Episode 23: From Handyman to Business Mentor, Inspired by Clean - Featuring Mark Prather Description:

In this episode of the "Clean At Work" podcast, the hosts dive into an engaging conversation with Mark Prather, a local Orlando-based consultant with a unique approach to business. Mark shares his personal journey of transitioning from corporate life to pursuing an MBA in IT management while doing handyman work on the side. He talks about the concept of “corporate therapy,” a business model he’s developing that focuses on using clean language to guide business owners toward their own solutions, rather than dictating methods. Through this approach, Mark fosters deep self-reflection and problem-solving, helping his clients uncover what they truly need from their businesses.

Listeners will be intrigued by Mark's stories of using clean language in unexpected places, from job interviews to home repairs, where he encourages clients to look beyond the surface of their requests. His insights on agile transformation and the importance of incremental design in both business and handyman work provide a refreshing perspective on facilitation over direction. Whether you're interested in leadership, coaching, or just curious about how clean language can change the way you work, this episode is packed with practical wisdom and plenty of laughs.

Tune in to discover how Mark's philosophy can help you become more self-sufficient in both business and life!

Mark Prather is an experienced agile coach, who uses his varied background to guide teams and coach managers to making the best choices to solve challenges. https://www.linkedin.com/in/trg404/ About the Hosts

John Barratt (https://www.agileaffinity.com/) is passionate about empowering individuals, teams, and organisations to reach their full potential. Utilising a blend of agile techniques infused with the agile mindset, he is dedicated to helping organisations streamline, self-organise, and adapt to today's dynamic business environment. John's approach is deeply influenced by the systemic modelling skills he acquired from Caitlin Walker, which he continuously refines through ongoing training. His work primarily focuses on guiding organisations through the process of descaling and fostering a culture of self-organisation. Learn more about John's work at Agile Affinity.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarratt1/

Sarah Baca (http://www.nerdyknights.com/) is a coach, therapist, facilitator, and teacher who has a passion for using clean language to help others discover what makes them feel vibrantly alive. She has been working with organisations as an agile coach for over a decade, specialising in enterprise and leadership coaching.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjbaca/

"Episode 22: Transforming Workplace Communication with Better Conversations – Featuring Chandima Dutton"

Description:

In this episode of "Clean At Work," hosts John Barrett and guest host Helen are joined by Chondima, a key figure at the Better Conversations Foundation, who is pioneering the use of clean language to revolutionize workplace communication. Discover how simple yet powerful tools can reduce misunderstandings, enhance productivity, and create a positive work environment.

Tune in to learn:

• How managing your state of mind impacts your conversations.
• The importance of intentional conversations in achieving workplace goals.
• Practical strategies for weaving clean language into your daily interactions.
• The role of better conversations in building resilient, effective teams.

Whether you’re a leader, coach, or team member, this episode offers actionable insights that can transform the way you communicate at work.

Listen now and start improving your workplace conversations!

About the Speaker

Chandima Dutton is the CEO and co-founder of the Better Conversations Foundation, which strives to help people connect meaningfully for better relationships, decisions, and outcomes.

Drawing from a deep and varied background including strategic planning, technology, coaching, and management in both large and small organisations, Chandima brings a unique perspective on the power of meaningful conversations. She applies Clean Language in organisational settings, through leading the non-profit Foundation, as Head of People in a tech company and coaching senior leaders.

Prior to her work in the Foundation, Chandima gained many years of experience managing teams in a large, multinational energy company. She also provided consultancy to the energy, water and education sectors. Her STEM background includes Masters degrees in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership, and in Software Systems.

www.linkedin.com/in/chandimadutton

About the Hosts

John Barratt (https://www.agileaffinity.com/) is passionate about empowering individuals, teams, and organisations to reach their full potential. Utilising a blend of agile techniques infused with the agile mindset, he is dedicated to helping organisations streamline, self-organise, and adapt to today's dynamic business environment. John's approach is deeply influenced by the systemic modelling skills he acquired from Caitlin Walker, which he continuously refines through ongoing training. His work primarily focuses on guiding organisations through the process of descaling and fostering a culture of self-organisation. Learn more about John's work at Agile Affinity.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarratt1/

