Please note this is our season 1 finale episode, we will be back with an updated format for season 2 soon. In the mean time, why not watch some of our other episodes from season one? They are all available now on our page.

🔎 Episode Summary In this episode, David and Jamie sits down with Maya Karan, Good Space’s Content Marketing Lead (and newest employee), for a wide-ranging conversation on work, community, creativity and what it really feels like to enter the workforce in a post-COVID world.

Maya shares her perspective as a Gen Z professional navigating hybrid work, content creation and brand building. She reflects on why fully remote work can feel isolating early in a career, why in-person connection still matters deeply, and how shared space, casual conversations and even making coffee together shape stronger teams and better creative work.

The conversation explores the difference between marketing and genuine community-building, how trust is earned online, and why brands that feel human, imperfect and values-led are the ones people want to support. From creator-led content to the future of social media, Maya offers thoughtful insight into where attention is going, and where it’s quietly leaving. This episode is a grounded, honest reflection on modern work, digital culture and why real connection still matters more than ever.

Host: David Brown & Jamie Dundas

Guest: Maya Karan – Content Marketing Lead, Good Space

🧠 Key Takeaways Why In-Person Still Matters: For those early in their careers, learning how to work is just as important as doing the work. Being around people accelerates confidence, collaboration and growth in ways screens can’t replicate. Community Isn’t a Buzzword: True community-building goes beyond targeted marketing. It’s about making people feel seen, understood and part of something bigger than a transaction. Trust Is Built Through Enjoyment & Consistency: Whether it’s a creator or a brand, trust grows when people genuinely enjoy what they do, stick to their values and show up consistently over time. Creativity Over Perfection: In a fast-moving content landscape, scrappy, honest experimentation often resonates more than polished campaigns. Imperfection can be a strength. The Push & Pull of Social Media: While social platforms continue to grow, there’s a rising awareness of their limits. Attention is fragmenting, and physical, tactile experiences are quietly becoming more valuable again.

🛠️ Tools, Models & Ideas

Explored Human-led brand building

Community vs. marketing

Creator trust and authenticity

Hybrid work and creative collaboration

Casual, experimental content strategies

The future of social media and attention

💡 Best Quote

"Brands are human. There's someone behind the brand. think there's been a big rise in human led brand building and I think people connect with the idea that a brand is not a logo, but it's a team.”

💬 Connect With Ideas Club

📨 Newsletter: https://good.space/ideas-club

🌟 Join the community for founders, freelancers and creators who believe — ideas will save you.

🔎 Episode Summary

In this episode, Jamie and David sit down with Thomas Keown, founder of Many Hopes, a survivor-led nonprofit working across Africa and Latin America to rescue children from abuse and exploitation. The organisation supports them into adulthood as leaders and change-makers.

Thomas shares an extraordinary personal journey. He discusses how he grew up during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, worked on delivering the Good Friday Agreement and shares how those early experiences with conflict, injustice and reconciliation shaped his view of leadership, patience and long-term change.

From a chance encounter with a Kenyan journalist in Mombasa to an accidental meeting that sparked the creation of Many Hopes, this conversation traces how purpose often emerges without a master plan.

In this episode, we explore what it really takes to build an organisation slowly, ethically and sustainably, resisting pressure to scale fast, learning from painful mistakes and keeping identity separate from mission to avoid burnout. This episode is a powerful reflection on leadership, trust, and why investing deeply in a few can eventually transform the many.

Hosts: Jamie Dundas and David Brown - Good Space

Guest: Thomas Keown - Founder of Many Hopes

🧠 Key Takeaways

From Northern Ireland to Global Justice:

Thomas’ upbringing during the Troubles taught him that pain can either perpetuate conflict or inspire a different way forward, a lesson that now underpins Many Hopes’ survivor-led model.

Accidental Beginnings, Enduring Purpose:

Many Hopes didn’t start with a grand vision or strategy deck. It began with people asking a simple question: “Is there something I can do?” Purpose emerged through action, not planning.

