Why Life's A Pitch with Dominic Colenso

Hosted by Dominic Colenso

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May 2025

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About the show

In life, we're always pitching. Whatever our job title, profession, hopes or dreams we're always looking for buy-in. We need others (and sometimes even ourselves) to say yes. In this podcast, former professional actor and leading communication coach Dominic Colenso interviews guests from the worlds of business, sport, the arts and show business about their lives and uncovers how the stories they told to themselves and others helped them to achieve success.

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40 recent

May 21, 2025Episode 3847 min

Why Every Pitch Needs More Than Show-Stopping Moments with Nico Jones

My guest for this episode is Nico Jones. Nico is the creator of the core story framework and an all round storytelling geek. So I'm delighted to have him on the show to delve into how to incorporate storytelling into our pitch. If you enjoy what you hear, please comment and subscribe. It would mean the world to me and will help this podcast reach as many people as possible. You don't want to miss this. Enjoy. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 05:11 Embrace Vulnerability for Authentic Connection 09:04 Early Digital Arts Exploration 12:19 "Effortless Creation: Opportunity and Challenge" 14:55 Discovering Entrepreneurial Core Beliefs 17:46 "Understanding Your Own Journey" 24:45 Mastering Connection for Success 32:09 Rethinking Company vs. Individual Values 37:29 Journey to Becoming Influential 40:51 Unlocking Storytelling for Entrepreneurs 41:52 The Power of Repeated Stories 45:56 "Embrace and Persist in the Past" Episode Links: Listen on: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://apple.co/3sYoIbg⁠ Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3Zrs2rJ⁠ Follow Dominic: LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/3LxpimH⁠ X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Rr3BIX⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://bit.ly/48n3Me4⁠ Website: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Lr47ml⁠ Follow Nico: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nico-ceballos-jones/ Instagram: nico_ceballos_jones Website: - https://storycaptain.co.uk/ If you want to improve the way you pitch and communicate take our free Pitching With IMPACT scorecard here: ⁠ https://pitchingwithimpactpersonal.scoreapp.com/ Or our free Presenting With IMPACT scorecard here: https://presentingwithimpact.scoreapp.com/

February 6, 2025Episode 3912 min

The Art of Storytelling - 5 Mistakes Most People Make

Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you have—but most people completely kill their audience’s attention without even realising it. If you’ve ever felt like your stories fall flat, you might be making one of these 5 classic storytelling mistakes in your pitches and presentations. In this video, I’ll break down: ✅ The biggest mistakes that ruin your stories ✅ How to tell if you’re making them ✅ Simple fixes that will make your storytelling instantly more engaging And yes, one of these mistakes involves a hippo—so stay tuned for that! 🦛 If you fix these, you’ll instantly become a more engaging and persuasive speaker and storyteller. 🔔 Subscribe for more expert communication tips! 👉 Which mistake do you think you’ve made the most? Drop a comment below! 📺 Next Up: No body care about you (the truth about your pitch) https://youtu.be/Rv5mqLIdm8w 📢 Help spread the word! If you found this video useful, hit LIKE and SHARE so more people can improve their storytelling skills. #Storytelling #CommunicationSkills #PublicSpeaking

January 29, 2025Episode 3847 min

Pitching With Purpose: Secrets for Success From The Godfather of Impact - Paul Dunn

My guest for this episode is Paul Dunn. Paul is a 4-time TEDx speaker. He is a Senior Fellow in one of the World’s Leading Think Tanks and consults to and mentors leading-edge businesses around the world. He’s also the co-found or an amazing organisation called B1G1. I first heard Paul speak about B1G1 back in 2017 and was blown away by his passion and energy. I’m thrilled to have him on the podcast to share his experience and to dig into the ways that we can all make more impact in the world. If you enjoy what you hear please leave a review, like, comment and subscribe. It would mean the world to me and will help this podcast reach as many people as possible. You don’t want to miss this! Enjoy! Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 04:08 - Luck vs. Creation: The Role of Curiosity 07:11 - From Dover to Tokyo: A Life of Opportunities 10:13 - The Power of Words in Pitching 13:00 - Butterflies in Formation: Mastering Public Speaking 16:13 - Finding and Telling Your Stories 19:12 - The Storyteller's Influence on Generations 24:35 - The Power of Storytelling 25:17 - Wowing the Audience vs. Business Plans 29:46 - Impact and Purpose with B1G1 35:04 - Creating High Impact Cultures 35:34 - Overcoming Obstacles in Business 43:35 - Lessons from a Journey Episode Links: Listen on: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://apple.co/3sYoIbg⁠ Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3Zrs2rJ⁠ Youtube: https://bit.ly/3Zt27Qq Follow Dominic: LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/3LxpimH⁠ X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Rr3BIX⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://bit.ly/48n3Me4⁠ Website: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Lr47ml⁠ Follow Paul Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulb1g1/ Website: https://www.pauldunn.global/ Website: https://b1g1.com/ If you want to improve the way you pitch and communicate take our free Pitching With IMPACT scorecard here: ⁠ https://pitchingwithimpactpersonal.scoreapp.com/ Or our free Presenting With IMPACT scorecard here: https://presentingwithimpact.scoreapp.com/

