December 23, 2024 • 21 mins
What if you could ask anyone, dead or alive, one question?
At the end of each podcast episode, we ask our guests: "If you could ask any person, dead or alive, a question, who would it be, and what would you ask them?"
In 2024, we welcomed so many inspiring and interesting people to Really Good Conversations. For this special episode, we’ve compiled the fascinating answers from every guest this year.
From historical icons to modern-day legends, discover who they’d choose and the burning questions they’d ask.
This episode offers a thought-provoking reflection on curiosity, inspiration, and the power of great questions.
Who would you choose?
Thank you for listening throughout 2024 – we look forward to bringing you more amazing guests in 2025!
2024 Guests include:
- Dr Delia McCabe
- Lucy Hitchcock
- Bethany Burns Bowman
- Tim Engelbrecht
- Charlotte Walsh
- Ned Walker
- Hermione Olivia
- Jem Fuller
- Lisa Hollinshead
- Tashi Dorjee
- Shannah Kennedy
- Rebecca Saunders
- Peter Anthony
- Melissa Browne
- Stacey McNeil
- Michele Ferron
- Georgie Davies
- Sue Atkins
- Hannah Springham
- Sarah Ward
- Genevieve Sweeney
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
>> Speaker A (00:02):
Welcome to the really Good Conversations podcast.
And as we draw to a close on 2024,
I wanted to use today's episode to create
a little bit of a compilation of all of the
amazing people who we have had on the show this
year. We have heard from such a broad range of
people, from product based business
(00:22):
owners, entrepreneurs,
coaches, thought leaders,
and so many amazing people have shared their journey,
their stories, and answered on the
spot many of our really good conversation
questions. But at the end of
every episode, I asked people the same
question, which is if you could ask
(00:45):
any person dead or alive a question,
who would it be and what would you ask them?
So this episode is going to share
a snippet of all of the different answers
we have had on the show. And
hopefully it sparks some, um, interesting
ideas in your mind as you listen.
(01:05):
But also I want to ask you to consider
who would you reply to this question?
And when you next see a friend or family
member, perhaps you could ask this question and start
a conversation with them. So
a big thank you to everyone who has listened
along with us, uh, this year, uh, and I'm looking forward to
(01:25):
sharing some more amazing people in
2025. Thank you.
Uh, the finishing question that I like to ask all of our
guests is if you could ask any person dead or alive
a question, who would it be and what would you ask
them? Okay. Something I would love to
ask and get a definitive answer on. I would like to
(01:48):
ask Steve Jobs why the Apple logo,
the real reason why it has a bite out of it, because there's so
many theories and even like the designer of it
has been wishy washy about it and there's like three or four common
things and I'm a bit of, I'm a real design geek. Like when I
was at school, I, um, studied graphic design. I
had a fantastic teacher who got me like, really interested in like the
(02:08):
Bauhaus movement and all of that. And there's like loads of links between that
and Steve Jobs and Apple. And it's always bugged me as I
don't know and no one will ever know the real reason. So yeah,
I would ask my father who
died, uh, 14 years ago, I would ask my
father, dad, if you could turn
back time, what would you do
(02:30):
differently? Yeah, I thought that was a really
good question. So mine would be Mahatma
Gandhi, because in its, you know, fast
paced digital world where people are more connected
yet more divided actually than ever,
I thought his principles of non violce
truth, peaceful resistance, uniting
people, inspiring lasting societal
(02:53):
change. I wonder what he would make of
it all. And I'd love to hear his views on where
we've gone. Perhaps a bit wrong.
Probably the person that's, like, impacted my life in
such a huge way is the author, Margaret Atwood. She's
incredible. I read her first when I was 15. At
school. We did the Handmaid's Tale, which was a bold
(03:13):
choice from my A level English teacher
to stick that one on our curriculum, uh, in a girl
school with a load of us raging hormones.
But I mean, it definitely turned me on to the idea of
feminism and the fact we really had to fight for something and still
are. Um, and I'd probably ask her, is she ever
terrified by the way she manages to tell the future
(03:34):
because she's a dystopian writer,
but terrifyingly, things she wrote
in the 80s and the 90s are, uh, hurtling
towards becoming true.
And yeah, I pro. I'd love, I mean,
I have met her, but I'd love, love to have a proper sit down, sit
down, chat with her about just the way she, the way she views the world.
