I remember soon after recording it that my sister called and asked me about it. Apparently she’d been to a salon to get her nails done and they were playing it while doing her nails. Not the relaxing, escape-from-it-all experience she’d been expecting!

It’s funny where these things can crop up. My other sister texted me recently and said she’d been having a shower and suddenly heard my voice on the radio telling her about the local Balti restaurant. And I’ve had the same experience with one of my colleagues whose voice has followed me across the world (she was the voice of Otis lifts for many years) – there’s nothing more distracting than arriving at your holiday hotel to find your friend telling you what floor to get off at!

Anyway, with all the voiceovers I’ve recorded over the years I’m sure I can find a few more, if you’re interested. I’ll post them here as I find them.

P.S. I had no idea what wrapping nails was until I recorded this

But, I swap between computers often depending on what I’m doing, and these headphones are pretty cumbersome with a long cable that, even with my makeshift cable tie shortener, means they get caught up in things they shouldn’t.

Anyway, this cartoon that Allison had drawn of me for the Trouble with Freedom Podcast website got me thinking that it was time to get another set of headphones…preferably a red pair!

Along comes Groupon with a deal.

If you haven’t checked out Groupon yet, it’s a site that offers you a different deal each day…some specific to your area and some UK wide (or whichever country you live in). I’ve bought a couple of their deals already and been pleased with the results, so when the offer came for some £70+ Audio Chi W-Series headphones for under £30 I was sold!

Audio Chi W-Series in Pink

Yep, they were all out of the red ones already so I had to go for pink. They’re pretty stylish to look at and, next to the Sony headphones, much smaller, and more compact and lightweight.

While they are very comfortable with a nice padded headband and ear protection, they’re not quite as comfy as the Sony headphones – after an hour of editing I was starting to notice them (but not enough to have to take them off). The sound quality is excellent and they will be much more useful than my others for packing in a bag and using away from the house (as well as having a sensible length, woven cable that won’t get tangled up with things and can be detached from the headphones if necessary).

Plus, they look amazing

I have a gripe. It’s been bugging me for the past few weeks and I’ve even had one or two rants to friends about it.

Before I tell you what it is, let me share a story with you.

Many years ago when I worked in radio, occasionally we had to attend Group events and meetings such as Morning Crew Bootcamp (lots of breakfast show presenters all trying to out-do each other in a big room) and team building (orienteering and putting planks together to get across a fictional river). One thing I always hated about this peep into a more corporate life was the language.

Corporate buzzwords were a-plenty at these events and they used to drive me crazy. It’s as if they deliberately set out to exclude people through their language or felt that by creating a buzzword it somehow made the concept it was describing more meaningful. My partner-in-crime (co-presenter) and I used to joke about corporate speak so much, we actually created a new buzz phrase and managed to slip it into conversation at Group events a couple of times.

I was walking in the local park and saw in faint writing something painted on the pavement. It said “turn and face the central aspect.” Perfect! Next meeting we were at one of us said, “I think it’s important we all turn and face the central aspect.” Imagine how much we laughed when we started hearing people use the phrase at other meetings and even in Group memos and documents.

My self-employment since radio doesn’t often deal with corporate life. We (same partner-in-crime and I) do some consultancy for major brands but as we deal with audio the general consensus is that the simpler and more natural the language the better – no room for “thinking outside the box”, “moving the goalposts” or “getting onboard…with the program…in a synergistic, grassroots way.”

Don’t get me wrong. Some of these buzzwords and phrases are created to paint a picture or explain a concept in a more enlightening way. The problem isn’t with the words it’s with the importance everybody gives them. And we’re all guilty of flogging certain phrases and cliches to death (me included).

Seth Godin has a way with words and describing concepts through his words that is enviable. I’ve just read his book “Poke the Box” and he’s created phrases that never really existed before (or not with the same meaning) within the business world. Unfortunately, the moment Seth comes up with one of these words or phrases, internet marketers and online business people seem to jump on them like he’s the Messiah and by touching his cloak (using his words) some of his talent and success will rub off on them.

But what does it mean when everyone starts saying it?

To begin with, it loses some of its power. And it’s just words. Telling everyone they should be “shipping” (shipping = creating and releasing your work, projects etc.) doesn’t mean anything if you’re just saying it. Seth is all about the action and the completion of the action…not just talking about it.

So, I’m not saying that original language to describe concepts (new or old) is a bad thing. Words can be extremely powerful and motivational. But those words lose their power the more they are bandied around by people who are just looking for a new “in” word to use. And I admit I’m probably guilty of slipping a few of them into conversation myself – I can be the queen of cliches at times

If Seth (or Stephen Pressfield or Chris Brogan) created it then it must be worth saying over and over again, is not a mantra I want to live by. If they said it then it’s more likely to be worth acting on the concept instead of using as a new buzzword to anyone who will listen. So, please stop telling me to “always be shipping” or I might start telling you to…. “turn and face the central aspect.”

P.S. Feel free to tell me what you think, whether you agree or disagree.

