Podcasts about wooing

In this episode we explore the concept of honour price and how it was one of the most important legal concept in early medieval Ireland. We then dive back into The Wooing of Étain, where three games of fidchell (ancient Irish chess) demonstrate different approaches to keeping deals and saving face. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Siblings Ashley Engle and Brandon Birdwell discuss life, which body of water is best, scantrons and wooing amusement park gals with your whack a mole skills.

UK correspondent Dan Bloom joins Kathryn 

In this episode we get back into The Wooing of Étain, exploring her life as a fly and witness how she is reborn 1000 years later... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's episode 210 and time for us to talk about the genre of Romantasy! We discuss romance series, happily ever afters, tropes, social media, and more! Plus, special guest romance fiction researcher Christine Larson! You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray

1:15: What kind of guy are the Patriots getting in Garrett Bradbury? 2:30: Why was Bradbury available? 4:25: At 6-3 and 300 pounds, he's a bit undersized. How does he maybe make up for that in other facets of his game? 5:50: Why were his PFF grades so up and down over the last few years? 7:45: Does he have any positional versatility? 9:05: It feels like Bradbury is simply a case of a guy trying to stabilize a certain position. Is this a safe assessment? 10:15: Is he prepared to work as a potential leader in the New England locker room? 13:00: On managing expectations in the post-David Andrews world. 14:30: On Krammer's thoughts about a possible Diggs;' signing with the Patriots. 17:31: Could Diggs be a leader for a group of younger wide receivers? 19:30: Could Diggs be a good fit for a rebuilding team like New England? “Vrabel would love this guy.” 21:30: On Vrabel's ability to connect with players and how that would work with Diggs. 22:40: On Diggs' being the potential focal point for the Patriots' passing attack. “He wants to be that No. 1, certainly.”

THIS WEEK'S MESSAGE: Today's Fireside Friday was about being TIRED. Part of this is from the time change, but another level of it, is simply poor stewardship of our own energy. If we want to love and lead at the level of our soul, that means that we have to create time and space to give her what she needs. AND the only way we know what she needs? Learning to listen to her instruction. Advocating that we actually have time and space TO listen... Choosing to take time, space and effort in tending ourselves IS loving others well. ABOUT: Welcome to a Fireside Friday Recording. Every Friday morning I tap in and pour out messages and words meant to fuel your fire, Fire Starter! These messages are to encourage, empower and activate you deeper in your calling and initiatives that you want to see through. grounding and encouragement every Friday morning.Want to add this to your calendar?⁠⁠ Sign-up here⁠⁠ and I'll send you an invite!More of what to expect from these calls if you want to join live:• Our room opens at 8am, broadcast starts at 8:11am. It's okay if you can't make it live, I'll be posting an audio replay here to the podcast the following week and I trust that it will meet you right when it should.• This isn't a call you need to prepare for or that you'll even be interacting with others through… it's meant to nourish you.• Come as you are and as you can. Invite who you want.Fire Circle Sign-Up: We'll be gathering around the virtual fireside on Saturday, March 22 at 10am ET and Thursday April 10 at 8pm ET. These are community calls where you get to meet and interact with other Fire Starters in our community, you can sign-up for that here.

Send us a textHappy St. Patrick's Day! This week we're telling Irish stories! Janey is going to tell us about a man who runs away to fairy land, and Max is going to tell us about a woman who does the same! We hope you enjoy!A note on spelling: Janey's story is about Finn McCool, which is how "Irish Folk and Fairy Tales" spells it. The traditional spelling is Fionn mac Cumhaill, but since we wanted to make the "Cool and the Gang" joke, we're sticking to the anglicized version. Janey's Sources - The Birth and Death of Oísin “Irish Folk and Fairy Tales” edited by J.K. Jackson  YOUTUBE VIDEO: “The Story of Tír na nÓg” by Folk Survival  P.J. Lynch Gallery illustrations  “Tír na nÓg: The Story of Niamh and Oisín” by Terri Murphy  Max's Sources - The Wooing of BecfolaFull free text of “The Wooing of Becfola” by James Stephens Support the showCheck out our books (and support local bookstores!) on our Bookshop.org affiliate account!Starting your own podcast with your very cool best friend? Try hosting on Buzzsprout (and get a $20 Amazon gift card!)Want more??Visit our website!Join our Patreon!Shop the merch at TeePublic!If you liked these stories, let us know on our various socials!InstagramTiktokGoodreadsAnd email us at sortofthestory@gmail.com

Did Étain represent the moon? And did The Wooing of Étain teach druids how to read the moon's movement over decades? In this episode we explore how connected to the natural world Irish stories really are and meet the eponymous Étain for the first time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Welcome to episode five of season eight! We were delighted to talk to author ⁠Stephanie Burgis⁠ about her latest release, Wooing the Witch Queen. Next week we'll be back with our monthly book chat, and look out for episode seven when Stephanie will join us again for a discussion about one of her own favourite fantasy romances. If you'd like to watch this episode with captions, you can find links to You Tube and Spotify here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/SFFRomCast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ along with our social media details. We'd love to hear from you! All our music has been taken from the following track: https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/fairytales (License code: 43DIFSVAZ90MEEQ8) Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!)

Welcome to the fourth episode of a brand new season, with a brand new format! In this episode we're talking about our topic of the month - romance reading communities. Next week we'll have our second guest author of the season, Stephanie Burgis, join us to discuss her latest release, Wooing the Witch Queen. If you'd like to watch this episode with captions, you can find links to You Tube and Spotify here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/SFFRomCast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ along with our social media details. We'd love to hear from you! All our music has been taken from the following track: https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/fairytales (License code: 43DIFSVAZ90MEEQ8) Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!)

In this episode we look at the history behind how The Wooing of Étain was uncovered and then dive into the story itself — as the Dagda swindles a poor man out of his home in Newgrange.Imagery for the episode, used with permission, is Boann Bru Na Boinne by the iconic Jim FitzPatrick. You can view more of Jim's stunning work and purchase prints at jimfitzpatrick.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This book is adorable and so much fun to read and I really enjoyed the balance of romance and world building and I wanted it to be smut and it wasn't. If you go in knowing what to expect it's a romp.

Historicals are dead! Long live historicals! This week, we're talking about fourteen (and change) historical romances that we've never talked about before -- all published recently, some already this year. Every book we talk about is available right now for download and reading pleasure--and we have a stack of them ready to talk about in future episodes! We're so excited to be your discoverabilibuddies on this one! If you want more Fated Mates in your life, please join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com.Enter the Macmillan Audio sweepsteakes to win one of five free copies of the audiobook of Stephanie Burgis's Wooing the Witch Queen.Our next read along is Julie Anne Long's What I Did For a Duke, available in print, ebook, and audio at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.The Books Lyon's Lover Maggie SimsThe Sapphire Heiress by Ella LeonA Shore Thing by Joanna LowellThe Duke's Bartered Mistress by Caroline LeeThe Villain by Victoria ValeExit, Pursued by a Baron by Aydra RichardsSeduced in a Storm By Royaline SingA Bloomy Head by J. Winifred ButterworthNever Woo the Wrong Lady by Charlie LaneDionysus in Wisconsin by EH LuptonAll About That Duke by Merry FarmerThe Wayward Duke by Katrina KendrickWhere Have All the Scoundrels Gone by Louisa DarlingWinnie West has an Agenda by Kat SterlingThe NotesCheck out Bookshop's Black Romance List and you might want to use

