Much Watch (in Soho)
Much Watch (in Soho)
Anastasiia Shabalina
This podcast explores how experts, founders, and leaders think, decide, and build — and how their background, mindset, and communication shape their professional path.
Beat 200 Men at Poker – Now She Uses It to Train Top Executives
Poker is often misunderstood as a game of bluffing and deception.In reality, it can be one of the most precise environments to study communication, decision-making, and human behavior under pressure.In this episode, Anastasiia speaks with Jo Living, founder of Aces High, who works with corporates, VC funds, and leadership teams to develop communication and strategic thinking through poker-based experiences.They discuss:00:00 — Poker Isn’t a Card Game. It’s a People Game01:48 — From First Game to Beating 200 Players05:04 — Bluffing Is a Myth: What Poker Really Trains06:20 — Inside a Corporate Poker Workshop11:08 — Poker as a Mirror: Your Default Behaviors Exposed13:12 — The “Strategic Chameleon”: Adapt Without Faking20:02 — Ego, Bad Bets, and Why Smart People Still Lose—🎙 Hosted by Anastasia, Communication AdvisorIf you're working on your positioning, pitch, or communication, this is exactly what I help with:⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasia...⁠⁠🔗 makemeHEARD⁠⁠: https://makemeheard.com🔗 Learn more about Aces High: https://aceshighlondon.comConnect with Jo Living: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joliving🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on communication, leadership, and decision-making
May 13
28 min
How to Get Into Forbes for Free (PR Expert Explains)
Most founders underestimate PR. Until they see how one article can change everything.In this episode, I’m joined by Xenia Zakharova, a Global Tech PR Specialist who helped Glam AI become profitable in just 6 months – without raising funding. She landed 20+ media placements and built a PR strategy that directly supported growth.01:33 — Glam AI case: profitable in 6 months09:56 — How she covered Forbes11:18 — Is PR worth it for early-stage startups?12:30 — Can you get into Forbes for free?15:16 — When startups should start PR16:00 — How much PR actually costs19:57 — Is paid PR a scam?22:34 — Full PR strategy behind Glam AI24:29 — Internal PR (what founders ignore)_______If you're working on your positioning, pitch, or communication, this is exactly what I help with:⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasia-shabalina⁠⁠makemeHEARD⁠⁠: https://makemeheard.comConnect with Xenia:⁠LinkedIn⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xenia-zakharova-a46710373/⁠
Apr 8
28 min
Founders Are the Biggest Bottleneck – And It’s Costing Them Revenue
Most founders think they have a marketing problem. In reality, they are the bottleneck, and it’s costing them revenue.In this episode, I talk to Renata Zinatullina (Digital Hunch) about why marketing often doesn’t work and what actually drives growth in B2B companies.00:00 Why marketing agencies push you to spend more (and why it’s a trap) 03:00 How to get a CMO for 3x less money (fractional model explained) 07:20 The mistake that costs founders 50% of revenue (real case) 12:10 Why your marketing doesn’t work (and it’s not about channels) 17:10 What actually drives growth: product, audience, clarity 23:20 Can AI replace marketers? (only if you know what you're doing) 25:20 From fear to confidence: building in English as a founder 30:50 Where to start if your marketing isn’t working _______ If you're working on your positioning, pitch, or communication, this is exactly what I help with:⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠makemeHEARD⁠Connect with Renata:LinkedInDigital HunchRebuilding SaaS Marketing Podcast
Mar 23
34 min
The Growth Hungry Life: Google, Startups, TEDx
Ex-Google. TEDx speaker. Founder.Today, I’m speaking with Taalai Djuamabaev — former Google engineer, TEDx speaker, and founder of Growth Hungry Academy. He’s a true advocate for the growth hungry mindset.💥 What do you talk about with someone who left Google, turned down millions of dollars, and chose to build a global academy for engineers instead?– Childhood and education in Kyrgyzstan — how it shaped his values and worldview– How to land a job at Google — and how to escape the golden cage– Why startups aren’t always about the money– What it really takes to prepare for a TEDx talk– How Growth Hungry Academy was born — for engineers with global ambitions– The emotional and mental toll of radical life changes– Reflections on the future of AI and raising children in an uncertain world🎧 Now streaming on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Jun 4, 2025
58 min
Alex Woolley | The UK
Welcome to the “Much Watch” podcast! Here, I break down the cultural barriers between English and non-English speaking worlds. I invite native English speakers and immigrants to share their insights on a wide range of cultural aspects of English-speaking countries. My first English-speaking guest is Alex Woolley, a Brit and Instagram influencer. He's known for his hilarious and educational videos where he puts English-teaching advice to the test, proving that it's not always as simple as it sounds. In our chat, we dive into some fascinating questions: • Why can it be tough for immigrants to make friends? • How can foreigners crack the code of British culture and learn to blend in? • Do native speakers always speak perfect English? • How good is AI at proofreading? _________________________ Alex on Instagram _________________________ ⁠Anastasiia on Linkedin⁠ ⁠Anastasiia's Telegram Channel⁠ ⁠English Egoist Project
Jun 23, 2024
46 min
Olga Barry | USA
Our next guest - Olga Barry, Founder of Barry Investments LLC. Olga has been hustling in tech sales and startup growth for 8 years, and recently she has become fully immersed in scaling her own US-based Startup Growth Agency. Olga has already enabled more than a dozen founders to execute growth hacking and find their first strategic clients, and she is ready to share her thoughts on: - Ways startups can succeed in transitioning from local markets to the American market- Life in the USA and how to better understand local US buyers - Experience speaking and attending 7 major tech conferences in less than a year and numerous networking events as an immigrant - How one can monetize their English language skills as a business skill and succeed in the US ____________________________ Olga on Linkedin⁠ Olga's website Olga's Telegram Channel | Barry Hustles Olga is hiring: Sales Tech Representative (entry to mid level). Please contact her on Linkedin for details. _________________________ ⁠Anastasiia on Linkedin⁠ ⁠Anastasiia's Telegram Channel⁠ ⁠English Egoist Project
May 17, 2024
1 hr 11 min
Daniil Shcherbakov | Cambridge, the UK
Our first guest will be Daniil Shcherbakov Shcherbakov - Co-Founder of Libi & Daughters Daughters. Daniil is a seasoned Startup Mentor with a decade of experience in launching companies from scratch. A Cambridge graduate holding an MBA from the Cambridge Judge Business School, he also manages a Telegram channel focused on guiding startups to the international market - "Другие Берега" ("Other Shores"). Daniil has been living in Cambridge for several years and will tell us about: - His entrepreneurial journey - How he made it from Samara to Cambridge - Life in the UK and how to blend in with the Brits - What the MBA at Cambridge has given him - Why he does not put native English speakers on a pedestal 😎 __________________________ Daniil on Linkedin Daniil's Telegram Channel Libi & Daughters Daniil's course on Writing Cold Emails That Get Results _________________________ Anastasiia on Linkedin Anastasiia's Telegram Channel English Egoist Project
May 3, 2024
58 min
Intro
Apr 21, 2024
15 sec