In this episode of and. Double D, Dave and Debbie speak with actor-turned-communication-expert Dominic Colenso, exploring the journey from starring in Thunderbirds to becoming a renowned coach, speaker, and author of Cut Through.

We discuss the power of performance skills beyond the stage, the neuroscience of communication, and how to reduce complexity to land messages with real impact.

Dominic shares insights into human laziness, the distractions of AI, the danger of rushing, and how stopping, listening, and creating space is vital for effective communication. Expect vulnerability, storytelling, and moments of real clarity on what it means to lead and speak with purpose today.

Mic 🎤 drops

• “The more time I spend looking out the window, the more able I am to articulate ideas and use them in a more impactful way.” (22:03)

• “We often think we have to tell people everything we know to show how brilliant we are. In reality, that’s just rubbish.” (19:36)

• “I didn’t tell anyone I was cast in Thunderbirds because I didn’t believe it was true.” (05:32)

• “When I was at drama school, we thought breathwork helped us project our voices. What we didn’t realise is we were regulating our nervous system.” (16:00)

• “I’m both delighted and petrified by AI.” (25:12)

• “She googled ‘sustainable Christmas poem’ and Google wrote one for her. Before she’d even thought, her creativity was benchmarked.” (26:34)

• “What’s the point of writing a book when ChatGPT can spit out 60,000 words on communication?” (30:09)

• “Leadership development should feel like a rehearsal room you pause, you rewind, you try again.” (14:13)

• “I was a very introverted performer. I’d blush going on stage. But there was something about being in front of a group that lit me up.” (03:10)

Founder of Sticky Fingers Cooking® Erin Fletter serves up a deliciously honest conversation on failure, flavour, and feeding the future.

What if leadership looked less like order and more like creativity, chaos, and courage? In this episode, Dave Evans and Debbie Halls-Evans stir things up with Erin Fletter, founder of Sticky Fingers Cooking®, a revolutionary US-based children's cooking school.

We talk about the messy middle of growing a business, why mistakes are essential ingredients for success, and how cooking with kids teaches us more about leadership, connection, and life than any boardroom ever could.

This isn’t a chat about KPIs or pitch decks.

This is a conversation about doing the thing that matters, whether the kitchen’s on fire or not. It’s about vision, persistence, play, and why Erin believes in radical transparency with kids, with customers, and with herself.

Mic Drop Quotes

• "I went door to door to schools and I went to a hundred schools and I got 97. You're, you're crazy. You're out of your mind. I got a 97 node. Because they didn't, there was no such thing."

• "How many people in the world today? Give up? Yeah, give up. At 20, at six, at 10, and before they even leave their house, you went to a hundred schools."

• "The harder you work, the more luck that you have."

Why listen to this episode?

• You’re tired of the same leadership advice and want something real
• You’re curious about how building with kids can teach adults how to lead
• You want to create something that matters, but you're stuck in the perfection trap
• You’re in the messy middle and need a nudge forward
• You want permission to lead with flavour, fun, and failure not just formulas

Find more about Sticky Fingers Cooking

• Erin Fletter (she/her)CEO, Founder & Food-Geek-in-Chief
  Sticky Fingers Cooking®

  Core Values & Social ResponsibilityCookbooks + Brand Information + Franchise Information

He played in the Premier League. He calls his career mediocre. Now that’s leadership.

Rudy Gestede went from global footballer to the boardroom with zero ego and a work ethic built on grit, faith, and no backup plan. He’s not here to impress you. He’s here to challenge everything you think leadership looks like.

How do you lead when your body gives up before your ambition does?

In this no-frills episode, former Premier League footballer turned Blackburn Rovers exec Rudy Gestede drops his playbook for leading with honesty, handling pressure without whining, and navigating elite sport, injury, and impostor syndrome without falling apart.

No flashy philosophy. No “I always wanted to be a leader” narrative. Just straight-up lessons in ownership, discipline, and what happens when you stop blaming and start building.

Why Listen to This Episode?

Whether you’re leading in sport, business, or life this one’s for the people who don’t want a hype talk. They want the truth.

• You want leadership advice from someone who actually had to earn it

• You’re transitioning careers and feel like you’re making it up as you go

• You’ve failed, doubted yourself, or been lied to and want to do better anyway

• You’re tired of watching leaders fake it with charisma and crumble under pressure

• You want to build something without needing to shout, scheme, or show off

  
  

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  Mic Drop Moments

  “Leadership? I’m still shit at it. But I’m learning every day.”
  Say hello to your new favorite truth bomb.

  “You don’t need to like everyone but you do need to respect them.”
  Basic human decency. Rare leadership strategy.

  “I opened a restaurant to learn how to manage people.”
  Imagine being this committed to not being mediocre.

  “I didn’t give myself options. I gave myself a goal.”
  Resilience 101: remove the escape hatch.

  “We had six managers in two years. I saw what good and bad looked like.”
  If you’ve survived a toxic org, you’ll feel this in your spine.

  “If you fake leadership, people will see it. Every time.”
  Truth has a weird way of showing up even if you hide behind buzzwords.

  “I lead by shaking hands with every person in the building.”
  Forget all-hands Zooms. Try human connection.

  “The worst leader I ever hired? That’s on me.”
  Accountability: often mentioned, rarely modelled.