In this episode Alex talks to Mark England, the co-founder of Enlifted coaches. Mark's pirate journey began when an injury forced to reconsider his entire identity. From here he became fascinated with mindset work and has created a unique method that helps lift people out of drama triangles and a victim mentality.

Controversial in some ways, Mark is setting new precedents in personal development, showing people how they can understand the inner critic and internal stories and move beyond them using a combination of writing, breathwork and an understanding of how language shapes our inner and outer world.

If you want to challenge your thinking this year, have a listen.

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But it seems somewhat wrong to introduce her by way of books, titles and accolades because as you’ll hear in this episode, Margaret intentionally lives life at the edge of the map, in pursuit of anomalies. Uninterested in fashion or fads, she mentors her students on how to effectively question and disobey norms. In this conversation we discuss what she's learnt about embracing uncertainty - the title of her latest book, and whether willfull blindness has now become strategic denial. Margaret pulls no punches when it comes to leaders peddling outdated ideas. So if you want to know how to live and lead well in an uncertain world, this is a conversation you will definitely enjoy. 

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Whilst not shying away from her experiences, she has turned pain into power and demonstrates extraordinary clarity and conviction in everything she does.

Here is a woman who truly lives life on her own terms.  

You can follow here here:

IG: @storrymusic

Youtube

Spotify

https://www.storrymusic.com/

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Councillors don't always get a good rep, but as you’ll hear in the first few minutes of this conversation, Tara has started challenging things from the get go.

It is her ambition to make Calne the most connected and least lonely town in the county, but she is also fairly accustomed to challenging the status quo. An avid rule breaker in her former workplaces, Tara is driven by putting people at the centre. You'll hear how exactly she defied her line manager to win over the CEO and take her organisation in a different direction, and how she manages the fear and very real consequences of putting forgiveness above permission.

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Introducing....Nick Heard-Jones, a former teacher, turned learning designer and coach, Nick has spent the last decade working with school leaders to help them challenge and change things both inside and outside the school gates. He’s been National Director of System Leadership at the Shaw Education Trust, and Chief Learning Officer at the NCE,  but no matter the title, he is resolute in always asking the question, what does it mean to lead like a pirate?

For the past 7 years He has loudly and steadfastly supported Sam and I selling more books to teachers than we ever could alone and now that he is managing director of Ioda education, we’re heading into exciting new territory together...

We have fused Be More Pirate into the The Level 7 Senior Leadership Apprenticeship Programme, and are now assembling a crew for an 18 month learning adventure. It's open to anyone employed at a company based in England, and aimed at those in, or working towards a senior leadership position.

So, if you want to lead more like a pirate then please fill out our form here: we will then be in touch for a call, and invite you to an info session.

At the time of publishing we have already have 130 register interest so it's looking like it will be an incredible community.

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But, as is usually the case with these podcast bios — the job titles and awards are not the real story and in this episode we talk about both the leverage and limitations of identity.

With characteristic care and humility Lee challenges a number of well worn ideas: we discuss the fallacy of failing forward, how capitalism is hijacking community, and some of the pitfalls of the self-help genre.

Sam and I certainly learnt a lot from Lee about how to express difficult ideas so we very much hope you enjoy this episode. 

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In this conversation we talk about his experiences as a drag queen, the ways in which he’s used performance to break the fourth wall and push people to their edge, and we discuss why the world needs a slow rebellion.

Through endless cultural experimentation Mathias has become unafraid of life. He embodies an attitude that is inherently pirate "if someone tells me it's impossible, I will prove that it can be done."

You can connect with him on LinkedIn

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It all started when V posted a short video about the 2021 insurrection from under their desk. The video went viral and they realised there was an opportunity for a new type of reporting that could help the American public navigate through the swamp of biased media. I

They are the one staying up all night to listen to dull but important Senate hearings so that the American public knows what's coming and how it might affect them.

We talk about:

💬 what is means to be a 'safe adult'

💬 power crying as a coping mechanism

💬 what you learn being invisible at an AI conference

In an age of algorithms and misinformation V is cutting through the noise, making important but otherwise dry topics funny and relatable. And slowly it seems that the mainstream is catching on, and realising that there is another way to do this.

