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Is it better to self publish your book, or get a book deal through an agent? In today’s episode Lisa Bean and Suzanne Alderson hold nothing back as they explore and challenge both publishing options, Lisa having self published, and Suzanne having published through Penguin Random House! In this honest reflection on publishing your own book, best selling author Suzanne Alderson shares what it was really like to sign with a major publishing house, the challenging editing process that followed, and how the experience differed from what she expected. Lisa adds her unique perspective of paying to self publish her book, retaining almost full control of the process. In today’s episode, you'll hear how Suzanne's agent got her the deal, how she became a best selling author after delivering her manuscript in February 2020, just before lockdown, along with how book advances actually work, what happens after your book is published, and why most of the promotional work falls on the author, not the publisher. Lisa and Suzanne also explore why human stories matter more than ever in the age of AI, whether books are becoming obsolete, and what it really takes to find your voice as a writer. This is a raw, honest conversation about creativity, validation, and what it means to make art in a world that wants everything packaged, productised, and profitable. We hope you enjoy! We cover: How Suzanne got her agent and what it takes to get into a major publishing house What it was like to sign a book deal with Penguin Random House What the true book editing process feels like The difference between self-publishing and getting a book deal including royalty percentages and creative freedom How book advances actually work What happens after your book is published Why you don't need a book to validate you and what you should focus on instead How to become a better writer and why working with a fiction writer transformed Lisa's manuscript How to find your voice as a writer and why you need to stop creating for other people's approval Guest: Suzanne Alderson, author of Never Let Go published by Penguin Random House - https://link.amazon/B0aky9pkh Find Suzanne on Substack: The Daily Ramble https://dailyramble.substack.com/ More from Lisa: Lisa Bean - coaching, speaking, books + latest work: https://lisa-bean.com/ Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisabeanuk/

If you can tell me what your block is, that probably isn’t it. The block is ‘sub’ conscious, meaning you are not conscious of it. There are three ways to bring it into the conscious, and I’m going to tell you what they are in this episode. In just 18 minutes, we’re going to break down the real reason you're not changing your life, and walk through the framework I use with clients to uncover the subconscious beliefs that are running your life, keeping you stuck in painful patterns, and accepting what you truly want. You'll learn how to identify the bug on the windscreen, the evidence in your life that reveals what you actually believe about yourself. You'll discover the three levels of changing a limiting belief and why most people never make it past level one. And you'll hear the five rules I follow to help entrepreneurs break through their blocks and finally step into the life they've been asking for. This isn't about positive thinking or manifesting. This is about understanding that your identity creates your reality, and if you want a different result, you need to become a different person first. In this episode, you'll hear: Why if you can name your block, it's not your real block How to find your subconscious block by looking at the painful patterns in your life The three levels of changing a limiting belief and why I got into debt three times before I finally healed the pattern The five rules to change your life and why your identity is literally printing your reality How to identify the fake blocks keeping you stuck and what to ask instead Why you need to put yourself in the way of your dream to reveal the true block The three ways to find your hidden beliefs including looking at your judgments of other people What your judgments reveal about you and why the opposite of what you're saying about someone else is what you believe about yourself How to put yourself in the way of your dream without jumping off a cliff without a parachute The choice that changes everything and why you need to keep pulling yourself back to the new script This episode is for you if: You keep saying you want something but you never actually go for it You're stuck in a painful pattern and you can't figure out how to break it You know what you need to do but you keep sabotaging yourself You're tired of blaming external circumstances and you're ready to take responsibility for your results You want to understand what's really holding you back so you can finally change your life This is Produced. Chapters: 00:00:00 The Real Reason You're Not Changing Your Life 00:01:08 What's Really Holding You Back? 00:03:11 How to Find Your Subconscious Block 00:04:49 The 3 Levels of Changing a Limiting Belief 00:06:59 5 Rules to Change Your Life 00:08:08 Your Identity Creates Your Reality 00:09:25 The Fake Blocks Keeping You Stuck 00:10:36 How to Reveal Your True Block 00:12:17 3 Ways to Find Your Hidden Beliefs 00:14:00 What Your Judgements Reveal About You 00:15:11 Put Yourself in the Way of Your Dream 00:16:45 The Choice That Changes Everything 00:17:26 What's Really Stopping You? More from Lisa: Lisa Bean - coaching, speaking, books + latest work: https://lisa-bean.com/ Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisabeanuk/ Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisambean/?originalSubdomain=uk Straight Line Through - Lisa's two-year business growth programme: https://www.straightlinethrough.com/ First Sh!t Version - Lisa's first book: https://lisa-bean.com/books/first-shit-version/ Am I Healing? - join the waiting list + be the first to read the first chapter when it's released. https://lisa-bean.com/books/am-i-healing