Because it's quite, it's quite incredible. It
(03:56):
would be my Granne, like I would want to ask
her any question and it would just be
any question. It could be anything. It could
be, what's your favourite colour? What,
what's your favourite flavour ice cream? You know, what's your best
memory from your life? It could honestly be anything. It doesn't have
to be that deep. But just to have that opportunity
(04:17):
to just speak to her and have
a respond again would be
everything for me. There's only one obvious
answer to this and I feel like you must have had it before, which
is Jesus. I would have to ask
Jesus, when are you coming back?
I'm not even necessarily religious, but I just
think of all the figures in history. Obviously
(04:39):
I went down the dead path rather than the alive path. But,
um, yeah, just. I would have to ask Jesus, when are you
coming back? Or maybe he's already back, who knows?
You know, since I saw that question, um, when
you sent it to me, I have been pondering who this person
would be and it's been very hard for me
to, to find, um, that
(05:00):
person. I think probably because
the question I would like to ask a person who has
succeeded and done so
despite huge challenges, I think the question would
be how did you get through the tough times? And,
you know, there'people like Leonardo da Vinci and
Michael Angelo and Beethoven
(05:20):
and Mozart, people that have really left their mark in
the world. I think that's what I'd like to ask any of
those. Those people who were very, very
gifted, but who obviously had a lot of challenges. Um, I'd just like
to say to them, how did you get through the tough times?
Because I think we've got a lot of challenges ahead of us as
a species. And, you know, people that are trying to
(05:40):
make a difference in the world, like you and like me,
sometimes we think to ourselves, and I'm not, you know, trying
to compare myself to those great people,
but I think if you're trying to make a difference in the world, you do come up
with. With challenges. And so I'd just like to say to them,
you know, what, do you have a bit of advice about how to
get through those tough times? So
(06:01):
I think this question, this, uh, question
I would answer differently every day,
but I guess my first thought is
Nelson Mandela. And I would probably
ask something about sort of about
overcoming adversity and then
taking that to leading with resilience and kind
(06:21):
of what advice he
would offer to someone
in a position who's trying to balance life.
And, um, yeah, that's who I would love to have
a chat. Look, I was
thinking about this, and there's so many inspirational people that
I would want to ask questions of. Uh, but
(06:42):
ultimately, uh, I would want to choose one of my
three grandparents because, uh, they raised me,
essentially. I miss them every single
day. I love them dearly. Uh, and I. One of my big
regrets in life is that we didn't have smartphones when they were
alive. And I'd want to have a conversation with
them and pull my smartphone out and just ask
(07:02):
them, pepper them with so many questions
about their life and record it so that I can watch
back. So, for example, my grandma, during
the war ran a cafe, and by running that
cafe, she was able to pay for,
uh, the house that they bought. My nana
fled from Hong Kong, so she's part Chinese when the
(07:22):
war, uh, when Japan invaded. Um,
and I just have so many questions, you know, when you
arrived in Australia, like what we. Like
how. Like, there's so
many things that I know, but that I don't know, that I
would just want more details. Uh, to be honest, though,
if I, uh, if I was to meet with them,
(07:43):
I probably would just not ask any questions. You just
give them a big hug and, yeah, it would be a waste.
So they would be who I would choose.
Well, I feel like this might be resolved soon, but
I would definitely knit myself onto the
cast of Gavin and Stacy and ask Bry what
happened on um, the fishing trip. Jack Black.
(08:04):
I would, I would approach Jack Black and can I
ask him two questions? Well the
first question, the first question would be play
me the greatest song in the world or play me the
best song in the world. I'll ask him that and
then I would secondly say can you
please come over for dinner because my wife really likes you.
(08:24):
He's a cool guy. Like he, he's hilarious
and he'd be a very fun dinner
guest. But I think the joy Mim would get from hanging out with Jack
Black for a night would be incredible. Like I can like I'm only
allowed to ask him a question. It doesn't guarantee that he'll come over, but I at least
ask him that question. Come over for dinner, will you? Will
you come over for dinner? So what comes to
(08:45):
mind is well I've got a couple of role models which is
Roger Federer and Matthew McConaughey and I would
ask both of them, they both think about
their future as their 10 year old a better version of themself
and Matthew McConaughey's Oscar speech was his role model
is his 10 year older self. Right. To always
think about yourself 10 years later and the bigger better
(09:05):
version of you. So I would say to both of
them who are you in 10 years
time and um, how do you want to feel in
10 years time? I would love to know those
answers. The one person that
keeps coming back to mine and if I ever meet her again, she's
gonna, I don't know if she ever listens to anything
I ever say about her or and then I meet
(09:27):
her again she's gonna be like oh, there's that crazy girl who's
obsessed with me. I
love Joe Malone.
