Listen, laugh and learn as we share our latest thoughts about staying relevant, contemporary leadership and doing life right. Ish Cheyne is the Head of Fitness in New Zealand for global fitness juggernaut Les Mills. Sacha Coburn is the COO of Coffee Culture, a leading group of boutique coffee shops, and the co-founder of The Company You Keep.co.nz.
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August 16, 2026Episode 27021 min
Congratulations, You’re the Manager. Sorry About Your Life.
Send us Fan Mail Episode 270 This episode is about one of the most common promotion traps at work: taking the person who is brilliant at doing the job and assuming they’ll naturally be brilliant at leading everyone else who does it. Ish and Sacha unpack why technical excellence and leadership ability are two very different things, why promotion has become the default way organisations reward high performers, and what can go wrong when somebody moves from doing the work to enabling other people to do great work . They talk about paying your stars more instead of automatically giving them people to manage, testing internal candidates against the external market, looking for openness to feedback, and dealing with the awkward truth that the skill or behaviour you ignore now will probably become a much bigger problem later. There’s also a lost Australian gig and a moment of silence for money never earned. Sacha discovering that relief can tell you quite a lot about the work you actually want to do, and a late recommendation for a TV series involving manipulated CCTV footage. Naturally. Key Learnings 1. Being brilliant at the work doesn’t automatically make you brilliant at leading it 2. Promotion shouldn’t be the only way to reward great people 3. Leadership means shifting from “me” to “you” 4. Look for people who are hungry for feedback 5. Don’t hire internally just because it’s convenient
August 9, 2026Episode 26917 min
Are You in a Work Situationship?
Send us Fan Mail Episode 269 Some people stay in a job for years. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re committed. They might just be comfortable, financially trapped, quietly checking Seek at lunchtime, or waiting for someone else to make the first move. In this episode, Ish and Sacha ask whether you and your employer are actually committed to each other, or whether you’re in a full-blown work situationship. You’re showing up, the bills are being paid, everyone’s being pleasant… but nobody wants to talk about the future. They look at why staying in a role isn’t the same as being committed, how strong productivity can disguise emotional distance, and the mixed signals leaders send when they talk about ownership, development, and value without backing those words up. There’s also a practical discussion about what to do when you know a job is no longer your end game. The answer isn’t to silently check out, damage your reputation, or burn every bridge on the way out. It’s to get deliberate: build your skills, update your CV, actively look for the next opportunity, and have an honest conversation where it’s appropriate. Key Learnings 1. Staying isn’t the same as committing Leaders need to look beyond attendance and output to understand whether people still care, feel connected, and see a future with the team. 2. Productivity can hide emotional distance Doing the job well and believing in the job are two different things. 3. Commitment needs evidence Telling someone they’re valued means very little if there’s no development. 4. Mixed signals destroy trust When words and behaviour don’t match, people stop believing the words. 5. Leave deliberately, not destructively Until you leave, protect your reputation. Quietly giving up may feel satisfying in the moment, but poor communication and burned bridges can follow you into your next opportunity.