December 18, 2024Episode 3712 min

Nobody Cares About You (The Truth About Your Pitch)

If your audience is distracted or checking out there’s a simple cause. In this episode I share a secret tool used by the world’s greatest actors to keep the audience in the palms of their hands. If you want to get greater engagement in your pitches and presentations don’t miss this bite-sized episode.

November 6, 2024Episode 3635 min

The Turnaround CEO: Growing Businesses with Purpose and Vision - Jeremy Schwartz | Ep 36

My guest for this episode is Jeremy Schwartz, the former CEO of the Body Shop and Pandora. Jeremy started his corporate career in marketing, working as Marketing Director on iconic projects for L'Oreal and Coca-Cola. He's now a sought-after leadership and sustainability speaker and the Chairperson of Kantar's Sustainability Transformation Practice. I first met Jeremy on the speaking circuit at the beginning of covid and have always been impressed by his ability to simplify and distill complex ideas so I wanted to get on on the show to share his insight. If you enjoy what you hear please leave a review, like, comment and subscribe. It would mean the world to me and will help this podcast reach as many people as possible. You don’t want to miss this! Enjoy! Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:21 The Art of Pitching and Emotional Connections 07:22 Career Reflections and Missed Opportunities 10:07 Education and Early Career Choices 13:29 Balancing Logic and Creativity in Business 16:31 Navigating Corporate Innovation and Change 19:31 The Importance of Consumer Insights 22:14 Uncovering Purpose in Organisations 25:22 Leading with Purpose at The Body Shop 28:15 Sustainability and Social Responsibility in Business 31:16 Final Advice and Reflections Episode Links: Listen on: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://apple.co/3sYoIbg⁠ Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3Zrs2rJ⁠ Youtube: https://bit.ly/3Zt27Qq Follow Dominic: LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/3LxpimH⁠ X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Rr3BIX⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://bit.ly/48n3Me4⁠ Website: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Lr47ml⁠ Follow Jeremy: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschwartz-ned-speaker/ Instagram: jeremy.schwartz.82 Website: www.jeremy.schwartz.com If you want to improve the way you pitch and communicate take our free Pitching With IMPACT scorecard here: ⁠ https://pitchingwithimpactpersonal.scoreapp.com/ Or our free Presenting With IMPACT scorecard here: https://presentingwithimpact.scoreapp.com/

October 23, 2024Episode 3550 min

The Highly Trusted Advisor: Sales & Leadership Laws Uncovered - Sean Weafer | Ep 35

My guest for this episode is Sean Weafer. Sean is an internationally renowned, sales and leadership coach, a sought after conference speaker and the Founder of the Sellingis.Life sales enablement app. The author of 'The Highly Trusted Advisor' and 'CASH: Coaching As a Side-Hustle', he’s worked with some of the giants like Microscoft, DLA Piper and Indeed.com but is equally at home coaching micro, small and medium sized clients across a diverse range of industries. When I speak to other speakers about who to follow in the world of sales, Sean’s name has come up time and again, so I’m delighted to have him on the show to share his insight. If you enjoy what you hear please leave a review, like, comment and subscribe. It would mean the world to me and will help this podcast reach as many people as possible. You don’t want to miss this! Enjoy! 00:00: Introduction 04:31: Navigating the Sales Landscape: Internal vs External Pitches 07:27: From Engineering to Sales: A Journey of Transformation 10:27: Building Relationships: Lessons from the Merchant Navy 13:35: The Shift from Expert to Influencer in Sales 16:25: The New Laws of Sales and Leadership Post-COVID 19:34: The Accidental Salesperson: A Personal Journey 26:13: Service-Oriented Sales Approach 29:03: The Evolution of Trust and AI 32:01: The Role of AI in Sales 34:03: Understanding Clients Through Questions 41:19: Sales as the Tip of the Spear 47:22: Reflections on Life and Growth Episode Links: Listen on: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://apple.co/3sYoIbg⁠ Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3Zrs2rJ⁠ Youtube: https://bit.ly/3Zt27Qq Follow Dominic: LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/3LxpimH⁠ X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Rr3BIX⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://bit.ly/48n3Me4⁠ Website: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Lr47ml⁠ Follow Sean: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanweafer/ X: seanweafer Website: https://www.seanweafer.com If you want to improve the way you pitch and communicate take our free Pitching With IMPACT scorecard here: ⁠ https://pitchingwithimpactpersonal.scoreapp.com/ Or our free Presenting With IMPACT scorecard here: https://presentingwithimpact.scoreapp.com/