Matthew 7:15-29

The cruise industry is booming, with 37 million passengers expected this year. Royal Caribbean Group, one of the world's largest cruise operators, with 66 ships visiting ~1,000 destinations, saw its stock surge after reporting strong 2024 earnings growth and record new bookings. Ann Berry spoke with CFO Naftali Holtz to break down why - and to address public perception of the sector's impact on the environment. $RCL 00:00 START 01:24 Appeal to Younger Generations 03:16 Environmental and Sustainability Efforts 07:30 Expansion into River Cruises 09:46 Loyalty Programs and Digital Innovations 15:09 Private Destinations and Land-Based Ventures 17:59 Financial Strategy and Future Outlook After Earnings is brought to you by Stakeholder Labs and Morning Brew. For more, go to https://www.afterearnings.com. Follow Us X: https://twitter.com/AfterEarnings TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@AfterEarnings Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afterearnings_/ Reach Out Email: afterearnings@morningbrew.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disclosure: We are part of the Amazon Affiliate/LTK Creator programs. We will receive a small commission at no cost if you purchase a book. This post may contain links to purchase books.In this episode of What to Read Next, Sarah Hawley, author of the delightful Glimmer Falls fantasy rom-com series and the upcoming romantasy Servant of Earth, joins Laura to discuss her writing journey, archaeology background, and love of whimsical storytelling. Sarah shares hilarious anecdotes (like buying a haunted doll on Etsy), insights into creating cozy magical worlds, and book recommendations that will leave you with a growing TBR pile. If you love cozy fantasy, high-stakes romantasy, or a good dose of humor with your romance, this episode is a must-listen!What You'll Learn:How Sarah's archaeology background influences her worldbuilding.The inspiration behind her Glimmer Falls series and its cozy, magic-filled small-town vibes.A sneak peek into her upcoming romantasy, Servant of Earth, and its dark, steamy twists.Fun anecdotes about buying ghosts and haunted dolls online.Sarah's top book recommendations in romance, fantasy, and sci-fi.Books Mentioned in This Episode: Sarah Hawley's Books:A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon (Book 1, Glimmer Falls) https://amzn.to/3BAnuHMA Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch (Book 2, Glimmer Falls) https://amzn.to/4iDRSBPA Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire (Book 3, Glimmer Falls) https://amzn.to/41CEbNqServant of Earth https://amzn.to/4fiTVbGSarah's Book Recommendations:Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe https://rstyle.me/+jANt1qCYgEgTrmXH_aaDcgMy Vampire Plus One by Jenna Levine https://rstyle.me/+csIvk9wSslB58fwxqRS8gANo One Does It Like You by Katie Shepard https://rstyle.me/+jCvTq7YKEQxA4rv9x6V8bwThe Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava https://rstyle.me/+OB9FzL7vZej2rR1V2st40whttps://rstyle.me/+OB9FzL7vZej2rR1V2st40wThe Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song (A Mulan-inspired fantasy retelling) https://rstyle.me/+Q3e0KXEtuOJhGZPtx-w8GgConnect with Sarah Hawley:Website: sarahhawleyauthor.comInstagram: @ms.sarahhawleyNewsletter: Sign up via her website for exclusive updates and extras.Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetterLicense code: IP29FC0QKB6DV2UE

OUT NOW: TOM AMARQUES NEW BOOK "PHENOMENOLOGY OF WILL": https://www.parallax-media.com/books/phenomenologyofwill Homepage: https://www.parallax-media.com/ Academy: https://www.parallax-media.com/courses-and-events Substack: https://parallax.substack.com/ Parallax Network: https://parallax-media-network.mn.co/share/ND8NVO1oMB3RjEyi?utm_source=ma

Sarah Hawley is the author of Servant of Earth and the Glimmer Falls series (A Witch's Guide to Fake-Dating a Demon, A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch, A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire). She has an MA in archaeology and has excavated at an Inca site in Chile, a Bronze Age palace in Turkey, and a medieval abbey in England. When not dreaming up whimsical love stories, she can be found reading, dancing, or cuddling her two cats.

Today's poem is a selection from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's American epic, The Song of Hiawatha. The passage is structured beautifully so that two divergent streams of imaginative thought suddenly flow together into a single, tangible reality. Happy reading. Get full access to The Daily Poem Podcast at dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe

With six days to go until Election Day, both candidates are battling it out in Wisconsin. We dig into brand new polling on Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Plus, Donald Trump appears in a garbage truck as the former president is trying to keep the focus on President Biden's “garbage” remark from last night.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AP correspondent Walter Ratliff has the AP Religion Minute, featuring "Souls to the Polls" battles and "Believers for Trump," reaching out to religious voters in the presidential election.

AP correspondent Walter Ratliff has this week's Religion Roundup.

In this episode, we listen to the words of a man in love, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 56, penned by Kabilar. The verse is situated in the ‘Kurinji' or ‘Mountains landscape' and expresses admiration for a lady.

Appalachian Trail record. Wooing women with high pitched voices. National holidays and celebrity birthdays over the weekend. Turning natural disasters into political issues. Media tours. Florida starts to reopen. Plus local news and sports.  

Appalachian Trail record. Wooing women with high pitched voices. What happens to Redbox machines? Most popular pet Halloween costumes by state. Foods that are delicious in small amounts, but gross in big amounts. Putting the mountain back in Mountain Dew. Volleyball. Crocs for dogs. Annoyed neighbors. Pet parents. Martha's documentary on Netflix.

Ayana discusses comedian Lil Duval's viral tweet questioning the lack of political pandering to black men in the presidential election, and the broader issue of Black male voter apathy. Highlighting the varied responses to Lil Duval's query, she underscores the importance of civic engagement, the systemic challenges faced by Black Men (such as incarceration and disenfranchisement), and the misalignment of priorities like child support over critical issues like health and voting rights. Ayana passionately emphasizes the need for Black Men to participate in local and state elections and to understand how policy impacts daily life. She critiques the lack of understanding of political structures and stresses the importance of fighting back through voting, lobbying, and other civic actions.Sources used in the making of this episode:​https://newblackmasculinities.wordpress.com/2020/09/24/the-black-male-political-agenda-by-t-hasan-johnson-ph-d/​https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-04.pdf​https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/voting-and-voter-registration-as-a-share-of-the-voter-population-by-raceethnicity/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D​https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-may-2024 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ayana-fakhir6/support

Send us a Text Message.We are continuing with our Dating Through The Decades Series and traveling all the way back to the 1930s. We are going to immerse ourselves into all the dating and relationship advice that was prominent in this time period. The thirties was pretty peak times for some fantastically interesting dating advice. We found some books from the 30s, articles and magazine clippings and have pulled together the most fascinating pieces of history to help us immerse ourselves in the world of 1930s dating.This episode includes:Dating advice in the 1930sRules for women in the 1930sGuidance for men on dating in the 1930sHighlight tips from the book "How to Make Love, Secrets of Wooing" from the 1930sA step-by-step (ohh baby) guide to kissing techniques from the 1930s (as outlined in Hugh Morris' book "The Art of Kissing" from 1936Magazine column advice from the 1930s1930s quiz trivia 1930s slang trivia An uncut video version of this episode is available on YouTube. Links/Resources:https://www.rd.com/list/ridiculous-dating-tips-from-the-1930s/  https://caronallanfiction.com/tag/womens-magazines-of-the-1930s/ https://richmond.com/do-s-and-don-ts-for-lovers---from-the-1930s/article_607fb0d4-b12c-11e3-b2fa-0017a43b2370.html https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0978664906/braipick-20 https://www.themarginalian.org/2014/01/15/how-to-make-love-1936-pietro-ramirez/ https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002RGPUP0/braipick-20 https://www.smokyhillmuseum.org/file_download/inline/9e42437b-e940-4eb9-962b-dd66163d451cGet Comfortable Podcast Links Follow on Instagram: @GetComfortablePod Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/boomtequilapodcast Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqro-8gXjDP_gVfwOhowJVw

