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The Mischief Movement Podcast
A podcast for people looking for more Hell Yeah in their life! This is your one-way ticket out of midlife-mediocracy towards fun and positive impact, via playful-disruption! Wouldn’t you love to wake up and feel like a total badass?! Stop waiting for your amazing life to happen and go get it! We’ll discuss mindset, share stories and develop strategies in a bid to help you find the freedom, adventure and meaningful connections you’ve been craving. You will feel inspired to create positive change, do more of what makes you feel alive and rebel against the ordinary!
The Mischief Movement Podcast
Stirring up Mischief in the Chocolate World: The Sweet Rebellion of Oli Dunn
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This week, we're featuring Oli, a trailblazing creative entrepreneur who's been stirring up his own brand of mischief in the world of chocolate. There's plenty of banter as we bring you insights into his unique career journey, and how he crafts joy and creativity in every piece of his chocolate. Alongside, we're exploring everything from the sheer thrill of rebellion, the beauty of self-discovery, to the power of authentic relationships.
We've all had those moments of self-doubt and insecurities. But what if we told you there's a way to turn that around? Oli shares his story of overcoming these insecurities, giving us a fresh perspective on embracing authenticity and personal growth. He takes us on his journey of unlearning societal expectations and aligning with his true purpose. Plus, we spill the beans on the dynamics of working with partners who also have their ventures, and how to strike a balance between passion, routine, and self-care.
This rollercoaster of a podcast episode doesn't end there though. We're also serving you a slice of our personal experiences and the power of being creative entrepreneurs. From manifesting a spot on the popular children's show, Blue Peter, to discussing the impact of positive thinking on personal and professional growth, we're leaving no stone unturned. So, if you're ready for a burst of positivity and playful disruption in your life, then hop on board and let's rebel against the ordinary together! And remember, every day is a new beginning to rewrite the rules and live a life of joy and creativity...
Oli can be found here and here
Sign up to The 12 Days of Mischief challenge here
Not long ago I felt trapped by the daily grind and all the mundane stuff and responsibility it brought. I wanted to escape but instead of running away, I decided to rebel against the ordinary, put FUN back on the agenda and do more of the things that made me feel alive. This podcast is one of them and through these conversations I'd love nothing more than to be able to help you do the same!
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Feeling inspired to start YOUR OWN T-shirt store?! This handy link will take you straight to the platform you need where you can have a go without big financial risks because it's all print-on-demand 😜 (*affiliate)
For more insights and inspiration on living your best life and rebelling against the ordinary, check out the blog or sign up to my newsletter at zoegreenhalf.com You can also find me on Instagram @themischiefmovement or LinkedIn and let's start a conversation. Who knows? Maybe we can shake things up and start making mischief together!
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider telling a friend or leaving a review (5 stars would be great! haha!) so that together we can spread the message that midlife ...
And everyone's got something to offer. Everyone's got a story and I always take something from everyone in life, a lesson or something that I like about them that I might apply into my own life and ways and narrative.
Zoe Greenhalf:Hello, it's Zoe and welcome or welcome back to the Mischief Movement podcast, your weekly inspo for people looking for more hell yeah in their life. Consider this you're one way to get out of mid-life mediocrity towards fun and positive impact via playful disruption. Wouldn't you love to wake up and feel like a total badass? How about breaking some rules, throwing two fingers up to society and doing more of the things you love? I'm talking full on freedom, adventure and those meaningful connections I know you've been craving. Get it. I'll be picking the brains of some true game changes and mischief makers so I can share what I find and hopefully inspire you to shake things up, do more of what makes you feel alive and boldly rebel against the ordinary. I have no idea what I'm doing, to be honest, but I've got a mission and I'm here to start a movement. This is going to be quite the adventure. Care to join me? Okay, here goes. Would you recognize and accept a great opportunity if it came knocking, or would you be blocked by fear? How do you feel about challenging yourself? Have you ever wondered if manifesting really works? And what do hamleys, blue pita and chocolate have to do with any of this, as random as I'm making them all sound Olly done and I discussed all of these things in a conversation that I truly loved so much.
Zoe Greenhalf:We are clearly on a similar wavelength when it comes to creating a life that's both mischievous and meaningful, so it was brilliant fun hearing his story, the highs and lows, and what drives him to keep being creative and pursue the things that light him up. I'll give you a clue he loves a good challenge. He's completely comfortable in his own skin and will push through any fear to get to the exciting parts. On the other side. I couldn't have wished for a more aligned guest this week, and he brought so much positivity to my day, so it's an absolute joy for me to share with you right now our conversation. I would say I'm excited to be that opposite Olly this morning, but I say that every time I speak to somebody and it's going to seem like I'm not being genuine, but actually it's true I am. I'm really excited.
Oli Dunn:Good to hear you too.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, just to set the scene, because my podcast obviously is audio. I've got Oli sat here facing me with the biggest bright pink microphone I've ever seen. It's amazing.
Oli Dunn:Bright pink, thank you. You know what I think the pink is like an expression of who I am in a certain way of like just, it is almost that rebellion. It's not the obvious colour, so therefore I become attracted to it and everything was always monochrome. So Kim, my wife and I has always been like black and white and all black everything. And then it was all of a sudden I got this pink jacket that just like this burst of colour, and then from then I think I've just started to like. I painted my door of chocolate studio pink.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yes, I was aware of the door but not the, so it was the jacket that was the catalyst for this wasn't it.
Oli Dunn:I think the jacket was the catalyst, but then there was a reason I was drawn to the jacket, so I'm like trying to connect the dots back. Yeah, there was definitely a pink thing. I think there might have been a pink bandana, because I always wear a bandana for work and it was a black bandana, but then I was like the pink. It's like just something, a burst of energy about that.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yes, like you said, it's unexpected, isn't it?
Oli Dunn:Yeah, and you know what it's really nice is? It does grab people's attention. Not that I'm an attention seeker, all right, maybe a little bit but it's that conversation starter, isn't it? So the pink bandana or the pink beanie that I've got it, when you walk into a shop and some, oh my god, like your pink beanie, that's random, and then you start this conversation with somebody that and everyone's got something to offer, everyone's got a story, and I always take something from everyone in life, a lesson or something that I like about them, that I might apply into my own life and ways and narrative. And, yeah, so there's a deep meaning to the pink, I suppose.
Zoe Greenhalf:I love it and I was looking at the photos of the pink door on Instagram.
Oli Dunn:You know it's very cool.
Zoe Greenhalf:So it's the door to a studio, but I haven't told anybody yet. What is you do?
Oli Dunn:I'm liking the teases. It's like a tease in this curiosity.
Zoe Greenhalf:I don't know, but you know. If I ask you what your mischief is, you can tell as much or a little as you like.
Oli Dunn:My mischief is that I have I get to have fun for a living. I suppose I do do different things differently. I think I've been able to, fortunate and I'm grateful for the opportunity to have worked in a family chocolate business. So there we go, we're getting some somewhere here, but then I've been able to put my own spin on it and I deliver chocolate, making parties for kids, for adults, and it's all about giving people experiences, positive experiences around chocolate and making things and being creative themselves.
Oli Dunn:So I guess it's almost like a stubbornness of you know, I don't want a normal job, like, don't get me wrong, I want to work hard and I want to work smart, but I won't really love what I do. So for me, like this whole, like rebellion, I suppose, is interesting. I'm just doing it my way, I'm going to do this and I always say never ignore inspiration. So if something comes to my mind like I'm going to paint that door pink, then why ignore that? Why should I ignore that inspiration? Because somebody might think it's silly, because someone might judge me for it like who cares? Great, let them. But if that's the impulse, that I feel, the inspiration, then I think it's important to follow that and to pursue it, because that then leads on to other bits of inspiration and, as silly as it sounds like the pink door might lead to some amazing opportunities, because it grabs somebody's attention and you never know who's watching on social media and who's listening. So, yeah, I guess that's my mischievousness, but you know there's definitely more to it yeah, I love that.