She is just like such an
incredible woman. And if uh, and I
always always say this on any podcast I go on where they ask me a
question like this or something to do. I don't know something about
(09:48):
someone that inspires me. She
has had the most
extraordinary life full of like trials and
tribulations and I don't think many people know unless you,
unless you're inspired by her. So definitely read her book.
But she is. She also does tell her story u
um, a lot more succinctly on other people's podcasts.
(10:09):
But she
yeah has had the most extraordinary life and
she exited Joe Malone
when she was recovering from breast cancer and lost her
incredible sense of smell and
she then had like a non compete for however long
and that's when she started up Joe loves
(10:30):
and she said and she always
has this on podcast as well. But she said never make a life
changing decision on a bad day. And I think
that's a piece of advice that has really stuck with me.
So what question would I ask
Joe Malone? Well, I have actually met Joe Malone and let me tell
you, I was, I don't get
starstruck and I saw her
(10:52):
and I went up to her and I
don't know what came out of my mouth. It was like
I have a business. She was like, oh that's great, what do you do? And
I was like, I help people with their
social media because that's what I did at the time. And um,
yeah, I didn't quite get my
words out and comprehend it them. But had
(11:14):
I, had I
asked her uh, what I wanted to ask her at the
time, I would have said what is the
magic potion for success?
I think is what I would have asked her because
she's. Well Joe Loves now is obviously very, very
successful in its own right. Joe Malone is very, very successful in its
(11:34):
own right. And I can unpick her story and
understand why she was so, so successful.
But I just think it would be really interesting to hear
from her what
factors she really truly
believes contributed to her success.
I think it would probably be
(11:55):
Neil Finn. He's one of my favourite
um, singer songwriters. I, as far as any sort
of artist goes. To me one of his
skill sets is his lyrical
content and the picturescape that
that paints in my brain when listening
to his lyrics. And I would probably
(12:16):
want to ask where
the inspiration for a lot of his lyrics come from. And it
couldn't just be one question, it would be tens
of would um, you know.
So yeah, because I think
um, when I write a
song my songwriting comes from a place
of a lot of times,
(12:36):
um, it's a
cathartic process for me but for
him, uh, I feel it's a far different
creative process. Um, one that I've never been
able to fully grasp and I would love to know where that comes from,
you know. So there you ah, go.
It would be Neil Fin. Neil if you're
(12:56):
listening, get in touch.
That one's an easy one for me to be momm for sure.
And it literally would be how am I doing? Like,
like are you happy with what, what's going on?
Because, because she unfortunately left us when I was like
15 or something and I'm like 30, 36 going on
37 now. So all of the cool stuff
(13:17):
you would argue that you know, I'm doing now,
she. Well can See, can't see,
whatever. So I kind of cheque into that. Um, um, that. That
would be it. That. Because that's what fuels me most of the time.
It's kind of like making sure what I'm doing is. Is.
Is standing right by, you know,
family and all that kind of stuff. Okay, so it
would be Karen Brady. So
(13:40):
in my eyes, she is a
really successful businesswoman,
but she is also a mother as well.
So I'd love to have a conversation with her all
around the, uh, how she juggles it
all. You know, how does she switch from being
in the boardroom one minute to dealing
(14:00):
with children and
school bake sales and
lost PE jumpers the
next? Do you know what I mean? Because it does
take. It's
draining trying to be everything to everybody all
at once and run a business. So just
really how she juggles it, if she's got any tips or if she's
(14:22):
got any techniques that she uses so that she can
be present when she is
a mum and, um, present when she is
in the boardroom or dealing with, you know, the corporate
world. I have two
female icons. Um, the first one
always is more obvious to people, which was Audrey
(14:42):
Hepburn. I just thought she was just
incredible. I loved her. Just the
whole demeanour of her and how she came across,
um, her style obviously, but
that little bit of naivety that
came across. But actually she was an incredibly strong
lady and did some phenomenal things. And that
(15:03):
links me to my second one who,
um, was always is my guilty pleasure. I
am a huge Dolly Parton fan
and where I live in Nottingham,
unfortunately there was, uh. Dolly came to
Nottingham and I had no idea and I
hadn't got tickets and I was so. I literally for
(15:24):
years have just think that was my missed opportunity
and I would be so. I mean, there's so many questions
I'd want to ask Dolly Parton,
but the first would be
just underpicking her brains a little bit
on as a phenomenal business person. I mean, a.