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One for the intrapreneurs or 'pirates inside', she gives rare insights into the conversations that happen behind closed doors; in board rooms, at company off sites and leadership meetings.

Telling it like it is, there's plenty of advice here for how far to push the limits of your role, and how to go about rule breaking in a strategic way.

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And whilst we get into the symbolism of Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Luke Skywalker, heroes and anti-heroes alike, this episode's guest, Kester Brewin, is much more than just a writer. As an activist Kester has campaigned and stood up to corporations and won, but not for the reasons you might expect.

He shares with us what he learned from his lived experiences of standing up to power, what it means to be counter-cultural today, and why the idea of pirates still inspires him.

You can find find more about his work here:  kesterbrewin.com 

And peruse his books:

Mutiny

God-like: a 500-year history of Artificial Intelligence

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Today’s guest is Simon Dyer, the founder of Pizza Pirates and Dough Bros - a social enterprise based in Devon that combines peer to peer mental health support with pizza making.

But before that Simon has had a long history of working with vulnerable people and challenging the system on their behalf. In this episode you’ll hear about the many times he has quit his job in protest, his thoughts on where health and social care is going badly wrong, and how he has managed to make pizza pirates a success.

So, if you’ve been thinking of setting something up on your own, or you’ve started and hit some road blocks, then we hope Simon’s story gives you the motivation to keep at it.   

Find out more about Pizza Pirates here: https://www.pizza-pirates.co.uk/

And Dough Bros: https://www.resilientlives.org.uk/dough-bro-s

Connect with Simon here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-dyer-a353221a/

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It’s fair to say that Eden was built against the odds, and Tim played a huge part in that. He’s someone who will pursue a grand idea, despite considerable risks, and isn’t afraid to be disliked in the process.

Before Eden he had a whole other career in the music industry before entering the world of conservation, co-founding the Lost Gardens of Heligan, and with Eden, pioneering the legendary community get together The Big Lunch.

Tim is a master of building crews, and not giving up when the going gets tough. With a tendency to not do as he’s told, this conversation took many twists and turns. We hope you enjoy it.

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Her latest published book is Women without kids, an in depth look at women choosing to live childfree and all the personal, political and systemic reasons it’s happening. In our conversation we cover alcohol, the taboos around parenting differently, and touch on her latest preoccupation - content addiction. 

We love Ruby because she models, explores, and informs; her brand of rebellion gently nudges you in a new direction without judgement. 

We hope you enjoy the episode. 

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After a hiatus we're back to explore what rules need breaking in 2025.

We're in tough times, which means more reason than ever to celebrate those who are pushing back in whatever way they can.

This season we'll have double the amount of episodes as were interviewing some seasoned rebels who've managed to grab public attention, alongside some inspiring people from across our Be More Pirate community who we think you should meet.

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In 2021 Philadelphia native Jamie and a group of women founded Reclaim These Streets in response to the death of Sarah Everard, a 33 year old marketing executive who was raped and murdered by metropolitan police offer Wayne Couzens. The group organised a vigil for Sarah on Clapham Common in London which was then violently broken up by the police and several people were arrested.

The police cited breaches in coronavirus restrictions, but the group took the Met police to court o challenge them on the illegality of the vigil. We're honoured to have Jamie on the pod to explain the events in more detail, and talk more broadly about what fuelled her to take this on.

We think you'll agree that she is an absolute force, a pirate you'd be very happy to have on your side.

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Jon spent the majority of his early career working in advertising - the pinnacle and pioneer of consumer culture but eventually turned his back on it when he realised very starkly the damage it was doing. The New Citizenship project was his rebellion - a challenge to the societal story that the only power we have is as consumers, and a challenge to organisations that the only thing they can do is sell. He's now captured all of this accumulated wisdom and learning with the NCP in his first book, aptly named, Citizens, which is out on March 17th. For anyone in our community who has connected with the idea of re-humanising transactional mechanistic work cultures - Jon's work will give you so much inspiration and ammunition.

Citizens is available to pre-order via Canterbury Press: https://www.canburypress.com/products/citizens-by-jon-alexander

New Citizenship Project: https://www.newcitizenship.org.uk/

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• What was your most pirate moment this year?
• What rebellion would you most like to see in 2022?
• What advice would you give to a new pirate?

