The Tutor Podcast

Neil Cowmeadow

The Tutor Podcast the weekly show that’s all about the business of helping people. If you’re a tutor, a teacher or a coach, join your host Neil Cowmeadow for news, tips and insights to help you Start, Grow and Love your tutoring business. Plain English, no buzzwords and no BS. So, if you want to make more money - and make more of a difference - The Tutor Podcast will be with you, every step of the way.

  1. 5d ago

    Death in The Comfort Zone

    Hi, it’s Neil Cowmeadow here with episode 436 of The Tutor Podcast, the Monday morning shot of uncommon sense for anyone who wants start, grow and love their own tutoring, teaching and coaching business – the same way I love mine.  As usual I’ve been rummaging through the ragbag of my mind and my notebooks, the ones I’ve made during all the courses, seminars, classes, webinars, conferences, field trips, research projects, books, trade press, videos and a ton of other stuff I’ve done over the years… Boiling it down to get at the good bits so I can give them to you in a no-nonsense, No BS kind of way... So I’m squeezing a little more juice out of it for myself, and –at the same time - sharing it with you here in the hope that it helps you have as much fun at work and in life as I do. And – of course - I’m not just here to talk, I’m listening - so if you have any ideas that might be worth sharing via the show – get in touch info@neilcowmeadow.com or on X where I am @TutorPodcast, and maybe you can help me to learn something new, something better? Because I’m smart enough to realise that I don’t have all the answers, and if I rely on my own tiny, pea-sized brain to solve all of my problems…. Well..... If you’re good with that, let’s crack on...  Ah….. summer holidays are here, and many people take the opportunity to kick back, go somewhere or (most hated phrase) CHILL OUT… That’s all well and good – for them. Maybe they’re not on their mission and need to escape from te real world into the fantasy life basking on a beach somewhere, sipping margheritas by the poolside or some other cliché version of somebody else’s best life. Maybe… And maybe that’s you – if it is, all power to you – do what makes you happy. Frankly, we should all do whatever makes us happy – as long as we hurt no-one else in the process. For myself – and some of my friends and associates – that’s not a version of reality we care to embrace… we are The Odd Squad, the difficult ones, the misfits and screw-ups… the driven, the drawn and the ever-so-slightly-peculiar ones. We’re the ones who fidget after ten minutes under a parasol, who recoil at a loved one’s attempt to smear us in a dubious chemical concoction which will “protect us from the sun’s harmful radiation”…  We’re the arsey, grumpy curmudgeons who’d much rather be doing something useful than baking our brains in a socially-enforced estrangement from what makes our lives fun and makes us useful. If that’s you, I’m pleased to meet you; welcome to the tribe. This summer, man of us will squirm and inch through other people’s idea of a good time… you’re not alone… Our hands are restless, the book that looked interesting isn’t enough to hold our attention, alcohol holds no lure…. We doodle, scribble, scroll – trying to find ways to channel our unbounded energy… We are sometimes uncomfortable being comfortable… the discomfort of challenge is our natural domain, we crave the pushing of boundaries, the struggle is our everyday life. And the place that others call “comfortable” does nothing for us. Whilst other dream of chilling out   (grrrrrr) or taking a break (because I deserve it…) we shake our heads and think “they don’t get it, do they?” Their comfort zone is an alien land to us, and the comfort zone is where dreams go to die. The clocks of our lives tick relentlessly. Our days are few in number. We have a deadline. Days spent in aimless stupor are days lost forever, regardless of whether it’s a holiday or simply adding up all the hours you spent doing nothing that you consider valuable or useful. So, my dysfunctional friends – never take your foot off the gas, because you will lose momentum and – having chilled out – you will have to work harder than ever to recover that momentum. And the usual structures and habits of your normal (!) life take a hit too…  If you still want to chill out – go for it. But me, I’ll keep on being uncomfortable and pushing myself to do a little bit better every day, if that’s alright with you. And if it ain’t alright with you, well….  What do you think – are you all for chilling out or keeping your foot on the gas? Let me know Drop me an email to info@neilcowmeadow.com and  if you have any comments, questions or problems,  get in touch  - again it’s info@neilcowmeadow.com    or on X where I am @The Tutor Podcast Let’s leave it there for today – I hope this show has got you thinking and has been some help to you and that you’ll join me next time on The Tutor Podcast for more No-BS tips and ideas of how to Start, Grow and Love YOUR Tutoring Business – just like I love mine. Till then, remember that Life is largely what you make it, so make it good. Be excellent to yourselves - stay healthy, stay useful, and Have a Fabulous Day!

