Best Todd Sattersten Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 458 - Healing-Centred book launch with Kerry Tottingham 30:16

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3d ago30:16

30:16

"How do you want your book to make people feel? Start with the feeling and then work your way backwards." When you're all about creativity, social justice and empowering individuals to transform pain into positive action, how do you design a book launch that reflects that? Kerry Tottingham rejected the warm white wine option for a radically differ…

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Episode 457 - The Work We Need with Hilary Cottam 31:42

11d ago31:42

31:42

What does a good working life look like in the 21st century? Dr Hilary Cottam, OBE has spent the last five years exploring this question through collaborative workshops she calls 'imagininings', involving all sectors of the post-industrial workforce from gravediggers to consultants. The same resonant themes kept emerging: the need for work that pay…

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Episode 456 - We Need New Leaders with Charlotte Otter 25:35

18d ago25:35

25:35

'Every time I interviewed somebody, I said, is there anyone you think I should talk to? And so it had a network effect for me. My network grew with these generous, amazing, thoughtful people.' Writing a novel can be lonely; writing a thesis can be demanding; writing a business book can be a team effort. Charlotte Otter's done all of these, with a …

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Episode 455 - Best business books with Todd Sattersten 36:05

1M ago36:05

36:05

' I think reading a book is sometimes like... you've slowed things down. You're in this present moment, working on this very particular thing. And I think we want more of that in our lives.' What makes a business book worth reading - or publishing? If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume (and, let’s be honest, variable quality) of busin…

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Episode 454 - From spark to flame 12:15

1M ago12:15

12:15

'Creativity needs oxygen just as much as fire does.' What does it take to turn a spark of inspiration into a sustained creative fire? This week’s episode is a reflection on the art of making fire, from striking the first spark with flint and steel to nurturing the ember with just the right balance of oxygen and fuel, and how that process sheds ligh…

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Episode 453 - The business of being a writer with Jane Friedman 32:17

2M ago32:17

32:17

'The foundations of how authors build visibility, build a readership... while the tools change, the principles don't.' Jane Friedman has been commentating on the business of books for many years, and her classic The Business of Being a Writer has demystified the industry for thousands of authors. So on the release of its second edition it seems a g…

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Episode 452 - Creative Velocity with Leslie Grandy 35:14

2M ago35:14

35:14

Leslie Grandy always wanted to be 'creative', but after discovering that she 'sucked' as a child at piano, painting, drama, dancing and so on she decided (to the relief of her teachers) that it simply wasn't for her. Until she realized, in her corporate career working with visionary leaders like Steve Jobs, that creativity can also be defined as 't…

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Episode 451 - Collaborating with AI with Georgia Kirke 34:34

2M ago34:34

34:34

'If you just want a machine to write all of this stuff and put your name on it and say it's yours, I don't know what the motivation is. I don't know what results you think it could bring.' What does it look like to use AI in creative activities practically, ethically, and in a human-centred way? One answer to that question might be Cliobooks.ai, t…

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273: Navigating Time Anxiety, Reducing Inbox Dread, and Creating Ease Loops with Chris Guillebeau 50:18

2M ago50:18

50:18

👋 Hello Free Timers! While we’re still not resuming the podcast’s regular publishing schedule, I’m popping into your feed today to share a fun conversation with my friendtor of over fifteen years, Chris Guillebeau. We’re discussing his new book, Time Anxiety: The Illusion of Urgency and a Better Way to Live — it was too aligned with Free Time not t…

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Episode 450 - The one about conversations 30:48

3M ago30:48

30:48

‘It’s not a presentation or a business card. It’s a conversation.’ This Best Bits episode is a love letter to intentional conversations – the ones that unlock insight, build cohesion, shape identity and, ultimately, bring books into the world. As I looked back over the last few episodes, what stood out was how often my guests spoke about dialogue i…

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Episode 449 - The origin of the series 15:50

3M ago15:50

15:50

'I didn't just want to do a sort of 'me-too' series just for the sake of it. I wanted to have a series concept that I could really get excited about and which would stand out in quite a crowded marketplace as offering something different.' This week, we're flipping the script a bit. Normally, I'd be bringing you an engaging conversation with a busi…

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Episode 448 - Gen Z career tales with Drs Schuster & Oxley 37:04

3M ago37:04

37:04

' We've invented a new genre, at least that's very modestly what we would like to believe. We're calling it Professional Advice Narrative Tales, and we'll leave you to figure out that acronym.' For the new generation entering the workplace, reading a traditional business book has all the appeal of a colonoscopy. So longtime colleagues and collabora…

