May 25, 2025 • 21 mins
Siân Simpson is an award-winning global businesswoman, community builder, and broadcaster. She is a sought-after public speaker and whose online content has received around 10 million views in the past year.
Sian is founder of Public Rally and Bountifull Media.
Public Rally is a community and content agency with globally focused clients in the technology, music, AI, crime, legal and education sectors. It builds world-class communities and content strategies to support its clients with ambitious revenue, brand and engagement goals.
Bountifull is a global media platform rooted in the pursuit of joy and the exploration of what it means to live a bountiful life. In a world often shadowed by economic pressures and societal shifts, Bountifull is a beacon of hope and inspiration, bringing to the forefront stories of resilience, creativity, and connection.
Sian has worked to support dozens of New Zealand start-up businesses on their market entry into the United States and her belief in the power of Kiwis to win on the world stage sees her as an active investor supporting fledgling business with big ambition.
The power of communication to change business and lives for the better sees Sian regularly invited to be a keynote speaker, panelist and interviewer whether this be professional events for the likes of Microsoft through to forums on topics like mental health, leadership, marketing and artificial intelligence.
Sian has lived and worked around the world for much of the past 15 years and visited more than 60 countries in her pursuit of understanding the cultures and values that underpin both successful communities and winning businesses.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk sed B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio,
Real Conversation, Real Connection, It's Real Life with John Cowen
on News Talk zed B.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Gooday, and welcome to Real Life. I'm John Cowner. My
guest tonight is a remarkable woman whose whole career has
been to enable others to succeed in business, and her
new podcast Venture Bountiful, is helping thousands of people around
the world attain a more joyful way of living. So
welcome Shan Simpson.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Hello, John, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Now, Sean, let's talk about your business first before we
move into this Bountiful podcast and other media that you're doing.
But I have to confess to you, I am a
refugee from the twentieth century, and you've got a back
to that in Because I've been reading a lot about
what you do and how you do it, and I've
(01:09):
read that you're very successful, that you've won various awards,
you know, high rate awards, and you've obviously been very
very successful in your business. I don't really understand what
you do. Can you unpack a little bit about what
about building communities? And these areas other businesses are.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
I surecan, John, and you would believe that it's not
the first time that I've actually heard this.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
So community building what it is?
Speaker 4 (01:36):
I think community really is a fancy word for a
group of people. And then where it sort of comes
into my world where I am building communities for businesses.
It's where those people that are in that group have
a shared purpose, interest or goal. So for example New
Zealand entrepreneurs expanding into the US market to grow their
businesses and you know, make sales and be successful on
(01:57):
the global stage, they might fit into a community. And
so there's lots of communities in the world.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
And so yes, just a group of people.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Why would businesses be interested in that? Don't they just
want someone to know about their product and then buy it.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Well, you know, it's that fallacy of build it and
they will come. But how are you going to find
out about them?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
So is it establishing an online group or a bunch
of consumers? Is it sort of like you know, I
can remember that we used to get pushed into camps
like are you a PEPC person or a coke person?
Are you a MAC person or a PC person? Is
it sort of like that sort of building a sort
of a loyalty to companies and things so that they'll
buy their products.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
I like to think that communities have more of a
value exchange that's positive between sort of the business and
the people in it. I think if I could give
you an example, would.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
That be helpful?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
So I think a lot of people.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Who are listening to the show, they would have maybe
used Airbnb. And so Airbnb, obviously you're renting someone's house,
and you know, rent that experience off a host, and
then you've got all of the people like you who
are renting. And so what Airbnb did was they have
a community of hosts, and what they do is all
sorts of activities with those hosts to make them better
(03:06):
hosts essentially, whether that's community for guidelines, content, you know, video,
coming together through events, all sorts of things, and arguably
the better the hosting experiences, the better the guest experience.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Okay, so when people decide to become part of Airbnb,
they feel like they're joining a big, supportive family of
other people.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Doing it exactly you would hope.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
So I went to David Sedaris's show earlier in the year,
and he mentioned his addiction to Duo Lingo, and there
were goals from all over the audience of people who
felt really, really like they belonged to this online language
learning app. Is that a type of thing as well?
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Absolutely, I think Duo Lingo is actually one of the
best examples of a community on the planet who all
share that love for wanting to learn language. And yeah,
it's actually a standout example.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Okay, so companies, individuals, entrepreneurs, they're interested in doing this,
and how do they do it? Then I suppose this
is what you tell them.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
It really does It's a depends answer, and so I
don't know, it's more useful for the business. I have
lots of videos online of how to do it, but
really you've got to figure out the value exchange between
what your business needs and maybe what a community of
people can offer. So, for example, you know, about five
years ago, I started working for a legal technology startup
(04:24):
and they were selling their product to lawyers, bless them,
and they needed to get in touch with a whole
bunch of lawyers who might want to buy their product.