“Great marketing is being magnetic to the right people and being repulsive to the wrong people.” This principle is essential whether you're marketing a product, a service, or yourself in the dating world. In this second episode, Adam dives deep into the synergies between marketing oneself in the business world and in the dating sphere, featuring expert insights from professional matchmaker Ksenia Droben. From defining your target market to creating compelling marketing messages, Adam and Ksenia explore how strategies used in business can be effectively applied to improve personal and romantic prospects. Listen if you want invaluable tips for anyone looking to market themselves better, whether to grow their business or to establish a significant personal relationship. Understand who your ideal clients or partners are to tailor your marketing efforts effectively. Focus on what your target audience wants and needs, be it in business or dating, and align your offerings accordingly. Use strong visual imagery and compelling copywriting to attract the right attention and initiate meaningful conversations. Broaden your appeal by incorporating traits and qualities in your marketing that resonate with a wider yet relevant audience. Speaking to the right prospects, whether in business or dating, is more effective than engaging with numerous unsuitable candidates. Get your Business Growth Secrets SUCCESS PLANNER for FREE and profit like a pro: https://adamstottplanner.com/free-book47315172 Adam's website: https://adamstott.com/?el=Pod Watch the Episode on Adam's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/adamstottcoach?el=Pod Connect with Adam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamstottcoach/?el=Pod Join Adam's network on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-stott-coach/?el=Pod Coaches, consultants, and business owners - lower your marketing costs, increase ticket prices, and get more high-ticket clients: https://3daybrandbuilderworkshop.com/start-here?el=Pod

I get so many questions through the anonymous question form on my website, so it's time to answer some more. We address these topics today: A husband doesn't feel like his wife values sex and intimacy in their marriage Spouses wondering if erotic literature has a place in a Christian marriage A husband wanting more novelty in a sexual relationship, but don't know how to talk about it A wife feeling turned off by an overweight husband A spouse unwilling to try new things in the bedroom A wife wanting ideas to woo her husband These are real questions on the hearts of many of you listeners, and I am humbled that you would trust me with your most perplexing questions relating to sexual intimacy in your marriage. I'm on a mission to help you have the very best sexual and intimate marriage possible. And I hope that the discussion today spurs deeper conversations within you and your marriage. If you have a question you'd like to submit anonymously for me to address in a future podcast episode, fill out the form here, and that comes straight to me. **Episode 200 is coming up and I can't wait. You don't want to miss it. **Sextember is also fast approaching. This challenge starts September 1. Download the Intimately Us app to get all the details as it approaches.   Resources: Episode 194: “Is this ok for us to do?” Seeking God's Direction In Your Sex Life Get Your Marriage On Program Intimately Us App FREE TRAINING: How to Become One: Overcoming obstacles to intimacy and significantly improving sex and connection in your marriage, in 90 days or less Couples Retreat in St. George, UT, October 10-13 Retreat testimonial videos You can find links to all these and more at our website: getyourmarriageon.com 

