Daily Founder Notes

In this episode of the Better Me Like podcast, Simon Sparks and me reflect on our previous recording (what is now known as ‘Pod No.7’), where we had an antagonistic conversation about football philosophy. Simon maintains we also explored themes of vulnerability, authenticity, and the challenges faced by leaders and founders, but all I recall was the conversation after the recording, which was far more insightful. Needless to say, Pod No.7 still hasn’t seen the light of day, and we now offer you Pod No.7.5, were we explore insights from our recent panel on AI and innovation, were we emphasise the importance of psychological safety in the workplace and the role of self-awareness in fostering a supportive environment. We also discuss the role of employers in fostering a safe environment, the need for individual responsibility, and the impact of recent cultural shifts on EDI programs. The conversation also touches on the future of work, the emergence of new industries, and the need for creativity in an evolving landscape, and we wrap with a chat about the concept of 'left-handed activities' as a metaphor for personal growth, and the significance of gratitude and presence in professional settings.Dive in where it’s most interesting to you…* Introduction and Context of Episode 7 (00:00)* Navigating Vulnerability and Authenticity (03:06)* Reflections on Leadership and Authenticity (06:01)* Insights from the AI and Innovation Panel (09:03)* The Importance of Psychological Safety (12:05)* The Role of Self in Psychological Safety (14:54)* Future of Work and New Industries (18:00)* Closing Thoughts on Scaffolding and Support (21:12)* Cultural Shifts and EDI Programs (27:50)* The Role of Employers in Psychological Safety (30:07)* Beyond Compliance: Building a Safe Culture (32:19)* The Importance of Individual Responsibility (34:35)* Reflections on Recent Events and Learning (35:23)* The Concept of Left-Handed Activities (40:05)* Gratitude and Presence in Events (45:00)Let us know what you think, we’re always open to feedback, comments or gentle social heckling. Until next week - sending POSITIVE VIBES your way.Check out previous Better Me podcast episodes here…This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber Get full access to Glenn Martin at glennnevermindthejobspec.substack.com/subscribe

Simon Sparks and I continue our weekly conversation exploring the nuances of entrepreneurship, discussing the challenges we face, the emotional toll of being a Founder, and the importance of building resilience.This week we reflect on our respective journey’s as solo entrepreneurs and sharing insights on how to navigate the ups and downs of building a business - some if it you might have heard before, some of it might help or surprise you. This leads us into a thread of conversation about the significance of emotional regulation, learning from respective experiences, and we cover the importance of celebrating small wins as essential components of personal and professional growth. Quick-fire round-up of topics include; self-validation, innovative approaches in game publishing, the importance of radical candor in business, the necessity of honest conversations, the realities of compromise in business dealings, effective hiring strategies for accelerators, and the assessment of creativity and values in potential candidates. Dive in where it’s most interesting to you…* The Genesis of Our Conversations (00:00)* Navigating the Challenges of Entrepreneurship (03:10)* Building Resilience in Business (05:57)* Emotional Regulation as a Business Owner (09:06)* Learning from Experience (11:44)* Advice to My Former Self (15:00)* The Importance of Perspective (17:57)* Celebrating Small Wins (20:45)* Finding Value in the Everyday (23:59)* Preparing for Future Opportunities (26:46)* The Value of Self-Validation (36:14)* Innovative Approaches in Game Publishing (37:42)* Radical Candor in Business (40:00)* Navigating Honest Conversations (41:48)* The Reality of Compromise in Business (44:23)* Hiring Strategies for Accelerators (49:20)* Assessing Creativity and Values (54:09)* The Role of Accelerators in Personal Growth (56:41)* Managing Distractions Effectively (01:00:04)* Celebrating Small Wins (01:07:10)Let us know what you think, we’re always open to feedback, comments or gentle social heckling. Until next week - sending POSITIVE VIBES your way.Check out previous Better Me podcast episodes here…Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Glenn Martin at glennnevermindthejobspec.substack.com/subscribe

Simon Sparks and I continue our weekly conversation delving into our respective experiences, learnings, and reflections on the past week. What are we hoping to achieve through sharing this conversation? - it’s a question we asked ourselves a lot before pushing this out into the social-sphere. I think it’s an altruistic-drive to help others through being open, honest, and vulnerable with our own experiences, combined with an reluctance to writing long-form blog posts that neither of us would read - so why make other folks read them! This week we dive back into a couple of familiar topic - the nuances of corporate communication and the importance of intuition in decision-making - and then we focus on the value of journaling, techniques for effective goal setting, and visualisation. Then we jump straight into the dynamics of leadership, emphasising the importance of setting punchy goals, fostering deeper connections, and the role of vulnerability in creating an authentic leadership style. All this from a single comment about 1:1’s in the corporate world. We round off by an attempt at philosophical reflection by highlighting the need for critical thinking in a digital age and the importance of curating positive contributions to AI and information sources. Dive in where it’s most interesting to you…* Introduction and Weekly Reflections (00:00)* Navigating Corporate Speak and Communication (04:52)* Shooting from the Hip: Intuition in Action (10:01)* The Importance of Reflection and Journaling (14:58)* Future Self Visualisation and Goal Setting (19:55)* Setting Punchy Goals for Engagement (25:59)* Transforming One-on-One Dynamics (27:22)* Building Deeper Connections as a Leader (28:26)* The Role of Vulnerability in Leadership (30:46)* Distinguishing Vulnerability from Transparency (32:46)* The Importance of Authenticity in Leadership (34:52)* Navigating Change and Behavioural Shifts (36:43)* The Influence of Generative AI on Authenticity (37:06)* Finding Quality Information in a Digital Age (39:10)* The Need for Critical Thinking (41:06)* The Disconnect in AI Adoption (43:06)* Curating Positive Contributions to AI (45:18)* Personal Growth and Reflection (50:14)Let us know what you think, we’re always open to feedback, comments or gentle social heckling. Until next week - sending POSITIVE VIBES your way. Check out previous Better Me podcast episodes here…Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Glenn Martin at glennnevermindthejobspec.substack.com/subscribe

