Show Introduction & Guest Background

• [01:49] Reece introduces the show as "light entertainment" based around the Power Platform community.

• [02:05] Lucy Bourne introduces herself as a Co-Director at Oaka Studio, a company dedicated to supporting Microsoft Business Applications partners. Their goal is to help partners scale their presence, understand their messaging, and build delivery practices.

• [02:48] Previous Roles: Before Oaka, Lucy worked at Microsoft managing the "recruit channel" for ISVs and System Integrators. Prior to that, she was at a scale-up partner working with Dynamics and Power Platform back when it was still called "Project Sienna".

• [03:22] She notes this is nearly her 16th year in the "BizApps" space.

Community & Personal Connections

• [04:21] Lucy recalls her first real community experience at a Dublin event (around 2015/2016), organised by Janet Robb. She "blacked" her way onto an MVP-only dinner without knowing what an MVP was.

• [05:17] Life-Changing Connections: Lucy credits the community for changing her life entirely. She met her partner (Lee) through it, and they now have a three-year-old son, Ralph.

• [05:43] They discuss other "community couples," such as Andrew Bibby and Anna.

• [06:05] The Lockdown Story: Lucy shares a hilarious story about Andrew Bibby moving to the UK from the US during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown (August 2020). He moved into Lucy and Lee's empty flat to quarantine.

  • Because he couldn't leave, they delivered his shopping.

  • Andrew, unfamiliar with UK supermarkets, requested "Canned Chicken" on his shopping list. Lucy refused to buy it, opting for fresh chicken instead, and they still tease him about it to this day.

Travel & Adventure

• [10:35] Lucy discusses her love for travel, inherited from her adventurous mother (who was in Vietnam when the pandemic hit).

• [10:54] Downsizing: Lucy and Lee sold a "ridiculous renovation" project to downsize to a small bungalow, freeing up funds to travel more.

• [11:27] The Camper Van: They bought a camper van during lockdown (literally three days in) after finding it on Auto Trader. They have since sold that one and are currently kitting out a new one from scratch.

• [14:20] Baby’s First Trip: Lucy vowed to go on every work trip Lee had during her maternity leave. This led to taking her 8-month-old son to New York (HSO’s office in the Empire State Building) and later to Scottish Summit in Glasgow.

Presenting & Events

• [25:30] Lucy reminisces about the "good old days" at Hitachi Solutions with Chris Huntingford, Will Dorrington, and Kyle Hill.

• [26:04] Keith Watling Story: She recalls organising an early hackathon in London. She invited Keith Watling (after seeing him interviewed by Satya Nadella) to join.

  • Prior to this, Keith had saved her on a client demo by jumping on a call to fix a Canvas App issue.

  • To thank him, she promised him a fancy breakfast in London on a Sunday morning. However, nothing was open in the city, so she ended up buying him a McDonald's McMuffin at Liverpool Street Station—a moment she is still mortified by.

• [33:41] The "Battle Royale" Story: Lucy shares a chaotic presentation experience in Amsterdam with Neil Parkhurst.

  • They were presenting on "Dynamics Marketing vs. ClickDimensions".

  • The room was initially empty, but minutes before starting, the entire Microsoft Product Team for Dynamics Marketing walked in.

  • Moments later, the entire Senior Management Team of ClickDimensions walked in and sat on the opposite side.

  • The session turned into a shouting match between the two sides ("No, we have that feature!"), while Lucy and Neil watched like spectators at a tennis match.

Quick Fire Round

• [46:15] Favourite Power Platform Service: Power Automate.

• [46:25] Favourite Conference: Scottish Summit (partly because Janet Robb organises it, but also for the memories).

• [47:11] Last Music Listened To: Bastille – specifically their new history-themed album & (Ampersand). Lucy calls the live show the best gig she's ever been to.

• [48:07] Podcasts or TV: Podcasts, specifically the Off Menu podcast with James Acaster and Ed Gamble.

• [49:12] TV Show: The Gentlemen (Guy Ritchie series).

• [49:56] 2 Hours Free Time: She would go on her mountain bike with headphones on (loud music), cycle to a bar, have a cocktail, and then get Lee to pick her up.

• [50:40] Books or Audiobooks: Kindle Books.

• [50:50] Glass Half Full or Empty: Half Full.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_PRKxTch8

Show Introduction & Guest Welcome

• [01:49] Reece opens the show, welcoming viewers and introducing his guest, Janet Robb, describing her as a "massive community figure."

• [02:40] Janet introduces herself as "J Rob" from Belfast. She humbly claims she isn't a "loud figure" and that many might not know her, despite her long history in the community.

• [03:14] Reece recounts his introduction to the community via the Dublin event (D365 Saturday) which Janet organised. He notes that while he didn't speak to her then, her event led him to speak at the Scottish Summit the following year.

