If you'd told me a few years ago that I'd be co-hosting a podcast, producing every episode, and looking forward to spending my evenings editing conversations, I'm not sure I'd have believed you... Yet here we are!
Podcasting has become one of the most rewarding things I do outside of my day-to-day work at Tech23. Not because it's a marketing exercise or a lead generation machine, but because it's introduced me to fascinating people, brilliant conversations and opportunities that simply wouldn't have happened otherwise.
AND I'M ABSOLUTELY LOVING IT ❤️
I'm still relatively new to the podcasting world, and I'm certainly no Steven Bartlett or Joe Rogan... but that's never been the ambition. For me, it's always been about creating something authentic that people enjoy listening to, that doesn't fall into the AI slop bracket!
When my good friend and now co-host James Sharples and I first dreamt up A Quick Brew, we made a conscious decision not to niche ourselves in a single vertical or industry. That might sound like a strange decision in a world obsessed with specialisation, but we liked the freedom it gave us.
My own background naturally leans towards recruitment, entrepreneurship, and working with MSPs and technology companies.
James is a perfect balance to this. He brings different perspectives from health and wellbeing, commercial training, and sales. His own life experiences, from living abroad, touring with his band, and more recently fatherhood, often shape the conversations in unexpected and refreshing ways.
That combination creates something we both enjoy and feel are complementary to each other. Some episodes are just the two of us discussing topical themes, sharing experiences or reflecting on things we've learned recently.
Other episodes feature guests with specialist expertise, interesting careers, or inspiring stories.
The result is a business-focused podcast that's deliberately fluid.
You never quite know what's coming next... and we think there's value and interest in that.
One of the biggest surprises has been how many people are willing to sit down for a conversation. Podcasting creates a different dynamic. The conversations feel less transactional and more human. Guests often share stories, lessons and vulnerabilities that might never come across in a networking event or a LinkedIn post. I've honestly learnt something from every single episode we've recorded, and each chat leaves me with something worth thinking about.
Whether it's practical business advice, leadership ideas, resilience, or simply a different way of looking at life.
I've also enjoyed working with James on recurring features for our guests that give the podcast its own personality. One of my favourites is our virtual Quick Brew Bookcase. Every guest shares a book that's had a meaningful impact on their life or career, creating a growing collection of recommendations for listeners to (hopefully) explore.
But if I had to pick one standout feature, it's our Golden Nugget. At the end of each guest episode, we ask one final question.
"What's the one thought, lesson or piece of advice you'd like listeners to leave with?"
It's deliberately simple... and I believe... it's consistently brilliant! Also, how good is this short from Martyn Pace 👉
Some of the most memorable moments from our episodes so far have happened in those final couple of minutes, and listener feedback suggests they feel the same too.
What I've found particularly rewarding is that the opportunities haven't always been commercial. Some guests have become friends. Others have become trusted contacts that I'm able to learn from long after the recording has finished. There have been introductions to people, events and communities that simply wouldn't have happened if we'd never sat down for that conversation. We've even had one guest who said the recording meant she could strike "appearing on a podcast" off her bucket list ✅ (still chuffed about this, Lauren).
The podcast has also given me a reason to reach out to people I admire and ask questions I genuinely want answers to. In day-to-day life, those conversations don't always happen. Podcasting creates the space for curiosity, and that's often where the most interesting opportunities emerge.
It's also helped me build confidence. Whether that's interviewing guests, sharing my own views or producing content consistently, every episode feels like a small investment in becoming a better communicator.
When I look back at what the podcast has given me so far, the business opportunities are certainly appreciated. But they're only part of the story. The real value has come from the people, the conversations and the experiences that have followed.
As I was writing this blog, James called (he loves a chat when he's en route to a meeting), and this was his impromptu take on recording the pod:
💬 "The reason I love doing the podcast so much is not only the advice we try to give and the help we try to offer, but also the advice, success stories, and failures we get from various organisations and guests on the pod. If we can create something tangible to help people rethink what they're doing and reframe how they're living their lives or their business, then all the better.
But it also helps me connect. David's been a good friend of mine for many, many years. We don't get as many opportunities as I'd like to see each other in person, and working within this space, there's often a lot of solitude. In the well-being space, you're constantly helping others but don't really have the chance to connect with each other and have meaningful conversations. So, the chance I get to do that with David on a regular basis is another reason I love doing the pod."
AI can generate posts in seconds. Algorithms constantly evolve. Timelines are increasingly filled with polished content that often feels strangely interchangeable 🤖 That's exactly why I value podcasting so much.
It's imperfect. It's conversational. It's unscripted. It's all about people sharing real experiences, ideas and lessons they've learned along the way. You can hear excitement, uncertainty, humour and emotion. For me, that feels reassuringly human.
Perhaps that's because the best moments in a podcast are rarely the ones you plan for. They're the unexpected stories, the off-the-cuff observations, and the moments when someone shares a lesson they've learned through experience rather than something they've picked up in their echo chamber.
As a listener, you get a much fuller picture of who somebody is. Not just what they do, but how they think.
That's one of the reasons we've never tried to over-produce our pod. We want the conversations to feel natural. We want guests to feel comfortable being themselves. And if that means the occasional tangent, laugh or unexpected detour, then we're here for that too!
So there's my love letter to podcasts 💌 Have you ever appeared on one yourself? If you've got an interesting business story or a career journey that could inspire others, I'd love to hear from you.
No hidden agenda, just a good conversation over a virtual coffee and the chance to share ideas that might help someone else. Feel free to get in touch and let's have a chat.
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Ultimately, I'm still learning, still improving and still figuring things out as we go. But one thing I'm certain of is this. The time invested in podcasting has been one of the best investments I've made. Not because of numbers or metrics. Because of people. And I have a feeling the best conversations are still to come. Thank you for reading 🙏 |
Listen now, on your favourite platform, and please let me know what you think.