🎙️ BONUS EPISODE: Erm, Hello New People!

We woke up this morning and something slightly weird had happened… there were a lot more of you here than there were a few days ago.

So if you’ve just found us, this is a quick hello.

We talk books, brands, business… and quite a lot of things we probably shouldn’t say out loud.

This episode was recorded in the car on the way to see Taz’s mum in hospital, so expect tangents, traffic cones, red kites, and absolutely no editing whatsoever.

If you’re new here - you’re very welcome.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to Awesomely Off Topic. Books, brands, business, and everything else we're not supposed to say out loud. I'm Taz and Asher. Now let's get into it. So we've woken up this morning and something slightly weird has happened. Strange. There seem to be a lot more of you here than there were a few days ago, so we thought we'd jump on quickly and say hello. So I'm Taz. I'm Asher. Hello. If you just found us, this is awesomely off topic. We talk about books, programs, business, and quite a lot of things we probably shouldn't say out loud. Whoopsie, whoopsie. We've also noticed that quite a few of you seem to be coming in from the US at the moment, which is yeah, also a bit bonkers. You're very, very welcome.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

You are welcome here. Welcome, welcome. So a little bit about us, maybe? Maybe, yeah. Okay. What do you want to say, Taz? Well, how long have we been together, Ash? 3795 days. No, years, months, 28 years, I believe, Taz. This month. This month we'll have been together for 28 years. Obviously, we were fine when we met.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Obviously, obviously. We actually met. Loads of people say, did we meet through our journalistic careers? And no, we didn't.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

That would make sense, actually. It wouldn't. It would.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Everybody assumes that, because our CVs, in terms of our journalism, editing, publishing, PR, marketing, you could pretty much overlay our CVs. Yeah. They'd look the same. But no, we met through a dating column in Diva magazine. Way, way, way before the days of the internet. It was called Dial a Diva. And you had to phone, you had to you had to write a little message to put in the back of the magazine and then phone and leave messages.

SPEAKER_01 1:42

Yeah, we did. And uh yes. And it was a long time. It was so long ago, Tows, wasn't it? Actually, I think there were still people with red flags in front of cars and things like that.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

I think the cars had square wheels. Yeah. Didn't didn't you have a bottle of wine with you while you were leaving messages? I might have done.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

I was a bit nervous. And I was I I was kind of decorating my house down in Kent, and I had might have had a bottle of wine on the go and I had a glass or two, and then I got progressively more tipsy and left you not one but several messages.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

She left me several messages, and I still remember the last message she left was I also love badminton, but of course, since since leaving my husband, I've lost my badminton partner. So obviously that's that's what sowed the sowed the seeds and and the rest of the beautiful history. It is indeed. You might be noticing now that this is not a polished or a heavily edited podcast. Whatever give you that idea, Taz.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

Honestly, so rude. I'm so sorry, listeners, if you're so rude.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

When we first started this, the idea was to run a podcast on a shoestring. We'd been wanting to run a podcast for probably more than a decade. And what kept putting us off were all these people saying, we can produce that for you, you can use our studio, we can digitally master this and we can syndicate it there. And and it was running into thousands of pounds. Yeah. And we kept thinking we can't justify that for our businesses. And then one night, as often happens, and we're both kind of blaming the ADHD for this, we went into a massive hyper focus and went, shall we just do it? Yeah. At half past ten one night, and we sat up until the small hours, by which time we had mapped out the first dozen or so episodes, come up with the idea for the brand, created loads of the icons and the graphics and the stuff to go with it, named it. We spent ages going round and round over what we should say and how we should be niching, and in the end we went, let's do awesomely off topic because we know no matter how much we try and niche, we'll wander off of tangents. We do, we are tangent queens. Yeah. So the first episode's kind of rough.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Rough round the edges, but that's kind of hopefully a bit of its charm.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

What we're saying here in the UK would say they're as rough as a badge as us. But it did get better over time, and from series two, we're definitely much more polished and we've got more kits.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

Yes, because we come out with, you know, quotes like that to us. So that shows just how polished we really are.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