Zoe Greenhalf:I mean, I do love the fact that even from social media squares I get this sense of you doing things your way but being authentic while you do it. So you mentioned earlier you feel maybe you're a bit of an attention seeker, but I don't get that vibe I get the vibe that you just want to play and have fun and for me meeting people who have managed to sort of blend that world of work and play.
Zoe Greenhalf:That is my ultimate dream like I would love to be in a position where the boundaries are so blurred. Am I working as it because it feels so fun? You know is that becoming.
Oli Dunn:That way are you going? Yeah, yeah definitely.
Zoe Greenhalf:I mean, you know, obviously the podcast is not my job, but I have so much fun doing it and having these conversations with people that never feels like it feels like I mean it's a lot of work to put together a podcast. You know yourself like yeah, but um, but it doesn't feel like work because it's just really fun and I love listening back to these conversations and I you know I pull out so many gems for the listeners, but I'm taking them away. I feel like every time.
Zoe Greenhalf:I talk to somebody, you know, I gleam some little nugget and I'm like, oh, that's brilliant. You know, I'm going to add that to myself now, that's yeah yeah, you take so many charge from it, don't you?
Oli Dunn:and it is nice to listen back. That's lovely that.
Zoe Greenhalf:I love that oh well, you are super positive in in everything that you do like. Have you always been that way? Or are you just in a really good place in your life right now where you feel like you've kind of achieved that kind of work, like I don't want to say work-life balance, but you know all the kind of pieces are slotting together?
Oli Dunn:yeah, it's a little bit of that. I mean it. Like everyone, I have ups and downs. You know I have good days and bad days and I don't tend to post about bad days if I'm really honest, like if I'm having a bit of a bad day and I'm feeling uninspired or a bit of low mood and just can't really get going and few things are getting me down like they do in life, like whatever finances problems, little bits and pieces. It's like, um, I don't share those moments because I I do.
Oli Dunn:I feel that if I start to be negative, I'm gonna drag all the people down with me. So I deal with things like in my own way to pick myself back up, and one of the tools would be to listen back to previous podcasts that I've done when I'm in my flow and I'm feeling excited and I am happy, in a good mood, and that usually does help me to transition. And even looking back through social media posts, because they are like the highlights of my life. You know I'm sharing things on there that I'm excited about but I want the world to see I'm proud of. Um. So, yeah, looking back it's usually does help me to transition. I think I have always been a positive person. You know I'm very lucky that I've grown up in a in a loving family. You know amazing parents and an assistant that you know I adore. Like we're close family and we get on and we have such a good laugh, um together we enjoy each other's company.
Oli Dunn:So I think very lucky to have that kind of foundation to have seen my dad doing something that he loves and when I first was introduced to the idea of working for my dad in a family chocolate business, my dad was kind of saying, well, what do you want to do? I was like being like a moody teenager. Well, nobody enjoys work, so it doesn't really matter what I do. Does it so well, why? Why did you say that so? Well, my mates, dad's, don't enjoy their work, and so on. And he said, well, do you think I enjoy my work? And I said, yeah, I suppose so. And he's like, why don't you do what I do? And I'm like, hmm, and that sounds a bit too obvious, I think I'll steer away from it because you know, it's like I maybe I'll think of something else. I wanted to be like a radio presenter. I wanted to. I always wanted to be in like radio TV. It just always looked fun. I wanted to do something fun, I suppose. But what I did do was I took the opportunity that my dad was giving me to, just to see where it went. I had no other direction. I didn't know how to get into radio or anything like that, and it felt like perhaps that was a bit over ambitious anyway, and you know I should do something else. So I worked for my dad and I loved it. Every single day was different, learning new techniques, how to make chocolate truffles, chocolate footballer figures and all sorts. So it was like I just I loved it and I never looked back. And then I was also inspired by how he'd started his own business from scratch. You know, he worked in a sweet factory. He went and trained in Germany as a chocolate here and that that inspired me, his journey. I wanted to help him in his journey to grow his business. But I also wanted to sort of have my own little thing, because there was this one that I was making these little chocolate David Beckham, footballer figures and like selling them to my mates in the pub when I was like 17 or something and it I just got that taste for like wanting to create and sell and I'm and I'm seeing like I can actually have fun whilst doing this and I can actually make some money.
Oli Dunn:So you know, at the time I had like three jobs I worked in a call centre, I worked in a kitchen washing pots, and I think it was working for my dad as well at the time. So yeah, it's, uh, it was a lot. I worked hard and like, yeah, I'd try different things, like they're working in the call centre was good to help me to build confidence and communication and sales, which I realised like if you can control the way that your voice sounds, then you might be either more likely to get a sale or less likely to. So that was really good kind of training, as was working in a kitchen and being under pressure and being, you know, feeling the stress and how to cope with that and building the resilience. And then the family business, of course, just really busy at Christmas and enjoying the buzz and the thrill of that and keeping all the chocolates coming out and shelves stocked up, yeah so.
Oli Dunn:But then it was like the idea of doing kids chocolate parties was it was going to be a sideline business that I enjoyed. It was something that tested me because I didn't know how to entertain kids. I knew how to make chocolate but I didn't know what was going to, you know, make them tick and and keep them engaged and. But I always, um, you know, believe in the in the quote, ready fire aim. You know I couldn't have rehearsed for the chocolate parties, I had to just throw myself into the dependent, out of my comfort zone, to learn how to do it, learn what works, what doesn't work, make mistakes fail, look back, reflect. How can I perfect it next time? And and get better. And I still want that now, you know, and always looking to improve.
Oli Dunn:Um, so yeah, that was kind of my journey going from working with In the family business to like do my own thing, and that's what I do now. So I have like my own chocolate party business next door to mum and dad. So it's very much like that family business feel environment. Well, we call it chocolate streets. I've got my chocolate party room, which is over the other side, my chocolate studio, which is where I am now, where I make my content, and then the chocolate shop, which is like the hub and where it all began, which was Back when I was born. So, yeah, it's, it's cool, it's fun. But yeah, you know, it is all and All good fun.
Oli Dunn:It is challenging, you know. Even the, even the best days are like there's challenges to overcome, but but it's worth it. I am, I am lucky that I am in a good place and I've got an amazing wife and daughter who's two, two and a half romi, and I am very happy and I think, um, you've got to look at the bigger picture. Sometimes, you know you can have bad days. You know things feel like they're not going and you're in your way and think you're not going the direction you feel you want to be and you're frustrated. But then you got to step back, look at the bigger picture and just be Be grateful for what, for what you've got. And I think, for me, storytelling like this now this is like me practicing my gratitude, isn't it? It's, you know, doing the whole podcast stuff, it's, it's it's nice to To really kind of feel that gratitude.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, for sure. What do you think are some of the challenges that you're facing right now? If you could name I don't know just two or three challenges um.
Oli Dunn:I think the trouble with me is that I have so many aspirations and ideas and I see so many opportunities within what I do. Um, within the chocolate business, you know, there's the sale of chocolates, there's the chocolate parties. Um, it's also having people work for me. So Pre-covid I had like 25 people doing the chocolate parties and then that all stopped and it was just me again. So it's like I see that opportunity to grow that business. There's the hen party side, which is a whole other thing which we had called the naked chocolate here, which is all the topless guys delivering truffle making workshops and that was so popular and you can see why. You can imagine why. So, um, it is only one of me. I only have so many hours in the week. I want to be doing things like this. Um, I've got a podcast called going in deep, which I'm passionate about. Yeah, there's just so many different things and it can be that that's a challenge and I guess that's a good problem to have.
