Would you like to unlock the creative, imaginative and innovative potential in your team or organisation…BUT…don’t want to listen to another serious podcast which offers 7 steps, 5 habits, 3 mantras, and a hard sell in a pear tree?
Then join ‘The Occupational Philosophers’, a ‘not-so-serious’ podcast with Simon Banks (middle-aged Australian surfer man, artist and published author) and John Rice (middle-aged British man with a love of curiosity and philosophy) as they chat with a ‘clowder’ (great word!) of curious cats from the fields of Comedy, Academia, Philosophy, Neuroscience, Psychology, Design, Marketing, and Business, to explore how you, your team, and your organisation, can develop your curiosity, spark your creativity, and free your imagination, so you can grow your business and your people….sounds great huh?!
But don’t just take our word for it, read what our listeners think:
“Worth a listen, one of them has a strange Australian accent”
“They’re not philosophers, they’re idiots”
“If you like business, philosophy, humour, creativity, and imagination, then have a listen - if not, then I would leave well alone”
http://www.occupationalphilosophers.com
Episodes
Tuesday Feb 03, 2026
Tuesday Feb 03, 2026
In this episode 113, the Occupational Philosophers chat with the wonderfully curious David Bramwell - a writer, broadcaster, performer and professional seeker.
He’s the author of The Number 9 Bus to Utopia, a philosophical travel memoir, in which he went looking for different and potentially better ways of living.
He’s presented many programmes for BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4 on subjects ranging from Ivor Cutler, Ken Campbell and time travel, to the art of public speaking.
As a podcaster, he produces and presents Adventures in Nutopia and The Ways of Water, and has co-hosted other popular podcasts including, Odditorium, Watling Street with author John Higgs, and Seeker! The Ken Campbell Podcast with Daisy Campbell.
In 2020 his book The Cult of Water was published, exploring belief and rituals, and then in 2023 he self-published The Singalong-A-Wicker-Man Scrapbook.
Since 2004 he has been hosting Brighton’s Catalyst Club, a monthly salon at which three guest speakers from all walks of life take to the stage to talk about their passions.
As a performer, he has toured several solo shows and performed at Soho Theatre, Somerset House, Tate St Ives, TEDx, Idler Academy, MOMA, UK festivals, and the Lowry Theatre.
And finally there's Oddfellow's Casino, an eclectic band project that blends spoken word, music and storytelling, and who are approaching their 25th anniversary this year.
In this episode they explore a wide range of topic including:
- How to use Brexit to dodge home DIY and tasks
- The Singalong-a-Wicker-Man show!
- Panpsychism and consciousness (Does Broccoli dream of sheep?)
- How do tomatoes feel about being eaten? Are tomatoes controlling us?
- What sparked David’s curiosity superpower?
- What fashion items are best for a philosophical data analyst?
- What lessons David learned on ‘The Number 9 Bus to Utopia’
- How alternative communities show great creativity and imagination
- What the everyday interests of everyday people can tell us about curiosity and being human
- How we might engage better with people who have different views to ourselves
- What is the official name for a ‘Bum Reader’?
And as ever, enjoy the Thought Experiment …this time it’s:
- Where is this bus going?
Learn more about David
https://oddfellowscasino.bandcamp.com/
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/adventures-in-nutopia/id1649333497
References
Trevor Noah
Australian Writers Festival boycott
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgm4jkwz2z8
The Wicker Man
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicker_Man
Crows picking up cigarette butts
https://stevedalepetworld.com/blog/something-to-crow-about/
Panpsychism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panpsychism
Philip Goff
https://philipgoffphilosophy.com/
Museum of Curiosity
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00k3wvk
Spalding Gray
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spalding_Gray
Rudolph Steiner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Steiner
Underground Temple
Shark House
https://museumofoxford.org/bill-heine-the-man-behind-the-headington-shark/
Findhorn
The Min Min Light
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/jun/27/what-are-glowing-orbs-of-light-in-the-sky-world-over
The Positive Revolution
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Handbook-Positive-Revolution-Edward-Bono/dp/0670830127
La Bete
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14407336/
November
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6164502/
The Web of Meaning
https://www.jeremylent.com/the-web-of-meaning.html
John and Simon hope you enjoy the show as much as they enjoyed making it. Its the reason they started this show - interesting, cool and creative people who have taken the path less travelled and kicked arse!
Say Hello to the OP
www.occupationalphilosophers.com
Their day jobs
JOHN Bowland Consulting
SIMON www.simonbanks.com.au
SIMON SHOWREEL
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