Straight up talk with Sharon & Peter
We are both proud Brits and Canadians – this is a no-nonsense weekly podcast about behaviour, people, life, leadership, managing and all sorts of stuff, from a corporate and non-corporate perspective.
We don’t always agree...
Episodes
24 episodes
AI isn’t the problem. Not knowing whether its answer is any good might be
AI can write for us, plan for us, and even “think” alongside us. The uncomfortable twist is that the more we lean on it, the easier it is to lose the very skills we are trying to enhance. We dig into that tension with a real-world, no-hype look...
When does your pet start owning you?
How much of your life would you reorganise around an animal? We love dogs and cats, most of our friends have them, and we can absolutely see why people call pets “family”. But we’ve never had pets together, and it’s not an accident, it’s a choi...
Getting Older: Buckle Up, Buttercup
Ageing sounds like a slow fade until you’re actually doing it. Sharon and Pete get brutally honest about what changes after 60: not just your body, but your tolerance, your priorities, and the way the world responds to you. We start with the un...
Are You Moving Towards A Better Life Or Just Away From A Problem
A removals van has barely arrived, it is already dark, and the client asks a question nobody wants to hear: “Before you offload, how much would you charge me to move the stuff back?” That true story sets the tone for a candid chat about moving ...
You Think You’re Fine. Everyone Else Has Notes.
You can fall off a chair without being drunk, flip out of a camping seat while protecting your drink, and still be convinced you’re basically fine. That’s the trap, isn’t it? The habits we live with every day feel normal from the inside, while ...
Why every generation thinks theirs is the best!
“Kids these days don’t know they’re born” gets thrown around like it’s a modern truth, but we dug into it and realised something unsettling: people have been saying the same thing for thousands of years. Sharon and Pete pull apart why older gen...
The Higher You Climb, The Less Truth You Hear
We dig into why people ask for honest feedback yet still want their ego protected, and how that tension makes “be honest with me” a risky request. We share practical ways to give and receive feedback so it stays useful, specific, and grounded i...
From Norman Lords To Seaside Breaks In Wales And Somerset
We chase a family request from Tenerife into the history of Montgomery in Mid Wales, from Norman roots to a churchyard legend that refuses to die. Then we head to Minehead in Somerset, where our own story begins amid seaside change, Butlins lif...
Your Brain Decides Before You Do
We explore why you can trust someone or doubt them within seconds, and what that “gut feeling” is really made of. We test intuition against real life examples, hiring decisions, and the limits of snap judgements when your brain fills in the gap...
Why High Performers Feel Like Frauds
We unpack imposter syndrome and why capable people can feel like they are one mistake away from being exposed. We share real stories from leadership coaching and sport to show how self-belief, confidence, and pressure shape performance.• wh...
Attitude Controls Everything
Attitude turns the same moment into either a problem or a lesson, and we explore how to train that choice on purpose. With our friends from Grand River CrossFit, we connect gym mindset, coachability, business resilience, and a few surprisingly ...
From Dunville’s Canal Roots To London Courtrooms
We dig into the surprising history behind everyday places, from a canal-linked Ontario town name to a Manchester neighbourhood shaped by railways and pop culture. We also trace how a South London court case left a lasting mark on British legal ...
Why we don't always agree - and it's a good thing
Raised voices can look like a relationship problem, but we explain how disagreement can be a way to stress test ideas and arrive at the same conclusion. We share everyday stories, a bit of neuroscience, and the research insight that matters mos...
Direct Communication Without The Damage
We explore why directness reads as helpful honesty to some people and as rudeness or threat to others, using real stories where blunt feedback changes the whole room. We unpack the brain science and cultural norms behind those reactions, then l...
Is common sense really all that common?
We dig into whether common sense is truly universal or just experience we forget we learned, using stories from removals work, horse yards, martial arts, and everyday life. We challenge the idea that intelligence equals good judgement, and we l...
Emotional Intelligence 101
We talk about emotional intelligence as the real-world skill of being smart with feelings and staying effective when we get triggered. We share how the brain and body react under stress, why “calm down” backfires, and the simple pauses that hel...
Do Degrees Still Matter?
We challenge the idea that a degree automatically equals intelligence, credibility, or job readiness, especially as AI reshapes what work looks like. We weigh up when qualifications protect people and when skills, judgement, and emotional intel...
Some decisions feel huge while others reveal their impact later
We talk about the decisions that change your life and why some moments feel like a clear line between before and after. We connect real turning points to neuroscience, gut instinct, and personal accountability so you can make cleaner choices un...
Everything Has A Beginning Middle And End
We use a simple phrase to make sense of change: everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end. We share how dopamine, identity, sunk cost, and the 80/20 rule shape the choices we make when it’s time to move on. • the idea that every...
How Passions Begin
We trace where our sports passions really come from, from schoolyard belonging to family rituals, and how those early moments stick for life. Along the way we swap stories about football, the NFL, horse riding, and the odd ways identity gets bu...
The Candy Jar Boss And Other Manager Myths
We unpack what makes a good manager today and why the old command and control mindset no longer works in a complex workplace. We share stories from early management mistakes, removals business realities, and the leadership habits that build tru...
Stop Assuming, Start Communicating
We swap brutally honest stories where one small assumption turns a simple message into wasted time, lost money, and awkward apologies. We dig into how language, accent, and “shortcut thinking” derail clarity, then share better ways to check und...
How Personal Values Shape Your Choices
The fastest way to understand yourself is to pay attention to what sets you off. That flash of anger on a train, the disgust when someone is rude to wait staff, the moment you realise you cannot connect with a person no matter how hard you try,...
Behaviour: Ghosting, in corporate life and personal
We talk this week about Ghosting - the practice of abruptly ending all communication and avoiding contact with someone—typically in dating, friendships, or the workplace—without warning or explanation.It feels awful when it happens to yo...