Podcasts about Sainsbury

We're back in National Tredge territory with multi-award winning actor, ‘Sex Education' and ‘The X Files' star and soft drinks entrepreneur Gillian Anderson. But what is Green Glass Jello? ‘TRON: ARES' is out in cinemas on 10th October. ‘Trespasses' will air in November on Channel 4Buy G Spot drinks at stores nationwide – including Sainsbury's – or online at thisisgspot.comFollow Gillian on Instagram and TikTok @gilliana Watch the video version of this episode on the Off Menu YouTube on Thu 9 Oct.Off Menu is now on YouTube: @offmenupodcastFollow Off Menu on Instagram and TikTok: @offmenuofficial.And go to our website www.offmenupodcast.co.uk for a list of restaurants recommended on the show.Off Menu is a comedy podcast hosted by Ed Gamble and James Acaster.Produced, recorded and edited by Ben Williams for Plosive.Video production by Megan McCarthy for Plosive.Artwork by Paul Gilbey (photography and design). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christian Idiodi, Partner at Silicon Valley Product Group, and Co-author of the valuable product book Transformed, dismantles some of the most persistent myths in product leadership. Drawing from his global perspective and work across Africa's fast-emerging tech ecosystem, Christian makes the case for a new kind of leadership, one grounded in clarity, context, and radical trust.Chapters00:00 — The environment, not the people02:00 — Building product leadership in Africa06:00 — Stories of impact10:00 — What real leadership means14:00 — Managing minds, not hands19:00 — The “first team” mindset23:00 — Focus, not prioritisation25:00 — Scaling and the myth of process29:00 — AI and the redefinition of excellence35:00 — Creating space for practice40:00 — Product crits and leadership feedback41:30 — Inspire Africa ConferenceKey Takeaways— Better outcomes start with better environments. Leadership is about designing the conditions for people to do their best work — not managing their output.— Africa is building for Africa, by Africans. The Inspire Africa Conference is catalysing coaching, capital, and community to accelerate meaningful innovation.— Strategy defines focus. If prioritisation is hard, the strategy probably isn't real.— Leadership is a different sport. Managing people's minds, not hands, requires context, clarity, and trust — not control.— AI won't replace good leaders. But it might replace bad leadership. Judgment, product sense, and curiosity are the new differentiators.— Create practice space. Growth requires safety to make mistakes, experiment, and learn — at every level of the organisation.— Critique is culture. Teams that coach and critique together develop sharper thinking and stronger product judgment.Featured Links: Follow Christian on LinkedIn | Silicon Valley Product Group | Inspire Africa Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