  2. Jul 19

    The Daily Shutdown

    Hi, it’s Neil Cowmeadow here with episode 435 of The Tutor Podcast, the Monday morning shot of uncommon sense for anyone who wants start, grow and love their own tutoring, teaching and coaching business – the same way I love mine.  As usual I’ve been rummaging through the ragbag of my mind and my notebooks, the ones I’ve made during all the courses, seminars, classes, webinars, conferences, field trips, research projects, books, trade press, videos and a ton of other stuff I’ve done over the years… Boiling it down to get at the good bits so I can give them to you in a no-nonsense, No BS kind of way... So I’m squeezing a little more juice out of it for myself, and –at the same time - sharing it with you here in the hope that it helps you have as much fun at work and in life as I do. And – of course - I’m not just here to talk, I’m listening - so if you have any ideas that might be worth sharing via the show – get in touch info@neilcowmeadow.com or on X where I am @TutorPodcast, and maybe you can help me to learn something new, something better? Because I’m smart enough to realise that I don’t have all the answers, and if I rely on my own tiny, pea-sized brain to solve all of my problems…. Well..... If you’re good with that, let’s crack on...  This is an idea I’ve used for years, and I highly recommend it to anyone who can’t get away fast enough... It’s one of those simple, effective routines that makes so much sense, takes very little effort, and makes life significantly better, right off the bat. It’s a few minutes, last thing at night – and it can remove oceans of stress and anxiety, letting you sleep better and get more epic stuff done. Here it is: Open up your diary or organiser – PAPER, please – to the page where you run the week or day. Paper, please - because it will make things more immediate and improve your thinking.  Previous ep 426 – exploring how writing longhand with a real pen improves brain function and learning Empty your brain out onto the page – simple note to yourself of all the things that are whizzing round in your tiny, pea-sized brain. Don’t sort or judge – just dump everything onto the page Now go to sleep. Simple – but powerful... you see, your brain is for thinking with, not for storing large amounts of data. Forcing that data – all the stuff – out onto paper relieves the pressure on the brain to NOT FORGET STUFF. Reducing the load on your brain’s limited resources by externalising cognition (getting it out into a different location) is like cleaning the desktop after a busy day, putting everything where it should go, ready to begin tomorrow with a clear desktop, uncluttered by yesterday’s chaos. Write down EVERYTHING: jobs and tasks you suddenly remembered, the slides for tomorrow’s lesson or presentation, a reminder to pay the cleaner.... everything. We’ve all had the experience of turning out the light, snuggling down for a good night’s sleep and then – ooh!   Something pops up in your mind – usually minor but important. You now have to decide whether to turn the light on and find something to scribble it down on, or risk that sleep you were just drifting into... or – worst of all – swiping your phone and making a note to yourself on it... This CLOSEDOWN procedure is common in many high performance environments – including armed forces, intelligence services, spaces agencies and the like. So if it’s good enough for them.... You can also use your brain dump to set up your most important 1-3 things to do tomorrow - once you’ve finished your dump.  I know a few of you will now be smirking like naughty schoolboys because I said “finished your dump”. You know who you are!  Running this routine every night ensures that less important STUFF slips through the net, and – perhaps more important than that – promotes better sleep whilst giving a feeling of being more in control of your life. So get started with this one if you want to do better work, forget fewer important things, sleep better and enjoy a more relaxed life with less stress... And let me know how it works for you via email to info@neilcowmeadow.com  AND if you have any comments, questions or problems,  get in touch  - again it’s info@neilcowmeadow.com    or on X where I am @The Tutor Podcast Let’s leave it there for today – I hope this show has got you thinking and has been some help to you. Join me – Neil Cowmeadow – for the next episode of The Tutor Podcast for more No-BS tips and ideas of how to Start, Grow and Love YOUR Tutoring Business – just like I love mine. Till then, remember that Life is largely what you make it, so make it gorgeous. Be excellent to yourself and to those you love - stay healthy, stay useful, and Have a Fabulous Day!