Bio Darren, as the European Managing Director of Cprime, spearheads transformation initiatives in EMEA, leveraging over two decades of experience in banking and IT leadership. As a SAFe Fellow and renowned author, he drives strategic growth by defining innovative go-to-market strategies and deepening client relationships. Darren is responsible for overseeing Cprime's consultancy services, implementing complex programs, and negotiating multi-million pound contracts, positioning the company as a leader in organisational efficiency and performance optimisation.    He co-authored the BCS Book “Agile Foundations – Principles Practices and Frameworks” and "SAFe Coaches Handbook". A contributor to the SAFe Reference Guide 4.5 and "The ART of avoiding a Train Wreck". Finally a reviewer of "Valuing Agile; the financial management of agile projects" and "Directing Agile Change”   Interview Highlights 01:30 Pandemic impacts 04:00 Cprime 08:00 Wooing clients 09:15 Using the right language 11:00 Doing your research 12:30 Mistakes leaders make 15:30 Changing mindsets 16:00 Ingredients for change 17:30 Reading for knowledge 26:00 Three thirds 28:30 Disruption 31:30 SAFe Coaches Handbook 37:50 SAFe frameworks 40:20 Enterprise strategy   Connecting   LinkedIn: Darren Wilmshurst on LinkedIn   Books & Resources -          Strategic Leadership: How to Think and Plan Strategically and Provide Direction, John Adair -          Tribal Unity Book, Em Campbell-Pretty, -          Drive, Daniel H. Pink -          SAFe® Coaches Handbook: Proven tips and techniques for launching and running SAFe® Teams, ARTs, and Portfolios in an Agile Enterprise, Darren Wilmshurst & Lindy Quick -          Agile Foundations: Principles, practices and frameworks, Peter Measey -          The ART of Avoiding a Train Wreck: Practical Tips and Tricks for Launching and Operating SAFe Agile Release Trains, Em Campbell-Pretty, Adrienne L. Wilson, Dean Leffingwell -          Industrial Devops: Build Better Systems Faster Dr. Johnson, Robin Yeman, Mik Kersten, Dean Leffingwell -          Radical Focus: Achieving Your Most Important Goals with Objectives and Key Results: Christina R Wodtke -          Who Does What By How Much | Jeff Gothelf & Josh Seiden (okr-book.com)   Episode Transcript Intro: Hello and welcome to the Agile Innovation Leaders podcast. I'm Ula Ojiaku. On this podcast I speak with world-class leaders and doers about themselves and a variety of topics spanning Agile, Lean Innovation, Business, Leadership and much more – with actionable takeaways for you the listener. Ula Ojiaku It's a huge honour and privilege to have again with me as my guest on the Agile Innovation Leaders Podcast none other than Darren Wilmshurst, Managing Director at Cprime. Darren is an SPCT and a SAFe fellow. So for some context to the audience, Daz was one of the very first people I interviewed for the Agile Innovation Leaders Podcast and this was about five years ago or so, and I actually wanted to have a way of speaking with Daz, and I didn't know how to, so I said, hey, can I interview you for a podcast? And long story short, I ended up heading on a plane to Oman, but that's a different story. So, Daz, what have you been up to since then? Because when we recorded the first one, you were not yet a SAFe fellow, it was afterwards that you became a SAFe fellow and lots of other things must have happened. Darren Wilmshurst Well then the pandemic started, and I think that that changed life for all of us, most of our consultancy work stopped because it was discretionary spend, people were in retreat in terms of trying to buckle down and understand, try and reduce costs as much as possible. I think the biggest impact was then training, because obviously we couldn't do training in person. We weren't allowed by the certificating bodies to train online, so they had to give us permission to do that, which they did, and then we had to think about, well, how are we going to do this online? You know, what conference facilities are we going to use? What collaborative tools are we going to use? And how do we deliver this experience to make it still interactive and engaging? So I think that was a major challenge for us as well, and if I'm honest, whilst we're still doing stuff online, we're starting to see some training, at least moving back in person, but my preference is still in person because it's a different experience. The theatrics in me, the smell of the greasepaint and the roar of the crowd is still really important as well. So I think that's the first thing I think has changed is that we had that period where everything was remote, I think we're back into a world now where we're more hybrid, which I enjoy the in person stuff, but I think we'll probably never go back to pre-pandemic where everything was in person, both consulting and training. So I think that was the major change, I think for us as well. During that time as well, our major founder wanted to retire, so we sold Radtac to Cprime and that all happened during the early days of the pandemic as well. We had a number of suitors, about six suitors, we decided on Cprime for, for me, two critical reasons and this is quite important, I think as well. Number one is that Radtac felt like a really family firm. We had a set of values and principles, there's a DNA to Radtac and we wanted someone that matched our DNA, I think it was so important for us. We could have gone to some other organisations, but we might have ended up selling our soul to the devil in some respects. Cprime, acquired a company in the US called Blue Agility a few years earlier, almost similar size to Radtac, very similar what they did as well, and what was key for me was that all the people in Blue Agility were still in Cprime. In fact, two had left and come back, so that was a good sign to me that we were aligned in terms of values and principles. So that was number one. The second reason was that Radtac had a heritage of all this training, you know, we're back to 1998. We had all this good training, we'd build up the consulting part of our business, so we're really good in terms of training and consultancy, but we were very agnostic about tooling and technology, because we didn't have the capabilities, or the brand awareness around that part of our business, and it used to frustrate me because, we'd go in, we'd do a great job in terms of way of working, somebody else would go in and maybe do the tooling set up, configure it in a way that wasn't aligned, that wasn't working and that was frustrating. Now we could see opportunities to improve the continuous delivery pipeline, but we didn't have the capability to sort it out as well, whereas Cprime had all of that heritage. So for me, it completed that puzzle where now we can do the training, the consultancy, the tooling to visualise the work, configure the ways of working as well, and also really help with that continuous delivery pipeline as well. So that was the defining decision. We completed that acquisition in February 2021, so literally 12 months after the pandemic. Cprime was at the time owned by a French company called Alten, massive company, not well known, but massive company. Cprime probably wasn't really core to Alten, they were a project management engineering company and Alten sold Cprime January 2023 to Goldman Sachs and Everstone Capital, so that's been a change. So again, we've had the pandemic, we've gone through the acquisition, and now we're owned by a private equity as well, which brings different challenges to the organisation as well, and actually the reality was that after the acquisition, after the earn out, I was looking to maybe semi-retire, spending a bit more time in Spain, fishing and playing golf, but actually this next phase is really exciting, so a testament to Cprime and Goldman Sachs as well, that I want to be part of the next part of the journey as well. So, I'm still here Ula. Ula Ojiaku Well, I am glad you are, and it sounds like it's been a rollercoaster ride and a journey, but part of it is the thrills as well. Darren Wilmshurst Look, we're very privileged, aren't we Ula, because I work with great people, I say that genuinely. I work with great clients, I'm very fortunate in that. And although, you know, if I don't want to work with a client, I don't have to do that, but actually all the clients I work with, I really enjoy working with and I love the work that we do. So it's almost like the Holy Trinity, great people, great clients, great work. Why wouldn't I want to carry on doing what I do? So I always think that we're very privileged in what we do. So, I'm very grateful. Ula Ojiaku And I'll say that the little I've worked with you, what I know is you are a genuine person and you're a great person as well. I can't remember who this quote is attributed to, but people tend to be mirrors. So if you're good, people mirror what you show to them. And I'll say that based on my experience with you, I've learned a lot in terms of how to treat people, being genuine and caring genuinely about their welfare, not necessarily about what you get from them, and that's key. So, that's the sort of person you are, that's who you are. Darren Wilmshurst That's very kind. Ula Ojiaku I want say thank you for that, because there are times when I'm in situations and I'm thinking about maybe somebody or potential someone, colleague or clients, and I'll be like, what would Daz do? How would he probably think about this situation? Now, part of what you do as director involves also wooing, wooing and winning the client and the customer. So, what would you say are your go to principles when pitching, to communicate the value you could bring before an engagement and maybe later on, we can talk about during and after the engagements? Darren Wilmshurst Yeah, I'm still Officer of the company, so I'm still Director of Cprime, the UK entity and also the European entity, so I have some corporate responsibilities as well. I'm still a practicing consultant trainer, so I still have to earn my supper every night as well, and that's the bit that I really enjoy. I'm also responsible for developing the capability of our people, and the products or the value propositions that we take to market as well. So that's part of it, but you're right, I do get involved in what we'd probably call pre-sale as well, so pitching as well. And I think the one thing I think I've learned over the last two, maybe three years as well is, is that I'm very conscious of the language that I use. What do I mean by that? We see a lot of stuff on social media about ‘is Agile dead', stuff like that. It's not dead, but actually if I am talking to a client and I use the Agile word or the ‘A word' it can create an allergic reaction, it can trigger them and in the same way that, just talking about a framework, SAFe, as well that can create a same reaction as well. So for me, it's not about Agile, it's not about SAFe, it's about actually what are we trying to do? What is the problem? What are the challenges that you're having as an organisation? And how can we help you overcome those challenges and create value in what you do? Now, what we will do is we will use ways of working, Agile ways of working, lean ways of working, stuff like that to help them, but what I try and do is try and avoid the triggering word, because I've seen it so often where they, well, we've been in agile for ages, well have you? Or we tried agile, it didn't really work, or we spent millions of pounds on agile transformation and we haven't seen the benefit. So sometimes you have to be careful in terms of the context you're going to. So for me, stop talking about frameworks, stop talking about words that might trigger, talk about their problems and their challenges and how you can help them overcome it, and the value that you bring to their organisation to help them overcome that as well. And that's really key for me as well. Ula Ojiaku That suggests to me that there would be some sort of background work to at least understand who you are pitching to, understand what their experience had been in the past, to know what those trigger words are. Is that something you could share about? Darren Wilmshurst It's an interesting question, because I interview a lot of people to want to come and join our organisation, and the first thing I say to them, can you tell me what you know about Cprime? And if they haven't done the research, it's like, so you've come on here, you want a job at this organisation and you have no idea who we are, and what we've done, and that just really frustrates me. So in return, if I was going on to talk to a client, then of course I'm going to try and understand what they do - what's your core business, there's lots of information on their website. If they're publicly listed, then go get their annual accounts because again, that would talk very much about their last training year and some of their issues as well. Having said all of that, we're still seeing the same problems and the same challenges across all organisations, regardless of the industry they're in. Every organisation, we have more demand than we have capacity. Fact. Everyone has that. We don't know how to prioritise our work. We need to reduce our costs, particularly now. That's becoming more prevalent now, certainly in this last six months than previously as well. Our time to market is too slow. Our ability to turn our ideas into actions needs to be faster. So they're the common problems we're seeing is again, too much demand, not knowing how to prioritise, reduce our costs, and we need to be able to be more adaptive and bring our ideas to the market or to fruition quicker as well. Ula Ojiaku What would you then say are the common mistakes leaders spearheading a transformation make? Darren Wilmshurst Yeah, it's interesting because again, a lot of the work that we're doing now, if we think about the Law of Diffusion of Innovation, and that's a product life cycle as well. If I take that model and apply it to organisations and their adoption, let's call it ‘of modern ways of working' rather than agile, I think we're probably in that late majority. Those large legacy, traditional organisations that maybe even tried the agile transformation years ago, but still haven't mastered it or conquered it, and I'm talking about large banks still, telecoms, pharmaceuticals, automotive, and I really fret for the automotive industry, not just here, but in Europe and across America as well, their time to market from design to launch can be anywhere between five and seven years, and yet the Chinese are doing it in two. Ula Ojiaku Could it be, because you've mentioned financial services, telecoms, pharmaceuticals, and the common thread is that they tend to be highly regulated. So could that be one of the reasons? Darren Wilmshurst I don't think it's regulation. I think they're just such large organisations, the hierarchy within that organisation, is huge, so this is why I come back to the leadership piece as well. Actually, and what happens is the leaders are too far away, they're not connected enough to the organisation systemic changes that they need to make in that organisation to make that organisation more effective. And they need to wake up and smell the coffee because Chinese are coming, they're coming in terms of automotive, they're coming in terms of pharma. True story, my daughter went to university a few years back. She'd been with HSBC for donkey's years as a student, a youth account, and she said, I'm going to university, can I upgrade my account to a university account? And the response from HSBC was yes, you can, but you need to make an appointment, and the next appointment is in six weeks time. And so my son, who's a bit older, he said, just get Monzo or Revolt, just go online, and if they don't wake up, they will just find that the whole generation will go ‘I will not wait'. Now, she waited six weeks, she did it, but a lot of them won't do that, so I think it's a real threat and I think the organisations are so big that, just trying to get into that leadership space so that we can start to work with them to help understand what they need to do. So back to your original question, I think there's three things, and this is hard. We need to move that leadership from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. They will be of a generation age of mine, so now they would have been schooled back in the eighties and nineties in ways of working, and they will have seen those ways of working as being successful because that allowed them to progress to the senior positions that