Oli Dunn:Sure but I think, turning 40 next year, I've got my little girl. It's like I have to be really um Careful and conscientious about how I spend my time, because money's not a driver for me at all, like it. It should be, I suppose. I suppose. But why, like we're told that we we have to like Do certain things in life, like buy a house and and have a certain type of lifestyle and car, and I think, actually, if you enjoy what you do, that's the main thing, as long as you can Keep things going and do or do all the essential stuff. So, yeah, those are the challenges.
Oli Dunn:I suppose, kind of finding the balance of absolutely loving what I do and and and bursting to get out of bed and go and go and do what I've got to do, whether that's a video or Making something out of chocolate, um, but then, yeah, you know, like any business, you you've got your financial side, you've got your um, you know incoming outgoings and you kind of trying to to balance all that as well. So I think focusing on doing what you love is is the right approach, I feel, because I feel like the, the, the rewards will Come. It can take time, it can take a long time, but I think it's being consistent is the key.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, and it was interesting, um, what you said before I mean before we started recording and you you described Chocolate as being more like the vehicle for other things. So Do you want to tell me a little bit more about that?
Oli Dunn:Yeah, um, because, just to rewind back, because you started by saying about the, the way that I come across on social media, didn't you?
Oli Dunn:Yeah so it's like I suppose there is, like you mentioned that, that positivity. And you know, maybe chocolate is just a tool or a vehicle of like platform, of A form for me to communicate with, and then an icebreaker, a bit like the pink microphone or the pink jacket. It's like, you know, and the chocolate man oh you, you're a chocolate, hey, what that's your real job? And it sparks that intrigue and curiosity and conversation. And then you never quite know where that can lead.
Oli Dunn:And I suppose over the last couple of years I've been on a bit of a Journey of I don't know self-discovery, becoming more authentic to who I am, who I want to be, kind of aligning with that that person is. And, yeah, like my purpose, I feel, is to To shine as as kind of as cheesy as it might sound like, shine as bright as I can and not let things get me down and kind of live my life in flow mode and just, um, you know, working hard but Making people happy. But that's with chocolate or without chocolate. And I think there's been opportunities in the last couple of years whereby I've been asked to present Shows on social media for brands on tiktok, like two hour live shows selling products and and then presenting so recording like interviews in the streets of Manchester for brand swizzles.
Zoe Greenhalf:I saw those.
Oli Dunn:Yeah, that was so fun, like literally just going out in the streets and like asking people questions about marshmallows because it was around that the product marvelous or madness and and doing a talk on stage for brood magazine, which I've been a writer for and a contributor to, and they had me do a talk on the stage, so that was a bit like my Ted talk moment. That that is one of my bucket list.
Zoe Greenhalf:My to do it Really.
Oli Dunn:Let's do it together. Let's do it, yeah. So I think I've seen people become Uh adjusted to the idea that I am more than a chocolate here, and I've actually got that in in a bio in something I don't know whether it's instagram. Uh, oh, yeah, it is. Yeah, more than a chocolate here, or more than just a chocolate here.
Oli Dunn:And I think, working with the likes of Benny Swood and Liam Gardner on the going in deep podcast, they've really pushed the ollie not the ollie the chalk and the ollie the chalk thing's great and I've got the whole chocolate thing and it's part of the brand and the identity. But there is ollie as well, and I think they've really given me the confidence to like Strip everything back and just be ollie and I think, giving me the confidence to say something like more than a chocolate here, and I do not mean that in an arrogant way at all. It's literally just like I feel there's a whole world of opportunity, almost outside of the chocolate, of course. So, yeah, I think chocolate's a way to a great way to get into things like presenting, because I've been able to transfer the skills of presenting from chocolate presented with chocolate across to, you know, presenting products, merchandise and whatever it is. So, yeah, I think I'm just nearly four, as he's starting to get the confidence and like belief in myself. It's crazy, isn't it?
Zoe Greenhalf:Well it is. But at the same time I have so many conversations with people around about the same age who feel the same Right, I think just a couple of weeks ago I was talking to somebody about the fact that, um the order I get, the more I feel like there's so much unlearning to be done. You know, up until this point it's all been about learning certain things, and now you get this far and you actually, I don't want that bit and I don't want that bit and I don't want that bit anymore.
Oli Dunn:So cool, the power of unlearning. So I've actually got this here.
Zoe Greenhalf:It says unlearn everything on like a pose card, exactly.
Oli Dunn:Yeah, I picked that up in a in an art gallery because it just really Resonated with me. I think people can become I don't want to say stuck in their ways, but we, we, through our lives, we have our friends and our peers and our family and we sort of Think and do things a certain way.
Oli Dunn:Yeah but I think when you start to decide that that's an option, it's not essential, mandatory that you have to do things a certain way. You actually, I can just do things the way I want to do them and I can have my own ideas and my own opinions, and it's uh, I know that's exactly what you're all about.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yes, exactly, I'm like. Oh, I just want to hug you through the screen. It's everything to me.
Oli Dunn:I love that. I feel so good to say it, knowing full well that this is your absolute passion. But isn't that such a freeing thing? Like, I think, when you're at school and even beyond that, you sort of Feel like you should be part of a crowd and a gang and wear certain things or Listen to certain types of music or speak in a certain way or whatever it is. And then you get to the point where actually I don't want to be like. I don't want to be like subscribing to part of a crowd, I want to be uniquely me. And then I think when you do that and that's Alludes to what you said before about the way that I present myself on social media it's like people see it and they go. He's doing what I want to do.
Oli Dunn:Like, yeah, yeah, exactly being himself, being authentic, and he's making no apologies or excuses for it. He really doesn't care what people think. Not, and not in a bad way. It's like yeah, I don't know it's. It's a really interesting topic and I see why it makes such a fascinating podcast.
Zoe Greenhalf:So yeah, yeah, I love it, especially the fact that you know you could have gone down that road of I'm a chocolatier and that's it, but it really feels like you would be putting yourself in a box a very small one by doing and it feels to me like what you've done is you've just smashed right through that and gone. Yes, like this is part of me, but I also do this. There's also this side of me and there's also this and, as you said, you just Totally unapologetic about that.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, and it's something that I would wish to transmit To everybody that that's totally possible, you can it you know you're. You're more than just A job title. Um, yeah identity is made of so many different things and I've said before on this podcast how, for a very long time, I felt Um uncomfortable.
Zoe Greenhalf:I have all these different elements in my personality, but I felt like I had to kind of Turn them down because I was a footwear designer and so that had to take Precedents and all the rest of it was like, you know, just the side stuff, whereas now I'm in a place where I'm like but I've got this skill and I've got this experience and I've got this interest and they're all equally as important and valuable.
Oli Dunn:As the other ones.
Zoe Greenhalf:That that's kind of how I'm feeling at the moment, and I think that that comes across with what you do as well.
Oli Dunn:I love that. I love that. That's amazing. That is so cool. Thank you so much. And everyone's on a journey and everyone's learning and you never stop learning and I think you open your eyes a bit more when you get to a certain age, and I don't know what that is and whether it's just having the confidence to, or. Yeah, I embrace age and wisdom. I do believe that, like wisdom comes with it. Yeah, I'm passionate about breaking out of that box, like you said, and seeing what's out there and what's the worst that can happen.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, exactly.
Oli Dunn:And also passionate about like growth as well. Like I was shy as a kid really pretty much and I think I could speak to a few people that were friends from school that would vouch for that my mum and dad as well and there is still that. There is still that shine. Is it surprising? Yeah, that's good, but it's still there and I think it's like I've had to overcome that in order to do things that I wanted to do.
Oli Dunn:I wanted to do the chocolate parties because I saw an opportunity that was exciting. I thought it would work, I thought it could make me some money, that could help me to get a car and freedom and all this like fun stuff and I thought I'd enjoy doing it. And I did and it forced me to grow in a sense of confidence building. It forced me to build new skills, like presenting, which was something I wanted to do but perhaps didn't quite have the confidence or know where to start. And then going from that to like like let's move away from the chocolate and let's just sit with a microphone. And the first ever podcast I did.
