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
Friday Mar 15, 2024
Friday Mar 15, 2024
In this reboot episode from 2021, The Occupational Philosophers chat with Dr. Brock Bastian - Professor, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne. Brock is a social psychologist whose research focuses on pain, happiness, and morality.
His book, The Other Side of Happiness, was published in January 2018.
Brock completed his PhD in 2007 and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters since then.
His work has been featured in outlets such as The Economist, The New Yorker, TIME, New Scientist, Scientific American, Harvard Business Review, and The Huffington Post, among many others.
He has delivered popular talks, such as at TEDx StKilda, The Ethics Centre Sydney, and Effective Altruism Australia; and appeared on radio shows such as The Minefield.
In this episode, they explore:
- Why pain is good for us
- How believing in the role luck plays in life allows you to take more risks
- How being curious is really important in managing our emotional world
- Why leaders need to share their failures more often
- What helps teams build trust
- How to lead organisations through tough times
As always, there are some great thought experiments such as:
- Guess the source of my pain
- Defend, Live, Party! What hybrid animal would you choose?
Links
http://www.brockbastian.com/book/the-other-side-of-happiness
https://www.lego.com/en-gb/aboutus/news/2021/september/lego-rebuild-the-world-2021
https://tim.blog/2021/09/08/henry-shukman/
What Human Animal Hybrid would you rather fight/hang out with/have at home? Read his article https://theconversation.com/wary-of-human-animal-hybrids-its-probably-just-your-own-moral-superiority-72720
https://www.adamgrant.net/book/think-again
Say Hello to The Occupational Philosophers
www.occupationalphilosophers.com
Their day jobs:
JOHN: https://www.bowlandconsulting.com/
SIMON: www.simonbanks.com.au
SIMON SHOWREEL: https://youtu.be/YZQdJI6qGvg
Friday Mar 01, 2024
Friday Mar 01, 2024
In this reboot episode from 2021, The Occupational Philosophers chat with glorious, amazingly talented, and hilarious comedian and performer Tamara Campbell.
Tamara has literally performed all over the world: 23 countries in 6 different languages for over a million people in her 18-year career. Tamara believes that "laughter should be a force for good. Bringing humans together to share and connect, breaking down the barriers and masks that inhibit our progress as a race. I also believe that it is fundamental that we have a bloody good time together as often as possible."
In this episode, we explore:
- What it means to be human
- How vulnerability comes before trust rather than the other way around (leaders, take note!)
- Why it's important to look for “something awesome about you” in other people
- The different alter egos we all have and how to ensure the right one turns up
- Where creativity comes from - and it takes a lot of practice
- Breaking out of comfort zones and how to make people feel amazing
- How the human race is evolving to have herd immunity against arseholes
- Lessons learned from performing all over the world and training at the world-renowned Dell'Arte School of Physical Theatre
As with all episodes, we have some great thought experiments as we explore Famous Love Parents and have some great listener questions.
Tamara is an absolute star and there is so much joy and wisdom in this episode. Enjoy!
Links
Laughterhouse Entertainment https://www.laughterhouseentertainment.com/
Brag sheet (places Tamara has performed) https://www.laughterhouseentertainment.com/about/places-performed/
Tamara Campbell https://www.tamaracampbell.com.au/
Kikki Bittovabitsch https://www.facebook.com/KikiBittovabitsch/
Dell'Arte School of Physical Performance https://dellarte.com/
MONA Gallery https://mona.net.au/
Say Hello to The Occupational Philosophers
www.occupationalphilosophers.com
Their day jobs:
JOHN: https://www.bowlandconsulting.com/
SIMON: www.simonbanks.com.au
SIMON SHOWREEL: https://youtu.be/YZQdJI6qGvg
Sunday Feb 11, 2024
Sunday Feb 11, 2024
As they take a quick break to record new episodes, The Occupational Philosophers wanted to reshare one of their favourite guests and their very first with Dr. Peter Lovatt. Dr Lovatt is a Dance Psychologist, multi TED speaker and best selling author, who through his work on the psychology of movement and dance, is more widely known as 'Dr. Dance'!