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Episode 447 - The 2025 LBF edit 29:36

3M ago29:36

29:36

'[Olympia's] gorgeous vaulted glass roof feels kind of like a metaphor for the fair itself. Rooted in history, but always looking upwards and outwards.' Something a bit different today: join me for a deep dive into a publisher's experience of London Book Fair 2025. I have been to a LOT of book fairs, but this one was a little different. I'm explori…

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Episode 446 - Book publicity with Marissa Eigenbrood 39:44

4M ago39:44

39:44

'This is all a web that's woven together, and how it all works is really important. You can't just do one piece of it. And a great partner is someone who understands that this is a marathon, not a sprint.' You think writing a book is hard? Well, ok, yes it is, but it comes as a nasty shock for most authors to realize that writing the damn thing is…

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Episode 445 - Both/And Thinking with Wendy Smith 33:32

4M ago33:32

33:32

'When I first started, people were like, "Don't say the word paradox... don't say it because they won't get it." And now people are like, "Oh my goodness, I need this."' When it's a case of scarce resources - as it always seems to be, right? - our default thinking is Either/Or. Either I spend time on this project, or I prioritise my family. Either…

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Episode 444 - Writing as a team sport with Petra Molthan-Hill 31:19

4M ago31:19

31:19

' I really like to read other people's ideas and then add my own ideas... you start with the brainstorming together and say, so what could be in here?' Petra Molthan-Hill is a professor of Sustainable Management and Education for Sustainable Development at Nottingham Business School, and a prolific academic writer. But when it came to The Handbook …

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Episode 443 - Now We're Talking with Sarah Rozenthuler 29:19

4M ago29:19

29:19

'I have learned to have a different relationship with resistance... when we're actually really on track with things, resistance comes up.' Sarah Rozenthuler is no stranger to the art of conversation at work. With over two decades of experience as a business psychologist, she's seen both how energizing high-quality conversation can be, and also how …

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Episode 442 - Creating Glue with John Dore 32:00

5M ago32:00

32:00

'How do you make a strategy a story? The best leaders and the best communicators do that. They turn something that's functional and rational into something that's a story.' John Dore, head of London Business School's Senior Executive Program and founder of Wave Your Arms, wants you to reimagine your idea of 'glue': as the magic ingredient that hold…

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Episode 441 - Building on answers with Claire Pedrick 28:58

5M ago28:58

28:58

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 sa…

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Episode 440 - Self-discovery, clarity and growth 21:02

5M ago21:02

21:02

'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 se…

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Episode 439 - The Sky is No Limit with Per Wimmer 34:30

5M ago34:30

34:30

'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.…

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Episode 438 - The truth about passive income with Kate Toon 34:32

5M ago34:32

34:32

"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…

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Episode 437 - Design not decisions: new New Year thinking 27:27

6M ago27:27

27:27

'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…

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Episode 436 - Marketing for Introverts with Jenny Procter 32:10

6M ago32:10

32:10

'It's that place of, you know, because it's your business and your livelihood, having to say, "Come and buy my thing because I'm great. I'm great at it. Look at me, look at all these great things I can do for my clients." And oh my goodness, that's difficult.' Jenny Proctor is living proof that you don’t need to shout to get the right kind of atte…

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Episode 435 - Double Your Price with David Falzani 32:36

7M ago32:36

32:36

'[And this is} the rationale and the motivation for the book. It's about, well, how do we spread this? How do we do some good with it? How do we improve the economy? How do we make businesses more effective?' David Falzani has spent decades building and growing businesses, and now, as a Professor of Practice, helping others to do the same. And thro…

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Episode 434 - Learning to promote a book with Lucy Ryan 31:46

7M ago31:46

31:46

'The writing is joyful, more or less. It's painful, but it's also joyful. The marketing of it is much harder.' Dr Lucy Ryan's book Revolting Women touched a nerve worldwide: many women can relate all too well to the perfect storm of challenges facing midlife women at work, and everyone has an opinion on it. Which took a bit of getting used to. In t…

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Episode 433 - Writing for Busy Readers with Todd Rogers 34:52

7M ago34:52

34:52

'The TLDR, the too-long-didn't-read of the whole thing, is that everybody's skimming. So we need to write in a way that makes it easy for skimmers if we want to achieve our goals as writers.' Todd Rogers has been using behavioural science for good for many years, from strengthening democracy to increasing student attendance, so his kids were somewh…