Oli Dunn:I remember saying to Ben like this feels so strange because I'm not, I don't have anything to hide behind. It's literally just me, my voice, the microphone and everything that I'm saying is coming straight out of my brain and it's being recorded. That's kind of scary, but then I'm attracted to the scariness of it because I know that there's going to be good stuff on the other side, because I know that by repetition of doing it I'll get better at it and I'll build confidence. And then it's like another string to your bow, something else to offer.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, I was also shy as a kid and it was a self-confident thing.
Oli Dunn:Yeah.
Zoe Greenhalf:You know, and so my way of overcoming that was, just as you said, being attracted to the scary stuff. That looks really hard. I don't think I could do it, so I'm going to do it.
Oli Dunn:I think that's the key in life. I think you need to go to and through your fears. Yes, and it's not nice.
Zoe Greenhalf:That's going to be a t-shirt, isn't it?
Oli Dunn:Love it To and through your fears. Simple, because I think it was Will Smith that said all the best things are on the other side of fear.
Zoe Greenhalf:Sure.
Oli Dunn:So tell me about your moments of going through fear. Is it like the podcast side or?
Zoe Greenhalf:Oh, the podcast is definitely one, but there's a huge list. Most of my life has been spent doing things that scare me. The biggest one of all was definitely moving abroad, so I am talking to you now from Italy, and I can't know that.
Oli Dunn:That's amazing. Whereabouts in Italy, is it?
Zoe Greenhalf:I'm in the north of Italy. I'm near the border with Austria, so I'm in a beautiful area called Trentino, which is surrounded by mountains.
Oli Dunn:Wow.
Zoe Greenhalf:It's beautiful and I came here in 2010. It had been my dream to work abroad and immersed myself in a in another culture, learn a language. One of the things that attracted me was because the idea filled me with terror.
Oli Dunn:Yeah yeah. That is so inspirational Because that would be one of the things for me as well, like moving abroad. It would be so amazing, but I'd be too scared.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, it was just this attraction because it felt it's just what you were saying about something being exciting, but the idea of doing the kids parties felt exciting but also scary.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, it was the same thing for me for moving abroad. I was like it feels so exciting that I've got to push through this fear to get to the exciting part. And that's what happened. I didn't expect to settle here, but I did meet somebody and now we have a family together and I've been here for 13 years. And that was not, you know, expecting. I didn't have that on my bucket list, I just thought it was coming for a year or two.
Oli Dunn:What did you had there to do? The location and the purpose.
Zoe Greenhalf:Well, I was. Yeah, as I said, I used to be a footwear designer. Yes, and with the company I worked for in Staffordshire we had an Italian distributor and I used to. I mean, I think if I tell this story now, it almost sounds like an amazing manifesting story.
Oli Dunn:Really, yeah, love that, love that.
Zoe Greenhalf:I had never heard the word manifesting.
Oli Dunn:No, at the time you didn't realise you were doing it.
Zoe Greenhalf:I have no idea, but I think if I were to tell it now, people might say to me well, you manifested that.
Oli Dunn:I don't know, but this is how it went.
Zoe Greenhalf:I was working for a footwear supplier in Staffordshire and we had an Italian distribution company who was selling our products over here and I befriended them. I was very upfront about the fact that I was in love with the Italian culture, and one day I dreamed of going there and everything else, and I kind of made it my aim to be as indispensable to them as I could, even though they didn't need any designing, they were just selling our stuff.
Zoe Greenhalf:I was like I'm really going to invest a lot in creating this business relationship with them and we would be on stands together at trade fairs and things like that. And in the meantime I was like I think I need to try and make this ambition happen.
Oli Dunn:And.
Zoe Greenhalf:I started taking Italian lessons after work and I started listening to Italian podcasts in my car. I had quite a long commute every day in the car, and so I was listening to Italian podcasts and you know, like. I think. I don't know whether I set my password on my computer as an Italian word, but I was just finding all these tiny ways, Love that, that's attention to detail, that's brilliant. I was. I think, yeah, as I said, I think now people would say you kind of manifested the opportunity.
Oli Dunn:He basically lined up with it. Yeah really lined up with it. Yeah.
Zoe Greenhalf:And yeah, I mean yeah to end the story. Basically, what happened was at some point after a couple of years of knowing these guys, they obtained a license for designing and producing shoes for the basketball brand Spalding. And out of nowhere, I get a phone call saying we need a designer. Would you, would you come? And I was like, of course, of course I would have been. I've been joking about this, joking in inverted commas.
Oli Dunn:Yeah, exactly.
Zoe Greenhalf:Attracting, yeah, and then it happened. And so I found myself, like you know, moving over here having a you know dream footwear job. I could never have predicted that it would have ever happened, because for me it was a bit of a joke. It was like a dream so far fetched that I never thought that it would ever happen. How?
Oli Dunn:wonderful, and then it did. That's cool.
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Zoe Greenhalf:Ps. If you are a small business doing things differently, an independent brand disrupting the status quo, or simply an unconventional, adventurous individual looking to create a positive impact, I'd love to hear from you about getting your story out there in the world and promoting you. Dm me on Instagram @themischief movement. Right now on with the show. Yeah, we maintain that relationship, and so I think that's why then, when the opportunities come up, you are there.
Oli Dunn:Relationships are really important, aren't they? I think relationships are everything, literally, for your soul. Good relationships and good people keep us going and keep our energy high and keep us inspired and also give us opportunities to do things that we love. People think of you. You know. If they like you and they think you're a good fit, then, yeah, you just never know what. That's the good, that's the good. For me, that's the most exciting thing about life is opportunity, and I think you can create that opportunity.
Oli Dunn:We live in such an interesting time in this digital age, where we're able to share the, what we want, in effect, like share the identity and the personality of who we are and who we truly want to be in order to attract more work, if you call it that, or opportunity that aligns with that. You know. So, like the the Swizzles interview, when I was going out in the streets interviewing people like they've I've worked with them as a chocolatier, so they've provided chocolate masterpieces and we've done like competitions and stuff, big chocolate houses covered in their sweets and then they emailed me saying we want you to be our presenter for this job and I was like great, like you've seen that in me through the way that I presented myself on social media and you believe in me in that respect, and that was huge.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, and having seen, having watched some of those videos, I have to say you just come across so naturally as a presenter.
Oli Dunn:So thank you very much, thank you. And I still strive to be a presenter. I still like I'm not giving up on that dream.
Zoe Greenhalf:I mean, you've also done some. Weren't you on Blue Peter?
Oli Dunn:Yes, actually I know the listener can't see it, but I've got my blue Peter badge right here.
Zoe Greenhalf:Oh, I can, oh, that's beautiful.
Oli Dunn:I'm really proud of that. Yes, so in fact, I'm glad you, I manifested you asking me that question because I was thinking about blue Peter. I was thinking I want to tell my blue Peter story and it was the biggest example of manifestation and and it reminded me, you know, because you're talking about that. So I I applied to be a Blue Peter presenter way back in like 2010. I think something like that they were. They were sort of like promoting and encouraging people to apply by sending a show reel. So this is my first ever YouTube video. It's really funny looking back on it. So I look so young and I don't know. I really wasn't confident either. I was like really trying to push myself to be this confident presenter that I wanted to be, clearly, but I wasn't there yet. I wasn't ready. But you never are unless you do these things and make you so?
Oli Dunn:So that was the part of the journey, definitely. But I look back at that moment because I made a chocolate Blue Peter badge and then I took it to media city in Manchester and gave it to the Blue Peter team because I had a contact that was like he saw my video. So within the video I made a Blue Peter badge out of chocolate and I showed who I was and what I was about and presented. And then I didn't get the blue Peter job, but then I had this chocolate badge, so I thought I might as well give it to them. So I did, and then I had a picture of me with the Blue Peter badge and a media city sat on like the BBC sofa, and this picture was in my chocolate party room.