It’s the Law of Pancake Day that the first pancake is always rubbish…

But the second is perfect (well, almost)…

Both were totally yummy…

It came out today so naturally I have already found a version on YouTube.

Yes, it’s pink!

I’ve been creating and using video online for years because it’s a fantastic way to get high quality backlinks and targeted traffic, as well as create tutorials that explain things much better than I can in writing.

What Graham really meant was “When are you going to start doing on-screen video?” i.e. where I speak to the camera.

Again, I have created some on-screen videos for one of my niches where it has worked well but I don’t like being on camera and avoid it as much as possible.

It’s ok for men but we women are vain creatures and whenever I think about making an on-screen video there’s always something not quite right – my hair’s a mess, I have a spot on my chin, I’m looking particularly bloaty!

I know you don’t care about these things, but I’m still not confident on camera and prefer to be a voice in the background using screencapture video to show how to use tools and software, or explaining something with Powerpoint.

Like I said, video has been a big part of my online business strategy for years and I hope you are using it in some form or another. Youtube is the second largest search engine online after Google and there are over 2 billion views every day. I have yet to find a business that couldn’t use video in some way to boost traffic and/or their profile online.

Graham Hunt actually created a series of 100 great quality videos about moving to Spain - imagine the impact the sheer volume alone will have for his business, let alone the fact that they each gave valuable information. Could you do that in your own business?

If not 100, then why not start with one?

Of course, here in Plymouth is where it all started (kind of), so I thought I’d share a few fun facts you might not know about Plymouth and Thanksgiving…

7 Fun Facts about Thanksgiving and Plymouth UK

1. In Plymouth we have the Mayflower steps to mark where The Mayflower and the Pilgrim fathers sailed from. However, this landmark was actually built around 1934 to commemorate the approximate location of the sailing (but don’t tell the American tourists that – they love ‘em!)

2. There is some question as to whether the Pilgrim Fathers should have ever been in Plymouth at all. Originally 2 ships were supposed to make the voyage – The Mayflower and the Speedwell – but after setting sail from Southampton the Speedwell developed a leak and they stopped at Dartmouth for repairs. When they set sail again there were further problems with the Speedwell and they returned to Plymouth.

3. It’s thought that the problems with the Speedwell were actually crew sabotage because the men didn’t want to fulfil their contract and make the treacherous voyage.

4. Many of the Pilgrim Fathers (and mothers and children) stayed at the Gin distillery on Plymouth’s Barbican. It’s amazing they ever got back on the ship again!

5. Plymouth Gin is the best gin in the world and my favourite alcoholic beverage. Buy some and see for yourself! (my theory is the crew of the Speedwell sabotaged the ship so they could spend their days on land enjoying a tot of the Mother’s Ruin)

6. After deciding which of them would sail due to being reduced to one ship, The Mayflower set off from Plymouth on September 6th, 1620 with 102 passengers plus crew and made land 66 days later.

7. Although we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving as a holiday in the UK, there are a number of events held in Plymouth every year to commemorate the event for US ex-pats and visitors.

.

OK, so all those facts were actually about Plymouth and the Pilgrim Fathers, the origins of Thanksgiving came a year later, but I hope you enjoyed them anyway

.

The first question I’ll answer came from Karen Kramer: “With all the many hats you wear, how do you ever manage your time to fit it all in?”

The simple answer is – I don’t! There is never enough time to do everything I want to do or work on every idea I have. That would be impossible.

Instead I do as much as I can. I make lists, I prioritize, and where possible I pass the mundane, routine stuff over to someone else (although I’m still working at this – I’m a bit of a control freak).

I have daily voiceover commitments and usually spend the morning in the studio. If the MD of the studio needs me to do any work for him (can be anything from writing or editing to IVR or online consultation) I will stay as long as it takes or book it in for later. Then I head home and usually spend the afternoon in the home office, unless I have meetings.

Due to working for a variety of clients I tend to have deadlines to hit, so I have to put that work first. Then, if there’s any time left, I work on personal projects.

I spend far too much time in front of the computer. My biggest distraction at the moment is social media. It’s great that people pay me to manage it, but I have noticed that I can lose vast periods of time reading comments on Facebook and Twitter, or watching Youtube videos.

I admit I get a little frustrated when I think about the projects half started or websites I’d like to spend more time on but I’m not Superwoman. I don’t suppose I will ever get it all done (not with a head full of plans and ideas). Like many of you (I suspect), I just do the best I can.

.

If you have a question for me about anything, please add it to the comments and I’ll attempt to answer it in a future blog post.

.

Graham offered his subscribers the chance to ask questions and has just published him and his co-writer Nick answering those questions. He kindly provided me with that audio so I could share it with you (even if you aren’t on his list).

There’s tons of great tips in here so sit back and enjoy the next 40 minutes. As they point out, the things they suggest cost very little to get started (this is not the kind of book that requires you to spend thousands to start a business once you’ve read it):

Click here to grab you own copy of The Secrets to Working and Making a Living in Spain.