Awesomely Off-Topic: Books, Brands, Business and Everything Else We’re Not Supposed to Say Out Loud

Taz Thornton and Asha Clearwater
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  • Entrepreneurship

🎙️ 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.

  1. 4d ago

    🎙️ S2 E31: It's Time We Talked About Time (Just One More Hour)

    The clocks go back and suddenly we all get an extra hour. Sounds like a gift, but what do you actually do with it when the afternoons go dark and your energy is all over the place? We start with the UK winter feeling, compare it to the late-night coffee culture we love in places like Greece, and use that contrast to ask a bigger question: who decided time has to work one way for everyone? We then get honest about our own work lives. We have never done a classic nine to five, and it makes us look hard at flexible working, self-employment, and how different circadian rhythms can be. One of us is sharpest in the first few hours of the day, the other comes alive mid-afternoon and can create for hours. If you have ever wondered whether you are “lazy” or just wired differently, this will land. From there, we move into boundaries, client expectations, and the slippery slope of evening calls. We talk about capacity, scope creep, and how being helpful can accidentally train people to expect you to be available all the time. We also share the real grey areas: when staying up late for a client is the right call, when it becomes a pattern, and how neurodivergence, “one more chapter”, caffeine, sugar, and phone workarounds can quietly wreck your rest. If any of this sounds familiar, hit follow, subscribe, and share it with a friend who needs better boundaries. What is one change you could make this week to protect your time? 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 and Facebook for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic, plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton + @ashaclearwater

    🎙️ S2 E31: It's Time We Talked About Time (Just One More Hour)

  2. Oct 13

    🎙️ S2 E30: Being Your Own Boss Doesn't Make You Okay: Menopause, Mental Health and ADHD

    We join up World Mental Health Day, ADHD Awareness Month and World Menopause Day to talk honestly about what perimenopause and menopause do to your body, your brain and your business. We share the symptoms that blindsided us, the healthcare hoops we hit, and the support that helps us keep going when work feels impossible.  • why menopause can hit harder than expected even if you grew up around women  • the hidden symptoms that disrupt work including eyesight changes dry eye motion sickness and migraines  • panic and anxiety triggered by alcohol sugar and caffeine  • the real business impact including missed appointments lost clients and deadline stress  • the messy overlap between menopause symptoms and ADHD in women  • why late ADHD diagnosis is often about finally having language and evidence  • the pushback narrative around “overdiagnosis” and what waiting lists look like in real life  • the gaps in women’s healthcare including coil access testosterone rules and not being believed about pain  • hot flushes night sweats deodorant failures and the confidence dip at events  • creativity switching off and the knock-on effect for marketing and growth  • tinnitus sensory load and coping in noisy work settings  • what helps us cope including honesty support networks and speaking to specialists  • the upside of reinvention and building a business that fits your capacity now  • a reminder on World Mental Health Day that you matter and support exists  Make sure you’re following so you don’t miss the next one.  Come and find Awesomely Off Topic on social media, or find Taz Thornton or Astro Clearwater.  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 and Facebook for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic, plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton + @ashaclearwater

    🎙️ S2 E30: Being Your Own Boss Doesn't Make You Okay: Menopause, Mental Health and ADHD

  3. Oct 6

    🎙️ S2 E29: OOH, SHINY! The ADHD Tech Trap

    An idea hits you mid-task, you swear you will remember it, and then it vanishes. That tiny moment is where a lot of business opportunities, creative sparks, and “why didn’t I write that down?” frustration lives, especially for ADHD and neurodivergent minds. We dig into the kind of tech that might actually help, not because it is clever, but because it removes friction.  We talk about a wearable AI wristband called Nagome and why “tap, speak, carry on” could beat yet another app on your phone. From there we zoom out into wearable AI and second brain devices more broadly: smart glasses that offer contextual help and translation, AI earbuds pushing real time multilingual conversations, and AI hearing aids that use machine learning to cut through background noise. This is AI productivity in the real world, not just content generation.  Then we get honest about shiny object syndrome, tech flops, and the hidden maintenance costs that kill good intentions: charging, pairing, updates, subscriptions, passwords, and the sheer effort of set-up. We share our own painful examples, including an under-used haptic mat, a neglected Mini with a dead battery, and even an AI-enabled toothbrush. You will leave with a simple buying test to decide whether a gadget will fit your life, not your fantasy self.  Subscribe for more, share this with a mate who loves a gadget, and leave a review with the most expensive bit of tech you have ever stopped using. 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 and Facebook for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic, plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton + @ashaclearwater

    🎙️ S2 E29: OOH, SHINY! The ADHD Tech Trap

  4. Sep 29

    🎙️ S2 E28: FRANKENSTEIN’S MESSAGE MONSTER: What Does Your Content Say About Your Brand?

    A single overheard conversation in a waiting room turns into a perfect warning for anyone who communicates for a living. Two people try to explain why we are “being told to stock up”, and within minutes the story becomes a Frankenstein mash-up of sea temperature, war, sugar beet, price rises, and dread. That confusion is not just funny, it is a live demo of broken telephone, information drift, and how quickly “I think” becomes “everyone knows”. We take that idea and pull on the thread: why messages get mangled in transmission, why misattributed quotes and old myths stick around, and how even a joke can trigger real-world behaviour (including shortages). Then we bring it home to business, marketing, and personal branding. If your audience only catches a screenshot, a Reel, a headline, or a second-hand quote, would your core message survive without you there to explain it? We also give you practical exercises to tighten your message discipline without turning you into a walking slogan. You will learn how to define the three to five things you want to be known for, run a “message memory test”, ask three people what they think you do without prompting them, and audit your next ten posts to spot the real pattern. The goal is consistency without repetition: content that feels human, varied, and still unmistakably you. If you try the exercises, tell us what you discover, then subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find Awesomely Off Topic. 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 and Facebook for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic, plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton + @ashaclearwater

    🎙️ S2 E28: FRANKENSTEIN’S MESSAGE MONSTER: What Does Your Content Say About Your Brand?

  5. Sep 22

    🎙️ S2 E27: What’s Woo Got To Do With It? Stone Circles, Shamanism & Business

    We swap the office for Devon and find ourselves learning as much from stone circles, wild lanes and quiet cabins as we do from teaching workshops at the UK Shamanic Gathering. Along the way we explore what it means to be an elder, why ancient sites still matter, and how landscape can unlock better creativity for writing and business. • teaching at the UK Shamanic Gathering and running a firewalk safely  • the mindset shift from “getting older” to becoming an elder who gives  • reading Matt Haig and noticing how place shapes the lessons you take  • visiting Dartmoor sites like Merrivale and tuning into the land  • the contrast between peaceful moorland and busy city energy  • using ancient landscapes for mental health, calm and creative flow  • linking neurodivergence, ADHD and vocation to older ways of living  • printer delays and dynamic QR codes as real-world business lessons  • a sat nav detour, a ford at night and what it teaches about stress  • planning the Content Oracle workshop  • deciding what to do with Caller of the Week and asking for listener feedback  Do you want us to run The Content Oracle before before Christmas 2026? Please let us know.  Do you want us to keep Caller of the Week? Do you enjoy that section of the podcast? Tell us if you love it, tell us if you hate it, because we need a steer from you.  If you've enjoyed this, hit follow and subscribe. And if you want more, come and find Awesomely Off-Topic on social media. That's where all the extra bits live. 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 and Facebook for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic, plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton + @ashaclearwater

    🎙️ S2 E27: What’s Woo Got To Do With It? Stone Circles, Shamanism & Business

  6. Sep 15

    🎙️ S2 E26: Writing Your Book Isn't The Hard Part... Getting Anyone To Notice It Is

