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The Extraordinary Business Book Club

Alison Jones, publisher and book coach, explores business books from both a writer's and a reader's perspective. Interviews with authors, publishers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, tech wizards, social media strategists, PR and marketing experts and others involved in helping businesses tell their story effectively.
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The Extraordinary Business Book Club
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Now displaying: 2025
Feb 3, 2025

If you know anything at all about coaching, you know that it's all about asking questions, right? Well, yes, and also: that's not the full story. 

Claire Pedrick and Lucia Baldelli sat down together to write a book on how to move from 'really good' to 'even better' coach, but they quickly realised that mastery is less about what the coach does or says, and much more about how they are in the coaching conversation. It's about noticing and responding, being the person that can facilitate the coachee's own work, being a little less certain, being a little more human, in fact. 

And that approach spills into Claire's approach to writing, too: it's about noticing, iterating, being curious, and being unafraid to let the ideas evolve and develop. Which is how The Human Behind the Coach came about, and why it was named Specialist Business Book of the Year at the Business Book Awards. 

(Although I don't THINK she uses scissors quite so regularly in her coaching work as she does in her writing process...)

If you care about coaching, writing or thinking - or just about being human in a world that's increasingly inhuman - make tea, sit down, listen up. 

 

Jan 27, 2025

 'Writing isn't just about creating content; it's about creating ourselves.'

It's another Best Bits episode, and the theme that really stood out to me as I looked back over the last few episodes was one that you’ll have met here before if you’re a regular listener: it’s the power of writing not just as a means of communication, but as a tool for self-discovery, clarity, and growth. Writing, it turns out, isn’t just about creating content; it’s about creating ourselves. It helps us process our thoughts, discover and sift ideas, and make sense of the world.

One the things I love most about this podcast is that I don’t just get to talk to authors about their books or even their ideas; I get to ask them how the act of writing has shaped them and changed them, personally and professionally. So that’s what this episode is all about: uncover how writing transforms not just the reader, but the writer, and hopefully it’ll fire you up and give you some practical ideas on how to go about getting more of this in your own life.

Because as these powerful writers will tell you, it’s powerful stuff. Hear from: 

  • Jenny Proctor on sifting through what's already in place; 
  • Kate Toon on pushing through to the new stuff; 
  • Todd Rogers on the joy of rabbit holes; 
  • David Falzani on the satisfaction of writing that makes a difference; 
  • Per Wimmer on self-reflection and future direction; 
  • Laura Hamill on letting go of performing and embracing authenticity; 
  • Amy Walters Cohen on trusting the process; 
  • Lucy Ryan on flow and joy. 
Jan 20, 2025

 'That's my goal here is to hopefully provide an inspirational story that can be a catalyst for the reader to go out and do amazing things.'

Per Wimmer has spent his life soaring to new heights, metaphorically in global finance and quite literally as an astronaut. It's a fascinating mix, but the two spheres have more in common than you might think. 

When you've lived a life so full of variety and adventure, it's a double bind: this is exactly the kind of life worth writing about, and yet how do you choose what to include, and how do you link it all together? We talk about the challenge of making sense of one's own life in order to create sense for others. 

And how do you give people a reason to read, beyond the mere act of goggling? Per's solution: catalyse inspiration and action in everyone. Winning Business Journey Book of the Year at the Business Book Awards 2024 meant everything to him, as it was a sign he'd achieved just that. 

(He's not one for being constrained by limits, and he's not done yet; this is just Volume One.)

Jan 13, 2025

"I used to say, wouldn't it be great if I could work like a normal person and do 40 hours a week? And the realization comes that you do have 40 hours, it's just not in the same week."

Passive income—it's the dream, right? Earning money while you sleep, basking in the golden glow of financial freedom. Sadly, it's not quite that simple. 

Award-winning author and digital marketing expert Kate Toon, author of  'Six Figures in School Hours' and 'Six Figures While You Sleep', has achieved that dream and now shows others how to do it for themselves, but she doesn’t sugarcoat it: there's no such thing as truly passive income. Every income stream, no matter how automated it appears, demands upfront effort and ongoing maintenance. And just as with business books, marketing is just as vital as creating the product itself - maybe even more so. 

In this energising and practical conversation we discuss the taxonomy of automated income, the way we value time over money, the need to play the long game, the centrality of community and the importance of rationing dopamine.

Jan 6, 2025

'Don't let AI set your vision. But harness AI to help you execute your vision.'

For me, the start of a new year always brings a sense of potential. It's a chance to make changes. But I'm old enough to know that resolutions are easy to make and hard to keep - these days I'm all about design rather than decisions.

This year, more than any other I can remember, feels like a tipping point in history as AI goes mainstream and the polycrisis comprising climate, economic and geopolitical unrest swirls around us. 

What does it mean to be a slightly better human in this context? It'll be different for everyone, but it's almost certain to involve some intentional choices about our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions. And it will also demand that we think carefully about what we delegate to AI to boost our productivity and effectiveness and what we retain as a core human capability. 

Here are some thoughts on how I'm approaching this new year, and some questions for you to think about, too. And however you decide to design 2025, there's some thoughts on how you can use exploratory writing as your secret weapon for making those changes stick.

Let’s make this New Year extraordinary!

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