they're in now, so I understand that, but those ways of working are not appropriate for the complex, adaptive, changing organisations that we now need to be in.We need to get them to move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, and that's easier said than done. However, I was inspired, this was one of the most senior guys in the government organisation and he was having lunch with the CEO of HSBC Bank and they're talking about change, and they agreed that there were three core ingredients to change organisations. Number one, a transformed approach to partnerships, and he said the language is really important here as well. Again, I didn't call them suppliers, I call them partners. If we call them suppliers, they will behave as suppliers. The reality is that we call them partners, because we don't have the capability or the capacity, but sometimes when we bring them in, third parties, we treat them as an alien organisation. They wear different badges. They have different privileges. They can't do this, they can't go here, they have to be accompanied, things like that. So he said, we need, a transformed approach to partners. We need to bring them in, they need to be part of our ecosystem, number one. Secondly, he said an agile approach to problem solving, giving power and capability to those closer to the issue, and we talk a lot about decentralised decision making as well. Now, you need to know those that have the information need to make the decision in a timely manner as well. But this is the one that really, really got me. Most importantly, a learning culture, including their leadership, where those with the most influence must do as much or more learning than anybody else. Now that's unusual, because normally, I'm a senior person, I've got to where I am because I know a lot of information, and I wouldn't be where I am, but we need to understand that that information was schooled in a different generation. So what we can't do, we can't say to you, well, okay, you need to come on one of my training events, they say, seriously, you've not read my badge, I'm an important person, I have not got time to go on a two day training event, and we need to recognise that as well, these are senior executives, and their time is precious, and trying to find two days in a diary is difficult, so we need to, I think, as agents of change for organisations, and to bring leadership on the journey in order to move them from a fixed to a growth mindset, not to put them on a two day training event, but find a way of educating them in a in a smaller, bitesize way, almost like a series of small, interactive workshops that happen over a series of weeks, that sort of stuff as well, and we need to make sure that the content tackles their problems and their challenges, and we mustn't get into too much of our, again, the words that might trigger them as well. So that's the first thing. So we need them to understand that they need to go on an educational journey, but we need to find an educational journey that will meet their needs in terms of content and their time. Number one. Once we do that, then they need to lead by example, and it's all very well educating them. One of my colleagues was saying, would I go on a plane with a pilot that's read a book? No, they need to be able to practice their skill and hone their skills. Now that might be difficult, again, because their team members, their employees might be well schooled in this and they might feel uncomfortable practicing a craft that they're not that familiar with as well. So what we try and do is get them to practice in a safe environment, i.e. let's work as an agile team, as a leadership team, as a leadership group. Let's think about having a backlog of work that we need to do as a leadership team. Let's think about how we prioritise that work. Let's work in a small group and then review that work on a cadence and then just retrospective and maybe have someone that steps up and be a Scrum Master or Product Owner for that as well. So again, getting them to operate and start to learn by experiencing within their own environment is a great way, because if we can do that, now they're educated, and they practice their craft in a safe environment, they are better empowered to lead the change. This is what we need to do, and this is what I'm finding is that we need the leadership to step up and lead the change, because if we're going to make fundamental changes to organisations, systemic changes, organisational changes, the leaders need to be able to do that as well. And this is what I find – it's great having teams working at a great way, but without that support from leadership, the impact that they will be able to make will be limited. Ula Ojiaku Yes, I resonate with the last statement you made about the limitation to the impact teams can have if the leadership isn't bought in and if they are not walking the talk. It's not like, go ye and be agile whilst we still do what we've always done. There was something you said about moving from fixed mindset to growth mindset and the need for the leaders to have that continuous learning as in really that continuous learning culture is that they need to learn as much, if not much more than other employees, and that reminds me of this book by John Adair, Strategic Leadership, and in his book, he was saying that the origin of the word strategy comes from the military, and typically people who rise to the ranks are people who have been there, done that. And if people have the confidence that you know the stuff and you've been there, done that, if not better than everyone else, you'd have more respect you'd have more buy in, it's less friction getting the troops and kind of corralling the troops towards that vision. Darren Wilmshurst Yeah, it's interesting because again, at school, I was definitely not a reader. I was into numbers, I was a maths person. I went to university, did a maths degree, stuff like that as well. So I was one of those kids at primary school where I'd be given a book at the beginning of the week, and at the end of the week, I'd hand it back to my teacher and she would say to me, have you read the book, Darren? I go, yes, I have. I hadn't actually read the book. She'd give me another book and I'd move up the ladders that you did back in the day. Never read. It's interesting now, I read now more than I've ever read in the past. And I think what happened was it almost became a bit of a bug. I think going on the SPCT program, there were certain books that you had to read, but the more I read, the more I wanted to learn. So I think that got me into that habit as well. Secondly, I think that if I'm teaching this stuff, then I need to understand the provenance of what I'm teaching as well, and I can't do that without reading. So again, you can't be leader, a strategy leader without having been there and done it. So for me, reading is really important to understand some of the provenance of what we're doing and also giving some of the narrative as well. Ula Ojiaku So what would you say changed? Although you've just painted a picture of you before, back in school, and after, what's changed? Darren Wilmshurst I don't know I think I just started reading, it's a bit sad really, because I go on holiday and then I take business books with me and then I'm sitting around the pool reading these books and people say what are you reading, and I'm reading this book thinking that's a bit sad. And I remember one holiday I was sat in on a lilo in a pool reading a business book and my daughter took a picture of me saying dad what are you doing, you're on a holiday and there you are reading Tribal Unity by Em Campbell-Pretty on holiday as well. I don't know, I think when I started this, I wouldn't say it was an addiction, but it was like now i need to learn more now, I need to learn more and more, and so once you started then you don't stop and I'm still an avid reader Ula Ojiaku It reminds me of this book by what you've just said, Daniel Pink's book Drive. So for me, it sounds like the intrinsic motivation, you knew what you stood to gain by doing it and you didn't need to have your teacher asking you, did you read it and you'd say yes when you didn't, but you knew there was something at stake if you didn't. Darren Wilmshurst Yes, I think it was definitely the SPCT program I had to read, but then once I learned stuff, I wanted to learn more stuff, and so you're right, that intrinsic motivation, you know, I think in the video they talk about, people want to play the piano or guitar and just want to get better at it. I just wanted to really become better as an SPCT and then eventually as a fellow just to understand the wonderful thought leadership that has occurred over the last 20 and 30 years that has informed the way that we think and act and work now. Ula Ojiaku Wow. You've kind of nailed it, because Daniel Pink's book says mastery, autonomy, and purpose. So, the mastery bits, but going back to the original question, and thank you for sharing your experience, there is this saying that you can lead a horse to the water, but you can't force it to drink. So, we could have the edict where, okay, all the leaders can make space for those bite-sized workshops or sessions, but once that ends, is there a way we could encourage them to keep at it, because a two day training or maybe six workshop sessions spread over six months probably wouldn't cut it, or wouldn't be sustainable. So is there something or any tips on how to tap into that intrinsic motivation? Darren Wilmshurst I think Dean Leffingwell said to me, he talked about the third, the third and the third, and I'll talk about that as well, he said, in an organisation, there'll be a third of people that get it and want to do it. He said, there'll be a third that I would call my sceptics, not sure, need to be convinced, and there's the third that say, no, I'm very happy with the way I'm looking at it, I don't want to do anything else as well. He said, I don't care about the first third. He said, I actually I care about the second third, those sceptics, if I can convince one of them to lead the charge, he said, that's great because then the others then will come along as well, and if I can get that sceptic to change in terms of, I understand it, I want it, they're almost like  a reformed smoker, they become the greatest advocates of change because they say, I get it now. And he said, now I've got two thirds, now I've got a majority, he said, and that's the tipping point that allows me to make that change as well. And what happens is, he said, there are some in that final third will go, okay, I've seen enough social proof that I will make that change, I need you to convince me, I'll do that as well, he said, but there'll be some that go, I'm not happy with that, and they are the people that will either ride off into the sunset with either retirement or a different career or different organisation as well. So you've got to find someone in that leadership group that's going to be an advocate. You've got to find that one or two that are happy to lead the charge as well, and someone in the sceptic face is great because they become the reformed smoker as well, but you've got to find it and hope that they will then corral and cajole some of the leadership into doing this as well, but without that it's hard, even though the leadership understand the challenges, sometimes they're just reluctant to make that change, and I find that difficult to understand and sometimes quite frustrating as well, because, for me, there are some iconic British brands that I still worry about going forward as well. You know, we've just seen it recently, Body Shop, an iconic brand, again, just lost their way. I mean, retail is just so hard at the moment, with the stuff online, but we'll see it with automotive as well, we'll see it in some other industries as well, where if we don't wake up and smell that coffee, then I do fear for some real British brands. Ula Ojiaku I don't think it's only British brands, I think it's a global phenomenon and the fact is the olden perception of having different sectors or industries is being blurred. So think about brands like Apple. Now they started off building computers, but really they've cut across multiple industries, so before the watch industry, you think about Swiss-made watches with the mechanical things, but the Apple watch, they have this music streaming industry, and one of the things in the strategy course I did from the Cambridge Business School is this, they said, it's really about developing a platform. So if you have a platform where you can get your customers to depend on, it's easy to branch into multiple industries. So Apple, they make watches and their watches serve as healthcare monitoring devices and different other things, there are rumours they're building their own self-driving cars and everything is on that iOS platform, which allows them to branch into anything, they could go into pharmaceuticals, medical. So it's no longer about traditional sectors or segments, and the disruption in life is real and no sector, no country is spared, so it's really about moving from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset and saying, what are the things we're missing, and how can we think differently? How can we reposition ourselves? How do we build a platform that has a fort? Darren Wilmshurst Yeah, I think you're right. Apple has disrupted so many industries, in terms of, you know, who buys a torch anymore, who buys a map anymore, other things as well, I just go on. I think at the last count, there was like 24 different industries disrupted as well, and I think about Jeffrey Moore, who I remember presenting with on stage in Washington, I think that was 2019. And he said, what you can do, as an organisation, you can sit here and wait to be disrupted, and hopefully that you can be a fast follower, providing you're nimble enough and adaptive enough, you might be able to make that change. He said, but what might be better is, rather than we wait to be disrupted, be the disruptor. My worry is that some of these large legacy organisations, they are being disrupted, and I just fear that they are not nimble and active enough to be able to respond, they're so ingrained in the way they have done things for the last 10, 20, 30, 40 years that I just fear for them and you're right, it's not UK, obviously I care about the UK because I'm a UK citizen, but I think it's a global phenomenon. I know my colleagues in North America and their industries are having the same challenges as well, right. It's not just a UK issue, it's definitely a global issue. Ula Ojiaku I'd really like to just touch on your latest book, the SAFe Coaches Handbook. So before we go into some of the contents, could you share what led to your co-authoring this with Lindy Quick? Darren Wilmshurst So it's one of those itches I had to scratch, I suppose is the phrase that you use. I was a very small author of the BCS book called Agile Foundations. Peter Measey was a lead author and there were a number of smaller authors that contributed to that as well, and then I ended up reviewing two books. So again, a recognised review of a couple of books, Agile books as well, one around Agile financial management, one around Agile governance as well, the Em Campbell-Pretty, a fellow SAFe fellow wrote The ART of Avoiding a Train Wreck, which I reviewed and contributed to, so again, I was contributing to that as well, and actually Em's updating that book because that book's five years old as well, so I'm reviewing that as well. And having reviewed a few books, contributed to a few books, being a part author, I suppose I wanted to write my own book. I think that was it as well. That was part of it. The other part was that I've delivered a number of Implementing SAFe courses since 2017, and for me, it's not just about delivering the education, for me doing that course is about, what are the tips and tricks, what's the stories, what's the narrative, how's the best way to do this, and all those things that I deliver in that course that goes way beyond the slideware what I wanted to do was capture all of that stuff that I deliver in those courses in a book. So I got approached by some publishers at Packt, saying, would you fancy being an author, write a SAFe book? And I thought, yes, I would. Then, we've got another author that's also interested in doing it as well. I'd never met Lindy before, we met and, yeah, we wrote the book. We started October 2022, and it got published June last year. It took a