She's just. Isn't she incredible? Runs the
most incredible business. She's
(15:46):
hugely talented. But yet
she's so open as to her,
you know, personal life
challenges and everything that I, uh.
Yeah. Five minutes with her would never be enough at
all. Now I would like
Richard Branson as one of our podcast
(16:06):
guests. We'reisioning it. We'revisioning
Richard Branson. But I mean he is a bit
busy. I'd have loads. I could actually ask him on a
business sense and such would be fascinating to hear.
We saying Richard Branson. I'll go Richard Branson then. Sorry. What would you
ask him? Well, probably just initially
it would be if I could come to Necker Island.
(16:28):
That would be a question. Because then
once I'm on Necker island, that's like, I can ask
him more questions. Yeah, that's like, you know, the. If
you rub a lamp and there's a magic genie, what's your first
wish is for more wishes? Yes, exactly.
It would be something like that. Uh, and then you'd just corner him on the
island and ask himes a thousand questions.
(16:48):
And who doesn't love a tropical island? So, yeah, then
ask all about the island and building on an
island and living on an island and why did you buy the island?
Well, maybe you can ask him that when he's on the
podcast next year.
I have, like, thought about this for
days. It has plagued me. I've
asked friends and family. I'm like, what would you answer this?
(17:10):
What would you do? And, uh, I think, um,
I'll just be completely honest with my first instinct here
that the person, um, that I would ask is
Dale Carnegie. Um, and what
I would ask him is,
how would you apply your
principles to the digital day and
(17:31):
age? So Dale Carnegie taught us
a very specific way of speaking with
people and a mannerism and manners
and how to handle people with grace and aplomb and
be able to, um, take it from the boardroom
to the dinner table. So I think in
this digital world, we don't talk to each other
anymore. We were first to be snippy
(17:54):
or sniped back. It's taught us to be
judgmental. Um, sure, it's connected
us to a huge audience and people from
all over the world, but we don't necessarily speak to each
other anymore, and certainly not with, um, the grace that I
think, um, is probably due to
our average human being, you know, our fellow human being.
So, you know, you never know if you're in the grocery store
(18:16):
and the person that's, like, so nice to you to hand you that loaf of
bread that you can't reach, is that the same person that said,
like, oh, my gosh, I would never buy that outfit that they're
selling, um, on, you know, Facebook, Marketplace or whatever, you know.
So I just, I just find it interesting. And that's who
I would ask. I would definitely ask Dale Carnegie, how do you bridge
the gap between the world in
(18:36):
which we had to be face to face and communicate into the digital
world? Um, and I think that his principles still hold
true, and I think they're great. I think we still have to show a genuine
interest in each other. We still have to be respectful.
We still have to give honest
appreciation. Um, we still
really should probably avoid criticism and
condemnation. And I think that's the one thing
(18:58):
that we do
to an extreme now is that we criticise
so quickly. And I think that was one of his principles,
is just to like, take that down a notch, you know, and
really kind of be empathetic. First,
avoid arguing like there's no need. Maybe we just
have a conversation and we understand in more of
a debate format rather than an argument. It shouldn't be an
(19:21):
attack on someone or solely their soul. We should just
be able to talk, talk it through, um, and
admit m when you're wrong. I think that people often on social media, in
the digital world, they're, they're just
stalwart and they think that they're right and maybe
in their head and in their life, they are right. But it doesn't mean that
it's the same for everybody else. Uh, I think
(19:41):
it definitely be my mum. I would kind of ask her
like every question and any, like,
just I would be a five year old again and ask her what her favourite
ice cream was or. And as an adult I
would like, I would love to know those kind of small
kind of questions about her as a person, but I would d also
love to just sen herat about being a mum and just how
(20:02):
hard it is for a toddler. So
I pondered on this question lot because
there's two women that I would want to ask the same question
too, so. And they're both dead. But I
would want to ask both Coco Chanel and
Madame Clico
what gave them the grit and
determination to keep doing what they were
(20:23):
doing in a world where it really wasn't the
norm. Like we talked now about doing
things isn't the norm and breaking glass ceilings and doing
things differently and yay to women doing business. But they
were doing things when, like,
women were just not allowed to have businesses and do their own thing.
Like how. How did you have the energy and grit
(20:44):
and determinations to do that? Like what? Who was
around you? Who was supporting that?