This week on Skip the Queue, we're stepping into the turret and turning up the tension, as we explore one of the UK's most talked-about immersive experiences.Our guest is Neil Connolly, Creative Director at The Everywhere Group, who have brought The Traitors Live Experience to life. With over 10 million viewers watching every betrayal, backstab and banishment on the BBC show, expectations for the live version were nothing short of murderous.So, how do you even begin to transform a TV juggernaut into a thrilling, guest-led experience? Let's find out who's playing the game… and who's about to be banished…Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on LinkedIn. Show references: The Traitors Live website: https://www.thetraitorslive.co.uk/Neil's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-connolly-499054110/Neil Connolly is a creative leader of design and production teams focused on development, production and installation of live theatre, entertainment, multi-media and attractions for the themed entertainment industry worldwide.Neil began his career as a performer, writer, producer & artist in Londons alternative theatre/art scene. It was during this time Neil developed a love and passion for story telling through the platform of interactive playable immersive theatre.Having been at the vanguard of playable & immersive theatre since 2007, Neil had a career defining opportunity in 2019 when he devised, wrote & directed an immersive experience as part of Sainsbury's 150th Birthday Celebrations. Making him the only immersive theatre & game maker in the world to have HRH Elizabeth Regina attend one of their experiences.In a distinguished career spanning 20 years, Neil has brought that passion to every facet of themed entertainment in the creative direction and production of attractions such as; Handels Messiah, Snowman & The Snowdog, Peppa Pig Surprise Party, Traitors Live, The Crystal Maze Live Experience, Tomb Raider Live Experience & Chaos Karts, an AR go-kart real life battle. Other clients and activations include: Harrods, Sainsbury's, Camelot/The National Lottery, Samsung, Blenheim Palace, Land Rover and Warner Brothers.Neil has worked across 4 continents for many years with private individuals; designing, producing and delivering live entertainment on land, sea & air. A world without boundaries requires freethinking.Neil is currently working with Immersive Everywhere on creative development of show and attraction content for projects across U.K, Europe, North America & Asia. Transcriptions:  Paul Marden: This week on Skip the Queue, we're stepping into the turret and turning up the tension as we explore one of the UK's most talked about immersive experiences.Paul Marden: Our guest is Neil Connolly, Creative Director at The Everywhere Group, who've brought The Traitor's live experience to life. With over 10 million viewers watching every betrayal, backstab and banishment on the BBC show, expectations for the live version were nothing short of murderous. So how do you even begin to transform a TV juggernaut into a thrilling guest-led experience? Let's find out who's playing the game and who's about to be banished.Paul Marden: So, we're underground. Lots of groups running currently, aren't they? How did you make that happenNeil Connolly: Yeah, so now we're two floors under us. There's a lower basement and some other basement. So the building that we are in, there's a family in the 1890s who owned all of the land around Covent Garden and specifically the Adelphi Theatre.Paul Marden: Right.Neil Connolly: And they wanted their theatre to be the first theatre in the UK to have its lights powered by electricity. So they built their own private power station in this building. Like, literally like, all this, this is a power station. But unfortunately for these the Savoy had taken to that moniker, so they quickly built their important institution. The family had this building until the 1980s when the establishment was assumed through the important UK network.Neil Connolly: And then it was sat there empty, doing nothing for 40 years. And so the landlord that is now started redeveloping the building 10 years ago, added two floors onto the top of the building. So now what we're in is an eight-storey structure and we've basically got the bottom four floors. Two of which are ground and mezzanine, which is our hospitality area. And the lower two floors, which are all in the basement, are our experience floors. What we're looking at right now is, if you look off down this way to the right, not you people on audio, but me here.Neil Connolly: Off this side is five of the round table rooms. There's another one behind me and there's two more upstairs. And then I've got some Tretters Towers off to the left and I've got my show control system down there.Neil Connolly: On the floor above me, we've got the lounges. So each lounge is connected to one of the round table rooms. Because when you get murdered or banished, one of the biggest challenges that I faced was what happens to people when they get murdered or banished? Because you get kicked out of the game. It's not a lot of fun, is it? Therefore, for me, you also get kicked out of the round table room. So this is a huge challenge I face. But I built these lounge concepts where you go— it's the lounge of the dead— and you can see and hear the round table room that you've just left. We'll go walk into the room in a while. There's lots of interactivity. But yeah, super fun. Neil Connolly: But unfortunately for these the Savoy had taken to that moniker, so they quickly built their important institution. The family had this establishment until the 1980s when the establishment was considered through the important UK network.Paul Marden: Yeah. So we've got 10 million people tuning in to Traitors per episode. So this must be a lot of pressure for you to get it right. Tell us about the experience and what challenges you faced along the way, from, you know, that initial text message through to the final creation that we're stood in now.Neil Connolly: So many challenges, but to quote Scroobius Pip on this, do you know Scroobius Pip? Paul Marden: No. Neil Connolly: Great, he's amazing. UK rapper from Essex.Neil Connolly: Some people see a mousetrap and think death. I see free cheese and a challenge.Neil Connolly: There's never any problems in my logic, in my thinking. There's always just challenges to overcome. So one of the biggest challenges was what happens to people when they get murdered or banished. The truth of the matter is I had to design a whole other show, which happens after this show. It is one big show. But you go to the Lounge of the Dead, there's more interactivity. And navigating that with the former controller, which is O3 Media and IDTV, who created the original format in the Netherlands, and basically designing a game that is in the world and follows the rules of their game with some reasonable adjustments, because TV and live are not the same thing.Neil Connolly: It takes 14 days to film 12 episodes of The Traitors. Paul Marden: Really? Okay. Neil Connolly: So I was like, how do I truncate 14 days of somebody's life down into a two-hour experience and still deliver that same impact, that same power, that same punch?Paul Marden: Yep.Neil Connolly: But I knew from the beginning of this that it wasn't about time. There is a magic triangle when it comes to the traitors, which is time, space, atmosphere. And time was the thing that I always struggled with. I don't have a Scottish cattle show, and I don't have two weeks. No. So I'm like, 'Cool, I've got to do it in two hours.' So our format follows exactly the same format. We do a breakfast scene, then a mission, then a roundtable banishment, then there's a conclave where the traitors meet and they murder somebody. And I do that in a seven-day structure, a seven-day cycle. But it all happens within two hours around this round table.Neil Connolly: I'm the creative director for Immersive Everywhere. We're a vertically integrated structure in the sense that we take on our own venues. So we're now standing in Shorts Gardens in the middle of Covent Garden. So we've leased this building. We've got a lease that is for a number of years and we have built the show into it. But we also identify the IP, go after that ourselves, we capitalise the projects ourselves. We seek strategic partners, promoters, other people to kind of come involved in that journey. But because we're also the team that are licensing the product, we are also the producers and I'm the creative director for that company. So I developed the creative in line with while also getting the deal done. This is incredibly unusual because other producers will be like, 'Hey, I've identified this IP and I've got it.' Now I'm going to approach a creative agency and I'm going to get them to develop the product. And now I've done all of that, I'm going to find someone else to operationally put it on, or I'm going to find a venue to put it on in, and then I'm going to find my ticketing partner.  But we don't do that. We have our own ticketing platform, and we have our own database, so we mark our own shoulders.Neil Connolly: As well as other experiences too. Back, we have our own creative industry, we are the producers, we are the female workers. So we cast it, we hire all the front of house team, we run the food and beverage, we run the bars. The operations team is our operations team because they run the venue as well as the show at the same time. So that's what I mean. We're a vertically integrated structure, which means we do it, which makes us a very unusual proposition within... certainly within the UK market, possibly the world. It makes us incredibly agile as a company and makes us to be able to be adaptive and proactive and reactive to the product, to the show, to the market that we're operating in, because it's all under one roof.Neil Connolly: This show started January 24th, 2023. Right. It's very specific because I was sitting on my sofa drinking a lovely glass of Merlot and I had just watched... UK Traitors, Season One. Yep. Because it came out that Christmas. Immediately I was like, 'Oh my God, this is insane.' And then I got a text message that particular night from our head of licensing, a guy named Tom Rowe, lovely man. And he was like, Neil, I'm at a licensing event with some friends of mine and everyone's talking about this thing called Traitors. I've not watched it. Have you watched it? Sounds like it might be a good thing. And so I sat back and drank my Merlot. And about five minutes later, I text him back and I was like, Tom, get us that license.Neil Connolly: And then I sent him a bunch of other details of how the show in my head would work, both from a commercial standpoint, but also from a creative standpoint, because I'm a commercially minded creative. Right. So I instantly took out my notebook and I started writing down exactly how I thought the show was going to do, the challenges that we would face and being able to translate this into a live thing. But I literally started writing it that night. And then he watched the first episode on the train on the way home. And then he texted me the next morning and he was like, 'I love it.' What do we need to do? And I was like, 'Get us in the room.' Two days later, we were in the room with all three media who own the format globally.Paul Marden: Okay.Neil Connolly: So we sat down and then they came to see one of our other shows and they were like, 'Okay, we get it now.' And then that was like two and a half years of just building the show, getting the deal done and facing the myriad of challenges. But yeah, sometimes it just starts with the text message.Paul Marden: So they get to experience all the key parts of the TV.Neil Connolly: All the key beats. Like right now, I'm holding one of the slates. They're not chalkboard slates. Again, this is... Oh, actually, this is a good challenge. So in the TV show, they've got a piece of slate and they write on it with a chalkboard pen. This seems so innocuous and I can't believe I'm talking about this on a podcast.Neil Connolly: Slategate was like six months of my life. Not in its entirety, but it was a six month long conversation about how we do the slates correctly. Because we do... 48 shows a day, six days a week. And those slates will crack. They will bash. And they're kind of a bit health and safety standards. I was like, can't have them. Also, they write on them with chalk pens, white ink chalk pens. But in the TV show, you only do it once a night. Yeah.Paul Marden: And then you have a producer and a runner.Neil Connolly: They just clean them very, very leisurely and set them back for the next day. And I was like, no, I've got to do a whole bunch of roundtable banishments in two hours. So we talked a lot about material, about style, literal viewership, because if you take a seat at the table. Yeah. If you're sitting at the table here, you'll notice that we've got a raised bit in the middle. If I turn mine around, the other person on the other side can't see it. So I was like, 'Okay, cool.' So we had to do a whole bunch of choreography. But also, the room's quite dark. Yes. At times, atmospheric. Yeah. In that magic triangle time-space atmosphere. So anything that was darker, or even that black slate, you just couldn't read it. And then there was, and then I had to— this is the level of detail that we have to go into when we're designing this kind of stuff. I was like, 'Yeah, but I can't clean off these slates with the white ink because everyone will have to have like a wet cloth chamois. Then I've just got loads of chamois around my venue that I just don't need.' And so then we're like, 'Oh, let's use real slates with real chalk.' And I was like, 'No, because dust will get everywhere.' I'll get chalk just all over my table. It'll just ruin everything. It'll ruin the technology that's inside the table because there's lots of hidden tricks inside of it. Paul Marden: Is there really? Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Neil Connolly: There's loads of hidden tricks inside the table. So after a while, going through many different permutations, I sat down with Christian Elenis, who's my set designer and my art director. And we were, the two of us were nearly in tears because we were like, 'We need,' and this only happened like.Neil Connolly: I would say two, three weeks before we opened. We still hadn't solved how to do the slate, which is a big thing in the show. Anybody who's seen the show and loves the show knows that they want to come in, they want to write somebody's name on the slate, and they want to spell the name incorrectly.Neil Connolly: Everyone does it on purpose. But I wanted to give people that opportunity. So then eventually we sat down and we were like, Christian, Neil. And the two of us in conversation went, why don't we just get a clear piece of Perspex, back it with a light coloured vinyl. And then Christian was like, 'Ooh,' and I'll make it nice and soft and put some felt on the back of it, which is what I'm holding. And then why don't we get a black pen? And we were like, 'Yeah,' like a whiteboard marker. And then we can just write on it. And then A, I can see it from the other side of the table. Thing one achieved. Two. Every marker pen's got an eraser on the top of it. I don't know why everyone thinks this is important, but it is. That you can just rub out like that, and I'm like, 'There's no dirt, there's no mess, and I can reuse this multiple times, like dozens of times in the same show.' And I know that sounds really weird, but that's the level of design I'm going to need.Paul Marden: I was just about to say, and that is just for the chalkboard. Yeah. Now you need to multiply that. How many decisions?Neil Connolly: How many decisions in each game. But also remember that there are eight round tables in this building. Each round table seats 14 people. And we do six sessions a day. So first ones at 10 a. m. Then we do 12, 2, 4, 6, and 8 p. m. So we do 48 shows a day, six days a week.Paul Marden: I love the concept that these are shows. This is not this is not visitor attraction. This is theater repeated multiple times a day for multi audience is concurrently.Neil Connolly: And I've just spent five minutes describing a slate to you. Yeah. But like, I haven't even got— it's like the sheer amount of technology that is in the show. And again, theatrical, like, look above our heads. Yeah. You've got this ring light above every seat. It's got a pin light. There's also microphones which are picking up all the audio in the room, which again is translating to the lounge of the dead. Every single one of the round table rooms has four CCTV cameras. Can you see that one in the corner? Each one of them is 4K resolution. It's quite high spec, which is aimed at the opposite side of the table to give you the resolution in the TV. In the other room. Then you've got these video contents. This is constantly displaying secret information through the course of the show to the traitors when they're in Conclave because everyone's in blindfolds and they took them off. They get secret instructions from that. There's also a live actor in the room. A live actor who is Claudia? They're not Claudia. They're not pastiches of Claudia. They are characters that we have created and they are the host of The Traitor's Game. Right. They only exist inside this building. We never have them portrayed outside of this building in any way whatsoever.Neil Connolly: They are characters, but they live, they breathe— the game of Traitors, the world of Traitors, and the building that we have designed and constructed here. And they facilitate the game for the people. And they facilitate the game for the people. One actor to 14 people. There are no plants, even though everyone tries to tell me. Members of the public will be convinced that they are the only person that's in that show and that everyone else is a plant. And I'm like, no, because that would be insane.Neil Connolly: The only actor in the room is the host.Paul Marden: 14 people that can sit around this table. How many of them are in the same group? Are you with your friends or is it put together where there are other people that you won't know in the room? If you book together, you play together.Neil Connolly: Yes. Okay, so if you don't book 14 people... Ah, we also capped the number of tickets that you can purchase to eight. Right. So you can only purchase a maximum of eight tickets unless you do want a full table of 14, at which point you have to then purchase a VIP package because you are booking out a whole table for yourselves. The game doesn't work if there's less than 10 people at the table. So there has to be 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 people sat at a round table for the show to actually happen, for it to work. By capping the number of tickets that you book for eight, then that guarantees that strangers will be playing together. And that is the basis of strangers. Yeah, yeah. Like, you need to be sat around a table with people you know, you don't know, that you trust and you don't trust. Yeah. Fact of the matter. And do you see people turning on the others in their own group? Every single time. People think genuinely, and I love this from the public, you would think that if you're turning up as a group of eight and a group of four and a group of two, that the bigger group would just pick everybody off to make sure that someone in their group gets through to the end game.Neil Connolly: I'm sure they think that and they probably plot and plan that before they arrive on site. As soon as this game starts, gloves are off and everyone just starts going for each other. We've been open nearly two months now. I have seen, like, children murdered of their mothers.Neil Connolly: Husbands murder their wives, wives murder their husbands. I've seen, like, three generations—like, we get, because it's so intergenerational, like our lowest, the lowest age that you can play this is 12. Right. And then it's upwards. I've seen three generations of family come in and I've seen grandkids murder their own nan.Neil Connolly: Absolutely convinced that they're a traitor. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 100%. Or they banish them. Like, it's just mental. I've also seen nans, who are traitors, murder their grandkids.Neil Connolly: Like, and this is in a room full of strangers. They're just like, 'No, I'm not going to go for Barbara, who I met two hours ago in the bar. I'm going to go for my own grandson. It's mental.'Neil Connolly: The very, very first thing that I always think about whenever I'm creating an experience or whenever I'm designing a show is I put myself in the position of 'I'm a member of the public.' I have bought a ticketNeil Connolly: What's the coolest thing that I am going to do for my money? What is my perceived value of my ticket over actually what is the value of that ticket? I wanted to give people the experience of knowing what it was like to be sitting in one of these chairs at this table and feeling their heart. The pounding in their chest and I mean, the pounding in their chest, that rush of adrenaline from doing nothing— from sitting in a chair and all you were doing was sitting in a room talking to people and your heart is going.Neil Connolly: Because you're either being accused of being a liar. And trying to defend against it. And trying to defend against it. Or you actually are lying and you're trying to whittle your way out of it. And that feeling is the most alive that you will ever feel. Not ever. Like, I'm sure they're... No, no, no. But, like, give people that opportunity and that experience, as well as, like, access to the world of traitors and the law and everything else. But also, it's like any other theme park ride. People go on roller coasters because the imminent fear of death is always there. Yeah. And you feel alive. You're like, you've got such a buzz of adrenaline. Whereas, arguably, we do exactly the same thing as roller coasters, but in a much more longer-drawn format and multiple times. Yeah. And people do feel alive. When people walk out of the show, you see them go upstairs to the bar, and they are... Yeah.Paul Marden: You've said to me already that you don't use the word 'immersive,' but you know, I'm, I'm, I'm sat. The company is called 'immersive' everywhere. I'm sat behind the scenes. Okay. I'm sat in the room and the room is hugely convincing. It's like the highest fidelity escape room type experience that I've ever sat in. It feels like I'm on set, yeah, yeah. Um, I can totally believe that, in those two hours, you can slip. I sat on a game. It was only a two-minute game at iApple, but I was being filmed by one of the team. But within 30 seconds, I'd forgotten that they were there because I was completely immersed in the game. I can believe that, sitting in here right now, you could forget where you were and what you were doing, that you were completely submerged in the reality of the land that you're in.Neil Connolly: Yeah, 100%. Like, the world does not exist beyond these worlds. And for some people, like, I have my own definition. Everyone's got a different definition of what immersive is. I've got my own definition. But... I can tell you right now, as soon as people enter this building, they're in the bar, they're kind of slowly immersed in that world because the bar is a themed bar. It's done to the same, like we designed and built that bar as well. But as soon as they start descending that spiral staircase and coming into the gameplay floors, into the show floors, they just forget the rest of the world exists. And especially when they sit down at this table, it doesn't matter. I'm sat next to you here, but you could be sat at this table with your loved one, strangers, whatever. The gloves come off and just nothing exists apart from the game that you're about to go through.Paul Marden: You've been open now for a couple of months. More success than you were anticipating, I think. So pre-sales went through the roof? Yes. So you're very happy with the results?Neil Connolly: Yeah, yeah, we were. Yeah, well, we still are.Neil Connolly: We were very confident before we'd even started building the show, like the literal structural build, because we did very well. But then that set expectations quite high because I had a lot of people that had bought tickets and I was like, 'OK, I need to put on a good show for these people. And I need to make sure that they get satisfaction relative to the tickets that they bought.' But I don't feel pressure. I do feel anxiety quite a lot. Creatively? Yeah. I mean, I meditate every day.Paul Marden: But you've created this amazing world and you're inviting people into it. And as a creative, you're opening yourself up, aren't you? People are walking into the world that you've created.Neil Connolly: Yeah, this was said to me. This is not something that I came up with myself, and I do say this really humbly, but it was something that was said to me. It was on opening day, and a bunch of my friends came to playtest the show. And they were like, 'Oh, this is your brain in a building.'Neil Connolly: And I was like, 'Yeah, I hadn't thought about that.' But yeah, it is my brain in a building. But also that's terrifying, I think, for everybody else, because I know what happens inside my brain and it's really quite chaotic.Neil Connolly: But, you know, this I am. I'm so proud of this show. Like you could not believe how proud I am of this show. But also a huge part of my job is to find people that are smarter than me at the relative thing that they do, such as the rest of my creative team. They're all so much smarter than me. My job is vision and to be able to communicate that vision clearly and effectively so that they go, 'I understand.' The amount of times that people on the creative team turn around to me and go, 'Neil, that's a completely mental idea.' If people are saying to me, 'No one's ever done that before' or 'that's not the way things are done.'Neil Connolly: Or we can do that, but we're going to have to probably invent a whole new thing. If people are saying those things to me, I know I'm doing my job correctly. And I'm not doing that to challenge myself, but everything that I approach in terms of how I build shows is not about format. It's not about blueprints. It's not like, 'Hey, I've done this before, so I'm just going to do this again because I know that's a really neat trick.' I go back to, 'I made the show because I wanted people's heart to pound in their chest while they're sitting in a chair and make them feel alive.'Paul Marden: Is that the vision that you had in your head? So you're articulating that really, really clearly. Is that the vision that you sold to everybody on, not maybe day one, but within a couple of days of talking about this? No, it was day one.Neil Connolly: It was day one. Everyone went, that's a completely mental idea. But, you know, it's my job to try and communicate that as effectively and clearly as I can. But again, I am just one man. My job is vision. And, you know, there's lighting design, sound design, art direction, there's game logic. We haven't even gotten to the technology of how this show works yet, or how this room works.Neil Connolly: Actually, I'll wander down the corner. Yeah, let's do that. But, like, there's other, like, lots of hidden tricks. Like, this is one of the games, one of the missions. In the world and the lore of the show, the round table is sacrosanct.Paul Marden: Yes.Neil Connolly: Traitors is the game. The game is in other people. I can do so many missions and there's loads of missions and they're really fun in this show. But the game is in other people. It's in the people sat on the other side of the room. But also I wanted to do a thing where people could interact directly with the set. And so I designed one of the missions to be in the round table itself.Neil Connolly: So there's a course of these moon dials, which you basically have to align through the course of it. And there are sensors built into the table so that they know when they're in the correct position. How you find out the correct position is by solving a very, very simple puzzle and then communicating effectively to a bunch of strangers that you just met.Neil Connolly: And the sensors basically read it all. And when that all gets into position, the lights react, the sound reacts, the video content reacts, the whole room reacts to you. So I wanted to give people something tangible that they can touch and they make the room react to them. Yes, it's. I mean, I've designed, I've got background in escape rooms as well, right? Um, so I've done a lot of that kind of stuff as well. So I wanted people to feel in touch, same, but like, there's more tangible props over here. Um, yeah, that is a model box of the room that we are stood in, yeah. Also, there's an exact replica of it on the other side of it. There are very subtle differences between it, and that informs one of the missions. So that is two model boxes in this roundtable room. There's one of these in every single roundtable room. So there's 16 model boxes of the show that you're stood in on the set. And again, theatre. It's a show. But it's one of the missions, because I wanted people to kind of go, 'Oh, there's a live actor in front of me.' I'm having fun. Oh, look at all these lights and all the sound. Oh, there's a model box over here. That's in theatre land and blah, blah, blah. But that is also a really expensive joke. It's a really expensive joke. And there's other, like, lots of hidden tricks.Neil Connolly: Let's go look at backstage. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.Neil Connolly: I say backstage, like how we refer to it or how I always go. I use 'I' and 'we' very interchangeably. Like right now you're on the set. Like you're on the stage. Yes. We're just wandering around a long corridor. There are round table rooms off to either side. But like, you know, there's a green room upstairs where the actors get changed, where the front of house team are, where the bar team all are. But as soon as they go out onto the show floor, they're on stage—yes, completely. We'll very quickly have a look at the gallery—yes, show control. Hi, Robbo. Do you mind if I stand in your room for the purposes of the audio? I'm talking to the technical manager, Thomas Robson. We're recording a podcast.Paul Marden: Robbo, oh yeah, okay. My mind is absolutely blown. So you've got every single room up on screen.Neil Connolly: Yeah, so that's great. There's 164 cameras—something like that. But every roundtable room has four cameras in it. Each camera is 4K resolution. So we've got cameras on all of them. We've got audio into those rooms. That's two-way, so that if show control needs to talk directly to them, they just press a button here and they can talk directly to the room itself. Mainly just like, stop misbehaving, we're watching you.Neil Connolly: We've then got cameras into all of the lounges, all of the show spaces, all the front of house, all of the bar areas, the mezzanine and back of house. And then you've got QLab running across all of the different shows. We've got backups on all of these screens. So if one... of the computers goes down, we can very quickly swap it in for a backup that's already running. We've got show control, which is, there's a company called Clockwork Dog, who, they're an amazing company. What COGS, their show control system, is doing is pulling in all of the QLab from sound, all of the QLab from lighting, and also we built our own app. to be able to run the show. So there's a whole logic and decision tree based on the decisions that the public do through the course of the game. So yes, there is a beginning, a middle, and an end in terms of our narrative beats and the narrative story of the show that we're telling people. But also that narrative can go in. Hundreds of different directions depending on the actions and the gameplay that the people do during the course of the show. So, you haven't just learned one show— you have to learn like You have to learn a world, and you have to learn a whole game.Neil Connolly: Like, there's the server, stacks, which we had to build. You had to network and cable the entire building. So we have built an entire new attraction, which didn't exist before. And also we're pulling in information from the front of house system which is also going into the show itself because again, you put your name into the iPad when you arrive on site and then you tick a box very crucially to say, 'Do you want to be selected as a trader? Yes or No.' Because in the game, it's a fundamental rule. If you say no, you cannot be selected as a traitor by the host during traitor selection. That doesn't mean you can't be recruited.Paul Marden: By the traitors later on in the game. So you could come and do this multiple times and not experience the same story because there were so many different pathways that you could go down.Neil Connolly: But also, the game is in other people. Yes. The show is sat on the opposite side of the table to you because, like, Bob and Sandra don't know each other. They'll never see each other ever again. But Bob comes again and he's now playing against Laura. Who's Laura? She's an unknown quantity. That's a whole new game. That's a whole new show. There's a whole new dynamic. That's a whole new storyline that you have to develop. And so the actors are doing an incredible job of managing all of that.Paul Marden: Thanks, Robbo. Thank you. So you've worked with some really, really impressive leading IP, Traders, Peppa Pig, Doctor Who, Great Gatsby. What challenges do you face taking things from screen to the live experience?Paul Marden: Challenges do I face? We're wandering here.Neil Connolly: So we are in... Oh, we're in the tower.Neil Connolly: Excellent. Yep, so we're now in Traitor's Tower. Good time for you to ask me the question, what challenges do I face? Things like this. We're now stood in Traitor's Tower. Paul, let me ask you the question. Without the show lights being on, so we're just stood on a set under workers, what's your opinion of the room that we're stood in?Paul Marden: Oh, it's hugely impressive. It feels like, apart from the fact you've punched the fourth wall out of the telly, it does feel like you're on set.Neil Connolly: It's a really faithful reproduction of the set. So that's kind of one of the challenges is managing the public's expectations of what they see, do and feel on site. So that I don't change the show so that people come and play the game that they're expecting to play. But making reasonable adjustments within that, because TV and live are two very, very different things. So first and foremost was making sure that we get the format right. So the game that people play, which informs the narrative of the show and the narrative structure of the show. Breakfast, mission, round table, conclave. Breakfast, mission, round table, conclave. I've designed a whole bunch of new missions that are in this, taken some inspiration from missions that people know and love from the TV shows, whether that's the UK territory or other territories around the world. And also just other stuff is just clear out of my head. So there's original content in there. paying homage and respect to the world that they've built and allowing ourselves to also play and develop and build out that world at the same time. Other challenges.Neil Connolly: This is not a cheap project. No, no. I mean, the production quality of this is beautiful. Yeah, yeah, thank you. It is stunning. When people walk in here, they're like, 'Oh my God, this is... High end.' I am in a luxury event at a very affordable price.Paul Marden: Thank you. And then we're going back upstairs again. Yes. And in the stairwell, we've got the crossed out photos of all of those that have fallen before us.Neil Connolly: No, not quite. All of the people that are in this corridor, there's about 100 photos. These are all the people who built the show.Neil Connolly: So this is David Gregory. He's the sound designer. This is Kitty, who is Immersive Everywhere's office manager. She also works in ticketing. That is Tallulah and Alba, who work in the art department. Elliot, who's our lighting designer. So all of these people are the people who brought the show to life.Paul Marden: Amazing.Neil Connolly: And we wanted to pay homage to them because some of them gave years of their lives to building the show from literally the inception that I had in 2023. Through to now and others are the people who literally spent months of their life underground in these basements building hand-building this set and so we wanted to pay homage to them so we got all of their photos we did the iconic red cross through it yeah and we stuck them all up in the corridor just because we thought it'd be a nice thing to do.Paul Marden: You're in the business of trading and experiences and that ranges from art exhibitions to touring shows. There's always going to be a challenge of balancing innovation and profitability. What is the formula? What is the magic formula?Neil Connolly: I believe, first and foremost, going back to what I was telling you earlier about us being a collaborative organisation. We are not a creative crack that has been used for the show. We are also the producers of the show. And to make my point again, I'm a commercially minded creative. So I actually sit down with the producers and go, 'Okay, cool.' There are 112 seats in the show.Paul Marden: Yep.Neil Connolly: Therefore, how many shows do we need to do per day? How many shows do we need to do per week? How many shows do we need to do per year? Therefore, let's build out a P &L. And we build a whole business plan based around that.Paul Marden: By having everybody— that you need in the team— makes it much easier to talk about that sort of stuff. It makes it much easier for you to design things with the end result in mind. You don't have a creative in a creative agency going off— feeding their creative wants without really thinking about the practicalities of delivering on it.Neil Connolly: Exactly. So you've got to think like, literally, from the very, very beginning: you've got to think about guest flow. You've got to think about throughput. You've got to think about your capacities. Then you've got to basically build out a budget that you think— how much, hey, how much really is this going to cost? Yeah. Then you build out an entire business plan and then you go and start raising the money to try and put that on. And then you find a venue. I mean, like the other magic triangle, like the traitor's magic triangle is, you know, time, space, atmosphere. That's how you do a show. Like with my producer's hat on, the other magic triangle is show, money, venue.Neil Connolly: The truth of the matter, like I make no bones about it, I can design shows till the cows come home, but I'm always going to need money to put them on and a venue to put them in. Also, I want to stress this really important. I use the words 'I' and 'we' very interchangeably.Paul Marden: It's a team effort.Neil Connolly: You can see that in that corridor. I am not a one-man band. I am the creative director of a company. I am a cog that is in that machine, and everybody is doing... We are, as a team... I cannot stress this enough. Some of the best in the business are doing what we do. And everyone is so wildly talented. And that's just us on the producing side. That's immersive everywhere, limited. Then I've got a whole other creative team. Then we've got operations. Then we've got... It's just mad. It's just mad, isn't it? This is a job. Who would have thought, when you were at school, this was an opportunity? Not my principal or my maths teacher.Neil Connolly: So, sorry, just to balance the kind of economies of scale. That was the question, wasn't it?Paul Marden: Well, we were talking about what is the formula for making that an investment, but you know, the authority here is the effort you've put in to do this feels high, but at the same time, you have to find this thing. There is a lot of investment that goes into the front.Neil Connolly: But that comes back to creatives. Caring and I'm not saying the creatives don't, but I care. I care about building businesses. Yeah, not necessarily like building my own CV, like there's so many projects that across our desks. I'll be like, 'Yeah, that'd be really fun to work on.' But do I think that I can make that a touring product? Can it be a long-running location-based entertainment sit-down product? Can it be an art shop? Like you've kind of got a balance with what do you think is just creatively cool versus what can we do as a company that is a commercially viable and financially stable product? And so all that comes through in terms of the creative, but also in terms of the activities of how we run the building, how this model realizes. Because if you think about it, let's make Phantom of the Opera run in the West End. Yes. The show is very obvious, with many casts on a room, away, fruit team away, terrace, it's a big activity. If they haven't sold half that away, they have to use the whole show and play all those people.Neil Connolly: But if they haven't sold half that away from one of my shows... I only have to activate four of my rooms, not eight of them. Therefore, I don't have to call in four actors. I don't have to call in a bunch of the other front of house team and I can scale in the operations on the back. It's an entirely scalable process. Flexible, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, 100%. But also, like, we've got eight rooms here. If we decide to take this to another territory, and that territory demands a much higher throughput, then instead of eight rooms, I can do 20 rooms, 30 rooms. As long as we know that the market is there to be able to kind of get people through it.Neil Connolly: I love this show and I'm so proud of it. The main reason why I'm proud of it is when the show finishes, let's go into one of the lounges. Have you been into one of the lounges?Paul Marden: I've had a nose around a lounge.Neil Connolly: There are different shapes and sizes. We won't go into that one. We'll go into this one down here. That one, that one. It's always such a buzz when you're stood in the bar and the shows kick out, and you see tables and tables of 14 people going up into the bar.Neil Connolly: Area and before they've even gotten a drink, they will run straight over to their friends, families, strangers, whoever they were playing with in that table of 14, and instantly be like, 'Right, I need to know everything that was going on inside your head, your heart, and your soul over the last two hours of my life because this was my experience.'Neil Connolly: And they'll just go, and they'll be like, 'And this is what I was thinking.' And then I thought it was you because you did this and you touched your nose in a weird way. And then I thought you were sending secret signals. And then everyone's like, 'No, that's not what I was doing.' I was just trying to be a normal person. And they were like, 'Well, why did you say that thing?' It sounded super weird. And they're like, 'That's just what I do.' And it's just totally mental. And then they all get a drink from the bar. And we call it the bar tab chat.Neil Connolly: It's another revenue stream.Neil Connolly: I do talk about this like it's a show. And it is a show. You've walked around, do you think it's a show? Completely. I talk to established houses all the time. Like, you know, the big theatres of the land. Organisations that are national portfolio organisations who receive a lot of Arts Council funding. The thing that they want to talk to us about all the time is new audiences. They're like, 'How do I get new audiences through my door?' What can I do? And I'm like, 'Well, firstly, make a show that people want to go and see.'Neil Connolly: Again, they're like, 'But I've got this amazing writer and he's a really big name and everyone's going to come because it's that name.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, that's wicked. That's cool.' And they can all go pay reverence to that person. That's really wonderful. Whereas when you look at the attractions landscape or the immersive theatre landscape or like anything like... Squid Game, or The Elvis, Evolution, or War of the Worlds, which has also laid reality, or any of that kind of stuff, across the landscape, it is nothing but new audiences. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is nothing but actual ticket-buying audiences.Neil Connolly: And they come from all different walks of life. And what I love is that they do come in to this experience and we hit them with this like secret theatre.Neil Connolly: And they're like, 'Oh my God.' And often it's a gateway to them being like, 'Oh, I didn't realise that.' Maybe I'll go see a Western show or maybe I will go to the National Theatre and see something. Because that's the level of archery. Because those organisations, I love them and I've worked in a few of them, but those buildings can be quite austere, even though they're open and porous, but it's still very difficult to walk through that threshold and feel a part of it.Paul Marden: Whereas coming in here, coming into an event like this, can feel like a thing that they do.Neil Connolly: Because it's the same demographic as theme park junkies. People who love going to theme parks love going to stuff like this because it's an experience, it's an otherness, it's an other nature kind of thing. Because modern audiences want to play and do, not sit and watch. But we all exist in the kind of same ecosystem. I'm not taking on the National Theatre.Paul Marden: Gosh, no. I always talk about that. I think the reason why so many attractions work together in the collaborative way that they do is they recognise that they're not competing with each other. They're competing with sitting on your backside and watching Netflix.Paul Marden: Yeah, yeah.Paul Marden: Our job for all of us is to drag people away from their screens and drag people off of their sofas to do something. And then that's the biggest challenge that we all face.Neil Connolly: I think then that kind of answers the question that you asked me earlier, which I didn't answer. And I'm very sorry.Neil Connolly: is about identifying different pieces of IP. Like, yes, we largely exist in the world of licensing IP. And how do we identify that kind of IP to be able to translate? Not just how do we do it, but like, actually, how do we identify the right thing that's going to... How do you spot the winner? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And that is one of the biggest challenges to your point of we're talking directly to people who consume arts, culture and media and technology in a slightly more passive way, whether that's just at home and watching Netflix and then bringing that to life. In a very, very different way. If you have a very clear marketing campaign that tells people what it is that they're buying and what they're expected to see or do on their particular night out, because that's what modern people really care about, what they do with their money. Yeah. And they want to have a good night out. And I'm in the business of giving people a good night out. We also happen to be murdering a lot of people in the course of the show.Neil Connolly: Still a good night out. Still a good night out. But I'm in a place where the dead sit. Yeah, exactly. Lounge of the dead. And like, you know, this is a really cool space. Oh, it's just beautiful. You know, we've got the telephone really works. There's lots of information that comes through that. The radio works, that does different things. The TV screen on the wall, that has the actual live feed into the round table room that you've just left. And there's other little puzzles and hints and tricks in this room, which means that after you've been murdered or banished and you come to the Lounge of the Dead, you're still engaged with the game to a degree. You just don't directly influence the outcome of the game. But you're still involved in it. You're still involved in it. It's super fun. Oh, and you can have a drink in here.Paul Marden: I don't let people drink in the round table. Even more important. What's this?Neil Connolly: The dolls, the creepy dolls. What this is, this is the void. Creatively speaking, this is where all the gold goes when people win or lose it. And the creepy dolls are from the TV show. Ydyn nhw'r un gwirioneddol o'r sioe? Felly, gafodd studio Lambert, sy'n gwneud y sioe tebyg, llawer o brops o'r sioe tebyg i ni eu rhoi ar y ddispleiddio yma. Felly, mae gennych chi'r Dolls Creepy o'r lles 3 yno. Rydyn ni'n mynd i fyny. Yn ôl yma, mae'r peintiwch Deathmatch.Paul Marden: Which is from season three.Neil Connolly: And they get the quill and they write the names and got the quill upstairs. We've also got over here, the cards that they used to play the death match with. Excellent.Paul Marden: So you began your career in theatre. How did that evolve into the world of immersive live experiences?Neil Connolly: Life story. I am the son of a postman and a cook. And if you haven't noticed already, I'm from Ireland. There was no theatre in our lives, my life, when I was growing up. And I stumbled into a youth theatre. It's called Kildare Youth Theatre. And the reason why I joined that is because there was a girl that I really fancied.Neil Connolly: She had just joined this youth theatre and I was like, 'Oh, I'm gonna join that as well' and that kind of opened the world of theatre for me. At the same time, I then got spotted by this guy, his name's Vijay Baton, his real name's Om, but he converted to Hare Krishnanism in the 90s. And he set up a street theatre company in Ireland. He just taught me street theatre. So he taught me stilt walk, he taught me juggling, he taught me how to build puppets. And so I spent years building puppets with him and going around Ireland doing lots of different street theatre while I was a teenager. And doing street theatre and doing my youth theatre and then kind of all of that kind of came to a head when I had to decide what I was going to do with my life. I applied to go to drama school. And I applied to two drama schools. One was Radha. Didn't get in. Didn't even get an audition. And the other one was Rose Bruford. And they took me. And the reason why they took me— I probably wasn't even that good. But on the day that I was auditioning to get into Rose Bruford was the same day as my maths exam for my final exams at school. You call them your A-levels, we call them the leaving certificate.Neil Connolly: And while all of my friends were back in Ireland doing their maths exam, I was in an audition room pretending to be a tree or the colour black.Neil Connolly: Who knows? And they kind of went, 'Well, if I fail my maths exam, I don't get into university in Ireland.' Like, it's just a blanket thing. And so I was like, 'I literally sat across the panel' and I was like, 'eggs, basket.' And they were like, 'cool.' So they let me in based off of that. So I got a classical training. Then what happened is I came out of university. I was living with two of my friends, Natalie and Joe. And we had our own little production company called The Lab Collective. And we just started making shows. In weird ways, we joined a company called Theatre Delicatessen. Let's get away from this. Yeah, yeah, yeah.Neil Connolly: So Theatre Deli was a company set up to take over disused spaces in London and convert them into art spaces.Neil Connolly: Basically legalised squatting. It's the same as like a guardianship. But we weren't living in the buildings. We were just putting on shows and we put on art shows, we put on theatre shows. We did Shakespeare for a while. We wrote our own work and we just did lots of really, really cool stuff. And I worked in music festivals, classically trained actor. So I was trying to do shows. I did a lot of devising. I also joined an improvisation group. And kind of through all that mix, like those years at Delhi, which was making these weird shows in these weird buildings, were very, very formative years for us. The Arts Council wouldn't support the kind of work that we were making. We were like, 'Cool, how do we get space?Neil Connolly: How do we get or make money to support ourselves? And what are the shows? There's the magic triangle all over again. Space, show, money. And that's your apprenticeship, I guess, that brings you to here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And like, again, I make no bones about it. 10 years ago, I was selling programs on the door of the Royal Festival Hall while doing all of that stuff. So in one of the Theatre Daily buildings, we did a show called Heist, which is you break into a building and steal stuff. That's what the public do.Neil Connolly: And a bunch of us did that. I mean, it's so much fun— kind of doing it. And off the back of that, somebody else basically tried to chase down the crystal maze. And then they went away, and then they called me up and they were like, 'Hey, I've got the rights. Do you want to make the crystal maze?' And I was like, 'Yeah, sounds like fun.' So I got involved with that, did that for a while. And then, from there, this is the end of a very long story. I'm so apologised. Yeah, from there, all of those different things that I've done through the course of my life in terms of operations, designing experiences, being a creative, understanding business.Neil Connolly: Building a P&L, building a budget, talking to investors, trying to convince them to give you money. All of that stuff kind of basically came together. And over the last few years, like the wildest ride is that pre-2020.Neil Connolly: We were just a bunch of people doing a bunch of weird things, making weird shows and weird attractions in kind of different ways. And then that year happened. And I don't know what happened, but literally every single major studio, film, TV production, game designer, licensor in the world, suddenly just went— brand extensions, world extensions, and they all just started calling us. And they were like, 'Hi, I've got this thing.' Can you develop it into a thing? Because I need to extend my brand or I want to build a world and extend that for the public. And we were like, 'Yeah, okay, cool.' And we were just lucky, serendipitously, to be in the right place at the right time. To be those people that people can approach. And we're always, we're very approachable.Neil Connolly: As you can tell, I talk a lot. And, you know, so the last five years, it's just been a mad ride.Paul Marden: So look, Neil, it's been amazing. I have had the most fun. Last question for you. What's next? Are you putting your feet up now because you finished this? Or on to the next? Neil Connolly: Very much on to the next thing. So we're already in production with our new show, which is called Peppa Pig Surprise Party. And that is opening at the Metro Centre in Gateshead next year. Oh, how exciting is that? It's very exciting.Paul Marden: So quite a different demographic.Neil Connolly: The demographic for Peppa Pig is two to five year olds. It's been a really fun show to design and create. To go back to a question that you asked me very early on, there is no blueprint, there is no format. I have embraced the chaos tattooed on my arm. And always when I approach things, any new show or any new creative, I am thinking of it from a ticket buying perspective: 'I have paid my money.' What is the coolest thing that I can possibly do with that money? And so therefore, I'm now looking at families and, like, what's the coolest thing that they can do for that ticket price in the world of Peppa Pig?Paul Marden: Let's come back in the new year, once you've opened Peppa Pig, let's go to Gateshead and see that. That sounds pretty awesome to me. I reckon there's a whole new episode of Designing Worlds for two to five-year-olds that we could fill an hour on.Neil Connolly: Oh yeah, 100%. It's a totally different beast. And super fun to design.Paul Marden: Oh mate. Neil, it has been so wonderful having a wander around the inside of your crazy mind.Paul Marden: If you've enjoyed today's episode, please like it and leave a comment in your podcast app. It really does make it so much easier for other people to find us. This episode was written by Emily Burrows from Plaster, edited by Steve Folland, and produced by Sami Entwistle from Plaster and Wenalyn Dionaldo. Thanks very much. See you next week.  The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