October 9, 2024Episode 3441 min

The Sales Guru: Crafting winning conversations - Tony Morris | Ep 34

My guest for this episode is Tony Morris. Tony is an International Communications Speaker, Best-selling author of 5 books, and his company, Tony Morris International has helped develop over 50,000 sales professionals, across 47 industries to perform at the top of their game. I first met Tony several years ago and I love his no nonsense approach to sales success so I’m excited to have him on the show to talk about all things pitching, purpose and performance. If you enjoy what you hear please leave a review, like, comment and subscribe. It would mean the world to me and will help this podcast reach as many people as possible. You don’t want to miss this! Enjoy! Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 07:13 Passion for Selling and Persuasion 09:09 Influence of Tony's Father and the Power of Feedback 12:20 Mentally Squaring Employed Work with Training Others 16:24 Transition to Training and Codifying Sales Methodologies 19:34 Importance of Feedback and Asking Customers 21:48 The Evolution of Sales 25:02 The ASK Methodology 36:10 Finding Purpose and Engaging Episode Links: Listen on: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://apple.co/3sYoIbg⁠ Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3Zrs2rJ⁠ Youtube: https://bit.ly/3Zt27Qq Follow Dominic: LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/3LxpimH⁠ X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Rr3BIX⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://bit.ly/48n3Me4⁠ Website: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Lr47ml⁠ Follow Tony: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonymorrismd Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonymorrisinternational/ Website: https://tonymorrisinternational.com/ If you want to improve the way you pitch and communicate take our free Pitching With IMPACT scorecard here: ⁠ https://pitchingwithimpactpersonal.scoreapp.com/ Or our free Presenting With IMPACT scorecard here: https://presentingwithimpact.scoreapp.com/

September 25, 2024Episode 3358 min

The Brand Storyteller: Strategies for Impactful Marketing - Chris Wynn | Ep 33

My guest for this episode is Chris Wynn. Chris began his career as a journalist, going on to become Editorial Director for Informa, a FTSE 100 business. He then moved to Ofcom - the communications regulator in the UK - working his way up the ranks to become Director of Communications. He’s now Director of Communications for the John Lewis Partnership, home to two of the UK's most loved brands, John Lewis and Waitrose, where he leads corporate and public affairs, brand communications, internal communications and the Gazette, the Partnership’s in- house magazine. I first met Chris whilst he was at Ofcom and was really honoured when he asked me to speak to the top leaders at John Lewis about storytelling a couple of years ago. He’s an expert in his field and I’m delighted to have him on the show to share his insight on the importance of purpose and storytelling in communication. If you enjoy what you hear please leave a review, like, comment and subscribe. It would mean the world to me and will help this podcast reach as many people as possible. You don’t want to miss this! Enjoy! Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 06:07 - From Journalism to Communications 11:32 - The Role of AI in Content Creation 21:41 - The Unique Story of the John Lewis Partnership 26:14 - The Employee-Owned Business Model 32:11 - The Evolution of Purpose 50:35 - The Importance of the Christmas Advert Episode Links: Listen on: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://apple.co/3sYoIbg⁠ Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3Zrs2rJ⁠ Youtube: https://bit.ly/3Zt27Qq Follow Dominic: LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/3LxpimH⁠ X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Rr3BIX⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://bit.ly/48n3Me4⁠ Website: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Lr47ml⁠ Follow Chris: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-wynn-2194621/ If you want to improve the way you pitch and communicate take our free Pitching With IMPACT scorecard here: ⁠ https://pitchingwithimpactpersonal.scoreapp.com/ Or our free Presenting With IMPACT scorecard here: https://presentingwithimpact.scoreapp.com/