August 2, 2026Episode 26819 min
Five Things Every Leader Should Know About Their Team
Send us Fan Mail Episode 268 In this episode, Ish and Sacha explore five things every leader should know about the people in their team, beyond names, roles and coffee orders. They unpack why motivation is never one-size-fits-all, how leaders can unknowingly drain people, and why “just tell me straight” often means “tell me promptly, but please don’t remove all traces of kindness.” The conversation also covers career aspirations, different forms of support, the importance of asking rather than assuming, and how small leadership habits can either set people up to succeed or quietly make their working lives harder. Along the way, Sacha shares the humbling attendance figures from her lunch-and-learn sessions, Ish reflects on helping a team member consider another role, and they both confess to being enthusiastic workplace interrupters. Key Learnings 1. Don’t assume people are motivated the way you are 2. Learn what drains people. Including the things you do 3. Feedback needs the right timing, context and delivery 4. Know what your people are trying to become 5. Ask what support looks like instead of guessing
July 26, 2026Episode 26726 min
Excellence Should Create Growth, Not Entrapment
Send us Fan Mail Episode 267 Being good at your job is meant to be a good thing. Until everyone notices, starts sending everything your way, and your reward for being reliable is a to-do list that now requires its own project manager. In this episode, Ish and Sacha unpack the curse of being the capable one — why high performers get overloaded, why leaders keep defaulting to the same safe pair of hands, and how something that initially feels like recognition can quickly turn into frustration, burnout, or career stagnation. This episode explores what happens when capable people become the default solution to every problem. Sacha reflects on hiring new people at Coffee Culture and realising just how much work had quietly accumulated around a few highly capable team members. That leads into a wider conversation about the difference between being recognised and being properly rewarded, and why praise can sometimes be little more than a cheerful introduction to another task. They look at the issue from both sides. For capable people, the challenge is learning to set boundaries, manage upwards, clarify priorities and make sure extra work is actually leading somewhere. For leaders, it is about noticing when you are over-relying on one or two people instead of developing capability across the whole team. Along the way, they cover realistic training simulations involving breakfast at night, why senior leaders make staff suddenly forget how to make coffee, the hidden thinking behind work that looks effortless, and the danger of being remembered only for the one plate you finally dropped. Key Learnings 1. More work is recognition, but it is not always reward 2. Manage upwards by making the trade-offs visible 3. Over-relying on one star performer exposes a leadership gap 4. Work that looks easy may be hiding enormous skill 5. Hard work should be a deliberate choice The 30-Minute Presenter Program Learn how to map out your content, structure your thoughts, and craft messages that truly matter. Check out our 30-Minute Presenter Program today. Click here to learn more
July 19, 2026Episode 26626 min
Rubik’s Cubes, Bougie Birthday Cakes and Three Very Useful Envelopes
Send us Fan Mail Episode 266 What do Rubik’s Cubes, children’s birthday cakes, startup pitch decks and a CEO with three envelopes have in common? Quite a lot, apparently. In this episode, Ish uses his hard-earned Rubik’s Cube mastery to explore how leaders solve problems. Sometimes we learn the process. Sometimes we copy someone else’s steps. Sometimes we outsource the whole thing. And sometimes we quietly rearrange the stickers and hope nobody looks too closely. The real question is whether you’re building the capability to solve the next problem or simply making this one look finished. Ish and Sacha unpack the surprisingly useful leadership lessons hiding inside a Rubik’s Cube. Ish shares how his first attempt at solving one produced the right result but very little actual learning. He followed a YouTube tutorial, completed the cube and then had absolutely no idea how to do it again. From there, the conversation explores shortcuts, outsourcing, internal capability and the difference between following a reliable process and genuinely understanding the problem in front of you. They discuss why leaders need dependable “algorithms” when they’re starting out, how experience helps you recognise patterns and move faster, and why breaking the rules only works once you’ve bothered to learn them. There’s also some excellent chat about cheating at family card games, paying professionals to make better birthday cakes, bringing new energy into established teams, the predictable cycle of corporate restructures and whether Duolingo’s animated bird should really be applying that much pressure. The 30-Minute Presenter Program Learn how to map out your content, structure your thoughts, and craft messages that truly matter. Check out our 30-Minute Presenter Program today. Click here to learn more
July 5, 2026Episode 26533 min
Terrible Leadership Advice