How. Who was your cheer squad in? That would be
my question. Like, how do you do it? Um,
I just love it. I just would love to have them at dinner party and
just have a conversation. I just, yeah, there's
people nowadays. I go, yeah, I'd love to
chat, but, you know, with the art of podcasting and books and
(21:07):
memoirs, you know, all the questions you would ask
someone have or possibly already been asked or already around
if you find them in the right spots. So definitely
be questions of someone that isn't here.
Thanks for listening. I hope you enjoyed the episode.
Be sure to cheque out the show notes for more information on today's
guests. And if really good conversations are your thing,
(21:28):
hit subscribe and join us next time for more
business journeys, insights, um and banter.
Welcome to the really Good Conversations podcast.
And as we draw to a close on 2024,
I wanted to use today's episode to create
a little bit of a compilation of all of the
amazing people who we have had on the show this
year. We have heard from such a broad range of
people, from product based business
(00:22):
owners, entrepreneurs,
coaches, thought leaders,
and so many amazing people have shared their journey,
their stories, and answered on the
spot many of our really good conversation
questions. But at the end of
every episode, I asked people the same
question, which is if you could ask
(00:45):
any person dead or alive a question,
who would it be and what would you ask them?
So this episode is going to share
a snippet of all of the different answers
we have had on the show. And
hopefully it sparks some, um, interesting
ideas in your mind as you listen.
(01:05):
But also I want to ask you to consider
who would you reply to this question?
And when you next see a friend or family
member, perhaps you could ask this question and start
a conversation with them. So
a big thank you to everyone who has listened
along with us, uh, this year, uh, and I'm looking forward to
(01:25):
sharing some more amazing people in
2025. Thank you.
Uh, the finishing question that I like to ask all of our
guests is if you could ask any person dead or alive
a question, who would it be and what would you ask
them? Okay. Something I would love to
ask and get a definitive answer on. I would like to
(01:48):
ask Steve Jobs why the Apple logo,
the real reason why it has a bite out of it, because there's so
many theories and even like the designer of it
has been wishy washy about it and there's like three or four common
things and I'm a bit of, I'm a real design geek. Like when I
was at school, I, um, studied graphic design. I
had a fantastic teacher who got me like, really interested in like the
(02:08):
Bauhaus movement and all of that. And there's like loads of links between that
and Steve Jobs and Apple. And it's always bugged me as I
don't know and no one will ever know the real reason. So yeah,
I would ask my father who
died, uh, 14 years ago, I would ask my
father, dad, if you could turn
back time, what would you do
(02:30):
differently? Yeah, I thought that was a really
good question. So mine would be Mahatma
Gandhi, because in its, you know, fast
paced digital world where people are more connected
yet more divided actually than ever,
I thought his principles of non violce
truth, peaceful resistance, uniting
people, inspiring lasting societal
(02:53):
change. I wonder what he would make of
it all. And I'd love to hear his views on where
we've gone. Perhaps a bit wrong.
Probably the person that's, like, impacted my life in
such a huge way is the author, Margaret Atwood. She's
incredible. I read her first when I was 15. At
school. We did the Handmaid's Tale, which was a bold
(03:13):
choice from my A level English teacher
to stick that one on our curriculum, uh, in a girl
school with a load of us raging hormones.
But I mean, it definitely turned me on to the idea of
feminism and the fact we really had to fight for something and still
are. Um, and I'd probably ask her, is she ever
terrified by the way she manages to tell the future
(03:34):
because she's a dystopian writer,
but terrifyingly, things she wrote
in the 80s and the 90s are, uh, hurtling
towards becoming true.
And yeah, I pro. I'd love, I mean,
I have met her, but I'd love, love to have a proper sit down, sit
down, chat with her about just the way she, the way she views the world.
Because it's quite, it's quite incredible. It
(03:56):
would be my Granne, like I would want to ask
her any question and it would just be
any question. It could be anything. It could
be, what's your favourite colour? What,
what's your favourite flavour ice cream? You know, what's your best
memory from your life? It could honestly be anything. It doesn't have
to be that deep. But just to have that opportunity
(04:17):
to just speak to her and have
a respond again would be
everything for me. There's only one obvious
answer to this and I feel like you must have had it before, which
is Jesus. I would have to ask
Jesus, when are you coming back?
I'm not even necessarily religious, but I just
think of all the figures in history. Obviously
(04:39):
I went down the dead path rather than the alive path. But,
um, yeah, just. I would have to ask Jesus, when are you
coming back? Or maybe he's already back, who knows?