Simon Sparks and I return for our first podcast of 2025 we reflect on our holiday experiences, discussing the pressures of consumerism during Christmas and the importance of family over materialism. We explore the idea of letting go of past burdens as we enter this New Year, whilst emphasising the need for personal growth and setting intentions. We shift gears to focus on the value of coaching and the importance of authenticity in a world increasingly influenced by AI, which leads to a prediction about the rise of micro communities and collaborative learning as a way to foster genuine connections and growth. As usual, we delve into a variety of topics including, importance of collaborative learning environments, the need for creating a baseline for engagement, the significance of letting go of distractions (unless they’re cat videos!), the power of optimism in overcoming challenges, AND (deep breath!), the necessity of intentionality in self-improvement. All this with a smattering of our usual humour, vulnerability, and honest truths. * New Year reflections and Holiday Experiences (00:00)* Cynicism and Consumerism During the Holidays (07:13)* Letting Go of the Past and Embracing Change (13:01)* Setting Intentions for the New Year (19:49)* The Value of Coaching and Authenticity (27:00* Micro Communities and Collaborative Learning (33:03)* Collaborative Learning Environments (34:06)* Creating a Baseline for Engagement (40:01)* Letting Go of Distractions (46:11)* The Power of Optimism (47:29)* Intentionality in Self-Improvement (51:20)* Micro Practices for Growth (58:05)As we continue on this journey of weekly conversations to explore what a Better Me can be, through taking direct action, we’re also exploring the addition of a Guest segment. If you’re interested in joining us as a Guest, pop me a message. Check out previous Better Me podcast episodes here… Get full access to Glenn Martin at glennnevermindthejobspec.substack.com/subscribe

Simon Sparks and I return for our third Better Me podcast, we find ourselves at that time of year where we get ready to celebrate the birthday of the prodigal Son; with this at the forefront of our minds, we dive into the following topics…* Our gratitude to our 14 listeners (0:00 - 2:54)* Interview insights and new world needs (2:55 - 6:10)* Shooting from the hip: A new approach (6:11 - 8:56)* The concept of Burstiness in action (8:57 - 12:02)* The absurdity of language and communication in business (12:03 - 17:43)* Highlights and personal growth in 2024 (17:44 - 36:28)* Escaping the echo chamber (36: 29 - 40:04)* Reflections on Christmas expectations (40:05 - 49:24)* Navigating family dynamics during the holidays (49:25 - 1:01:00)* The Better Me challenge for the New Year (1:01:01 - 1:10:00)Quick heads-up for this week’s podcast: there’s a bit of effing, jeffing, and some general tongue-wagging that might ruffle a few feathers. We're not serial swearers by default, but when inspiration strikes, we can wield profanity like Shakespeare with a thesaurus. Viewer discretion, and maybe earmuffs, advised.Check out previous Better Me podcast episodes here… Get full access to Glenn Martin at glennnevermindthejobspec.substack.com/subscribe

This week is an extended recording as Simon Sparks and I got into a few topics, and as we’re not governed by anything other than ourselves, we just kept talking and sharing our experiences. I’m always surprised by the topics we cover, and we opened the conversation this week with a few hot topics - here we go…* Exploring spirituality and religion (0:00 - 2:55)* Navigating the games industry (2:56 - 5:53)* Reflections on learning and growth (5:54 - 9:12)* Understanding psychological safety (9:13 - 11:55) * The importance of celebrating wins (11:56 - 15:08)* Risk-taking and confidence (15:09 - 18:11)* The role of education in risk aversion (18:12 - 20:59)* Curiosity and the need for understanding (21:00 - 24:05)* The pendulum of social dynamics (24:06 - 27:03)* Personal reflections and energy levels (27:04 - 29:56)* Finding humour in everyday life (29:57 - 36:54)* Reflecting on the future (36:55 - 41:05)* Embracing vulnerability and self-worth (41:06 - 44:57)* Practicing being in the spotlight (44:58 - 49:51)* Breaking free from doom-scrolling (49:52 - 55:04)* Setting challenges for personal growth (55:05 - 1:02:00) If any or all of these topics resonate with you, we’d love to hear from you. Until next week everyone, sending POSITIVE VIBES your way ✌🏼Check out previous Better Me podcast episodes here… Get full access to Glenn Martin at glennnevermindthejobspec.substack.com/subscribe

In this week’s conversation, covering the 2nd-6th December 2024, we chat about:* I share a recent experience that kickstarts the conversation focusing on the importance and realisation of accountability * We’re open about mental health challenges and links to motivation* This leads us to discuss the dynamics of introversion and extroversion * Simon shares his experiences of interviewing which leaves me gobsmacked* We talk about personal growth and learning and the privilege of having purpose * We close out chatting about being grateful If you have a friend that you chat to regularly, and it helps you just make sense of life - you’ll know the value of these types of conversations. Keep talking and sharing folks. Until next week. Check out other Better Me podcast episodes here… Get full access to Glenn Martin at glennnevermindthejobspec.substack.com/subscribe