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. 12h ago

    🎙️ S2 E22: The One-Week Book Sprint

    We’re sat in the sunshine doing what should be a calm planning day, and we somehow decide to set the most ridiculous deadline imaginable: write, finish, and upload a stack of new books in a single week, ready for a September speaking event. Not next month. Not “when things quieten down”. A week. We talk through how we got there, why we’re using back-planning (with a little help from AI), and what the real timeline looks like once you factor in Amazon upload time, production delays, and getting author copies in our hands.  Then we go deeper into the real reason we’re tempted by impossible targets: the dopamine. Both of us come from journalism, where deadlines don’t negotiate and “squeaky bum time” is basically a working style. We unpack what that does to your brain, how hyperfocus can be a superpower, and why creative standards still matter, whether you’re writing a book, laying out a page, or publishing online. Expect newsroom stories, craft nerdiness about how people read a page, and a reminder that teamwork can carry you through pressure when you commit to the process.  The heart of the chat is accountability for self-employed people, especially with ADHD and time blindness in the mix. We’re honest about how easy it is to “just nudge” a deadline, and why that can quietly train you not to trust your own promises, affecting everything from health goals to content creation. We share practical ways to hold the line: break the work into smaller steps, set micro-deadlines for prep and drafting, choose quality over quantity, and plan recovery so you don’t burn out.  We also answer a listener hotline question that turns into a surprisingly personal debate: would you rather arrive 30 minutes early or 30 minutes late, and when do you message to say you’re running behind? If you enjoy candid talk about productivity, ADHD, self-publishing, and real-life planning, hit subscribe, share this with a mate, and leave us a review. 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 🔥☎️ 🔥 ALL NEW AWESOMELY OFF-TOPIC HOTLINE: +44 (0)33 00 272871. Please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.

    🎙️ S2 E22: The One-Week Book Sprint

  2. Aug 11

    🎙️ S2 E21: THE CALENDAR HAS LOST THE PLOT

    The calendar is telling us to celebrate everything, everywhere, all at once and it is getting ridiculous. One day we are meant to read books and co-work, the next we are meant to do nothing, then we are juggling elephants, left handers, financial awareness, geocaching, roller coasters and rum. We ask the real question behind the jokes: has the awareness day calendar become content noise, or can it still be a smart tool for small business marketing when you use it with intent? From there we go properly bookish. We share the business and mindset books we actually rate, why audiobooks count, and how reading can be part of your work when you are researching, editing, proofreading, or writing. We also talk about books that challenge your view of modern power, including an insider account of Meta, plus the harder ethics of platforms and creators: where you show up online, what you fund, and how you make values-based choices without disappearing from the places your clients hang out. Then we get personal about burnout and creativity. We explore why escapist fiction can be a genuine reset for your brain, how writing “just for fun” can unlock new ideas and new offers, and why co-working and body doubling help when motivation is low, especially for neurodivergent people. We finish by turning the silliest prompt of all into something practical: how “lizards” can become content about environment, resilience, focus, and growth. If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave us a review. And if you want to be part of the conversation, call our hotline and tell us which awareness day you would delete first. 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 🔥☎️ 🔥 ALL NEW AWESOMELY OFF-TOPIC HOTLINE: +44 (0)33 00 272871. Please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.

    🎙️ S2 E21: THE CALENDAR HAS LOST THE PLOT

  3. Aug 4

    🎙️ S2 E20: Ask Us Anything: The Horse-Sized Duck Dilemma And Other Life Choices

    We answer listener questions with equal parts tenderness and bite, moving from how we stay grounded in tough times to how we build visibility for a business without chasing hollow shortcuts. Along the way we share personal stories from our home, challenge lazy myths about ADHD and autism, and talk about what keeps a relationship strong when you live and work side by side.  • grounding when life feels tough through breath, nature, movement and perspective  • asking what’s needed and reaching out for support when you cannot shift it alone  • the objects in our home that hold meaning and teach us strength  • the horse-sized duck question and why we would try to make it an ally  • organic business visibility through usefulness, PR, local media and consistent effort  • networking as relationship building and being visible where clients already are  • what to say when someone claims “we’re all a bit ADHD or autistic”  • the one question we would ask to get a true answer  • how we avoid big fallouts while living and working together  • how shamanic teachings called one of us in through curiosity and experience  Please, please, please keep sending us questions.  Please remember to download and subscribe and share.  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 🔥☎️ 🔥 ALL NEW AWESOMELY OFF-TOPIC HOTLINE: +44 (0)33 00 272871. Please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.

    🎙️ S2 E20: Ask Us Anything: The Horse-Sized Duck Dilemma And Other Life Choices

  4. Jul 29

    🎙️ S2 E19: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US! One Year Older. Marginally Wiser

    We celebrate one year of Awesomely Off-Topic and share what we’ve learned from 60-plus episodes, surprising global listening stats and a few glorious tangents. We talk honestly about consistency, titles, tech nerves, listener feedback and why real conversation matters more than chasing perfect numbers.  • celebrating the one-year milestone and why we kept it low tech  • looking at downloads, countries, cities and the Apple Podcasts spike  • why consistency builds habits and growth comes in steps  • what topics get traction including ADHD, neurodivergence and Q&As  • why podcast titles and headlines matter for discovery  • what listener messages mean to us and how they shape future topics  • sharing the microbook programme details and how it helps creators  • lessons on tech confidence, community and being yourself on mic  • opening the Awesomely Off Topic hotline for listener voice notes This is also the episode where we kept calling Octavia Spencer Olivia. Oops. Sorry Octavia!   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. 🔥☎️ 🔥 ALL NEW AWESOMELY OFF-TOPIC HOTLINE: +44 (0)33 00 272871. Please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.  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 🔥☎️ 🔥 ALL NEW AWESOMELY OFF-TOPIC HOTLINE: +44 (0)33 00 272871. Please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.

    🎙️ S2 E19: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US! One Year Older. Marginally Wiser

  5. Jul 21

    🎙️ S2 E18: Lost in Translation 2 - WTF Is Success Amnesia?

    Over-explaining, avoiding eye contact, doodling through meetings, asking a relentless stream of “why” questions… these can look like bad manners or insecurity, but they can also be signs of a neurodivergent brain working hard to connect, regulate, and be understood. We talk candidly about the moments that get misread most often, and how quickly a well-meant attempt at clarity can be mistaken for defensiveness or “making it all about me”.  We also get into the hidden mechanics of masking and “performing listening” versus actually listening. If you’ve ever been told you look bored while you’re concentrating, or you’ve felt pressure to nod and maintain eye contact at the cost of processing what’s being said, you’ll recognise this. We share why fidgeting, stimming, looking away, or even quietly crocheting can help attention, and how a simple shift in interpretation can make workplaces, friendships, and group spaces far more accessible.  Then we move into success amnesia, the frustrating experience of remembering your achievements as facts but not being able to feel them as confidence. We explore how rejection sensitive dysphoria, criticism, and old shame can become “doom leaders”, why this is not the same as imposter syndrome, and what actually helps: keep your evidence visible with a brag file, a praise jar, or our favourite idea, a “brag flag”. If any of this hits home, subscribe, share the episode with someone who needs a kinder lens, and leave us a review to help more people find the show. 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 🔥☎️ 🔥 ALL NEW AWESOMELY OFF-TOPIC HOTLINE: +44 (0)33 00 272871. Please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.

    🎙️ S2 E18: Lost in Translation 2 - WTF Is Success Amnesia?

