You can’t fix everything at once. The hard part is picking what to fix first, and asking for help while you do it.

You’ll learn:

• What to fix first when your job, your relationship and your plans all go in the same year
• How to ask for help in public, even when someone tells you it looks desperate
• Why saying yes to the next big purchase or hire is how a small business grows
• How stepping away from the business gets you unstuck when working harder won’t
• What happens when a small business owner builds his own systems with AI for next to nothing
• A 45-second rule for letting go of a bad review

By the end, you’ll know where to start when it all goes wrong, and that you don’t have to do it alone.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
01:05 Navigating Life's Challenges
01:05 The Power of Asking for Help
08:20 Rebuilding and Finding Purpose
13:28 The Journey to Better Call Paul
15:49 The Journey of Entrepreneurship
17:44 Growth and Team Building
20:58 Passion and Hard Work
23:14 Creative Thinking and Business Strategy
27:02 Leveraging Technology for Growth
29:39 Inspiration and Personal Growth
33:02 Living Life to the Fullest
36:04 Embracing Failure and Learning
37:55 The Impact of Reviews on Self-Perception
40:11 Managing Personal and Professional Challenges
42:25 Building Relationships Through Adversity
43:31 Helping Others and Creating Opportunities

Key topics: rebuilding after divorce, losing your job, asking for help, resilience, small business growth, taking risks in business, mental health for founders, AI for small business, customer reviews, giving people a chance

#NakedAtTheTop #Leadership #BusinessOwner #SmallBusiness #Founder #Resilience #AskingForHelp #StartingOver

Thanks to AIXFamily for sponsoring this episode. AIXFamily is the parental control platform built by a dad of three after a decade in network security couldn't turn up a tool that met his own family's needs. It runs at the network level, so deleting the app or switching on a VPN gets your kids nowhere, and every block comes with an explanation for them.

Join the waitlist for founding-member access before it launches:

🔗 https://www.aixfamily.com

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🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/naked-at-the-top/id1822169203

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You already know what you think. The hard part is saying it out loud, and staying yourself once you have.

You'll learn:

• How to take harsh feedback without swallowing the cruelty that came with it
• Two questions to ask before you say yes to a stage, a client or a room
• How to think straight for someone whose brain has gone offline
• Why AI sounds so human, and why that should make you trust it less
• What the 10 December Privacy Act change means if your business uses AI to make decisions about customers
• Why poor sleep can be a menopause symptom, and what to do if your GP doesn’t take you seriously
• A ridiculous trick for turning down the voice in your head

By the end, you'll know what it takes to be honest at work, with other people and with yourself, and still be the person they booked.

Key topics: leadership integrity, harsh feedback, authentic leadership, values alignment, AI ethics, AI governance, Empire of AI, Karen Hao, The AI Con, Emily Bender, cyber security, Privacy Act, GDPR, privacy law, self-talk, mindfulness, sobriety, menopause, perimenopause, frank advice

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro
(00:51) Why EJ, not Emma Jane
(02:05) When a keynote misses the mark
(08:05) Checking the fit before you say yes
(11:16) From Air Force lawyer to cyber law firm
(12:38) Who AI is built for
(17:20) Why AI sounds so human
(19:50) Privacy Act changes and your business
(24:59) Mirror Mirror: the wardrobe cull
(31:39) Turning down the voice in your head
(35:43) Between the Lines
(36:27) Twenty years without a drink
(39:38) Picking the wrong fight
(43:15) Giving frank advice after a cyber incident
(48:42) Why prevention beats response
(51:25) Menopause, sleep and being believed

#NakedAtTheTop #Leadership #AuthenticLeadership #AIethics #CyberSecurity #Menopause #PrivacyAct #LeadershipPodcast

Where to find EJ Wise:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wiselaw3/
Wiselaw LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wiselawandcyberconsulting/home/

Thanks to AIXFamily for sponsoring this episode. AIXFamily is the parental control platform built by a dad of three after a decade in network security couldn't turn up a tool that met his own family's needs. It runs at the network level, so deleting the app or switching on a VPN gets your kids nowhere, and every block comes with an explanation for them.