September 11, 2024Episode 3243 min

Change Maker: Lessons On Navigating Mental Health & Building Resilience - Claire Goodwin-Fee | Ep32

My guest for this episode is Claire Goodwin-Fee. Claire is a psychotherapist, change-maker, author, and the founder of Frontline19, an organisation that has provided free psychological support to nearly a million NHS and frontline workers across the UK. With a passion for empowering others to realise their potential, she’s on a mission to inspire better well-being and transform perceptions of mental health. She's also writing her debut novel, loves TikTok, dogs, books, and Stationery, so this is going to be a fun conversation! I first met Claire at a Do Lectures event earlier this year. She’s got amazing energy and an even more amazing story of purpose and passion, so I had to get her on the podcast to share it with you. If you enjoy what you hear please leave a review, like, comment and subscribe. It would mean the world to me and will help this podcast reach as many people as possible. You don’t want to miss this! Enjoy! 00:00 - Introduction 05:37 - Embracing the Ups and Downs of Life 12:59 - Supporting Frontline Workers' Mental Health 15:53 - The Importance of Self-Care 21:59 - Defining Purpose: The Journey of Frontline 19 24:06 - Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Embracing Opportunities 28:41 - Speaking Off the Cuff and Connecting with the Audience 30:31 - Grounding and Managing Energy Levels 32:45 - Resilience and Self-Care: Listening to Your Body 34:40 - Allowing Yourself to Feel and Communicate Emotions 36:69 - Balancing Work and Family: Setting Priorities 39:28 - Aligning Actions with Values and Finding Joy 42:32 - Believing in Yourself and Knowing Everything Will Be Okay Episode Links: Listen on: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://apple.co/3sYoIbg⁠ Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3Zrs2rJ⁠ Youtube: https://bit.ly/3Zt27Qq Follow Dominic: LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/3LxpimH⁠ X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Rr3BIX⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://bit.ly/48n3Me4⁠ Website: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Lr47ml⁠ Follow Claire: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairegoodwinfee/ X: @CGoodwinFee Instagram: @clairegoodwinfee Website: www.frontline19.com If you want to improve the way you pitch and communicate take our free Pitching With IMPACT scorecard here: ⁠ https://pitchingwithimpactpersonal.scoreapp.com/ Or our free Presenting With IMPACT scorecard here: https://presentingwithimpact.scoreapp.com/

July 10, 2024Episode 311 hr 2 min

The Psychometrics Expert: Mastering Behavioural Science & Positive Psychology - Mark Gilroy | Ep 31

My guest for this episode is Mark Gilroy. Mark is a consultant, coach and content creator with a background in psychology, tech and leadership. He loves seeing people embrace their inner geek. His work is about helping people feel comfortable and confident with the things they're unsure of, whether it's exploring the latest advances in technology, or upgrading their internal 'software' and ways of thinking. I first met Mark back in 2014 when he was a Director at a psychometric profiling organisation. I loved his energy and enthusiasm and we’ve stayed in touch ever since, getting together to geek out on tech and human performance. I’m delighted to have him on the show to dig into his story and to hear his insights. If you enjoy what you hear please leave a review, like, comment and subscribe. It would mean the world to me and will help this podcast reach as many people as possible. You don’t want to miss this! Enjoy! :-) 00:00 Introduction 08:01 Embracing the service mindset: shifting sales to relationships 19:46 Science degree lacked inward, subjective exploration 23:42 Navigating complexities of leading and growing 28:49 Professional vs personal growth, internal vs external 36:35 Embracing the full range of personality in work 41:18 Introversion vs extroversion 45:55 Tech channel creator 51:42 Storytelling works for YouTube and beyond 56:43 Approaching laziness to conserve energy for others 01:00:01 Trusting your instincts and ignoring others' opinions Listen on: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://apple.co/3sYoIbg⁠ Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3Zrs2rJ⁠ Youtube: https://bit.ly/3Zt27Qq Follow Dominic: LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/3LxpimH⁠ X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Rr3BIX⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://bit.ly/48n3Me4⁠ Website: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Lr47ml⁠ Follow Mark: YouTube: @thatmarkgilroy Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgilroy/ X: @thatmarkgilroy Instagram: @thatmarkgilroy Website: www.tmgprojects.net If you want to improve the way you pitch and communicate take our free Pitching With IMPACT scorecard here: ⁠ https://pitchingwithimpactpersonal.scoreapp.com/ Or our free Presenting With IMPACT scorecard here: https://presentingwithimpact.scoreapp.com/