Absolutely. Since then we've run podcast training programmes, we've written a book on podcasting, which isn't out yet, we'll watch this space. Yeah. We're in the middle of launching a podcasting club to out lots of other podcasts. I'm a professional speaker, you know. I know you are. Lots of other podcasters come together and get ideas and fun guests and stuff. These are literally us talking things through, figuring things out, saying the stuff people don't always say out loud, and sometimes it's business, sometimes it's life, and sometimes it goes completely off wrong on it.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

It does really. It's a bit like it's kind of a bit of verbal diarrhea, but hopefully with a good purpose behind it. And the word behind is used as well, which seems quite appropriate, but there you go. There you go. There's that there's that tangent, Taz. There you go. Awesomely off topic.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Yep. We're always amazed when people get in touch saying, we really learned this from this episode. And we're like, what did you really? I think one of the things we we're we're both coaches today, by the way. Asher works with people on content and how to write their books and getting them published. I'm a business coach. I hate the term life coach. Because what does that even mean? Well, I'm gonna teach you how to brush your teeth.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

Aren't we all coaches in life, maybe?

SPEAKER_00 5:15

Yeah, so I I coach I coach people on life and business and stepping into the confidence in Hellman because I don't split the teeth. Because for me, if your life is in tatters, your business is gonna suffer. And if your business is in tough in toughers, in tatters, your life is you're going for it today, but your life is gonna suffer. And it all it all builds in. So I guess I guess we're both kind of mavericks. Yeah. When it comes to that.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

I don't like that word. That's a sexy word, mavericks. Mavericks, it is, it is. Oh, I like it. Juicy word. Should we guide people to some episodes if they've just joined? Do you think we should? I don't know. I'm saying, should we say actually what we're doing at the moment?

SPEAKER_00 5:52

We're currently on the road. We're driving on a road through the middle of rolling countryside in Leicestershire, which is in the Midlands in the U of the UK, East Midlands. We're on the way to see my mum in hospital because she's been really poorly. So it's quite a fun trip going from our little house in Lincolnshire all the way through through Leicestershire where my mum lives and into Staffordshire where she's in hospital. Yeah. It should be about a four-hour round trip, but there are lots of road works at the minute, so it's barocket.

SPEAKER_01 6:19

But at the moment there are blue skies, a few clouds because it's England. We kind of expect that, but it's beautiful blue sky at the moment, the sun is shining, and there is a traffic cone at the side of the road, just to spoil the visual for them.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

And they're also lots of really magnificent red kites that keep soaring overhead, which are on the You're so much you're so much better at this than me.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

I just I always spoil it by saying, There's an orange traffic cone.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

You know what we always say in life? You can either stare and just wear really good hats, actually. They make really good hats. You ever got drunk and stolen a fairly?

SPEAKER_01 6:48

Yes, I have.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

A long time ago, though. In fact, years ago, when I was still in journalism, there was a traffic cone that me and my best mate at the time nicked, and we kept wrapping it up and sending it to one another for birthdays, Christmases, did you? I didn't know that. You told me that before. I like that. I like that. Anyway. So yeah, you spot a traffic cone, I spot the red kites. Um, I do spot the red kites as well. They always still finish it. What do we always say? In life, you can you can either stare at the manure or you can focus on the flowers growing out of it. Yeah. Though both still true, but where you put your focus is is how you look at it. Oh look, Roadworks Taz, just in time. We can't really ignore the road works because they're gonna make us stop. Brake lights to plenty, and we're about we're coming up to a red temporary traffic light.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

There you go. And we're in a place called Tugby. Tugby, T-U-G-B-Y. Please slow down. We are. We haven't got a choice really. We're just gonna stop any moment. We are. There you go. So where were we, Taz? Because we've gone off on a tangent again. I'm sorry, I took us off a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 7:52

We were just telling people where we were, what we were doing, and we're about to say, if you've just joined us, we know that some of the episodes people tend to really like that they often start at. Personal brand is not your logo is a popular one.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

That's quite a good one, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 8:05

What about what was my one?

SPEAKER_01 8:07

I'm gonna be slightly, you know, it's a bit of a favourite one for me though, but microbooks. So that's one of my ones. Microbooks and mega message, how those little tiny books can be absolute gems for your business.

SPEAKER_00 8:16

Absolutely. And the other one of my favourites that you kind of led was the book you scared to write.

SPEAKER_01 8:21

Yeah, exactly. And what else?

SPEAKER_00 8:23

One of the more recent ones that a lot of people are leaping onto is the e the AI devolution. So feel free, I mean, you've found us now. There's no escape, you can't get away. We've got a massive back catalogue. We do 40 episodes catalogue, catalogue. No, I don't know what's going on with me today. I do. We have quite a big back catalogue of episodes. We do 40 episodes per season. We're just this is the next episode that will drop on Tuesday. Monday. It's gonna be Monday for some people in the US when it drops. Oh of course, yeah. That's episode three of series two. But there's also quite a few bonus episodes. So you've got 40 plus.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Will it be Monday? I thought it'll be Tuesday.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

No, depending on where you're on.

SPEAKER_01 9:05

No, someone's just depending on where you are, if you're in mountain. Stanley is telling me to move. I think if you're in mountain time, for instance, it's gonna be Monday night. Stan is my car, by the way, everybody. So just you know because it's a Tucson, so it's Stanley Tucson because you've got to be.

SPEAKER_00 9:18

Because we said it sounded a bit like Stanley Tucson, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

Yeah, so that's why Stan, if you're listening.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

That's just how off topic we are. So yeah, feel free to go and have a wander through the different episodes, scroll back through the back catalogue and just just grab, just see whatever sparks your attention and whatever floats your boat. Whatever floats your boat. So again, if you've just found us, you're really, really welcome. And if you stick around, this is pretty much what you're gonna be getting. Good luck, everybody. What else? Anything else we'd like to say, Ash?

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Um no, we're having it's a nice drive. I love to drive when it's it's busy today because it's a bank holiday weekend here. Obviously, it's Easter, so it's a bank holiday weekend as well, which means we get an extra day tomorrow. And extra traffic. And extra traffic. Everybody will be coming back home from being away for the long weekend, probably.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

So it's always busy on the roads at this time of year. But what's lovely is as we look out into our fields on the way, we see all the new lambs being born. We don't actually see them being born. No, okay. That's right, yeah, that's true. That's funny. Can't you tell that's the typical journalist, isn't it? Oh, and I accidentally stroked my mic then. I got very excited. It's not fairy mic, is it?

SPEAKER_00 10:31

It is fairy mic, it's just furry mic generation two. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

That's fine.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

When we were first recording this, we had little detachable microphones with the furry what's it called? The furry sound blockery thing.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

Yeah, you I don't know. Diffuser! Diffuser, that's the one. It's a very technical term.

SPEAKER_00 10:48

And Asher kept calling it fairy mic. We now have new ones which are also furry mic. So Asher occasionally.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

Son and daughter of furry mic.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

Asher occasionally strokes furry mic. So, yes, there are not lambs literally being born in the fields around us, but there are some beautiful lambs, and there's a pheasant.

SPEAKER_01 11:04

Beautiful lambs, tiny little lambs. And a crow in the tree. Was it a crow? I think it was a crow.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

Yeah. Yeah, there you go. And we're just going past a big sign that says stop family farm tax. That's just where we are in the middle of rural Westershire, middle of rural England. Anyway, we're we are waffling all over the place. We're waffling. This is going to be just a quick introduction. So remember, we look we always love to hear from from you all. So feel free. Yeah, please do. Listeners, please get in touch. Tell us what you'd like us to talk about, maybe. That'll be good. And given that we've got this sudden influx of new people, please do message us. We're on Facebook as awesomely off topic, we're on Instagram as awesomely off topic. You can find us on our Buzz Sprout website, awesomely off topic. You can also message me, Taz Thornton, or you. Asher Clearwater. Oh, that's my name. That's your name. On all of the social channels. We'd love to hear you hear from you. So please drop us a line, tell us where you're from, tell us what you're enjoying so far. And if there's anything else you'd like us to go off topic about, let us know. And until now, until next time, we will, we will see you next Tuesday. Or maybe Monday in other parts of the world. Take care.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Bye. You've been listening to Autumnly Off Topic. Make sure you're following so you don't miss the next one. And if you'd like more, come and find Autumn Me Off Topic on social media. You'll find behind the scenes footage, bloopers, and more. See you next time.