Oli Dunn:So every single weekend guests would come in and they would say, oh, have you been on Blue Peter? Because they'd see the picture. And every same question, same question. I would always answer the same way and I would say, no, I haven't actually, but I did apply to be a Blue Peter presenter and I made this badge and I've given it to them, this chocolate badge, and I'm sure that they will keep me in mind if they ever need someone to go on the show and make chocolate and literally she said every single week, week in, week out, and I would say same thing. I'm sure they'll keep me in mind if they ever need a chocolate here for the show. And then it became such a belief of mine that they will.
Zoe Greenhalf:But it's a half a nation and a belief exactly.
Oli Dunn:They will keep me in mind and I know they will. I know that if they ever need anyone they're gonna call me. Anyway, saying this for years and I believe I talked it into existence because I got this phone call on a Tuesday afternoon from Jack. He was one of the producers at the show and he said Ollie, what are you doing on Thursday, fancy coming on the show? It was a Christmas special and I'm like Thursday, let me have a look. Yeah, what time is it you need me? And he's like well, 11 for one o'clock.
Oli Dunn:Whatever it was, it's a live, live show. I'm like right, I've got two corporate events, one in the morning and one late afternoon. Yes, Jck, fine, no problem, I can do that, because these were virtual corporate events. So the first one I did from here where I am now, which was so during COVID and it was around that time, sending out kits where people make their own truffles or chocolate bars or lollies and they do it with me through Zoom or Teams or something similar, and it worked really well. It kind of kept me sane, if anything, but it kept things kind of ticking over, it kept me relevant in social media and it helped me build the skills of the presenting and the videos and out there.
Oli Dunn:So anyway, I did the first corporate event, went down to Media City, did the rehearsal and then did the live show. And someone gave me a Blue Peter badge just before we went live and I was like, oh my days, this is unreal, what's going on. I was wearing my full Christmas suit, I made a chocolate Blue Peter badge and presented it to the winner of the chocolate challenge, which was Lindsay. And yeah, the chocolate challenge was they had to build a chocolate reindeer and Santa and sleigh and we're in like 60 seconds and it was like all the drama and the klaxon and then it was like the winner gets the badge. And so I did the Christmas special.
Oli Dunn:And then I went into the green room after and did a second, my second corporate event. So the group of people from London that had just been watching me on the TV doing Blue Peter. And then they're like, all right, okay, I'm going to show you how to make some truffles. That was like my second corporate from the green room which I'd agreed with Jack and them. So, oh, it's crazy. And then I went and did an Easter special there as well, which was making a chocolate, easter egg using a balloon in the Blue Peter garden, so that was amazing fun and I've done stuff with like Steph's pack lunch on channel four. Yeah, so it's been a really exciting journey and I feel like I always say it's just the beginning, because it is like every day, every minute is the beginning, isn't it? We're always at the beginning. What can we create next? It's good to reflect and look back, but yeah, anything can happen going forwards.
Zoe Greenhalf:I love that. I feel like I'm going to be saying that to myself every day now when I jump out of bed.
Oli Dunn:It's just the beginning.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, it is, but you know, you're not afraid to just say there's an opportunity, I'm going to go for it.
Oli Dunn:Yeah, that's what.
Zoe Greenhalf:I find really inspiring. And opportunities then breed other opportunities. It's just a bit of a. You know it's the start of the chain, yeah.
Oli Dunn:They do. I always say it's all about taking action. Inspired action, I think, is important, not kind of random action, but if you feel inspired to take that action, just take it. But I also always say, like everything leads to something, like every single thing you do leads to something else, like this podcast now will lead to other things, inevitably for both of us. You know we'll be somebody that's listening, that reaches out, that sparks an idea or something.
Zoe Greenhalf:Please tell me. Please come back and tell me if somebody comes of this, because I'm so happy to know that, because that's the fun, is it Like we connect the dots?
Oli Dunn:And there's this Steve Jobs quote and it's like you can't connect the dots in the future, but you can connect the dots in the past.
Oli Dunn:Yeah, and it says lovely to do it, like you doing it with your journey going over to Italy. Yeah, I was doing it to relaying, like the Blue Peter thing, and it's really nice to connect the dots. And you often go, oh, if I hadn't done that, and actually I was really scared of doing that or I didn't really want to. And I think sometimes it's the things that you don't really want to do that are probably the things that you really should do.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, and the things that are the most scary are often the things that you should be doing Exactly.
Oli Dunn:Exactly. The scariest thing I've ever done was a bungee jump.
Zoe Greenhalf:I've done a bungee jump too, did you? How did you feel? Really scared. I screamed the whole way down, yeah.
Oli Dunn:It's the most incredible, scary but amazing feeling.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah exactly.
Oli Dunn:Yeah, isn't it? I think people talk about it like it's scarier than jumping out of a plane.
Zoe Greenhalf:Have you done that? No, I haven't have you. You need to do that. You need to do that which?
Oli Dunn:is what do you think? How do they compare?
Zoe Greenhalf:Oh, it's really hard to say they're quite different, because the bungee jump I did was not that high in reality it was more like from a crane height.
Oli Dunn:Mine was a crane height, I did it. Oh, pretty high.
Zoe Greenhalf:Exactly. No, it did, it did. Don't get me wrong.
Oli Dunn:Well, not compared to jump out of a plane, is it?
Zoe Greenhalf:I remember, actually I remember very clearly standing on the edge of the little crane box at the top and the guy said well, I'm going to count you down now, and once I say three, you just got to let go you don't have to jump anywhere. It's not actually a bungee jump, it's more like a you just let go and you drop.
Zoe Greenhalf:You free fall. And I could hear him. It was almost like slow motion. He was going three, two. It's nice thinking, if you don't move after he says one, you're going to be there until it gets dark. You've just got to go.
Oli Dunn:Exactly what I thought. Honestly, it's like if you don't just go, you will not go at all, like you will then start to procrastinate and the three are going to kick in really bad.
Zoe Greenhalf:What I didn't know is like just go, just go. Just go, just let go.
Oli Dunn:All the way up I was just saying to myself just go, just go, just jump, just jump, just jump, just jump. Like the affirmation there is, like just jump, just jump. So as soon as I got up there, I was off, I was off, and then you bounce up and then you fall again. So you're like oh, my God.
Zoe Greenhalf:I've got to do it again now. Yeah, exactly.
Oli Dunn:Because you don't anticipate that quite as much. So you're like oh, here we go again.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah totally, I totally remember that.
Oli Dunn:I always think like that bungee jump moment was like me walking on the stage with the Blue Peter badge in the Blue Peter studio, knowing that this is live on national TV now so and I was thinking to myself just jump, just jump. I was literally backstage behind the curtain. They were like go go with the music, play it. Go go Deep breath, just jump. I can almost feel the adrenaline. Like.
Oli Dunn:Yeah we're probably living it. We've got that now, oh my God. I hope the listener feels that as well, like I hope we get them to feel something. But definitely doing things like that become like a benchmark in your life where you can apply that feeling and that memory to the next thing that you do. That's scary.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, of course, because if you can do that, you can do. Yeah, exactly it's the same moving here. It's the same tripping out plane. Yeah, I've done a lot of things that scare me, but, as I said before, just for the pure fact that they did scare me was also the attraction.
Oli Dunn:Yeah, exactly.
Zoe Greenhalf:I don't know if I had something to prove to myself. Maybe I think I did.
Oli Dunn:Maybe we do.
Zoe Greenhalf:I think we all do.
