Full Transcript for Melissa Davis: The Future of Collaboration: Building Human-Centered Ecosystems in an AI-Driven World

--> 00:02:11.400 but we're actually doing something about it. We're not just 38 00:02:11.439 --> 00:02:14.240 going out there and collaborating with the odd person here 39 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:17.080 or there and going, oh, that was lovely. We've got 40 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:20.360 the communities, we've got the ideas, we've done the research. 41 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:23.439 We're still doing the research. So one of my first 42 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:27.639 questions to you, my love, is you've got on your 43 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:32.560 LinkedIn profile. Obviously I've done a bit of stalking ecosystem Builder. 44 00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:36.159 One of the things in my research I came across 45 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:42.080 the wonderful architect Buckminster fuller futurists, future thinking. Hopefully you've 46 00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:45.800 caught up with him as well, and he always said 47 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:49.759 one of his famous quotes is, if you want to 48 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:55.240 change anything, you can't change the model that currently exists. 49 00:02:55.400 --> 00:02:59.360 You have to make that obsolete and create a new model. 50 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:04.759 And I want to create four businesses the model where 51 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:13.000 collaboration becomes the norm, where support and energy between each 52 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:17.599 other create something that is very very special. And previously 53 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:21.159 we feel like collaboration hasn't been used in a good way. 54 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:25.599 For an example, when I first started Collaboration Global and 55 00:03:25.639 --> 00:03:28.759 we used to call our members collaborators, I had many 56 00:03:28.759 --> 00:03:31.080 people go, you can't use that word. Oh I no, 57 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:35.199 you can't use that word because collaborators is a bad thing. Well, yeah, 58 00:03:35.240 --> 00:03:37.879 I do remember what the war was about. But I'm 59 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:39.759 pretty sure that if you go back to the original 60 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:43.520 original meaning of collaborator, it is okay, and let's take 61 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:46.000 the word back and start using it for good. If 62 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:48.840 you're a collaborator, it means you're out for opportunity and 63 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:51.439 you want to gather good people around you. There is 64 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:54.120 a better definition than that, but that's kind of mine 65 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:58.599 off the top. So as an ecosystem builder and you 66 00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:01.280 said your co create. I love you're co creating the 67 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:05.439 next era of entrepreneurship. Go girl, tell us. 68 00:04:05.319 --> 00:04:09.439 What you're co creating with you? Yeah, and everyone else 69 00:04:09.560 --> 00:04:10.280 doing it right. 70 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:12.680 It's getting more and more, is it? The more people 71 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:15.400 you come up tell me about your ecosystem builder? What's 72 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:16.399 what's that's all about? 73 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:20.279 You know? So what's funny about that kind of LinkedIn 74 00:04:20.519 --> 00:04:24.720 headline or whatever? That's been there for years? And it 75 00:04:24.759 --> 00:04:28.480 always felt a little bit imposteroush because that was my 76 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:32.759 that was my aspired identity, and I don't even think 77 00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:36.439 I realized it until I I you know, we really 78 00:04:36.639 --> 00:04:42.120 started to build what now I would consider touching the ecosystems, right, 79 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:46.720 and so it finally feels like, Okay, now we're really 80 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:47.959 doing something about it. 81 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:48.600 You know. 82 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:54.079 And those years before that, when that was aspired for 83 00:04:54.240 --> 00:05:03.199 me on my LinkedIn profile, you know, all the precursors 84 00:05:03.279 --> 00:05:13.160 were being formed, right between studying collaborative entrepreneurship, really looking 85 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:16.920 at you know, what is it in our systems and 86 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:20.040 our ecosystems right now that are broken? And that has 87 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:23.120 been a study for many years. You know, when you 88 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:27.920 talked about you know that quote, I think that's accurate. 89 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:31.600 I think that, you know, you can't build new systems 90 00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:34.480 until the old systems are so broken nobody wants to 91 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:37.920 use them anymore. And I do feel like we're really 92 00:05:37.959 --> 00:05:42.680 approaching that. And will we ever see a total collapse 93 00:05:42.759 --> 00:05:46.519 of our old you know, systems, I don't. I don't know. 94 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:50.600 I know enough people are really frustrated by it. I 95 00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:53.560 know enough people are not succeeding, and I think that 96 00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:57.519 that's the that's that kind of first real frustration, you know, 97 00:05:57.560 --> 00:06:00.879 there's the there's the higher level fort that you and 98 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:05.519 I have about I see that we could be approaching 99 00:06:05.560 --> 00:06:08.680 this in a very different way, and so many people 100 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:13.319 are not right. But the earlier experience. 101 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:13.439 Of that is. 102 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:20.319 I had these dreams of contributing in this way and 103 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:22.600 this desire for the freedom to do it the way 104 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:24.920 I want to do it, and to build my life 105 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:26.600 the way I want to build my life and not 106 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:32.439 be stuck in this corporate job building and doing you know, 107

00:06:32.480 --> 00:06:34.800 bringing my gifts into the world or not bringing my 108 00:06:34.839 --> 00:06:37.040 gifts into the world because I'm working for somebody else. 109 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:43.959 But it just we're just not really in systems that 110 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:48.879 are allowing most people to live out that dream and entrepreneurship. 111 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:56.600 In your time of doing this research and having that 112 00:06:56.680 --> 00:07:00.920 when you very first put that phrase onto your LinkedIn profile, 113 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:06.079 have you seen things change in society that gives you 114 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:08.399 more hope or less hope for the future? 115 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:15.240 More? Absolutely more, I mean I see more. Just like 116 00:07:15.319 --> 00:07:17.920 you said, I think it was before we started recording 117 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:25.279 referencing the podcast that happened before. Sorry, that more and 118 00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:29.639 there is absolutely momentum building. Now. Maybe it's because when 119 00:07:29.800 --> 00:07:32.000 you know you're looking to buy a red car, you know, 120 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:34.319 you all of a sudden see a lot more red cars, right, 121 00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:39.560 Or it's that there's energy around it and people are 122 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:42.800 sensing it and feeling it and getting on board. But 123 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:50.199 I really do see more and more desire, more and 124 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:55.800 more frustration, and more and more desire to really take 125 00:07:55.839 --> 00:08:01.639 a different approach to invest and understand and how to 126 00:08:01.720 --> 00:08:07.879 recognize how we can really utilize each other and to 127 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:12.240 come together in different ways. But more than anything, this 128 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:14.879 underlying desire of like there's got to be a better 129 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:17.920 way to do this. There's got to be a way 130 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:21.759 that I'm you know, I think we're all recognizing this 131 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:28.720 undercurrent for ourselves in some ways that we don't want 132 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:33.080 to exist in this hyper competitive space, and I don't 133 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:36.519 want to use the word more feminine over masculine. I'm 134 00:08:36.519 --> 00:08:40.639 not sure that I buy into that. I think women 135 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:46.159 may tend to go first, you know, in that approach, 136 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:50.440 but just as many men, you know, as women, I 137 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:54.159 think are embracing a more collaborative approach. 138 00:08:54.159 --> 00:08:59.679 To Yeah, I agree everything because when we are remember 139 00:09:00.159 --> 00:09:01.919 a few years ago when we was first starting out 140 00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:04.639 the Collaboration Global, we had face to face meetings and 141 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:06.240 at the end of a meeting we usually go to 142 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:08.200 the bar or somewhere to carry on the conversation because 143 00:09:08.200 --> 00:09:11.600 everyone was so excited about it. And we had thirty 144 00:09:11.720 --> 00:09:13.679 thirty five people in the room, and the lady came 145 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:16.960 up to me afterwards and she went, Jill, why are 146 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:21.080 there no women in this group? Interesting? Isn't it that? 147 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:24.080 And I looked around and I went, oh, yeah, I 148 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:26.799 mean I'm oblivious, right. I don't see men, I don't 149 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:28.919 see women. I don't see two people or short people 150 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:30.639 or fat people. I just don't see it. I see 151 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:32.639 a human being in front of me. Yeah. And it 152 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:35.320 wasn't until she'd said that I went, Wow, where are 153 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:38.480 all the women? And I don't know whether it was 154 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:45.240 because maybe they were fed up of going networking and 155 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:47.000 that's what they were used to, and they were looking 156 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:48.759 for the next new thing and they thought that we 157 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:51.759 might have been it, or whether they were actually as 158 00:09:51.840 --> 00:09:55.879 you kind of intimated, that they're fed up with the fierce, 159 00:09:55.879 --> 00:10:01.799 scarcely competition paradigm that they're all stuck in. And women had, oh, yeah, 160 00:10:01.799 --> 00:10:04.080 this is what we always do, and then come together 161 00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:05.679 in the community and carry on doing it. 162 00:10:06.360 --> 00:10:08.840 I don't know that that's always true. I think women 163 00:10:08.919 --> 00:10:14.799 have been just as indoctrinated into that paradigm of hypercompetitiveness. 164 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:17.440 I think we have more of a natural tendency. I 165 00:10:17.440 --> 00:10:19.519 don't even know that that's true. I believe we all 166 00:10:19.559 --> 00:10:23.240 have a very natural tendency to collaborate. Yes, you know, 167 00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:28.080 but we've been really conditioned to almost fight against that 168 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:34.000 and you know, to protect ourselves and to you know, 169 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:38.639 buy into the you know, the idea that it takes grit, 170 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:45.840 it takes you know, this radical independence to make it work. 171 00:10:45.879 --> 00:10:49.759 And we have business besties, you know, we have mastermind groups, 172 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:54.799 we have networking, we have a lot of community, but 173 00:10:54.840 --> 00:10:58.240 we often don't take it further than hey, we're in 174 00:10:58.279 --> 00:10:59.480 this tough trench together. 175 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:00.799 Yeah, but. 176