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Episode 432 - Ruthlessly Caring with Amy Walters Cohen 31:01

7M ago31:01

31:01

'Ruthlessness exists on a continuum, caring exists on a continuum, and it's about being in the sweet spots of both of those, not overplaying either one, or underplaying either one.' Amy Walters Cohen is the author of Ruthlessly Caring: And Other Paradoxical Mindsets Leaders Need to Be Future Fit, which was named overall Business Book of the Year in…

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Episode 431 - The Power of Culture with Laura Hamill 35:42

8M ago35:42

35:42

'Mom, why don't you just write it like you talk to me?' When Laura Hamill set out to write a book about the subject she knew best - the subject she'd spent years researching in theory and practice - she naturally drew on all the studies, statistics and evidence she'd gathered together to support her argument. Turns out, that's not what the reader n…

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Episode 430 - Human & artificial intelligence in writing 36:37

8M ago36:37

36:37

'As we lean into artificial intelligence across every sector of business and life, how do we ensure that we're delegating the right things and keeping responsibility for the right things? And specifically, how do books and writing play into that?' In this best bits episode, I'm exploring the role of writing in human intelligence in a world where it…

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Episode 429 - Do Start with Dan Kieran 34:28

8M ago34:28

34:28

'They think the goal is to have the book, but no, the goal is to become the person it takes to write your book.' Dan Kieran is a publishing legend: as a co-founder of Unbound he revolutionizing the industry by empowering authors and readers. He learned a lot about himself and about setting up a business along the way, and he brought all that togeth…

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272: Seth Godin on Publishing Strategy, Missed Opportunities, Sunk Costs, Social Media, and Smart Risks 48:27

8M ago48:27

48:27

“How do you decide who has the power to judge you? Who are you seeking to please? Is that validation directly in alignment with how you are rewarded and how you're organized?” Seth Godin is back with a brand new book, This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans, and if you loved Free Time, I know you will love this one for geeking out on systems thinking! …

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Episode 428 - getAbstract at the Frankfurt Book Fair 30:06

8M ago30:06

30:06

'I think we are living in a renaissance of the book... AI is changing how we are looking at trusted knowledge.' getAbstract is one of the leading corporate learning platforms, and it's based on books. The founders met with a lot of resistance from publishers in the early days, but their vision of making the knowledge in books discoverable and actio…

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271: Specific Road-Tested Tips for Book Sales and Marketing with Todd Sattersten (Part Two) 53:40

8M ago53:40

53:40

Hi Friends! Although the podcast is still paused, I'm dropping into the feed this week and next with two very special conversations :) Today is a bonus episode from February for paid subscribers with Todd Sattersten, publisher and owner of Bard Press, and next week features Seth Godin and his new book, This Is Strategy. If you haven't already liste…

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Episode 427 - Coaching for Performance with Tiffany Gaskell 27:42

9M ago27:42

27:42

"As she was coached during a 15-minutes conversation, she put down each of those worries and at the end of it she was standing there in her full potential and I was like, wow, that's amazing. I want to learn how to do that." If there's a foundational text of executive coaching it's Coaching for Performance by Sir John Whitmore, first published in 1…

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Episode 426 - Kind with Graham Allcott 36:46

9M ago36:46

36:46

'Nice is about telling people what they want to hear. Kind is about telling people what they need to hear.' Graham Allcott's back on the podcast and all is well with the world once again. This time he's talking about the transformative power of kindness in the workplace. Many assume that leaders need to belong to Team Screw-Them-All-And-Be-Evil to …

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Episode 425 - A Year of Creativity with Sue Unerman & Kathryn Jacob 40:51

9M ago40:51

40:51

'The majority of people think their life would be better if they were more creative, but they don't know how.' There are lots of books on creativity out there, but surprisingly few at its intersection with everyday business, what Sue Unerman and Kathryn Jacob call 'pragmatic creativity'. So they developed a series of practical techniques and struct…

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Episode 424 - How AI will change your life with Patrick Dixon 43:58

9M ago43:58

43:58

'We're on the edge of really very exciting things, but also tremendous risks at the same time.' Whether you're an AI enthusiast or it fills you with existential terror, this conversation will challenge your perspectives and elevate your understanding of our increasingly super-smart world. Futurist Patrick Dixon has been predicting AI for 25 years, …

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Episode 423 - Nonfiction stories with Anna Faherty 39:44