If you've ever wondered whether you're cut out to be an entrepreneur, whether waiting for the economy to improve is holding you back, or what it really takes to build something that lasts beyond your lifetime, this conversation is going to change the way you think about business forever. Lisa sits down with Charlie Hoult, fourth generation family business owner, founder of Opencast (a tech consultancy with 750 team members), founder of Dynamo (the region's tech network), and runner up in the 2019 election for Mayor of North of Tyne Combined Authority. Charlie's career has taken him from growing up in a family business in the 1970s during Britain's boom bust economy, to returning to Newcastle to run a 100 year old family business, and build a tech consultancy that partners with central government on major IT projects! This conversation goes deep into what it really takes to become a successful entrepreneur. You'll hear why waiting for things to get better won't change your life. Why your upbringing shapes your ambition but doesn't determine your success. Why you need to make yourself dispensable if you want to build a business rather than a you project. And why reputation matters more than short term success when you're building something that's meant to outlive you. Charlie shares the exact lessons he learned from running a fourth generation family business during COVID, why he decided to run for mayor, how he's using AI without outsourcing his thinking, and what he believes the Northeast needs to do to rebalance prosperity and opportunity. This isn't about hustle culture or grinding until you burn out. It's about understanding that entrepreneurship is about taking control of your own destiny, contributing to society, and building something bigger than yourself. In this episode, you'll hear: Why waiting for the economy to improve or something external to change won't save your business The mindset of an entrepreneur and whether it's something you're born with or something you can learn When to push hard in your business and when to rest at base camp before climbing to the next peak Can anyone become an entrepreneur and what actually makes someone successful in business How your upbringing shapes your ambition and why Charlie wrote a note to his parents at six years old saying don't worry about money, I will sort it Why you need to make yourself dispensable as an entrepreneur if you want to build a business rather than a you project The lessons Charlie learned from running a 100 year old family business during COVID and why he chose reputation over short term profit Why reputation matters more than short term success when you're building something that's meant to last 110 years How Charlie is using AI without outsourcing his thinking and why AI is good for tasks, not jobs Why Charlie treats employees as customers and how that's helped him scale a tech consultancy to 750 people What it's really like to run for mayor and why Charlie decided to get into the ring instead of shouting at the screen Why the Northeast needs to wrestle control back from London and how to rebalance prosperity and opportunity in the region What's next for Charlie and whether he's going to run for political office again This episode is for you if: You're wondering whether you're cut out to be an entrepreneur You're waiting for the economy to improve before you take action in your business You want to understand what it takes to build a business that lasts beyond your lifetime You're trying to figure out when to push hard and when to rest in your business You want to learn from someone who's built both a legacy family business and a fast growing tech consultancy This is Produced. Guest: Charlie Hoult, fourth generation family business owner, founder of Opencast, founder of Dynamo. Connect with Charlie on LinkedIn. Find Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliehoult/ More from Lisa: Lisa Bean - coaching, speaking, books + latest work: https://lisa-bean.com/ Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisabeanuk/ Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisambean/?originalSubdomain=uk Straight Line Through - Lisa's two-year business growth programme: https://www.straightlinethrough.com/ First Sh!t Version - Lisa's first book: https://lisa-bean.com/books/first-shit-version/ Am I Healing? - join the waiting list + be the first to read the first chapter when it's released. https://lisa-bean.com/books/am-i-healing

If you've ever wondered why your content isn't converting, why your pitch isn't landing, or why people scroll past your posts without stopping, this episode is going to change the way you think about communication forever. Lisa sits down with local star Alfie Joey, BBC Radio Newcastle presenter, impressionist, stand-up comedian, and communications expert who's spent nearly 30 years mastering the art of storytelling, performance, and connecting with audiences. Alfie's career has taken him from training to be a priest and living with a religious order, to hosting breakfast radio for one of the most listened-to stations outside London, to performing on Britain's Got Talent, to coaching business leaders on how to communicate with confidence. This conversation goes deep into what it really takes to become a great communicator. You'll hear why confidence is a skill you earn, not a gift you're born with. Why rehearsal and repetition matter more than talent. Why stories beat statistics every single time. And why your business won't grow if you can't tell people what you do in a way that makes them care. Alfie shares the exact techniques he learned at the BBC to critique and improve his own work every single week, why he still rehearses even after decades of performing, and how he got a free suit from a company who recognised him from LinkedIn, not the radio. This isn't about becoming a performer. It's about understanding that communication is the most important skill you can develop as an entrepreneur, and that if you're not telling your story, someone else is telling theirs. In this episode, you'll