00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:03.440 Different warris. 177 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:06.759 But they don't say they're having it tough. In those communities. 178 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:09.440 They go and everything's like, how's business, it's great, thank you. 179 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:11.960 It's like you're not allowed to say, oh, man, is 180 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:14.840 such a bad time. So therefore you don't get the 181 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:18.080 support within that space, and that, to me, community is 182 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:20.279 all about support. So I think. 183 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:25.120 That's more and more vulnerability coming through because I think 184 00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:27.960 once it cracks and everybody goes, oh, yeah, I'm not 185 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:29.000 doing well either. 186 00:11:29.399 --> 00:11:34.559 Yeah, reality, and then you can go right. 187 00:11:34.919 --> 00:11:35.000 You. 188 00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:41.039 Know. Business Network International B and I started over in 189 00:11:41.080 --> 00:11:44.159 California with the good old Ivan Miisner, doctor Ivan Wisner, 190 00:11:44.519 --> 00:11:47.039 and he said that that came out of adversity. You know, 191 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:49.519 he couldn't pay his mortgage every month and he was 192 00:11:49.559 --> 00:11:51.440 worried what he was going to do. So he called 193 00:11:51.480 --> 00:11:53.759 around a dozen of his best mates to sit around 194 00:11:53.799 --> 00:11:55.879 a table and they're like, yeah, we're struggling as well. 195 00:11:55.879 --> 00:11:59.440 I think it was through some financial crisis era in 196 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:01.840 early early eighties. I think is probably one of the 197 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:06.759 first ones that we lived through. And within weeks the 198 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:10.360 twelve had become thirty, become sixty, become ninety, and it 199 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:13.480 just spread because they were allowed to say I'm not 200 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:16.159 having a great time. As that's gone on, people show 201 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:18.279 up as though this is me perfect and I'm going 202 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:20.679 to get more business out of it, and so hold 203 00:12:20.919 --> 00:12:23.039 you hold it all in. You're not allowed to be vulnerable. 204 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:26.440 But I think after COVID, don't you think that's a 205 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:30.759 big pin turning point where people realize and Brene Brown 206 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:33.200 are doing all of her things about courage and vulnerability, 207 00:12:33.799 --> 00:12:37.159 God bless her, and we are now able to say 208 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:40.919 and be more vulnerable rather than pitch up and pitch 209 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:43.799 and hustle and do what we used to do maybe 210 00:12:43.879 --> 00:12:45.240 in the eighties and the nineties. 211 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:49.879 Yeah, it's it is, it's really encouraging. I think that 212 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:55.080 they're in some circles that's absolutely happening. And that's the 213 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:59.039 direction that we're going in in the startup community, not 214 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:03.559 as much right, especially for women, right, because it is, 215 00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:07.919 you know, it is a space that is still you know, 216 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:14.320 fairly male dominated, and there's a language, there's right, a presentation, 217 00:13:14.639 --> 00:13:24.360 there's it's it is you're fighting for money, right, and 218 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:26.799 and so I think it depends. I think the answer 219 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:31.720 is yes, and but it is shifting. And I think 220 00:13:31.720 --> 00:13:34.720 when things things are moving. We were talking about this before. 221 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:38.679 We're going on. Things are moving very quickly, especially when 222 00:13:38.679 --> 00:13:42.200 you think of you know AI, and you think about 223 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:45.080 how economies are shifting, and you think about how the 224 00:13:45.159 --> 00:13:49.600 workforce is shifting and it's going to change. We're just 225 00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:53.759 at the beginning. I think of this really rapid adoption phase, 226 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:56.519 which is crazy to think of because we're already moving 227 00:13:56.519 --> 00:14:01.159 a breakneck speed and the disruption that's going to happen 228 00:14:02.279 --> 00:14:06.600 is going to rapidly accelerate whatever momentum in any direction 229 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:10.200 we're going in I think right now, including the breaking, yeah, 230 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:15.120 and I would say almost especially the breaking. I don't 231 00:14:15.799 --> 00:14:18.559 I'm not a pessimistic person in any way, and I'm 232 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:23.120 excited about the future. However, I do believe it's going 233 00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:29.960 to be quite messy and very very challenging in this 234 00:14:30.159 --> 00:14:35.759 next period of time. But I'm incredibly encouraged by what 235 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:38.279 we can do together, as I know you are, and 236 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:44.159 if we can create spaces and structures for that to happen, 237 00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:47.600 then we're doing what we can to prepare all of 238 00:14:47.720 --> 00:14:50.639 us for what this kind of next space is going 239 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:55.240 to look like. And entrepreneurship is being as disrupted as 240 00:14:55.639 --> 00:14:58.679 working out there in the world. So as unsafe as 241 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:03.679 as it is for AI in the corporate world, for contributors, 242 00:15:03.720 --> 00:15:08.320 for us as humans, it's as unstable in the entrepreneurship world. 243 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:11.240 So we add the instability of entrepreneurship, combine it with 244 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:17.759 the instability of oh you thought you were a

copywriter? Right, yeah, 245 00:15:18.279 --> 00:15:21.559 And and so that disruption is is going to be 246 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:23.559 across the board. What does it mean to contribute? And 247 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:26.120 I think that for me has been this core question, 248 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:31.320 and it's you know, and in relationship to collaborate, to 249 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:35.399 collaboration as well, what is my contribution and how does 250 00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:37.200 it shift when we approach it through the lens of 251 00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:42.279 collaborative entrepreneurship. I have no idea what your what your 252 00:15:42.360 --> 00:15:45.399 question was when we started, because. 253 00:15:45.200 --> 00:15:49.279 You're okay, neither. My brain is going in ten different 254 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:51.679 directions at once. You're keeping me on my toes early. 255 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:56.720 So my I had a previous business partner who was 256 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:00.919 very much into conspiracy theories and state the world and 257 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:03.919 whose fault it was and whose fault it wasn't, And 258 00:16:03.960 --> 00:16:07.919 he was adamant that revolution would have to happen before 259 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:11.240 people would see collaboration as a good thing. We had 260 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:14.919 to be totally devastated before we could pick ourselves up 261 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:18.080 and pick up the pieces and carry on, and me 262 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:22.840 being the attempt of NOD, I want to build something. 263 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:26.000 So for me for the future is build a space 264 00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:28.559 where people are supportive, they are loving, they are kind, 265 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:32.159 they have a culture of helping each other, they have 266 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:35.799 a success rate where we can measure income that's being 267 00:16:35.840 --> 00:16:39.639 generated in an economy that flows between everybody and for 268 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:46.120 those that can't help themselves. And when armageddon happens and 269 00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:49.279 the politics of the day does not work anymore, we're 270 00:16:49.320 --> 00:16:52.639 not that far away from that. When it doesn't work anymore, 271 00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:55.200 people have a place to go and people can have 272 00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:58.200 an example to go, Huh, they're doing that over there. 273 00:16:58.240 --> 00:16:59.159 I think I'm going to do that. 274 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:01.440 Over here is a better space to rebuild. 275 00:17:02.120 --> 00:17:04.319 Yes, and we don't do They don't have to come 276 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:06.759 and join us. It's not about being in the know. 277 00:17:07.400 --> 00:17:10.279 It's about accessing what we have discovered while we are 278 00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:12.160 learning how to do this stuff. 279 00:17:12.599 --> 00:17:14.640 Because we're learning how to do this stuff. 280 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:18.319 Exactly exactly, and it's it's a joy to learn for 281 00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:20.799 me because of the types of people that I get 282 00:17:20.839 --> 00:17:25.559 to meet, like yourself, who these sees that road forward. 283 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:29.119 You know, and working at it from different ends and 284 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:32.640 studying it in different ways and applying it in different ways, 285 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:37.440 and you know, yeah, we need all we need all 286 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:41.039 of those pieces working, you know, in different ways. 287 00:17:41.119 --> 00:17:45.000 And the world is not black and white. It's multiple 288 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:48.240 shades of gray, and we have to enhance that with 289 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:51.759 with our color. And that's where collaboration comes in. Because 290 00:17:52.200 --> 00:17:57.920 what I've got a mini and what's the word, one man, 291 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:02.240 one woman, one person fight again labels. I think you 292 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:06.319 said earlier about people shy away from things or they 293 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:08.160 don't want to do it, or they're scared of doing it, 294 00:18:08.279 --> 00:18:12.799 and I think they hide behind labels. I'm black, so 295 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:18.559 therefore i'm this. I'm Muslim, so therefore i'm that. I'm short, 296 00:18:18.680 --> 00:18:21.440 therefore i'm that. I'm a woman, therefore I'm that. I'm old, 297 00:18:21.559 --> 00:18:24.799 therefore I'm that. And it's like, no, none of that 298 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:27.960 is true, because the choice is down to you. And 299 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:31.880 that's where I see collaboration. When everyone brings their backgrounds 300 00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:36.319 and their differences as a bonus rather than a negative. 301 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:39.319 And when we will I think it's a requirement. 302 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:42.720 Exactly exactly, and once we see that. So we've had 303 00:18:43.880 --> 00:18:48.640 different people in our community, and they said incredibly controversial 304 00:18:48.680 --> 00:18:53.720 things and incredibly unbelievable things. But we've taught them if 305 00:18:53.720 --> 00:18:57.599 you're going to say something, you know, if we disagree, 306 00:18:57.920 --> 00:18:59.720 you're not going to go. Yeah, but we just fancy 307 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:02.480 of that ridiculous. You can't possibly we have to go. 308 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:06.920 That's interesting. I've just been triggered by what you said, 309 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:09.039 and I don't really know why can we can we 310 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:11.119 talk about that and then unpack it. 311 00:19:11.400 --> 00:19:14.759 I love that about your community, and that seems that's 312 00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:18.599 one of those kind of core strengths that's being developed 313 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:21.720