But those lawyers might not want to buy it because
they're like, you're just selling to me, and so what
they did is they built a community of in house
legal professionals to sort of help them be more successful
in their career. And by doing that, they made them
(04:44):
sort of a consideration of buying their product.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Okay, So, so some of it can be quite altruistic.
They're wanting to actually genuinely help these people form a
supportive group around a business interest or something. And incidentally, oh,
we're also here to sell your stuff.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Well exactly, and I think that's where the value exchange
comes in. But really, you know, we're all humans at
the end of the day. And do I want to
buy your product?
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Probably not.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
But do I want to belong something to something greater
than me that might help me live a better life. Absolutely,
And so if businesses get.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
That right, Okay, the Haysers starting to clear for this
ole baby boomer. I still don't know how someone can
spend their life doing this and also traveling around the
world doing it. How many countries have you been to?
Speaker 3 (05:26):
I think I'm at sixty one.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Sixty one countries, yes, and so traveling around meeting people,
interfacing of people, starting companies all around the world.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Yes, if it's helpful. I actually have a story on this.
So and we maybe will get into it. But when
I started, when I got my first community building job,
I didn't know what it was.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
And so I applied for this job.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
But it was at a place called the Quey Landing Pan,
and I was actually interning for a startup that was
working out of the Quy Landing Pan. Now those of
you that don't know what that is, it was a
co working space for New Zealand entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley
in San Francisco to sort of soften the landing for
New Zealand companies trying to expand into the US market.
And so I was working from here. I couldn't really
(06:12):
afford to be there. My accommodation was sixty dollars a
night and I think I earned about four hundred dollars
a week New Zealand, so you can do the math.
And all of this staff left and they put up
a job and which was an office manager and community manager,
and so I applied for it. And then I didn't
know what a community manager was. And I got the
job and they hired me on the spot, and I
(06:33):
went to my boss at the time. His name is
John Holt Bless. I'm amazing, Key entrepreneur and I said, great,
so what does a community manager do? And he goes,
I have no idea.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
This is so encouraging for me when I saw that
you're a community a manager and I thought, I don't
know what that is. But am I dumb? But you
got the job and you didn't know what it was.
But that's that's very encouraging.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
I can assure you I know a lot about the
furious world for some of us, it sure is.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I know a lot about community building.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Now it really does depend on your business and there's
a lot of stuff, but it's better had than a conversation,
if that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Right now, you mentioned how you're working for Landing Pad,
and I can under stand how that would work, about
how it's a place where New Zealand businesses wanting to
get a foothold in America can sort of, you know,
branch out and get a foothold on the place. You
started off working in Vodafone and somehow a little bit
(07:24):
later on you're in San Francisco and I just wondering
what were the steps?
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Well, should I go back in my history a little
bit to what ended up landing me there?
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:34):
Sure, it's more of my personal story. But I guess
I had a really great upbringing and then when I
and you know, grew up on the north shore of Auckland,
lived on a farm for a while, then moved back
to the north shore, and then around the age of sixteen,
sort of life turned and had a bit of a
tragic turn. So the death of my best friend, he
took his own life, my parents got divorced, and then
(07:55):
my dad actually ended up taking his own life. And
so essentially Votaphone for me was actually a bit of
behavior where I was, you know, sort of just running away.
And I guess part of how I ended up getting
my job and being in San Francisco was a sort
of output of running away from my life and from
the trauma that I've been through. So specifically, answer your question,
(08:17):
I didn't get a promotion. I was overlooked for a
promotion at Vodafone when I was nineteen, and it wasn't
because of my capability, it was because of my age.
And it was at that point in New Zealand, you know,
quite a long time ago now, then I realized that
if I wanted to get ahead as a young person,
I needed to go overseas, which is not too different
(08:38):
from what we're seeing today, but obviously for different reasons.
And so I went overseas. I actually sort of, I say, conned,
but convinced these two entrepreneurs to give me internships. But
I had a condition, and I said, if I do
really well, and you know, do all this great work
for you, you have to hire me. But you have
to hire me remotely. And this was, you know, totally
(09:00):
before remote working was.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
A thing, location independence exactly.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
And so I did this thing where I traveled around
the world, worked online and then got my job at
the Kiwi landing pant and my boss and I had
a deal. He said that you can do your job
as long as you're in San Francisco when you need
to be there, but otherwise, travel around the world do
you work. And so I had these internships and that's
essentially how I ended up in San Francisco.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
If you've just tuned in my guest tonight as business
woman Sean Simpson, and you've already heard how she's made
a very very successful career in modern business. Afterwards, we're
going to be talking a bit more about her backstory
and about this new project that she is adding joy
to people's lives. We've already she's already hinted that part
(09:47):
of a story deals with the suicide, the loss of
her father and a best friend, and also other family
members from suicide. And so if this is pushing on bruises,
if this is triggering something, don't forget that. You can
call Lifeline I eight hundred five four three three five four,
that's I eight hundred Lifeline or youth Line. You can
text two three four Samaritans eight hundred and seventy six
(10:11):
Triple Sex, and I'm sure you'd get very sympathetic help.
