De-stress Your Business cover art

De-stress Your Business

De-stress Your Business

By: Paddy Mann & Alexis Kingsbury
Listen for free

About this listen

 Business doesn’t need to be stressful. This weekly podcast is for business owners, leaders, and managers who want to get better results, with less stress. We go deep on tactics you can roll out today, such as freeing up 15 hours per week (!) of your time, empowering your teams, and sorting out employee onboarding. Paddy Mann and Alexis Kingsbury are serial entrepreneurs who have learned these lessons the hard way over the last 15 years, and now support 100s of other business leaders as co-founders at AirManual.Copyright 2022 All rights reserved. Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • E164: I Built a 100% AI Accountancy Firm. It Nearly Put Me in Prison.

    E164: I Built a 100% AI Accountancy Firm. It Nearly Put Me in Prison.
    Feb 16 2026

    Alexis shares the full behind-the-scenes story of building Accrual Intentions — a 100% AI-powered accountancy firm with 11 AI team members. The AI team completed a 7-month roadmap of 91 tasks and 107 deliverables in just 4 hours, with only 7 requiring human decisions. But the experiment also revealed serious dangers: a £43,000 profit-and-loss error stated with total confidence, terms of business that would have constituted a criminal offence, and every client-facing document pointing to someone else's website. The episode explores what this means for the future of accounting and the emerging skill of managing AI teams rather than doing the work yourself.
    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
  • E163: Navigating Mergers Without the Headache, with Alex Black FCCA

    E163: Navigating Mergers Without the Headache, with Alex Black FCCA
    Nov 3 2025
    Mergers and acquisitions can spark exciting growth — but they also bring chaos, uncertainty, and a lot of stress. In this episode of De-stress Your Business, we’re joined by Alex Black, Director of Client Services and Innovation at Ad Valorem, a fast-growing accountancy firm now part of the ETL Group. Alex shares how he’s helped teams navigate the stress of change — from integrating cultures and standardising processes, to preparing teams for powerful innovations like AI. You’ll learn:
    • What causes stress during mergers — and how to ease it
    • How to overcome resistance when introducing change
    • Why standardising workflows is critical for innovation
    • What leaders often get wrong about growth and acquisitions
    This episode is packed with real-world lessons from someone who’s been at the frontline of fast change — and still kept the team engaged, productive, and open to the future. What’s your approach to handling stress during periods of change? Let us know in the comments! #DeStressYourBusiness #Leadership #MergersAndAcquisitions #ChangeManagement #TeamAlignment #AlexBlack #Innovation #AIAdoption Helpful resources: Ad Valorem: https://www.advaloremgroup.uk/ ETL Global: https://www.etl-global.com/ Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexblackacca/
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • E162: Workplace Drama Without the Stress

    E162: Workplace Drama Without the Stress
    Oct 20 2025
    In this episode of De-Stress Your Business, Alexis Kingsbury delves into the often unexpected and challenging people problems every business leader faces. From marital disputes to sudden resignations, Alexis emphasizes the importance of strong line management in navigating these issues. He shares practical advice on building trustful, open relationships between managers and their teams, and highlights the significance of regular one-to-ones and creating a no-blame culture. Learn how to prepare for crises and support your employees effectively, ensuring your business remains resilient even when life throws curveballs. --- Helpful resources:
    • Playbook for Managing Employee Performance (including guidance on great 1-2-1 meetings): https://discover.airmanual.co/resources/unsatisfactory-performance-playbook
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.