The Art of Brilliance Podcast

Is social media the devil's work? Andy assembles an unlikely panel to fight it out - and referees from the middle.In the blue corner: his son, AoB trainer Ollie Cope, who deleted all his social media accounts and is now doing a PhD on what they do to your brain. In the red corner: AoB's marketing manager Amy Bradley, the creative force behind the Art of Brilliance posts that land in your feed at 6am and the messages that follow - "I really needed to see that today."What follows is a properly good-natured scrap about the most divisive tool of our age. Ollie argues social media has tipped from neutral to net-harmful - hate sells faster, the algorithms learn your biases and feed them back to you, and nobody's incentivised to show you the other side. Amy makes the case that the same tools, used with love, genuinely change people's days. They're both right, which is what makes it interesting.In this episode:Why Ollie loves screens but deleted social media - and the difference between the twoAmy on the "scroll hole," the Mel Robbins 5-second rule, and training your own algorithmThe TikTok experiment that should worry every parentAndy's tongue-in-cheek phone stats (84% have texted someone in the same room... and the one that gets the biggest laugh at conferences)Hate sells faster: how the engagement economy rewards the worst of usThe opportunity cost nobody talks about: 42 days a year, and what you're not doing while you're scrollingHow to mute, guard and curate your way to a feed that's actually good for youNo moral panic. No "delete everything." Just an honest look at the little black rectangles we're all looking at 150 times a day - and how to take responsibility for how we use them.Take what works, leave what doesn't, have a play.

Andy is back - and this time he's not in his car.After two seasons of recording on his iPhone in a layby, Andy has finally splashed out on a proper studio. To mark the occasion, Andy has roped in two of his Art of Being Brilliant co-conspirators, Will Hussey and Hannah Knowles, for a riff on something deceptively simple: top wellbeing tips you haven't heard before.Spoiler: Will's first tip is to stop listening to wellbeing tips. Andy's a little bit thrown. Things go from there.What follows is three trainers who actually know each other thinking out loud about what works, what stops working, and the gap between knowing the stuff and doing it.In this episode:Why other people's tips will only ever get you 75% of the way thereHannah's case for a non-self-improvement day (yes, including a day off from the self-help books)Will on rebranding "wellbeing" as "human-being" - and why eat, move, sleep is still doing most of the heavy liftingThe Olympian's rule that's rewired Hannah's mornings: I'll go firstAndy on habituation, déjà moo, and why his 2008 toothache trick eventually stopped workingReasons vs excuses - and why Will is on day 1,411 of runningNo big claims. No four-step framework. Just three people having a proper conversation about how to be a bit more brilliant on a Monday.Take what works, leave what doesn't, have a play.

What if your brain could send you a desperate late-night email?This episode is short, sharp, and straight from the grey matter itself - literally. Andy reads a cheeky, slightly gross, and surprisingly heartfelt letter from “your brain” to “your body,” pleading for a better night’s sleep.You’ll learn why slow-wave snoozing is basically brain housekeeping, why screen time is the arch-nemesis of cranial cleanliness, and how skipping rest leaves you clogged up with… well, “brain poop.”It’s a playful reminder that beauty sleep isn’t just a saying - it’s a nightly detox for your mind, mood, and health. Switch off, sleep in, and let your head do the washing up.

What if your culture document was actually useful... and slightly Moses-themed?In this episode, Andy shares the (cardboard) stone tablet that keeps the Art of Brill team pointing in the right direction: ten commandments, one Sharpie each, and zero tolerance for terrible PowerPoints.You’ll hear why “Don’t chase the money” makes sense, why social media isn’t optional (even if you hate it), and how a well-timed hobnob reference can still teach you something about leadership.Tune in for commandments, common sense, and a behind-the-scenes peek at the not-so-secret sauce behind 20 years of brilliant training.

What if some of your most ‘motivational’ mantras... are total rubbish?In this episode, Andy dusts off some lockdown-era thinking and takes a flamethrower to four of the biggest clichés in personal development: YOLO, fitting in, SMART goals, and “if at first you don’t succeed...”You’ll hear why trying is overrated, why mediocrity is sneaky, and why standing out (for the right reasons) beats blending in every time.Tune in for dancing un-danced, Lego never built, and a gentle nudge to live like your 4,000 weeks actually matter - starting now.

What if you’re so busy managing the symptoms... when you should be fixing the roof?In this episode, Andy shares a few famous last words (spoiler: Elvis died doing exactly what he said he was going to do), before rolling into a parable that didn’t make the book - but might just make your brain go “Oof.”It’s the tale of Miss Cleverclogs, Ralph, and a leaking maths classroom. A ridiculous story, yes. But also... not. Because it’s a metaphor for how we handle mental health - more buckets, more apps, more busyness. Still dripping.Tune in for irony, weather warnings, and a reminder that the bravest thing you can do sometimes is climb up and fix the actual flipping roof.

What if the toughest guy in the room taught you the softest lesson?In this episode, Andy shares a story he hasn’t dared tell in years - about a nightclub bouncer with a cobweb tattoo, a grudge seven years deep, and one phone call that changed everything.It’s about forgiveness, hand grenades (metaphorically), and why carrying a grudge is like getting punched in the face... by yourself.Tune in for a quiet gut-punch of humanity, a room full of tearful bouncers, and a reminder that moving on isn’t weakness - it’s wisdom.

You are not who you think you are.In this episode, Andy takes a deep breath and heads straight into the philosophical deep end -mixing ants, airplane engines, and Tesco epiphanies in a bold attempt to answer the biggest question of all… who (or what) are we, really?Inspired by Rupert Spira, road rage, and a misbehaving mind, Andy explores the idea that you’re not your story, your stress, or your Spotify algorithm… you’re the awareness underneath it all.Tune in for thought loops, sideways logic, and a slightly dizzying but surprisingly comforting reminder that you are the universe, experiencing itself. So be a nice universe.