Oli Dunn:I think we all have insecurities and I think it sometimes comes from childhood, where kids can be mean and they pull you down a bit to make themselves feel superior, cooler, I don't know, stronger, whatever, so as a child, I think you do go through stuff that probably bottles up and becomes like I struggled with being quite a bit shy a bit introvert.
Zoe Greenhalf:That was my struggle and I felt like oh, if only I could be a bit louder.
Oli Dunn:Maybe that would be. Yeah, that's really interesting that Because you think what were you an introvert like, Sorry, an extrovert trapped in an introvert's kind of reality, you know like waiting to get out, like what your circumstances weren't kind of allowing you to, so instinctively you knew that this isn't really, I'm not really an introvert. I need to let the extrovert me out. I don't know.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, I don't know either, or are we supposed?
Oli Dunn:to be introverts and we like we rebel against it.
Zoe Greenhalf:Maybe we just don't give ourselves any labels at all and we just you know, yeah, true, true Labels, yeah suck, Labels suck. I don't know, but I do remember this feeling of, as I was growing up, feeling I wish I could just find my voice a little bit more Because you look at other kids and go.
Zoe Greenhalf:I wish I was like that, like really confident and stuff, yeah, of course, yeah, yeah, and I think maybe that's where some of this sense of well I've got to prove to myself that I can do these things yeah, Come from maybe.
Oli Dunn:Yeah, definitely, building that self-belief and confidence is so important, isn't it? We can easily pull ourselves down, can't we Like we can easily tell ourselves we're not good enough or whatever.
Zoe Greenhalf:So Is that whole self-esteem part. And you know, I always say, I mean, I know you've got a little girl as well. If I can only impart one thing on my kids, let it be that they have enough self-esteem to grow up unafraid to try things and go after those opportunities.
Oli Dunn:Yeah, I love that. Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah, I totally agree.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah.
Oli Dunn:I think as well. It's like every day is a new day, like every day is a new beginning and a new fresh start, like we have to remind ourselves of certain things, and I think that's why it's really good to do this, because we're both kind of we're not exactly saying anything we haven't said before to other people, but we're reminding ourselves and each other of certain things that we really believe in that I think we take so much from and we charge from, and I think every day we almost need to remind ourselves of our worth and of what we're capable of and of our ability and the things we've achieved in the past and what we're capable of doing and how many opportunities are out there. We almost need to keep daily reminding ourselves, because I think we can forget stuff that's so important.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, I totally agree. Just thinking about, you know all of the opportunities that you've had so far, but the fact that this is just the beginning. Have you got a kind of a mission, a bigger vision, or are you very much kind of like I'm just going to take each day as it comes and each opportunity as it knocks on the door?
Oli Dunn:It's a really good question and I ask myself it all the time because I think sometimes the hardest thing in life is well, I don't know, not necessarily for everyone, but for me it's probably the hardest thing is like, what do you want specifically, what do you want? And it's really hard to say like in one sentence exactly what I want. And I've also said before that that I don't necessarily have a goal in mind and that I'm actually just really keen and passionate about just enjoying the journey, because I think life like I think you can put big expectations on yourself and then you can sort of put happiness in a higher place that doesn't exist in the future or somewhere else that you then strive into get to this place, that you'll feel happy when you kind of get there and you've not got the self worth or underachieved until you get there, whereas I think that the true success is probably just enjoying every day, doing the best you can do, being the best you can be and allowing sort of these opportunities to present themselves, and then being excited by the opportunities and then taking it and learning from it and not always getting it right, sometimes getting it wrong, and learning how to do better next time and I think the world is changing so much as well Like a few years ago, I wouldn't have even considered some of the things that I've done in the digital world, like live shopping shows on TikTok with brands that I've worked with. That wasn't even when I was at school, ticking a box with what career I wanted to do. That wasn't a thing, and it can be now.
Oli Dunn:So I think for me it's a case of looking at my life as a bigger picture and when I'm a certain age 90, for example what would I look back on and think?
Oli Dunn:What would I regret if I didn't do? And I suppose we've got such amazing tools like podcasts, youtube and I'm really passionate about chocolate and passionate about making people happy, putting a smile on people's faces, teaching them something new, giving them creativity, giving them confidence all the things that I want for my daughter. But like to be able to kind of spread that far and wide, and I think I need to be more consistent with YouTube content. Probably that's at the moment. That's like a focus for me, and I think it's finding making the time to do that when you've got stuff going on, you know, like when you've got life just happening in front of you and you're like reacting to things and your orders are coming in. You've got to make your orders and my routine's quite sporadic, because one day I might be at a school doing like an educational workshops all day and the next day I might be doing a corporate event.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, I mean that's an interesting point on its own, because I love looking at the variety of things that you get up to that for me is so exciting. It's so interesting, you know. I saw that you were in Paris doing a corporate event. I saw that you were in London doing something really fun in Hamleys that was amazing.
Zoe Greenhalf:From the external perspective it looks really exciting, and I'd love you to tell me more about that. But what I'm also understanding from talking to you right now is that actually the other side of the coin is that you don't have that routine. So how on earth do you go about managing your life when it's? You know? Paris, london corporate kids YouTube podcast. Like, tell me your secrets so I can apply it to my life, please.
Oli Dunn:Just flying by the seat of my pants, so I was just literally winging it big time.
Zoe Greenhalf:Damn. I thought I was going to get a seat there.
Oli Dunn:I mean I wish I could stay like part of the 5am club and I get my work done before 9am and then I go to the gym. And no, I'm not. I'm really not a perfect human being. I guess I work constantly, I prioritize, I make lists, I make sure I deal with things and particularly things I don't want to do. Get them done and out of the way. I think that's sometimes the right route to take, because it's easy to be attracted to doing all the fun stuff where, and then you can let all the stuff build up that you don't want to do, so attack kind of those things first.
Zoe Greenhalf:I was like that's not walkie, isn't it? What's it called? Eat the frog or something like that.
Oli Dunn:Oh okay.
Zoe Greenhalf:Well, it's something like that. I don't think that is detergents, but it's something about eating a frog. And the idea is do the things that you really don't want to do first.
Oli Dunn:And then it's such a weight off your shoulders and then you're going to have even more creativity than I think was.
Oli Dunn:So, yeah, and I think making time for myself, so that's hard because you think right, I might have a spare afternoon or something. That could be a great opportunity to make a video, but actually my head feels like it's going to explode, so I'm not going to go and make a video, I'm going to go for a ride on my one wheel or I'm going to go and just even get into float therapy in a float therapy and float on the salt water for an hour and just like meditate almost, and just like be with my thoughts and just reset or go for a run. Yeah, so I think it's listening to the body, listening to the mind and always learning and always being open to new things and new ways of doing things.
Zoe Greenhalf:Okay, Well, I'm slightly disappointed that there wasn't some amazing secret behind.
Oli Dunn:I think when you love what you do, you just keep going. You just literally keep going. Like you say, paris Hamleys, I'm just buzzing for the next thing and the next thing. But it is really important to stop and take a step back and just think about things that you've done, because it's easy to be focused on the next thing or disappointed that you've not done the YouTube video. But you think actually I'm going to admit it Think about what you have done, like you can't do everything. Yeah, you can't do everything at once. It does take time.
Oli Dunn:I made a really good video yesterday that I'm excited to share, which is how to make Tricoltoffee. So I didn't know how to make Tricoltoffee but I had to make a video showing how to make it. So I had to be the expert so to master it. So it was like I made a batch and it didn't quite work. And then I spoke to my dad about it and he said, well, try this and try that. And I tried it again and it worked. It was perfect.
Oli Dunn:And I got this video done because I'm doing the cake and bake show in London at the Olympia, you see that. So that's in November I think it's the 23rd. So they wanted a video of me making something around bonfire night. So I thought Tricoltoffee was actually my wife's idea and I'm thinking, oh, that's a challenge, that's I've never made it before. But I was so glad that I did like. It pushed me out of my comfort zone a bit and it's given me a great piece of content as well, and it's actually shown me that, yes, this is what I want to be doing. Don't hesitate, don't overthink it. Just get in the studio and make a three minute video of how to you know how to make Tricoltoffee fudge. And I'm actually, off the back of that, really excited about more of that.
Zoe Greenhalf:More toffee, more videos or more videos?
Oli Dunn:But yeah, I think more. I think it's like finding an excuse for a video and then doing it. So the excuse was Tricoltoffee and then it was like, ok, how do I do that? And then make the video and then make it, make it fun, make it engage and make it snappy. I'm watching it back and thinking, if I get bored, chop that bit out. And people's attention spans not a lot these days. So, yeah, more videos and start starting with a reason for it and then and then pursuing it. And I think it's it's.
Oli Dunn:I love like the whole throwaway content in a way, because I like sharing my experiences. You know, there's definitely a value in that, because we've spoken about it, haven't? We Like my Instagram stories and it disappears after 24 hours unless I add it to a highlight, and most of the time it's just throwaway stuff. But I think it's important is that it's keeping people engaged, keeping me excited. I love sharing stuff, but then I need to think about the evergreen content. So how to make T-Kaltofi? That video could stand the test of time, really. So you've got people potentially searching that for the next 20 years or whatever. So it's trying to be, in that respect, work smart in the sort of content creation side.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, you could also set yourself a challenge which might make it fun.
Oli Dunn:That's a good idea.
Zoe Greenhalf:A friend of mine is a branding designer, Liz Mosley.
Oli Dunn:OK. She often talks about setting challenges to make yourself do the things which she doesn't necessarily want to do. I could prefer that to goals.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, when people.
Oli Dunn:Someone says goals, yeah, yeah, a challenge is kind of fun, isn't it?
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, she set herself a challenge. She's done lots of these things before. She did one recently. That was a hundred rejection challenge and that in itself, interestingly enough, brought her loads of opportunities. Just to kind of go back to what we were talking about before, because it just got people talking about it and people are really interested in this idea that, in order to get 100 rejections of various different things, it meant that she had to put herself out there in the first place, and that's obviously what it was all about. It was all about this overcoming the idea of rejection and just going well, I'm going to apply for that, I'm going to pitch that person, I'm going to send an email to them and she's just started doing a new challenge, something else. It's like I think she's doing 30 reels in 30 days, or something like that.
Zoe Greenhalf:But yeah, I was just going to say to you that if the content creation does feel hard. Turning it into some kind of challenge might make it more fun, Because I find the same it's the same with sport things. It's just if I'm running I need, I need like a distance or I need a race. You know I need that kind of accountability.
Oli Dunn:Yeah, yeah, and it's the same in like daily life.
Zoe Greenhalf:I think if I set myself some kind of challenge, it brings an element of fun and I'm like, can I do this?
Oli Dunn:Well, I'm going to and I've got you know it's, like you said before, proving it to yourself, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's so cool, that's a good idea to tap into that, almost like competitive likeness with yourself, like proving something to yourself.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, are you competitive with yourself?
Oli Dunn:Um yeah, because I'm quite hard on myself, Like I'm.
Zoe Greenhalf:You are with the paddle of notice. Yeah, I am.
Oli Dunn:I am like I am. I've played this morning. I've really enjoyed it this morning. And then I played a couple of days ago and I was like I've not played for a bit and I felt rusty and if I make mistakes I feel silly and I shouldn't, because it's just a game. Everyone makes mistakes. But I think I struggle with it sometimes because I think I do have that ability and it really annoys me if I'm not able to tap into that ability and I'm like come on, what are you doing? So, come on.
Oli Dunn:Yeah, I've always struggled with that with sport. You struggle with that with football, like we're playing as a team and you're playing doubles in paddle. I don't like letting down my teammate or teammates, so I'm quite hard on myself in that respect. But then that's not a good way to be, because you start being really hard on yourself. You find it hard to kind of get out of that. You know negative mindset. So whereas today I was like, yeah, I felt like I was back and that feels so good. So I don't know, it's funny Life, isn't it? I was thinking I perhaps shouldn't play paddle, perhaps just spend more time in the studio making videos, because that would align more with the kind of vision that I have for my own life. It's not to be a good paddle player, it's be a good chocolate here and kind of you know, presenter and stuff.
Zoe Greenhalf:But that's interesting because at the same time you obviously get something from paddle Otherwise you wouldn't do it.
Oli Dunn:Wouldn't do it in the first place.
Zoe Greenhalf:You don't necessarily need to feed into the chocolate or the Because it feeds into you, doesn't it?
Oli Dunn:It's then a part of the I don't know, overcoming the challenges of paddle then apply to life, don't they? Because you go oh, actually I was really struggling with that particular shot or something, but I've actually managed to, I've sucked it and I've worked it out and I can do it now, and it's that self-belief again, isn't it?
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah.
Oli Dunn:So it can be a good, really good thing. Definitely I'll stick with it.
Zoe Greenhalf:You touched on something there that I just want to go back to, which was the fact that making your Tricot Toffee video came from your wife Kim, and that she sort of pushed you a little bit. Now she's got her own business as well, hasn't she?
Oli Dunn:Yes, yes, she has.
Zoe Greenhalf:What's that dynamic like when you're both entrepreneurs? Is there more understanding because you're kind of going through the same kind of issues?
Oli Dunn:Yeah, it's like it has its pros and cons. It's definitely I would say probably in general, Kim gets it because she has her own aspirations and dreams within her creativity and her world of jewelry, design and homeware and clothing that she does, and the content creation as well. So I think if one of us is editing a video in the evening, the other one understands it, not like, oh, what are you doing on your phone? It's kind of like we and I think in a relationship it's all about communication, isn't it?
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah.
Oli Dunn:I think in life, in all relationships, communication is the key. So if she understands what my objective is, why I'm doing my why, then she supports that. And I think when you've got two creative people, you've got when you're both on fire, you're both firing, and there's all these ideas. You're writing stuff down, you're helping each other to like action and it all flows and that is a great thing. If we're spending a day together, Kim's working on some of her stuff, I'm working on some of mine, Kim's helping me with some of like. She's really good with graphic design and she'll like say to me what do you think about this caption, or this email newsletter? And I'll read it and I'll be like how about saying this? Oh yeah, I love it. So it's like bouncing off each other. So that's really cool.
Oli Dunn:But then you do get days where one of us might be down and not feeling it and the other one is there to pick the other one up, Like, come on, get you to see it differently, from a different perspective. So that is really good. But then you can also get days where you're both down, Like when chips are down, and you both struggle and you're just like and then that really sucks because you're creative people. Yeah, that can be really challenging when you, but luckily that doesn't happen very often and there's always another day isn't there. You know you can always. Often I think it's burnout. You just need to stop.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, just have a really good sleep. Yeah, sleep. Well, you've got two year old, so I know what that feels like.
Oli Dunn:You know the feeling. Well, yeah, isn't life fun? We're very lucky to be here, we're blessed to be alive. You know, like we've yeah, we've so much opportunity and we just I think sometimes you've got to remind yourself of that we're just lucky to be here in the first place. We can't get annoyed about silly little things. Like just lucky to be here.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, Before we wrap this up, I just wanted to ask you if you've got a particular highlight of your you know, of your life so far. Not necessarily in a work capacity, but, you know, is there something that you really look back on fondly, that just makes you go? This is, you know, a pinnacle for me.
Oli Dunn:The the Blue Peter memory was definitely like a childhood dream to go on Blue Peter. That was definitely a big one. Like that does make me smile when I think about it. When I told that story before that, it filled my heart with joy. I felt warm and I think as well the the Hamleys experience as well. That's a very recent one, so it will come to mind because it's fresh, but my mum and dad came and didn't know they were coming, so that really surprised me in a really nice way. So I think I actually think that will be one of my biggest highlights in my life because I felt so proud being there doing like Edible Slime making with the kids and it was like all these celebrities and their kids that have been invited like before the store opens.
