Podcast
A Brilliant Gamble
Hosted by Blaire Palmer · EN
Do you struggle with work life balance? Are you excited to get out of bed and work on something you truly love, that feeds your creativity and passions and that allows you to make an impact? Or do you feel success in one area of your life requires sacrifice in another? Well, work doesn’t have to be this way.
What if you didn’t have to sell your soul, compromise your values or forgo professional success to achieve work life balance?
Join former BBC journalist, best-selling author and digital nomad Blaire Palmer and her guests as they share inspirational, honest and real conversations. A Brilliant Gamble is a great resource for those seeking real-life advice and insight based on the actual experiences of people just like you who are re-thinking how to balance work, life and self.
Learn practical strategies that will help you design a blended life - integrating work, family and self - to create a work life you love. You’ll hear inspiring interviews with entrepreneurs, creatives, leaders and others embracing new ways of working to design a life they love.
A must-listen for fans of Jess Lively, Michael Hyatt, Brene Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, Seth Godin and Tim Ferriss.
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Going inside to go outside, with Silvina Marchisio
Sep 24, 201900:39:59Tap to summarizeThis will be the last A Brilliant Gamble podcast for a while. As you may know I run another business specialising in leadership coaching and I speak about the future of leadership.Recently my Mum became ill and this, combined with running my other business, being a single mum, home educating and keeping on top of our smallholding has meant I’m spread a little too thin.The archive of past shows will still be here for you and I’m leaving the A Brilliant Gamble Facebook Page and Corporate Escapees Facebook Group open so you can access the resources there AND the incredible insights of the other members.Plus, of course, the courses to help you make your transition out of corporate life and in to the next chapter are still available, plus all the free resources on the website.We will continue to offer support to anyone who signs up to these programmes so if you’re planning to make your Brilliant Gamble this year all those resources and courses are still ideal to help you.I will really miss doing the show. I love meeting the guests and being inspired by their stories. And I love connecting with you through social media and your emails to me. But, as my guest this week illustrates, sometimes you have to acknowledge your own limits.Silvina Marchisio talks about her year long journey with depression and anxiety. She shares her personal experience of dealing with burnout in a foreign country and how visual thinking and visual metaphors help her share her own thoughts along her journey back to the world.Today she’s embarking on a new business as a Graphic Facilitator and is helping others suffering burnout to get themselves better, with the help of the lessons she learnt and the beautiful inspiring images she’s producing.
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Imposter Syndrome, with Leah Steele
Sep 17, 201900:48:29Tap to summarizeDo you get that little voice in your head that tells you you aren’t good enough, no one likes you, you don’t fit in….or any number of other delightfully undermining jabs?My guest today, Leah Steele, is the expert in Imposter Syndrome. A sufferer herself through her years as a lawyer she eventually developed techniques to deal with her demons and is now helping others to do the same.In our interview we talk about the signals she missed that she was suffering overwhelm and burnout, and how now she is helping others get out of this cycle.Leah speaks from personal experience and not, as she says, from the mountain top, so there’s lot of practical advice and suggestions to make a difference without having to run away from your real-life responsibilities at work and at home!You can find out more about Leah’s programmes and read her blog on her website.Click the link to get your free Escape the Rat Race Checklist from our website, where, in addition to downloading the list, you can get email support from me. There are also a bunch of blogs there to help you as you transition out of corporate life and start doing something you love for a living instead.Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter and the Corporate Escapees Facebook Group.