Many thanks to the wonderful folk who sent in their thoughts: Deana Wildgoose, James Berg, Lefteris Heratakis, Kristin Joy-Davis, Mark Walmsley, Miguel Fernandez, Paul Ginsberg and Graeme Cooke

What matters is what we are able to act upon and every small stepping stone towards change is significant in its own way. Don't stop just because you don't think it's big enough, exciting enough or even 'pirate' enough. The journey is not linear, and everybody has a different starting point.

Happy New Year.

*Unbelievably, this is the first episode with no swearing*

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Steve Chapman is an artist, coach, writer, speaker and (sort of) podcaster. The more accurate way to describe Steve's work is that he does 'projects that are experiments in the opposite of what is normal'. His time is spent fully inhabiting the edges, and he works with a range of organisations and individuals to help them do the same. The results are very interesting: we cover 'provocative absence' 'quantum flirting' the elusive 'chair game' and the legacy of the Lost Cat poster.

You can find all of Steve's work here:

https://www.canscorpionssmoke.com/

The blog post we mention is here - a must read for any pirate:

https://www.canscorpionssmoke.com/2016/11/05/want-creativity-workplace-serious/

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A pirate we are pleased to know.

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Benash is co-founder of the South Asian Midwife's Association, is on the editorial board for the Practicing Midwife, and co-chair for the Births Inquiry into Racial Injustice in UK Maternity systems. We collided through the the NHS Horizons School for Change Agents programme, and really wanted to bring her leadership to the podcast audience as part of our ongoing conversation about being a pirate in healthcare.

(You'll also notice Sam is absent from the podcast today as he was away doing some last minute mission critical filming for his Uncertainty Experts programme).

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In the same vein as Be More Pirate, The Uncertainty Experts is full of stories. It's based on interviews with some remarkable people who have each found their way through deep uncertainty and developed strategies that can help you in turn. And, it's backed up with some robust research undertaken by scientists at University College London that helps you to understand the brain science behind the narrative. In a nutshell, it's an edgy, experimental reframe of uncertainty as something not to fear or avoid but to embrace. In this episode of the podcast I chat to Sam and lift the lid on the process of putting the documentary together and explore some of the concepts that really stood out to me. 

The Uncertainty Experts airs on 9th November, if you go to the website uncertaintyexperts.com you can get a taste of some of the people you'll meet on this unusual journey, take the uncertainty test and get a feel for what it's all about. You can also of course purchase tickets to the show, which are discounted until the end of October. And of course, there's an even bigger discount for you pirates, just drop me a line, alex@bemorepirate.com if you'd like to get the code.  

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An award-winning entrepreneur and venture capitalist who continually breaks all the rules of business, she started her first business Slingshot Sponsorship in her early 20s and was recognised for working so outside the usual boxes that the Great British Entrepreneur Awards awarded her in an entirely new category 'Media Disruptor of the year.' She has worked with Richard Branson on the infamous Necker Island, owns a luxury ice wine company REBEL Pi, was a contestant on The Apprentice UK, and is the author of two books, the most recent entitled Rule Breaker: Rebellious Leadership for the Future of Work. This conversation is a real insight into the mind of an entrepreneur who runs at every opportunity guns blazing!

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In today's episode we try to demystify the topic somewhat by speaking with Jessica Chapplow, a specialist in Digital Transformation, who focuses on the role of cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Augmented Reality. Her platform, 'Heartificial Intelligence', was born out of a mission to raise awareness and drive education about ethical data use and reducing algorithmic bias. She empowers people to focus less on finding the perfect answer, and instead, to educate them to ask the right questions when it comes to AI ethics. It was incredibly inspiring to hear from a young, informed, passionate leader in this field, and we hope you gain as much as we did from the conversation.

https://www.heartificialintelligence.org/

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Since then she's become a prominent feminist voice as the founding leader of the Women's Equality Party, author of the book '5 Rules for Rebellion' and more recently co-founder of the Activate Collective, a movement to support women standing for election. In this episode she is frank about the ups and downs of activism and clear that there can never a be one size fits all approach to change; the only way is to keep pulling different levers, fuelled by hope and a dash of rage.

