The Collective Wisdom Podcast with Cat Preston

Victoria Hefty: You’re not going to find your place in the world until you know who you are.

Hello there, my wise friends and welcome to Episode 26 of the podcast. This week's guest is my gorgeous friend and fellow story skills coach, Victoria hefty. As you'll hear, she's all about pivoting and moving in a new direction. Those moments in your life where you just know something's got to change. Victoria's latest podcast is all about how to embrace those moments, in your career especially, and make the leap Victoria is a real doer. I'm more of a, 'I'll have a think about it and maybe do it later kind of person' - So I find her energy is just so infectious. It's a full moon this week. And as if by magic, my lovely friend Aliza, who taught me to appreciate the moon in all her glory appeared back in my life. When we first met, there was a huge strawberry moon in the sky, not something I'd ever heard of but now I'm alert to all the magic and possibility that can happen when it appears. The ushering in of a new moon has long been celebrated as a great time for setting new intentions and getting ready to move into action. So perhaps that's why this is a perfect time to introduce you to Victoria.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriahefty/

Victoria@postmbapivot.com

 

Song: ‘Show Yourself’ from the Disney Musical FROZEN

 

Wisdom: You’re not going to find your place in this world until you know who you really are.

Siobhan Curham: This too is for the best

Hey there, my wise friends and welcome to the podcast with my beautiful guest Siobhan Curham, who is not only an author of 39 books, but is also an amazing writing coach. This is probably one of my favourite conversations so far in the series, because what we're talking about is the creative process and how it feels to break through the resistance and fear that comes up when we first start something new. Siobhan is a great storyteller, but as you'll hear, that only comes from consistently showing up and putting in the practice, even when you don't feel like it or your first attempts don't quite work out the way you'd hoped.

She also shares a beautiful song that is all about life being made up of single precious moments, which is just so true. Yesterday, my husband came in in even though I was on a call, he asked if I could leave for two minutes. And we headed upstairs and out the window was the most beautiful evening sky all lit up with flaming pinks, and oranges. He's been away for most of the year. And in that moment, we stood with my daughter, just taking it all in. And I think that's what people mean when they say 'live in the moment.'

It's all about appreciating the really simple things. And when you slow down enough, you realise that there are just so many of these moments every single day. Siobhan is someone who's become really good at capturing them just by writing them down. I hope you enjoy hearing short stories just as much as I did.

 

Siobhan Curam's website. Information about Siobhan’s blog, her coaching, her books and more - https://siobhancurham.com/

 

Something More: A Spiritual Misfit's Search for Meaning by Siobhan Curham - https://www.waterstones.com/book/something-more/siobhan-curham/9780349420837

 

Dear Dylan - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dear-Dylan-Siobhan-Curham/dp/1405260378

 

The War of Art: Breakthrough the blocks and win your creative battles by Steven Pressfield - https://tinyurl.com/3n55xdrn

 

Song: Do You Realise by The Flaming Lips - https://open.spotify.com/track/2DFRFqWNahKtFD112H2iEZ?si=cb3226cf959a4be0

 

Wisdom “This to is for the best”

Liv Conlon: Raise your own standards and commit to living by them

Hi there, my wise friends and welcome to The Collective Wisdom Podcast. I've got an incredible guest for you today, Liv Conlon is someone who I'm just so excited to share her story. Her energy and zest for life is just contagious.

Not only did she found and run a business with a turnover of more than a million pounds by the age of 19, which not surprisingly, won her the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award two years ago. But she's also just written a book, 'Too Big for your Boots', which is in part personal memoir, but also the 'How to' for anyone who's interested in starting out in business, and building a portfolio career based on personal brand, with no money, and no contacts in the industry.

Liv is someone who just seems to have grasped the idea that it's time that is our greatest asset in life. And that it's really, really important to choose how you spend your time wisely, as there are no refunds. We talk about innovation, personal brands, and not taking the conventional path, which actually means being yourself, and how the process of figuring out exactly what that is, can be part of the journey. I'll hand you over to Liv Conlon who has set herself her own goal of reaching a million young people with the support and encouragement they need to be the change they seek to make in the world.

 

Liv Conlon on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/oliviaconlon/?hl=en

 

Liv's New Book: Too Big For Your Boots - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Too-Big-Your-Boots-Entrepreneur/dp/1781335168

 

Liv Conlon's 100 Home Makeover Charity Initiative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MobyDMINmY

 

Too Big For Your Boots Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/too-big-for-your-boots-with-liv-conlon/id1483832277

 

Song: Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash

 

Wisdom: “Raise your own standards and commit to live by them”

 

If you are experiencing any of the issues Liv discussed around bullying find someone to reach out to. You can start here:

Anti-Bullying Alliance - https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/

 

Free calls to The Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org/

Jackie Davis: It always seems impossible until it’s done

Welcome to Episode 23 of The Collective Wisdom Podcast. I have a really special guest for you this week, Jackie Davis, she is a female version of Morgan Freeman, as she's a natural storyteller. Jackie just exudes wisdom, she's just somebody who has taken life and really put some thought into it. What I think I loved the most was how we ended up talking about how you define success. She explains that she was told from a very early age she was voted in in high school as being the most likely to succeed. And yet somehow, instead of propelling her that became a little bit of a burden until she was able to sit down and really have a chat with herself and say, what does success mean for you? And I think this is a question that is so empowering, if you can get really in touch with your own definition of success. And then part of that succeeding is, once you have that vision, once you have that goal, knowing that what you're doing is moving you towards it. So not suspending that feeling of being successful until you arrive at this notional point. But to say, I'm succeeding, because I'm moving towards my definition of success. And I think that is such a valuable piece of advice. And I'm so grateful to Jackie for sharing it. The other thing that really touched me about what she was saying was, she truly believes that anything is possible in life, and sometimes she just forgets that. But when she reminds herself, that's when she steps into her true potential, and I couldn't agree more. So with that, I'll leave you to listen to her stories.

 

Jackie Davis on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackierdavis/

 

Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck - https://tinyurl.com/82xyb6ha

 

IKIGAI - The Japanese secret to living a long and happy life - https://tinyurl.com/2pz4atad

 

Song: ‘To be young gifted and black’ by Nina Simone

 

Wisdom: Nelson Mandela “It always seems impossible until it’s done”

 

Akimbo The Story Skills Workshop - https://akimbo.com/thestoryskillsworkshop

Phyllida Swift: ‘The Less you compare yourself to others the better’

Hello, my friends and welcome to episode two of what's shaping up to be a season of collective wisdom about finding courage in the face of adversity. And my guest this week is no stranger to that idea. Phyllida Swift is now the chief exec of Face Equality International, a role she stepped into after the untimely death of her predecessor and founder of the organisation Dr. James Partridge, James very sadly died in August last year and Phyllida has asked that this episode pay tribute to the incredible man that he was and to his life changing work as the pioneer behind the facial equality movement. James founded the charity Changing Faces after he suffered severe burns to his face as a teenager and went on to set up Face Equality International back in 2018, to unite organisations fighting for facial equality globally as he understood the power of the collective to really have an impact. He worked tirelessly right up until his death, helping people with facial differences to deal with the daily challenges they encounter, and to change the attitudes and prejudices of the world towards them. Our sincere condolences go to his wife, Carrie, his children and grandchildren and the many, many people who like Phyllida were so sorry to have to say goodbye to such a caring and compassionate friend. This week is facial equality week, and there couldn't be a more fitting time to honour James and the legacy that was his life's work.

 

Face Equality International - https://faceequalityinternational.org/

 

@FaceEqualityInt

 

Phyllida Swift TEDx Talk "I'll give you something to stare at" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qydFBmtOUEk

 

'Say Hello' by Carly Findlay -https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1460755030/ref=x_gr_w_bb_sout?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_sout_uk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738

 

Song:  ‘You Oughta  Know’ by Alanis Morisette - https://open.spotify.com/track/3jS7bB0oXVOwGFZn3aE5NV?si=5caa2d8b34c244f4

 

Wisdom: “The less you can compare yourself to others the better.”

Alysha Yates: Sankofa: Learn from your past to build your future

Hello my wise friends and welcome to Season 3 of The Collective Wisdom Podcast. We're kicking off today with a guest who is just so wise. Alysha Yates is the director of programmes for the charity, You Make It. Alysha’s story of losing her mother when she was only 22 really touched my heart. And I make no apology for the fact that when that happens, my eyes just leak she shares so wisely the idea of how you almost, through grief, lose a sense of yourself. Her journey to come back to herself by finding things that really do bring meaning into her life and light her up. She taught me about the concept of the Sankofa bird, which is a mythical bird from West African culture. The bird has a has an egg on its back. And it teaches us to go back to our roots in order to move forward so that we can achieve our full potential and bring our experience and the wisdom we've learned through those experiences with us. I am so grateful to Alysha for the way she opened up so generously, in a very intentional way to help other people who are maybe suffering in the same way at the moment, going through grief, experiencing that same sense of pain and loss. So with that, I'll hand you over to Alysha and her beautiful stories.