hear: Why Alfie trained to be a priest, lived with monks, and then left to pursue comedy and radio How he went from being invisible at school to becoming one of the most recognised voices in the Northeast The teacher who changed Alfie's life and why he sat through every rehearsal just to get in the room Why confidence is a skill you have to earn, not something you're born with The myth of natural talent and why everything is skill-based Why coaching and feedback will take you further than practicing alone ever will The exact BBC technique Alfie used every Wednesday to critique his own work and improve faster How to know if you're more interesting than you think and what behind-the-scenes content people actually want to see Why your message needs to be clear and how to make sure your audience knows who you are The difference between audience building and selling, and why one matters more than the other Why stories beat statistics every single time and how to start telling stories in your business How Alfie got a free suit from a company who recognised him from LinkedIn, not from his radio career Why networking usually goes wrong and what to do instead The power of showing up on LinkedIn and being visible every single day Why you should give first and sell later, and how that creates unexpected opportunities How much you should script a talk and why Alfie always rehearses, even after 30 years Why experienced speakers still need practice and how to handle fear on stage What it's really like to do stand-up comedy and why it's one of the hardest forms of communication How Alfie ran a confidence through comedy workshop for business people and why they all wanted to do it again Why schools need to teach entrepreneurship and why GCSE results day was Alfie's least favourite day on the radio How Alfie is producing a one-man version of A Christmas Carol in castles and crypts across the Northeast This episode is for you if: You're making content but it's not converting into sales or opportunities You want to be more visible but you're afraid you're not good enough You're wondering how to tell better stories in your business You're nervous about public speaking or being on camera You want to understand why communication is the most important skill you can develop as an entrepreneur This is Produced.

If you were starting from zero today, what content would you actually create to grow your business? In this episode, Lisa Bean breaks down the content strategy she would use if she were building an audience and business from scratch — from choosing what to create and setting up a simple home studio to turning long-form content into short-form social media that actually supports your business. The biggest mistake? Starting with “What should I post?” Instead, Lisa explains why your content strategy should begin with what you're trying to sell, who your ideal customers are, the questions they're already asking and the problems they need help solving. From there, you can create valuable long-form content, build genuine thought leadership and use social media to document and distribute your ideas — rather than posting simply for the sake of staying visible. You'll also discover why B2B and B2C content strategies shouldn't look the same, when a podcast or YouTube channel makes sense, how to create content when you don't have a big budget, and why businesses need to think differently about long-form video, short-form content and social media. If you're an entrepreneur, small business owner, coach, consultant or creator trying to grow your business with content in 2026, this is the blueprint Lisa would follow if she had to start all over again. Subscribe for more conversations about entrepreneurship, content creation, marketing, personal branding and building a business that lasts.

If you've ever started something in your business but never finished it, if you've held back from launching your new idea, offer, or service because it wasn't perfect yet, or if you've convinced yourself you need just one more draft before you share your work with the world, this episode is for you. Lisa breaks down the difference between putting out a first version to test and learn versus producing something polished that you're genuinely proud of. She gets honest about the first book she wrote, the parts that make her cringe, and why she can't go back and edit it now without betraying the entire point of the book. She also shares what she's doing differently with her second book, why this one matters more, and how she's using deadlines, accountability, and structure to make sure it actually gets finished. This isn't about perfectionism or procrastination. It's about knowing when to ship something scrappy and when to invest in production as an entrepreneur or creative. It's about understanding the difference between building community and building a customer base. And it's about making work that only you can make in a world where everything feels like it's already been done. In this episode, you'll hear: The four principles you need to agree on before you decide whether to release something or keep working on it Why you have to put your work out in the world if you actually want to build a business The difference between creating for customers versus creating for community and why one will make you money and the other won't Why being real and making something only you can make is more important now than ever How to know if you're procrastinating, self-sabotaging, or genuinely working on something worth producing What "produced" actually means and how to know when something is ready for that level of polish Why you need feedback from the market before you invest in making something perfect Whether a bad first version can actually damage your brand and what to do if you're worried about that Why you should stop using public deadlines to motivate yourself and what to do instead How Lisa finally wrote her first book after 10 years of starting and stopping What Lisa hates about her first book and why she can't change it now Why Lisa chose self-publishing