**BEST OF**

It wouldn’t work to try to tell the Michael Bungay Stanier story - if anyone’s a collection of stories, it’s MBS. He finished law school being sued for defamation by his professor, he was a Rhodes Scholar in his early 20s, and he’s coached Brene Brown on her own podcast. 

A life and career with so many twists, turns and new directions brings with it an equally eclectic and overflowing bag of tips, tricks and mindset shifts, and Michael shares them generously. 

Michael covers everything from how to tackle multi-month projects, journaling techniques, honing your personal brand, and knowing when to say “no”. 

Connect with Michael at his website and pre-order How To Begin.

Neil Pasricha - ‘Two Minute Morning’ https://www.neil.blog/

Julia Funt - ‘A minute to think’ https://www.julietfunt.com/book/




Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. 

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co




CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Production Support from Deadset Studios

Episode Producers: Jenna Koda and Liam Riordan

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

**BEST OF**It wouldn’t work to try to tell the Michael Bungay Stanier story - if anyone’s a collection of stories, it’s MBS. He finished law school being sued for defamation by his professor, he was a Rhodes Scholar in his early 20s, and he’s coached Brene Brown on her own podcast. A life and career with so many twists, turns and new directions brings with it an equally eclectic and overflowing bag of tips, tricks and mindset shifts, and Michael shares them generously. Michael covers everything from how to tackle multi-month projects, journaling techniques, honing your personal brand, and knowing when to say “no”. Connect with Michael at his <a href="https://www.mbs.works">website</a> and pre-order <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Begin-Start-Something-Matters/dp/1774580586">How To Begin</a>.Neil Pasricha - ‘Two Minute Morning’ <a href="https://www.neil.blog/">https://www.neil.blog/</a> Julia Funt - ‘A minute to think’ <a href="https://www.julietfunt.com/book/">https://www.julietfunt.com/book/</a>  Visit <a href="amanthaimber.com/podcast">amanthaimber.com/podcast</a> for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&amp;fs=1&amp;tf=1&amp;to=amantha@inventium.com.au">amantha@inventium.com.au</a>If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at <a href="http://howiwork.co">http://howiwork.co</a>   CREDITSProduced by <a href="https://www.inventium.com.au/">Inventium</a>Host: <a href="https://www.amanthaimber.com/">Amantha Imber</a>Production Support from <a href="https://www.deadsetstudios.com/">Deadset Studios</a>Episode Producers: Jenna Koda and Liam RiordanSound Engineer: Martin Imber

You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets - the daily strategies behind their success through to life hacks and productivity hacks they’d rather keep to themselves. We’re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that’ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who’ve cracked the code.

You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets&nbsp;- the daily strategies behind their success through to&nbsp;life hacks and productivity hacks they&rsquo;d rather keep to themselves. We&rsquo;re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that&rsquo;ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who&rsquo;ve cracked the code.

Have you ever wondered if the worlds leading entrepreneurs, writers, musicians and business people construct their day differently to you?

How I Work

Michael Bungay Stanier teaches you how to accomplish your big goals, one chapter at a time - whether it’s a book, a podcast, a new career, or even the need to switch off a bit.

BEST OF: Michael Bungay Stanier teaches you how to begin

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/34f5de14-dfe9-47d6-9e93-af4600388be3/transcript

You are almost certainly doing most of your computer work the slow way.

Think about the last time you sat down to write an email, rename a file, or work through a tricky problem at your desk. Chances are, your fingers went straight to the keyboard. And you are not alone — when Neo and I ask audiences how much of their computer time is spent typing versus talking, almost everyone is close to 100% typing.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I make the case for voice as a core part of your workflow, not just a novelty. We cover when talking beats typing, how the different voice modes in your AI tools actually work, and the specific software we both rely on day to day.

Neo and I cover:
Why talking is faster than typing for most people
The science behind why voice unlocks better ideas
When talking is clearly better
When typing still wins
The difference between dictation mode and advanced voice mode in tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini, and which to use for different purposes.
wisprflow.ai, Amantha's go-to dictation software
Other dictation tools worth knowing about
How to combine voice and typing in a one-two punch

Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/neoaplin/) and via inventium.ai (https://inventium.ai), where he leads Inventium's AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams.

 

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits: Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

You are almost certainly doing most of your computer work the slow way.
Think about the last time you sat down to write an email, rename a file, or work through a tricky problem at your desk. Chances are, your fingers went straight to the keyboard. And you are not alone &mdash; when Neo and I ask audiences how much of their computer time is spent typing versus talking, almost everyone is close to 100% typing.
In this How I AI episode, Neo and I make the case for voice as a core part of your workflow, not just a novelty. We cover when talking beats typing, how the different voice modes in your AI tools actually work, and the specific software we both rely on day to day.
Neo and I cover:
<ul>
<li>Why talking is faster than typing for most people</li>
<li>The science behind why voice unlocks better ideas</li>
<li>When talking is clearly better</li>
<li>When typing still wins</li>
<li>The difference between dictation mode and advanced voice mode in tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini, and which to use for different purposes.</li>
<li><a href="wisprflow.ai/">wisprflow.ai</a>, Amantha's go-to dictation software</li>
<li>Other dictation tools worth knowing about</li>
<li>How to combine voice and typing in a one-two punch</li>
</ul>
Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/neoaplin/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/neoaplin/</a>) and via <a href="http://inventium.ai">inventium.ai</a> (<a href="https://inventium.ai/"></a><a href="https://inventium.ai">https://inventium.ai</a>), where he leads Inventium's AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams.
&nbsp;
My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/">https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/</a>
Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber">https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber</a>)
Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanthai">https://www.instagram.com/amanthai</a>)
If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at <a href="https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe">https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe</a>
Visit <a href="https://www.amantha.com/podcast">https://www.amantha.com/podcast</a> for full show notes from all episodes.
Get in touch at <a href="mailto:amantha@inventium.com.au">amantha@inventium.com.au</a>
Credits: Host: Amantha Imber
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

Why you need to talk, not type, to your AI 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/11180138-a9d5-4785-9657-b41800308b94/transcript

What if the secret to getting more done was to stop doing things?

Sabri Suby, founder of King Kong, one of Australia's fastest-growing digital agencies and a shark on the most recent season of Shark Tank Australia, has built his entire work philosophy around subtraction. He audits every hour of his week, limits meetings to two days, and has trained his "fixer" to keep the outside world from ever reaching him.

In part one of our two-part conversation, I sit down with Sabri to get inside the full system, including his Kings Audit process, his deep work routine, and the Dream Day exercise that keeps him from chasing shiny new objects.

Sabri and I discuss:
The Kings Audit: how to find exactly where your time is going and calculate the true cost of low-value tasks
Why Sabri only takes meetings on Mondays and Fridays, and how he keeps them to 15-minute increments
How he trained his "fixer" to act as a gatekeeper, screening requests before they ever reach him
How to protect your most valuable hours
How to automate your personal life so your time at home is genuinely high quality
Shiny object syndrome: why most businesses stall because they chase too many things
The Dream Day exercise for getting clear on your goals before saying yes to anything
Why "no" is Sabri's default answer, and the framework he uses for decisions that aren't a clear yes or no

Key quotes

"The way that you focus is through subtraction. It's not by addition."

"New levels have new devils. A lot of the time, to get to that new level, you're gonna have to give away something that you really, really love."

Connect with Sabri Suby on Instagram and LinkedIn and check out KingKong.

 

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits: Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

What if the secret to getting more done was to stop doing things?
Sabri Suby, founder of King Kong, one of Australia's fastest-growing digital agencies and a shark on the most recent season of Shark Tank Australia, has built his entire work philosophy around subtraction. He audits every hour of his week, limits meetings to two days, and has trained his "fixer" to keep the outside world from ever reaching him.
In&nbsp;part one of our two-part&nbsp;conversation, I sit down with Sabri to get inside the full system, including his Kings Audit process, his deep work routine, and the Dream Day exercise that keeps him from chasing shiny new objects.
Sabri and I discuss:
<ul>
<li>The Kings Audit: how to find exactly where your time is going and calculate the&nbsp;true cost&nbsp;of low-value tasks</li>
<li>Why Sabri only takes meetings on Mondays and Fridays, and how he keeps them to 15-minute increments</li>
<li>How he trained his "fixer" to act as a gatekeeper, screening requests before they ever reach him</li>
<li>How to protect your most valuable hours</li>
<li>How to automate your personal life so your time at home is genuinely high quality</li>
<li>Shiny object syndrome: why most businesses stall because they chase too many things</li>
<li>The Dream Day exercise for getting clear on your goals before saying yes to anything</li>
<li>Why "no" is Sabri's default answer, and the framework he uses for decisions that&nbsp;aren't&nbsp;a clear yes or no</li>
</ul>
Key quotes
"The way that you focus is through subtraction. It's not&nbsp;by&nbsp;addition."
"New levels have new devils. A lot of the time, to get to that new level, you're&nbsp;gonna&nbsp;have to give away something that you really, really love."
Connect with Sabri Suby on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/sabrisuby/">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssuby/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;check out&nbsp;<a href="https://kingkong.co/">KingKong.</a>
&nbsp;
My latest&nbsp;book&nbsp;The Health&nbsp;Habit&nbsp;is out now. You can order a copy here:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/">https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/</a>
Connect with me on the socials:&nbsp;Linkedin&nbsp;(<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber">https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber</a>)
Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanthai">https://www.instagram.com/amanthai</a>)
If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and&nbsp;simple to apply&nbsp;tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at&nbsp;<a href="https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe">https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe</a>
Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amantha.com/podcast">https://www.amantha.com/podcast</a>&nbsp;for full show notes from all episodes.
Get in touch at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:amantha@inventium.com.au">amantha@inventium.com.au</a>
Credits: Host: Amantha Imber
Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

The Subtraction Method: how Sabri Suby protects his time and focus (Part 1)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/b397c71d-95a6-470f-9374-b4170036ad50/transcript

There is a moment most people have had in a meeting: the AI bot joins before your guest does, someone has to awkwardly ask if recording is okay, and the whole dynamic shifts. It is enough friction that most people just give up and go back to scribbling notes by hand.

There is a better way, and it does not involve anyone knowing a bot is even in the room.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I do a deep dive into Granola.ai, the meeting transcription tool that has become non-negotiable for both of us at Inventium. We get into how it works differently to most recording tools, how we handle the privacy conversation with external guests, and why having every internal meeting captured has actually made us better at our jobs.

Neo and I cover:
Why most AI meeting recorders create more friction than they solve, and why recording is still not the default for most people's meetings.
How Granola transcribes meetings in the background without joining as a participant, recording no audio or video, making it far less intrusive than most tools.
The way Granola combines your own real-time notes with its transcript, using what you type as a signal for what mattered most in the conversation.
Why at Inventium, every internal meeting including one-on-ones is captured in Granola by default, and what that means for psychological safety and team culture.
The simple line Amantha's EA includes in every external meeting invite to let guests know Granola is running.
A free, open-source alternative called Hyprnote (hyprnote.app) for those who are budget-constrained or unable to install Granola.

Here are the tools mentioned in this episode:
Granola.ai — AI meeting transcription tool that runs in the background without joining as a meeting participant. Integrates with Google and Microsoft.
Hyprnote (hyprnote.app) — open-source alternative to Granola, available on Mac and Windows.

 

Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/neoaplin/) and via inventium.ai (https://inventium.ai), where he leads Inventium's AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams.

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits: Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

There is a moment most people have had in a meeting: the AI bot joins before your guest does, someone has to awkwardly ask if recording is okay, and the whole dynamic shifts. It is enough friction that most people just give up and go back to scribbling notes by hand.
There is a better way, and it does not involve anyone knowing a bot is even in the room.
In this How I AI episode, Neo and I do a deep dive into <a href="http://Granola.ai">Granola.ai</a>, the meeting transcription tool that has become non-negotiable for both of us at Inventium. We get into how it works differently to most recording tools, how we handle the privacy conversation with external guests, and why having every internal meeting captured has actually made us better at our jobs.
Neo and I cover:
<ul>
<li>Why most AI meeting recorders create more friction than they solve, and why recording is still not the default for most people's meetings.</li>
<li>How Granola transcribes meetings in the background without joining as a participant, recording no audio or video, making it far less intrusive than most tools.</li>
<li>The way Granola combines your own real-time notes with its transcript, using what you type as a signal for what mattered most in the conversation.</li>
<li>Why at Inventium, every internal meeting including one-on-ones is captured in Granola by default, and what that means for psychological safety and team culture.</li>
<li>The simple line Amantha's EA includes in every external meeting invite to let guests know Granola is running.</li>
<li>A free, open-source alternative called Hyprnote (hyprnote.app) for those who are budget-constrained or unable to install Granola.</li>
</ul>
Here are the tools mentioned in this episode:
<ol>
<li><a href="http://Granola.ai">Granola.ai</a> &mdash; AI meeting transcription tool that runs in the background without joining as a meeting participant. Integrates with Google and Microsoft.</li>
<li>Hyprnote (<a href="https://hyprnote.app/">hyprnote.app</a>) &mdash; open-source alternative to Granola, available on Mac and Windows.</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/neoaplin/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/neoaplin/</a>) and via <a href="http://inventium.ai">inventium.ai</a> (<a href="https://inventium.ai/"></a><a href="https://inventium.ai">https://inventium.ai</a>), where he leads Inventium's AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams.
My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: <a href="https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/">https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/</a>
Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber">https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber</a>)
Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanthai">https://www.instagram.com/amanthai</a>)
If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at <a href="https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe">https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe</a>
Visit <a href="https://www.amantha.com/podcast">https://www.amantha.com/podcast</a> for full show notes from all episodes.
Get in touch at <a href="mailto:amantha@inventium.com.au">amantha@inventium.com.au</a>
Credits: Host: Amantha Imber
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

Our #1 favourite AI tool for meetings

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/f79be683-75d2-463c-994b-b41800308b92/transcript

BEST OF: Michael Bungay Stanier teaches you how to begin

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