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A host hands over his own mic, steps into the straw-lit ring, and lets his story breathe. Chris Grimes invites us into “the clearing,” a warm, curated space where presence comes first and stories find their shape. From a Uganda childhood and the hum of a TV showing Laurel & Hardy to the ache of losing a sister and the discipline of actor-teacher training, Chris traces the real forces that shaped his craft, his humour, and his ethos of yes-and.

We dig into the 5-4-3-2-1 framework he uses to spark honest conversation, and why comedy can be the first evidence of freedom. Expect Stan Laurel’s kindness, Michael Palin’s curiosity, and a dash of John Cleese; a tender nod to Federer’s focus on the next point; and a confession about a £2,000 wheelie bin in the name of creative risk. Chris shares the quotes he keeps in his pocket—be where your feet are; nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so—and the one story he returns to when doubt creeps in: the Helsinki Bus Garage. Translation for creatives and leaders alike—stay on the bus long enough to reach the route only you can travel.

The heart of the conversation is Legacy Life Reflections, a human-led way to record personal histories before voices fade. Chris talks about capturing his father’s story in the halcyon years and why every family has a documentary inside it, not a footnote. It’s story craft with care: listening deeply, framing gently, and creating a keepsake that outlives the moment. Along the way, we talk tennis, ping-pong, presence, and the north star of a dream guest—Sir Michael Palin.

If you’re building a career in the arts, leading teams, or simply trying to honour the voices you love, there’s gold here: practical storytelling tools, resilience reframes, and a reminder to laugh when you can. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs the nudge, and leave a review to help more people find the clearing. Then tell us—what’s your story?

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!

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What if your copy worked because you thought better, not because you wrote harder? That’s the challenge David L. Deutsch lays down as we dive into the craft of response-driven writing—from Ogilvy roots to billion-dollar wins—and the mental models that make persuasion stick in the real world.

We go beyond formulas and catchy lines to ask sharper questions: who is your reader, what does their day feel like, and what would actually move them now?

David shares how he turns “boring” into compelling by reframing problems and dramatising the cost of inaction, a lesson echoed by the genius behind “Got Milk?”.

We explore systems thinking for marketers—mapping loops, incentives, and constraints—so you fix the pattern, not just polish the prose. Music and copywriting meet as he explains pattern recognition, cadence, and structure; improvisation shows up in the yes-and approach that meets readers where they are and guides them forward without friction. And we talk about working with vistas in mind: motion, cities, and the right constraints that free your best ideas.

Along the way, you’ll hear why “consistently not stupid” beats “very intelligent,” how to write as if you’re persuading across a table, and what it takes to make the obvious inevitable. We also touch on legacy—how capturing stories helps those who listen and those who tell—and the long view that puts craft, clarity, and human connection ahead of noise.

If you want copy that gets response, these are the habits and mindsets to adopt.

Enjoy the conversation, then try this: before you write your next line, map your reader’s day, name their stakes, and decide the one action that would truly help.

If this episode resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who writes or sells, and leave a review to tell us the one idea you’ll use today.

Join David at https://www.speakingofwriting.com for free trainings and coaching. Connect with me, Chris Grimes on LinkedIn; Gift a Legacy Life Reflections conversation at https://www.legacylifereflections.com

And if you’d like to be in the show too, find out how at The Good Listening To Show website. Contact me at chris@secondcurve.uk On X and Instagram, it’s @thatchrisgrimes

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!

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What if the shortest path to better work is learning to be where your feet are? That’s the spark behind our conversation with Matt Zeigler—producer turned financial adviser, community builder, and host of the very excellent "Just Press Record" Podcast —who shows how presence, listening, and thoughtful connections can turn chance into momentum.

We trace Matt’s arc from teenage gigs and studio life to a mid‑career pivot into finance, where he discovered the same skill set applies: translate feelings into form, complexity into clarity, and fear into decisions. When a singer once asked for “more yellow,” he knew what to do. Years later, executives arrive with different words for the same fog—and Matt helps them find the signal by naming the gap between story and reality.

That gap is the heart of Epsilon Theory and Panoptica, where Matt collaborates to decode how narratives shape markets, media, and culture. Think of epsilon as the error term between the map and the terrain—the place where headlines distort, incentives mislead, and human judgment goes sideways. Matt shares how better questions, cleaner language, and subtraction over addition can align plans with reality. It’s strategy as craft: roll off the noise, let the truth breathe.

We also dive into the “three‑body problem” of networks: you, one other person, and both of your audiences. The math stops behaving, and that’s the point. Serendipity compounds when you curate introductions and record the moment, which is exactly what Just Press Record does so well. Along the way we meet his “squirrels” (Premier League football and new music), hear why introverts make strong hosts, and unpack a line that changes lives: “How am I complicit in creating the things I say I don’t want?”

If you value practical wisdom, human‑centred strategy, and stories that actually help, press play. Then subscribe, share this with a friend who loves smart conversations, and leave a review to tell us what you’ll subtract this week to move forward.

Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

• Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com
• You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk
• Twitter thatchrisgrimes
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/
• FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)

Thanks for listening!