bit longer than we thought, but again, I learned in terms of task switching and refactoring, trying to write a chapter during a working day when you've got meetings and stuff like that and messages coming in, couldn't do that, because in the end I needed that concentrated effort to write. I can't do it with interruptions. So task switching was not great for me, so in the end I said, right, if I'm going to do it, everything has to go off, I just have to concentrate on this as well. So writing the chapter was really straightforward, it didn't take that long in reality. What I found was though, the cost of refactoring took a lot longer, as we talk about as well, you know, doing it right first time, doing the rework is a lot harder, and both Lindy and I wanted to make the book as best we probably can. So I reviewed her chapters, she reviewed mine, her reviews were great. Again, we have some other reviewers as well that are listed in the book as well, and all those reviewers really contributed to making the book better, but having to incorporate and refactor the chapter took me longer than writing the chapter in the first place. So it ended up taking a bit longer than we thought as well. So two valuable lessons. Task switching is real and refactoring takes longer than doing it right the first time as well. Ula Ojiaku So with this realisation, would you do anything differently in terms of how you approached writing the book? Darren Wilmshurst I don't think so. We were pretty good because again, we'd write a chapter and we'd get it reviewed, and the chapters are not particularly long, so that was pretty okay as well, and then what we found there, even though we had a high level design of the book and the chapters and the content, as we went through there as well, we realised there was some stuff missing as well, so again, there was no concluding chapter, there was no preface, we realised that we split the chapter into part one, part two, part three, part one was all about the team stuff, part two is all about the art level stuff, and part three was all about the portfolio stuff. Ula Ojiaku Well it sounds to me like you were following the agile principles, breaking it in small chunks, getting the review, and to be honest, having spoken with other authors that you started, writing in October 2022 and got published in June 2023, that was speedy, maybe not by your standards, that was fast. Typically it takes them like three, five years, and it's just them writing the book with everything else going on. Darren Wilmshurst Yeah, I don't think I could cope with that. I think it's great that the publisher had quite a forcing function, if it dragged on that long, I think you lose that motivation and I was on a roll and when you're on a roll, you want to get it done and dusted. Ula Ojiaku And I think the key thing, and what I noticed is, like you said, that the chapters are kind of not too long and easily digestible and it's easy to write, but it's about refining it in such a way that is to the point and, packed with lots of invaluable insights, that's an art and it does take time to refine from just having a mass of words to something that's simple. Darren Wilmshurst We didn't want to make it a reference guide, the framework is the reference. You go on the website, that's the reference guide. I suppose our target audience was SPCs that are newly qualified, if you're thinking about training this, here's some tips and tricks, here's some narrative, here's some stories you can use here's some support, and some of the things that we have made mistakes and learnt from as well. So it really is trying to be a practical guide to newly minted SPCs in terms of those that want to be able to train or implement a scaling framework. Ula Ojiaku It's definitely something I wish I had after I'd attended your training. So in the preface, you and Lindy were saying you can't implement SAFe to the letter you don't implement it like a rulebook, it's something you implement with your brain switched on and I was like, yes. Can you expand on that please? Darren Wilmshurst I get very frustrated. You see it on social media about SAFe is bureaucratic, it's a prescription, it's overly governed, stuff like that as well, and it's a framework, not prescription. For me, it's a wonderful toolbox, and every organisation we go into is different. They're not the same. They have different project and product, different risk profiles and budgets to plug different people, to create different things. So how can you have something that is an ABC guide, a recipe book, it can't be that as well. So I always say that if I'm putting a picture on a wall, I'll use a hammer and a nail. I won't use a chainsaw, but a chainsaw in the wrong hands can be very dangerous. So for me, it's a framework. So there are some fundaments in there, but you have to understand the context, you have to understand the appetite for change and how much disruption you want to bring, because if you bring too much disruption, you could end up traumatising the organisation. We don't want to do that as well. So, but, and then you think about, okay, what would be the most appropriate tools that I need to bring to change the organisation as well? And then I remember Dean saying this word that then, if you implement SAFe, or the appropriate tools out of the framework as well, and you're doing the same thing a year later, you're doing it wrong because you're not inspecting adapting about how you could then improve on that, and the way that the framework has improved since 1.0 back in 2011 to 6.0 last year as well, is through practitioners and organisations implementing SAFe, finding new ways, and experimenting with new ways and things as well, and bringing that back to the party and that being part of the evolution of the framework as well. And that includes myself, again, this is myself as a fellow, is part of it is bringing my thoughts in terms of what I've done with organisations back to the framework as well. So for me, it's a framework, not a prescription. In terms of scaling, there's some fundaments in there, there are always some fundaments as well, but you have to implement it with your brain switched on and every time I've implemented it, all the validation has always been different, with some underlying principles that support me in that ways of working. Ula Ojiaku Thanks for that, Daz. And there is a chapter in your book on enterprise strategy, which I think is interesting, but I have a question for you, which one would come first, enterprise strategy, or the adoption of skilled at being SAFe, which one comes first and why? Darren Wilmshurst Look, you've got to have a strategy. One of the things we say as SPCs and even probably SPCTs to some extent, we're not strategy experts. The framework is not there to talk about how you create strategy. There is some guidance on what we expect to see in a strategy but as we go into an organisation, we expect there to be some sort of strategy in place. If not, then we'd highly recommend that a strategy is created, and there are great organisations out there that can help organisations create that strategy as well, because we need to know what's the strategy of the organisation, and then from that, we can then think about how then we align what we're doing to deliver that strategy, and then when we talk about alignment and scaling the organisation, that is right from the top of the portfolio, through to maybe the teams of teams and the team as well. So that strategy and that works to a point where a person at the team level can understand how the work they're doing is connected all the way back up in delivering that strategy as well. So we need that strategy in place. Ula Ojiaku Definitely. I agree, and there are some SPCs who have that training and background in strategy, so it helps if that's there. Darren Wilmshurst Yeah. Yeah. Again, as an SPC, if you've got that, that's great. It's just that SAFe as a framework, that's not what we're looking to, but we expect it to be in place. Ula Ojiaku Exactly. So what are the key things then, in terms of the enterprise strategy and making sure that the teams are aligned with the strategy, what are some things when you  are consulting with the leadership and saying, okay, giving them the guidelines of what the framework is saying, what are some key pointers for them to look out for and to be mindful in how they make sure the strategies align with the adoption and the rollout of the framework or the sustained implementation of SAFe? Darren Wilmshurst I hear a lot from execs that we have no idea what our team are doing, we have no visibility, we have no transparency what they're doing, so I think there's a couple of things that we need to talk about here as well. We need to make sure that the work that the teams are doing is visible in a way that is consumable by the executives as well. So we need to create the right dashboard. We go into organisations and the number of tool chains that exist in organisations that are not connected, there is no one version of the truth as well, is disconcerting. In a world where we're trying to reduce costs as well, the money spent on licensing stuff like that is phenomenal. So I think for me, having the right tool set that allows that work to be visible from the team all the way up to executive is really important, and so we need to make that work visible, but then also the leadership needs to come to the party as well. I think it's a two way thing, so we can make the work visible, but part of it is that one, we start doing our reviews of the work that we're doing, either a team level or at a team of teams level or at a large solution level, we need to be able to make sure that the leadership are involved in those reviews, and also in terms of prioritising and directing the direction of travel for the next cadence of work as well. I think that that's important. Ula Ojiaku Well said, Daz, I couldn't say it any better than you, you're the expert here. Dare I say that it's also important that the leadership would make the strategy visible to the organisation and in a way that can be consumed at the appropriate layers. So, this for this time frame, this is what we are trying to achieve, and that would help, so it's kind of almost like a virtuous cycle and complimentary, they are making their priorities visible and well in advance, whilst the team also work to make their work visible. Darren Wilmshurst You're right. It's bi-directional, isn't it, and we see it so often where a firm will go and create a strategy and then it's locked away in a drawer, no one ever sees it, and that strategy is a direction of travel. So then we think about, okay, what do we need to do to deliver that strategy, but you've got to make that visible and you need the support of the leaders, next leaders down to almost decompose that work into smaller chunks that that can be delivered, that then deliver that strategy as well. But you're right, we need to make sure that that strategy is communicated, again, in a way that inspires the people in the organisation. That's important as well, because you want to be, again, once you're inspired by the organisation and the work that you're doing, and you understand the work you're doing is connected to that strategy, I mean, how motivating is that? Ula Ojiaku Thanks for that, Daz. So in addition to your fantastic book, SAFe Coaches Handbook, which I would highly recommend to RTEs, coaches, business owners, what other books have you found yourself recently recommending to people? Darren Wilmshurst So the one that I'm really quite passionate about at the moment, we talked at the beginning about that agile and SAFe can create allergic reactions, become trigger words as well, and increasingly, I'm working in organisations that, and Agile is a small part of what we do, Agile ways of working, yeah, it's important, but it's a small part. When you think about, if we're working with automotive, lean manufacturing, something I call cyber physical DevOps as well, we have cyber physical machines building cyber physical products as well. How do we automate more of that as well? And then there's the whole thing around system thinking and all that stuff as well. So, two of my colleagues from the SAFe world, Suzette Johnson and Robin Yeman, have written a book called Industrial DevOps, and that for me is gold dust. I like the rebranding, it's about industrial DevOps, so it's how do we take all our learning from lean manufacturing, Agile ways of working, cyberphysical DevOps, and bring it together to help those big organisations be more effective. So if I was to recommend one book at the moment, how do we build better, complex, industrial systems faster, then Industrial DevOps, Dr. Suzette Johnson and Robin Yeman, for me, is the book. Ula Ojiaku Thank you for that. Any other book? Darren Wilmshurst There's a lot of people talking about OKRs, objectives and key results, and on CVs people saying I'm an OKR consultant. I think, okay, well, okay, well that's great, but it's almost like they're saying OKRs, if we go in and implement OKRs, it is the panacea, it will solve all your ills. Look, it's just, it's another tool in the toolbox as well. One I read last year was Radical Focus, really good, talks about yes, it's great creating OKRs, but there's so much more to that than just creating the OKRs. People think if I create the OKRs, then the world would change, no, it doesn't. Ula Ojiaku Oh, wow. Thank you for that, and I guess I agree, OKRs is a is a tool, and it's really a great tool for connecting strategy with the implementation, and back to what you said about the transparency of strategy and the work of the teams OKR is a good way of actually helping with measuring, okay, is the work we're doing moving the needle for the enterprise and vice versa. How do we as the leadership team clearly communicate in a digestible way what our priorities are, what the strategy is over a time frame. So, yeah. Another one on that note I would recommend would be, well it's in the pre-release, but Jeff Gothelf, actually he and his co-author Josh Seiden have gone to do what you've just done with the SAFe Coaches Handbook, which is, okay, yes, there's all this buzzword about OKRs, but actually, what does it mean in practical terms, Who Does What By How Much: A Practical Guide to Customer- Centric OKRs, it's highly recommended. Just like yourself, I respect Jeff and the sense it's practical and actionable. And any final words for the audience? Darren Wilmshurst Well I think it's tough at the moment, we're seeing a lot of the big organisations, big SIs, laying off a lot of people as well, we're seeing a lot of the consultancy work is discretionary spend, and I think we're seeing a lot of people in the market that have not been engaged, but what I would say is that all these things are cyclical. We've seen it before where, certainly with the pandemic, no one was for six months, things stopped, but then the thing came back a vengeance as well, but if we focus on trying to solve the organisational challenges, if we focus on making sure that we are helping them solve those challenges, and we can demonstrate the value of what we're doing, then we'll be in a good place. Ula Ojiaku Thank you for those wise words Daz. And on that note, where can the audience find you if they want to get in touch with you? Darren Wilmshurst Darren Wilmshurst on LinkedIn is the easiest way to find it, always reach out to me on there as well, message me on LinkedIn as well. Normally what I do is I ask people to convert to email because I'm a bit old fashioned, email is my inbox is my to do list as well, so yeah, Darren Wilmshurst on LinkedIn. I think I've got a profile picture up there, so if you see this picture here, hopefully my profile picture looks something like this, what you're seeing here as well. Ula Ojiaku And if you're listening to the audio version only, the picture on the podcast art cover for this episode, that's the Daz you should be looking for. Well, thank you so much Daz for your time. It's always a great honour and I always learn a lot whenever I speak with you. So thank you for making the time for today's conversation. My pleasure. That's all we have for now. Thanks for listening. If you liked this show, do subscribe at www.agileinnovationleaders.com or your favourite podcast provider. Also share with friends and do leave a review on iTunes. This would help others find this show. I'd also love to hear from you, so please drop me an email at ula@agileinnovationleaders.com Take care and God bless!     

The ancient Irish site of Newgrange is a neolithic tomb and a mythic womb. featuring at the heart of stories which have been told for thousands of years. These two stories of Newgrange, also called Brú na Bóinne, and its inhabitants, the Tuatha Dé Danann or old gods the Dagda, Boanne, Aengus, and Cáer, demonstrate the ancient Irish view of nature as cyclical, and offer us a glimpse at something more, in the times when we are closest to the mysterious Celtic Otherworld. Mythos & Logos are two ancient words that can be roughly translated as “Story & Meaning.” Support the channel by subscribing, liking, and commenting to join the conversation! Support the channel financially through your generous Patreon donation: patreon.com/mythosandlogos This channel is a collection of thoughts of one person on the important stories that we humans have shared with each other. I believe that, in respectfully approaching storytelling traditions, we can find timeless wisdom and beauty that apply to modern life. I do my best to find and share that wisdom. I encourage you to share your thoughts and stories as well. The stories presented here have all been freely shared by their original tellers. I encourage you to study each story directly and consult traditional sources whenever possible.

We welcome Vivian Valenzuela, owner/winemaker at Woo Girl! Cellars in Acampo, California.  Her story begins in Texas where she was raised a Baptist Preacher's kid.  She shares stories about the women who have mentored her along her journey to her very own Woo Girl! Cellars and House of Rosé.  Visit Woo Girl! and fall in love again with Rosé.  Winecamp23@gmail.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wine_camp_podcast/Music: Windows Rolled Down by The 126ers, Wes Hutchinson Windows Rolled Down - The 126ers Wes Hutchinson % - Free Music Download For Creators (happysoulmusic.com)