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For this final episode in the 'season' Sam and Alex interview each other about some of the big themes and challenges of being a pirate in 2021.

Expect a lot of uncertainty...

Thank you to everyone who has supported and listened!

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On this week's podcast we're talking to Maff Potts, - founder of the movement, and Petrina Douglas, an active Camerado based in Middlesborough. Maff had previously spent much of his career tackling homelessness - he’s worked both front line and in leadership positions running the largest homeless services in the country, but started Camerados in 2015 to address the way he felt that the system was failing people. The Camerados are passionate about biscuits, drinking tea, fairy lights and being ok with failure. Principled yet silly, they challenge so much of the status quo around social justice, public services and about how to support people when they’re struggling with their mental health, making them a pirate movement through and through.

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This week we’re talking real life fierce female pirates with award-winning writer for stage and screen, Carina Rodney, whose original Audible audio drama ‘Hell Cats’ tells the story of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who in their escape from poverty and illegitimate birth, discovered true freedom in piracy. In a world synonymous with gnarled bearded men, their story is one of defiance of the status quo and a simultaneous acceptance of self. Alleged lovers, bonafide bad-asses, Carina sheds light on how these two women, unencumbered by modern insecurities were able to pursue personal truth and social justice in their lives on the sea.

Carina enlightens us as to how these pirates inspired her to tell their story, re-examine what it is that brings on personal happiness and be braver in her own writing.

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In this episode we talk to John Lodge and Hesham Abdalla, co-founders of Hexitime, the UK’s first national time bank for health and social care. In their own words, Hexitime represents an 'insurgency' or a formalised black market of trading favours that disrupts the hierarchies, silos and old power structures that are keeping the NHS inefficient. With some radical pirate thinking they've managed some incredible things in a short space of time, and are showing the Navy how it's done. We chat about the challenges, triumphs and the possibilities they see for a revolution in healthcare. 

Follow

https://hexitime.com/

Twitter

@Hesham_abdalla

@NHS_Man_John

@Hexitime

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlodge/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/heshamabdalla/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/42304560/

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Olio came about in 2015 when Saasha and her co-founder Tessa realised they both cared a lot about the issue of food waste, so decided to give themselves a year to do something about it. Their market research and found that 1 in 3 people are “physically pained” throwing away food but like all good pirates they knew that for it to work, they'd have to start small, and simple, and resist being overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge. Suffice to say, 6 years down the line the app is now making a massive impact, so in this episode we dig into how exactly they got there. 

https://olioex.com/

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Sarah is a pioneer of gentle protest, a way of campaigning for those who consider themselves introverts. She explains how you can create a full sensory experience to think deeply and differently about important issues and influence those in power. We discuss some of the unusual methods she uses, the battles hard won (including seeing her mum give the CEO of Tesco an ASBO), and how we can begin to take the ego out of activism.

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We learnt a hell of a lot from Laura about how you can bring much needed nuance to a binary conversation and tackle an entrenched social norm from multiple angles whilst remaining refreshingly human and non-preachy. 

Listen to the end for some great alcohol-free recommendations! 

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10 years on Peter has written two books on how anyone can do what they did, and his team of pirates are leading the Flatpack 2021 campaign in the run up to local elections next month. It was an absolute privilege to get Peter's take on the importance of changing the political system - Covid-19 has brought home the importance of community to so many - Flatpack is a way we can fight for and protect it.

https://www.flatpackdemocracy.co.uk/

https://flatpack2021.co.uk/

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No one knows this better than award-winning podcaster, rapper, spoken word artist and social commentator George Mpanga, aka George the Poet. Blending up genres, styles and storytelling techniques like no other, George challenges political and social norms with unparalleled creativity and authenticity. We chat about the big picture - how we might start to create a new psychological infrastructure for the 21st century, back down to the very personal - how to own and weaponise your own story for social change.

More on George here: https://www.georgethepoet.com/

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We discuss her incredible story that began with rescuing decommissioned firehoses from landfill sites, turning them into handbags, and going on to found her company Elvis and Kresse. But more importantly, we get a rare insight into her mindset, the moments that propelled her away from a conventional path and into a pirate's life, and why her 'why' keeps strengthening year on year.

You can learn more about Elvis and Kresse at https://www.elvisandkresse.com/

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