and what that process actually looked like How she's writing her second book differently and why this one matters so much more A preview of Lisa's new book, Am I Healing, and why it's about what happens between the projects, not the projects themselves The plan to finish 100,000 words and how she's using a membership, accountability partners, and a holiday deadline to make it happen Why creativity needs structure and how to build that structure without killing the magic Why entrepreneurs get stuck looping around ideas instead of moving forward in a straight line How to choose what you're going to be known for and commit to producing it well Chris's confession about the bestselling book he wrote in two days and what it taught him about just getting things done This episode is for you if: You've been working on something for months or years and you're still not sure if it's ready You're wondering whether to invest in production quality or just get it out there You're stuck between wanting to be perfect and knowing you need to take action You're trying to figure out when to iterate in public and when to polish behind the scenes You want to understand the difference between being a creator and being a business owner who creates This is Produced. More from Lisa: Lisa Bean - coaching, speaking, books + latest work: https://lisa-bean.com/ Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisabeanuk/ Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisambean/?originalSubdomain=uk Straight Line Through - Lisa’s two-year business growth programme: https://www.straightlinethrough.com/ First Sh!t Version - Lisa’s first book: https://lisa-bean.com/books/first-shit-version/ Am I Healing? - join the waiting list + be the first to read the first chapter when it’s released. https://lisa-bean.com/books/am-i-healing

If you've ever wondered why your brain won't cooperate, why productivity hacks don't work for you, or why you feel like you're constantly fighting yourself just to get through the day, this episode is for you. Lisa sits down with Steph Nelson, a neurodiversity consultant, keynote speaker, and expert who's spent years researching the data, the papers, and the science behind how neurodivergent brains actually work. Steph isn't just talking theory. She's living it as a teacher who burned out, discovered her own ADHD and autism, and rebuilt her career by learning to work with her brain instead of against it. This conversation goes deep into the friction points that make everyday life harder for neurodivergent people (and entrepreneurs), from executive function struggles and sensory overload to rejection sensitivity and emotional regulation. Steph breaks down why awareness of neurodiversity isn't enough, why "just push through" doesn't work, and what reasonable adjustments actually look like in practice. In this episode, you'll hear: Why there's been a 694% increase in late diagnosis of ADHD in women since 2020 The difference between mental health symptoms and undiagnosed neurodivergence Whether you actually need a formal diagnosis to move forward What friction points are and how to identify yours across four key areas: executive function, sensory processing, workload, and emotional regulation Why neurodivergent entrepreneurs struggle with planning, prioritisation, and organisation when there's no manager or structure What rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD) is and how it can sabotage your business and relationships How sensory overload affects your ability to think clearly as an entrepreneur and what you can do about it Why ADHD impacts hormones, productivity, and mental health in ways most people don't realise How dopamine actually works and why neurodivergent brains need it to task initiate What body doubling is and why it works even though there's no science behind it How to use AI to reduce your workload without replacing your thinking Why "eat the frog" productivity advice doesn't work for ADHD brains and what to do instead The snowball productivity method that actually helps entrepreneurs build momentum How to regulate your nervous system when you're emotionally dysregulated What masking is, why it leads to burnout, and how to stop doing it Why reasonable adjustments at work aren't enough and what managers actually need to do Steph's Neuro Potential framework for unlocking your capacity without trying to fix yourself This episode is for you if: You've been told you're too much or not enough your whole life You're exploring whether you might be neurodivergent or you've recently been diagnosed You're an entrepreneur who struggles with execution, overwhelm, or finishing what you start You manage neurodivergent employees and want to actually support them, not just tick a box You're tired of productivity advice that doesn't work for your brain This is Produced. Guest: Steph Nelson - Neurodiversity consultant, keynote speaker, and expert in how neurodivergent brains work. Visit Steph’s web site: https://www.neurocreators.co.uk/ More from Lisa: Lisa Bean - coaching, speaking, books + latest work: https://lisa-bean.com/ Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisabeanuk/ Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisambean/?originalSubdomain=uk Straight Line Through - Lisa’s two-year business growth programme: https://www.straightlinethrough.com/ First Sh!t Version - Lisa’s first book: https://lisa-bean.com/books/first-shit-version/ Am I Healing? - join the waiting list + be the first to read the first chapter when it’s released. https://lisa-bean.com/books/am-i-healing