Today, Sean and Sarah welcome Author, YouTuber, Journalist, Speaker, Podcaster, Film Critic and Baptist Minister, Peter Laws to discuss his upcoming book 'The Frighteners: Why We Love Monsters, Ghosts, Death and Gore'. The book will be published on 9th October 2025. 'The Frighteners' finds Peter on a paranormal pilgrimage to seek out what is it that draws people to both the dark and macabre, but also to the light and faith.With a healthy dose of dark-humour including threatening a zombie in a wheelchair with a shotgun, enticing a werewolf with peppered steaks from a Sainsbury's Local, to a festival which Peter described as a sort-of meta-physical Come Dine With Me, this thought-provoking book is one not to be missed. When I say thought-provoking, mainly death if we're honest but we'll get into that.As the book blurb proclaims: 'Grab your crucifixes, pack the silver bullets, and join the Sinister Minister on his romp into our morbid curiosities!'Sean, Sarah and Peter share their own ghost 'experiences'.Guest Links:-Peter Laws Website: https://www.peterlaws.co.uk/-Into The Fog with Peter Laws: https://www.youtube.com/@IntoTheFog-Creepy Cove Community Church Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3238cjOfCXGgXHI3SKI4ka-Uncanny: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0010x7cAcknowledgments: Thank You To Peter, Elle-Jay from Icon Books and Paul Bavill from the 'History Rage' podcast.Chapters:0:08 Welcome to Review It Yourself1:06 Literary Exploration of the Macabre2:25 Introducing Pleasure a.k.a. Peter Laws3:42 Childhood Memories of Fear8:52 The Psychology of Horror12:20 The Cultural Significance of Death18:01 High vs. Low Culture22:45 The Evolution of Female Representation in Horror Films26:03 Personal Paranormal Experiences36:50 The Quest for the Paranormal45:11 The Nature of Belief and Skepticism56:07 The Role of Coincidence1:00:00 The Intersection of Science and Supernatural1:08:09 Blasphemy and Artistic Expression1:11:42 Final Thoughts and Recommendations1:18:29 Conclusion and AcknowledgementsMost Importantly: Thank you to you for Listening!X:@YourselfReviewInstagram: reviewityourselfpodcast2021Review It Yourself. 'The podcast with the sigh. Film Reviews (mostly) without the Faff'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we reconcile our expectations with God's unfolding plan? In this episode, Professor Derek Sainsbury explores the remarkable life of Nancy Naomi Tracy–a woman whose unwavering faith and bold defense of religious liberty and temple service helped shape the early Latter-day Saint experience. Through persecution, political exile, and personal loss, Nancy remained devoted to the gospel. Professor Sainsbury draws from her writings and activism to reveal how she navigated the tension between personal hopes and divine direction, offering a compelling lens into the cost of conviction and the legacy of spiritual resilience.  Publications: “‘We Have Not Been Allowed to Worship as We Please': Nancy Naomi Tracy and the Denial of Latter-day Saint Religious Liberty,” in Religious Liberty and Latter-day Saints: Historical and Global Perspectives (Religious Studies Center, 2023) Joseph Smith as a Visionary: Heavenly Manifestations in the Latter Days (Religious Studies Center, 2025) "Befriending the Constitutional Law of the Land" in Doctrine and Coveants Insights: Capstone of Doctrinal Understanding (Religious Studies Center, 2025) Storming the Nation: The Unknown Contributions of Joseph Smith's Political Missionaries (Religious Studies Center, 2020) “‘For the General Good of Mankind': Why Joseph Smith's Presidential Campaign Matters,” Religious Educator, 21.3 (2020)  Click here to learn more about Derek Sainsbury