Send us Fan Mail Episode 265 In this episode, Ish and Sacha unpack some of the worst leadership advice that often gets dressed up as wisdom. They start with the classic “don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions” and explore why that can shut down useful thinking if people haven’t properly defined the problem first. From there, they take aim at advice like “treat everyone the same,” “leave your emotions at the door,” “the customer is always right,” “never let them see you struggle,” “a good leader is always available,” and the ever-sparkly “pressure makes diamonds.” Along the way, there are stories about birthday awkwardness, conference bands, zebra crossings with actual zebras, gym equipment that definitely did not shake body fat away, open-door policies that sound drafty, and Sacha’s ongoing four-year battle with sugar. The real message? Leadership advice is rarely one-size-fits-all. A phrase might contain a useful idea, but if you apply it without thinking, it can quickly become lazy, unhelpful, or even harmful. Better leaders don’t just repeat advice; they test it, adapt it, and make it useful for the people and situation in front of them. The 30-Minute Presenter Program Learn how to map out your content, structure your thoughts, and craft messages that truly matter. Check out our 30-Minute Presenter Program today. Click here to learn more
June 28, 2026Episode 26422 min
What Your Boss Is Really Saying
Send us Fan Mail Episode 264 Ever sat in a meeting and heard a very vague, slightly passive-aggressive comment float across the room… then spent the next ten minutes wondering, “Was that aimed at me?” Same! In this episode, Ish and Sacha unpack the weird little phrases we use at work to soften, dodge, delay, delegate, or quietly scream into the void. From “let’s circle back” to “as per my last email,” it turns out workplace language often says a lot more than the words on the page. This week, Ish and Sacha dive into the hidden meanings behind common workplace phrases and corporate jargon, the stuff we all say, the stuff we all pretend to understand, and the stuff that can create a whole lot of unnecessary grey. Ish kicks things off with a meeting moment where a vague general comment left everyone wondering who it was actually aimed at. Sacha connects that to the classic leadership trap of addressing the whole room when you really need to speak directly to one or two people. From there, they translate some of the greatest hits of office language: “let’s circle back,” “let’s park it,” “I’ll leave that with you,” “as per my last email,” “no worries if not,” “thanks in advance,” and the always ominous “quick chat.” Along the way, they talk about clarity, passive-aggressive communication, managing up, why examples matter, and why “don’t be a dick” sometimes lands better than a beautifully structured leadership framework. There is also a side quest involving Sacha climbing unfinished apartment buildings, perimenopause email rage, and Ish reviewing The Mandalorian and Grogu with the enthusiasm of a man deeply committed to Star Wars. Key Learnings 1. Vague messages create unnecessary anxiety 2. Corporate jargon often hides the real message 3. Say what you mean before people have to decode it 4. If you need action, give context 5. Cut-through beats corporate polish
June 21, 2026Episode 26327 min
Friends, Friction, and the Fine Art of Collaboration
Send us Fan Mail Episode 263 In this episode, Ish and Sacha unpack the joy and occasional lumpiness of working with people who have different styles to your own. The conversation comes from real life, as they have recently been building a project together and noticing the little differences in how they think, plan, create, communicate, and get things over the line. They talk about the difference between co-presenting, where they already have an easy rhythm, and co-creating, where the work is messier because both people are shaping the thing at the same time. Ish likes to see the structure and the steps. Sacha often wants to think, talk, shape the words, and polish closer to the deadline. Neither approach is wrong, but they do require conversation, trust, and the occasional grown-up check-in. They also explore what happens when collaboration is not optional: project teams, clients, suppliers, banks, doctors’ surgeries, and the general life admin circus. There is a great thread about frictionless experiences making us less resilient, plus a very practical reminder that a little bit of rub is not always a bad thing. The big takeaway? Working well with others is not about finding people who are exactly like you. It is about understanding what the work needs, what the other person needs, what you need, and being honest enough to bridge the gaps before everyone quietly loses their mind. Key Topics 1. Different working styles are not the problem; unspoken expectations are 2. Co-creating needs a different kind of trust 3. A little friction can be useful 4. Use “I” statements when collaboration gets tricky 5. Sometimes the problem is you, and that is useful to know The 30-Minute Presenter Program Learn how to map out your content, structure your thoughts, and craft messages that truly matter. Check out our 30-Minute Presenter Program today. Click here to learn more
June 14, 2026Episode 26232 min
Go Slow to Go Fast: Better Thinking at Work