inside your community, is the ability to come together and 314 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:26.400 have hard conversations. Yeah, because that's I mean, that's so 315 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:31.720 core to collaboration, and it seems to be correct challenging 316 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:35.559 conversations and come out stronger on the other side. 317 00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:38.680 And agree to disagree, which is fine with social media 318 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:41.279 that seems to think that's not okay. We have to 319 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:45.039 be determined in our negativity and our judgment and our blood. 320 00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:46.960 There's a lot more money to be made on division 321 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:47.640 than there is. 322 00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:51.640 You know, that's sad but true to see if we 323 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:52.400 can switch it around. 324 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:55.839 And so it pushes to extremes, yes, you know, it 325 00:19:55.920 --> 00:19:59.519 pushes our belief systems to extremes by just doing that. 326 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:05.000 And it's yeah, one of the things we talk about 327 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:08.400 is love being our superpower. And again going back to 328 00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:14.440 Buckminster Fuller as a scientist, he acknowledged that over the years, 329 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:18.839 science has learned how to develop things to be stronger 330 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:23.319 and stronger from less and less. So, for example, you know, 331 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:26.079 in stone age day, you'd have a bridge built by 332 00:20:26.160 --> 00:20:29.000 massive boulders, and now you can have a bridge built 333 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:31.880 by a tiny bit of steel that's so thin, but 334 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:34.200 it holds up as much as the boulders would have 335 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:39.720 done back in the day. But he said that love 336 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:44.200 is the epitome of the femeralization, doing more and more 337 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:46.960 with less and less, because it's our super strength. It's 338 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:49.279 the strongest thing on the planet. Love is the thing 339 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:51.640 you can't touch, you can't see, you can't taste, but 340 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:54.880 it's the one thing that connects us all together. So 341 00:20:55.319 --> 00:20:57.400 rather than us be a community like, oh, there's nice 342 00:20:57.400 --> 00:20:59.519 people over there, are they lovely? I want it to 343 00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:01.720 be like, oh, my goodness, look at them over there. 344 00:21:01.720 --> 00:21:05.759 They're incredible. The strength that we have that is beyond 345 00:21:07.400 --> 00:21:10.839 beyond any recognition, because strength in the past has been 346 00:21:10.839 --> 00:21:13.920 about brute strength and brute force, and that is still 347 00:21:13.960 --> 00:21:17.640 happening at the moment with the big conglomerates that are 348 00:21:18.279 --> 00:21:20.839 choosing whether to follow laws or not, choosing whether to 349 00:21:20.839 --> 00:21:24.880 pay their taxes or not, choosing how they protect children 350 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:35.200 or not. All of these things are just a trillionaire. Yeah, yeah, 351 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:37.640 it's too much. Let's stop that. I'm going to put 352 00:21:37.640 --> 00:21:38.799 a pin in that. We're going to come back to 353 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:44.000 the trillionaires later. Melissa Davis, when you were little, what 354 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:47.240 was that little girl like at seven and eight years 355 00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:52.480 of age? Do we see any glimmer of you today 356 00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:57.000 as you were then? Were you a collaborative soul or 357 00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:59.480 were you quite a lonesome child? 358 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:10.880 So that's really interesting. I I was always the one 359 00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:16.839 trying to coordinate my kids in the neighborhood. You know, 360 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:27.920 I think, what where that childhood connection? And for me 361 00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:30.480 now as an adult, and what has taken me a 362 00:22:30.559 --> 00:22:33.759 long time to realize or even recognize why this work 363 00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:39.039 is so important to me, is because I never really 364 00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:43.720 felt connected to other kids when I was a kid. 365 00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:47.200 I always, you know, related a lot more to adults. 366 00:22:47.400 --> 00:22:50.119 I always felt like a little adult, and then an adulthood, 367 00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:51.920 I felt like I never grew up. I don't know so, 368 00:22:54.480 --> 00:23:00.759 but I think it was that disconnection that I felt. Now, 369 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:03.480 this is not something I recognized at all as a kid, 370 00:23:03.599 --> 00:23:06.839 or as an early adult or even middle aged adult 371 00:23:06.920 --> 00:23:09.839 until very recently, when you look back and you're like, 372 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:12.880 why am I so driven? Why do I want this 373 00:23:12.920 --> 00:23:17.720 so much? Why do I want eco systems that are 374 00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:20.480 built around collaborative entrepreneurship that make it easier for me 375 00:23:20.519 --> 00:23:24.279 to recognize opportunities, so I can see the ecosystem, so I, 376 00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:29.880 you know, have support in understanding, like you know what's 377 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:36.680 happening and what connections could really be made. Is because 378 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:41.079 I really struggle to do that. And it's funny because 379 00:23:41.079 --> 00:23:43.920 if you ask you know, my husband, you ask my friends, 380 00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:48.599 people would say Melissa is an extrovert, and it's not 381 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:52.480 true at all. Right, I, you know, I absolutely can 382 00:23:52.839 --> 00:23:55.200 be out in the

world and make amazing connections and 383 00:23:55.240 --> 00:23:57.440 I get energy off of that, and then I need 384 00:23:57.480 --> 00:24:00.200 to like retreat. And I've never been one of those 385 00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:03.200 natural connectors. You're those super connectors out in the world. 386 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:07.400 You know you're closer to one of them, right, But 387 00:24:07.480 --> 00:24:09.160 do you know what I'm talking like? People who are 388 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:11.440 just like do you know so and so and so, 389 00:24:11.640 --> 00:24:13.960 and oh my gosh, you guys should talk about this 390 00:24:14.119 --> 00:24:17.279 because you know you're you're some of what you're talking about, 391 00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:19.680 is there's this such this overlap, or do you know 392 00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:22.119 about this resource? Do you know about all these things 393 00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:27.039 that could be helping you? And I was never that person, 394 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:32.319 and I always so appreciated that about other people. And 395 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:35.240 so I think that this, you know, me as this 396 00:24:35.319 --> 00:24:37.880 adult and all of this kind of building up to 397 00:24:37.960 --> 00:24:42.839 that relates to kind of closing a deficiency for me 398 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:48.559 in some way, because I so see the value in 399 00:24:48.759 --> 00:24:52.839 that collaboration, in that connecting in with each other and 400 00:24:52.839 --> 00:24:58.559 that love and and all of those human, wonderful, amazing things. 401 00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:05.039 And I struggled to do that on my own. Yeah, 402 00:25:05.079 --> 00:25:09.079 so as a kid, I struggled with that connection, right, 403 00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:11.440 and not just as a kid. I think you know 404 00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:14.880 that's it's something that's been a through line for me. 405 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:17.480 But so, yeah, that thing of it, you know, as 406 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:20.319 a kid like me never really feeling like I think 407 00:25:20.359 --> 00:25:23.759 I never felt like I was a kid one, then 408 00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:27.119 I'm just not feeling connected though. So if you don't 409 00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:33.160 feel connected, right, I mean I had a few close friends, 410 00:25:33.400 --> 00:25:35.480 but outside of that, I felt like an alien. 411 00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:38.000 I think, you know, that's really interesting. 412 00:25:38.400 --> 00:25:40.039 So that's a weird fact about Melissa. 413 00:25:40.200 --> 00:25:41.400 Yeah, I like that. 414 00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:45.279 But I feel like I didn't belong in my time. 415 00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:48.559 Oh that's another thing. I did always feel like I'm like, 416 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:50.279 I just don't. I don't. I don't feel like I 417 00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:54.359 was born at the right time. That's that was this 418 00:25:54.519 --> 00:25:58.519 like dominant

thought I had. I wonder if this is 419 00:25:58.559 --> 00:25:59.640 your how I ended up here. 420 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:02.119 Maybe maybe it's your first time here and you're going 421 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:04.440 to come back again, or maybe you've been several times before. 422 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:06.400 And maybe correctly that makes sense. I guess they have 423 00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:09.680 a lot of growing to do, don't we all. 424 00:26:09.799 --> 00:26:13.480 Yeah, have you been across some icky guy? I'm sure 425 00:26:13.480 --> 00:26:17.759 you have. Yeah, that to me makes perfect sense from 426 00:26:17.799 --> 00:26:21.400 the point of view of being social and connecting with 427 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:27.440 people is good for your longevity mm hmm, and good 428 00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:29.400 for your health, good for your mental health, good for 429 00:26:29.440 --> 00:26:32.000 your physical health, all of those things. And I think 430 00:26:32.279 --> 00:26:34.799 I'm very similar to you where if I'm on zoom 431 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:37.039 calls all day, or I'm in London and I'm meeting people, 432 00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:39.680 and I love it, absolutely love it. To strangers on 433 00:26:39.720 --> 00:26:41.119 the train, I'll talk to anybody, But the. 434 00:26:41.079 --> 00:26:45.400 Next day I'll drop dead. The next day it's I 435 00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:47.920 think we've gone they can take a week. 436 00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:52.839 Yeah, if only we had that luxury. Yeah, But I 437 00:26:52.839 --> 00:26:54.240 think a lot of people are like that, and I 438 00:26:54.240 --> 00:26:57.119 think that's the way we're made. So forget the introvert 439 00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:00.480 extrovert label. I think we're all omniverts, and we're different 440 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:02.759 parts of the spectrum at different times of our lives 441 00:27:02.839 --> 00:27:07.160 and different times of the day. You know, sometimes I'm 442 00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:09.480 not a great one first thing in the morning, and 443 00:27:09.559 --> 00:27:11.079 yet one of our members said, oh, can we have 444 00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:15.680 a collaboration gobal meeting in the morning. I'm like, oh, 445 00:27:15.880 --> 00:27:17.440 I said, if you want to do it, you can, 446 00:27:17.559 --> 00:27:20.759 and they went yeah, yeah, sure, And then I turn up. 447 00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:22.480 I turned up. I'm going to turn up once to 448 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:23.759 see what it's like and then let you get on 449 00:27:23.799 --> 00:27:25.799 with their crack on. So I turned up, and then 450 00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:28.160 now I suffer from fomo because it's so good. I 451 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:31.400 don't want to miss out, so I go anyway, which 452 00:27:31.480 --> 00:27:33.359 is crazy, and I'm like, look, half a state in 453 00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:35.200 the morning, you're going to be on what's going on? 454 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:37.039 A morning person? Either. 455 00:27:37.319 --> 00:27:40.240 I used to do six am in the morning, and 456 00:27:40.599 --> 00:27:43.160 I told myself. I was a morning person for that 457 00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:44.880 period of time, and the minute I stopped, I'm like, 458 00:27:44.920 --> 00:27:48.559 oh my god, to do that in the morning. So yeah, 459 00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:53.359 I think our choices allow us to do things and 460 00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:56.240 not do things like getting up on stage in front 461 00:27:56.279 --> 00:27:58.279 of five hundred people. So you're like, oh, I couldn't 462 00:27:58.279 --> 00:28:01.480 do that. No, you can absolutely can. Oh I couldn't 463 00:28:01.720 --> 00:28:03.920 jump off and do a bungee jump. Yeah you can. 464 00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:06.319 You might not want to, but you can. And it's 465 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:09.519 all the choices that we tell ourselves is okay or 466 00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:12.559 not okay because because because this label that labeled. 467 00:28:13.160 --> 00:28:18.440 All I think embracingly, I don't want to. Yeah, it's 468 00:28:19.119 --> 00:28:23.400 perfectly valid choice. Yes, So it's either yeah, like okay. 469 00:28:23.440 --> 00:28:26.920 So so you don't want to, yes, no I can't. Yeah, 470 00:28:27.640 --> 00:28:28.559 yes exactly. 471 00:28:28.680 --> 00:28:32.000 And I've had a business coaches say to me, you 472 00:28:32.039 --> 00:28:33.960 know you could do this, you could do this, as yes, 473 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:35.880 I could. I don't want to. 474 00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:39.400 I don't want to, right or I really want to 475 00:28:39.400 --> 00:28:40.400 do that, but I'm scared. 476 00:28:40.920 --> 00:28:44.440 Yeah, which again, Brene Brown, you know you're stepping out 477 00:28:44.440 --> 00:28:46.880 of your comfort zone. Feel the fear. 478 00:28:48.400 --> 00:28:50.279 Well, And I think some of the reason that I 479 00:28:50.440 --> 00:28:53.880 was so I'm obsessed with values. Values alignment is kind 480 00:28:53.880 --> 00:28:56.079 of really how this journey started to unfold for me. 481 00:28:57.240 --> 00:29:00.359 Of course, our journeys are always completely unfolding. Wuch you love? 482 00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:02.279 How you like? Oh, it's gotten me to this point 483 00:29:02.279 --> 00:29:04.599 in the journey, like this is where we arrived. Oh no, 484 00:29:05.480 --> 00:29:07.359 in two years we're going to go like, oh, remember 485 00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:09.200 how that got you to this point in the journey. 486 00:29:09.799 --> 00:29:14.240 Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow, right, yeah, but yeah, 487 00:29:14.279 --> 00:29:19.799 with that, so, values alignment studying values are deep personal 488 00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:23.440 values and how that, you know, creates this lens of 489 00:29:24.200 --> 00:29:27.160 action in our lives and how we view the world 490 00:29:27.240 --> 00:29:33.440 and you know, all that stuff. And but this duality 491

00:29:33.720 --> 00:29:37.640 of is it that this thing isn't right for me? 492 00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:40.559 Meaning you know, this decision isn't right for me because 493 00:29:40.559 --> 00:29:42.759 it's not aligned to my values. And that's why I'm 494 00:29:42.759 --> 00:29:46.160 feeling this way. I'm having a gut feeling right of 495 00:29:46.240 --> 00:29:51.519 dissonance to my values or am I experiencing fear? And 496 00:29:51.559 --> 00:29:55.559 if you don't know why you're feeling the way, you're 497 00:29:55.559 --> 00:30:01.200 feeling very very hard to move forward. So if you 498 00:30:01.279 --> 00:30:03.880 don't know if it's just fear and it's aligned, or 499 00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:07.240 if it's not aligned and you shouldn't move forward. I mean, 500 00:30:07.240 --> 00:30:09.480 I don't know about you. I've you know, it's quite 501 00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:12.599 a learning experience to know what your intuition is telling 502 00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:14.759 you if this is the right thing or not the 503 00:30:14.839 --> 00:30:21.599 right thing. And I guess for me always looking for this, Okay, 504 00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:24.440 how do I build something externally to like give me 505 00:30:24.559 --> 00:30:28.359 guidance on what it is I'm experiencing what I'm What 506 00:30:28.480 --> 00:30:30.720 is my body telling me about this? Am I just 507 00:30:31.440 --> 00:30:33.759 am I really experiencing fear around it? But it is 508 00:30:33.799 --> 00:30:36.720 the right thing for me to do, or it's my 509 00:30:36.799 --> 00:30:39.759 intuition telling me, uh uh, this is not aligned for you? 510 00:30:41.079 --> 00:30:43.000 Interesting, isn't that? Have you got an example? Have you 511 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:46.480 got a story that you can share and illustrates them? 512 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:51.640 Well? I mean, yeah, I you know, okay, so I 513 00:30:51.880 --> 00:30:55.680 just the speaking, you know example I think is perfect. 514 00:30:57.640 --> 00:31:01.920 I earlier in in my career, I always felt like 515 00:31:02.599 --> 00:31:04.319 the words were always the thing that got in the 516 00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:06.680 way for me, that I was not articulate. And I would, 517 00:31:06.920 --> 00:31:10.319 you know, look at all of these people that I 518 00:31:10.440 --> 00:31:14.920 really really admired and how articulate that they were, and 519 00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:17.240 I always felt like, oh god, I could never you know, 520 00:31:17.799 --> 00:31:19.720 I never do that I could never get up in 521 00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:25.279 front of a room and and and be articulate and 522 00:31:25.319 --> 00:31:28.599 to communicate an idea that I was passionate about. And 523 00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:35.000 then when do these opportunities start to come up? Right? 524 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:40.599 And you're experiencing like you know, I would experience this, Oh, 525 00:31:40.759 --> 00:31:43.240 is this really not for me? Am I not? You

know, 526 00:31:43.319 --> 00:31:45.200 do I not want to get up in front of 527 00:31:45.240 --> 00:31:49.279 a room and talk to people right? Or do I am? 528 00:31:49.440 --> 00:31:51.920 I'm just experiencing fear. I don't know if that's like 529 00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:56.880 the perfect example. But taking the job right yea, or 530 00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:01.559 leaving the job or starting the business, you know, for me, 531 00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:03.319 a lot of what comes up and this kind of 532 00:32:03.359 --> 00:32:05.319 relates to you saying, you know, I'm not a morning person. 533 00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:08.400 My big fear is I don't have the capacity to 534 00:32:08.559 --> 00:32:13.319 run something big, right, That's my that's my big that's 535 00:32:13.359 --> 00:32:18.319 the big fear. And so the question becomes is it 536 00:32:18.359 --> 00:32:20.960 that I don't have the capacity and I shouldn't do it, 537 00:32:21.440 --> 00:32:23.559 or is it that I'm worried that I don't have 538 00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:28.000 the capacity and I need to think differently about how 539 00:32:28.039 --> 00:32:31.759 it's structured and shift my mindset around, well, what can 540 00:32:31.799 --> 00:32:36.519 it mean? You know, what could it mean for me 541 00:32:36.599 --> 00:32:38.240 to show up in this way. If I'm worried I 542 00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:42.400 don't have the capacity, well okay, let's figure that out. 543 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:48.640 Because the drive, right that, the desire to do it 544 00:32:48.720 --> 00:32:49.839 and to build it is there. 545 00:32:51.480 --> 00:32:53.440 Well. I always say to myself when I get that 546 00:32:53.599 --> 00:32:58.000 juxtaposition of not sure where to So for example, if 547 00:32:58.039 --> 00:32:59.960 I've had a badge day in the office or my 548 00:33:00.119 --> 00:33:02.720 tech has been playing up, which is more familiar than 549 00:33:02.759 --> 00:33:06.319 I like to think, I say to myself, right, stop it, 550 00:33:06.319 --> 00:33:08.680 don't do it. I'll do it. So if there's something 551 00:33:08.960 --> 00:33:11.519 big coming up, like an event. Somebody asked me to 552 00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:15.400 organize a London lunch and this was back in April or. 553 00:33:15.400 --> 00:33:18.799 Something, and I was like, rese psychology and yourself. 554 00:33:19.200 --> 00:33:20.640 Yeah, I didn't really want to do it. So I 555 00:33:20.680 --> 00:33:22.839 was like, so don't don't do it. In fact, don't 556 00:33:22.839 --> 00:33:25.279 do any of it. Don't do collaboration, globe, just stop, 557 00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:27.839 just leave it, just walk away. I'm going to do it, 558 00:33:28.440 --> 00:33:30.039 but I give it. I give myself time for it 559 00:33:30.079 --> 00:33:32.480 to sink in. And I'm like, but I want to 560 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:36.799 do it. I don't want and I'm a child. So 561 00:33:37.839 --> 00:33:41.839 you and you there, and that's that's your true feelings 562 00:33:41.839 --> 00:33:44.079 coming through. And if you're if your thought when I 563 00:33:44.119 --> 00:33:46.599 give myself permission to stop and not do it, if 564 00:33:46.640 --> 00:33:48.559 my thought was relieved like, oh God, have to do it, 565 00:33:48.599 --> 00:33:50.680 that's brilliant. Yes, I'm not going to do any collaboration 566 00:33:50.720 --> 00:33:52.920 glove ever Again, if I was relieved by that thought, 567 00:33:53.039 --> 00:33:55.440 I would have to stop it. But every time I 568 00:33:55.559 --> 00:33:58.880 just give myself an easy option out, I'm like kidding 569 00:33:59.440 --> 00:34:01.559 and I get ang inside. It's like, no, of course 570 00:34:01.559 --> 00:34:04.519 I'm not going to stop. Don't be ridiculous. Well then 571 00:34:06.480 --> 00:34:10.559 and then you'll find a way. And also, look at 572 00:34:10.599 --> 00:34:14.079 other people that have the capacity that are doing huge things. 573 00:34:14.440 --> 00:34:16.159 It's like, what how do they do? If they can 574 00:34:16.239 --> 00:34:17.920 do it, of course I can do it. I don't 575 00:34:17.920 --> 00:34:21.400 know how yet. Yeah, I don't know how yet, but 576 00:34:21.960 --> 00:34:24.280 you will be able to. And I know exactly what 577 00:34:24.280 --> 00:34:28.519 you mean about having the capacity, because potential for collaboration 578 00:34:28.639 --> 00:34:30.519 global is like what if this community are millions of 579 00:34:30.559 --> 00:34:33.760 people And it's like, well, don't think about that, ye 580 00:34:33.920 --> 00:34:36.280 just think about the amazing people you've already got and 581 00:34:36.320 --> 00:34:38.039 look after them. That's all you've got to think about 582 00:34:38.159 --> 00:34:41.440 day by day, and as time goes on, the people 583 00:34:41.440 --> 00:34:45.480 will appear. That will help you to look after a 584 00:34:45.559 --> 00:34:50.719 large community. So yeah, it's and we waste our headspace 585 00:34:50.760 --> 00:34:52.519 and our heart space on things that are never going 586 00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:54.679 to happen from the point of view of you're worried 587 00:34:54.679 --> 00:34:56.880 about how am I going to cope? But you will 588 00:34:56.880 --> 00:34:58.880 cope because if it's your passion and it's what you're 589 00:34:58.920 --> 00:35:01.119 meant to do, if that's while you're here on this planet, 590 00:35:01.480 --> 00:35:02.639 you will find a way. 591 00:35:03.400 --> 00:35:06.880 With other people you're not holding. I mean the constant 592 00:35:06.920 --> 00:35:11.960 reminder even though we are you know well me, that 593 00:35:12.079 --> 00:35:15.440 we're so invested in collaboration, go to remind ourselves we're 594 00:35:15.480 --> 00:35:16.239 not doing it alone. 595 00:35:18.199 --> 00:35:22.039 That's not the idea. You're not supposed to Yeah, good, hey, 596 00:35:22.159 --> 00:35:24.559 look at my collaboration community, but not not gonna do 597 00:35:24.559 -->

00:35:28.239 it with anybody else. It's just one. It's just that 598 00:35:28.519 --> 00:35:33.320 looks like good, brilliant. What's your ambition then for your 599 00:35:33.440 --> 00:35:37.920 ecosystem that you're building, But what in your dream of 600 00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:42.079 dreams you're landish well, I mean, mine is ridiculously massive, 601 00:35:42.159 --> 00:35:50.039 That it's obviously well first, that it replaces LinkedIn for 602 00:35:50.039 --> 00:35:58.119 for entrepreneurs, small business owners, freelancers, creatives, you know, all 603 00:35:58.159 --> 00:36:07.639 of us collaborative entrepreneurs. 604 00:36:03.639 --> 00:36:08.119 And that it really has the capacity to democratize entrepreneurship, 605 00:36:08.800 --> 00:36:15.000 that that we really look at how we show up 606 00:36:15.039 --> 00:36:18.639 to entrepreneurship differently, and that there is a different way 607 00:36:19.159 --> 00:36:25.320 to be a contributor as an entrepreneur than being the 608 00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:28.800 whole thing. Right, That's really that kind of shift in 609 00:36:28.840 --> 00:36:33.000 our understanding of how we contribute as as entrepreneurs and 610 00:36:33.119 --> 00:36:37.800 having a very different space to show up and to 611 00:36:37.880 --> 00:36:40.039 build and to create and to be in front of 612 00:36:40.079 --> 00:36:44.079 people and all of the things. That's that's quite different 613 00:36:44.119 --> 00:36:47.599 than where we currently have to show up to do 614 00:36:47.639 --> 00:36:51.960 that most of the time. But I, but I but 615 00:36:52.079 --> 00:36:54.920 for me, that the giant goal is to really stabilize, 616 00:36:55.840 --> 00:37:05.320 stabilize the job of entrepreneurship, because when entrepreneurship thrives, our 617 00:37:05.360 --> 00:37:10.079 communities and our economies thrive, and when when we're thriving, 618 00:37:10.639 --> 00:37:15.599 we can live as human beings together in much different 619 00:37:15.639 --> 00:37:19.480 ways when we're not living in that scarcity, when we 620 00:37:19.920 --> 00:37:25.079 are not living in in this space where we're competing 621 00:37:25.119 --> 00:37:28.400 for contribution. Right, it's such a strange and we're going 622 00:37:28.480 --> 00:37:32.480 to be forced into the space where you're going to 623 00:37:33.480 --> 00:37:36.280 we're going to need to reimagine what our contribution as 624 00:37:36.360 --> 00:37:43.199 human beings looks like anyway, Yeah, yeah, I guess just 625 00:37:43.239 --> 00:37:46.719 back to how we were talking about it before. But 626 00:37:48.320 --> 00:37:52.079 it's going to be a wild ride. Wild drive in 627 00:37:52.119 --> 00:37:55.280 some ways can be incredibly freeing for us as human beings. 628 00:37:55.280 --> 00:37:58.000 But I think it's going to be very challenging in 629 00:37:58.000 --> 00:37:59.920 the middle. Have you. 630 00:38:00.880 --> 00:38:02.840 I mean, you're in on the East Coast, aren't you? 631 00:38:02.880 --> 00:38:09.079 In the US? So obviously in that arena there are 632 00:38:09.079 --> 00:38:12.559 certain ways of people thinking and acting. And I think 633 00:38:12.599 --> 00:38:17.119 obviously Middle America, Western America. Have you been into an 634 00:38:17.199 --> 00:38:20.400 environment where you say, hey, let's all collaborate and people go, 635 00:38:20.480 --> 00:38:23.159 are you crazy? I don't want any competition. 636 00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:24.920 I'm going to stick to us, you know, do my 637 00:38:25.280 --> 00:38:29.280 absolutely well. And you brought up B and I. I've 638 00:38:30.159 --> 00:38:32.239 I'm not a huge fan of the B and I 639 00:38:32.360 --> 00:38:35.639 as it exists today because I actually find it quite 640 00:38:35.800 --> 00:38:42.079 competitive exclusive, Right in this this idea of oh, there's 641 00:38:42.119 --> 00:38:44.239 already a lawyer in the group, right, there's already an 642 00:38:44.239 --> 00:38:46.840 insurance person in the doesn't matter what they do, right, 643 00:38:47.239 --> 00:38:50.840 you know, there's already a you know, car sales person 644 00:38:50.880 --> 00:38:54.239 in the group. There's already our business coach in the group, right, 645 00:38:54.320 --> 00:39:01.840 And so it becomes this rigid, rigid exclusive space of like, 646 00:39:01.880 --> 00:39:04.199 well I do this. We just refer people and only 647 00:39:04.199 --> 00:39:06.679 that person because we're in the same group together, not 648 00:39:06.840 --> 00:39:15.119 because we've developed relationships and understand where this crossover is. 649 00:39:15.199 --> 00:39:19.800 And it's limited almost exclusively to referral type relationships. And 650 00:39:19.840 --> 00:39:23.320 there's such a big world out there of collaboration that 651 00:39:23.360 --> 00:39:28.480 we just almost rarely, rarely touch on in entrepreneurship. You know, 652 00:39:28.519 --> 00:39:33.000 we're pretty good at some of this exchanged based collaboration, 653 00:39:33.360 --> 00:39:36.840 you know, where we're advising each other, where we've sent 654 00:39:37.039 --> 00:39:39.920 referrals to each other, we may you know, a lot 655 00:39:39.920 --> 00:39:43.320 of entrepreneurs trade time with each other. That's a fantastic 656 00:39:43.360 --> 00:39:49.920 way to collaborate. But there's there's a big step from 657 00:39:49.920 --> 00:39:54.960 that into co creation with each other and exploring how 658 00:39:55.280 --> 00:39:57.440 what we do can actually fit together in a very 659 00:39:57.480 --> 00:40:00.800 different way from how we imagine our business right now. 660 00:40:01.599 --> 00:40:04.679 And there's everything in between, right But a lot of 661 00:40:04.679 --> 00:40:08.639 people can be very closed after that when and depending 662 00:40:08.679 --> 00:40:12.880 on the group, and you know, one group of people 663 00:40:13.000 --> 00:40:15.199 can be so incredibly different than another. 664

00:40:15.159 --> 00:40:19.840 That's true, true, And I think the guidelines, the so 665 00:40:19.960 --> 00:40:23.760 called protocols and rules of B and I are founded 666 00:40:23.920 --> 00:40:27.760 in that nineteen eighties era where in the UK you 667 00:40:27.800 --> 00:40:29.960 could get somebody knock on your front door and try 668 00:40:29.960 --> 00:40:32.599 and sell you double glazing and then they wouldn't leave 669 00:40:32.599 --> 00:40:34.320 your house until you sign on the dotted line. It 670 00:40:34.400 --> 00:40:38.000 was very intense and you know the hard cell and 671 00:40:38.039 --> 00:40:41.440 I think that's where this protectionism comes from in B 672 00:40:41.599 --> 00:40:44.000 and I, where you only allowed one this and one that, 673 00:40:44.440 --> 00:40:46.400 and I can see why they've done it so that 674 00:40:46.440 --> 00:40:51.639 people feel there's a reason to stay because if they go, 675 00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:54.039 somebody else might take their seat and get the business 676 00:40:54.079 --> 00:40:56.760 that they should have got. So it's this fierce scarcity 677 00:40:56.960 --> 00:41:01.119 competition model that it's run on, hoping at some point 678 00:41:01.400 --> 00:41:04.000 someday they'll bring us up, you or me and say 679 00:41:04.199 --> 00:41:06.239 can you come Melissa, can you come and teach all 680 00:41:06.280 --> 00:41:08.679 our B and I people will have to collaborate because 681 00:41:08.719 --> 00:41:10.920 we think they'll be more successful if they do that, 682 00:41:11.000 --> 00:41:14.440 and we'll be like, it's sure, okay, we charged this much, 683 00:41:17.440 --> 00:41:20.360 but yeah. And I do think there are some networking 684 00:41:20.360 --> 00:41:23.760 groups out there that have sussed about it, but then 685 00:41:23.800 --> 00:41:26.679 they become a soft version of networking where B and I, 686 00:41:26.679 --> 00:41:28.480 if you do exactly what it says on the tin, 687 00:41:28.800 --> 00:41:31.679 you will get a modicum of success and it's well worked. 688 00:41:31.760 --> 00:41:33.159 I mean there are I mean I know a lot 689 00:41:33.159 --> 00:41:35.239 of entrepreneurs who swear about it. 690 00:41:35.280 --> 00:41:38.519 They love it absolutely, you know, and I've been a big, 691 00:41:38.559 --> 00:41:41.000 big part of it. And when it works, it works 692 00:41:41.039 --> 00:41:43.239 really really well. But I think the people that don't 693 00:41:43.320 --> 00:41:45.199 like it or have tried it and come out of it, 694 00:41:45.320 --> 00:41:48.199 have gone off and set up their own networking or 695 00:41:48.480 --> 00:41:51.800 tried a different version, and then it becomes just a 696 00:41:51.880 --> 00:41:55.960 nice place to hang out, which yeah, is okay, because 697 00:41:56.079 --> 00:41:56.960 networking will then. 698 00:41:56.920 --> 00:41:59.360 You can only just go have coffee with so many people. 699 00:42:00.119 --> 00:42:02.599 That's why I stopped that working. I'm like, this is 700 00:42:02.719 --> 00:42:07.599 just scattershot, right, There's there's there's a more intentional way 701 00:42:07.639 --> 00:42:11.119 to do this that's not the exclusive competitive nature of 702 00:42:11.159 --> 00:42:11.440 B and I. 703 00:42:12.159 --> 00:42:16.599 Yeah, yeah, and just pole's opposite. Going one way or 704 00:42:16.639 --> 00:42:19.199 the other is too far, and there is that compromise 705 00:42:19.280 --> 00:42:23.440 in between where being intentional is how you kind of 706 00:42:23.639 --> 00:42:25.519 can do it. And that always makes me laugh when 707 00:42:25.599 --> 00:42:27.719 people when you just have the face to face meetings 708 00:42:28.119 --> 00:42:30.679 collaboration global and people would come and they'd sit in 709 00:42:30.679 --> 00:42:32.639 the same seats because they felt comfortable in the same seats, 710 00:42:32.639 --> 00:42:34.440 and they'd sit next to the same person and have 711 00:42:34.480 --> 00:42:37.000 a little conversation, how was your month and all this 712 00:42:37.079 --> 00:42:39.199 kind of thing. And then I'd say, we're you two 713 00:42:39.280 --> 00:42:42.159 working together, aren't you? And they're like, what why, No, 714 00:42:42.239 --> 00:42:45.559 we've got nothing in common. We've got totally different businesses, yes. 715 00:42:45.360 --> 00:42:47.639 But you've got the same we're just friends. We beget 716 00:42:47.719 --> 00:42:48.880 exact business friends. 717 00:42:49.000 --> 00:42:53.320 They hadn't bothered to explore those nitty gritty conversations that 718 00:42:53.400 --> 00:42:55.440 will bring the business to them. And I'm like, oh, 719 00:42:55.559 --> 00:42:57.719 there's the whole point of you getting together. 720 00:42:58.880 --> 00:43:01.639 Like we're just not good at it. It's a skill set, right, 721 00:43:01.840 --> 00:43:04.079 And I want us to get to the point where 722 00:43:04.119 --> 00:43:05.840 and I think this is tougher for women than it 723 00:43:05.880 --> 00:43:08.400 is for men. But when we get to the point where, 724 00:43:08.559 --> 00:43:11.079 you know, we've we've had a few conversations because we're 725 00:43:11.079 --> 00:43:13.760 saying there's something here. There's definitely a way that we 726 00:43:13.800 --> 00:43:18.519 can we can support each other more tangibly, right, that 727 00:43:18.559 --> 00:43:21.719 we can grow together here. And you know, you and 728 00:43:21.760 --> 00:43:24.960 I are I think we're definitely in that space of like, well, 729 00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:27.320 we know we're growing up together here and you're ahead 730 00:43:27.320 --> 00:43:30.440 of me, you're looking right, but but but there's there 731 00:43:30.480 --> 00:43:32.800 are absolutely ways that we're going to be able to 732 00:43:32.800 --> 00:43:36.199 support each other getting to that point where we when 733 00:43:36.199 --> 00:43:39.440 we recognize an opportunity that we're not hedging

around that 734 00:43:39.440 --> 00:43:42.079 that we can say, Jill, what do you think about this? 735 00:43:42.239 --> 00:43:44.519 I think that we could write and we're not shying 736 00:43:44.559 --> 00:43:46.679 away from that because I'm worried about what you'll think 737 00:43:46.719 --> 00:43:50.000 are because right and I think that directness and that 738 00:43:50.119 --> 00:43:53.760 intentionality of looking for those opportunities when there's alignment there 739 00:43:54.360 --> 00:43:57.360 and saying and for you to say, you know what, 740 00:43:58.039 --> 00:44:01.199 that sounds pretty cool. I've got to be heads down 741 00:44:01.280 --> 00:44:03.679 right now for the next can we really can we 742 00:44:03.719 --> 00:44:06.119 explore this again in six months because I'm not in 743 00:44:06.119 --> 00:44:08.079 the head space to be able to do that right now. 744 00:44:08.559 --> 00:44:12.159 I'm definitely not discounting it. And that's fantastic. We're still 745 00:44:12.159 --> 00:44:15.639 good friends, right Yeah, We're still on our radar and 746 00:44:15.719 --> 00:44:19.039 have it have its spiraling around. It may not be 747 00:44:19.159 --> 00:44:19.880 the right time. 748 00:44:20.239 --> 00:44:23.239 Timing is everything is when it's time in the right place. 749 00:44:23.719 --> 00:44:27.199 But also we will have spent time doing the groundwork 750 00:44:27.559 --> 00:44:31.679 and the foundations of exploring your values, exploring my values, 751 00:44:31.719 --> 00:44:34.639 exploring the values of the community, exploring where we could 752 00:44:34.639 --> 00:44:36.719 take it, exploring all the. 753 00:44:36.719 --> 00:44:39.320 Tifferent even like I feel a little uncomfortable with that, 754 00:44:39.360 --> 00:44:44.519 and I'm not sure why, so I'm gonna. 755 00:44:43.679 --> 00:44:45.440 Yeah, and you know you said that thing about that 756 00:44:45.480 --> 00:44:47.559 thing about that and oh, I just you know that 757 00:44:47.599 --> 00:44:49.639 happened to me before, and I just oh no, no, 758 00:44:49.760 --> 00:44:51.840 I didn't realize. I'm so sorry this happened because of that. 759 00:44:52.239 --> 00:44:57.000 And it's that openness that you can bear all and 760 00:44:57.639 --> 00:45:01.199 still be friends or even go okay, well, that's your value. 761 00:45:01.639 --> 00:45:04.519 I see why that's your value. I don't think I'm 762 00:45:04.599 --> 00:45:07.719 totally aligned with that, but in the purposes of our collaboration, 763 00:45:08.159 --> 00:45:11.280 it's not relevant, so we can. Let's go ahead. I 764 00:45:11.320 --> 00:45:13.559 just want you to know that you do you and 765 00:45:13.599 --> 00:45:14.920 I'm going to do me over here. 766 00:45:15.440 --> 00:45:18.039 Right, and I'm going to have that on my reader 767 00:45:18.119 --> 00:45:21.000 because now I know what aligns for you. And if 768 00:45:21.039 --> 00:45:24.840 I run across something that is like kind of click 769 00:45:24.920 --> 00:45:28.760 right into that. Now I know how to connect you guys. 770 00:45:29.320 --> 00:45:30.119 And that's the beauty. 771 00:45:30.199 --> 00:45:31.920 That's an evolution, what it is. 772 00:45:32.039 --> 00:45:34.239 And when you start learning how to think about the 773 00:45:34.280 --> 00:45:37.440 other person first before yourself. How can I help this person? 774 00:45:37.519 --> 00:45:39.400 What can I do? Who do they need? What do 775 00:45:39.440 --> 00:45:41.559 they need? Do I know somebody that can help them? 776 00:45:41.639 --> 00:45:43.760 Is it me that can help them, and then you're 777 00:45:43.760 --> 00:45:46.440 not You're not having a sales conversation. It's like, okay, 778 00:45:46.480 --> 00:45:48.320 so I think you need me because you've got this problem. 779 00:45:48.320 --> 00:45:50.119 And once we start working and this is how much 780 00:45:50.119 --> 00:45:52.400 I charge. Oh I can't. 781 00:45:52.519 --> 00:45:56.239 I just I can't tolerate like a like a drop 782 00:45:56.280 --> 00:45:57.039 of that anymore. 783 00:45:57.280 --> 00:46:01.280 No, it's it feels old hat. And yeah, it's literally 784 00:46:01.320 --> 00:46:03.599 this morning, we had somebody pop into one of our 785 00:46:03.920 --> 00:46:07.840 meetings and he didn't He came late, and he didn't 786 00:46:07.920 --> 00:46:10.119 know a thing about what had been going on. And 787 00:46:10.159 --> 00:46:13.159 we asked him a question. He totally ignored the question 788 00:46:13.239 --> 00:46:16.800 and just pitched to us, and we're like, and he 789 00:46:17.599 --> 00:46:19.679 didn't stop. He went on and on and on, and 790 00:46:19.719 --> 00:46:22.960 I had to go, excuse me. Just trained that way though, 791 00:46:24.360 --> 00:46:26.159 And I don't blame him at all, because that's the 792 00:46:26.360 --> 00:46:28.639 environment that he's in at the moment, and he's probably 793 00:46:28.679 --> 00:46:30.280 been told this is what you're saying, this is how 794 00:46:30.320 --> 00:46:33.039 you say, don't give them chance to breathe, because then 795 00:46:33.119 --> 00:46:34.800 you know you're never going to get everything out. And 796 00:46:35.400 --> 00:46:38.079 I felt a bit sorry for him, and hopefully he 797 00:46:38.119 --> 00:46:40.079 was able to kind of learn a little bit from us, 798 00:46:40.119 --> 00:46:41.199 and we learned a little bit from. 799 00:46:41.159 --> 00:46:42.079 Him, but. 800 00:46:44.119 --> 00:46:46.119 There are so many people out there that are doing 801 00:46:46.159 --> 00:46:50.440 that still, and I just the tide has turned. But 802 00:46:50.599 --> 00:46:51.880 I want it to be a tsunami. 803 00:46:53.800 --> 00:46:57.400 Yeah, more, And it doesn't need to be a tsunami 804 00:46:58.519 --> 00:47:00.760 and it doesn't need to be a sounai because that 805 00:47:01.039 --> 00:47:07.079 you know, we look at that, you know, the adoption 806 00:47:07.199 --> 00:47:13.360 of innovation curve, right,

and you know we're we're still 807 00:47:13.400 --> 00:47:17.280 in the space of the early adoption right and at 808 00:47:17.320 --> 00:47:20.440 the beginning of that curve. But but I think that 809 00:47:20.639 --> 00:47:23.400 you know, that's going to accelerate, and I think it's 810 00:47:23.480 --> 00:47:27.719 the right time for us to be studying this deeply 811 00:47:28.000 --> 00:47:34.679 and really learning from you know, what what's working, what's 812 00:47:34.760 --> 00:47:37.280 not working, what do we still need to understand, how 813 00:47:37.320 --> 00:47:42.320 do we really help people get better at this together? 814 00:47:42.519 --> 00:47:46.320 So it's that'll just continue to build. I think that 815 00:47:46.440 --> 00:47:48.880 momentum into a tsunami eventually. 816 00:47:48.920 --> 00:47:54.079 Yes, yeah, And I was. I think sometimes it's when 817 00:47:54.280 --> 00:47:58.159 an ideas time has come, then it happens. And you 818 00:47:58.199 --> 00:48:00.159 can see that happening for a lot of people where 819 00:48:00.159 --> 00:48:02.679 they're in business and Ai, I think, as you know, 820 00:48:02.960 --> 00:48:04.760 his time has come and it's now, and that is 821 00:48:04.800 --> 00:48:07.199 a tsunami at the moment and I made a prediction 822 00:48:07.239 --> 00:48:09.599 a little while ago that in six to nine months 823 00:48:10.159 --> 00:48:13.039 a lot of that bubble will have burst. Yes we 824 00:48:13.079 --> 00:48:15.480 want automations, Yes we want to do less of the 825 00:48:15.519 --> 00:48:19.079 ADAMIN work, but when people start putting bots in the 826 00:48:19.079 --> 00:48:22.000 place of real communication, is actually going to be slowing 827 00:48:22.000 --> 00:48:24.920 everything down rather than making it faster. Just because you 828 00:48:24.920 --> 00:48:28.360 can send out a thousand emails via a bot via 829 00:48:28.480 --> 00:48:32.119 AI scraping information and shoving it out as an email 830 00:48:32.280 --> 00:48:35.280 or a post, it doesn't mean to say people can't 831 00:48:35.280 --> 00:48:36.840 spot that. Go oh, I'm not even. 832 00:48:36.679 --> 00:48:40.280 Gonna think that, because I don't even I can tell 833 00:48:40.360 --> 00:48:43.039 from you know, ninety percent of the time just by 834 00:48:43.079 --> 00:48:46.639 not even opening up an email and just delete, delete, delete, 835 00:48:46.679 --> 00:48:48.199 I mean, you can just see the patterns. 836 00:48:48.760 --> 00:48:50.440 It just Yeah. 837 00:48:50.639 --> 00:48:53.159 But I think Baby's centers are pretty good. 838 00:48:53.519 --> 00:48:55.639 I think AI will get better and we won't spot 839 00:48:55.719 --> 00:48:58.079 it quite so easily. And it worries me that the 840 00:48:58.159 --> 00:49:00.559 videos that we won't spot quite so easily, I know, 841 00:49:01.000 --> 00:49:04.039 but I do think we will just end up stop 842 00:49:04.079 --> 00:49:07.880 clicking on anything and we will only answer from people 843 00:49:07.920 --> 00:49:10.719 that we know, so there won't be any cold, cool 844 00:49:10.960 --> 00:49:13.280 emails or anything like that. So that's when the bubble 845 00:49:13.280 --> 00:49:15.320 will burst and it will be like, well, you've got 846 00:49:15.320 --> 00:49:17.360 all this available, but we're not going to. 847 00:49:17.400 --> 00:49:21.599 Use it's just going to backslide. It's not really into 848 00:49:21.840 --> 00:49:25.639 we can't trust any of this out there, and so 849 00:49:25.840 --> 00:49:28.400 it's back to individual connection. 850 00:49:28.880 --> 00:49:32.440 Yeah. Yeah, And I think media social media is going 851 00:49:32.519 --> 00:49:34.480 to have to catch up with that very soon. So 852 00:49:34.559 --> 00:49:36.360 I think I don't know about you, but a lot 853 00:49:36.360 --> 00:49:38.719 of people are coming off a lot of apps because 854 00:49:38.719 --> 00:49:42.519 it's just and it doesn't tell you anything. And when 855 00:49:42.519 --> 00:49:45.119 somebody sends me something, you know, I don't know, I 856 00:49:45.159 --> 00:49:47.679 generally do a little check and go, oh, no, this 857 00:49:47.760 --> 00:49:50.760 is a false factor, and then send it back to 858 00:49:50.800 --> 00:49:52.679 them and they're like, oh, I'm so sorry, and it's like, 859 00:49:53.000 --> 00:49:55.880 don't send me stuff just I'm not interested. 860 00:49:56.039 --> 00:49:57.519 Yeah, the world. 861 00:49:57.440 --> 00:49:59.199 Is changing, and I think the only way we are 862 00:49:59.239 --> 00:50:03.440 going to thrive. We're going to survive, for sure, but 863 00:50:03.519 --> 00:50:06.440 the only way we're going to thrive is by being real, 864 00:50:06.559 --> 00:50:10.280 being authentic, being our genuine selves and understanding who that 865 00:50:10.440 --> 00:50:14.119 is for us, Understanding what your values are, what your 866 00:50:14.199 --> 00:50:17.079 mission is in life, what legacy you want to leave, 867 00:50:17.760 --> 00:50:21.079 and connecting up with others like that so you can 868 00:50:21.119 --> 00:50:25.119 make the music happen. Yeah, and clarity, having that clarity, 869 00:50:25.440 --> 00:50:27.480 and so many people have nice feelings and want to 870 00:50:27.519 --> 00:50:30.800 hang out and that's fine, but it's going to morph 871 00:50:30.880 --> 00:50:33.719 into something. And I think the time is close, but 872 00:50:33.800 --> 00:50:36.360 it's not quite there yet. People are getting the feels 873 00:50:36.400 --> 00:50:39.920 for it, but they don't realize how powerful collaboration. 874 00:50:39.440 --> 00:50:43.639 Contruly exactly, that's exactly it, right. They're feeling it, they're 875 00:50:43.679 --> 00:50:48.639 sensing it, but they still don't know. Great, how powerful 876 00:50:49.400 --> 00:50:52.159 you know that connection can be when we look at 877 00:50:52.159 --> 00:50:55.559 it differently and we actually start collaborating, right, But we 878

00:50:55.639 --> 00:51:02.119 also really lack the creativity. Yeah, that's okay. The creativity 879 00:51:02.159 --> 00:51:07.440 can be overcome. Yes, it's a mindset and the openness 880 00:51:08.159 --> 00:51:11.400 and bringing that diversity, getting that personal clarity. That's the 881 00:51:11.440 --> 00:51:14.519 work we have to do as humans. We can you know, 882 00:51:15.599 --> 00:51:18.039 we'll get better at the creativity, and we can use 883 00:51:18.079 --> 00:51:18.960 tools for that too. 884 00:51:20.639 --> 00:51:28.400 Do you think that the millennials baby boomers are ready 885 00:51:28.400 --> 00:51:31.519 for collaboration? But maybe gen z are going to miss 886 00:51:31.559 --> 00:51:37.480 the boat. I don't know. 887 00:51:37.519 --> 00:51:43.599 I think that's yet to be seen. I think no, 888 00:51:43.760 --> 00:51:46.079 I don't think so. 889 00:51:46.239 --> 00:51:48.920 They are used to being more isolated than we ever were, 890 00:51:51.400 --> 00:51:56.320 and I worry that they I mean, they might be 891 00:51:56.320 --> 00:52:01.760 happy collaborating at a distance on line, but I worry 892 00:52:01.800 --> 00:52:07.480 that they lack the skills of communication and connection to 893 00:52:07.519 --> 00:52:10.440 make it happen. So we have to demonstrate this is 894 00:52:10.480 --> 00:52:14.719 how you do it. Not necessarily that there is a 895 00:52:14.840 --> 00:52:17.440 this is how you do it, only there's a million 896 00:52:17.480 --> 00:52:19.480 different ways of doing it, but to give them some 897 00:52:19.599 --> 00:52:23.519 idea of how to. And when I say then it's 898 00:52:23.519 --> 00:52:26.960 sweeping statement. Obviously there's going to be people within that generation. 899 00:52:27.119 --> 00:52:30.719 I hate putt labels gen z is, but it's an 900 00:52:30.719 --> 00:52:33.719 era of people that were caught up in COVID, that 901 00:52:33.920 --> 00:52:38.679 were not given the best education that they might have had, 902 00:52:38.960 --> 00:52:42.519 that are living through their mobile devices. 903 00:52:43.679 --> 00:52:44.920 What's the air drange for that? 904 00:52:45.079 --> 00:52:45.320 Now? 905 00:52:46.199 --> 00:52:47.360 I think my son is at the. 906 00:52:49.119 --> 00:52:51.880 I think it's not up to twenty four, is it 907 00:52:52.119 --> 00:52:52.840 something like that. 908 00:52:53.320 --> 00:52:57.159 He's sixteen is at the bottom end of that, right, 909 00:52:58.440 --> 00:53:00.480 and it's I think that's going to be true for 910 00:53:00.519 --> 00:53:02.559 some people. I think that's going to be true for 911 00:53:02.639 --> 00:53:05.039 some people of all ages, because I think that a 912 00:53:05.119 --> 00:53:10.519 percentage of the population has fallen into that period. Right, 913 00:53:11.760 --> 00:53:16.960 But there's a big and maybe it's that generation. You 914 00:53:17.000 --> 00:53:19.400 know that that lower end of that generation and then 915 00:53:20.400 --> 00:53:24.000 after that where there's almost been this like pushback again 916 00:53:25.119 --> 00:53:30.920 of not being on social media exclusively and being together 917 00:53:31.159 --> 00:53:34.480 in person. And you know, I mean, my daughter's a 918 00:53:34.519 --> 00:53:42.360 little bit younger, my son's sixteen. He they are not 919 00:53:42.559 --> 00:53:46.320 struggling with that, right, They're they're connecting in person. 920 00:53:46.400 --> 00:53:46.599 Now. 921 00:53:46.760 --> 00:53:50.519 You know, my son went to a great school district. 922 00:53:50.639 --> 00:53:53.039 He's had you know, a lot of the you know, 923 00:53:53.079 --> 00:53:55.679 a lot of privilege that but probably a lot of 924 00:53:55.800 --> 00:53:59.800 other people haven't had. You know, He's had parents that 925 00:53:59.800 --> 00:54:01.920 that you know, have always kind of pushed him to 926 00:54:02.000 --> 00:54:04.519 have you know, to talk to everybody and to talk 927 00:54:04.559 --> 00:54:07.920 to adults. And he's just that kind of kid who 928 00:54:08.079 --> 00:54:12.800 communicates and connects with people. But I see him and 929 00:54:12.840 --> 00:54:16.599 his friends and they they are really making an effort 930 00:54:16.639 --> 00:54:20.119 to connect with other people. So I don't know, I 931 00:54:20.119 --> 00:54:25.199 think I think we all have work to do for 932 00:54:25.280 --> 00:54:29.199 different reasons. Yeah, we all were coming with all these 933 00:54:29.280 --> 00:54:34.000 with a bunch of different baggage and deficits in different areas. 934 00:54:35.039 --> 00:54:36.920 I think we're all going to teach each other something. 935 00:54:38.440 --> 00:54:42.559 Yeah, for sure. I mean, my children are millennials, and 936 00:54:42.800 --> 00:54:45.800 again sweeping statements, it doesn't really mean anything at all, 937 00:54:45.840 --> 00:54:50.800 but they are very strict with their children over screens, 938 00:54:51.199 --> 00:54:54.519 and on occasion I've been told off while showing them 939 00:54:54.760 --> 00:54:56.440 like photos on my phone. Oh do you want to 940 00:54:56.440 --> 00:55:01.199 see a photo of your cousin? You have aim away, 941 00:55:02.039 --> 00:55:06.400 you know, I mean she's only three, so I get that, 942 00:55:06.480 --> 00:55:09.559 you know, they don't and the children are already knowing 943 00:55:09.639 --> 00:55:14.280 how to do all this something, you know. So it 944 00:55:14.360 --> 00:55:17.679 is interesting. And when my children were teenagers and they 945 00:55:17.679 --> 00:55:19.519 bring their friends around, and if I was in the house, 946 00:55:19.559 --> 00:55:21.039 I'd be like, no, you come talk to me first, 947 00:55:21.039 --> 00:55:23.719 because I'm this is my house, so you don't just 948 00:55:23.880 --> 00:55:26.000 come in and go upstairs and hang out with your 949 00:55:26.119 --> 00:55:29.159 with my daughter. You come in, you say hello. It's 950 00:55:29.199 -->

00:55:31.800 called a conversation, and I go, hi, hell you have 951 00:55:31.880 --> 00:55:33.920 you had a nice day? And they're like, oh, she's 952 00:55:33.960 --> 00:55:38.159 talking to me, what the hell? But you know they've 953 00:55:38.199 --> 00:55:41.800 hung around, they put up with me. Yeah, exactly, And 954 00:55:41.840 --> 00:55:44.679 we're out of practice now, we're out of practice of 955 00:55:44.719 --> 00:55:45.480 having those good. 956 00:55:45.320 --> 00:55:49.199 Girls I am. I mean, yeah, it's easy to slip 957 00:55:49.239 --> 00:55:52.199 into It's really easy to slip into that. 958 00:55:54.079 --> 00:55:56.079 Do you sit around the dinner table with your children 959 00:55:56.199 --> 00:55:59.079 have a conversation about you know, so what have you learnt. 960 00:55:59.159 --> 00:56:00.840 Yeah, I mean sometimes we to foro some to stay, 961 00:56:00.880 --> 00:56:04.440 but yeah, I remember pretty good. 962 00:56:06.079 --> 00:56:09.320 When my youngest was probably about twelve, when we sat 963 00:56:09.320 --> 00:56:10.960 around the dinner table and I always do this thing 964 00:56:11.000 --> 00:56:12.760 about what have you learned today? She said what have 965 00:56:12.800 --> 00:56:16.199 you learned? And I'm like, huh, yeah, well ask a 966 00:56:16.199 --> 00:56:18.480 good question. So that it just became a thing that 967 00:56:18.519 --> 00:56:20.880 we would do that. And of course I said no 968 00:56:21.320 --> 00:56:24.440 devices at the table, which was fair enough. But if 969 00:56:24.480 --> 00:56:26.000 I'm at the if we go out for dinner or 970 00:56:26.039 --> 00:56:27.400 something and I've left my phone there because I wanted 971 00:56:27.400 --> 00:56:29.360 to take the photo of the cute grandchildren, They're like, 972 00:56:33.480 --> 00:56:36.960 it's so they tell me off, And that's absolutely fine 973 00:56:37.039 --> 00:56:39.679 about you know, and I really agree with that, because 974 00:56:39.719 --> 00:56:41.760 we we want this three year old to be able 975 00:56:41.760 --> 00:56:44.360 to have a proper conversation, and she does. She's like, 976 00:56:44.440 --> 00:56:46.599 let's have a chat, nanny. I said, okay, let's do. 977 00:56:47.159 --> 00:56:48.639 What do you want to talk about? She's what have 978 00:56:48.679 --> 00:56:51.679 you been up to? I said, well, I've had a 979 00:56:51.760 --> 00:56:53.880 lovely day. What have you been up to? I don't know, 980 00:56:55.039 --> 00:56:57.960 I can't remember. But it's like we the two in 981 00:56:58.000 --> 00:57:00.960 and throwing of the conversation has already started and it's 982 00:57:01.000 --> 00:57:03.599 an art. There's an art to conversation, and there is 983 00:57:03.639 --> 00:57:08.239 an art to collaboration. Absolutely me, listen, what message would 984 00:57:08.239 --> 00:57:11.920 you like to leave our listeners with as they go 985 00:57:12.039 --> 00:57:14.280 forward with thinking about how they want to collaborate. 986 00:57:15.079 --> 00:57:17.679 You know, it's something something popped into my head earlier 987 00:57:17.679 --> 00:57:22.199 that I really wanted to like drill home, and now 988 00:57:22.920 --> 00:57:27.199 it has left me. However, what I would leave people 989 00:57:27.280 --> 00:57:36.159 with is, you know, I loved what you said about 990 00:57:36.239 --> 00:57:41.920 approaching with how can I help you? Right as opposed 991 00:57:41.920 --> 00:57:44.159 to how can I make money off of you? We're 992 00:57:44.159 --> 00:57:46.599 trained to do that, We're trained to try to recognize 993 00:57:46.599 --> 00:57:49.639 that opportunity, but the real opportunity if we can just 994 00:57:49.679 --> 00:57:53.480 make a simple shift of what could we what could 995 00:57:53.519 --> 00:57:58.880 we create together that would create more than we could alone? 996 00:57:59.320 --> 00:57:59.480 Right? 997 00:57:59.519 --> 00:58:06.159 That could that could be more impactful, that could serve 998 00:58:06.320 --> 00:58:09.480 us both together. It's just that simple shift, just like 999 00:58:09.519 --> 00:58:13.559 you said, you know, how can I help you? Or 1000 00:58:13.679 --> 00:58:18.480 some other question that shifts the focus away from how 1001 00:58:18.559 --> 00:58:22.239 can I, you know, take advantage of meeting you, like 1002 00:58:22.280 --> 00:58:26.519 what's the opportunity for me? To what's the opportunity for us? Yes, 1003 00:58:26.599 --> 00:58:34.000 that's together, what's the opportunity for us and that opens 1004 00:58:34.079 --> 00:58:37.000 up everything, that opens up, That opens up a conversation 1005 00:58:38.239 --> 00:58:43.000 that subconsciously changes how you interact with people. 1006 00:58:43.920 --> 00:58:47.039 Yeah, yeah, and it does as you say, it's that 1007 00:58:47.400 --> 00:58:51.199 subliminal shift. But your conversation changes as a result, and 1008 00:58:51.280 --> 00:58:53.480 you open so many doors from. 1009 00:58:53.400 --> 00:58:57.039 It, and it's way easier. It's way easier. You're going 1010 00:58:57.119 --> 00:59:01.239 to feel an immediate relief of a pro that interaction 1011 00:59:01.639 --> 00:59:03.639 and meeting somebody if you love to go out for 1012 00:59:03.639 --> 00:59:07.000 a networking but just having that approach of like how 1013 00:59:07.039 --> 00:59:09.320 can I help them if that works for you? Or 1014 00:59:09.360 --> 00:59:14.199 how you know, you know, how could we how can 1015 00:59:14.199 --> 00:59:17.840 we help each other? How can we help each other? Right? Yes, 1016 00:59:19.119 --> 00:59:22.239 you approach curiosity, the whole thing changes. 1017 00:59:22.519 --> 00:59:25.559 Yeah, it's less stressful, isn't it. You've got less angst, 1018 00:59:25.599 --> 00:59:29.000 you've got less anxiousness and all the things. 1019 00:59:29.159 --> 00:59:30.360 You don't need to know what to do. 1020 00:59:31.159 --> 00:59:34.800 No, you haven't got to learn a pitture, learn

all 1021 00:59:34.840 --> 00:59:37.119 those things. It's like when people say what do you do? 1022 00:59:37.199 --> 00:59:40.400 I generally say, well, I take you all day to 1023 00:59:40.400 --> 00:59:42.519 tell you that you know? What do I use some 1024 00:59:42.519 --> 00:59:45.840 I'm a domestic goddess and all the rest. But tell 1025 00:59:45.840 --> 00:59:48.679 me more about you? What are you passionate about what 1026 00:59:48.760 --> 00:59:50.239 gets you out of bed in the morning, that's what 1027 00:59:50.320 --> 00:59:52.360 I want to know. And then having those conversations, it 1028 00:59:52.400 --> 00:59:54.880 takes the pressure off of I do this, I do this, 1029 00:59:54.960 --> 00:59:56.159 I do this, and I can help you with that, 1030 00:59:56.199 --> 00:59:57.719 and I can help you with that, and how are 1031 00:59:57.760 --> 00:59:58.920 you getting on with this at the moment, because I 1032 00:59:58.960 --> 01:00:01.559 can help you with that as that's not the helping 1033 01:00:01.599 --> 01:00:03.840 we're talking about. It's just like, hey, you know, let's 1034 01:00:03.840 --> 01:00:06.199 have a good conversation, get to know each other, and 1035 01:00:06.239 --> 01:00:08.760 then as a part of that, you'll find out what 1036 01:00:08.800 --> 01:00:10.760 they do they do for a living, how I make 1037 01:00:10.800 --> 01:00:13.880 their money, and then from that moment on you find 1038 01:00:13.880 --> 01:00:16.119 out well, actually, because you do that, I might be 1039 01:00:16.159 --> 01:00:19.760 able to help you with that. And then your friend's life, Melissa, 1040 01:00:19.760 --> 01:00:22.719 If somebody wanted to get hold of you and continue 1041 01:00:22.760 --> 01:00:25.760 this conversation or possibly collaborate with you, what's the easiest 1042 01:00:25.760 --> 01:00:26.880 way for them to get hold of you? 1043 01:00:29.360 --> 01:00:31.280 I think LinkedIn is probably the easiest way to get 1044 01:00:31.280 --> 01:00:35.079 in touch with me. We yeah, that's going to have 1045 01:00:35.079 --> 01:00:38.639 all of the updated, you know, website, we're rebranding new 1046 01:00:38.679 --> 01:00:43.480 website coming out, so in flux. LinkedIn is the best 1047 01:00:43.519 --> 01:00:45.679 place to connect even though I just said I wanted to, 1048 01:00:46.239 --> 01:00:49.760 you know, replace LinkedIn, but right now. 1049 01:00:50.320 --> 01:00:53.000 It doesn't mean to say LinkedIn has the disconnection. You're 1050 01:00:53.039 --> 01:00:55.400 just going to create something for collaboration. It's a bit 1051 01:00:55.480 --> 01:00:59.639 like LinkedIn but slightly better. So okay. And of course, 1052 01:01:00.960 --> 01:01:04.039 as Melissa is a member of Collaboration Globals, she might 1053 01:01:04.079 --> 01:01:05.719 be popping up at some of our guest sessions at 1054 01:01:05.719 --> 01:01:07.639 some point, so if you wanted to come along and 1055 01:01:07.719 --> 01:01:09.679 meet her, you can come along and find us at 1056 01:01:09.679 --> 01:01:12.599 Collaboration Global dot org and book yourself into a meeting 1057 01:01:12.719 --> 01:01:15.639 or find us on event right as well. Melissa, I 1058 01:01:15.679 --> 01:01:17.719 just want to say thank you for a gorgeous conversation. 1059 01:01:18.679 --> 01:01:23.960 You've reiterated to me why I believe in collaboration so much. 1060 01:01:24.000 --> 01:01:27.440 You're looking at it from the entrepreneur perspective, but also 1061 01:01:27.760 --> 01:01:31.039 it just dovetails into everything that we are about a 1062 01:01:31.079 --> 01:01:34.159 Collaboration Global. So I'm really really proud that you're part 1063 01:01:34.199 --> 01:01:36.679 of our community and I love what you are doing 1064 01:01:37.039 --> 01:01:38.920 in yours as well. So thank you for being on 1065 01:01:38.920 --> 01:01:39.880 the podcast today. 1066 01:01:40.000 --> 01:01:42.239 Oh, thank you so much. This was a lot of fun. 1067 01:01:42.760 --> 01:01:45.840 I always love talking to you and love being in 1068 01:01:45.880 --> 01:01:49.639 your community and all the work that we're collectively doing together. 1069 01:01:50.800 --> 01:01:52.559 Thank you so much. You'll see you again, Sud