 

 

You Make It : Charity supporting young women in SE London to find meaningful work. - https://you-make-it.org/

 

Find your purpose : Jessica Huie - https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Find-Truth-Embrace-Calling/dp/1788170563

 

Wisdom: ‘Sankofa: Go back and fetch it. Taking the wisdom from your past to build your future’

 

Song: ‘Find your way back’  by Beyonce

Donna Easton: Find the child within you

Welcome to the final episode of Season 2 of The Collective Wisdom Podcast. I want to send out a huge thank you to you for joining me, it's a real privilege to know that you're listening and I really do appreciate you all for taking the time to do so. One act of simple kindness I would love is if you could spare the time to either leave a review, wherever you listen to this podcast or if you have any suggestions for guests you love to hear from, please reach out. It's always such a pleasure to hear from you. I'm rounding off this season with a real gem Donna Easton has many achievements to her name, but it's her latest venture Life Shine, which runs wellness and creativity classes for kids that we're talking about today. Donna has an incredible sense of fun as you will hear. But her message is that we can all find a bit more joy and wonder in our lives by reconnecting with the child inside all of us. Even if that means stripping off and dancing around the living room in your pants. I hope you enjoy this conversation and Donna stories as much as I did. And that it might inspire you to do something just a little bit crazy this week to spark some joy in your own life. Thanks again for listening and I look forward to seeing you in season three.

 

Life Shine Wellness classes with a difference for kids 

 

https://www.instagram.com/mylifeshines/

 

Song: ‘Oh Mio Babbino Caro’ (Oh my dear Papa) from the Opera Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini 

 

Wisdom: Find the child within you  

Luke Harris: We all have dignity beyond what we can imagine

Welcome to this episode of The Collective Wisdom Podcast with my lovely friend, Luke Harris, who is not only an amazing coach on the Story Skills Workshop, but he's also just written his first book, How to Sell Without Selling Your Soul. Luke has a rock solid career in sales and business development in the US. And it's also a pastor in his local community in Chicago. We dig into the process of writing and also what it means to him to live a purpose driven life. Part of that life's purpose includes Luke's experience working with the inmates in Angola prison down in Louisiana, his stories of what he encountered there are just so full of the compassion and humanity that set Luke apart. We also talk about Bryan Stevenson, the lawyer and author of the book Just Mercy who has dedicated his life to pursuing justice for the underserved and wrong wrongfully accused. Stevenson concludes that hearing their stories, he's come to the realisation that you are more than the worst thing you have ever done, which is so resonant of Luke's own wisdom, we all have dignity beyond what we can imagine. This was such a powerful conversation that really touched me so deeply with a message that I hope will resonate for you, too.

 

Selling Without Selling Your Soul by Luke Harris - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Selling-Without-Your-Soul-Transformation-ebook/dp/B08QZ8QKN8

 

Akimbo Workshop: Writing in Community - https://www.akimbo.com/writingincommunity

 

The Creatives Workshop - https://akimbo.com/thecreativesworkshop

 

Just Mercy - Bryan Stevenson - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Just-Mercy-story-justice-redemption/dp/1925228312

 

Song: Statesboro Blues - Allman Brothers Band

 

Wisdom: “We all have dignity beyond what we can imagine”

Josh Linkner: Always be in a state of reinvention.

Hello there, my wise friends and welcome to The Collective Wisdom Podcast. This week's guest has so many great achievements to his name, but the thing that drew my attention to his work is his mission to help everyday people become everyday innovators. Josh Linkner has just released his latest book, Big Little Breakthroughs, how small everyday innovations drive oversized results. Josh has poured all of his own creative skills into it to drive home his message that creativity is an inherent skill that all human beings have, but we have a tendency to grow out of it not into it. You'll also hear about the giant act of simple kindness that brought this interview about and his belief that if you pour out love and abundance into the world, it comes back to you in so many strange ways. He also shares wisdom that we can all act on every day.

 

Big Little Breakthroughs: How small everyday innovations drive oversized results

by Josh Linkner

https://joshlinkner.com/big-little-breakthroughs/

 

Song: Giant Steps by  John Coltrane

 

Wisdom: Always be in a state of reinvention.

Madeleine Wright: ‘Just resolve to shine’

Welcome to this episode of The Collective Wisdom Podcast. I have a fabulous guest to share with you this week. Madeleine Wright is currently in her third year at Durham University where she's studying English. And we talked about the work that she's doing, alongside the team with the Durham University charity fashion show, which last year raised an incredible £170,000 in aid of their charitable partners. Maddy has been part of the team working alongside local artists in the northeast and I'm pleased to say that despite all the obvious setbacks with the lockdown and not being able to do things in person, they're hosting a virtual art exhibition in July. We also talked about one of my favourite subjects, home, and what it means and how it isn't always necessarily a place. Listen out for her piece of wisdom, which is pure gold.

 

Durham University Charity Fashion Show - https://www.ducfs.co.uk/

 

DUCFS Virtual Art Exhibition featuring local artists from the North East - July  2021

https://www.pineappleblack.co.uk/index.php/pbvarts/

 

Caitlin Moran’s  posthumous letter to her daughter

https://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/2014/01/caitlin-moran-offers-posthumous-advice-daughter/

 

Paint my spirit gold  - Mumford Sons.

 

Song: ‘I will wait’ by Mumford and Sons

 

Wisdom: ‘Just resolve to shine’