talking about earlier isn't it?

SPEAKER_01:

Cuts through all the crap that you've got on social. You know there's a lot of stuff to go through but when you hit on something that really brings people in, draws people in people will sit up and take notice and they'll comment on it and they'll come back to you to talk about it.

SPEAKER_00:

Books, talks, things like group coaching programmes they are the gathering points for people just like the communities the the communities come together around the bonfire well that's what we talked about earlier wasn't it?

SPEAKER_01:

That's a great place to I love that way of looking at it because for me one of the most wonderful things ever is is to sit around a bonfire and just you're bringing together hearts and minds even if they're not in the same physical space that's the community coming together around the bonfire.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah I love that um and and the importance of encouragement um this is where we want to really encourage you that your voice matters and someone out there is waiting for your spark.

SPEAKER_01:

You did you really write that? Yeah that's a bit cheesy. With a bit of ch bit of chat GPS I was just gonna say that sounded a bit to me that sounds a little bit there's nothing wrong with that but you know let's own it.

SPEAKER_00:

So it was cheesy as it was beautifully cheesy.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh god it's a bit too well I do like melted cheese.

SPEAKER_00:

Well I used to before I went vegan but hey right so let's move into the wrap up then because we've been going for well we've run over time again. So here's what we'd like you to think about. What fuse will you light in your business this month?

SPEAKER_01:

What are you there's a question what are you lighting in your business?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh crikey so it's gonna be November isn't it? So I'm gonna be looking at the programmes I want to be running toward the end of the year. Um we've there's been a lot of talk about bringing some of my empowerment programmes back into action just because they've been a bit on ice since um since since before lockdown. And on ice isn't good for a bonfire episode. No never so we'll probably now we're looking towards how can I create and bring back some of those empowerment programmes.

SPEAKER_01:

For me it's collaborative book projects. Yeah it's all this about getting groups of women together talking about their incredible stories of courage um and pr and getting those going for next year. So that's what I'll be doing.

SPEAKER_00:

And doing it well because to be fair we've seen so many people who've paid not an insignificant amount of money to be part of a book collab and then the book either it isn't edited well or it just doesn't look good. The fonts are off, the colours are off, it's a crap design. And I think that shortchanges people.

SPEAKER_01:

Or it's a bit too one size fits all. Yeah. You've got to have a theme through a book absolutely voice of that individual that's written it, you know, with hope with hopefully with my support if you choose to work with me. But yeah without turning it into an outrageous plug.

SPEAKER_00:

Um so what else it has any more than it's over to the listeners really again take one brave action this month what's what that fuse you're gonna light in your business. Take one brave action it could be writing that chapter of a book it could be um it could be planning that talk or getting yourself promoting yourself to get booked in for that talk.

SPEAKER_01:

It could be uh recording that video whatever it is for you starting that podcast yeah starting that podcast having a slurp of water spot starting that podcast water and fire let's put it down okay sorry not good so it's been it's been a really interesting chat hasn't it it has happy bonfire night stay safe we call keep shining keep shining keep shining keep shining and get out there and make your bang that's got to be AI I'm sorry that's really I'm going off the cheese now honestly did we have to finish with that's just I'm sorry that's a bit that's a bit crap. Good can we start again?

SPEAKER_00:

Should we go back to what we normally have the blast of the rocket have be a bit of Catherine wheel a bit of rocket a bit of sparkler but bubble else I'm having a bit of okay Ash you ready so until next time see you next Tuesday you've been listening to Awesomely off topic with Tennis Thornton and Match Lilwalton if you enjoyed this episode make sure you follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and if you want to connect you'll find us online. Just search for our names stay awesome stay off topic and we'll see you next time

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Asha Clearwater

Host
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Taz Thornton

Host