    Your book is finally published. The edits are done, the cover looks great, launch day brings a burst of attention… and then the silence creeps in. We see it all the time: brilliant authors stop talking, the algorithms move on, and a hard-earned title ends up lost on Amazon among millions of other books. We get practical about what keeps a book visible long after the launch hype fades. We dig into Amazon categories like nested Russian dolls, how to think about niche versus “looks niche”, and why keyword research matters for real-world discoverability. We also share the unglamorous bits authors forget, like tracking rankings yourself and grabbing screenshots as proof when your book climbs the charts. Then we tackle the tempting shortcuts. We challenge the trend of dropping prices to pennies just to chase an Amazon bestseller badge, and we talk about alternatives that protect the value of your work. We also cover smart release planning across formats, plus simple visibility habits that compound: Zoom backdrops, books on the shelf, email signatures, banners, QR codes, events, reviews and even using the occasional bad review as marketing fuel. There’s also a quick hotline moment with Kelly from NTP that takes a hilarious detour into arrests and desert island survival. If you want your book to have a longer life, press play and pick one idea to implement this week. Subscribe, share the episode with an author friend, and leave us a review so more writers can find the long game. 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 and Facebook for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic, plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton + @ashaclearwater

    🎙️ S2 E26: Writing Your Book Isn't The Hard Part... Getting Anyone To Notice It Is

  7. Sep 8

    🎙️ S2 E25: Please, Monetise Your Hobby

    We challenge the growing trend that says getting paid for what you love automatically destroys it, and we argue the real joy-killer is obligation created by poor boundaries and the wrong business model. We share personal examples from books, podcasting, crafting and coaching, then answer a listener’s question about staying grounded and finding stillness with an ADHD brain and a busy life.  • backlash against hustle culture and the rise of “don’t monetise your hobby”  • why payment is not the problem, and where joy actually gets eroded  • protecting values so money does not dictate creative choices  • practical examples from books, microbooks and podcasting without chasing sponsorship  • how crafting costs make monetisation sensible, not “icky”  • common joy-sappers: unwanted commissions, inventory pressure, deadlines and access expectations  • boundaries around time, clients and scaling, plus the case for portfolio careers  • finding stillness and balance with journalling, time outside, reading and diarised rest  • who benefits when artists and makers feel guilty charging, including gendered judgement in “craft” spaces  Call our hotline on 033-0027-2871. Remember to add plus 44 if you're outside the UK.  If you've enjoyed this, hit follow and subscribe.  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 and Facebook for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic, plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton + @ashaclearwater

    🎙️ S2 E25: Please, Monetise Your Hobby

  8. Sep 1

    🎙️ S2 E24: Room 101: The Great Hate Debate

    If you could banish one thing from modern life forever, what would it be? We take the Room 101 concept, let AI generate the prompts, then answer separately and debate live, which means you get the full range: petty annoyances, big moral lines, and the moments where we surprise ourselves by getting far deeper than planned.  We start with ethical “no brainer” nominations like foie gras and the wider realities of meat and dairy farming, then swerve into language and culture: phrases that keep people trapped, the baggage around “influencer”, and the social media behaviour that turns desperation into profit through fake scarcity and undeliverable promises. Along the way we rant about busy supermarkets, self-checkouts that make you feel like a suspect, and why Microsoft Teams feels like it was designed to test our patience.  The second half gets spicy and thoughtful: poorly researched documentaries and unbalanced journalism, the uncomfortable money trail behind Harry Potter, and a surprisingly big conversation about forgiveness. We dig into what forgiveness actually means, why “forgive and forget” is a trap, and how sometimes the person you need to forgive to move on is yourself. We finish with our golden ticket nomination that sits above everything else: getting rid of cruelty in all its forms, and what political ignorance has to do with it.  If you enjoyed this, subscribe so you do not miss next Tuesday, share it with someone who loves a good debate, and leave us a review. What would you put into Room 101, and why? 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 and Facebook for more rants, rambles and random brilliance: 👋  @AwesomelyOffTopic, plus our co-hosts @thetazthornton + @ashaclearwater

    🎙️ S2 E24: Room 101: The Great Hate Debate
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About

🎙️ 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.

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