There be back in just a short while with Sean Simpson.
This is real life on news Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Intelligent interviews with interesting people. It's real life on news
Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Welcome back to real life, John Cown talking of Shan Simpson,
who's made a business internationally and is now helping people
live their lives better. And you've picked a ripper of
a song there, what are we listening to?
Speaker 4 (10:38):
Party Rock Anthem by Lmfao. It is a little bit silly,
It's my silly song, but if you listen to it,
I really it just brings me so much joy. And
I listen to it before I'm about to do an
interview or go on stage or just need a bit
of a pick me up. It makes you want to dance,
and I think it's all about joy.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Oh that's cool. That's cool that you know some performers
use drugs and things like that before they hit the microphone.
You used music and it lifts your mood.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
That's grand, much more wholesome now, and that you.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Talk about silliness. That you now have a career in
producing this, all these media, august media and helping people
live their lives better. You're well qualified because you've had
to refurbish, refurnish, re upholse to your whole life, really,
because it didn't start off that well, and you alluded
(11:27):
to that in the first half, and even by child
in the early childhood, you didn't feel like things were
going very well.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
No, So I think when I was about eight, I
asked my mum if I was the angel of death,
because I thought funerals were a weekend hobby that we
just kept going to, which I'm very aware is very sad,
but so I guess I've always had a lot of
death in my life, and at some point I realized
I had to learn from that and overcome that to
I guess pretty much try and figure out how to thrive.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
You either get.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
Crushed by trauma or you learn how to come out
on the other side of it, and so I chose
the latter.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Okay, how bad you did you actually get depressed?
Speaker 3 (12:07):
No, I don't think so.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
I think I was numb for quite a while. And
I think I didn't get depressed because I'd seen what
depression had done to so many of the people that
I loved, and the impact of not getting the help
that you need as well.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Okay, so numb. I read that you were mute, that
you didn't actually talk.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Yeah, there was a while that I didn't talk because
I guess part of my childhood was that children should
be seen and not heard, and I can be a
little bit extreme sometimes and defiant, and so I thought, Okay,
if you don't want to hear my opinions, I just
won't speak at all.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
And so I went through a bit of a phase
of just not talking.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
And some of my friends at the time, bless them,
they would say, Oh, she's just shy, you know, she's
a little bit socially awkward and I sort of just
leaned on that even though I wasn't.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Yeah, so almost sort of like fulfilling their description of
you exactly. Okay. I think part of your rebooting of
yourself has been that rejecting of what other people think
of you.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Yeah, external validation is a powerful thing. Use it wisely.
I have always much at the beat of my own drum,
and I think life went off track for me when
I didn't always been a pretty unique person.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
It's interesting you live in this internet world where you
feel people feel like they live and die on the
number of likes they get, and you know, the number
of cliques they get. How do you feel about that?
Will you pray to that yourself?
Speaker 4 (13:39):
I sort of feel lucky that I was in the
internet world before all of these like crazy algorithms were
doing what they are today, and so in a way
it was a bit of a gift. But I do
what everyone else does. I try to stay, you know,
away from all of that as much as possible. And
I've sort of said to myself it's particularly with the podcast,
that it's not about the likes, and it's not about
(14:01):
growing on someone else's terms. It's about reaching the people
that I want to reach and hopefully making an impact
in their life. And yeah, I think we're all we
all fall pray to that, but I try not to
as best as possible.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
The way you hacked your life, I think, or rebooted
your life. What were some of the steps that you
did to actually get your life up and running.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Yeah, I one of the first things I did. I
had a boss that said to me, I think when
I was about seventeen, she said, you're just cold. And
at the time that was incredibly hard to hear. And
she said, I think maybe you might want to get
some counseling. And I was the sorry. It was actually
when I was nineteen, and I said, oh, okay, And
I was actually the last person in my family to
(14:42):
go to counseling.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
So that was one of the first step I took
was to get a therapist to.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Talk about what was going Therapy has been good.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
For you, It's been really good for me. I actually
still have a therapist in my toolkit. I'm a big
fan that everyone should ever took it for you know,
the times in your life that aren't going so well,
when you're having a tough season or a tough day,
because that happens to all of us.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
So therapy it has been great for me. Another thing
I did.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Was, isn't it said that so many people are embarrassed
and shy and I would consider going to a therapist
as being admitting something bad about themselves.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
Yeah. I think there's a lot of stigma in the world,
not just New Zealand, about you know, having a brain
that isn't working properly. And I think in one of
my interviews that I did with an amazing psychiatrist in Utah,
she said, the thing is is that brain is an organ,
just like a kidney, and so if you treat your kidneys,
why don't you treat your brain? And so I think,
reduce the stigma, get the help you need, and just
(15:35):
maybe be kinder to ourselves that it's our brain that's
having an issue rather than in all of the emotional
talk around depression or mental health issues I've seen.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
I watched a talk that you did, and you also
talked about NLP and neuro linguistic programming too. And even
though I know I look and I just confess a
little bit of citizens met NLP, but I do believe
that you can change the way you think.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Yes, it worked for you, though it worked for me.