  6. Jul 14

    🎙️ S2 E17: Lost in Translation: The Neurodivergent Traits You’ve Got All Wrong

    We were going to say the neurodivergent behaviours you've got all wrong, but it was a bit too long for the title space on our graphic! :D This started out as an exploration of the things neurotypical people often misunderstand about ADHD and autism... it grew from a conversation we were having on the sofa. For instance: interrupting can ruin a conversation in seconds, but what if the person doing it is trying to connect rather than compete? We get properly honest about one of the biggest flashpoints between neurotypical and neurodivergent communication: the mid-sentence jump-in, the sudden personal anecdote, the “I promise I’m listening” blurting that lands like rudeness. We unpack what’s going on under the bonnet: empathy expressed through shared stories, the urge to be relatable, and the working memory panic that makes a thought feel like it’ll disappear if it’s not said now. That leads us into the messy reality of meetings and networking, where you can either speak up and get judged, or stay silent and lose the insight you actually bring. We also share practical tools that help in the moment, from quick notes and voice notes to setting expectations with the people around you. Then we widen the lens to other neurodivergent traits that get misunderstood all the time: oversharing, info dumping, going quiet, delayed replies, rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), blunt honesty, eye contact extremes, and processing delays. We keep it real, we keep it funny, and we aim for something useful: language you can use to explain yourself, and empathy you can offer others without lowering standards. Subscribe for more neurodiversity-friendly conversations, share this with someone who’s ever been misread, and if it resonates, leave us a review and tell us which moment hit hardest. 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 🔥☎️ 🔥 ALL NEW AWESOMELY OFF-TOPIC HOTLINE: +44 (0)33 00 272871. Please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.

    🎙️ S2 E17: Lost in Translation: The Neurodivergent Traits You’ve Got All Wrong

  7. Jul 7

    🎙️ S2 E16: The Cosmic Joke - What If Disruption Is The Teaching?

    Everything can be going perfectly fine, and then suddenly the land is double booked, the schedule collapses, half your plan becomes impossible, and someone is shouting at your people in the heat. We’ve just lived that reality at one of our retreats, and what still amazes us is this: it ended up being one of the most magical, grounding, transformational weekends we’ve ever held. So we’re unpacking the real work of staying calm when things go wrong, and what “going with the flow” actually looks like when clients, logistics, and emotions are all in motion. We share the practical tools we lean on when stress starts to rise, including our go-to question “What’s needed?” and the surprisingly effective “change body, change state” approach for emotional regulation and nervous system reset. We also talk about dropping expectations, how arguing your point can make everything worse, and why humour can be a pressure valve when used with care. Along the way we swap stories about flat tyres, wrong turns, late-night football pacing, and the kind of cosmic timing that makes you laugh even when you’re exhausted. The deeper takeaway is about leadership and psychological safety: people don’t always need fixing, they need space. We explore how asking “What do you need right now?” helps you show up as a friend, coach, manager, or simply a steady presence, whether you’re running an event, leading a team, or navigating everyday life. If you want better resilience, calmer decision-making, and a more grounded way to handle chaos in business and relationships, press play, then subscribe, share, and leave us a review so more people can find the show. 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 🔥☎️ 🔥 ALL NEW AWESOMELY OFF-TOPIC HOTLINE: +44 (0)33 00 272871. Please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.

    🎙️ S2 E16: The Cosmic Joke - What If Disruption Is The Teaching?

  8. Jun 30

    🎙️ S2 E15: Stop Asking Everyone – How To Actually Make A Decision

    Ever noticed how the second you feel uncertain, you suddenly want everyone’s opinion? We’ve both done it, and it can turn one simple choice into a messy tangle of voices, pros and cons, and “helpful” advice that drags you away from what you actually wanted. We talk about the decision making trap: why the urge to ask a 17th person is often a sign you’ve lost touch with your own clarity, not a sign you need more information. We pull examples from real life and work, from book feedback and beta readers to branding, logos, websites, and the endless tinkering that shows up as “fixing” your LinkedIn bio every few weeks. We also look at the uncomfortable bits: asking people who love you but cannot help you, mistaking loud confidence for expertise, and quietly trying to hand someone else the responsibility so you can blame them if it goes wrong. Then we go deeper into what sits underneath chronic indecision: fear, insecurity, and the way a “wrong” outcome can get fused to identity. For neurodivergent listeners, we explore why self trust can be harder to build, how ADHD decision fatigue makes even tiny choices feel impossible, and how RSD can trigger catastrophising spirals. We finish with practical tools you can try straight away, including journalling before you ask anyone, the 10-10-10 rule, noticing fear versus intuition in the body, and setting a decision deadline. If this lands, hit follow, subscribe, and share it with someone who is stuck in overthinking. Then leave us a review and tell us: what decision are you avoiding right now, 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 🔥☎️ 🔥 ALL NEW AWESOMELY OFF-TOPIC HOTLINE: +44 (0)33 00 272871. Please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.

    🎙️ S2 E15: Stop Asking Everyone – How To Actually Make A Decision
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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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