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily Smith speaks with Sahil Jain, co-founder and CEO of Samepage.ai, about one of product management's hardest challenges: keeping teams aligned. From his early career at Yahoo and AOL to founding multiple startups, Sahil shares lessons on building products that tackle “unsolvable” problems like communication and alignment. He explains why shared understanding matters more than speed, how product managers can become better storytellers, and why early-stage startups should obsess over just a handful of teams before chasing scale.Chapters0:00 – Why alignment is so hard1:14 – Sahil's unconventional career path4:00 – First foray into startups at AOL and beyond6:50 – Founding AdStage and lessons from raising early capital9:00 – Moving into product leadership after acquisition12:53 – On delusion, motivation, and tackling “unsolvable” problems16:34 – Starting Samepage.ai and the problem of information asymmetry22:43 – Validating the problem and testing prototypes27:22 – Why product managers are the perfect early adopters29:20 – The first 10 obsessed teams: startup focus34:00 – Neurodivergence, communication, and shared understanding36:43 – From Claude Shannon to storytelling: frameworks for better communication39:59 – Lessons from Duolingo on multimodal learning41:19 – Where to find Samepage.aiFeatured Links: Follow Sahil on LinkedIn | Samepage.ai | 'What we learned at Industry conference - day one' feature by Louron Pratt at Mind the ProductOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

In this episode of the Tech on Toast Podcast, Chris Fletcher sits down with Joel Robinson, founder of Openr – a data orchestration platform transforming how enterprise hospitality brands manage their tech stacks.Joel shares his journey from Sainsbury's digital transformation team to leading digital strategy at Azzurri Group, before building Openr to solve one of hospitality's biggest headaches: fragmented data and disconnected systems.

Busy leaders don't have time to waste on outfit stress. This episode reveals how to streamline your wardrobe so getting dressed becomes effortless. From capsule combinations to smart outfit planning, I'll show you how to reclaim time in your day while always looking polished.About the HostWorking with personal clients, Lisa is passionate to inspire & empower ambitious women to have a wardrobe that gives them the confidence & self belief to achieve & reach their goals whilst reflecting their personal brand.Lisa has contributed to editorials such as The Guardian, Times, Daily Mail, The Sun, Daily Express works as the Style expert for BBC & Heart Radio throughout the UK. Lisa has worked on media campaigns with Sainsbury's & Persil.Lisa's website here:www.lisatalbot.co.ukThank you for listening, please remember to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode & leave a review if you enjoy find the podcast.Follow Lisa on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisatalbot1/Follow Lisa on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lisa-Talbot-Personal-and-Fashion-Stylist-106427762713796Follow Lisa on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-talbot-b8291615/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Product Experience, hosts Lily Smith and Randy Silver speak with Damilola Adelekan, Lead Product Manager at Remedial Health, who discusses building pragmatic, people-centred solutions in Africa's fragmented and under-resourced healthcare system.  Chapters05:30 – Early Lessons from Volunteering and Nonprofits07:00 – Why Digitising a Broken System Isn't Enough10:00 – Tackling Trust, Funding, and Fragmentation in Healthcare12:30 – Collaborating Beyond the Organisation14:30 – Building a Full Healthcare Supply Chain16:00 – Pragmatism Over Perfection in Product Vision18:00 – Cross-Team Collaboration at Scale20:00 – Structuring Product Work Across Functions22:00 – Communications Tips for Cross-Functional Leadership24:00 – Increasing Tech Adoption Among Low-Digital-Literacy Users26:00 – Customer Research in Low-Tech Contexts28:00 – Voice of the Customer: Calls, Feedback, and Sales Teams30:00 – What Inspires a Product Manager in Nigeria?Featured Links: Follow Damilola on LinkedIn | Remedial Health | Inspire Africa | 'How I got my job in product' feature with Damilola at Mind The ProductOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

In this week's episode of the Jewellers Academy Podcast, Jessica Rose talks with jeweller and community member Iain Sainsbury to explore his journey through the Advanced Stone Setting Masterclasses program, an advanced training series designed for jewellers ready to refine their fine jewellery and stone-setting skills.   Iain shares how he discovered jewellery-making after career burnout, and why the Masterclasses became the perfect next step in his learning. From tackling the challenges of piercing and decorative collets with Anelia Kuprina, to pushing his stone-setting skills further with Scott McIntyre, and making tiara wedding rings with April Dace, Iain reflects on the breakthroughs, struggles, and valuable lessons he's learnt along the way.   This conversation highlights not just the technical skills taught in the program, but also the importance of community, accountability, and feedback in the learning journey. Iain talks about his philosophy of 'slow making,' the benefits of creating prototypes, and how he has been able to transfer his new skills into his own sand-casting practice.   Whether you're curious about the Masterclasses, looking for inspiration to challenge yourself, or eager to hear from a fellow jeweller's perspective, this episode offers insights, encouragement, and practical takeaways.   Enrolment is now open for the Jewellers Masterclasses. Choose to enrol on one or save by buying the bundle.   Learn more and enrol https://www.jewellersacademy.com/masterclass   About Iain Iain Sainsbury creates his fine jewellery pieces from his studio in South Cambridgeshire where he specialises in one-of-a-kind pieces and bespoke commissions. He enjoys examining classic jewellery styles of the past, from Art Deco to Anglo-Saxon, and reimagining them. lain's favourite techniques include sandcasting and using gemstones and KeumBoo to highlight features and add colour. https://iainsainsbury.com/ @iains_jewellery     Watch Iain's episode of the Handmade Jewellers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLX9GHr9Rx4

This week, Anthony and Piers dive into the Fed's unexpected “risk management” rate cut, what does that even mean? And why is Powell suddenly more concerned about jobs than inflation?Then it's on to Trump's latest bombshell, scrapping quarterly earnings in favour of semiannual reports. Maverick nonsense or a legitimate debate about investor pressure and corporate costs?Finally, the team dissect the failed sale of Argos from Sainsbury's to JD.com. Why did the deal collapse? What does it say about cross-border M&A, boardroom discipline, and China's global shopping spree?Whether you're trading the headlines or prepping for a finance interview, this episode is packed with the market mechanics and strategic insight you need.(00:00) Intro & News in Focus(02:23) Fed Rate Cut & Market Implications(10:03) Trading Psychology & Market Reactions(11:55) Fed Dot Plots Explained(18:21) Trump's Corporate Earnings Proposal(20:21) Press Bias & News Interpretation(21:00) Quarterly vs. Semiannual Reporting(26:12) Tech's Role in Corporate Transparency(31:30) Argos Deal Breakdown(42:43) Investor Sentiment & M&A Takeaways

Your wardrobe can either blend you into the background or position you as someone with influence.In this episode, I share how to identify and build your own “power outfits” that work in the boardroom, on stage, or in client meetings. Learn how to choose pieces that communicate authority while still feeling like you.About the HostWorking with personal clients, Lisa is passionate to inspire & empower ambitious women to have a wardrobe that gives them the confidence & self belief to achieve & reach their goals whilst reflecting their personal brand.Lisa has contributed to editorials such as The Guardian, Times, Daily Mail, The Sun, Daily Express works as the Style expert for BBC & Heart Radio throughout the UK. Lisa has worked on media campaigns with Sainsbury's & Persil.Lisa's website here:www.lisatalbot.co.ukThank you for listening, please remember to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode & leave a review if you enjoy find the podcast.Follow Lisa on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisatalbot1/Follow Lisa on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lisa-Talbot-Personal-and-Fashion-Stylist-106427762713796Follow Lisa on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-talbot-b8291615/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Patrick Ndjientcheu, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Irembo, shares how his team transitioned from delivering projects for government to building a portfolio of scalable products. Patrick talks about shifting mindsets from execution to strategy, spinning out payments and identity into independent products, and the challenges of balancing internal bias with customer needs. He also reveals how Irembo is evolving into a super app, why sales enablement is crucial in a B2B context, and the lessons he has learned guiding teams through the move from project to product to product portfolio.Six things we learned from PatrickProject to product mindset: Repeat customer demand signals value, turn ad-hoc projects into structured products with identity, principles, and strategy.Team restructuring without turnover: Shifting from project delivery to product development requires reorganising teams around capabilities.Spinouts emerge from features: Payments and identity started as embedded features, but with scale and external demand, became standalone products.Bias is real: Teams naturally over-index on the dominant revenue product. Separation, customer interviews, and rebranding are critical to balance focus.Sales enablement matters: Without educating sales and customers on new platform capabilities, adoption stalls and value is under-communicated.Leadership lesson: Product leaders must bring the whole organisation on the journey—marketing, sales, finance, and operations—not just product teams.Featured Links: Follow Patrick on LinkedIn | Irembo | Inspire Africa Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

We spoke with Charles Dixon, CEO of Roadside Real Estate, to unpack the company's latest moves: a strategic disposal, operational hires and an explicit push into the energy forecourt/roadside retail sector. The conversation covered why the group is simplifying its balance sheet, how the team is being strengthened, and what investors should watch for next. Important note: Nothing in this article is investment advice. The conversation covered company strategy and balance sheet items, and Charles and others may hold positions in the shares discussed. Always do your own research before making any investment decisions. What just happened: disposals to simplify the business Roadside continues to streamline its portfolio to concentrate on the roadside retail and operational opportunity. Two disposal-related items are central: In June the group announced a deal to sell the remainder of the Cambridge Sleep Sciences estate for approximately £48 million. More recently the company announced the proposed disposal of 100% of its Commercial Property business to Tarncourt Properties Limited for an agreed price of approximately £12 million, resulting in a net consideration receivable of about £4.7 million. Charles explained the rationale plainly: these sales further simplify the equity story, increase cash on the balance sheet and free up resources to accelerate acquisitions in the roadside retail operational space. “...putting more cash on balance sheet, and increasing our resources for acquisitions in the roadside retail operational space.”Sharpening the management team: experience to execute Execution is a major focus. Roadside has been beefing up its operational bench with senior retail and roadside experience: David Philpot has been appointed COO. He joins from running BP/M&S's European roadside operations — a business of roughly 3,500 sites — and previously worked at Marks & Spencer running their franchise business. Steve Carson joined in May as non-exec chair. Steve brings about 30 years of retail experience including senior roles across Sainsbury's, Argos, Holland & Barrett and SCS. Charles described David's arrival as a "big win" given his direct, relevant experience. As I put it during the interview: you could almost picture him wearing a Roadside Real Estate T‑shirt — the fit is that natural. First acquisition and the operational plan Roadside has already completed a first acquisition under the refocused strategy. The company purchased a former petrol filling station in Coventry. The plan is to reinstate the site, build a substantially larger retail shop on the forecourt and re-open next year. Beyond that single deal, Charles was clear about the acquisition playbook: Roadside wants to buy both the property and the operating business. The target sub-sector is the energy forecourt/roadside retail market — a highly fragmented, overlooked category that can deliver attractive returns when consolidated and professionally operated. Expect pace: Charles indicated the group is evaluating multiple businesses and anticipates acquiring three to four businesses over the next 12 months as Roadside scales its operational footprint. Funding the roll-up: cash, bank facilities and measured leverage Funding for the buy-and-operate strategy will be a mix of existing cash and bank facilities. Key points Charles shared: Roadside now has strong cash resources — over £50 million available. They also have access to banking facilities and expect lenders to be receptive; banks like the roadside sector because security is solid, delinquency is low and cash flows are predictable. That said, the company intends to use leverage sensibly. Charles emphasised a cautious approach: “We're not looking to overlever ourselves.” Valuation, ownership and what investors should think about Charles is the company's largest shareholder, controlling around 30% of Roadside directly and indirectly. He increased his position in May with what he described as one of the larger direct buys in the market this year. He also offered a straightforward way to look at valuation: strip out cash from the market capitalisation to see the underlying operating valuation. From his perspective, when you take that cash off the market cap, Roadside still looks cheap and there is further upside to come. Recent share performance: last year the stock rose over 300%, and year-to-date it was nearly up 100% at the time of our conversation. Charles said he expects further share price growth over the coming months as the business executes its strategy. “I control around 30% of the company directly and indirectly... take off our cash from our market cap and then look at our actual underlying market cap and we're very, very cheap still.”Why the roadside/forecourt sector appeals The sector ticks several boxes that make it attractive for consolidation and operational improvement: Highly fragmented: many small operators create opportunities for roll-up scale benefits. Operational upside: better retailing on forecourts and improved shop formats can meaningfully increase returns. Bank-friendly cashflows: predictable, secure income streams that lenders understand and are willing to finance. What to watch next Key near-term items for investors and observers: Announcements of additional acquisitions — Charles expects three to four deals in the next 12 months. Progress on the Coventry site reinstatement and re-opening next year. How the company deploys the proceeds from the Cambridge Sleep Sciences and Commercial Property disposals. Any updates on financing and the level of leverage used for acquisitions. Conclusion Roadside Real Estate has moved decisively from being a mixed-asset property group toward a focused, buy-and-operate roadside retail business. The disposals clear the path, the balance sheet is stronger, and the hires bring the operating expertise needed to scale. If the team can execute on the planned roll-up of forecourt operators, the impact on returns and the equity story could be material. If you want the full discussion, watch my interview with Charles Dixon for the direct comments and context. I'll be keeping an eye on the next acquisitions and operational milestones — this is a story that should move quickly from here. Disclaimer & Declaration of Interest: The information, investment views, and recommendations in this Zaks Traders Cafe interview are provided for general information purposes only. Nothing in this interview should be construed as a promotion or solicitation to buy or sell any financial product relating to any companies under discussion or referred to or to engage in or refrain from doing so or engage in any other transaction. Any opinions or comments are made to the best of the knowledge and belief of the commentator but no responsibility is accepted for actions based on such opinions or comments. The commentators may or may not hold investments in the companies under discussion.