Send us Fan Mail Episode 262 Ever had one of those moments where your mouth starts speaking before your brain has properly joined the meeting? Ish has. And, to be fair, most of us have. Especially when being quick, responsive, and “good in the moment” is part of what people value us for. In this episode, Ish and Sacha get into fast brains, slow brains, gut instinct, airport security rage, AI-generated waffle, and why sometimes the smartest thing you can do is not answer straight away. Also, Japan, sheep detectives, and a movie recommendation that very nearly becomes something else entirely. In this episode of The Not So Breakfast Show , Ish and Sacha explore the difference between fast thinking and slow thinking, inspired by Daniel Kahneman’s work on how our brains process information. Fast brain is the stuff we can access instantly: pattern recognition, quick decisions, instinct, and those answers that seem to appear without effort. Slow brain is where reflection, judgement, deeper thinking, and better decision-making live. The conversation kicks off with Ish’s Japan trip, where Tokyo navigation somehow worked better than Auckland navigation, despite accidentally paying to enter the same temple twice. From there, the hosts move into how memory, attention, and environment shape the way we think. They dig into how workplaces often reward speed, even when the situation actually needs clarity, reflection, or better preparation. Sacha raises the risk of AI giving us volume rather than judgement, while Ish reflects on how being valued for quick responses can sometimes lead him to answer before he has done the thinking. Plus: emotions as data, not instructions; why walking can unlock better thinking and why laughter might be one of the best brain resets around. Key Learnings 1. Fast thinking is useful, but it is not always wise Fast brain helps us recognise patterns, respond quickly, and make decisions in the moment. But it is also where bias, emotion, and assumptions can sneak in before we have properly checked what is going on. 2. Slow thinking creates clarity, not more noise Deep thinking is not about producing four pages of thoughts. It is about getting to cleaner judgment, better questions, and more precise action. As Sacha points out, AI can give you volume, but it cannot replace your humanity or judgement. 3. Your environment shapes the quality of your thinking If you are trying to do deep work in the same space where you answer emails, react to questions, and get interrupted every five minutes, your brain will probably stay in fast mode. Sometimes better thinking starts with changing state: booking a room, going for a walk, putting on headphones, or physically moving. 4. Gut instinct is trained, not random A good instinct often feels instant, but it is usually built through repetition, experience, and reflection. Whether it is a firefighter sensing danger, a sportsperson reacting to a ball, or a leader handling a tricky moment, the fast response is often powered by slow learning done earlier. 5. Emotions are data, not instructions Feeling angry, anxious, or frustrated gives you information, but it does not have to decide your behaviour. Leaders need the pause between feeling something and acting on it — especially when the airport security tray situation is really testing everyone’s personal development. The 30-Minute Presenter Program Learn how to map out your content, structure your thoughts, and craft messages that truly matter. Check out our 30-Minute Presenter Program today. Click here to learn more
May 24, 2026Episode 26127 min
How to Stop Sounding Vague at Work
Send us Fan Mail Episode 261: How to Stop Sounding Vague at Work Ish and Sacha talk about how to stop sounding vague at work and start communicating with more intention, confidence, and cut-through. They explore why people waffle, why fear makes us soften our opinions, and why “I was kind of thinking maybe…” rarely helps anyone make a good decision. Ish introduces practical ways to prepare before a conversation, including knowing your point before you walk into the room and practising the words out loud before the stakes are high. Sacha brings real-world examples, from reading 200 AI-generated cover letters that all sound suspiciously the same, to a fantasy Super Rugby competition where winning the yellow cap and receiving the wooden spoon both come down to being willing to make a bold call. There’s also a glorious rant about uniforms, opinions, leadership, and the burden of actually having to decide. They also talk about clearer emails, including the RDR framework: Recommendation, Decision, Risk. Simple, practical, and much better than burying the actual point somewhere after three paragraphs of “hope you had a great weekend.” Clarity is not about being cold or blunt. It’s about knowing what you mean, saying it in a way people can use, and giving others something solid to respond to. Transcript source: Key Learnings 1. Know your point before you start talking If you do not know what you are trying to say, there is a very good chance nobody else will either. Before a meeting, email, or important conversation, take a moment to work out the actual point you want to land. 2. Practise hard conversations before you have them When conversations are emotional or awkward, it is easy to get swept away and start softening, over-explaining, apologising, or escalating. Saying the key sentence out loud beforehand helps you arrive at a clearer message and less verbal panic. 3. Have an opinion and attach it to a fact A useful opinion is not just “I reckon.” Sacha makes the case for pinning your view to the fact or assumption you are relying on, so the conversation becomes about weighing evidence rather than trading vibes. 4. Vagueness often comes from fear Sometimes we waffle because we do not want to be wrong, judged, or held accountable. But teams make better decisions when people are willing to put a view on the table, even if that view gets challenged or changed. 5. Clear emails are a gift to busy people People do not need more polished waffle. They need to know what you recommend, what decision is required, and what the risk is if nothing happens. RDR — Recommendation, Decision, Risk — is a simple way to make your emails more useful right away. The 30-Minute Presenter Program Learn how to map out your content, structure your thoughts, and craft messages that truly matter. Check out our 30-Minute Presenter Program today. Click here to learn more
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