I don't think I delved into it.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
Do. You have to remember that this was quite a
long time ago, and so you know, there's probably more
research now. Fundamentally, what I realized is that my self
talk cycle was really negative and was doing me no
favors and trying to change my life.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
The rudest person we know is often ourselves.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
Totally true, and so in order to change and to
figure out what was going on, I had to go in,
go within and tune into myself and realizing that I
was the ultimate mean girl and I had to change
that mean girl. It was one of the first things
I did.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Well, okay, mean hopefully just yourself, but hopefully not even
that now.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Just to me.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Yeah, and your values values. That was another thing, wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Yes, understanding what your authentic values are. And it kind
of comes back to what you said before, which is,
don't live by someone else's ruler.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah, and so you now know what you what your
values are, which way you want to hit? Are they
getting revised at all? I mean, are you you know
you were a businesswoman ten fifteen, how many how many
years ago in a world where it was probably almost
considered a value to be a hustler and to work
(17:13):
so hard you're sleeping under your desk and everything like that.
I get the impression that that's not a current value.
Do you feel like you've changed in your attitude to that.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
I have. I think achievement is still one of my
biggest values, which is why I did end up, sorry, John,
sleeping under my desk. Sometimes I definitely did hustle. Ultimately,
I ended up breaking my body and I ended up being, yes,
really unhealthy, and so I learned unless in the hard way,
like sometimes we all do, that if we drive our
bodies and minds into the ground, that you pay the
(17:44):
price for that. And so I've burnt out twice. And
I'm happy to share a mistake with you that's relevant
to this if you want so. A mistake that I
made was one of the last jobs that I had.
I worked myself so much into the ground that I
actually nearly lost my marriage, my several relationships and friends,
and my health really suffered, and so I had to
(18:06):
leave that job to rebuild. And it's a large part
of the reason why I started Bountiful as well.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Okay, and how did you.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Come back from that a lot of rest.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
I have had friends that have been through this and
so burn out. For me, I was just so tired
and I hope people don't laugh at this, but literally
allergic to my emails. I think it took me about
six months to want to open my computer again, which
kind of just tells you, like how much sort of
screen time and computer work that I was doing. So
a lot of rest, a lot of sitting with my thoughts.
(18:35):
And a friend of mine had actually done a sabbatical
and written a lot about it, and he said that
it takes you about eight weeks initially to just rest
and then you get into the you know, your sabbatical
or your recovery, and so reading some of these things
really helped me figure out what to do.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Okay, And from this has sprung Bountiful. Now what is
bountiful about? Hearing I've only got four minutes left until
those final ads, we better rip through this, but tell
us about Bountiful.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
I'll be fast.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
So Bountiful is a podcast and movement that explores what
it means to live a bountiful life through stories of
joy and connection. And I sort of say that one
conversation can change.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Your life, right, and you managed to round up all
these experts from around the world. I'm very envious of
your list of the experts. By the way, I'm going
to try and get some of them myself. I'm going
to plunder that list myself. But you've had scientists and
successful people and philosophers, all sorts of people talking about joy.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Yes, talking about joy and what it means to live
a bountiful life through their lens. It's crazy to me
that a little key we girl from the North Shore
gets in front of all of these experts, you know,
from the top universities and some incredible entrepreneurs as well.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
Right, and the best tips that you've had so far
tumble out of this program.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
They do. I call them bountiful ideas.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Yeah, okay, I mean, do you want to share one? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (19:55):
Sure. I think some of it boils down to that
joy is a choice that your contribution to those people
around you, beyond yourself is what ultimately leads to fulfillment.
And the third and final one, which I I know
as a topic for you, is you have to find
how to thrive in the systems and structures that we
find ourselves in.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Okay, So if you can't change those systems. You need
to work either get out of them or change or
change yourself to work in the absolutely. I know that
one of you, one of the things that you've talked
about is that you want to be healthy mentally, physically, sexually,
and spiritually, and I'm just wondering what the spiritual dimension
is for you and how do you keep that healthy.
Speaker 4 (20:37):
I will profess that I don't have a religion, but
I do believe that there is a higher power out
there that I can't explain or label, but I know
that it definitely helps to guide me. And ultimately, I
think for me, it came down to letting go and
just knowing that my path will take me where it
needs to take me.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Considering all the bruises that you had earlier in life,
I think that you're a tribute to your the truths
that you're unearthing from life and learning from the lessons.
And I wish you all the best. And if people
want to check out Bountiful what's the website.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yeah, so it's Bountiful World dot com. And if you
want to support our work, I'm actively looking for a patron.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
That's a great good idea for someone out there with
somebody that wants to invest in something great. Tell us
about the song that we're listening to right at the
end here.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
So the song is Together Again by Janet Jackson, and
I think it every time I hear it. It just
reminds me of my dad, and I know that he's
with me everywhere I go, and that's what the song
is all about.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Okay, my guest tonight, Sean Sean Simpson, has been wonderful
talking with you, and I wish you all the best
and all your ventures. This is real life News Talk
s EDB. Back with you again next Sunday night.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
For more from News Talk SEDB, listen live on air
or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk sed B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio,
Real Conversation, Real Connection, It's Real Life with John Cowen
on News Talk zed B.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Gooday, and welcome to Real Life. I'm John Cowner. My
guest tonight is a remarkable woman whose whole career has
been to enable others to succeed in business, and her
new podcast Venture Bountiful, is helping thousands of people around
the world attain a more joyful way of living. So
welcome Shan Simpson.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Hello, John, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Now, Sean, let's talk about your business first before we
move into this Bountiful podcast and other media that you're doing.
But I have to confess to you, I am a
refugee from the twentieth century, and you've got a back
to that in Because I've been reading a lot about
what you do and how you do it, and I've
(01:09):
read that you're very successful, that you've won various awards,
you know, high rate awards, and you've obviously been very
very successful in your business. I don't really understand what
you do. Can you unpack a little bit about what
about building communities? And these areas other businesses are.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
I surecan, John, and you would believe that it's not
the first time that I've actually heard this.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
So community building what it is?
Speaker 4 (01:36):
I think community really is a fancy word for a
group of people. And then where it sort of comes
into my world where I am building communities for businesses.
It's where those people that are in that group have
a shared purpose, interest or goal. So for example New
Zealand entrepreneurs expanding into the US market to grow their
businesses and you know, make sales and be successful on
(01:57):
the global stage, they might fit into a community. And
so there's lots of communities in the world.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
And so yes, just a group of people.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Why would businesses be interested in that? Don't they just
want someone to know about their product and then buy it.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Well, you know, it's that fallacy of build it and
they will come. But how are you going to find
out about them?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
So is it establishing an online group or a bunch
of consumers? Is it sort of like you know, I
can remember that we used to get pushed into camps
like are you a PEPC person or a coke person?
Are you a MAC person or a PC person? Is
it sort of like that sort of building a sort
of a loyalty to companies and things so that they'll
buy their products.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
I like to think that communities have more of a
value exchange that's positive between sort of the business and
the people in it. I think if I could give
you an example, would.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
That be helpful?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
So I think a lot of people.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Who are listening to the show, they would have maybe
used Airbnb. And so Airbnb, obviously you're renting someone's house,
and you know, rent that experience off a host, and
then you've got all of the people like you who
are renting. And so what Airbnb did was they have
a community of hosts, and what they do is all
sorts of activities with those hosts to make them better
(03:06):
hosts essentially, whether that's community for guidelines, content, you know, video,
coming together through events, all sorts of things, and arguably
the better the hosting experiences, the better the guest experience.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Okay, so when people decide to become part of Airbnb,
they feel like they're joining a big, supportive family of
other people.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Doing it exactly you would hope.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
So I went to David Sedaris's show earlier in the year,
and he mentioned his addiction to Duo Lingo, and there
were goals from all over the audience of people who
felt really, really like they belonged to this online language
learning app. Is that a type of thing as well?
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Absolutely, I think Duo Lingo is actually one of the
best examples of a community on the planet who all
share that love for wanting to learn language. And yeah,
it's actually a standout example.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Okay, so companies, individuals, entrepreneurs, they're interested in doing this,
and how do they do it? Then I suppose this
is what you tell them.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
It really does It's a depends answer, and so I
don't know, it's more useful for the business. I have
lots of videos online of how to do it, but
really you've got to figure out the value exchange between
what your business needs and maybe what a community of
people can offer. So, for example, you know, about five
years ago, I started working for a legal technology startup
(04:24):
and they were selling their product to lawyers, bless them,
and they needed to get in touch with a whole
bunch of lawyers who might want to buy their product.
But those lawyers might not want to buy it because
they're like, you're just selling to me, and so what
they did is they built a community of in house
legal professionals to sort of help them be more successful
in their career. And by doing that, they made them
(04:44):
sort of a consideration of buying their product.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Okay, So, so some of it can be quite altruistic.
They're wanting to actually genuinely help these people form a
supportive group around a business interest or something. And incidentally, oh,
we're also here to sell your stuff.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Well exactly, and I think that's where the value exchange
comes in. But really, you know, we're all humans at
the end of the day. And do I want to
buy your product?
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Probably not.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
But do I want to belong something to something greater
than me that might help me live a better life. Absolutely,
And so if businesses get.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
That right, Okay, the Haysers starting to clear for this
ole baby boomer. I still don't know how someone can
spend their life doing this and also traveling around the
world doing it. How many countries have you been to?
Speaker 3 (05:26):
I think I'm at sixty one.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Sixty one countries, yes, and so traveling around meeting people,
interfacing of people, starting companies all around the world.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Yes, if it's helpful. I actually have a story on this.
So and we maybe will get into it. But when
I started, when I got my first community building job,
I didn't know what it was.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
And so I applied for this job.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
But it was at a place called the Quey Landing Pan,
and I was actually interning for a startup that was
working out of the Quy Landing Pan. Now those of
you that don't know what that is, it was a
co working space for New Zealand entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley
in San Francisco to sort of soften the landing for
New Zealand companies trying to expand into the US market.
And so I was working from here. I couldn't really
(06:12):
afford to be there. My accommodation was sixty dollars a
night and I think I earned about four hundred dollars
a week New Zealand, so you can do the math.
And all of this staff left and they put up
a job and which was an office manager and community manager,
and so I applied for it. And then I didn't
know what a community manager was. And I got the
job and they hired me on the spot, and I
(06:33):
went to my boss at the time. His name is
John Holt Bless. I'm amazing, Key entrepreneur and I said, great,
so what does a community manager do? And he goes,
I have no idea.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
This is so encouraging for me when I saw that
you're a community a manager and I thought, I don't
know what that is. But am I dumb? But you
got the job and you didn't know what it was.
But that's that's very encouraging.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
I can assure you I know a lot about the
furious world for some of us, it sure is.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I know a lot about community building.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Now it really does depend on your business and there's
a lot of stuff, but it's better had than a conversation,
if that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Right now, you mentioned how you're working for Landing Pad,
and I can under stand how that would work, about
how it's a place where New Zealand businesses wanting to
get a foothold in America can sort of, you know,
branch out and get a foothold on the place. You
started off working in Vodafone and somehow a little bit
(07:24):
later on you're in San Francisco and I just wondering
what were the steps?
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Well, should I go back in my history a little
bit to what ended up landing me there?
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:34):
Sure, it's more of my personal story. But I guess
I had a really great upbringing and then when I
and you know, grew up on the north shore of Auckland,
lived on a farm for a while, then moved back
to the north shore, and then around the age of sixteen,
sort of life turned and had a bit of a
tragic turn. So the death of my best friend, he
took his own life, my parents got divorced, and then
(07:55):
my dad actually ended up taking his own life. And
so essentially Votaphone for me was actually a bit of
behavior where I was, you know, sort of just running away.
And I guess part of how I ended up getting
my job and being in San Francisco was a sort
of output of running away from my life and from
the trauma that I've been through. So specifically, answer your question,
(08:17):
I didn't get a promotion. I was overlooked for a
promotion at Vodafone when I was nineteen, and it wasn't
because of my capability, it was because of my age.
And it was at that point in New Zealand, you know,
quite a long time ago now, then I realized that
if I wanted to get ahead as a young person,
I needed to go overseas, which is not too different
(08:38):
from what we're seeing today, but obviously for different reasons.
And so I went overseas. I actually sort of, I say, conned,
but convinced these two entrepreneurs to give me internships. But
I had a condition, and I said, if I do
really well, and you know, do all this great work
for you, you have to hire me. But you have
to hire me remotely. And this was, you know, totally
(09:00):
before remote working was.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
A thing, location independence exactly.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
And so I did this thing where I traveled around
the world, worked online and then got my job at
the Kiwi landing pant and my boss and I had
a deal. He said that you can do your job
as long as you're in San Francisco when you need
to be there, but otherwise, travel around the world do
you work. And so I had these internships and that's
essentially how I ended up in San Francisco.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
If you've just tuned in my guest tonight as business
woman Sean Simpson, and you've already heard how she's made
a very very successful career in modern business. Afterwards, we're
going to be talking a bit more about her backstory
and about this new project that she is adding joy
to people's lives. We've already she's already hinted that part
(09:47):
of a story deals with the suicide, the loss of
her father and a best friend, and also other family
members from suicide. And so if this is pushing on bruises,
if this is triggering something, don't forget that. You can
call Lifeline I eight hundred five four three three five four,
that's I eight hundred Lifeline or youth Line. You can
text two three four Samaritans eight hundred and seventy six
(10:11):
Triple Sex, and I'm sure you'd get very sympathetic help.
There be back in just a short while with Sean Simpson.
This is real life on news Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Intelligent interviews with interesting people. It's real life on news
Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Welcome back to real life, John Cown talking of Shan Simpson,
who's made a business internationally and is now helping people
live their lives better. And you've picked a ripper of
a song there, what are we listening to?
Speaker 4 (10:38):
Party Rock Anthem by Lmfao. It is a little bit silly,
It's my silly song, but if you listen to it,
I really it just brings me so much joy. And
I listen to it before I'm about to do an
interview or go on stage or just need a bit
of a pick me up. It makes you want to dance,
and I think it's all about joy.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Oh that's cool. That's cool that you know some performers
use drugs and things like that before they hit the microphone.
You used music and it lifts your mood.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
That's grand, much more wholesome now, and that you.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Talk about silliness. That you now have a career in
producing this, all these media, august media and helping people
live their lives better. You're well qualified because you've had
to refurbish, refurnish, re upholse to your whole life, really,
because it didn't start off that well, and you alluded
(11:27):
to that in the first half, and even by child
in the early childhood, you didn't feel like things were
going very well.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
No, So I think when I was about eight, I
asked my mum if I was the angel of death,
because I thought funerals were a weekend hobby that we
just kept going to, which I'm very aware is very sad,
but so I guess I've always had a lot of
death in my life, and at some point I realized
I had to learn from that and overcome that to
I guess pretty much try and figure out how to thrive.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
You either get.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
Crushed by trauma or you learn how to come out
on the other side of it, and so I chose
the latter.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Okay, how bad you did you actually get depressed?
Speaker 3 (12:07):
No, I don't think so.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
I think I was numb for quite a while. And
I think I didn't get depressed because I'd seen what
depression had done to so many of the people that
I loved, and the impact of not getting the help
that you need as well.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Okay, so numb. I read that you were mute, that
you didn't actually talk.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Yeah, there was a while that I didn't talk because
I guess part of my childhood was that children should
be seen and not heard, and I can be a
little bit extreme sometimes and defiant, and so I thought, Okay,
if you don't want to hear my opinions, I just
won't speak at all.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
And so I went through a bit of a phase
of just not talking.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
And some of my friends at the time, bless them,
they would say, Oh, she's just shy, you know, she's
a little bit socially awkward and I sort of just
leaned on that even though I wasn't.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Yeah, so almost sort of like fulfilling their description of
you exactly. Okay. I think part of your rebooting of
yourself has been that rejecting of what other people think
of you.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Yeah, external validation is a powerful thing. Use it wisely.
I have always much at the beat of my own drum,
and I think life went off track for me when
I didn't always been a pretty unique person.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
It's interesting you live in this internet world where you
feel people feel like they live and die on the
number of likes they get, and you know, the number
of cliques they get. How do you feel about that?
Will you pray to that yourself?
Speaker 4 (13:39):
I sort of feel lucky that I was in the
internet world before all of these like crazy algorithms were
doing what they are today, and so in a way
it was a bit of a gift. But I do
what everyone else does. I try to stay, you know,
away from all of that as much as possible. And
I've sort of said to myself it's particularly with the podcast,
that it's not about the likes, and it's not about
(14:01):
growing on someone else's terms. It's about reaching the people
that I want to reach and hopefully making an impact
in their life. And yeah, I think we're all we
all fall pray to that, but I try not to
as best as possible.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
The way you hacked your life, I think, or rebooted
your life. What were some of the steps that you
did to actually get your life up and running.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Yeah, I one of the first things I did. I
had a boss that said to me, I think when
I was about seventeen, she said, you're just cold. And
at the time that was incredibly hard to hear. And
she said, I think maybe you might want to get
some counseling. And I was the sorry. It was actually
when I was nineteen, and I said, oh, okay, And
I was actually the last person in my family to
(14:42):
go to counseling.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
So that was one of the first step I took
was to get a therapist to.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Talk about what was going Therapy has been good.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
For you, It's been really good for me. I actually
still have a therapist in my toolkit. I'm a big
fan that everyone should ever took it for you know,
the times in your life that aren't going so well,
when you're having a tough season or a tough day,
because that happens to all of us.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
So therapy it has been great for me. Another thing
I did.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Was, isn't it said that so many people are embarrassed
and shy and I would consider going to a therapist
as being admitting something bad about themselves.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
Yeah. I think there's a lot of stigma in the world,
not just New Zealand, about you know, having a brain
that isn't working properly. And I think in one of
my interviews that I did with an amazing psychiatrist in Utah,
she said, the thing is is that brain is an organ,
just like a kidney, and so if you treat your kidneys,
why don't you treat your brain? And so I think,
reduce the stigma, get the help you need, and just
(15:35):
maybe be kinder to ourselves that it's our brain that's
having an issue rather than in all of the emotional
talk around depression or mental health issues I've seen.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
I watched a talk that you did, and you also
talked about NLP and neuro linguistic programming too. And even
though I know I look and I just confess a
little bit of citizens met NLP, but I do believe
that you can change the way you think.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Yes, it worked for you, though it worked for me.
I don't think I delved into it.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
Do. You have to remember that this was quite a
long time ago, and so you know, there's probably more
research now. Fundamentally, what I realized is that my self
talk cycle was really negative and was doing me no
favors and trying to change my life.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
The rudest person we know is often ourselves.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
Totally true, and so in order to change and to
figure out what was going on, I had to go in,
go within and tune into myself and realizing that I
was the ultimate mean girl and I had to change
that mean girl. It was one of the first things
I did.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Well, okay, mean hopefully just yourself, but hopefully not even
that now.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Just to me.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Yeah, and your values values. That was another thing, wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Yes, understanding what your authentic values are. And it kind
of comes back to what you said before, which is,
don't live by someone else's ruler.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah, and so you now know what you what your
values are, which way you want to hit? Are they
getting revised at all? I mean, are you you know
you were a businesswoman ten fifteen, how many how many
years ago in a world where it was probably almost
considered a value to be a hustler and to work
(17:13):
so hard you're sleeping under your desk and everything like that.
I get the impression that that's not a current value.
Do you feel like you've changed in your attitude to that.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
I have. I think achievement is still one of my
biggest values, which is why I did end up, sorry, John,
sleeping under my desk. Sometimes I definitely did hustle. Ultimately,
I ended up breaking my body and I ended up being, yes,
really unhealthy, and so I learned unless in the hard way,
like sometimes we all do, that if we drive our
bodies and minds into the ground, that you pay the
(17:44):
price for that. And so I've burnt out twice. And
I'm happy to share a mistake with you that's relevant
to this if you want so. A mistake that I
made was one of the last jobs that I had.
I worked myself so much into the ground that I
actually nearly lost my marriage, my several relationships and friends,
and my health really suffered, and so I had to
(18:06):
leave that job to rebuild. And it's a large part
of the reason why I started Bountiful as well.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Okay, and how did you.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Come back from that a lot of rest.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
I have had friends that have been through this and
so burn out. For me, I was just so tired
and I hope people don't laugh at this, but literally
allergic to my emails. I think it took me about
six months to want to open my computer again, which
kind of just tells you, like how much sort of
screen time and computer work that I was doing. So
a lot of rest, a lot of sitting with my thoughts.
(18:35):
And a friend of mine had actually done a sabbatical
and written a lot about it, and he said that
it takes you about eight weeks initially to just rest
and then you get into the you know, your sabbatical
or your recovery, and so reading some of these things
really helped me figure out what to do.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Okay, And from this has sprung Bountiful. Now what is
bountiful about? Hearing I've only got four minutes left until
those final ads, we better rip through this, but tell
us about Bountiful.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
I'll be fast.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
So Bountiful is a podcast and movement that explores what
it means to live a bountiful life through stories of
joy and connection. And I sort of say that one
conversation can change.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Your life, right, and you managed to round up all
these experts from around the world. I'm very envious of
your list of the experts. By the way, I'm going
to try and get some of them myself. I'm going
to plunder that list myself. But you've had scientists and
successful people and philosophers, all sorts of people talking about joy.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Yes, talking about joy and what it means to live
a bountiful life through their lens. It's crazy to me
that a little key we girl from the North Shore
gets in front of all of these experts, you know,
from the top universities and some incredible entrepreneurs as well.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
Right, and the best tips that you've had so far
tumble out of this program.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
They do. I call them bountiful ideas.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Yeah, okay, I mean, do you want to share one? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (19:55):
Sure. I think some of it boils down to that
joy is a choice that your contribution to those people
around you, beyond yourself is what ultimately leads to fulfillment.
And the third and final one, which I I know
as a topic for you, is you have to find
how to thrive in the systems and structures that we
find ourselves in.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Okay, So if you can't change those systems. You need
to work either get out of them or change or
change yourself to work in the absolutely. I know that
one of you, one of the things that you've talked
about is that you want to be healthy mentally, physically, sexually,
and spiritually, and I'm just wondering what the spiritual dimension
is for you and how do you keep that healthy.
Speaker 4 (20:37):
I will profess that I don't have a religion, but
I do believe that there is a higher power out
there that I can't explain or label, but I know
that it definitely helps to guide me. And ultimately, I
think for me, it came down to letting go and
just knowing that my path will take me where it
needs to take me.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Considering all the bruises that you had earlier in life,
I think that you're a tribute to your the truths
that you're unearthing from life and learning from the lessons.
And I wish you all the best. And if people
want to check out Bountiful what's the website.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yeah, so it's Bountiful World dot com. And if you
want to support our work, I'm actively looking for a patron.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
That's a great good idea for someone out there with
somebody that wants to invest in something great. Tell us
about the song that we're listening to right at the
end here.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
So the song is Together Again by Janet Jackson, and
I think it every time I hear it. It just
reminds me of my dad, and I know that he's
with me everywhere I go, and that's what the song
is all about.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Okay, my guest tonight, Sean Sean Simpson, has been wonderful
talking with you, and I wish you all the best
and all your ventures. This is real life News Talk
s EDB. Back with you again next Sunday night.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
For more from News Talk SEDB, listen live on air
or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
go with our podcast on iHeartRadio.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Introducing… Aubrey O’Day Diddy’s former protege, television personality, platinum selling music artist, Danity Kane alum Aubrey O’Day joins veteran journalists Amy Robach and TJ Holmes to provide a unique perspective on the trial that has captivated the attention of the nation. Join them throughout the trial as they discuss, debate, and dissect every detail, every aspect of the proceedings. Aubrey will offer her opinions and expertise, as only she is qualified to do given her first-hand knowledge. From her days on Making the Band, as she emerged as the breakout star, the truth of the situation would be the opposite of the glitz and glamour. Listen throughout every minute of the trial, for this exclusive coverage. Amy Robach and TJ Holmes present Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial, an iHeartRadio podcast.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.