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Declaring a personal climate emergency, with Zoe Cohen
Sep 10, 201900:59:16Tap to summarizeIn just under a month, the next wave of Extinction Rebellion protests begin around the UK and elsewhere (w/c 7-Oct). Whether you’ve already been involved or you have other ways of responding to the climate crisis, the question many of us ask is, how can we, as individuals and as owners of small businesses, have any real impact? That’s why I wanted to speak to today’s guest. Zoe Cohen is a former NHS Trust board member who became a very successful executive coach. Zoe has now pivoted her life to focus as much as she can on activism and peaceful civil disobedience to push for the much needed system change to tackle the existential threat we face from climate and ecological breakdown. In our interview, Zoe talks about her values and how she stays connected with them; the sacrifices she’s made to stay congruent with those values and how we, as individual citizens and small business owners, can make a difference when in comes to the future of our planet. She also explains why she got arrested and how those of us who don’t want to see the inside of a police cell can still help. Even if you don’t have a strong sense of ‘calling’ like Zoe, I think you’ll be fascinated to know how she’s combining her two greatest passions: safeguarding the future of our one, shared planetary home with enabling and encouraging people to shine and to take action. This is a long interview - we cover her transition from corporate life to running her own business to her latest pivot AND we talk about what we can each do to make a difference. I hope you will set aside time to listen to the whole thing and be inspired by Zoe and the work of others like her. Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, the Corporate Escapees Facebook Group and of course, the website. Follow Zoe on LinkedIn and Twitter. Articles by Zoe Cohen Where were all the Coaches when the planet warmed by 3 degrees? How to declare your very own Climate Emergency An Open Letter to Coaches, the Coaching & Coaching Psychology Professional Bodies and Coach Educators “Heading for Extinction” with Dr Gail Bradbrook - This is the original ‘Heading for Extinction and what to do about it’ talk from Dr Gail Bradbrook, one of XR’s founder’s from last year. There are now more up to date versions of the talk. ICF webinar - The first of three webinars for coaches. IPCC Report - This is a huge 100s of pages thing in full, but there are loads of articles summarising the key messages, etc. Here are two as tasters: UN Secretary General’s speech in September 2018 There is no safe level of global warming
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Taking a year off, with Phil Quinnan
Sep 3, 201900:46:24Tap to summarizeIt’s September and many of us are thinking “Why does the holiday have to end?”. Well, maybe it doesn’t. On today’s show I speak to Phil Quinnan who stepped off the hamster wheel, not to start a business, but to take some time to reflect and reconnect with himself and his family in the Italian countryside. In our interview we talk about how he came to this decision, how he made it possible and the lesson’s he learnt by taking a year out. Phil has really embraced his local community in Italy, becoming part of the village, learning the language and allowing the Italian lifestyle to change his attitudes. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this interview and, perhaps, feel ready to take a Brilliant Gamble like this yourself. If you want more support working out how to escape the rat race, my 12 Ways To Transition course is the thing for you. It helps you work out your specific challenges – financial and time constraints, for instance – and then work around them so you have an exit strategy that perfectly fits your life. Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, the Corporate Escapees Facebook Group and of course, the website.
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How to be a Virtual Assistant, with Catherine Gladwyn
Aug 27, 201900:49:14Tap to summarizeCatherine is a best selling author, VA and VA trainer. Virtual Assistance is one of the fastest growing professions today for people leaving the 9-5. VAs are administrators who work by the hour for small businesses. Increasingly they have specialisms - social media management, bookkeeping, design, copywriting - as well organising travel, appointments and taking calls for people like, um, me. It was a life threatening illness that first got Catherine thinking about how she could earn money outside of the 9-5. Today she earns 4 times what she was earning in her corporate role and has a lifestyle that works much better with her health and personal priorities. In this interview we talk about how she started her business and how she’s grown it through her focus on constant marketing. We talk about the VA profession - what kinds of people make the best VAs and what kinds of people do not. And we talk about the journey she’s been on - how working for herself has changed her life and her health. A Brilliant Gamble YouTube Channel! In the show I also mention our new-ish YouTube channel. Subscribe to be notified about new, practical, helpful videos to guide to as you take a Brilliant Gamble of your own! Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, the Corporate Escapees Facebook Group and of course, the website. You can find Catherine online in the following places: www.delegateva.co.uk Instagram: @Delegate_VA Facebook: @DelegateVA Twitter: @DelegateVA www.howtobeava.co.uk Instagram: @howtobea_va Facebook: @howtobeava Twitter: @howtobea_va
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How should you spend your working day?
Aug 20, 201900:29:59Tap to summarizeHow should you spend your day when you work for yourself? Of course, there is no such thing as a typical day when you run your own business (which can be a problem for you if you’re used to structure!). But given that your time is largely yours to organise it’s useful to be intentional about what you prioritise. In today’s show I talk about two concepts to help you organise your time around what’s really important. I will divide activities in to three categories - big rocks, small rocks and sand. I also talk about Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix. This episode will help you: Make time for what moves the dial in your business Prioritise self-care and creative time Stop yourself getting distracted by ‘fun tasks’ without neglecting the fun stuff altogether! You can read my blog about the ‘Flow’ concept discussed in this episode and don’t forget to join Corporate Escapees on Facebook if you haven’t already. There's tonnes of advice and support over there to help you navigate your way through the journey towards doing what you love for a living. Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter and of course, the website.
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Failure… but in a good way!
