Claim OwnershipAwesomely Off-Topic: Books, Brands, Business and Everything Else We’re Not Supposed to Say Out Loud
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🎙️ Awesomely Off-Topic is the podcast that dives headfirst into the business of being brilliantly, messily, unapologetically you.
Hosted by award-winning speaker trainer and business and personal empowerment coach Taz Thornton, alongside publishing powerhouse, book mentor and content coach Asha Clearwater – expect bold conversations about building a business and life that actually fits you, not the other way round.
We’ll talk personal brand, visibility without the ick, microbooks with major impact, ADHD-friendly approaches, messy launches, business flops, spiritual sidequests and all the stuff no one told you you were allowed to say out loud.
We’re doing this on a shoestring – raw, unedited and totally unscripted. No fancy studio, no big budget, no gatekeeping. Just hit record and go.
Real talk. Tangents. Swearing (probably). Useful insights. And a whole lot of permission to do it your way.
It’s chaos. It’s clarity. It’s Awesomely Off-Topic.
47 Episodes
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BOOKABLE OR BROKE? What most speaker training misses Speaker training is everywhere right now - and so are the promises. Big stages. Big fees. Fully booked calendars. But what happens when you’ve paid thousands… and still aren’t getting booked? In this episode, we’re getting properly honest about what’s actually going on behind the scenes of the speaker training industry. Because having a great story and a polished talk is only part of the picture - and for a lot of people, it’s not the part ...
We woke up this morning and something slightly weird had happened… there were a lot more of you here than there were a few days ago. So if you’ve just found us, this is a quick hello. We talk books, brands, business… and quite a lot of things we probably shouldn’t say out loud. This episode was recorded in the car on the way to see Taz’s mum in hospital, so expect tangents, traffic cones, red kites, and absolutely no editing whatsoever. If you’re new here - you’re very welcome. Something you’...
Do you remember the first time someone paid you for what’s in your head… not what’s in your hands? In this episode, we rewind to the messy, brilliant, slightly chaotic beginnings of getting paid for our brains. From £45 “I’ll charge you for my time then” moments… to kitchen table strategy sessions… to building a business off the back of relationships, reputation and being brave enough to ask. We talk about: The shift from “can I pick your brain?” to “here’s my rate”Why most people underestima...
Welcome to season 2. This time, we’re bringing a bit more shape to the chaos - starting by going right back to where it all began. Before the books, the businesses and the podcast, we were both young journalists learning fast in local newsrooms. In this episode, we talk about the lessons that stayed with us - writing hooks, interviewing people, working to deadlines, spotting spin, standing your ground and learning how to communicate with people from every walk of life. It’s a look back at the...
For your second BONUS episode between seasons, Taz and Asha share exciting plans for the future of Awesomely Off-Topic. Thanks so much for all your support so far - you rock! Something you’d love us to know? Send us a message - we’d love to hear from you. Support the show ✨ Unfiltered. Unedited. Awesomely Off-Topic. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow us on Instagram for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋 @thetazthornton + @ashaclearwater
The one we recorded in the shadow of the Acropolis, on a balmy evening in Athens. We meant to upload this way earluer - it was recorded in September 2025, but hey, better late than never! Enjoy x Something you’d love us to know? Send us a message - we’d love to hear from you. Support the show ✨ Unfiltered. Unedited. Awesomely Off-Topic. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow us on Instagram for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋 @thetazthornton + @ashaclearwater
When we started Awesomely Off-Topic, we had no studio, no production team, and absolutely no idea what we were doing. What we did have was a couple of microphones, a stubborn belief that podcasting shouldn’t cost a fortune, and the willingness to figure it out as we went along. Forty episodes later, we’ve recorded in offices, cars, woodlands, and anywhere else we could make it work. We’ve upgraded our kit, made plenty of rookie mistakes, and discovered that sometimes the best moments are the ...
Episode 39 - ADHD: Superpower, Disability… or Both? Is ADHD a superpower… or a disability? It’s a question that keeps popping up online, and every time it does the internet seems to split into camps. Some people argue that calling ADHD a superpower minimises the very real struggles people face. Others say recognising the gifts that can come with it helps them stop seeing themselves as broken. In this penultimate episode of the season, we dive into the messy middle of that conversation. We tal...
WE'RE OUT IN THE WILD - AND YOU'RE COMING WITH US! We've been banging on about the importance of 'Inspiration Days' for yonks and, this week, we've decided to bring you along for the experience. We have our posh new microphones (though there was a bit of a technical panic when we realised we'd forgotten the adaptor, plus we need to remember not to get too close while we're recording - apologies for occasional reverb!), our walking shoes, open minds, water and an inhaler... just in case! :D Th...
Episode 37 – The AI Devolution: Broetry, Bots and the Death of Voice Everyone’s calling it an AI revolution. We’re asking whether it’s becoming a devolution. In this episode of Awesomely Off-Topic, we take a proper look at what’s happening when creativity gets outsourced a little too eagerly. Not from a place of panic. Not from a place of fear. But from lived experience. We use AI. We value AI. But we’re also noticing something uncomfortable – when you lean on it too heavily, your own thinkin...
Episode 36: Ecosystem vs Egosystem – The Difference Between Building Community and Building a Cult Leadership isn’t the problem. Exploitation is. In this episode, we dive headfirst into a question that makes a lot of people uncomfortable: Are you building an ecosystem… or an egosystem? We talk about the subtle (and not-so-subtle) difference between healthy leadership and hierarchical control. Between fair value exchange and monetised proximity. Between building real community and building som...
We tried to record a podcast in the car. While it was moving. Honestly? Not our best idea! In this very weird-sounding episode (why do tyres on tarmac make it sound like we're underwater?!) we talk productivity hacks, outsourcing, books v social media, working in the smallest room and Dee Atkins (makes us do things we don't really want to, does things for us when we won't/don't. High levels of smut and professionalism. Five stars. Would recommend). Also, you get to experience the unprecedente...
ADHD Is Not ADHD ADHD gets talked about as if it’s one thing, with one set of traits and one way of showing up. In real life, that simply isn’t how it works. In this episode, we talk openly about how ADHD shows up differently in each of us, where we overlap, where we don’t, and how wide the spectrum really is. We share what we’ve learned about our own brains over time, the assumptions we had to unpick, and the practical adjustments that made things easier rather than harder. We explore the ch...
We asked for your topic suggestions and, wow, did you put us to the test?! This episode's a proper mashup of ideas, opinions and wisdom, from what makes the perfect cuppa to confidence, reincarnation, network marketing, RPGs, books and pet grief - there's probably something for everyone! Enjoy... and keep those ideas coming in! Something you’d love us to know? Send us a message - we’d love to hear from you. Support the show ✨ Unfiltered. Unedited. Awesomely Off-Topic. New episodes every Tues...
Burnout, Lanes & Capacity Burnout is often brushed off with phrases like “you’re just tired” or “that’s just adult life”. In this episode, we talk about why that framing misses what’s really going on. We look at burnout as long-term overload rather than short-term exhaustion, and how it affects energy, focus, emotional regulation and motivation. We explore how this shows up in everyday life and why it is frequently misunderstood, particularly for neurodivergent people. We introduce a simp...
Everybody knows about Friday the 13th. Tuesday the 13th has a much longer, stranger history. This episode landed on that date by accident. We’ll let you decide what you make of that. We start with triskaidekaphobia and The Thirteen Club – people who deliberately sat thirteen at the table to provoke the reaction it caused. Not because they believed anything bad would happen, but because everyone else did. From there, the conversation moves into business, pressure, money, launches, and the quie...
While clearing out a cupboard, we stumbled across an old content plan from years ago. Some of it made us smile, some of it made us wince; what surprised us most was how much of it still holds up. In this episode, we use that long-forgotten plan as a starting point to explore six themes that keep circling back – around brand, integrity, authenticity, commitment, permission and the stories we so often hold onto... whether they're serving us or not. Something you’d love us to know? Send us a mes...
In this episode, we’re pausing at the edge of the year and inviting you to do the same. We talk about what’s ready to be left behind as we move into 2026 – things like the Comparison Monster, old pressure, and habits that quietly drain our energy – and what’s genuinely worth taking forward instead. There’s a lot of reflection in this one, and some gentle coaching too, as we encourage you to think about the choices, boundaries and ways of being that will help you feel calmer, happier and more ...
Christmas feels ancient, cosy and untouchable. It’s also been aggressively meddled with - mostly by the Victorians. In this episode, we unpack how angels ended up policing the top of the tree, how Christmas pudding started out (you really would NOT have wanted custard with it!), why tinsel wasn't always tacky, and how class, comparison and respectability quietly rewired the season. This is Christmas traditions through a brand lens - part folklore, part rebrand, part Victorian PR disaster. Als...
When did Christmas get so loud? In this episode, we share our gentle rebellion against all the commercialisation, noise and pressure, with a four-part gift philosophy we’re inviting others to play with. Along the way, we unpack how commercialised Christmas has become, share a handful of festive factoids, and - as ever - go slightly off-piste with a heartfelt (and entirely reasonable) plea to Gillian Anderson to notice us and sponsor the podcast. Gillian, if you’re listening, we adore your G-S...
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