Rescue Is Only the Beginning:

Many Hopes doesn’t just remove children from harm, it commits to walking with them for years, equipping survivors with education, stability and character so they can one day help others.

Scaling Slowly to Scale Well:

The organisation spent its first decade working in one country, refining its model before expanding. Trust in local, survivor-led partners is both its greatest strength and greatest risk.

Leadership, Identity & Burnout:

Thomas reflects candidly on mistakes: hiring missteps, moving too fast, and tying his personal identity too closely to the organisation.

🛠️ Tools, Models & Ideas Explored

Survivor-led change as a long-term development model

Slow growth as a strategy for excellence and trust

Deep investment in people over rapid expansion

Monthly giving as a foundation for sustainable impact

💡 Best Quote “History takes a long time to happen overnight.”

🔗 Connect With Many Hopes

🌐 Website: https://manyhopes.org

🎥 Watch The Rising film: https://youtu.be/-g-mrZsrga4

💬 Connect With Ideas Club

📨 Newsletter: https://good.space/ideas-club

🌟 Join the community for founders, freelancers and creators who believe — ideas will save you.

🔎 Episode Summary

In this episode, Jamie and David sit down with James Rutter — the creative and strategic mind who helped scale COOK from a £30m family-run food brand to a £130m certified B Corp, all while deepening culture, protecting quality, and refusing to “sell the soul” of the business.

James shares how his early career in journalism shaped his obsession with stories, why people-first companies win in the long run, and how the “Big Relationships” model (unity, clarity, appreciation) has become the backbone of COOK’s culture. He also breaks down strategy in a way that feels human and energising — not corporate, confusing, or abstract.

If you care about culture, purpose, or growing a company without losing the magic, this one is packed with insights.

Hosts: Jamie Dundas & David Brown

Guest: James Rutter – Strategist, writer, longtime culture-builder at COOK, and founder of JamesRutter.com

🧠 Key Takeaways

1. From Journalism to COOK - Following Curiosity, Not a Masterplan

James never intended to work in food. But his journalistic instinct eventually led him to COOK, where he discovered that culture is one giant “story of us.”

2. Big Relationships → Big Results

At the heart of COOK’s growth is a simple model:

• Unity – we’re in this together

• Clarity – know what you’re doing and why

• Appreciation – acknowledge people sincerely and often

This framework acts as a diagnostic tool for almost every challenge a team faces.

3. Scaling With Soul

COOK grew from 400 to 2,000 people without venture capital - on purpose. Slow, steady, values-aligned growth protected product quality and culture. Strategy wasn’t about domination, it was about staying true, staying consistent, and staying human.

4. Storytelling as a Cultural Engine

Small, everyday stories build belonging far more than grand narratives. James helps teams notice meaningful moments and use them to reinforce culture.

5. Strategy Isn’t Complicated — It’s Choice

Good strategy is simply deciding where to play and how to win, and sticking to it.

James breaks strategy down into:

• Clarity — what creates value

• Persistence — staying committed

• Courage — choosing one path and closing off others

It’s not about predicting the future; it’s about increasing the odds you’ll succeed.

🛠️ Tools, Models & Ideas James Uses

• Big Relationships Model: Unity, clarity, appreciation

• Storyworthy’s Homework for Life: A daily practice for noticing meaningful story moments

• Playing to Win (Laffley & Martin): A strategy framework built on choice

• Seven Powers (Helmer): Understanding where true advantage comes fro

💡 Best Quote

“Big results come from big relationships. A business is just people coming together to do something they couldn’t do alone.”

🔗 Connect With James Rutter

🌐 Website: https://www.james-rutter.com/

💬 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/james-rutter-8972079

💬 Connect With Ideas Club

📨 Newsletter: https://good.space/ideas-club

🌟 Join the community for founders, freelancers and creators who believe — ideas will save you.