You know, since I saw that question, um, when
you sent it to me, I have been pondering who this person
would be and it's been very hard for me
to, to find, um, that
(05:00):
person. I think probably because
the question I would like to ask a person who has
succeeded and done so
despite huge challenges, I think the question would
be how did you get through the tough times? And,
you know, there'people like Leonardo da Vinci and
Michael Angelo and Beethoven
(05:20):
and Mozart, people that have really left their mark in
the world. I think that's what I'd like to ask any of
those. Those people who were very, very
gifted, but who obviously had a lot of challenges. Um, I'd just like
to say to them, how did you get through the tough times?
Because I think we've got a lot of challenges ahead of us as
a species. And, you know, people that are trying to
(05:40):
make a difference in the world, like you and like me,
sometimes we think to ourselves, and I'm not, you know, trying
to compare myself to those great people,
but I think if you're trying to make a difference in the world, you do come up
with. With challenges. And so I'd just like to say to them,
you know, what, do you have a bit of advice about how to
get through those tough times? So
(06:01):
I think this question, this, uh, question
I would answer differently every day,
but I guess my first thought is
Nelson Mandela. And I would probably
ask something about sort of about
overcoming adversity and then
taking that to leading with resilience and kind
(06:21):
of what advice he
would offer to someone
in a position who's trying to balance life.
And, um, yeah, that's who I would love to have
a chat. Look, I was
thinking about this, and there's so many inspirational people that
I would want to ask questions of. Uh, but
(06:42):
ultimately, uh, I would want to choose one of my
three grandparents because, uh, they raised me,
essentially. I miss them every single
day. I love them dearly. Uh, and I. One of my big
regrets in life is that we didn't have smartphones when they were
alive. And I'd want to have a conversation with
them and pull my smartphone out and just ask
(07:02):
them, pepper them with so many questions
about their life and record it so that I can watch
back. So, for example, my grandma, during
the war ran a cafe, and by running that
cafe, she was able to pay for,
uh, the house that they bought. My nana
fled from Hong Kong, so she's part Chinese when the
(07:22):
war, uh, when Japan invaded. Um,
and I just have so many questions, you know, when you
arrived in Australia, like what we. Like
how. Like, there's so
many things that I know, but that I don't know, that I
would just want more details. Uh, to be honest, though,
if I, uh, if I was to meet with them,
(07:43):
I probably would just not ask any questions. You just
give them a big hug and, yeah, it would be a waste.
So they would be who I would choose.
Well, I feel like this might be resolved soon, but
I would definitely knit myself onto the
cast of Gavin and Stacy and ask Bry what
happened on um, the fishing trip. Jack Black.
(08:04):
I would, I would approach Jack Black and can I
ask him two questions? Well the
first question, the first question would be play
me the greatest song in the world or play me the
best song in the world. I'll ask him that and
then I would secondly say can you
please come over for dinner because my wife really likes you.
(08:24):
He's a cool guy. Like he, he's hilarious
and he'd be a very fun dinner
guest. But I think the joy Mim would get from hanging out with Jack
Black for a night would be incredible. Like I can like I'm only
allowed to ask him a question. It doesn't guarantee that he'll come over, but I at least
ask him that question. Come over for dinner, will you? Will
you come over for dinner? So what comes to
(08:45):
mind is well I've got a couple of role models which is
Roger Federer and Matthew McConaughey and I would
ask both of them, they both think about
their future as their 10 year old a better version of themself
and Matthew McConaughey's Oscar speech was his role model
is his 10 year older self. Right. To always
think about yourself 10 years later and the bigger better
(09:05):
version of you. So I would say to both of
them who are you in 10 years
time and um, how do you want to feel in
10 years time? I would love to know those
answers. The one person that
keeps coming back to mine and if I ever meet her again, she's
gonna, I don't know if she ever listens to anything
I ever say about her or and then I meet
(09:27):
her again she's gonna be like oh, there's that crazy girl who's
obsessed with me. I
love Joe Malone.
She is just like such an
incredible woman. And if uh, and I
always always say this on any podcast I go on where they ask me a
question like this or something to do. I don't know something about
(09:48):
someone that inspires me. She
has had the most
extraordinary life full of like trials and
tribulations and I don't think many people know unless you,
unless you're inspired by her. So definitely read her book.
But she is. She also does tell her story u
um, a lot more succinctly on other people's podcasts.