Listen in as Peter shares:
- 3 top tips for everyday living from his new book 'The Dance Cure'
- How teams and organisations can use movement to fuel innovation & creativity
- How individuals can 'move to improve'!
They also explore:
- Why dance and movement is fundamentally about communication
- What type of movement is best to help your children revise for their exams?
- What stops us dancing (apart from when we're drunk at a wedding...)?
- How school shaped Peter's life and success....it's quite a journey
- Whether movement is a "gateway drug" to dancing.......
And as ever, the Occupational Philosophers will also engage in some (not so serious) 'Thought Experiments' which delve into topics such as "Did someone really say that?" and "What dance should I do if I get mugged?".
Finally, as discussed in the show, please check out:
Dr.Peter Lovatt - https://www.peterlovatt.com
TEDx Observer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihCh5wzNjYY
Derek Sivers: Leadership Lessons from the Dancing Guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ
Say Hello:
www.occupationalphilosophers.com
Their day jobs:
JOHN: https://www.bowlandconsulting.com/
SIMON: www.simonbanks.com.au
SIMON SHOWREEL: https://youtu.be/YZQdJI6qGvg
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
In this short 'in the wild' episode, Simon (one-half of The Occupational Philosophers) connects with Dr Barbara Doran, Director of Strategic Innovation and Creative Intelligence live from the World Building Studio Day at the University of Technology (UTS)
In the episode, they explore:
- The importance of a transdisciplinary approach to solving complex problems and navigating unchartered territory
- Why engaging with storytelling is essential to turning something from an idea to something that is scaleable and how it can influence culture
- Why we are all creative and how it can be catalysed in many ways
- How collaboration drives radical change
- How storytelling and film making can drive sustainability
- What is the adjacent possible?
FYI: The Inbetweeners episodes are just that - smaller episodes 'in between' the longer format episodes designed to give a little kickstart to enable you to be the most curious, creative and imaginative cat you can be - and have some fun in the process.
Say Hello:
www.occupationalphilosophers.com
Their day jobs:
JOHN: https://www.bowlandconsulting.com/
SIMON: www.simonbanks.com.au
SIMON SHOWREEL: https://youtu.be/YZQdJI6qGvg
Saturday Dec 30, 2023
Saturday Dec 30, 2023
In Episode 82, The Occupational Philosophers chat with the amazing Dr Cyndi Burnett - Author, Academic and Creative on a mission to infuse creative thinking into every classroom around the world!
Dr Burnett has studied, taught, and written about both the art (expression) and the science (problem-solving) of creativity for the last 25 years. As an academic, she spent 20 years teaching deliberate creativity to undergrad and graduate students at the International Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY Buffalo State.
During her tenure, she was awarded the President’s Medal for Excellence in Teaching and co-designed and delivered a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Everyday Creativity to over 60K participants.
Three years ago, she left her tenured position to build Creativity and Education, whose mission is to empower educators to infuse creativity into the classroom.
Cyndi's goal is to bridge the gap between creativity researchers, practitioners, administrators, and educators and move the conversation about creativity in education forward.
She is the co-author of several books including, Weaving Creativity into Every Strand of Your Curriculum, 20 Lessons to Weave Creative Thinking into Your Curriculum, and My Sandwich is a Spaceship: Creative Thinking for Parents and Young Children, and numerous articles. She has also been featured in the NYTimes, Women’s Health Magazine, and Woman's World Magazine.
She is also the host of the smash hit podcast, Fueling Creativity in Education
(Pretty impressive resume!)
In this episode, they explore:
- Why creativity is at the heart of managing change
- How we should look at things that are obvious to you and ask questions
- Why homework should be about finding questions rather than answers
- How leaders need to give the space for new ideas
- Understanding if you want to see creativity you have to model that creativity
- Why we don’t need a script for creativity (think schools and organisations)
- The difference between creative thinking and creative problem-solving
- The importance of staying open to novelty
- Why we should all be reading “Why you should be orbiting a giant hairball”
- Why we should all beware of alcoholic pigs
As always, there are some great thought experiments. This time it's "Funny or Fake?"