  3. Jul 13

    Crushing Decision Fatigue: How Systems Can Save Your Sanity

    In this episode, Neil Cowmeadow dives deep into the subtle but exhausting phenomenon of decision fatigue. From the morning struggle of choosing what to wear to the end-of-day impulse buys, the tiny, unstructured choices we make constantly drain our mental energy.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Willpower Is a Finite Resource: Much like a muscle, your willpower fatigues throughout the day with every single decision you are forced to make. Embrace Automated Defaults: Establishing fixed routines for minor daily tasks—such as a default wardrobe or a set weekly menu—significantly preserves your mental bandwidth. Internal vs. External Locus of Control: Cultivating an internal locus of control (the belief that you run your own life rather than being controlled by external factors) is vital for happiness and mental well-being. Stop Firefighting Your Day: Without structured systems, you spend your entire day reacting to external forces, leaving you stressed, exhausted, and feeling unproductive by bedtime. Systems Take Upfront Effort but Deliver Freedom: Designing habits that work for you requires patience and thought initially, but it ultimately spares you from the daily agony of constant choice. BEST MOMENTS "If I'm relying on my own brain power to solve all my problems, well... that ain't gonna end well." "Willpower's a scarce commodity, and it wears out throughout the day with every decision you make." "Save that decision-making muscle for the iPhone product launch." "Don't let daily life buffet you one way and then the next, heaving you from incident to incident, firefighting along the way." "That rail full of purple shirts means that I don't have to decide which shirt I'll wear today. So today, I think I'll wear the purple." VALUABLE RESOURCES www.neilcowmeadow.com — info@neilcowmeadow.com HOST BIO Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years' experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil's invaluable advice and tips — without the buzzwords and BS! This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

  4. Jul 5

    Your Strategic Intent: Why Every Habit Needs a Destination

    In this episode, Neil Cowmeadow turns his own restless, ever-learning mind into the starting point for a bigger question: what's the actual point of all this self-improvement? He unpacks the idea of a "strategic intent" — a defined, personal direction for your life that every daily habit and routine should be quietly working towards — and challenges listeners to sit down and write theirs. KEY TAKEAWAYS Learning Is a Licence, Not a Chore: Neil frames his own compulsive curiosity — reading, courses, research, "nibbling away the rubbish to get at the good bits" — as permission to keep learning simply because it's interesting, not because it ticks a box. Collateral Uplift: Genuine self-improvement is inwardly directed and done for yourself first. Any inspiration it sparks in the people around you is a welcome side effect, not the goal — the opposite of "collateral damage." A Good Life Is Built, Not Found: A good life (capital G, capital L) is the intentional pursuit of becoming better at being yourself — a daily, largely invisible process rather than a single destination. Strategic Intent Sets the Trajectory: Borrowing the military concept, Neil argues everyone needs a strategic intent for their life — the big-picture direction that all your short-term tactics, habits and daily actions should serve. Write It Down, Say It Out Loud: Don't just think your strategic intent — write it, speak it, rewrite it until it feels right. It's the exercise, not the wording, that matters. BEST MOMENTS "I get fascinated by things. Lots of things. Hell, I get fascinated by just about everything." "A good life is one spent in the intentional pursuit of becoming better at being yourself." "Collateral uplift. You're doing your thing and people around you get a bit better." "Your strategic intent governs the trajectory of your life." "Today would be a really fabulous day to dream one up and write it down." VALUABLE RESOURCES www.neilcowmeadow.com — info@neilcowmeadow.com HOST BIO Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years' experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil's invaluable advice and tips — without the buzzwords and BS! This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

  5. Jun 28

    Everything, All in One Place

    In this episode, Neil Cowmeadow uses a friend's chronic overwhelm as a jumping-off point to make the case for something deceptively simple: having everything in one place. From receipts and receipts to school runs and special missions, Neil breaks down why a single, customised, all-in-one planning system could be the most stress-reducing thing you ever build for yourself. KEY TAKEAWAYS Your Mind Is for Ideas, Not Storage: Trying to hold every task, deadline, appointment and commitment in your head is a recipe for stress. Recognise that your brain isn't a filing cabinet — and stop treating it like one. Tomorrow Is Built on Paper: Planning your day before it starts, every single day, is one of the most powerful habits you can develop. Time blocking turns a chaotic to-do list into a structured, executable plan. Keep It All in One Place: Scattered post-its, phone notes, wall calendars, and random scraps of paper create chaos. A single, centralised system — however simple — eliminates the mental load of remembering where everything lives. The Not-Done-Yet List: Tasks that don't get completed this week don't disappear — they carry forward. Tracking them systematically means nothing falls through the cracks and every commitment eventually gets resolved. Make It Yours: There's no one-size-fits-all system. Borrow someone else's template as a starting point, then adapt and refine it until it fits your life. The best system is the one you'll actually use. BEST MOMENTS "Your mind is for having ideas, not for storing vast amounts of data." "Tomorrow is built on paper before it comes around." "I call them special missions. They sound more exciting." "It might be delusional, but it takes all the stress away." "Keep it simple. Keep it workable for you. Go and cobble something together and let me know how it works." VALUABLE RESOURCES www.neilcowmeadow.cominfo@neilcowmeadow.com HOST BIO Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years' experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil's invaluable advice and tips — without the buzzwords and BS! This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

  6. Jun 22

    The Fork in the Road and the Banquet of Consequences

    In this episode, Neil Cowmeadow tackles the universal entrepreneurial struggle of procrastination and displacement activity, the human tendency to do absolutely anything to avoid the most critical, needle-moving tasks in your business.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Acknowledge the "Inner Moron": We all possess a subconscious inner voice designed to keep us safe from risk. Unfortunately, this mechanism often paralyzes us and prevents us from executing important, life-altering tasks. Beware of Displacement Activities: Learn to recognize when you are completing trivial, seemingly productive tasks like cleaning or organizing the shed solely to justify avoiding the most vital item on your to-do list. The Power of Pen and Paper: Writing things down longhand engages your brain much more effectively than typing on a keyboard and screen, making it a necessary step for working through mental blocks and visualizing outcomes. Visualize the Positive Compound Effect: To find motivation, take the time to map out the long-term, compounding benefits of completing your most important task over the coming years. Confront the Negative Consequences: Force yourself to face the harsh reality of neglecting your responsibilities. Understanding the compounding negative effects, the "banquet of consequences" can provide the urgent push you need to take immediate action. BEST MOMENTS "Every single one of us has what I call an inner moron whose job it is to keep us safe. And it also means preventing us from doing anything involving risk or change." "To humans, change is risky. It's dangerous because it's a step into the unknown. And your inner moron... ain't gonna like it." "Most of us will come up with some sort of displacement activity... a whole bunch of justifications as to why it's entirely sane and rational to do just about anything rather than finally sit down and take care of the one thing that matters most." "Writing longhand activates more of your tiny pea-sized brain than a keyboard and screen does." "Remember that each one of us will sit down to a banquet of consequences. So what kind of banquet do you want to have?" VALUABLE RESOURCES www.Neilcowmeadow.com info@neilcowmeadow.com HOST BIO Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS! This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  7. Jun 15

    You Are an n1 Study

    In this episode, Neil challenges the mainstream narrative that the ultimate reward for hard work is escaping on a vacation. Reflecting on a recent trip to Japan and China, Neil explains why stepping completely away from his daily routines often causes him more stress than relaxation. He introduces the concept of the N1 Study, the idea that your life is a unique, ongoing experiment in human happiness where you are the sole participant.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Redesign your reality: Build a daily life and business structure that is so enjoyable you don't constantly feel the need to escape from it. Shift your focus: Recognize the energizing difference between working on your business versus grinding in your business. Embrace the N1 Study: Treat your life as a personalized experiment where the primary metric for success is discovering what brings you happiness. Capture fleeting inspiration: Always keep a notebook or travel journal handy to record ideas the moment they strike. Prioritize personal fulfillment: Stop distorting your goals and schedules to meet the traditional expectations of others; ensure that you are pleasing at least yourself. QUOTES "If the best thing you can think of is taking a couple of weeks off from your life in the everyday sense, then you've built your life back to front." "You should plan and construct your everyday life in such a way that you're having so much fun, you don't want to take time off." "Ideas are shy and skittish. So when you have one, welcome it, make space for it and write it down before it runs away giggling to itself." "Your own life is an ongoing study with a single participant. We'll call this an N1 study." "Please at least yourself. Don't distort yourself to please another person." VALUABLE RESOURCES www.Neilcowmeadow.com info@neilcowmeadow.com HOST BIO Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS! This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  8. Jun 4

    The Psychology of Luck: Why You're Not as Unlucky as You Think

    Everyone keeps telling Neil how lucky he is — lucky to do what he loves, lucky to travel, lucky to work alongside his son. But what if "luck" is just a lazy word for the years of grind, sacrifice and uncommon decisions most people aren't willing to make? Recorded on the road in Osaka, Japan, this solo episode digs into whether luck is real at all. Neil unpacks a decade-long study by Dr Richard Wiseman at the University of Hertfordshire, which suggests lucky people aren't passive recipients of fate — they create their own fortune through identifiable, trainable traits. You'll learn the four research-backed characteristics that lucky people share — openness and flexibility, relaxed attention, trusting your intuition, and positive expectation — and how each one applies directly to building and growing your tutoring business. It's a practical, no-BS look at turning chance into opportunity. If you've ever been told you're "just lucky," this one's for you. KEY TAKEAWAYS Reframe "luck" as the by-product of doing difficult, uncommon things — the risks, the work and the sacrifice that others simply aren't willing to take on. Cultivate openness and flexibility: staying open to new experiences widens your "catchment area" for opportunity, which links directly to entrepreneurial risk tolerance. Adopt relaxed attention rather than constant worry — anxiety and rigid focus cause you to miss the opportunities and patterns hiding in plain sight. Train your intuition through practices like journaling and meditation, then trust your gut when making career and relationship decisions. Hold positive expectations for the future, because your brain sorts for what you expect — making optimism a self-fulfilling prophecy and a non-negotiable for success. QUOTES "It's not lucky if you get what you want, if you go where you want, and you're with whom you want." "Balance to me just means average, means mediocre. And I wouldn't be settling for that." "Lazy is a shortcut word. It's a placeholder that allows shallow minds to bypass the process of how success and mastery is actually built." "They didn't see the years of grind and sweat and sacrifice that gets you to a position where people think that you're lucky." "You always get what you expect because it's what you're looking for and it's what your brain sorts for." VALUABLE RESOURCES www.Neilcowmeadow.com info@neilcowmeadow.com HOST BIO Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS! This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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About

The Tutor Podcast the weekly show that’s all about the business of helping people. If you’re a tutor, a teacher or a coach, join your host Neil Cowmeadow for news, tips and insights to help you Start, Grow and Love your tutoring business. Plain English, no buzzwords and no BS. So, if you want to make more money - and make more of a difference - The Tutor Podcast will be with you, every step of the way.

Information

  • Creator
    Neil Cowmeadow
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    434
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Neil Cowmeadow
  • Show Website
    The Tutor Podcast

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