(10:09):
But she
yeah has had the most extraordinary life and
she exited Joe Malone
when she was recovering from breast cancer and lost her
incredible sense of smell and
she then had like a non compete for however long
and that's when she started up Joe loves
(10:30):
and she said and she always
has this on podcast as well. But she said never make a life
changing decision on a bad day. And I think
that's a piece of advice that has really stuck with me.
So what question would I ask
Joe Malone? Well, I have actually met Joe Malone and let me tell
you, I was, I don't get
starstruck and I saw her
(10:52):
and I went up to her and I
don't know what came out of my mouth. It was like
I have a business. She was like, oh that's great, what do you do? And
I was like, I help people with their
social media because that's what I did at the time. And um,
yeah, I didn't quite get my
words out and comprehend it them. But had
(11:14):
I, had I
asked her uh, what I wanted to ask her at the
time, I would have said what is the
magic potion for success?
I think is what I would have asked her because
she's. Well Joe Loves now is obviously very, very
successful in its own right. Joe Malone is very, very successful in its
(11:34):
own right. And I can unpick her story and
understand why she was so, so successful.
But I just think it would be really interesting to hear
from her what
factors she really truly
believes contributed to her success.
I think it would probably be
(11:55):
Neil Finn. He's one of my favourite
um, singer songwriters. I, as far as any sort
of artist goes. To me one of his
skill sets is his lyrical
content and the picturescape that
that paints in my brain when listening
to his lyrics. And I would probably
(12:16):
want to ask where
the inspiration for a lot of his lyrics come from. And it
couldn't just be one question, it would be tens
of would um, you know.
So yeah, because I think
um, when I write a
song my songwriting comes from a place
of a lot of times,
(12:36):
um, it's a
cathartic process for me but for
him, uh, I feel it's a far different
creative process. Um, one that I've never been
able to fully grasp and I would love to know where that comes from,
you know. So there you ah, go.
It would be Neil Fin. Neil if you're
(12:56):
listening, get in touch.
That one's an easy one for me to be momm for sure.
And it literally would be how am I doing? Like,
like are you happy with what, what's going on?
Because, because she unfortunately left us when I was like
15 or something and I'm like 30, 36 going on
37 now. So all of the cool stuff
(13:17):
you would argue that you know, I'm doing now,
she. Well can See, can't see,
whatever. So I kind of cheque into that. Um, um, that. That
would be it. That. Because that's what fuels me most of the time.
It's kind of like making sure what I'm doing is. Is.
Is standing right by, you know,
family and all that kind of stuff. Okay, so it
would be Karen Brady. So
(13:40):
in my eyes, she is a
really successful businesswoman,
but she is also a mother as well.
So I'd love to have a conversation with her all
around the, uh, how she juggles it
all. You know, how does she switch from being
in the boardroom one minute to dealing
(14:00):
with children and
school bake sales and
lost PE jumpers the
next? Do you know what I mean? Because it does
take. It's
draining trying to be everything to everybody all
at once and run a business. So just
really how she juggles it, if she's got any tips or if she's
(14:22):
got any techniques that she uses so that she can
be present when she is
a mum and, um, present when she is
in the boardroom or dealing with, you know, the corporate
world. I have two
female icons. Um, the first one
always is more obvious to people, which was Audrey
(14:42):
Hepburn. I just thought she was just
incredible. I loved her. Just the
whole demeanour of her and how she came across,
um, her style obviously, but
that little bit of naivety that
came across. But actually she was an incredibly strong
lady and did some phenomenal things. And that
(15:03):
links me to my second one who,
um, was always is my guilty pleasure. I
am a huge Dolly Parton fan
and where I live in Nottingham,
unfortunately there was, uh. Dolly came to
Nottingham and I had no idea and I
hadn't got tickets and I was so. I literally for
(15:24):
years have just think that was my missed opportunity
and I would be so. I mean, there's so many questions
I'd want to ask Dolly Parton,
but the first would be
just underpicking her brains a little bit
on as a phenomenal business person. I mean, a.
She's just. Isn't she incredible? Runs the
most incredible business. She's
(15:46):
hugely talented. But yet
she's so open as to her,
you know, personal life
challenges and everything that I, uh.
Yeah. Five minutes with her would never be enough at
all. Now I would like
Richard Branson as one of our podcast
(16:06):
guests. We'reisioning it. We'revisioning
Richard Branson. But I mean he is a bit
busy. I'd have loads. I could actually ask him on a
business sense and such would be fascinating to hear.
