The Not So Breakfast Show

Sacha and Ish

Listen, laugh and learn as we share our latest thoughts about staying relevant, contemporary leadership and doing life right. Ish Cheyne is the Head of Fitness in New Zealand for global fitness juggernaut Les Mills. Sacha Coburn is the COO of Coffee Culture, a leading group of boutique coffee shops, and the co-founder of The Company You Keep.co.nz.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    MWM - Put Out the Match, Not the Bushfire

    Send a text Midweek Mini: Put Out the Match, Not the Bushfire Hope is not a strategy. When you see that little flare of trouble in your team, process, or system, and you think "I hope that dies out on its own" - that's the moment to act. Three weeks later when you're fighting a bushfire, you'll wish you'd dealt with the match. The Core Principle Small conversations feel awkward because you're bringing up something that seems minor. But issues escalate quickly: Employee giving you a little bit of toneMeeting disagreement that wasn't handled wellProcess starting to break downRelationship tension beginning to showWhy We Avoid the Match Feels too small to addressMight make things weirdHope it resolves itselfDon't want to seem pettyBusy with bigger fires

    2 min

  2. 6 DAYS AGO

    Episode 249: Disagreeing Without Career Damage

    Send us a text Not So Breakfast Show - Episode 249: How to Be Agreeably Disagreeable Sacha's experimenting with fake tan for the first time at nearly 53 (she looks like a giraffe's coat of many colors, according to her assessment), while Ish is fresh from the gym, sweaty and smelly (lucky they record on line). Today's topic: How do you disagree without becoming a career-limiting liability? How do you challenge ideas without tearing people down? Main Topics The Contrarian Personality -- Sacha admits being disagreeable is almost a central trait - always looking at arguments from both sides, naturally questioning everything, enabled by upbeat personality that masks how disagreeable she actually isThe Power Balance Reality -- Before disagreeing, assess: Is this your boss? A colleague? Someone who reports to you? The approach must shift based on power dynamics.The Three-Phase Framework -- Start with alignment (find common ground), ask clarifying questions (joint problem-solving), offer next steps (pilot tests, comparison options)Separating Ideas from People -- Pressure test ideas, not individuals. The sooner teams learn to separate their ideas from themselves, the freer everyone feels to contribute and challenge.The Disagreement Framework PHASE 1: START WITH ALIGNMENT Find what you agree on before highlighting differences: Examples: "I understand what we're trying to do here. I know we're aligned on the end result being X...""I'm with you on the outcome. I just see the path to get there a little bit differently.""We all agree we want to live in a country where every child gets opportunity..."PHASE 2: ASK CLARIFYING QUESTIONS Get more information without setting people up to fail: Good Questions: "Help me understand what you're optimizing for""Help me understand what factors you're prioritizing with this idea""Can I offer another angle? I'd like to present a few other ways of looking at it""Is there more data we need to collect to give us better sense of which way to proceed?"PHASE 3: OFFER NEXT STEPS Suggest ways forward that don't make it winner-takes-all: Examples: "How about we try both approaches and determine which gets best result?""Maybe we should spend time exploring both options equally, then decide""I'd love to work with you on this - if we could have half an hour tomorrow, let's find where the issues are""Let's pressure test these ideas to see how they stack up"Bottom Line Being disagreeable effectively requires starting with what you agree on, asking questions that truly seek understanding, and offering collaborative next steps. Separate ideas from people. Build reputation for helpfulness. Accept defeat graciously.

    22 min

  3. 3 FEB

    MWM - One-Shot Moments (And Why Ed Sheeran's Preparation Matters)

    Send us a text MWM - One-Shot Moments Ish watched Ed Sheeran's Netflix special - one continuous hour-long shot following him from gig to gig across New York. No cuts, no edits, just seamless performance requiring massive preparation. It got him thinking: How many one-shot moments do we have in our lives where we just wing it instead of doing the prep that moment deserves? Main Topic The One-Shot Reality -- First impressions, crucial interviews, important presentations, make-or-break meetings. You don't get do-overs, yet we often show up hoping it'll be okay instead of ensuring it will be. Key Insights Ed Sheeran's One-Hour Continuous Shot - Behind the scenes reveals actors, staging, guitar swaps, route planning - all orchestrated to look effortless. The seamlessness came from preparation, not luck.You Don't Get a Second First Impression - Whether it's an interview, client meeting, or important conversation, your best self needs to show up the first time.The Preparation Guarantee - Sacha's standard: "When I've given something my best shot, if it didn't work, it wasn't because I wasn't prepared enough. I left everything out there."Questions to Ask Yourself What one-shot moments do I have coming up this week?First meetings, presentations, interviews, and crucial conversationsAm I treating them with the preparation they deserve?Or am I just hoping it'll be okay?What would "leaving everything out there" look like for this moment?What prep would make me confident I did my best regardless of the outcome?How do I want people to feel after this interaction?First impressions set standards and expectationsBottom Line One-shot moments happen throughout your week. Identify them. Prepare for them. Show up as your best self. If it doesn't work out, at least you know it wasn't because you didn't do the work. Visit our website: notsobreakfastshow.com PS: Happy Dump Day!

