This time we explore whether it is better to generally say 'yes' or 'no' in various situations, and how each choice can offer distinct rewards. The conversation is framed by a quote from improvisation expert Keith Johnston , which asserts, 'Yes Sayers are rewarded by adventure and No Sayers are rewarded by safety.' The hosts consider personal anecdotes, the impact of these attitudes on careers, social settings, and mental well-being. They also touch on tools for making these decisions, such as t...
Jun 26, 2025•46 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Have you ever found yourself spiralling uncontrollably downwards in the "awkwardness vortex"? 🤔 Tune in to our latest podcast episode where we chat with celebrated science journalist Melissa Dahl about conquering those cringe-worthy moments and how awkwardness might just be a sign of empathy! This sketch is exclusive to the Sketchplanations Book : Big Ideas, Little Pictures - so check that out if you'd like to see this sketch in full (as well as number of other exclusive sketches). Melissa is a...
Jun 12, 2025•47 min•Season 4Ep. 7
We discuss the Zanclean Megaflood, a massive flood event that filled the Mediterranean Sea in a remarkably short period. The episode dives into the geological events and evidence leading up to this flood, challenging the earlier gradualist theories and promoting a catastrophic model. We are joined by Mike Sowden, whose engaging Twitter thread about the Zanclean Megaflood reached over 10 million people. Sowden, a travel writer and science communicator, shares insights on his curiosity-driven appr...
May 29, 2025•53 min•Season 4Ep. 6
This time, we delve into the complexities of choosing the perfect gift. The discussion is framed around a Venn diagram Sketchplanation that identifies three key factors in gift selection: what the recipient actually likes, what you think they like, and what you think they ought to like. We share personal anecdotes about both successful and less successful gifts we've given and received, emphasising the emotional aspects of gift-giving for both the giver and the recipient. We also touch on practi...
May 15, 2025•48 min•Season 4Ep. 5
This time, we delve into the concept of eponyms —words or names derived from people's names or places that capture little slices of history. The discussion starts with general definitions and shares interesting examples like the Jacuzzi, named after the Jacuzzi brothers, and the sandwich named after the fourth Earl of Sandwich. The hosts explore how eponyms often tell compelling stories, sometimes reveal historical facts, and occasionally involve controversies or unintended legacies, such as the...
May 01, 2025•45 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Before you go any further with this episode, check out both: Jono's mindmap travel journal from 7 months traveling in Central America, South East Asia, and South Africa, and Eva-Lotta Lamm's sketchnotes from her 14-month world trip. With the help of visual thinking expert Eva-Lotta Lamm, in this episode we discuss how using techniques like sketch-noting and mind-mapping can enrich travel experiences, offer a deeper connection to the moment, and create engaging and memorable journals. Eva-Lotta s...
Apr 17, 2025•55 min•Season 4Ep. 3
What was the best speech you've ever heard? And how long was it? Are shorter speeches more effective than longer ones? In this episode, Rob Bell, Jono Hey, and Tom Pellereau dive into the concept that short speeches often take more time and effort to prepare . They discuss historical examples like the Gettysburg Address and Winston Churchill's wartime speeches , the importance of simplicity in communication, and even share personal anecdotes about delivering best man speeches and after dinner ta...
Apr 03, 2025•44 min•Season 4Ep. 2
This time, we explore the origins of the word 'geek,' its evolution from a negative to a positive term, and discuss why some subjects are more cool than others. We share our own personal geek topics and celebrate how social media and online communities have made it easier to find like-minded people. We argue that passion, knowledge and experience are all critical ingredients within the geek cocktail which may help differentiate between geekiness and professional expertise. Mainly though, this ep...
Mar 20, 2025•47 min•Season 4Ep. 1
This time, we discuss the fascinating concept of ' Thoughtless Acts '—simple, everyday innovations people make to adapt to their environment without even thinking about it. From hanging tea bags on mug handles to hanging shirts on a washing machine door, we explore how unnoticed behaviours can inspire better design and usability. We also delve into the origins of the term inspired by the work and book from human factors researcher, Jane Fulton Suri and her work at IDEO . Once again, the team com...
Mar 06, 2025•40 min•Season 3Ep. 14
This episode is jam-packed with personal anecdotes and examples from real life of where we've fallen foul of Hanlon's Razor - wrongly attributing malice to a situation. The most recognisable is possibly in the car when someone cuts you up or pulls out in front of you. We cover a whole heap of other examples including misunderstandings during endurance swimming events, misplaced anger or frustration at home, and accidental mishaps in public places. We explore how acknowledging Hanlon's Razor can ...