Helen is an outgoing and driven coach and trainer who is passionate about working with Individuals, teams and organisations on their road to agility. Helen has working with many varied organisations and teams in many different industries and brings this vast wealth of experience and knowledge to her training and coaching.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenjmeek/

Additional Links discussed in the session

www.betterconversations.foundation

For people interested in the course/talking to us (you can ask people to mention the Clean at Work podcast), they can email hello@betterconversations.foundation

Signup link for the Open University Business Agility Conference on 25 September 2024 (OU track):

https://business-school.open.ac.uk/events/business-agility-conference-uk-2024-leading-through-complexity-0

Welcome to Episode 21 of Clean At Work! In this episode, we feature Helen Meek, also known as the "Kanban Queen," who is a coach, trainer, and the fiancée of one of the hosts, John. Helen shares her journey of incorporating Clean Language into her professional life over the past six years, despite initial skepticism. She describes how Clean Language, which involves asking non-judgmental, neutral questions to elicit deeper understanding, has become an integral part of her coaching and training practices.

Helen discusses the challenges and benefits of using Clean Language in various settings, including one-on-one coaching, group training sessions, and even in personal life with her stepdaughter. She emphasizes the importance of practice, perseverance, and creating a safe environment to master Clean Language techniques. Helen also highlights the value of using Clean Language to maintain curiosity, create psychological safety, and avoid judgment, especially in contexts like data analysis and team dynamics.

Towards the end of the episode, Helen shares advice for those new to Clean Language, encouraging them to embrace discomfort as a sign of learning and to seek support from the Clean community. She also mentions her interest in further exploring areas like Clean interviewing and running more coaching dojos. The episode wraps up with an invitation for listeners to connect with Helen on LinkedIn and to continue learning about Clean Language. About the Speaker

Helen is an outgoing and driven coach and trainer who is passionate about working with Individuals, teams and organisations on their road to agility. Helen has working with many varied organisations and teams in many different industries and brings this vast wealth of experience and knowledge to her training and coaching. Helen has a holistic approach to coaching operating with individual team members, whole teams, leaders, managers and executives across technical and non-technical departments. You will often find her working with clients on rolling out enterprise level Kanban or Scrum. Helen is proud to be an Accredited Kanban Trainer with the Kanban University (KU) and runs regular classes publicly and privately. Helen is also one of the few people to hold the Train the Trainer title for the KU. Not forgetting her roots Helen is a regular trainer for Agile and Scrum. Helen is a great believer in sharing her knowledge and encouraging other to do the same and enjoys growing the Agile and Kanban communities through her public speaking and 2 meet up groups. Helen is an authentic coach with many years of real, practical experience and war wounds from her own Agile journey. This is what makes Helen the ideal coach, trainer and leader.

Helen holds Kanban Coaching Professional and Certified Team Coach credentials. Helen is also a certified personal and business coach through the ICF.

Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenjmeek/ Twitter: @Helen_J_Meek Email: Helen.Meek@ripple-rock.com Website: https://ripple-rock.com/

About the Hosts

John Barratt (https://www.agileaffinity.com/) is passionate about empowering individuals, teams, and organisations to reach their full potential. Utilising a blend of agile techniques infused with the agile mindset, he is dedicated to helping organisations streamline, self-organise, and adapt to today's dynamic business environment. John's approach is deeply influenced by the systemic modelling skills he acquired from Caitlin Walker, which he continuously refines through ongoing training. His work primarily focuses on guiding organisations through the process of descaling and fostering a culture of self-organisation. Learn more about John's work at Agile Affinity.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarratt1/

Sarah Baca (http://www.nerdyknights.com/) is a coach, therapist, facilitator, and teacher who has a passion for using clean language to help others discover what makes them feel vibrantly alive. She has been working with organisations as an agile coach for over a decade, specialising in enterprise and leadership coaching.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjbaca/