Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard The One-Eyed Man with Mike Stopforth

The One-Eyed Man with Mike Stopforth

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

The One-Eyed Man is a podcast about navigating complexity with curiosity.

It’s a noisy, messy world out there. The challenges we face - whether in business, leadership, or life - are seldom simple. But instead of pretending to have all the answers, I prefer to have conversations with people who ask better questions.

From entrepreneurs and innovators to impact-driven leaders and technologists, these conversations explore what it really takes to lead thoughtfully, adapt strategically, and create meaning in an age of uncertainty.

I’m Mike Stopforth, and I believe leadership isn’t about perfection - it’s about clarity, courage, and conversation. Let’s figure it out, together.
Occasionally English South Africa Management · Personal Journals
71 Episodes
1 – 20

#070 Marketing is Business — Dale Hefer

My guest on this episode is Dale Hefer, CEO of the IMC (the Integrated Marketing Collective) Conference. Dale is a former SA Businesswoman of the Year (awarded during her time running her ad agency Chillibush, which she sold in 2014). She is a best-selling author and a still life artist…
26 May 40 min

#067 From startup to SMEgo — Nobesuthu Ndlovu (OML + SingularityU Part 2 of 3)

Old Mutual is the headline sponsor of this year’s edition of the SingularityU South Africa Summit. In this three-part series, I speak with some of OML's most interesting movers and shakers, understanding how they are moving the needle at the intersection of leadership, technology and impact. My guest on part…
31 Oct 2024 31 min

#065 A bold strategy for a digital first telco — Nicola van Ast

My guest for this episode is Nicola van Ast, CMO at Melon Mobile, and co-founder of Growthink Group (where - full disclosure - she is my wonderful wife Anna's business partner). Nicola is one of the brains behind Melon's bold, cheeky and by all accounts extremely effective takeover of other…
15 Sep 2024 36 min

#063 Firing up the gig economy one person at a time — Aasiyah Adams

Aasiyah Adams is the inspirational founder of Abaguquli4IR and called herself the Gig Economy Driver. What does that mean? Well, few people are more passionate about equipping the unemployed, small and informal business owners and traders, and aspirant entrepreneurs with a platform to accelerate or incubate their businesses or ideas…
1 Dec 2023 41 min

#062 Is customer loyalty a mirage? — Michael Renzon

Do you truly understand your customers? How seamlessly and effectively are you integrating customer feedback into your operations and strategy? Are you measuring success in CX? My guest on this week’s show is Michael Renzon. Mike is the CEO & co-Founder of inQuba which is a Customer Journey Management SaaS…
18 Oct 2023 52 min

#060 Unlocking the eSports goldmine — Barry Louzada

Do the names League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota, Fortnite, and Call of Duty mean anything to you? If not, you could be missing out on something massive. The global esports market was valued at $1.39 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $3.96 billion in 2023. The global esports…
31 Aug 2023 48 min

#058 The world according to Zarp — Simon Dingle

2022 was a significant year in the world of crypto, the collapse of FTX being a watershed moment. But what does this mean for Bitcoin and crypto in general? Has anything changed? Could it be that all the negative press and naysaying is actually good for decentralised finance? I ask…
20 Jan 2023 41 min

#057 Putting the intelligence back in AI — Daniel Hulme

What do we really mean when we call things artificially intelligent? Is AI significant progress or a significant threat? And when does SkyNet some online? My guest is Daniel Hulme. Daniel was a guest lecturer on my Master's program back in 2019 and by some distance, the most impactful certainly…
4 Nov 2022 40 min

#056 Creating content for influence and impact — Erik Kruger

Erik Kruger is a prolific author, public speaker, podcaster, YouTuber, video creator, the guy is everywhere. And that's very intimidating to people like me who are in his industry, it also makes it virtually impossible to introduce. So I'll introduce him like this instead, Erik Kruger is also my friend,…
24 Feb 2022 54 min

#055 Building an innovation city in the mother City — Kieno Kammies

What are the conditions that need to be created to develop innovative thinking, innovative products, and innovative organisations? Is it about a type of space, or a type of structure, or a type of culture? Or is it a combination of all of those things? My guest on the One-Eyed…
16 Feb 2022 32 min

#054 Can technology take the pain out of recruitment? — Francois de Wet

Do you remember your first formal job interview? I do. It's not great memory. I did a horrendous job of representing myself and my enthusiasm for the position I was applying for. That's understandable if you consider the typical job interview setup. There's a young, uninitiated, nervous person being faced…
11 Jan 2022 44 min

#053 A better weigh to build a grocer — Dom and Sam Moleta

And we’re back! This is the One-Eyed Man, my name is Mike Stopforth, and today we’re jumping head first into the second half of our #originalbytradition series brought to you by the Glenlivet. We took a short pause to extract and share some highlights from the first five episodes, and…
18 Nov 2021 54 min

#052 How to capture the soul of a nation — Nick Dreyer

If you’re anything like me then many of your proudest moments as a South African are closely associated with sport. Whether it’s underdog victories or feats of individual brilliance that inspire us and give us hope, it’s hard to ignore how sport is inextricably woven into the fabric of the…
15 Sep 2021 49 min

#051 Unpacking innovation in media and broadcasting — Relebogile Mabotja

My next guest in our Original By Tradition series brought to you The Glenlivet can only be described as superhuman. Imagine running two successful production businesses, maintaining roles on various industry boards and panels as a lobbyist and commentator, public speaking, mentoring and training up and coming talent, producing and…
7 Sep 2021 46 min
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