The Not So Breakfast Show

Say Hello
Episode 280

In this episode, Ish and Sacha tackle the increasingly blurry line between having information, having experience, and actually being an expert.
With social media overflowing with influencers, coaches, gurus, and people who seem suspiciously confident about absolutely everything, how do we separate credible expertise from someone who's simply good at looking the part?
They explore the difference between formal qualifications and hands-on experience, and why the right balance depends on what's at stake. You might trust a talented home cook without a qualification, but you'd probably prefer your pilot had done a bit more than watch a few YouTube tutorials.
The conversation moves into fitness, leadership, public speaking, and sports coaching, where being brilliant at something doesn't necessarily mean you're brilliant at teaching it. And sometimes the best coach in the room isn't the person who can actually perform the skill.
Sacha gets refreshingly honest about the limits of her leadership experience, particularly in large organisations, while Ish challenges us to consider whether we sometimes stretch our expertise a little further than the evidence supports.
They also dig into the importance of critical thinking, questioning the latest research, and recognising that just because something worked for one person doesn't mean it'll work for everyone.
Plus, a quick detour into the Marvel universe, a gloriously unhinged movie recommendation from Sacha, and some very questionable advice about what not to Google involving Jennifer Aniston.
Key Learnings
1. Confidence isn't the same as competence
Just because someone speaks with authority doesn't mean they actually know what they're talking about. Before taking advice, ask what backs it up. Is it qualifications, practical experience, research, demonstrated results, or just a very convincing Instagram account?
2. Being good at something doesn't mean you're good at teaching it
Some of the most talented performers struggle to explain how they do what they do. Equally, a brilliant sports coach might never have played at the highest level but knows exactly how to bring out the best in others.
3. Great advice needs context
What works in a multinational with thousands of employees and a generous budget might be completely impractical for a small team of 20.
Sacha makes the point that she's confident discussing leadership principles but knows her direct experience of leading very large organisations is limited. It's a useful reminder that advice needs to fit the situation, not just sound impressive.
4. Don't let your expertise become your blind spot
If your specialty is training, every problem can start looking like a training problem. If you've built your career fixing teams by replacing people, every challenge can start to look like someone needs to go.
5. Learn to say "I don't know"
There's something powerful about someone who knows exactly where their expertise ends.
Rather than bluffing their way through a question, genuinely knowledgeable people are often comfortable saying, "That's outside my field. Here's who you should talk to."

The 30-Minute Presenter Program
Learn how to map out your content, structure your thoughts, and craft messages that truly matter.
Check out our 30-Minute Presenter Program today.
Click here to learn more

Say Hello
Episode 279

In this episode, Ish and Sacha explore whether we've become less resilient or simply got too comfortable avoiding discomfort.
They kick around the concept of lawnmower leadership, when well-meaning leaders (and parents) rush ahead, removing challenges and smoothing the path for others. It may come from a good place, but when we remove every obstacle, we also take away the opportunity for people to grow.
From there, the conversation turns to what resilience actually looks like and how we build it. Sacha shares a simple but powerful idea: resilience comes from collecting evidence that we can do hard things. Not necessarily succeeding at everything, but having the courage to give difficult things a crack and discovering that we can cope.
Ish reflects on recovering from hip replacements, Sacha talks about the surprising resilience she's gained from having her heart broken, and they explore why deliberately stepping outside your comfort zone might be one of the best investments you can make in yourself.
But there's an important distinction. Building resilience doesn't mean pushing yourself relentlessly until you burn out. They unpack the difference between healthy pressure and sustained overload, why temporary imbalance can be okay, and how to recognise when it's time to take something off your plate.