The government unveils plans for billions of private investment in nuclear energy which it says could create thousands of jobs. Sean Farrington hears from a business involved in making it happen. And, ahead of the busiest period of the year for retailers, we take a look at why Sainsbury's might be looking to offload Argos. Also, we'll hear about what the Pope has had to say about what companies pay their executives, in particular the $1 trillion on offer for Elon Musk. And tributes for Ricky Hatton from the former Man City executive who counted him as a friend.

Analizamos los escenarios de Kering, Rheinmetall, Swatch y Sainsbury de la mano de Araceli de Frutos, asesora del fondo Alhaja Inversiones.

Conference and event season is here, and with it comes the question every ambitious woman asks: What do I wear to look polished, confident, and memorable, without overpacking or overthinking?In this episode, I'm sharing my expert tips on how to create a standout wardrobe for conferences and events so you can focus on networking, speaking, and leading — not stressing over your outfit.You'll discover:The essential building blocks of an event-ready wardrobe.Which colours help you command attention (without being overpowering).How to use accessories as conversation starters and outfit refreshers.Practical tips for comfort, confidence, and easy preparation.Why your event wardrobe is part of your personal brand and visibility strategy.Whether you're stepping onto the stage, networking over coffee, or representing your business at a multi-day conference, this episode will help you create a wardrobe that supports your confidence and ensures you're remembered for all the right reasons.✨ Because when your wardrobe works, you're free to focus on what really matters, making an impact.About the HostWorking with personal clients, Lisa is passionate to inspire & empower ambitious women to have a wardrobe that gives them the confidence & self belief to achieve & reach their goals whilst reflecting their personal brand.Lisa has contributed to editorials such as The Guardian, Times, Daily Mail, The Sun, Daily Express works as the Style expert for BBC & Heart Radio throughout the UK. Lisa has worked on media campaigns with Sainsbury's & Persil.Lisa's website here:www.lisatalbot.co.ukThank you for listening, please remember to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode & leave a review if you enjoy find the podcast.Follow Lisa on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisatalbot1/Follow Lisa on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lisa-Talbot-Personal-and-Fashion-Stylist-106427762713796Follow Lisa on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-talbot-b8291615/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily Smith speaks with Sally Foote, a seasoned product leader whose journey from product roles to C-suite commercial leadership spans Carwow, Go Compare, and The Guardian. They unpack the increasingly vital intersection between product, marketing, and sales.Sally explains why growth is a shared responsibility, how product managers can become commercially fluent, and why understanding marketing economics is now critical. Expect actionable advice on working across functions, owning growth levers, and designing products that fuel acquisition and retention. Whether you're in B2B or B2C, there's something in here for every product leader looking to elevate their commercial impact.Key Takeaways:— Modern product managers must understand marketing funnels, ROI, and acquisition costs to create scalable impact.— Propositions beat PPC: In saturated digital channels, differentiation must come from product innovation.— Stop the handoffs: A strict separation between product, marketing, and sales creates missed opportunities and inefficiencies.— Product roadmaps matter to the business: While sometimes shunned by PMs, roadmaps help align and activate sales and marketing functions.— Product marketing isn't enough: What's needed is cross-functional growth thinking—not just better product copy.— B2B is a rich source of insights: Embedding PMs in sales cycles and advisory panels unlocks product innovation directly from the source.— AI is reshaping go-to-market: From focus groups to pricing strategies, machine learning is changing how teams make commercial decisions.— Your funnel is only as good as your data: PMs should design products with marketing data needs in mind to drive better acquisition performance.Featured Links: Follow Sally on LinkedIn | YourRoom AI focus group | Carwow | Watch Sally's 'Maximum Possible Products' talk at #mtpcon London 2019 | Sustainable living made easy with Bower Collective Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Nepal's prime minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned as deadly anti-government protests against a social media ban and political corruption escalate.Microsoft have launched an ambient clinical AI assistant for the NHS.Apple have a brand new iPhone on the way…Also in this episode:-Have scientists found an atmosphere around an Earth-like exoplanet? -Sainsbury's has rolled out facial recognition in two stores-Major new study launched tracking thousands of babies-The age of Sycamore Gap tree is revealed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

M&S launches a dedicated resale shop on eBay (with Reskinned), the ONS delays July retail sales to 5 Sept, TikTok Shop's GMV Max becomes the only supported campaign type, Sainsbury's begins a facial‑recognition trial, Lush closes UK stores for a day in solidarity with Gaza, and Charlotte Tilbury drives experiential shade‑matching at John Lewis and Café Airbrush in Covent Garden. Simone Oloman joins to decode what matters for operators—right now. Show notes / references:In this UK edition of Five Things Friday, Alex and Simone Oloman cover six moves reshaping trading plans this month:Resale goes mainstream: M&S × eBay launches an official pre‑loved shop, powered by Reskinned—a cleaner, scalable route to circularity than DIY platforms. Operators: track supply inflows, voucher economics, and re‑commerce margin mix. Marks & SpencerDemand sensing > lagging KPIs: The ONS delayed the July 2025 retail sales release to 5 Sept for quality assurance; combine official series with real‑time social/returns data for better buys and markdowns. Office for National StatisticsSocial commerce hardens: TikTok Shop Ads → GMV Max only. Expect heavier automation; ensure attribution and returns accounting are wired for campaign‑level ROAS and net‑margin truth. TikTok For Business+1Safety vs privacy: Sainsbury's begins an 8‑week facial‑recognition pilot in Sydenham (London) and Oldfield Park (Bath); union support vs privacy‑rights pushback—governance, DPIAs, and signage matter. corporate.sainsburys.co.ukbigbrotherwatch.org.ukBrand activism with teeth: Lush shut UK shops, website and factories for a day—authenticity is an operational decision, not a slogan. Budget for impact and community response. LushExperience = acquisition: Charlotte Tilbury turns shade matching into a moment (John Lewis photo‑booths; Café Airbrush at Covent Garden). High‑touch, low‑friction sampling feeds CRM and lifetime value. British Beauty CouncilTheIndustry.beautyChapters / timestamps (mm:ss)00:00 – Welcome & format (fast 15)00:58 – M&S × eBay resale (why it's smart, how it scales)02:14 – ONS delay & the case for live demand signals03:50 – TikTok Shop GMV Max: what marketers must change04:32 – Sainsbury's: facial‑recognition pilot (safety vs privacy)06:05 – Lush: one‑day UK closures; what “authenticity” really costs06:55 – Charlotte Tilbury shade‑match activation (John Lewis)09:19 – Café Airbrush & Covent Garden Big Beauty10:00 – Wrap, next week teasers & CTAsShow notes / references:• M&S launches resale on eBay (Reskinned partnership): https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/media/press-releases/ms-launches-resale-ebay-give-clothes-another-life• ONS: July retail sales release delayed to Sept 5 (quality assurance): https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-statistics-office-delays-retail-sales-data-release-by-two-weeks-2025-08-19/• TikTok Shop Ads — GMV Max migration (official help): https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/gmv-max-migration-tiktok-shop-ads• Sainsbury's facial‑recognition pilot (Sydenham & Oldfield Park): https://www.computing.co.uk/news/2025/sainsbury-s-begins-facial-recognition-trial-to-combat-shoplifting• Lush closes UK stores in solidarity with Gaza: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/03/lush-closes-all-its-uk-stores-in-protest-over-starvation-in-gaza• Covent Garden — Big Beauty (4–14 Sept): https://www.coventgarden.london/experience/things-to-do/big-beauty-at-covent-garden/• Charlotte Tilbury pop‑up / shade‑match activations: https://theindustry.beauty/charlotte-tilbury-turns-covent-garden-into-cafe-airbrush-celebrating-complexion-launch/

In ep 137 of “How Do You Say That?!” sponsored by britishvoiceover.co.uk, the voice of Sainsbury's, Lizzie Jobling joins Sam and Mark to talk about adding in the elements of a real conversation - things like grasping for words as if you've just thought of them. We explore speaking from the persepctive of the character and how to go from instructional to warm. We also get on board a ship for a video about all kinds of nasty stomach complaints! One of our wildcards takes us to one of the most ubiquitous commercials of 2025, and hear Sam in the pool doing a lazy breast-stroke on the Cote d'Azur!!Our VO question this week is all about what an accredited voiceover course actually is, and why the actual accredition is important.Get involved! Have you got a Wildcard suggestion that we should try or an idea for the show? Send it to us via Mark or Sam's social media or email it directly to podcast@britishvoiceover.co.ukScript 1Moreover we know that, after the pandemic of 2020, around 67% of Italians said that their screen fatigue had increased because of video calls and the time spent online, and the audiobook finally allows us to rest our eyes and let our imagination soar. And there is a fundamental element and that is the emotional bond that develops with the narrator's voice. This is the great advantage that audiobooks offer, the voices who read audiobooks create an emotional bond that often goes beyond the story and the author, so much so that many users choose the next audio book on the basis of their favourite narrators.Script 2ALL visitors on the ship must report to a member of staff if they are affected by or have just recovered from infections of skin, eyes, ears, mouth or gastrointestinal illness. In the case of ammonia or waste release, if you smell ammonia or waste, or come across an ammonia alarm remove yourself from the affected area and contact your manager or RP immediately. If you are not in the affected area remain indoors or assemble in the ground floor mess room area and await further instruction. You are responsible for disposing of any waste you create. We'd love your feedback - and if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, hit the follow button today!**Listen to all of our podcasts here - you can also watch on YouTube, or say to your smart speaker "Play How Do You Say That?!"About our guest: Lizzie Jobling is a full time voice actor based just outside of London and more recently the founder of the UK's first and only accredited Voice Over Business course. She's also the In-Store brand voice for Sainsbury's UK, as well as voicing for AirBnB, Hermes, Mclaren, Warner bros and everything and anything in between! Lizzie is the familiar voice you didn't know you knew. Lizzie 's Website @that_voice_lizzie on Instagram Lizzie 's Facebook pageResources:

Before you've said a single word, your wardrobe has already spoken for you. What you wear is part of your non-verbal communication — sending signals about your confidence, credibility, and leadership presence.In this episode, I'm breaking down how your clothes create an instant impression, and how you can make sure that impression supports your success.You'll learn:Why first impressions are made in just seconds, and what that means for your wardrobe.What different colours, fabrics, and tailoring choices communicate to others.Practical tips for dressing with intention, from meetings to speaking engagements.How small details like shoes, bags, and accessories can quietly boost your authority.Why your wardrobe is a leadership tool, not just a set of clothes.Whether you're stepping onto a stage, leading a meeting, or networking at an event, this episode will give you the strategies to ensure your wardrobe speaks the right message before you even open your mouth.Because when your wardrobe aligns with your goals, you instantly project confidence, clarity, and authority.About the HostWorking with personal clients, Lisa is passionate to inspire & empower ambitious women to have a wardrobe that gives them the confidence & self belief to achieve & reach their goals whilst reflecting their personal brand.Lisa has contributed to editorials such as The Guardian, Times, Daily Mail, The Sun, Daily Express works as the Style expert for BBC & Heart Radio throughout the UK. Lisa has worked on media campaigns with Sainsbury's & Persil.Lisa's website here:www.lisatalbot.co.ukThank you for listening, please remember to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode & leave a review if you enjoy find the podcast.Follow Lisa on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisatalbot1/Follow Lisa on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lisa-Talbot-Personal-and-Fashion-Stylist-106427762713796Follow Lisa on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-talbot-b8291615/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can we learn from the Saints' devastating losses in Jackson County, Missouri and how does that promise of the resurrection transform the story? Dr. Derek Sainsbury explores the harrowing events of 1833, the destruction of the Church's printing press, and the personal sacrifices of the early Saints as they sought to build Zion in one of the most difficult frontiers imaginable.SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC237ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC237FRGerman: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC237DEPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC237PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC237ESYOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/ScT0t5_BGuIALL EPISODES/SHOW NOTESfollowHIM website: https://www.followHIMpodcast.comFREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookBook of Mormon: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastBMBookWEEKLY NEWSLETTERhttps://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletterSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastTIMECODE00:00 Part 1 - Dr. Derek Sainsbury01:32 August 1833 information03:41 Derek Sainsbury bio05:30 Presidential candidates assassinated06:38 Come, Follow Me Manual07:56 Death of first foreign missionary10:07 Indian Removal Act12:08 Mary Rollins and John Murdock16:05 Polarization of Jackson County20:13 The Promised Land 2.023:33 The Law of Consecration in Missouri25:01 Article by W. W. Phelps26:42 Zion in every book of scripture, except the New Testament28:03 Checking in with John Murdock (and Parley P. Pratt)36:46 John Murdock is the best of the Saints39:26 What happens to the Murdock children42:24 Innuendo and a lost letter45:06 Missouri and Kirtland needed emojis46:55 Leadership is easier without people48:45 Doctor Philastus Hurlbut “coverts”51:41 John Murdock's journal May 7, 183355:42 Dr. Sainsbury shares lessons from his own personal trials1:01:05 24-temple rendering1:05:09 Reasons they blamed the Mormons1:10:04 Results of meeting in Gilbert's store1:13:53 Mobbing and the Book of Commandments1:17:58 End of Part I - Dr. Derek SainsburyThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsAmelia Kabwika: Portuguese TranscriptsHeather Barlow: Communications DirectorIride Gonzalez: Social Media, Graphic Design"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

Dr. Derek Sainsbury continues to unpack D&C 98-101, blending historical context from the Saints' 1833 expulsion from Missouri with profound insights on suffering, sanctification, and resurrection, enriched by his own story of finding God's comfort amidst struggles.SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC237ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC237FRGerman: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC237DEPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC237PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC237ESYOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/Qrnf5NUvzwYALL EPISODES/SHOW NOTESfollowHIM website: https://www.followHIMpodcast.comFREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookBook of Mormon: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastBMBookWEEKLY NEWSLETTERhttps://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletterSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastTIMECODE00:00 Part 2 - Dr. Derek Sainsbury01:34 Emily Partridge's journal regarding the mob02:24 Men offered themselves to save the Saints04:30 Looking to obtain the character of Christ06:36 What do we learn from the Saints being traumatized?09:38 An immutable covenant11:52 Francine Russell Benyan's “The Theology of Suffering”17:36 Suffering and marking with a green pencil21:35 Doing what the Lord did25:47 Richard G. Scott's “Trust in the Lord”28:39 God is with us through our suffering32:08 Doctor Hurlbut's damage and Joseph and Sidney's mission37:29 Little ‘s' savior39:24 Orson Hyde and Edward Partridge visit Governor Duncan40:31 Phil Dibble's miraculous account44:50 Mobs causing hundreds to flee creating a “trail of blood”47:57 Dr. Sainsbury's enormous personal trials and the fireflies56:06 The Lord commands patience59:04 Love and expectations from the Lord1:02:51 President Nelson's “Joy and Spiritual Survival”1:05:49 Hope in suffering and letters to the President 1:09:23 Testimony of Christ's ability to restore blessings1:10:35 A farmer and Rush Creek1:13:33 Gratitude for Sidney and Elizabeth Gilbert1:16:25 End of Part 2 - Dr. Derek SainsburyThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsAmelia Kabwika: Portuguese TranscriptsHeather Barlow: Communications DirectorIride Gonzalez: Social Media, Graphic Design"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