    2 min

  4. 1 FEB

    Episode 248: Dump Day: Getting the Thoughts, Tasks & Guilt Out of Your Head

    Send us a text Episode 248 It's Wednesday - traditionally "hump day" - but Sacha and Ish are rebranding it as "dump day" because they both have the minds of 12-year-old boys and can't get past the fornication implications. This episode is all about mental decluttering: getting the thoughts, tasks, and guilt out of your head so you can actually focus on what matters. From constipation metaphors to earthquake guilt, they cover why carrying less helps you show up as your best self. Main Topics The Midweek Brain Dump -- Why Wednesday is the perfect time to offload everything cluttering your mental bandwidth and check if you're still on track with the week's prioritiesMental Scrolling vs. Mental Dumping -- 80% of today's thoughts are the same as yesterday's. Breaking the pattern requires getting everything out of your head and onto paper.Sacha's Constipation Metaphor -- During chemo, anti-nausea drugs created the feeling of "concrete between hips and ribs." Mental clutter feels the same - blocked, powerless, unable to move. Dumping creates space.The 150 People Theory -- Sacha's persistent mental itch: humans can only maintain relationships with ~150 people. She wants to write down everyone she knows to scratch this itch and unlock creativity.The Hand in Front of Your Face Technique -- When something consumes all your attention, it's like holding your hand directly in front of your face - you can only see that one thing. Pull it back to see context. Lower it completely to avoid looking at it right now.Processing World Events -- How to acknowledge heavy news (landslides, geopolitical events, tragedy) without letting it paralyse you. Write it down, send love/prayer, then give yourself permission to continue functioning.The Dump Day Process What to Dump: Everything currently on your mental radarTasks you planned for Monday that got derailedOther people's emergencies that became your prioritiesConversations you're rehearsing in your headGuilt you're carrying for incomplete tasksWorld events weighing on your mindMidweek Check-In Questions: What were my 1-3 priorities at the start of the week?Am I still on track, or has someone else's emergency hijacked my focus?What can I delete/dump to get back on course?What am I carrying that I need to let go of?Dump day isn't about doing more - it's about carrying less so you can be more effective with what you're actually holding. The Extemporaneous Moment Ish finally remembered the word he was searching for in the last episode: extemporaneous (remarks made in formal settings that seem off-the-cuff but come from deep preparation). The freedom that comes from being prepared enough to freestyle. Call to Action This Wednesday, take 15 minutes to dump everything in your brain onto paper. Categorise if it helps. Delete what's just guilt. Identify what hijacked your original priorities. Then decide what you're actually carrying into the second half of the week. Visit our website: notsobreakfastshow.com PS: Other potential day names discussed: Jump day, Sump day, Lump day, Pump day (workout). All rejected for sexual implications. We're very mature.

    22 min

  5. 27 JAN

    MWM - What Is Your Shadow?

    Send us a text The Not So Breakfast Show - Midweek Mini  Episode: What Is Your Shadow? Episode Summary Every strength has a shadow side. If Superman were evil, he'd have all his abilities but use them for harm. This quick mini explores the downside of your strengths—from being the idea person who never finishes anything, to being so helpful you burn out and resent everyone. The trick? Take micro-pauses to ask: Does this situation need my strength right now, or am I best served by pulling back? Key Insights • Your greatest strength, when overused or poorly timed, becomes your greatest weakness • The shadow creates barriers when you're trying to connect • Recognition is the first step—you can't manage what you don't acknowledge • Take micro-pauses to ask: "Does this situation need this right now?" • Sometimes Superman was just a journalist, and that's okay  The Practice 1. Identify your core strength 2. Ask: What's the downside when this is overused? 3. Notice: When does my strength create barriers instead of connections? 4. Pause: Before deploying your strength, ask if the situation actually needs it 5. Pull back: Give others space to step up  Reflect & Share What's your shadow? Share your strength and its flip side with us. Rate & Review on whatever podcast platform you listen to Follow us on social media Forward the show to a friend