If you're waking up thinking "what should I post today?" you've already lost. In this episode, Lisa breaks down exactly what content you should actually be making if you want to grow your business, how to stop wasting time on social media content that doesn't convert, and why the biggest mistake people make is creating content for the platform instead of for their customers. She takes you behind the scenes of her own content journey, from filming her first ever video in a pink shirt and cufflinks, to driving to London at 3am because she couldn't afford a hotel, to building a full production studio and launching this very show. This isn't a "post three times a day and hope for the best" strategy. This is about understanding the difference between being a passive contributor to social media and being a business owner who uses content strategically to build trust, call in customers, and make sales. In this episode, you'll hear: Why waking up and asking "what should I post today?" means the social media companies have already won The real reason your content isn't converting (hint: it's not about posting more) How Lisa went from filming flat, low energy videos in an office to building a multi six figure online education business The night she came home at midnight, exhausted and broke, and filmed the video series that changed everything Why short form content keeps you entertained but long form content builds your business The shift from landscape to portrait content, and why "document, don't create" was the best advice Lisa ever got Why ‘how to’ content isn't enough anymore, and what people are actually searching for when they consume your content The exact content strategy Lisa would use if she were starting from scratch today How to create bingeable content that leads to sales without feeling salesy or manipulative The difference between B2B and B2C content strategy, and why you shouldn't be making a show like this if you're selling to corporations When to build a personal brand, when to focus on showreels, and when to invest in long form content How to differentiate free content from paid content so you don't cannibalize your own sales This episode is for you if: You're making content but it's not translating into sales or growth You feel guilty when you're not posting and obliged to show up on social media every day You're wondering whether to invest in production quality or just keep filming on your phone in your living room You want to understand the difference between being a content creator and being a business owner who creates content You're ready to stop creating noise and start creating direction in your market This is PRODUCED. Let's get into it. More from Lisa: Lisa Bean - coaching, speaking, books + latest work: https://lisa-bean.com/ Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisabeanuk/ Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisambean/?originalSubdomain=uk Straight Line Through - Lisa’s two-year business growth programme: https://www.straightlinethrough.com/ First Sh!t Version - Lisa’s first book: https://lisa-bean.com/books/first-shit-version/ Am I Healing? - join the waiting list + be the first to read the first chapter when it’s released. https://lisa-bean.com/books/am-i-healing

More views won't grow your business. More content won't either. So what will? In the very first episode of PRODUCED, Lisa sits down with Chris (our media producer) and special guest Suzanne Alderson to unpack what it really takes to build trust, create content that matters, and turn a side project into a pillar of your business. What makes someone come back? How do you build trust when everybody has a microphone? Do you need a clever format? And what’s the difference between simply making content and actually producing something people want to be part of? We get into all the details, bringing our unique insights from experience in radio, building communities, and building companies. Content note: This episode includes a brief discussion of suicide and a parent's experience supporting a child through a mental health crisis. In this episode, you'll hear: Why 90% of podcasts don't make it past 10 episodes (and how to be in the 10% that do) How Suzanne grew a community from zero to 50,000 people without paid ads or a marketing team The thumbnail debate: when Lisa and Chris clashed over clickbait vs brand integrity What YouTube analytics revealed about Lisa's audience (spoiler: it wasn't what she thought) The reality of overworking, burnout, and what business growth actually looks like behind the scenes Why trust is harder to build now than ever, and the three ways you can earn it anyway How to know when content should become a core pillar of your business, not a side thought What podcasters can learn from radio (hint: it's all about narrowcasting, not broadcasting) Why Lisa built a full podcast studio instead of filming in her dining room Chris's journey from video editor to media producer, and what surprised him most about working in a fast growing business This episode is for you if: You've been making content but not seeing it translate into real business growth You're wondering whether to invest in production quality or just keep it scrappy You want to understand the difference between views and trust, and why one matters way more than the other You're thinking about starting a podcast but don't know how to make it sustainable Guest: Suzanne Alderson Suzanne built a community of 50,000 parents navigating one of life's hardest challenges. Her book was published by Penguin in 2020, and she's now launching a new podcast using AI voices to protect her guests' identities while sharing raw, unfiltered stories. She's living proof that authenticity and consistency beat algorithm hacks every time. This is PRODUCED. Welcome to the show. Links and resources: Suzanne Alderson on Instagram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannealderson/ Daniel Priestley - entrepreneur, author and speaker: https://danielpriestley.com/ More from Lisa: Lisa Bean - coaching, speaking, books + latest work: https://lisa-bean.com/ Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisabeanuk/ Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisambean/?originalSubdomain=uk Straight Line Through - Lisa’s two-year business growth programme: https://www.straightlinethrough.com/ First Sh!t Version - Lisa’s first book: https://lisa-bean.com/books/first-shit-version/ Am I Healing? - join the waiting list + be the first to read the first chapter when it’s released. https://lisa-bean.com/books/am-i-healing