Product decisions built on daily-active metrics fall apart when your customers show up once a year, or once a decade. In this episode, Randy Silver talks to Vivek Kumar about building and growing low-frequency products, from property and tax to jobs and dating. Chapters04:25 — What makes a product “infrequent”? Episodic use and recall decay07:05 — Rethinking PMF: penetration and market share over retention curves10:36 — When iteration is slow: prioritising problems under seasonal cycles14:28 — BELT framework: behaviours, enduring vs transient problems, lock-ins21:56 — Spotting enduring problems: “what will still matter in 10 years?”24:11 — ICE framework overview for infrequent products26:03 — Engagement: active retention, complexity, single- vs constant-touch29:55 — Predictable vs unpredictable retention; referrals as a strategy31:06 — Lifetime retention: seeding frequency hooks (e.g., estimates, salary data)33:01 — Distinctiveness and brand: why CAC collapses when you own the memory33:48 — Control over experience: monetisation through end-to-end journeys36:13 — Research that works: ethnography, diary studies, “follow-me-home”40:22 — Example: discovering the real tax filing pain (document collection)43:04 — Ethics and value: “cures vs treatments”, utility vs entertainment productsFeatured Links: Follow Vivek on LinkedIn | Atlys | The Steps 'Grow and managOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Randy Silver and Lily Smith sit down with Katja Forbes, Executive Director at Standard Chartered Bank, design leader, and lecturer, to explore the fast-approaching world of machine customers.Katja shares why businesses must prepare for a future where AI agents, autonomous vehicles, and procurement bots act as customers, and what this means for product managers, designers, and organisations.Key takeawaysMachine customers are here already. From booking services for Tesla cars to procurement bots closing contracts, AI-driven commerce is no longer hypothetical.APIs are necessary but insufficient. Businesses need to think beyond plumbing and address trust, compliance, and customer experience for non-human agents.Signal clarity matters. Organisations must make their value propositions machine-readable to remain competitive.Trust will be quantified. Compliance signals, ESG proof, uptime guarantees, and reliability ratings will replace human gut instinct.New roles will emerge. Trust analysts and human–machine hybrid coordinators will be critical in shaping future interactions.Ethics cannot be ignored. Without careful design, agentic commerce could amplify consumerism and poor societal outcomes.Practical first step. Even small businesses can prepare by structuring their product and service data into machine-readable formats.Product managers must adapt. The skill to manage ambiguity, think systemically, and anticipate unintended consequences will be central to success.Featured Links: Follow Katja on LinkedIn | Katja's website | Sign-up for pre sale access to Katja's forthcoming book 'The CX Evolutionist'Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Mark Palmer is a marketing genius, he's worked on the following brands Burger King, Nandos, Pret A Manger, Green & Blacks, Cawston PressHe's a total genius. You're going to love this episode!!!ON THE MENU:1. Tim Ferris Heuristic: “you are the sum of the difficult conversations you have with yourself”2. How To Have Hard Conversations with Sainsbury's, Tesco or Waitrose: Don't ignore the hard stuff, get straight to the point 3. How to Fire People Correctly: “Ruthless in decision making, generous in execution” 4. Pep Guardiola Brand Building Philosophy: Move your players around to fit the brand builders5. Green & Black Brand Building Strategy: Philosophy first, Product second, strategy third 6. Product before brand, you can layer a brand around a product 7. Seth Godin Positioning Rule: Competitors must become your colleagues 8. Anti-Fragile Customer Feedback: Why are you not buying us > Why are you buying us?9. Invest in creative UPSTREAM “get them to join the team, not just a freelancer”10. Biggest Challenger Brand Mistake: “Don't build a bad version of a corporate organisation”11. Byron Sharpe's Mental availability vs physical availability unpacked 12. Green & Blacks Scaffolding of Ideas: Niche Mainstream  ==============================================

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily Smith and Randy Silver are joined by Kirsten Mann, former CPO at Prospection and now startup founder and board member, to discuss how product leaders can play a vital role on company boards. Drawing from her own board experience and a research series interviewing founders and directors, Kirsten explains why product, culture, and customer insight must be central to boardroom conversations.Key Takeaways— Product's Place on Boards: Product is a strategic lever, boards should treat it with the same seriousness as financials.— Culture as a Strategic Asset: Culture emerged as the most frequently cited factor in board-level success—more than AI or tech.— From Operator to Overseer: Transitioning to a board role requires stepping back from execution and focusing on governance and strategic guidance.— Communicating with Boards: Product leaders must avoid jargon, speak in terms of customer problems, outcomes, and investment returns.— The Risk of Exclusion: If your product team isn't presenting to the board, that's a red flag.— Practical Preparation: Aspiring board members should build financial literacy, start with non-profit boards, and cultivate visibility through writing or public speaking.Chapters00:00 – Culture over strategy: Why getting culture right matters more than clever planning00:45 – Meet Kirsten Mann: Introduction and credentials01:45 – Career transition: From CPO at Prospection to board member, investor, and startup founder04:50 – Early board experience: Saving a youth club through governance and tech06:45 – Product's value on boards: Bringing customer and tech insight into strategic discussions08:00 – Oversight, not execution: Adjusting from exec roles to governance roles09:50 – Frustration sparks research: Why Kirsten began writing about product leaders on boards11:00 – Product strategy ≠ support: The board's risk-first mindset Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Randy Silver speaks with Dariusz Dziuk, Product Lead for Music Expression at Spotify, about the origins and evolution of Canvas, the looping visuals that accompany music tracks. From early assumptions and first principles thinking to scaling and measuring marketplace success, he shares how a bold experiment turned into one of Spotify's most engaging features.Key Takeaways— Balancing Art and Science: Product management often lives between structured analysis and intuitive creativity—success lies in mastering both.— First Principles and Assumptions: Questioning defaults—like static, square cover art—can open doors to bold innovation.— Real Stakes Drive Real Creativity: Artist engagement with Canvas only truly emerged once the stakes felt genuine and public.— Marketplace Thinking: Canvas succeeded because it delivered value for all marketplace participants—creators, consumers, and the platform itself.— Innovation Through Structure: Weekly design sprints and rapid prototyping allowed Spotify's innovation lab to explore and discard ideas quickly, eventually landing on Canvas.— Scaling Insights: Measurable impact came later—higher engagement, saves, shares, and a new visual identity for music on Spotify.— Artist-Centric Focus: Prioritising the needs of the supply side (artists) can unlock cold start challenges and marketplace growth.Chapters0:00 – Marketplace Thinking at Spotify1:20 – Darius Jurek's Journey into Product2:45 – From Engineering to 0-to-1 Product Innovation4:00 – Is Product Management an Art or a Science?6:30 – The Brief: Connecting Creators and Fans8:20 – Building an Innovation Lab10:00 – Exploring Dozens of Ideas11:45 – Why Canvas Won Out13:10 – The Challenge of Validating a New Format16:00 – Questioning the Assumptions Around Cover Art19:00 – Real Stakeholder Feedback and Creative Buy-In21:00 – Marketplace Metrics of Success23:30 – Canvas and the Evolution of Music Discovery26:00 – Visual Design, Collaboration, and Artist Empowerment28:00 – Darius on Supplier-Led Product StrategyFeatured Links: Follow Dariusz on LinkedIn | Dariusz's website | Spotify | '#mtpcon @ Pendomonium 2024 Encore' recap Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily and Randy dive into the nuanced world of team collaboration with Jenny Wanger, product ops consultant. Jenny challenges the overuse of RACI matrices in product teams, arguing they often obscure deeper organisational issues rather than solve them. They discuss better alternatives, the root causes behind requests for RACI, and the value of prioritising human relationships over rigid frameworks. Chapters0:00 – The accountable vs. responsible dilemma0:37 – Meet Jenny Wanger: Product ops and Reforge1:20 – RACI: A quick explainer3:16 – Why RACI falls short in product teams7:00 – Infantilisation and territorialism9:18 – The flaws in the terminology10:14 – The consulted conundrum11:05 – RACI as a conversation starter12:01 – Better alternatives: Rapid and others14:20 – When RACI might be useful18:01 – Team dysfunction and RACI misuse23:00 – A case study in resolving collaboration issues26:00 – RACI as scaffolding, not infrastructure28:02 – AI, documents, and relationships30:05 – Diagnosing the real problem behind a RACI request32:38 – Job descriptions vs. RACI35:25 – Everyone's a bit of everything37:04 – Focusing on mission and collaboration39:57 – Final thoughts and where to find Jenny's workKey Takeaways— RACI isn't a cure-all: It often signals deeper dysfunction like poor team structure, unclear mission, or lack of trust.— Healthy teams don't need RACI: When collaboration and communication are strong, formal frameworks become redundant.— Use RACI as scaffolding: Let it initiate conversations, but don't enshrine it as a permanent solution.— Language matters: Terms like “accountable” and “responsible” are often confused, making the framework less clear than intended.— Consider better alternatives: Frameworks like RAPID offer more clarity around decision-making without creating silos.— Prioritise relationships over roles: Documents don't build culture—conversations and mutual understanding do.Featured Links: Follow Jenny on LinkedIn | Jenny's RACI feature at her website | Dave Johnson's page at The Pragmatic Agilist Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating cooked chicken from a bag where one piece of chicken was caught in the bag seam. Dr. Don - not risky

In this episode of SheerLuxe Conversations, Georgie Coleridge Cole is joined by Gary Lavin, founder of VITHIT, the UK's leading health drink brand. Gary's journey is nothing short of inspiring: after a rugby injury ended his career at just 24, he spotted a gap in the market for healthier drink options, leading to the creation of VITHIT. The two discuss the challenges he faced along the way, including losing his home during the recession and being forced to sell bottles out of a van. Gary also shares the pivotal moments that led to the rebranding of VITHIT and how he turned a struggling business into a success story generating over €100m in retail sales across 15 countries, all without outside investment. He also dives into the importance of branding, the innovative ingredients in VITHIT and the strategies he used to get his product on the shelves at places like Boots and Sainsbury's. With insights on entrepreneurship, resilience and the health revolution, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in business and wellness.AD | VITHIT | https://www.vithit.com/ Subscribe For More | http://bit.ly/2VmqduQ Get SheerLuxe Straight To Your Inbox, Daily | http://sheerluxe.com/signup PANEL GUESTSGeorgie Coleridge Cole | https://www.instagram.com/gcoleridgecole/?hl=en Gary Lavin | https://www.instagram.com/vithitdrinks/?hl=en Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We revisit our conversation with Frances Ibe, Chief Experience Officer at Tide. Frances shares invaluable insights on her journey from developer to product leadership and how to avoid common pitfalls during the discovery process.Chapters01:07 – Meet Frances Ibe02:05 – Common Discovery Pitfalls03:34 – Embedding Continuous Discovery04:51 – The Myth of Talking to 20 Customers06:38 – What is a Data Prototype?08:03 – Building Confidence in Product Bets10:42 – Sharing Insights Across the Business13:52 – Keeping Sprint Reviews Engaging15:49 – Discovery Through Observation17:21 – Responding to Data-Driven Disruption18:30 – The Power of Storytelling20:49 – Training Teams in Storytelling22:36 – Maintaining Message Consistency23:48 – Collaborating Across Disciplines25:01 – Francis' Game-Changing AdviceFeatured Links: Follow Frances on LinkedIn | Tide | 'Six things we learned at the Pendomonium and #mtpcon roadshow - London 2024' feature by Louron PrattOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Erica Wass, Principal Product Consultant at Brainmates, joins the Product Experience podcast to share pragmatic tools for building strategic foresight into your roadmap. From horizon scanning to backcasting, this episode explores how product teams can harness future-focused techniques—bolstered by generative AI—to improve decision-making, resilience, and impact.Chapters:0:00 – Why foresight matters in product1:00 – Introducing Erica Wass2:30 – How product is changing3:45 – The value of strategic foresight5:00 – Clarifying the term and its importance7:00 – Who owns foresight in the product org10:00 – Techniques: Horizon scanning, scenario planning, backcasting14:30 – Horizon scanning in action: Google & Android16:00 – Scenario planning for resilience21:00 – Tips on running scenario sessions23:45 – Backcasting: Vision-first roadmapping26:00 – Using AI to accelerate foresight30:00 – Product team dynamics in the AI era33:00 – Mistakes to avoid and balancing action with foresight37:00 – Wrap-up and takeawaysKey Takeaways— Horizon scanning helps teams identify early, weak signals that may grow into significant trends.— Scenario planning enables resilience by preparing teams for a range of plausible futures.— Backcasting flips traditional planning by working backward from a long-term goal to define near-term milestones.— Generative AI can democratise access to foresight tools—when used with critical thinking and proper validation.— Product professionals should take a proactive role in guiding strategic conversations, regardless of their title.— Avoid extremes with AI: neither fear it nor over-rely on it. Use it as a pairing partner rather than a replacement.Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Daniel Cray, an Australian entrepreneur and CEO of Phizz, pivoted from advertising to create a revolutionary three-in-one hydration, vitamin and electrolyte tablet that's now one of the UK's fastest-growing wellness brands. He shares his journey from bootstrapping with three friends to leading a category-defining company used by Premier League teams and travellers worldwide.• After discovering travellers lose up to six litres of water during flights, Dan identified hydration's broader impact beyond just athletic performance• Partnered with a neuroscientist co-founder to develop a scientifically-backed formula that enhances brain performance through proper electrolyte balance• Initially secured partnerships with Emirates Airlines, W Hotels and Premier League teams to build credibility while bootstrapping• Made the bold decision to relocate from Australia to London despite having no UK connections or secured funding• Transformed from a £250,000 revenue business to nearly £10 million by transitioning from brand partnerships to retail distribution• Maintained scientific integrity by including glucose in their formula despite "sugar-free" trends, as it's essential for optimal hydration• Successfully positioning Phizz as a category leader in "hydration enhancers" – creating an entirely new retail category in UK stores• Recently expanded into Middle East and European markets with plans for continued international growthCheck out Phizz in major UK retailers including Boots, Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, or online with Amazon.Support the show

Featured Links: Follow Brigitte on LinkedIn | DrDoctor | European Commission Public Health 'Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare' featureOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

In this episode, we are talking with Julia Moore, Communications Specialist at Bosman Family Vineyards, a South African winery at the forefront of ethical wine production and regenerative farming. With a 26% worker-ownership model, award-winning viticulture, and deep investment in education and inclusion, Bosman is redefining what sustainability in wine truly means. We explore the impact of shared ownership, the challenges and beauty of farming as a community, and the power of giving future generations opportunities beyond the vineyard. From vine nurseries to old vine Chenin Blanc, this conversation is rich in knowledge and purpose. Two wines are tasted during the episode: the affordable Generation 8 Chardonnay, supporting early childhood education projects, and the prestigious Optenhorst Chenin Blanc, sourced from the third-oldest Chenin vines in South Africa. Whether you're interested in equitable business models, viticulture innovation, or wines with purpose, this episode delivers inspiration in every sip. Episode Guide (Chapters) [02:30] - How Julia approaches wine storytelling as a communicator [04:47] - How the land shapes the vines [07:51] - The role of climate and vine age [09:30] - Ethical working and community impact [11:35] - Shared ownership: transforming life on the farm [14:25] - Vision for youth and long-term opportunity [17:32] - How many people live on the farm as a community [18:57] - Tasting Generation 8 Chardonnay — a fresh, unoaked white wine with expressive fruit and minerality. Available at Sainsbury's £9 (UK). [21:20] - How its sales support Bosman's education projects [26:19] - What happens in the vine nursery during winter [30:46] - Clonal selection and rootstock combinations [33:23] - Bosman named Winery of the Year in the Platter's Wine Guide [36:08] - Tasting Optenhorst Chenin Blanc 2023 — from 72-year-old dry-farmed bush vines. Around £25-30 per bottle. [38:59] - The story and power of old vines [41:06] - Pricing and exclusivity of Optenhorst; why it's a rare and age-worthy wine [49:01] - What the wine industry must do for equity and representation [51:46] - Bosman Family Vineyards and more information

