We get asked this a lot, so here’s the honest answer: we don’t have a system. We have a spreadsheet with about 200 names on it, most of which were added at 11pm after falling down a rabbit hole on someone’s blog or social feed.

What we look for is pretty simple. The person has to have done something interesting, and they have to be able to talk about it in a way that doesn’t sound like a press release. That second part is harder to screen for than you’d think. Some people are brilliant at what they do but freeze up in conversation. Others could talk engagingly about paint drying.

We do a short pre-call with every potential guest. Fifteen minutes, no recording, just a chat. If the conversation flows naturally, we book them. If it feels like pulling teeth, we thank them for their time and move on. It sounds ruthless, but a stilted interview helps nobody, least of all the guest.

If you want to suggest someone for the show, the contact page is right up there in the nav.