Feb 20, 2025•42 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Inspired by Sports Psychologist, Justin Ross on the Løw Tide Bøyz Podcast , this episode explores the metaphors of ' anchors' and 'tugboats ' to illustrate the impact of negative and positive self-talk on our mental state and performance. We discuss how negative thoughts can anchor us down, whereas positive thinking acts as a tugboat, pulling us forward. We delve into examples from sports psychology, personal professional experiences, parenting and everyday scenarios to highlight the importance ...
Feb 06, 2025•49 min•Season 3Ep. 12
In this episode, Rob, Tom and Jono discuss a compelling quote from American internet entrepreneur Reid Hoffman (who is also the founding host the Masters of Scale podcast ), which compares starting a company to jumping off a cliff and assembling a plane on the way down . Tom and Jono share their personal experiences and insights into the chaos and exhilaration of entrepreneurship. We also explore the deeper meanings behind such journeys, offering advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and relating to...
Jan 23, 2025•46 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Have you ever had your order or instructions (for a cake or otherwise) go hilariously awry? Oh dear... How funny. Never mind eh?!? I'm sure there's a lesson in these somewhere. In this episode, we discuss the phenomenon of ' Cake Wrecks ,' where instructions for creating something go hilariously wrong, and how this applies broadly to miscommunication in product development. The conversation is joined by John Cutler, a prolific writer and ("on second") thought leader in digital product developmen...
Jan 09, 2025•40 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Doesn't it feel good to be told something positive about yourself and vice versa if you notice something positive about others? So why wouldn't we compliment each other more often? In this episode, what with it being nearly Christmas, we use the metaphor that compliments are gifts - and not one you'd pick out of a lucky dip. These gifts have been made and wrapped especially for you. There's your name on the label and everything! Not only do we offer advice on noticing when you could give complim...
Dec 12, 2024•53 min•Season 3Ep. 9
If you have a story to tell, a presentation to pitch, or a product to sell; in this episode on The Golden Circle , we explore the importance of focussing on the why before you expand into the how and the what . There's the old mantra that people do business with people and there's something a lot more human and emotive about explaining why you want to do or have done something, than just saying what you've done. Our guest for this discussion is the co-founder of Marloe Watch Company , Ollie Goff...
Nov 28, 2024•56 min•Season 3Ep. 8
This is another episode where we were all a little sheepish about telling stories of when we've observed The Bystander Effect in our own behaviour. Between us, we had lots of examples of where it's been observed in others. Of course we did. We discuss theories of why this is a human phenomenon and even examples of when we've been at the sharp end of it. The most innocuous and probably most common example was the WhatsApp Group chat. Who in your group is the one to take charge and suggest actual ...
Nov 14, 2024•59 min•Season 3Ep. 7
On the morning of your company's massive online shop launch, the only person who knows the crucial password misses their alarm, sleeps in and everyone's left waiting. Oh dear. In this episode we speak with the tireless behavioural scientist and Human Risk expert, Christian Hunt who tells us about the fundamental elements of human risk and how to avoid it; with plenty of juicy examples to bring this topic to life. Whilst the majority of the episode focuses on Human Risk in the professional enviro...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Do you like the thought of heading off on an adventure but don't really have the time to see it through? Why not try a MicroAdventure ? They're smaller, achievable, won't break the bank and will go a long way to scratching that itch you might never have reached anyway. In this episode we speak with the charming and inspirational Al Humphreys about adventures in his life, before focussing on the smaller, more achievable things we could all fit into our busy lives to keep our thirst for fun, physi...
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Colour . Life wouldn’t be the same without it. But there are so many to choose from, how do we know which is the right colour? eg. What colour car would you buy? What colour shoes? What colour paint for the new feature wall in the kitchen? Sometimes you just instinctively know what colour(s) to choose. It’s a vibe thing. Other times, it’s nice to get a bit of help. And in this episode we speak with celebrated artist and ceramicist Lucia Fraser about the Basic Colour Wheel : Bringing a bit of str...
Oct 03, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Just like Goldilocks' porridge, often the most enjoyable activities and tasks are those in the sweet spot; where the balance between competence and the difficulty of the job at hand is juuuuuuuuust right. Making it a challenge, but not too much so. We discuss our own tolerances for menial tasks (such as loading the dishwasher) and find examples of our own Goldilocks Tasks (like tough IKEA furniture builds). Through this, we dissect what makes us feel motivated in the work we do, and more importa...