Say Hello
Episode 278

Fresh from Barcelona, Ish and Sacha take us behind the scenes of their recent Les Mills International conference sessions, unpacking how they shaped the presentations into an experience that had people laughing, learning, getting uncomfortable and singing their hearts out.
At the centre of it all is a surprisingly simple six-grid structure: an opening, three key points, an interaction and a close. But the real magic happens in how you bring that structure to life.
They explore the art of ramping, gradually building audience participation from a simple show of hands to something much bigger. In their case, that meant taking a room of 600 people from quietly watching to enthusiastically supporting some very nervous karaoke volunteers.
Along the way, they discuss why understanding your audience matters more than showing off your expertise, how personal stories create connection, and why great presenters need to mix up their delivery styles.
They also take a refreshingly honest look at what they'd do differently, including adding more research and evidence, knowing when to ditch a great idea, and remembering the presentation isn't actually about the presenter.
The big takeaway? A memorable presentation isn't about being naturally charismatic. It's about preparation, connection, thoughtful design and being brave enough to try something different.
Key Learnings
1. Big moments are built, not stumbled upon
The best presentations aren't a collection of slides with a few activities thrown in. They're deliberately designed experiences.
2. You can't take a cold audience straight to karaoke
Want people to participate? You've got to warm them up first.
The concept of ramping is about gradually increasing people's involvement, starting with easy, low-risk interactions before asking them to do something that stretches their comfort zone. 
3. It's not about you. It's about who's in the room.
Great presenters don't just know their content. They understand their audience.
Before you walk into a meeting, presentation or pitch, ask yourself: Who's in the room? What matters to them? Why should they care about this, from me, right now? 
4. Don't get stuck being the same version of yourself
We all have a natural presenting style. Maybe you're the Campfire Storyteller who loves a good yarn, or the Spreadsheet Whisperer who has data to back up absolutely everything.
Both have their strengths, but both can become predictable. The real skill is learning to create contrast: mixing stories with evidence, laughter with reflection, and information with interaction. 
5. Knowing what to leave out is just as important as knowing what to put in
One of the hardest parts of creating a great presentation isn't coming up with ideas. It's letting good ones go.
Ish and Sacha scrapped a video, an interaction and an entire storytelling area shortly before their sessions because they weren't going to serve the experience. 
Being prepared doesn't mean being rigid. It means knowing your purpose well enough to adapt, edit and make room for what matters most.
Join us on Skool. 

The 30-Minute Presenter Program
Learn how to map out your content, structure your thoughts, and craft messages that truly matter.
Check out our 30-Minute Presenter Program today.
Click here to learn more

Say Hello
Episode 277
This episode is a behind-the-scenes primer for the Les Mills United summit in Barcelona. 
Ish and Sacha share how their own Les Mills journeys started in some fairly unlikely places, what they’ll be talking about when they get there, and why mental strength and honest self-review might be two of the most useful muscles we can build right now.
Plus a couple of ester eggs, like. Did you know Ish used to be Sacha's PT, and that they never would have been friends at school? 
Let's get it!

Say Hello
Episode 276
What do you do when someone is smashing every target… while making everyone around them quietly consider a career change?
This week, Ish and Sacha get into the awkward world of difficult high performers: the rock stars, sales guns and thoroughbreds who deliver brilliant results but don't always play nicely with others. When is "difficult" actually a valuable challenge? When is it genuinely destructive?
And at what point do you stop worrying about what if they leave? And start asking, what if they stay? 
They explore the important difference between someone who ruffles feathers because they're pushing standards and challenging mediocrity, and someone whose success comes with a trail of damage behind them. Because letting your thoroughbreds run is one thing. Letting them kick everyone else in the head on the way past is another.
There's also a brilliant confession from Sacha about being given responsibility for providing feedback at 18 or 19, despite having absolutely no idea how to give feedback,  resulting in roughly "one thing you did well and 95 things you were a bit shit at." Strangely, people weren't grateful.
Along the way, they get into courageous conversations, team standards, whether team charters actually change anything. 
Plus, the most important preparation for Ish and Sacha's upcoming overseas speaking gig: apparently, sorting out what they're wearing.
Key Learnings
1. Difficult isn't necessarily destructive
Look at the impact of the behaviour: are they raising the team's game, or raising themselves by pushing everyone else down?  Pasted text
2. Ask "What if they stay?"
Leaders can become so worried about losing a star performer that they'll tolerate behaviour they'd never accept from anyone else.
3. Results don't cancel out behaviour
If performance reviews only reward the numbers, you're effectively telling people that how they achieve those numbers doesn't matter. 
4. Sometimes people genuinely don't know they're difficult
Before deciding someone is simply an arsehole, consider whether anyone has actually told them how their behaviour lands.
5. Standards only matter when you use them
Team charters, values and behavioural agreements can be useful, but the document itself changes nothing. They become real the first time someone crosses the line, and another team member says, "We're not going to do that around here." That's when words on the wall become the way a team actually works.