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily Smith and Randy Silver speak with Dee Miller, Director of Product Strategy and Insights for Product Equity at Adobe. Dee shares her personal journey into inclusive design, and discusses how Adobe is moving beyond accessibility compliance to build genuinely usable, inclusive, and emotionally accessible products. Featured Links: Follow Dee on LinkedIn | The Adobe Accessibility Checker | Listen to previous The Product Experience episode: 'Building Accessible Products' with Jonathan Hassell (CEO & Founder, Hassell Inclusion) Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

The ladies are throwing their names in the hat to join the Secret Swear Club after one listener reveals a genius (and slightly unhinged) new tradition to swerve their child's judgmental side-eye. Meanwhile, Dottie's been yelling about itchy legs in the middle of Sainsbury's, and one listener's caught in a parenting pickle with their sister. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is episode 230, From Knysna's Burning Forests to Tolstoy's War and Peace: The World in 1869. Globally, the end of the sixth decade of the 19th Century was full of fire and brimbstone, and some technology, social change, significant moments. The construction of the the Port Nolloth-O'okiep railway line is one notable tech development, but on the down side, the Southern Cape experienced a devastating fire that began in early February in the Meiringspoort area of the Swartberg Mountains, destroying numerous homesteads and ancient yellowoods. More about this in a few minutes. IN the United States, Elizabeth Cady Stanton testified before the U.S. Congress, thus becoming the first woman to do so, and later in 1869, Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage Association. Sainsbury's opened in Drury Lane in London in May, Boston University was founded in the same month. A month later, John Hyatt patented celluloid in Albany New York, a product created by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor — thus creating the basis for the coming film revolution. Like all good ideas, Hyatt had actually bought the original patent from Englishman Alexander Parkes who couldn't figure out how to make money from his invention. It's amazing how many inventions were co-opted by entrepreneurs after the inventor struggled to make a buck out of a good idea. Take the common computer mouse, invented by Stanford Research Unit student Douglas Engelbart in the early 1960s. In the late 1970s, almost two decades after the mouse's invention, Apple's Steve Jobs saw a mouse being demonstrated along with what was called graphical user interface, GUI, at Xerox labs in Palo Alto California. November the 17 however, was probably one of the most significant dates in the calendar when it came to the Cape, because that was the date that the Suez Canal was completed. For the first time in history, ships could now sail through the canal, linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, shortening the voyages between Europe and the far east by months. In Cape Town, there was fear and loathing about the Canal. And so, to South Africa, let's retrace our steps to February 1869. It began, as such stories often do, with a wisp of smoke on the horizon. According to the local newspapers, the fire that would become known ominously as the Great Fire of 1869 was first spotted on the 8th February. The conditions were perfect for a catastrophe. Southern Cape berg winds, searing, north-westerly to north-easterly gusts, swept down from the heights. Born of a low-pressure system sliding from west to east, they could reach gale-force strength, tearing through valleys like invisible predators. By the time the flames were first seen near Knysna, the air shimmered with heat, the humidity was almost non-existent, and the vegetation which was parched after years of relentless drought, stood waiting, tinder-dry.But in February 1869, the fire dominated every horizon. From its first sparks, it began a horrifying march: sweeping west towards Swellendam, east to Uitenhage, and threading through the Langkloof valley north of the Outeniqua Mountains. Then, inexorably, it spilled down towards the coast, devouring all in its path, Great Brak River, Victoria Bay, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay.

Nike's back to its roots. Unilever just paid $1.5B for a soap brand. Cloudflare declared war on AI. Oh, and Pamela Anderson is suddenly a branding icon again.This week, Ben Kaplan and Tom Cain unpack the smartest (and strangest) marketing moves across the globe:Nike ditches lifestyle for core athleticismDr. Squatch and the billion-dollar soap gameCloudflare vs. AI crawlers — is the internet changing?Sainsbury's market share surpriseCelebrity endorsements vs real influenceTesla's fully driverless deliveryNASA streams on NetflixAnd the rise of an AI-generated rock band?Smart takes. Big brands. No fluff.

Homebase was once one of our leading home improvement chains so, why did it have to close all of its stores?The BBC Business journalist Sean Farrington investigates.Alongside him is the entrepreneur Sam White, who at the end of the show has to reach her own conclusions, based only on what she has heard and her own business acumen.Homebase was established by the supermarket chain Sainsbury's and a Belgian retailer which was already running a DIY business in Europe and America. The first Homebase store opened in Croydon in 1981 and it had to be temporarily closed by the police after visiting crowds caused a traffic jam. The chain expanded across the UK and had more than 300 stores. It went through some highs, and some serious lows, with various owners but what ultimately caused the closure of its shops?Sean and Sam hear from expert guests including:- Allison Foster, curator of the Sainsbury Archive, which is based at London Museum Docklands- Dave Elliott, a former Trading Director then later Commercial Director at Homebase under different owners- Matt Walton, senior data analyst at GlobalDataWhile Homebase's standalone stores are toast, the brand continues to trade online under new ownership. Homebase garden centres and products are also being included within branches of The Range. Produced by Jon Douglas, Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.ukFeel free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes.

Homebase was once one of our leading home improvement chains so, why did it have to close all of its stores?The BBC Business journalist Sean Farrington investigates.Alongside him is the entrepreneur Sam White, who at the end of the show has to reach her own conclusions, based only on what she has heard and her own business acumen.Homebase was established by the supermarket chain Sainsbury's and a Belgian retailer which was already running a DIY business in Europe and America. The first Homebase store opened in Croydon in 1981 and it had to be temporarily closed by the police after visiting crowds caused a traffic jam. The chain expanded across the UK and had more than 300 stores. It went through some highs, and some serious lows, with various owners but what ultimately caused the closure of its shops?Sean and Sam hear from expert guests including:- Allison Foster, curator of the Sainsbury Archive, which is based at London Museum Docklands- Dave Elliott, a former Trading Director then later Commercial Director at Homebase under different owners- Matt Walton, senior data analyst at GlobalDataWhile Homebase's standalone stores are toast, the brand continues to trade online under new ownership. Homebase garden centres and products are also being included within branches of The Range. Produced by Jon Douglas, Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.ukFeel free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes.