Join the waitlist for founding-member access before it launches:

🔗 https://www.aixfamily.com

STORIES FOR BUSINESS NEWSLETTER:
https://storiesforbusiness.substack.com/

FOLLOW NAKED AT THE TOP
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedatthetop/
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🎥 YouTube – https://youtube.com/@NakedAtTheTop?sub_confirmation=1

🍎 Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/naked-at-the-top/id1822169203

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You built the business so you'd have more time. So where did it go?

In this episode of Naked at the Top, the founder of an outsourced bookkeeping and CFO firm, 19 years in with a team of 30, explains why he never wanted to be the person who runs it. Damian Scodella of SquarePenny has lived by one rule in every job since his early twenties: make yourself redundant. He has handed the running of the business over twice, most recently to a leader promoted from within. He also wears a jacket covered in logos to networking events, on purpose, so there is nowhere to hide.

You'll learn:

• Why "make yourself redundant" has been his rule in every role for 30 years, and what he does with the time it frees up
• The difference between profit and cash, and the one habit he gives clients who keep asking where their money went
• What happened the Tuesday a major client walked away with no notice, and how a strategy coach turned it into growth from 10 staff to 20
• How a Friday morning basketball game became the place a group of dads say things they don't say anywhere else
• Why 5am to 7am is the only time he takes for himself, and what those two hours pay for
• How a diagnosis six weeks before a planned move to Italy changed what time is worth to him

By the end you'll have a sharper answer to what your business is for, and what your time is worth.

Key topics: stepping back from your business, making yourself redundant, profit vs cash flow, losing a major client, men's connection and wellbeing, morning routine, time and family, business owner leadership

Chapters:
(00:57) Embracing Vulnerability: The Jacket Story
(08:23) Building a Brand: SquarePenny's Unique Approach
(10:49) Leadership and Delegation: Making Yourself Redundant
(15:48) Personal Reflections: The Impact of Time and Health
(21:54) Finding Balance: Work, Life, and Self-Care
(25:31) Understanding Financial Realities
(26:41) Client Education and Financial Habits
(28:04) Creating Safe Spaces for Men
(32:02) Navigating Business Challenges
(36:26) The Importance of Support Systems
(40:50) Dealing with Life's Significant Changes

#NakedAtTheTop #Leadership #BusinessOwner #Founder #AuthenticLeadership #CashFlow #MensMentalHealth

Follow Damian:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianscodella/
Website: https://squarepenny.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepennyau/

Instagram (Jacket): https://www.instagram.com/where_is_the_jacket/

Thanks to YourHR for sponsoring this episode. YourHR works with 100s of businesses to cut the jargon, simplify the systems, and build workplaces where people genuinely want to be. Find out where your business stands with their free HR Health Check in minutes:
🔗 https://www.yourhrsystem.com/health-check/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-hr-team-and-system/

Thanks to AIXFamily for sponsoring this episode. AIXFamily is the parental control platform built by a dad of three after a decade in network security couldn't turn up a tool that met his own family's needs. It runs at the network level, so deleting the app or switching on a VPN gets your kids nowhere, and every block comes with an explanation for them.
Join the waitlist for founding-member access before it launches:
🔗 https://www.aixfamily.com

STORIES FOR BUSINESS NEWSLETTER:
https://storiesforbusiness.substack.com/

FOLLOW NAKED AT THE TOP
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedatthetop/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naked-at-the-top/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nakedatthetop/

🎥 YouTube – https://youtube.com/@NakedAtTheTop?sub_confirmation=1

🍎 Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/naked-at-the-top/id1822169203

🎧 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1lCQJthCpq39LkWXDlkwCf?si=9ef0f76a91cd4bd0

CONNECT WITH ALEYX
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyxward
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleyxfward/