I believe everyone has a story to tell, through seeking true, authentic insights about the entrepreneurial journey, I provide a platform for our peers to share their stories and inspire those that listen.
Welcome! I’m Sam Thomas, the host of the "Different Hats Podcast." In a world where entrepreneurs often feel pressured to wear countless hats, I believe in the power of authentic storytelling to redefine what success truly means. My mission is to help the 'World to See Success Differently' so you can achieve happiness, purpose, and fulfilment, by sharing real stories from those who’ve navigated the entrepreneurial landscape.
Through engaging conversations with peers and industry leaders like Chris Anderson of TED, I aim to provide you with the insights and inspiration needed to build the business you desire. Unlike other platforms, "Different Hats" focuses on the human side of entrepreneurship, moving beyond the performative aspects to foster genuine connections and meaningful growth.
Happy Listening 🎧
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I believe everyone has a story to tell, through seeking true, authentic insights about the entrepreneurial journey, I provide a platform for our peers to share their stories and inspire those that listen.
Welcome! I’m Sam Thomas, the host of the "Different Hats Podcast." In a world where entrepreneurs often feel pressured to wear countless hats, I believe in the power of authentic storytelling to redefine what success truly means. My mission is to help the 'World to See Success Differently' so you can achieve happiness, purpose, and fulfilment, by sharing real stories from those who’ve navigated the entrepreneurial landscape.
Through engaging conversations with peers and industry leaders like Chris Anderson of TED, I aim to provide you with the insights and inspiration needed to build the business you desire. Unlike other platforms, "Different Hats" focuses on the human side of entrepreneurship, moving beyond the performative aspects to foster genuine connections and meaningful growth.
Happy Listening 🎧
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What if the secret to better business, better parenting and better mental health was… letting go of control?
In this powerful, reflective conversation, I sit down with culture-change consultant and “buddish” thinker Jon Barnes (Pala) to talk about rewilding organisations, autonomy, depression, silent retreats, parenting, Buddhism, phones, presence and what it really means to be human.
We explore how to move from command-and-control to self-managing, autonomous teams, how tiny experiments can transform culture, and why CEOs often save two days a week when they stop making every decision.
Jon also shares openly about his dangerous depression, how a 10-day silent retreat changed his relationship with his thoughts, the difference between having anger vs being angry, and why he now calls himself “buddish”.
This episode weaves perfectly into the You Alright Mate? mission and my Five Pillars of Success, especially Presence, Balance, Authenticity and Relationships and asks how we can equip both adults and kids to sit with their emotions in a world designed to distract us.
00:00 – “You alright mate?” check-in & intro to Jon Barnes
06:15 – From traditional schooling to autonomy & a Costa Rica jungle school
15:30 – Discovering self-managed teams & a new kind of leadership
26:40 – What autonomy really looks like at work (and why CEOs gain 2 days a week)
36:20 – Culture change as small experiments & the power of atomic habits
45:05 – Rewilding organisations: the Knepp Estate metaphor & letting go of control
55:40 – Parenting, autonomy for kids & reframing failure as learning
1:05:30 – Meetings, decisions & information sharing as the heart of culture
1:15:00 – Hitting the wall: depression, burnout and calling in sick to life
1:27:30 – Inside a 10-day silent retreat: thoughts, emotions & the noisy mind
1:40:10 – Tech Monopolies, smartphones & the attention economy
1:50:20 – Teaching presence & emotional literacy to children
2:00:00 – Peak experiences, the lake moment & “this too shall pass”
2:10:10 – Being “buddish”: compassion, suffering & altered traits
2:22:50 – Top Table card question on boundaries & closing reflections
Jon Barnes is a culture-change consultant, facilitator and co-founder of Pala, helping organisations move from rigid hierarchies to more autonomous, human-centred ways of working. His work draws on ideas from rewilding, permaculture, mindfulness and Buddhist psychology, and he’s the author of books including Tech Monopolies. Jon describes himself as “buddish” not religious, but deeply influenced by Buddhist thought and the practice of mindfulness.
🎧 LISTEN TO MORE DIFFERENT HATS EPISODES:
👉 https://www.different-hats.co.uk/podcast
🔗 Connect with Jon Barnes
Website: https://teampala.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonbarnesdotme/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbarnesdotme/
💡 If this episode resonated with you, please like, share, and comment below. Your support helps us spread this important message and change the narrative around success and mental health.
Rivervale – www.rivervale.co.uk
Brown Bear Studios – https://brownbearstudios.co.uk/
Carpenter Box – https://www.carpenterbox.com/
PRODUCED BY: H2 Productions – https://h2productions.co.uk/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.