On 6 April 2025 the UK's new consumer protection regime came into force. The changes, introduced under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, include a new direct enforcement regime for the CMA as well as a number of changes to the substantive law, aimed at improving and modernising consumer rights in order to ensure they keep pace with market developments, in particular the trend towards online retail and advertising. In this podcast we take you through the key features of the new, enhanced regime and we are joined by guest speaker Amy McMeekin, Head of Competition and Consumer Law at Sainsbury's, who provides some insights on the impact of the changes for businesses.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily and Randy speak with Faith Forster about the art of aligning product work with commercial outcomes. From redefining velocity as a function of customer value to implementing impact models that quantify ROI, Faith outlines practical frameworks to help product teams think commercially without compromising user value. She also explores the evolving role of AI in product development, the necessity of syncing planning cycles with business units, and why happy teams are the cornerstone of faster, better delivery.Key takeawaysVelocity = Value: Product velocity isn't about coding speed—it's about reducing time to customer value to improve ROI and lower opportunity cost.Impact Modelling: A disciplined approach to estimating commercial outcomes before development helps product teams understand and justify their work.AI Integration: Teams are expected to primarily use AI tools within three months to boost delivery speed and build organisational capability.Viability from Day One: Pricing and revenue potential must be considered from the outset—not after feature completion.Cross-Functional Alignment: Successful planning requires synchronising product cycles with finance, sales, and marketing calendars.Happy Teams, Better Results: Reducing friction between design, engineering, and product roles directly impacts delivery speed and feature quality.Chapters00:00 – Redefining velocity: Why speed isn't just about code01:05 – Faith's journey from Dex to Legal03:02 – Introducing the commercial value talk04:51 – Understanding the P&L from a product lens08:07 – Why team cost-awareness matters10:00 – Building better impact models12:25 – Increasing ROI through value velocity16:37 – The AI imperative: Adoption, anxiety, and accelerationOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Today we're talking with health and nutrition expert Dr. Stuart Gillespie, author of a new book entitled Food Fight: from Plunder and Profit to People and Planet. Using decades of research and insight gathered from around the world, Dr. Gillespie wants to reimagine our global food system and plot a way forward to a sustainable, equitable, and healthy food future - one where our food system isn't making us sick. Certainly not the case now. Over the course of his career, Dr. Gillespie has worked with the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition in Geneva with UNICEF in India and with the International Food Policy Research Institute, known as IFPRI, where he's led initiatives tackling the double burden of malnutrition and agriculture and health research. He holds a PhD in human nutrition from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Interview Summary So, you've really had a global view of the agriculture system, and this is captured in your book. And to give some context to our listeners, in your book, you describe the history of the global food system, how it's evolved into this system, sort of warped, if you will, into a mechanism that creates harm and it destroys more than it produces. That's a pretty bold statement. That it destroys more than it produces, given how much the agriculture around the world does produce. Tell us a bit more if you would. Yes, that statement actually emerged from recent work by the Food Systems Economic Commission. And they costed out the damage or the downstream harms generated by the global food system at around $15 trillion per year, which is 12% of GDP. And that manifests in various ways. Health harms or chronic disease. It also manifests in terms of climate crisis and risks and environmental harms, but also. Poverty of food system workers at the front line, if you like. And it's largely because we have a system that's anachronistic. It's a system that was built in a different time, in a different century for a different purpose. It was really started to come together after the second World War. To mass produce cheap calories to prevent famine, but also through the Green Revolution, as that was picking up with the overproduction of staples to use that strategically through food aid to buffer the West to certain extent from the spread of communism. And over time and over the last 50 years of neoliberal policies we've got a situation where food is less and less viewed as a human right, or a basic need. It's seen as a commodity and the system has become increasingly financialized. And there's a lot of evidence captured by a handful of transnationals, different ones at different points in the system from production to consumption. But in each case, they wield huge amounts of power. And that manifests in various ways. We have, I think a system that's anachronistic The point about it, and the problem we have, is that it's a system revolves around maximizing profit and the most profitable foods and products of those, which are actually the least healthy for us as individuals. And it's not a system that's designed to nourish us. It's a system designed to maximize profit. And we don't have a system that really aims to produce whole foods for people. We have a system that produces raw ingredients for industrial formulations to end up as ultra processed foods. We have a system that produces cattle feed and, and biofuels, and some whole foods. But it, you know, that it's so skewed now, and we see the evidence all around us that it manifests in all sorts of different ways. One in three people on the planet in some way malnourished. We have around 12 million adult deaths a year due to diet related chronic disease. And I followed that from colonial times that, that evolution and the way it operates and the way it moves across the world. And what is especially frightening, I think, is the speed at which this so-called nutrition transition or dietary transition is happening in lower income or middle income countries. We saw this happening over in the US and we saw it happening in the UK where I am. And then in Latin America, and then more Southeast Asia, then South Asia. Now, very much so in Sub-Saharan Africa where there is no regulation really, apart from perhaps South Africa. So that's long answer to your intro question. Let's dive into a couple of things that you brought up. First, the Green Revolution. So that's a term that many of our listeners will know and they'll understand what the Green Revolution is, but not everybody. Would you explain what that was and how it's had these effects throughout the food systems around the world? Yes, I mean around the, let's see, about 1950s, Norman Borlag, who was a crop breeder and his colleagues in Mexico discovered through crop breeding trials, a high yielding dwarf variety. But over time and working with different partners, including well in India as well, with the Swaminathan Foundation. And Swaminathan, for example, managed to perfect these new strains. High yielding varieties that doubled yields for a given acreage of land in terms of staples. And over time, this started to work with rice, with wheat, maize and corn. Very dependent on fertilizers, very dependent on pesticides, herbicides, which we now realize had significant downstream effects in terms of environmental harms. But also, diminishing returns in as much as, you know, that went through its trajectory in terms of maximizing productivity. So, all the Malthusian predictions of population growth out running our ability to feed the planet were shown to not to be true. But it also generated inequity that the richest farmers got very rich, very quickly, the poorer farmers got slightly richer, but that there was this large gap. So, inequity was never really properly dealt with through the Green Revolution in its early days. And that overproduction and the various institutions that were set in place, the manner in which governments backed off any form of regulation for overproduction. They continued to subsidize over production with these very large subsidies upstream, meant that we are in the situation we are now with regard to different products are being used to deal with that excess over production. So, that idea of using petroleum-based inputs to create the foods in the first place. And the large production of single crops has a lot to do with that Green Revolution that goes way back to the 1950s. It's interesting to see what it's become today. It's sort of that original vision multiplied by a billion. And boy, it really does continue to have impacts. You know, it probably was the forerunner to genetically modified foods as well, which I'd like to ask you about in a little bit. But before I do that, you said that much of the world's food supply is governed by a pretty small number of players. So who are these players? If you look at the downstream retail side, you have Nestle, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Unilever. Collectively around 70% of retail is governed by those companies. If you look upstream in terms of agricultural and agribusiness, you have Cargill, ADM, Louis Dreyfus, and Bunge. These change to a certain extent. What doesn't change very much are the numbers involved that are very, very small and that the size of these corporations is so large that they have immense power. And, so those are the companies that we could talk about what that power looks like and why it's problematic. But the other side of it's here where I am in the UK, we have a similar thing playing out with regard to store bought. Food or products, supermarkets that control 80% as Tesco in the UK, Asta, Sainsbury's, and Morrisons just control. You have Walmart, you have others, and that gives them immense power to drive down the costs that they will pay to producers and also potentially increase the cost that they charge as prices of the products that are sold in these supermarkets. So that profit markup, profit margins are in increased in their favor. They can also move around their tax liabilities around the world because they're transnational. And that's just the economic market and financial side on top of that. And as you know, there's a whole raft of political ways in which they use this power to infiltrate policy, influence policy through what I've called in Chapter 13, the Dark Arts of Policy Interference. Your previous speaker, Murray Carpenter, talked about that with regard to Coca-Cola and that was a very, yeah, great example. But there are many others. In many ways these companies have been brilliant at adapting to the regulatory landscape, to the financial incentives, to the way the agriculture system has become warped. I mean, in some ways they've done the warping, but in a lot of ways, they're adapting to the conditions that allow warping to occur. And because they've invested so heavily, like in manufacturing plants to make high fructose corn syrup or to make biofuels or things like that. It'd be pretty hard for them to undo things, and that's why they lobby so strongly in favor of keeping the status quo. Let me ask you about the issue of power because you write about this in a very compelling way. And you talk about power imbalances in the food system. What does that look like in your mind, and why is it such a big part of the problem? Well, yes. And power manifests in different ways. It operates sometimes covertly, sometimes overtly. It manifests at different levels from, you know, grassroots level, right up to national and international in terms of international trade. But what I've described is the way markets are captured or hyper concentrated. That power that comes with these companies operating almost like a cartel, can be used to affect political or to dampen down, block governments from regulating them through what I call a five deadly Ds: dispute or dispute or doubt, distort, distract, disguise, and dodge. And you've written very well Kelly, with I think Kenneth Warner about the links between big food and big tobacco and the playbook and the realization on the part of Big Tobacco back in the '50s, I think, that they couldn't compete with the emerging evidence of the harms of smoking. They had to secure the science. And that involved effectively buying research or paying for researchers to generate a raft of study shown that smoking wasn't a big deal or problem. And also, public relations committees, et cetera, et cetera. And we see the same happening with big food. Conflicts of interest is a big deal. It needs to be avoided. It can't be managed. And I think a lot of people think it is just a question of disclosure. Disclosure is never enough of conflict of interest, almost never enough. We have, in the UK, we have nine regulatory bodies. Every one of them has been significantly infiltrated by big food, including the most recent one, which has just been designated to help develop a national food stretch in the UK. We've had a new government here and we thought things were changing, beginning to wonder now because big food is on that board or on that committee. And it shouldn't be, you know. It shouldn't be anywhere near the policy table anyway. That's so it's one side is conflict of interest. Distraction: I talk about corporate social responsibility initiatives and the way that they're designed to distract. On the one hand, if you think of a person on a left hand is doing these wonderful small-scale projects, which are high visibility and they're doing good. In and off themselves they're doing good. But they're small scale. Whereas the right hand is a core business, which is generating harm at a much larger scale. And the left hand is designed to distract you from the right hand. So that distraction, those sort of corporate CSR initiatives are a big part of the problem. And then 'Disguise' is, as you know, with the various trade associations and front groups, which acted almost like Trojan horses, in many ways. Because the big food companies are paying up as members of these committees, but they don't get on the program of these international conferences. But the front groups do and the front groups act on in their interests. So that's former disguise or camouflage. The World Business Council on Sustainable Development is in the last few years, has been very active in the space. And they have Philip Morris on there as members, McDonald's and Nestle, Coke, everybody, you know. And they deliberately actually say It's all fine. That we have an open door, which I, I just can't. I don't buy it. And there are others. So, you know, I think these can be really problematic. The other thing I should mention about power and as what we've learned more about, if you go even upstream from the big food companies, and you look at the hedge funds and the asset management firms like Vanguard, state Capital, BlackRock, and the way they've been buying up shares of big food companies and blocking any moves in annual general meetings to increase or improve the healthiness of portfolios. Because they're so powerful in terms of the number of shares they hold to maximize profit for pension funds. So, we started to see the pressure that is being put on big food upstream by the nature of the system, that being financialized, even beyond the companies themselves, you know? You were mentioning that these companies, either directly themselves or through their front organizations or the trade association block important things that might be done in agriculture. Can you think of an example of that? Yes, well actually I did, with some colleagues here in the UK, the Food Foundation, an investigation into corporate lobbying during the previous conservative government. And basically, in the five years after the pandemic, we logged around 1,400 meetings between government ministers and big food. Then we looked at the public interest NGOs and the number of meetings they had over that same period, and it was 35, so it was a 40-fold difference. Oh goodness. Which I was actually surprised because I thought they didn't have to do much because the Tory government was never going to really regulate them anyway. And you look in the register, there is meant to be transparency. There are rules about disclosure of what these lobbying meetings were meant to be for, with whom, for what purpose, what outcome. That's just simply not followed. You get these crazy things being written into the those logs like, 'oh, we had a meeting to discuss business, and that's it.' And we know that at least what happened in the UK, which I'm more familiar with. We had a situation where constantly any small piecemeal attempt to regulate, for example, having a watershed at 9:00 PM so that kids could not see junk food advertised on their screens before 9:00 PM. That simple regulation was delayed, delayed. So, delay is actually another D you know. It is part of it. And that's an example of that. That's a really good example. And you've reminded me of an example where Marian Nestle and I wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times, many years ago, on an effort by the WHO, the World Health Organization to establish a quite reasonable guideline for how much added sugar people should have in their diet. And the sugar industry stepped in in the biggest way possible. And there was a congressional caucus on sugar or something like that in our US Congress and the sugar industry and the other players in the food industry started interacting with them. They put big pressure on the highest levels of the US government to pressure the WHO away from this really quite moderate reasonable sugar standard. And the US ultimately threatened the World Health Organization with taking away its funding just on one thing - sugar. Now, thankfully the WHO didn't back down and ultimately came out with some pretty good guidelines on sugar that have been even stronger over the years. But it was pretty disgraceful. That's in the book that, that story is in the book. I think it was 2004 with the strategy on diet, physical activity. And Tommy Thompson was a health secretary and there were all sorts of shenanigans and stories around that. Yes, that is a very powerful example. It was a crazy power play and disgraceful how our government acted and how the companies acted and all the sort of deceitful ways they did things. And of course, that's happened a million times. And you gave the example of all the discussions in the UK between the food industry and the government people. So, let's get on to something more positive. What can be done? You can see these massive corporate influences, revolving doors in government, a lot of things that would argue for keeping the status quo. So how in the world do you turn things around? Yeah, good question. I really believe, I've talked about a lot of people. I've looked a lot of the evidence. I really believe that we need a systemic sort of structural change and understanding that's not going to happen overnight. But ultimately, I think there's a role for a government, citizens civil society, media, academics, food industry, obviously. And again, it's different between the UK and US and elsewhere in terms of the ability and the potential for change. But governments have to step in and govern. They have to set the guardrails and the parameters. And I talk in the book about four key INs. So, the first one is institutions in which, for example, there's a power to procure healthy food for schools, for hospitals, clinics that is being underutilized. And there's some great stories of individuals. One woman from Kenya who did this on her own and managed to get the government to back it and to scale it up, which is an incredible story. That's institutions. The second IN is incentives, and that's whereby sugar taxes, or even potentially junk food taxes as they have in Columbia now. And reforming the upstream subsidies on production is basically downregulating the harmful side, if you like, of the food system, but also using the potential tax dividend from that side to upregulate benefits via subsidies for low-income families. Rebalancing the system. That's the incentive side. The other side is information, and that involves labeling, maybe following the examples from Latin America with regard to black octagons in Chile and Mexico and Brazil. And dietary guidelines not being conflicted, in terms of conflicts of interest. And actually, that's the fourth IN: interests. So ridding government advisory bodies, guideline committees, of conflicts of interests. Cleaning up lobbying. Great examples in a way that can be done are from Canada and Ireland that we found. That's government. Citizens, and civil society, they can be involved in various ways exposing, opposing malpractice if you like, or harmful action on the part of industry or whoever else, or the non-action on the part of the government. Informing, advocating, building social movements. Lots I think can be learned through activist group in other domains or in other disciplines like HIV, climate. I think we need to make those connections much more. Media. I mean, the other thought is that the media have great, I mean in this country at least, you know, politicians tend to follow the media, or they're frightened of the media. And if the media turned and started doing deep dive stories of corporate shenanigans and you know, stuff that is under the radar, that would make a difference, I think. And then ultimately, I think then our industry starts to respond to different signals or should do or would do. So that in innovation is not just purely technological aimed at maximizing profit. It may be actually social. We need social innovation as well. There's a handful of things. But ultimately, I actually don't think the food system is broken because it is doing the wrong thing for the wrong reason. I think we need to change the system, and I'll say that will take time. It needs a real transformation. One, one last thing to say about that word transformation. Where in meetings I've been in over the last 10 years, so many people invoke food system transformation when they're not really talking about it. They're just talking about tweaking the margins or small, piecemeal ad hoc changes or interventions when we need to kind of press all the buttons or pull all the levers to get the kind of change that we need. And again, as I say, it was going to take some time, but we have to start moving that direction. Do you think there's reason to be hopeful and are there success stories you can point to, to make us feel a little bit better? Yeah, and I like that word, hope. I've just been reading a lot of essays from, actually, Rebecca Solnit has been writing a lot about hope as a warrior emotion. Radical hope, which it's different to optimism. Optimism went, oh, you know, things probably will be okay, but hope you make it. It's like a springboard for action. So I, yes, I'm hopeful and I think there are plenty of examples. Actually, a lot of examples from Latin America of things changing, and I think that's because they've been hit so fast, so hard. And I write in the book about what's happened in the US and UK it's happened over a period of, I don't know, 50, 60 years. But what's happened and is happening in Latin America has happened in just like 15 years. You know, it's so rapid that they've had to respond fast or get their act together quickly. And that's an interesting breed of activist scholars. You know, I think there's an interesting group, and again, if we connect across national boundaries across the world, we can learn a lot from that. There are great success stories coming out Chile from the past that we've seen what's happening in Mexico. Mexico was in a terrible situation after Vicente Fox came in, in the early 2000s when he brought all his Coca-Cola pals in, you know, the classic revolving door. And Mexico's obesity and diabetes went off to scale very quickly. But they're the first country with the sugar tax in 2014. And you see the pressure that was used to build the momentum behind that. Chile, Guido Girardi and the Black Octagon labels with other interventions. Rarely is it just one thing. It has to be a comprehensive across the board as far as possible. So, in Brazil, I think we will see things happening more in, in Thailand and Southeast Asia. We see things beginning to happen in India, South Africa. The obesity in Ghana, for example, changed so rapidly. There are some good people working in Ghana. So, you know, I think a good part of this is actually documenting those kind of stories as, and when they happen and publicizing them, you know. The way you portrayed the concept of hope, I think is a really good one. And when I asked you for some examples of success, what I was expecting you, you might say, well, there was this program and this part of a one country in Africa where they did something. But you're talking about entire countries making changes like Chile and Brazil and Mexico. That makes me very hopeful about the future when you get governments casting aside the influence of industry. At least long enough to enact some of these things that are definitely not in the best interest of industry, these traditional food companies. And that's all, I think, a very positive sign about big scale change. And hopefully what happens in these countries will become contagious in other countries will adopt them and then, you know, eventually they'll find their way to countries like yours and mine. Yes, I agree. That's how I see it. I used to do a lot of work on single, small interventions and do their work do they not work in this small environment. The problem we have is large scale, so we have to be large scale as well. BIO Dr. Stuart Gillespie has been fighting to transform our broken food system for the past 40 years. Stuart is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow in Nutrition, Diets and Health at theInternational Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). He has been at the helm of the IFPRI's Regional Network on AIDs, Livelihoods and Food Security, has led the flagship Agriculture for Nutrition and Health research program, was director of the Transform Nutrition program, and founded the Stories of Change initiative, amongst a host of other interventions into public food policy. His work – the ‘food fight' he has been waging – has driven change across all frontiers, from the grassroots (mothers in markets, village revolutionaries) to the political (corporate behemoths, governance). He holds a PhD in Human Nutrition from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily and Randy sit down with Moshe Mikanovsky—product coach, educator, and host of the Product for Product podcast—to explore what makes an effective product management toolkit. From identifying the real problems in your workflow to choosing and implementing tools that stick, Moshe outlines a pragmatic, user-centric approach to tool selection. Chapters:2:59 – From Engineering to Product Management5:25 – Why Choosing Tools is Hard8:11 – Elements of a Product Stack10:49 – From Roadmaps to Analytics14:01 – A Framework for Selecting Tools18:01 – Comparing Tools Beyond Features21:18 – Test and Validate Your Tool Choices26:01 – Why Implementation is Critical28:04 – What's Changing in Product Tools29:26 – AI and the Future of Product Management32:01 – Keeping Your Stack Modern34:29 – Making the Case for Budget & ROI37:23 – When ROI Forces a Change38:45 – Final Thoughts & Listener Call to ActionFeatured Links: Follow Moshe on LinkedIn | Moshe's Product Manager Toolkit | PostHogOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Transformations are hard, and too often, they fail to deliver on their promise. In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily and Randy speak with Jen Swanson, CEO of Tuckpoint Advisory Group, to unpack why transformation initiatives falter and what it truly takes to succeed.Key Takeaways— Transformation requires intentionality: Real transformation isn't accidental or surface-level; it must be deliberate, comprehensive, and backed by leadership.— Avoid ‘transformation theatre': Pretending to change—without restructuring ownership, processes, or collaboration—is worse than doing nothing at all.— Start with honest orientation: Knowing your starting point is essential before plotting a path forward.— Executive involvement is non-negotiable: Transformations can't be delegated. Leadership must model the change and communicate relentlessly.— Product-led is about mindset, not just teams: Everyone should operate within the product model, but not all need to be on product teams.— Pace matters: Organisations must assess their capacity for change and determine the right balance between ambition and sustainability.— Give grace for the learning curve: People need space to be bad at new things before they get good—psychological safety is essential.Chapters0:00 – Introduction & the myth of sneaky transformations1:01 – Jen's background and path into product2:53 – What transformation really means5:53 – Defining honest orientation8:00 – What is transformation theatre?12:09 – When real change feels fake13:04 – The importance of executive commitment16:04 – Why transformations fail19:11 – Common catalysts for transformation22:06 – Product-led vs product thinking25:00 – Who's in the opOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

#AD We want our homes to smell great all the time, with a scent wardrobe to match every mood. Baylis & Harding's Signature Hand Wash collection lets you do just that: luxurious, affordable, and perfectly crafted to elevate your everyday. We were so happy to partner with Baylis & Harding for this episode, and to talk about our absolute favourites in their Signature collection…Both of us love the Sweet Mandarin & Grapefruit Hand Wash, a refreshing citrus blend with mandarin, grapefruit, soft florals and warm amber. We also adore the creamy, indulgent Jojoba, Vanilla & Almond Oil Hand Wash, rich with vanilla and sandalwood, plus the sophisticated Black Pepper & Ginseng Hand Wash, spicy with black pepper, bergamot and cedarwood. Nicola's picks include the fresh and floral Jasmine & Apple Blossom Anti-Bacterial Hand Wash, combining wild jasmine with crisp apple and peach, and the soothing Wild Lavender & Geranium Hand Wash, with eucalyptus, citrus, lavender and cedarwood. Suzy's favourites are the warm, woody Vetiver, Cedar & Lemongrass Anti-Bacterial Hand Wash, blending vetiver, juniper berries and moss, and the vibrant Peony, Lychee & Vanilla Hand Wash, a romantic mix of peony, pear, lily, rose, lychee and vanilla. Each hand wash is £2.25 and available at Waitrose, Amazon, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons and Ocado. Discover more at @baylisandhardingplc and baylisandharding.com PLUS, in this episode, after our deep dive into scenting our world and moods, we're thrilled to bring you an interview with @richard.e.grant – actor, author, broadcaster and founder of @jackperfume – about how he was ‘led by his nose' all his life, and eventually created his own fragrance house (hugely influenced by his own scent memories). Don't miss it!

What does it mean to build world-class products in the age of AI? In this episode, Randy Silver talks to Ezinne and Oji Udezue, co-authors of Building Rocketships, a playbook for building high-growth companies in today's fast-evolving tech landscape. Together, they unpack what product looks like now, how AI changes collaboration, and why ambition, clarity, and disciplined execution matter more than ever.Key takeaways— Building world-class products starts with clear ambition and choosing big, meaningful problems— AI isn't replacing PMs, it's changing the way product work gets done—especially in how we collaborate— Vibe coding enables faster iteration and clearer communication through prototyping in code— The product manager's job is to lead teams and help the organisation build the right thing, not just anything— Clarity, focus, and leadership buy-in are essential to successful transformation, even in legacy organisations— Product teams need to shift from writing specs to orchestrating systems that drive customer and business outcomes— Every product person should master the full arc: solving today's problems, helping customers succeed, and spotting future opportunitiesChapters 0:00 The "should PMs code?" debate1:54 First product roles and how the book came to life4:49 The mission behind Building Rocketships7:13 Why the book is for leaders and their partners10:01 Differences between world-class teams and everyone else13:35 What ambition really looks like17:10 How clarity transforms legacy companies23:10 AI, vibe coding, and the new spec: working prototypes30:10 Redefining the product team's role in the AI age35:02 What skills PMs actually need to thrive now42:54 The one mistake PMs can't afford to makeFeatured Links: Follow Ezinne on LinkedIn | Follow Oji on LinkedIn | ProductMind | Buy their new book 'Building Rocketships: Product Management for High Growth Companies'Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.