In a busy, noisy world...it can be hard to hear God. Surrounded by distractions, it can be difficult to find the stillness needed to renew and restore our soul. In this episode of The Living Room with Joanna Weaver, Sarah Clarkson talk about her book, Reclaiming Quiet: Cultivating a Life of Holy Attention (coming November 2024). She gives practical tips for reclaiming quiet. But most of all, she shares the tender love God has for us. Wooing and calling us away from noise to a deeper friendship with Him. Links from Show Sarah's Book: Reclaiming Quiet: Cultivating a Life of Holy Attention Previous Book: This Beautiful Truth: How God's Goodness Breaks into Our Darkness Previous Episode: TLR 074: God's Goodness in the Dark with Sarah Clarkson Joanna's Newest Book: Embracing Trust: The Art of Letting Go and Holding On to a Forever-Faithful God Joanna's YouTube Channel [Disclosure: I make a small commission from affiliate links used in this post.]   Connect with Sarah Website | Instagram | Facebook

What is new music? And new when? How tricky does it get for singers? Can composers hear what they write? Could they in 1375? Fascinating discussion with composer James Weeks and Lucy Goddard of Exaudi Vocal Ensemble which has attempted the parts other ensembles daren't reach!TRACKS : (1) Michael Finnissy - Tom Fool's Wooing; Exaudi Vocal Ensemble / James Weeks - Listen on Apple Music https://apple.co/3ysGuq1 (2) Christopher Fox - A spousal verse; Exaudi Vocal Ensemble / James Weeks - Listen on Apple Music https://apple.co/3K71zJ7 (3) James Weeks - ‘lei' and ‘occhi' from Libro di fiammelle e ombre (Book of flames and shadows); Exaudi Vocal Ensemble / James Weeks (4) Naomi Pinnock - Landscape; Exaudi Vocal Ensemble / James Weeks (5) Sciarrino - O lodola from 12 Madrigali; Exaudi Vocal Ensemble / James WeeksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/choral-chihuahua. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by two guests, Corey and Skylar, a married couple that both enjoy reading romantasy. He fell first and brought his wife into the world of spicy romance.  Through their love of reading they have each started their own book sharing instagram pages. Enjoy the laughter and never ending business endeavors. Sneaky LinksOffensive crayonshttps://amzn.to/4awhjA1A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witchhttps://amzn.to/4apdIUdSupport the Show.Connect with usInstagram: https://bit.ly/ourIGpageTikTok: https://bit.ly/ourTiktokpageIntro and Outro music, Sexy Fashion Beat from Coma-Media

Matt George reacts to the photo that Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive posted with Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, head coach Mike Brown, GM Monte McNair & assistant GM Wes Wilcox from the golf course. What does it mean for Monk's free agency?Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Terms and conditions apply.Yahoo FinanceFor comprehensive financial news and analysis, visit the brand behind every great investor, YahooFinance.com.BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.Monopoly GO!Get in the game and join your friends. Download MONOPOLY GO! now free on The App Store or Google Play.eBay MotorsFrom brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it's easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers.PrizePicksGo to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.FanDuelFanDuel, America's Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARANTEED That's A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Affirmative action in India has always been a secular project. The argument against Muslim quota ignores three key questions.----more---- https://theprint.in/opinion/muslim-quota-pasmandas-modi-bjp-oppose-reservation/2074538/

After last week's depression-fest, the ladies got real weird with it! First, Emily tells the strange tale of Rachel Wall, a woman who had big dreams of living by the ocean which turned into a full-blown career in piracy. Then, Kelley tells the truly twisty tale of Étaíne, an legendary Irish beauty who, naturally, everyone wanted to get with. The attempts of humans and gods alike led to insect transformations, sexual mischief, and a birth that Emily still can't wrap her head around. Grab a cat's butt and hold onto it because we're wining about herstory!

Vanessa and Erica discuss the treasure trove of late '90s nostalgia and hilarity that is the Shakespearean retelling 10 Things I Hate About You. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What's Up in YA newsletter! Want to make your book club the best club? Sign up for our In the Club newsletter. In the Club will deliver recommendations for the best books to discuss in your book clubs. From buzzy new releases to brilliant throwbacks, the books highlighted in this newsletter will drive your book club discussions. We'll also share some book club-friendly recipes and interesting bookish updates from all over. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations plus community features. In other words, we'll keep you well-met, well-read, and well-fed. Sign up today! News: The High Cost of Ebooks Has Libraries Struggling and Seeking Legal Action Here are the Finalists for the 59th Nebula Awards Works Discussed: The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare 10 Things I Hate About You Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is presented by Carolina Readiness Supply –  Connecticut politicians think they've found a brilliant way to lure businesses out of North Carolina... and WRAL wants to help them. Plus, Big Cicada flexes its media muscles. Subscribe to the podcast at: https://ThePeteKalinerShow.com/  All the links to Pete's Prep are free: https://patreon.com/petekalinershow  Please note: Google Podcasts are merging into YouTube Music. See details here.  Get exclusive content here!: https://thepetekalinershow.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's Cast: Dan, Stugotz, Chris, Billy, Juju, Tony, and Jess. The Crew asks if ARod is really cooking at home or is he fooking? Do you still take your significant others on 'dates', Tony and Juju are trying to put the show on game. We also revisit Operation Broken Arrow, the secret surveillance that found Greg Cote leaving the toilet seat up. Plus, David Samson joins to discuss the Dartmouth Men's basketball team's vote to unionize and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the new Yorgos Lanthamos film "Poor Things," Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) is the product of an experiment in which an infant brain has been placed inside an adult woman's body. As she discovers her sexuality, social expectations placed on women, and explores the world, she begins to challenge the men around her as she forms her own ideas about life. Screenwriter Tony McNamara joins us to discuss writing this unusual character, and we are also joined by Ramy Youssef, who stars in the film as Max, a gentle student who falls in love with Bella.  

In 1890 Francis Thompson, a Roman Catholic poet, described God as “The Hound of Heaven.” He wrote: I fled Him,...

Bryan and David begin this week by discussing the U.S. women's national team's loss to Sweden this weekend and how both current and former players responded to their elimination (0:41). Then, they weigh Fox News' approach at encouraging Donald Trump to take the stage for GOP debates (12:00). Later, they state their case in defense of former NBA Finals team announcer Mark Jackson (30:00). Plus, another Not About Media segment, where they talk conference realignment. And, of course, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline. Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices