WB-40
Matt Ballantine & Chris Weston
Show overview
WB-40 has been publishing since 2020, and across the 6 years since has built a catalogue of 201 episodes. That works out to roughly 110 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 42 min and 50 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Business show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 2 weeks ago, with 7 episodes already out so far this year. Published by Matt Ballantine & Chris Weston.
From the publisher
Conversations on how technology is changing how we work with guests most weeks helping us to navigate.
Latest Episodes
View all 201 episodes(347) Luck
(346) Mental Fitness
On this week’s show, Matt and Lisa meet Dan Bowsher to discuss Good Enough Chats, his podcast focused on men’s mental health through lived experience. Dan founded Good Enough Chats following his own experience of burnout, anxiety and depression, which left him feeling profoundly isolated. His podcast deliberately features ordinary men — not celebrities or […]
(345) Data Maturity
On this week’s show, Matt Ballantine and Julia Bellis meet Sian Basker, co-founder of Data Orchard, to discuss what data maturity actually means for organisations — and what a decade of benchmarking data reveals about who’s doing it well and why. Sian explains how Data Orchard‘s assessment tool, now used by nearly 20,000 people across […]
(344) Partnerships
On this week’s show, Matt and the team meet Shaline Manhertz and Kristianah Fasunloye to discuss their business partnership, which began formally in 2018 when Shaline’s cancer diagnosis forced a pivot from individual business plans to joint working. The conversation explores how their partnership survived extraordinary pressure by rejecting the conventional 50/50 model in favour […]
(343) Trust in AI
On this week’s show, Matt and Nick meet Alexander Feick, Vice President of eSentire Labs, to discuss his book “On Trust and AI” and why organisations need fundamentally different approaches to govern AI systems. Alex explains that whilst traditional computers multiply human intent predictably, generative AI acts more like an autonomous agent capable of creating […]
(342) Alignment
On this week’s show, Lisa and Julia meet Emma Bruce, Software Engineering manager. The conversation explores the often-overlooked transition from individual contributor to engineering manager, examining why technical excellence doesn’t automatically translate to management success and what skills actually matter when leading teams. Emma discusses the historical lack of training for engineering managers and how […]
(341) Nomadic
On this week’s show, Lisa Riemers and Chris Weston meet Sharon O’Dea to discuss digital nomadism and the evolution of remote work. Sharon shares insights from her decade-long journey as a digital nomad, including her recent seven-week stint in Japan, where she worked from locations ranging from traditional coworking spaces to foot spas in town […]
(340) Time
What if most organisational problems aren’t unique at all—and treating them as if they are is exactly what’s holding you back? Mark Earls joins Matt and Lisa to challenge how we think about innovation, time, and human behaviour in organisations. From why you should prototype multiple solutions before perfecting one, to the critical difference between […]
(339) Surface Deep
On this week’s show, Chris and Julia meet Claudia Plen McCormack and Mia Serra to discuss their newly formed leadership training company, Surface Deep, and their approach to “deep inclusive leadership.” Both late-diagnosed with ADHD, Claudia and Mia draw on their experiences of burnout and masking in corporate environments to help organizations move beyond superficial […]
(338) Sports Data
What happens when you bring together data geeks and sports enthusiasts? In this fascinating episode, Matt and Nick are joined by John Carney to explore the hidden world of sports analytics and the surprising role of randomness in athletic competition. John dives deep into the intersection of probability, statistics, and sports performance, revealing how data […]
(337) Writing tools
On this week’s show, Matt and Lisa meet Tris Oaten to discuss whether writing tools actually matter—and the answer might surprise you. While musicians have interfaces like Ableton and sequencers that fundamentally reshape their creative output, Tris argues that writers’ real tools are invisible: patterns of thought, environmental context, and the mental associations we build […]
(336) Interim too
In this episode, Chris and Nick continue discussions about the world of interim management and welcome Rebecca Fox to discuss her extensive experience across public and private sectors. Rebecca shares candid insights about the realities of interim work, emphasising that there’s no time for a hundred-day plan—it’s all about a day-one approach. She explains how […]
(335) Accessible Content
This week Matt welcomes back Lisa alongside guest Matisse Hamel Nelis to chat about their upcoming book “Accessible Communications: Create Impact, Avoid Missteps and Build Trust.” The duo spent 18 months crafting what sounds like a much-needed guide to creating digital content that actually works for everyone – not just the mythical “average user” that […]
(334) Interim
Welcome back to the WB 40 Podcast! In this episode (334), Chris and Julia sit down with special guest Duncan Stott, an interim CIO extraordinaire, to really dive into the high-stakes world of interim management. We explore how the role of the CIO has completely changed, especially since COVID brought tech to the forefront and […]
(333) Crisis Communication
In the first WB 40 Podcast of our 10th Season, Lisa and Julia delve into the critical, yet often overlooked, area of internal crisis communication with expert Alison Arnot. Alison emphasizes that the biggest misconception about crisis communication is its external focus, arguing that employees feel crises personally and are crucial to an organization’s recovery. […]
(332) Inclusive AI
While AI tools promise to revolutionise work, the reality is far more complex – and unequal. Guest Susi O’Neill shares her research into “inclusive AI,” revealing a stark 25% gender gap in workplace AI adoption, with women significantly less likely to use these tools than men. Income plays a massive role too: those earning over […]
(331) Knowledge-based
On this episode, Matt, Lisa and serial entrepreneur Rufus Evison delve deep into the challenges and potential dangers of current Generative AI, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs). Rufus argues that LLMs inherently lack three crucial tenets: they are not correctable (corrigible), transparent, or reliable. He asserts that LLMs are “none of the three” and have […]
(330) Agentic
On this week’s show, Chris, Lisa and Michelle dive deep into Agentic AI, exploring how it differs from traditional automation and current AI tools. Chris explains that while regular agents follow basic rules (like a thermostat) and AI agents respond to commands (like Alexa), Agentic AI systems work autonomously toward outcomes – they’re proactive, learn […]
(329) AI Leadership
On this week’s show Julia and Matt interview Matt Cockbill, an executive search consultant specializing in hiring tech leaders for over 20 years, A fundamental challenge for organisations is finding experienced leaders to navigate the new wave of AI and generative technologies. While the possibilities are vast, Matt emphasises the crucial need for leaders to […]
(328) Learning Leadership
On this week’s show Matt and Michelle are joined by Professor Nancy Doyle to talk about her new book, and what we can all learn about better leadership. You can find Nancy’s book here https://uk.jkp.com/products/learning-from-neurodivergent-leaders