In this episode, Riley McGhee shares a simple framework to build relationships that lead to real business opportunities. Learn how to start better conversations, communicate your offer with clarity, and turn everyday interactions into meaningful client connections. “At the end of your life, all you really have are the relationships you’ve built – and the stories you can tell.”
Continue ReadingWhen I was in university, I struggled to memorise lists of theories for one particular exam. No matter how many times I read them, they wouldn’t stick. One afternoon, out of frustration, I started sketching them – rough shapes, arrows, symbols. That’s when everything clicked. I started to understand. And I remembered it much better. Years later, I came across a Time Magazine article referencing a study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Continue ReadingIn the late 1970s, Anita Roddick was preparing to expand The Body Shop beyond her small UK storefront. She didn’t rely on brochures or detailed business documents to convince potential partners. Instead, she stood in front of groups and spoke – about sustainability, about cruelty-free products, about business as a force for good. It wasn’t the most efficient way to share information. But it worked. Because while documents and emails can inform, only a human presence can inspire.
Continue ReadingKurt Vonnegut often spoke about the struggles of being a writer. In interviews and public talks, he shared how, early in his career, he faced constant rejection. Magazine editors rejected him again and again. He joked that for a while, the only one who appreciated his stories was his dog. But he kept writing. He reworked his style. He learned from the rejection. And eventually, he published Slaughterhouse-Five, a novel that would become one of the most celebrated anti-war books of the twentieth century.
Continue ReadingIn 1970, Art Fry had a problem. He sang in his church choir and kept losing his place in the hymnal. Paper bookmarks would slip out, and nothing seemed to work. He needed a way to mark pages that would stay in place without damaging the book. At the time, Fry worked at 3M. He remembered a weak adhesive a colleague had developed – too weak for most applications but maybe just right for a reusable bookmark.
Continue ReadingBefore you start designing slides or rehearsing lines, ask yourself: What change am I trying to create? Do you want your audience to see something differently? Do something they hadn’t planned? Feel something more deeply? A good presentation leads your audience somewhere new. Every choice you make – what to include, what to leave out – should support that shift. If the change feels too big for one talk, narrow it. Make it clear and achievable.
Continue ReadingIn Montessori classrooms, children explore. They choose activities and learn by doing. But they don’t do it in chaos. The environment is prepared – structured in a way that supports independence while providing direction. When you prepare a talk, freedom without structure can feel overwhelming. You have too many ideas and no clear path. On the other hand, a rigid structure can feel limiting, leaving no space for creativity. The best presenters find the middle ground: structure that supports creativity.
Continue ReadingIn the early 2000s, IKEA sold a desk named Fartfull – a Swedish word meaning ‘speedy’. But in English-speaking countries, the name caused laughter. What was meant to convey efficiency instead distracted customers and sparked jokes. IKEA hadn’t thought about how its message would land with a different audience. When our message doesn’t get through, it’s easy to say, “They just didn’t get it.” But if people didn’t understand or care, it’s on us to ask why.
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