We saying Richard Branson. I'll go Richard Branson then. Sorry. What would you
ask him? Well, probably just initially
it would be if I could come to Necker Island.
(16:28):
That would be a question. Because then
once I'm on Necker island, that's like, I can ask
him more questions. Yeah, that's like, you know, the. If
you rub a lamp and there's a magic genie, what's your first
wish is for more wishes? Yes, exactly.
It would be something like that. Uh, and then you'd just corner him on the
island and ask himes a thousand questions.
(16:48):
And who doesn't love a tropical island? So, yeah, then
ask all about the island and building on an
island and living on an island and why did you buy the island?
Well, maybe you can ask him that when he's on the
podcast next year.
I have, like, thought about this for
days. It has plagued me. I've
asked friends and family. I'm like, what would you answer this?
(17:10):
What would you do? And, uh, I think, um,
I'll just be completely honest with my first instinct here
that the person, um, that I would ask is
Dale Carnegie. Um, and what
I would ask him is,
how would you apply your
principles to the digital day and
(17:31):
age? So Dale Carnegie taught us
a very specific way of speaking with
people and a mannerism and manners
and how to handle people with grace and aplomb and
be able to, um, take it from the boardroom
to the dinner table. So I think in
this digital world, we don't talk to each other
anymore. We were first to be snippy
(17:54):
or sniped back. It's taught us to be
judgmental. Um, sure, it's connected
us to a huge audience and people from
all over the world, but we don't necessarily speak to each
other anymore, and certainly not with, um, the grace that I
think, um, is probably due to
our average human being, you know, our fellow human being.
So, you know, you never know if you're in the grocery store
(18:16):
and the person that's, like, so nice to you to hand you that loaf of
bread that you can't reach, is that the same person that said,
like, oh, my gosh, I would never buy that outfit that they're
selling, um, on, you know, Facebook, Marketplace or whatever, you know.
So I just, I just find it interesting. And that's who
I would ask. I would definitely ask Dale Carnegie, how do you bridge
the gap between the world in
(18:36):
which we had to be face to face and communicate into the digital
world? Um, and I think that his principles still hold
true, and I think they're great. I think we still have to show a genuine
interest in each other. We still have to be respectful.
We still have to give honest
appreciation. Um, we still
really should probably avoid criticism and
condemnation. And I think that's the one thing
(18:58):
that we do
to an extreme now is that we criticise
so quickly. And I think that was one of his principles,
is just to like, take that down a notch, you know, and
really kind of be empathetic. First,
avoid arguing like there's no need. Maybe we just
have a conversation and we understand in more of
a debate format rather than an argument. It shouldn't be an
(19:21):
attack on someone or solely their soul. We should just
be able to talk, talk it through, um, and
admit m when you're wrong. I think that people often on social media, in
the digital world, they're, they're just
stalwart and they think that they're right and maybe
in their head and in their life, they are right. But it doesn't mean that
it's the same for everybody else. Uh, I think
(19:41):
it definitely be my mum. I would kind of ask her
like every question and any, like,
just I would be a five year old again and ask her what her favourite
ice cream was or. And as an adult I
would like, I would love to know those kind of small
kind of questions about her as a person, but I would d also
love to just sen herat about being a mum and just how
(20:02):
hard it is for a toddler. So
I pondered on this question lot because
there's two women that I would want to ask the same question
too, so. And they're both dead. But I
would want to ask both Coco Chanel and
Madame Clico
what gave them the grit and
determination to keep doing what they were
(20:23):
doing in a world where it really wasn't the
norm. Like we talked now about doing
things isn't the norm and breaking glass ceilings and doing
things differently and yay to women doing business. But they
were doing things when, like,
women were just not allowed to have businesses and do their own thing.
Like how. How did you have the energy and grit
(20:44):
and determinations to do that? Like what? Who was
around you? Who was supporting that?
How. Who was your cheer squad in? That would be
my question. Like, how do you do it? Um,
I just love it. I just would love to have them at dinner party and
just have a conversation. I just, yeah, there's
people nowadays. I go, yeah, I'd love to
chat, but, you know, with the art of podcasting and books and
(21:07):
memoirs, you know, all the questions you would ask
someone have or possibly already been asked or already around
if you find them in the right spots. So definitely
be questions of someone that isn't here.
Thanks for listening. I hope you enjoyed the episode.
Be sure to cheque out the show notes for more information on today's
guests. And if really good conversations are your thing,
(21:28):
hit subscribe and join us next time for more
business journeys, insights, um and banter.
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