Aug 13, 201900:21:56Tap to summarizeOn today’s show I’m talking about failure… but in a good way! Folks - failure is normal. Most of what happens when you take a Brilliant Gamble is failure. It’s just a part of the process of change. And I want to share with you a different way to think about failure and how to incorporate failure in to your business. Maybe you don’t like the word failure and you’d rather I called it something else. But I want to take the charge out of the word so that it doesn’t have the power it might have in your own mind. I’m also sharing a bug fix process (very similar to agile mythology for those of you familiar with that) to help you build failure in to the process rather than create, invent, develop, launch and then fail. Have I said the word failure enough? Get used to it! It’s not as bad as you think. Here’s the process I talk about on the show - Have the idea. It’s pretty raw at this stage, it’s the stuff you think of at 3am, jot down on a scrap of paper and try to forget about until morning. Refine it JUST ENOUGH to share it for immediate feedback.. Make sure to share it with the right group - a safe place where the feedback has validity. Take the advice you’re given!! You’ve got to be open to feedback at this stage. If the feedback is contradictory go with your gut/experience to decide what to listen to. Remember, sometimes the stuff that’s hardest to hear is the stuff we need to listen to the most. Give yourself a tight deadline. Make the deadline public if you have to in order to hold yourself to account. Do what needs to be done and no more to get your idea/product/website/whatever out there. It’s not going to be perfect. It’s in beta (that's all you committed to when you publicised your deadline) so you’ve given yourself that freedom. If it’s a product offer a beta (to make up for fact it’s not all ready). If it’s your website, make clear this is not the finished product – you’re going to fix the bugs based on feedback from users. DIY it or use a very small team. Don’t waste time and money briefing people and buying in expertise and learn the process yourself so you can do the basics yourself. Be prepared mentally (and contractually) to scrap it or massively fix it if it doesn’t work for people. Go live and get ready for feedback! Refine, tweak, scrap, iterate. Go again! I mentioned the programme I created this way for my other business, That People Thing. It’s in beta! It’s a presentation skills programme for people who have to speak to audiences as part of their job. You can find it here. Use the discount code TPTBETA2019 to get 50% off. I believe it’s never too late to live your life on your own terms and do work you love for a living. This is why I have designed a suite of courses to help you get from where you are now to where you deserve to be. Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, the Corporate Escapees Facebook Group and of course, the website. Finally, please leave a review for this show on iTunes as it really helps us get the word out about the show!
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Websites 101, with Matthew Eldridge
Aug 6, 201900:56:11Tap to summarizeAre you putting off building your website? Is it half done? Have you done it but you’re not happy with it? Today’s show is here at the rescue! I’m talking to Matthew Eldridge, Owner and Head Geek at Melt Creative Ltd and this episode is Websites 101! I don’t want you to have any excuses to stall on your website, so in this interview we go back to basics. We talk about: What a website is actually for? Email lists Lead magnets Keywords, phrases, meta data and a lot more techy language Blogs And much, much more. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by how much there is to do to get started with your new venture and leave your current working situation don’t forget to download the Escape The Rat Race Checklist which shows you exactly what you have to do in order to make that dream a reality. Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, the Corporate Escapees Facebook Group and of course, the website. Don't forget to download Matt’s free Content Framework Guide, check out his website and see how he does it all at and the blog, which he calls The Knowledge Centre. has lots of useful content. You can also follow Matt on Twitter. Please remember to leave a review for this show on iTunes as it helps people find us and take a Brilliant Gamble of their own!
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Kick In The Creatives
Jul 30, 201900:52:19Tap to summarizeCreativity is hugely important to developing that sense of balance that so many of us are looking for. And women are particularly bad at this - men spend an average of 4 hours 29 mins a week on sports, hobbies and computer games versus women who spend about 2 hours 29 minutes. What?? And that’s why I wanted to talk to Sandra and Tara from Kick in the Creatives. They have podcast of the same name, a website and a 1000 member Facebook group aimed at helping people incorporate creative challenges in to their lives. In this interview we talk about creativity in a broad sense - from painting to music to writing and crafts - about how important it is to make time for creativity in your life and how to get started. If you’ve been putting your own creativity on a back burner I hope today’s show will inspire you to push it further up the list of priorities. And i’d love to know how you get on. In the Corporate Escapees Facebook Group I will start a thread about my own creative challenge for the month of August and I’d love to know what you’re planning to do and how you progress! And if you know you’d benefit from support in making your dreams of a different kind of life midlife a reality, head over to our website and check out our flagship A Brilliant Gamble Online programme and stay in touch with us on Facebook and Twitter. You can follow Tara and Sandra and take part in their creative challenges here: Website - https://kickinthecreatives.com/ Podcast - https://kickinthecreatives.com/kick-creatives-podcast/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kickinthecreatives/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/KickintheCreatives
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Galloping Catastrophe, with Jennifer Kennedy
Jul 23, 201900:48:57Tap to summarizeWhat happens when your blog goes viral? And what about when your blog is something as personal as your experiences of the menopause? Jennifer Kennedy knows! Her blog is only 18 months old but she has to date, nearly 35,000 readers... and she balances that with a full time job as well. Like so many of our guests Jennifer didn’t have a grand plan - she just got started, with the help of a friend’s 14 year old who set it up her blog for her. In this interview we talk about Blogging and writing in general Turning your blog in to a book Being asked to do comedy stand up The menopause The importance of social media if you want to be a writer Holding down a full time job while pursuing your passion outside of work Taking a career break Follow Jennifer’s blog and Facebook page. Join OUR Facebook Group group and also, watch the growing number of helpful videos on our Facebook page. Stay in touch with us on Instagram, Twitter and of course, our website.
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