10M ago39:44

39:44

'We have this image of a reader being someone who's giving time and attention to our words... but online that doesn't happen.' Anna Faherty found out the hard way that there were no books to help her teach a course on 'digital storytelling' - so she had to write her own. And if you're trying to write a business book then much of what she tackles in…

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Episode 422 - Detox Your Culture with Colin D. Ellis 34:42

10M ago34:42

34:42

'I'm going to tell you how you should be doing it, but it's up to you to do it. But I'm going to dress it up in a way where the message might land 15 minutes later when you're on the bus going to town. And you're like, Oh, that's what he meant.' It takes courage, tact and humour to point out to a leader not only that there might be an issue with th…

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Episode 421 - The Audacity Spectrum with Alina Addison 32:41

10M ago32:41

32:41

'It's that little extra something that makes the ordinary into extraordinary and the impossible into the why not?' When her son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 10, it was what former head of trading and executive coach Alina Addison calls her 'butterfly moment'. While she accepted the diagnosis, she says, she didn't accept the prognosis, wh…

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Episode 420 - The Road Less Traveled 30:54

10M ago30:54

30:54

In a world that celebrates speed and working smart, adopting AI solutions and smashing simple success metrics, it can feel not just challenging but unhelpful to diverge from received wisdom. But if we're going to create anything of real value - in business, in writing, even in sport - we need to be ready to take the less-traveled path. Because that…

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Episode 419 - Add Then Multiply with David B. Horne 28:18

11M ago28:18

28:18

David B. Horne, creative accountant and author of the award-winning Add Then Multiply: How small businesses can think like big businesses and achieve exponential growth, has a multidimensional perspective on the Business Book Awards as entrant, finalist, winner and now judge. He also knows a thing or two about the power of books for business growth…

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Episode 418 - Thoughts on winning with Cath Bishop 38:42

11M ago38:42

38:42

Our definition of success has led us to a place that's actually constrained us from exploring what we're capable of. We're not getting the innovation or the collaboration that we want. We need to think about things differently.' If you're enthralled by the drama of the Paris Olympics, here's a thoughtful take on what you might be missing if you're …

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Episode 417 - How to get a book deal with Hasan Kubba 40:30

1y ago40:30

40:30

'It's an unfair advantage to have a platform, it massively helps, don't get me wrong. But it's totally possible to do it without one.' When Hasan Kubba and Ash Ali got together to write 'The Unfair Advantage: How you already have what it takes to succeed', they assumed they'd self-publish. They even put up a 'lean' version of the book on KDP. But a…

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Episode 416 - Your AI Survival Guide with Sol Rashidi 34:48

1y ago34:48

34:48

'Embrace AI, but also make sure that you evolve as an individual and you understand the art of the possible while still staying grounded in the art of the practical.' Implementing AI in your business isn't easy, but NOT implementing it could be disastrous. Sol Rashidi is a former C-suite executive turned AI consultant who knows more than most about…

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Episode 415 - Strategy and writing with Henry Mintzberg 37:42

1y ago37:42

37:42

Henry Mintzberg is quite simply a legend, and my personal business thinking hero. When I was studying his writings for my MBA I could only have dreamed that one day I'd be chatting about writing to him on my podcast - and sometimes when dreams come true, the reality is even better than you dared imagine. Along with the nuances of management theory …

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Episode 414 - CEO Secrets with Dougal Shaw 39:26

1y ago39:26

39:26

Journalism is changing, which means journalists have to change too. And a great example of this is the way that BBC reporter Dougal Shaw has reinvented his own role from pure video journalism, transforming what started as corridor conversations with business leaders who happened to be visiting the BBC into a high-profile series that runs on rolling…

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Episode 413 - The Neurodiversity Edge with Maureen Dunne 32:39

1y ago32:39

32:39

'This is the moment to embrace authentic neurodiversity inclusion as a core organizational value. It isn't the whole solution to anything, but it is part of the solution to nearly everything.' As we hurtle towards the workplace of the future, where human and machine intelligence will interplay in ways we can't yet fully imagine, one thing is clear:…

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Episode 412 - Success Frames with Rob Hatch 35:47

1y ago35:47

35:47

'We can't really understand what failure teaches us until we achieve success after failure. So it's the success actually, that is more instructive.' If you're navigating business or personal growth challenges, this episode could be a game-changer. Rob Hatch challenges the widely accepted narrative that failure is our greatest teacher. Instead, he a…