Oli Dunn:And then I did a show for the public when it was open and it was just. It was just such a good energy, a good vibe it was. It was everything. Because it was like the logistics of getting my chocolate machine in an Uber to the venue and this is like in a trolley and up the lift and and then being surprised by my mum and dad and and Kim helping me and Kim sort of melting the marshmallow and I'm running, I'm putting the green chocolate in and and I've got the microphone, I got my Britney Spears microphone on and running around and I'm ducking and diving to get through the crowds and it was like it was such a challenge. I was sweating like it was. It was tough but everyone was loving it and I had the room in the palm of my hand because not only were they making Edible Slime, they're making lollies, they were decorating, putting little edible eyes on all Halloween theme. I was piping chocolate mustaches on the kids faces, chocolate tattoos on the hands and on some of the adults as well, some of the parents and grandparents. They were all just kind of embracing it and it was.
Oli Dunn:I was in my flow, I was in my element and and it was so proud that my mum and dad were able to come and see me do that my wife Kim was helping me and my mother-in-law brought my daughter as well, and so she got to see me in action. So he was literally like wow, she was really good as well, my little girl. She just sat like watching daddy and we didn't know how that was going to go, whether she was going to try and like get to me or whatever, but she just like was just watching it. It was so cute, so funny. So yeah, that was such a buzz and I was like on the ceiling. It was unbelievable high for like the rest of the day and the week and so on.
Zoe Greenhalf:Did your, did your parents? What did your parents say after they'd seen you?
Oli Dunn:And they were just like. They just didn't stop smiling and they were just they did say, oh, so proud of you, so proud of you. And I was amazing Like, yeah, it was just, it was amazing to have them there for a look at having that, to sort of share that moment and, I think, just to be in control in such control as well. And it's only through years of experience in working with kids and with big groups and knowing that I needed the machine you know needed that. It was there for the theater, but it helped things to run quicker and smoother the microphone, all the details. And yeah, it felt like I've been practicing this for years. And here I am.
Oli Dunn:And then they've got Linda from Loose Women and she was loving it. She had a chocolate moustache and before she left said Linda, don't forget to get me on Loose Women and making chocolate with the ladies. She was like, oh, I will, I will, you just never know. And it's like that. What's going to be the knock-on effect from this? We will see. It might be six months before we find out.
Zoe Greenhalf:Of course, yeah, they're not instant things, are they? But you're sowing the seeds, that's right. I said that to.
Oli Dunn:Kim, I was like I'm sowing seeds. Everywhere I go, I'm sowing seeds.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, I love that.
Oli Dunn:Yeah, it's fun.
Zoe Greenhalf:Oh, Oli, this has been amazing. Thank you so much for sharing some of your stories and your knowledge and stuff with me this morning. I loved it Is there one thing that you would like the listeners to take away from our conversation this morning. If I could pinpoint you on one particular message or thought or something to make them think differently, what do you think it might be? I?
Oli Dunn:think, don't ignore inspiration, whatever that is. Just be authentic to who you are and what you want to do in life. However ridiculous it might seem, whether it's to pursue something that seems unrealistic, pursue it anyway, regardless of what your mum or your best mate or anyone thinks. And, yeah, just do it, take the action and you can only learn from it. Even if it doesn't end up being the thing that you end up doing, it takes you on a journey somewhere, because everything leads to something. So it might be that you think you want to do something and you go ahead and you at least kind of take an action. So, yeah, just do what feels right and what is what is true to you. It's always the beginning. So do what you want to do, I think.
Zoe Greenhalf:I'm going to print my own t-shirt with that on you know Love it.
Oli Dunn:Drop the mic Amazing.
Zoe Greenhalf:Where can people find you on the social media?
Oli Dunn:Yeah, so if you type in Oli_ the_ choc, oli is O-L-I, I'm on Instagram, facebook, whatever Twitter is called these days, and yeah, I'm TikTok. Youtube, youtube is Oli the Choc My World, and so, yeah, come and see the weird and wonderful things that I get up to and, like Zoe says, just such a variety. One day it's chocolate, one day it's something else. So even I don't know what's going to happen, so I find it quite interesting to see Life on the earth, see what happens.
Zoe Greenhalf:Yeah, thank you so much, Oli.
Oli Dunn:It's been a pleasure. Thank you for having me.
Zoe Greenhalf:Stay mischievous yes, always. Ah, that episode was so much fun. Here are my takeaways from this week. Number one never ignore inspiration. Who cares what people think? It's important to follow how you feel, because the things that inspire us can lead to all sorts of unexpected opportunities. So keep leaning into the things that excite you.
Zoe Greenhalf:Two no experience in the working world is ever wasted, as there are lessons to be learned everywhere, from how to sell something or organize your time to being able to understand what you love, where you excel and the skills that you'd like to develop further. Ready fire aim. Often in life, you can't rehearse things, so the best way to learn is simply to get out of your comfort zone and throw yourself in. Try something new, reflect on it, implement changes and improve as you go. Get the fire in first, and then the aiming comes afterwards.
Zoe Greenhalf:Number four we all have bad days or periods that feel harder, but it helps to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Be grateful for what you've got and make it a daily practice. Five shine as bright as you can. If you can see your own uniqueness and differences as a gift, not an obstacle, it will feel so unbelievably freeing. Six unlearn everything. Well, maybe not every single thing, but it definitely pays to start to question the things you believe and where they've come from, when you decide that doing things the way they've always been done isn't the only way you can replace the old ideas that don't resonate with you with exciting new ones that absolutely do. Seven go to and through your fears, because the other side is where the magic is. Eight relationships are everything. The good ones give us great energy, new opportunities and keep us feeling inspired, so invest in creating and maintaining great relationships. Nine you don't need to rely on luck, because you are 100% capable of creating your own opportunities, so keep taking that inspired action. Let the world know who you are and what you're trying to achieve, in order to attract more of what you want and those key people who are going to help you make it happen. Ten every day is just the beginning. When we go to bed, we get to wipe the slate clean and start all over again.
Zoe Greenhalf:Eleven get things done by attacking the ones you don't want to do first, to make way for creativity and the more enjoyable things that you really do want to do. Twelve listen to your body, step back and make time for relaxing, whether that's meditation, going for a run, watching some TV, calling a friend whatever it is that you need to reset your mind and allow space for creative thinking and new ideas to create. New ideas to come through. Just tag me on Instagram with the hashtag 12 days of mischief, or directly using at the mischief movement, so I can see your mischief in action for your chance to win daily prizes. Let's see if you can accept a challenge to yourself that is fun, no stress, and might just show you that you are capable of all sorts of cool things. If you're listening to this after the 1st of December, no dramas. Just join in with the remaining days or even play along at some point in the future. Twelve days to complete twelve cheeky tasks to get you feeling good, whatever time of year you're listening to this.
Zoe Greenhalf:I hope you loved today's episode and it made you think differently or perhaps nudged you into changing something in your life that's not working for you. I'd love to give you a shout out right here on the podcast too, so do let me know what you think or you'd like to hear more of or how you've been inspired. Let's keep in touch over on Instagram @the mischief movement. Ah, it's changed. Did you see that? Or click the link in the show notes to sign up to my mischief mail newsletter, where you'll get exclusive insights on upcoming episodes and your chance to submit questions to future guests. But shh, don't tell anyone. It's our secret. Now, please keep spreading the word about the podcast. You're doing an amazing job, and I'm also super grateful for your five star ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, because these seriously help my mission to inspire and empower more people like us to choose mischief over mediocre. Have a great week and keep making mischief, ciao.