Sep 19, 2024•40 min•Season 3Ep. 3
How easy do you find it to step back momentarily to gather your thoughts when your world continues at 100 mph? So often in our professional and personal lives we're too busy to ever pause, reflect, and recharge before continuing. One of the key mantras from Stephen Covey's book, 7 Habits of Highly Successful People is to stop and sharpen the saw every now and then to gain perspective, refresh thinking and re-prioritise. Jono & Tommy give examples from their lives about how this approach has ...
Sep 05, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Whether it's a home renovation project, a presentation for work, a piece of writing or an actual race you need to train for, the thought of the finishing line can be the ultimate motivator to get you started. We chat with charming and witty, American author, illustrator, film-maker and ultra-runner Brendan Leonard about how he motivates himself to get going on various projects. Through his stories of physical adventure and creative endeavours we explore the different ways in which a definitive e...
Aug 22, 2024•57 min•Season 3Ep. 1
We're on our podcast summer holiday, but wanted to check in to let you know that we're still here, that we'll be back with Series 3 on Thursday 22nd August, and that you can vote for us in the British Podcast Awards - Listener's Choice category . As mentioned in the podcast, here's me on my 80s BMX with my 1st place trophy for cycling proficiency . And here's a clip of the awards ceremony Jono referenced with the inimitable Steve Martin . If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of our pr...
Jul 11, 2024•19 min•Season 2Ep. 18
This week is International Men's Health Week and Sunday is Father's Day, so what better time to team up with life-saving charity Prostate Cancer UK for this episode of the podcast? 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in their lifetime and that number rises to 1 in 4 for black men. Chances of survival increase dramatically with early diagnosis and so the best thing you can do as a man in the next 30 seconds is complete this Online Risk Checker which will guide you through your perso...
Jun 13, 2024•57 min•Season 2Ep. 17
In this episode we discuss the phenomenon of organisations working to keep alive a problem for which they are the solution. It was observed and written about by American technology writer and consultant, Clay Shirky and has thus been given the name The Shirky Principle . Through many examples, we explore how prevalent it's been in the world of products and consumables and try (but in all honesty, probably fail) to offer advice on how to avoid falling foul of it oneself. We conclude that it's def...
May 30, 2024•49 min•Season 2Ep. 16
We spoke with mechanical wristwatch designer Gordon Fraser, of Marloe Watch Company , to hear his perspective on the pros and cons of product design when you set out to be different. It's not always a given that your customers want dramatically different and perhaps there are times when you should swim against the current and others when you should let yourself go with the flow. The real skill comes from experience, to know which mode to activate when. Gordon also speaks about the need to be all...
May 16, 2024•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 15
Music. It can be a very personal thing. It can be most powerful when shared. It's on the radio, in our headphones on the commute, at the gym, on TV ads, in our favourite movies... what would the world be without it? And what would the world be without the people who create it? This episode, we interrogate singer, songwriter, producer, and friend of the show Franc Cinelli to find out how he goes about creating new music. Where does it come from? What are his processes? And how does creating music...
May 02, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 14
We think beaches are great! What about you? In this episode: We discuss how beaches are prime spots for enjoyment for all ages and at any time of year. We talk about how they can be places for excitement and adrenaline; places to encourage creativity; places for quiet contemplation; and places that bring perspective to life. Tommy goads Jono into a debate about what's better: Mountains or Beaches. We share our best beach-find stories and as ever, we bring in a few of Jono's other related sketche...
Apr 18, 2024•57 min•Season 2Ep. 13
This week, we ask ourselves if we've reached our professional peaks and if we now fall foul to the Peter Principle , having tipped into our levels of incompetency. Amongst many other clever things, Jono applies the principle to Football Management. Tommy gives his insight to how relevant it is managing at the very top of a business. And I tell how my capacity to teach stuff is severely limited by exactly the kind of incompetence the Peter Principle is based on. Where do you feel you or maybe mor...
Apr 04, 2024•51 min•Season 2Ep. 12
So much we didn't know about the wonderful world of plants. In this compilation, double-header episode discussing some of Jono's sketches that cover fascinating elements of botany, we are joined by 2-time gold medal winner at the world famous Chelsea Flower Show, author of 6 best-selling books, and ambassador for Kew Gardens; celebrated botanist, James Wong. Rather than edit out a tonne of insightful, educational discussion points from James, we decided to publish this episode in two parts. This...
Mar 21, 2024•41 min•Season 2Ep. 11