    4 min

  6. 25 JAN

    Episode 247: How to Speak Without Notes

    Send us a text Episode Show Notes  Season 8 kicks off with Sacha unpacking boxes in her new Christchurch home (can't find her microphone lead!) and Ish fresh from the holidays. This episode tackles a question they get all the time: how do you speak without notes? They break down what notes actually are, when to use them (spoiler: funerals and podcasts), and why reading to your audience means you should have just sent an email. Plus: UK Traitors' enthusiasm and why nobody actually cares what you say. Also, for the record, the word Ish was trying to say was EXTEMPORANEOUS.  Main Topics Notes Are A Distraction – If you're reading word-for-word to your audience, that's not a presentation, it's already an email. Send the email instead. What Are Notes, Really? – The difference between full scripts, bullet points, cue cards, and memory aids. When each type is appropriate (and when they're not). The Two Exceptions – Podcasts (no live audience watching) and funerals (emotion is overwhelming). Everything else is up for grabs. Be Worthy of Your Audience – If you're asking 5, 50, 500, or 5,000 people to listen to you, the very least you can do is prepare well enough to be good. Everybody can be a worthy speaker. Nobody Knows What You Were Going To Say – The liberating truth: your audience doesn't have your script. If you skip something or change direction, they'll never know. Relax. Ready to level up your presenting skills? Start practising without notes!

    30 min

  7. 17 JAN

    Help Us Grow The Show

    Send us a text Season 8 Announcement: Help Us Grow! Happy New Year 2026! A quick message before Season 8 drops. We're excited to bring you more leadership, career development, and occasional chaos - but we need your help to grow the show. Three Ways You Can Help: Share an Episode - If there's an episode you enjoyed, share it with one person who'd get a laugh or a takeaway. Seriously, this is the best way for us to reach new listeners.Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts - A five-star rating and even a sentence or two review makes a huge difference. The algorithm loves it and puts us in front of new audiences.Take Our 2-Minute Survey - We've put a link in the show notes. Tell us what you're enjoying and what would make the show even better.SURVEY LINK  Don't Want to Do Any of That? That's totally fine! Just keep listening. We love having you in the crew. Coming Soon: Season 8 launches very soonPlanning a live Not So Breakfast Show recording (details coming)Thanks for being part of this. See you in Season 8!

    1 min

  8. 21/12/2025

    Episode 246: Christmas Parties, Career-Limiting Moments & Season Seven Wrap-Up

    Send us a text Episode 246: Christmas Parties, Career-Limiting Moments & Season Seven Wrap-Up Sacha's in her pyjamas in Raglan (it was Coffee Culture's "Oops, I'm at the Wrong Party" themed Christmas party a week ago, she's just still wearing them), while Ish is fresh off winning a dance-off at their ABBA vs Spice Girls costume showdown at music bingo. As they wrap season seven with 246 episodes, they dive into Christmas party culture, the "no free willy" pyjama party rules, and why being first on the dance floor is actually good leadership. Main Topics Christmas Parties Then vs. Now -- Less drunken carnage, more intentional fun. The question isn't whether "woke gone wild" killed parties, it's whether we've lost the ability to connect in real life without alcohol-fueled chaos as entertainment.The ABBA Dance-Off Victory -- Ish's team went as ABBA, got roped into TikToks by younger teammate Millie before the party, then won the costume contest dance-off when "Dancing Queen" played (the exact song they'd just practised)—multi-generational teamwork for the win.Coffee Culture's Theme Mastery -- "Oops, I'm at the Wrong Party" meant people came as bachelorettes, Halloween, and baby showers. Head office chose a pyjama party, leading to Sacha's critical briefing about appropriate underwear layering.The Leadership Responsibility Gap -- Someone needs to monitor the party end-to-end: Who's too drunk? Who's getting home safely? Is there enough food? Are people eating? The organiser can't just be "all in" - they need to stay responsible.Dance Floor Leadership -- If you've paid for a DJ from 8-12, leaders should start dancing at 8:30, not wait 2.5 hours for someone to get courage. Being first to dance or talking to wallflowers isn't brand-damaging; it's culture-building.Bottom Line Christmas parties work when leaders take responsibility for safety AND fun. Being first to dance, talking to wallflowers, and cross-pollinating departments is good leadership.  Have a great Christmas! We'll see you in 2026 with season 8

    25 min
See All (253)

4.9
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Listen, laugh and learn as we share our latest thoughts about staying relevant, contemporary leadership and doing life right. Ish Cheyne is the Head of Fitness in New Zealand for global fitness juggernaut Les Mills. Sacha Coburn is the COO of Coffee Culture, a leading group of boutique coffee shops, and the co-founder of The Company You Keep.co.nz.

Information

  • Creator
    Sacha and Ish
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    253
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Not So Breakfast Show
  • Show Website
    The Not So Breakfast Show

You Might Also Like