The Occupational Philosophers hope you enjoy the show as much as they did making it.
About Cyndi
Socials
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyndi-burnett/
- https://twitter.com/cyndiburnett?lang=en
- https://www.facebook.com/cyndiaburnett/
- https://www.youtube.com/@creativityandeducation
Podcast https://fuelingcreativity.podbean.com/
Company https://creativityandeducation.com/
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_effect
Say Hello to The Occupational Philosophers
www.occupationalphilosophers.com
Their day jobs
- JOHN: https://www.bowlandconsulting.com/
- SIMON: www.simonbanks.com.au
- SIMON SHOWREEL: https://youtu.be/YZQdJI6qGvg
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
In this special, 'In the Wild' episode , The Occupational Philosophers get out of the studio (well, one of them does) to have a nice, cosy fireside chat in a London pub, with Dr Samuel West, a previous guest on the show - Samuel was in London attending the Global Innovation Forum, and as well as speaking about the topic of failure, he had a travelling ‘Museum of Failure’ pop-up, with some choice exhibits from his vast collection of the products and services which didn’t quite set the world alight…
In this episode, as the beer flows, they chat about:
- The Global Innovation Forum (GIF) in London and the topics being explored
- Samuel’s research into ‘play’ and the power of improvisation
- How people are just too serious these days….and who is the least fun…!
- Why ideas are nothing without another crucial element…listen in to find out
- What General Magic can tell us about the nature of creativity and innovation
- Why the Museum of Failure resonates so much with people
- What beer they’re drinking….
Learn more about Samuel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelwest/
References
https://www.generalmagicthemovie.com/
Say Hello:
www.occupationalphilosophers.com
Their day jobs:
JOHN: https://www.bowlandconsulting.com
SIMON: www.simonbanks.com.au
SIMON SHOWREEL: https://youtu.be/YZQdJI6qGvg
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
In this short, sharp Inbetweener episode, The Occupational Philosophers discuss “What is Philosophy”, after a teenager asked Simon that very question and he struggled a little to answer! He set off to explore and their conversation together highlights just what he uncovered:
- How ChatGPT can help Philosophy sound cool to a 14-year old teenager
- Some definitions that help get to the essence of what Philosophy is all about
- Just how little John and Simon know….rock on Socrates…!
- The 7 main branches of Philosophy
- How Philosophy helps challenge beliefs, assumptions and ‘sacred cows’
- Philosophy promotes critical thinking and new lenses to view problems and opportunities
- How organisations can adopt philosophical thinking to improve creativity, collaboration and innovation
- The fact that Simon and John cannot pronounce ‘Epistemology’...
FYI: The Inbetweeners episodes are just that - smaller episodes 'in between' the longer format episodes designed to give a little kickstart to enable you to be the most curious, creative and imaginative cat you can be - and have some fun in the process.
References:
https://www.philosophy-foundation.org/
https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2020/10/10/philosophy/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Warburton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_Deleuze
Say Hello:
www.occupationalphilosophers.com
Their day jobs:
JOHN: https://www.bowlandconsulting.com/
SIMON: www.simonbanks.com.au
SIMON SHOWREEL: https://youtu.be/YZQdJI6qGvg
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Monday Nov 06, 2023
In this short, sharp inbetweener episode, The Occupational Philosophers introduce their latest experiment, a new Radio play, The Parkers!
Listen as Simon tries to convince John this is a good idea, before they lead you into the world of The Parkers with the first (and possibly last) episode.
Parkers is a family run, pet care business, based in Peterborough, UK - meet Beryl, a (previously) high flying marketing executive, and Craig, the gruff IT manager from Cornwall (or at least we think he's from Cornwall...it's difficult to tell by the actors performance), and hear them wrestle with work, life and gerbils...
Hope you enjoy the show!
FYI: The Inbetweeners episodes are just that - smaller episodes 'in between' the longer format episodes designed to give a little kickstart to enable you to be the most curious, creative and imaginative cat you can be - and have some fun in the process.
Say Hello
- www.occupationalphilosophers.com
Their day jobs
- JOHN: https://www.bowlandconsulting.com/
- SIMON: www.simonbanks.com.au
Thursday Oct 26, 2023
Thursday Oct 26, 2023
In this short-ish, sharp-ish inbetweener episode, The Occupational Philosophers explore a test for curiosity called The need for cognition (NFC)
What is the NFC? It's a personality variable reflecting the extent to which individuals are inclined towards effortful cognitive activities (thanks Wikipedia)
Whilst it has originally come in a longer format, the one that The Occupational Philosophers explore has 18 questions/statements. (Cacioppo & Petty, 1984)
Some of these include:
- Thinking is not my idea of fun
- I only think as hard as I have to
- The idea of relying on thought to make my way to the top appeals to me..
They also explore:
- Some classic lines from Oscar Wilde's last gig at the Brixton Academy
- Empathic Curiosity - the desire to know others
Simon also felt happy he had discovered a big phrase -'Epistemic Curiosity'.
The Occupational Philosophers need to do some more exploration to provide a worthwhile link to this test. That will also be followed by links to Simon and John's scores.
Hope you enjoy the show!
FYI: The Inbetweeners episodes are just that - smaller episodes 'in between' the longer format episodes designed to give a little kickstart to enable you to be the most curious, creative and imaginative cat you can be - and have some fun in the process.
Reading
- Read the 18 NFC Questions here https://centerofinquiry.org/uncategorized/need-for-cognition-scale-wabash-national-study/
- High NFC = lower ADI https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8759714/
- Other articles
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7545655/
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326410291_The_Very_Efficient_Assessment_of_Need_for_Cognition_Developing_a_Six-Item_Version
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8759714/
Say Hello
www.occupationalphilosophers.com
Their day jobs
- JOHN: https://www.bowlandconsulting.com/
- SIMON: www.simonbanks.com.au
- SIMON SHOWREEL: https://youtu.be/YZQdJI6qGvg
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
In Episode 77, The Occupational Philosophers chat with Dr Marco Motta, who specialises in data analysis and visualisation, with a strong track record transforming the performance reporting culture of large organisations.
He marries this with a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Queensland and uses his background in critical thinking to help organisations and clients identify, define, break down and solve complex business challenges.
More importantly, he used to have a funk-rock band together with his brother in their teenage years, and they recently decided to record a cover of the Eurythmics classic, "Sweet Dreams," - we heartily recommend this…YouTube link below!
This is a great conversation with a guest who puts the Aristotle in Analytics!
In this episode, they explore, and scuttle down some real rabbit holes, on some mind-bending topics:
- How morality and ethics are culture dependent [12:00]
- What’s a slash chord?! (Listen to the first piano accompaniment on this podcast!) [17:50]
- What is truth? How do we know we exist? Should we put Descartes before the horse? [25:05]
- Is Gravity an absolute fact? Is it just a dip in Space-Time? Might John float out of his chair? [28:50]
- Is Schroedinger’s cat alive or dead? The answer was finally revealed! [35:39]
- How Philosophy usefully informs data analytics and visualisation [37:55]
- Why organisations that can manage uncertainty are better equipped to navigate the future [41:25]
- What are ‘weak truths’ and how do help us? [43:01]
- How does creativity and painting play into data visualisation? [48:01]
- Will our robot overlords vaporise us? [54:00]
- What advice does Marco have for teams and organisations? [1:05:17]
- When is the ‘Occupational Philosophers After Dark’ podcast launching?
And as always, they expand Marco’s thinking with their very own ‘Thought Experiments’; this episode they have:
- Busting Urban Myths
Learn more about Marco
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mottamarco01/
https://www.mottaconsulting.com.au
References
https://theamazingthundercat.com/
What if Red Hot Chilli Peppers played Sweet Dreams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id9PvdbYUGA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_Vattimo
Say Hello
www.occupationalphilosophers.com
Their day jobs
- JOHN: https://www.bowlandconsulting.com/
- SIMON: www.simonbanks.com.au
- SIMON SHOWREEL: https://youtu.be/YZQdJI6qGvg