The Story of the First Dublin Event

• [04:08] Janet shares the origin story of her community involvement. She was working at the National College of Ireland after being made redundant from a previous role.

• [05:23] The LinkedIn Rant: Microsoft changed the licensing model, making previously free entities "core" (and expensive). Janet posted a passionate rant on LinkedIn about how this affected customers.

• [05:48] Raz's Invitation: This post caught the attention of Raz (Razwan Choudry), who invited her to a user group meeting in London. Despite being ill (she had contracted Lyme disease, was paralysed, and had broken her neck), she flew to London with very little money.

• [06:52] Feeling Out of Place: At the event, she felt she didn't belong among the "techie girls" and "core boys." However, she noticed the boys weren't great at organising and realised she could do better. She told Raz, "I could do this in Dublin."

• [07:52] The First Event: She organised the first Dublin event using just a spreadsheet (no Eventbrite). All 100 tickets went in two days.

• [08:39] "Not Many Bras": After posting a photo on Facebook, her friend Sarah commented, "Not many bras in that room, is there?" This comment changed Janet's life. She realised she was the only female speaker and organiser. This launched her "Door is Open" campaign to actively welcome and photograph women at events.

Diversity & Community Growth

• [10:41] Janet discusses the push for diversity. She used to hold 10% of tickets back for women because they sold out so fast to men. She "took some kicks" for this at the time but now doesn't care about the criticism.

• [13:05] "Leave Your Ego at the Door": Janet's golden rule for her events. She would challenge cliques and demand that volunteers actively welcome people rather than just talking to their friends.

• [17:52] Personal Struggles: She reveals she started all of this while terrified, ill, and financially struggling. The community gave her a purpose when she felt she wasn't "techie" enough to be a programmer.

• [22:31] Community Support: When her mother died suddenly during COVID, Janet received flowers and gifts daily for a month and a half from community members, some of whom she barely knew. She emphasises that these friendships are the most valuable outcome of her work.

User Groups & Adoption

• [28:48] They discuss the resurgence of user groups, mentioning Lewis's work with the Bletchley AI group. Janet is now looking at how to scale AI user groups across the UK (Belfast, Wales, Scotland).

• [41:59] Adoption Philosophy: Janet gets frustrated when presenters just want to "get to the end." Her goal is for the audience to remember the message and use it.

• [43:39] The "Martini Glass" Story: She uses a recurring character in her talks named "Helen" who just wants a gin and tonic on a Friday night without being called back to fix the system. Success is defined differently for everyone—for Helen, it was trusting the system enough to have a drink.

Quick Fire Round

• [46:55] Favourite Power Platform Service: Dynamics (CRM). She calls it the "engine of the car."

• [47:18] Favourite Conference: European Power Platform Conference (Dublin). She finally let her hair down, danced all night, and enjoyed it as a speaker rather than an organiser.

• [47:40] Last Music Listened To: The new Jonas Brothers song (she admits it's "flipping great").

• [48:29] Podcasts or TV: TV (addicted to documentaries), but also podcasts.

• [48:58] 2 Hours Free Time: Arts and Crafts. Despite claiming no talent, she loves sitting and making things (like seascapes with her son).

• [50:07] Books or Audiobooks: Audiobooks (due to dyslexia/slow reading).

• [50:38] Glass Half Full or Empty: Currently Half Full. She admits she was "Half Empty" for a long time but age, experience, and wisdom have changed her perspective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk9C_1zCLyQ

Show Introduction & Guest Welcome

• [02:19] Reece opens the show, noting that while this episode is pre-recorded, it is unedited and broadcast as if live.

• [03:31] Areti Iles introduces herself as the Head of Sector for Professional Services within Telefónica Tech (Business Applications). She oversees delivery teams for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform projects.

Community Journey & User Groups

• [04:50] Areti shares her history, having started with "CRM" (Dynamics) about 15 years ago as an end-user before moving to a partner.

• [05:32] Her first conference experience was the South Coast Summit, where she debuted as a speaker—a "terrifying" but welcoming experience.

• [06:41] The Reading User Group: Upon moving to Reading, she realised there was no local user group. She contacted Andrew Bibby, who mentored her on how to start one. The group has now been running for two and a half years.

• [07:25] Regional Role: Areti reveals she was recently appointed as a Regional Committee Representative for Europe (alongside Marcus from France). This is a new initiative by Microsoft to better support and structure user groups globally.

In-Person vs. Virtual Events

• [13:52] They discuss the challenges of attending events when balancing family life.

• [15:30] Areti notes that while virtual events are inclusive and great for learning, they lack the networking opportunities of in-person events—specifically the "spaces in between" sessions where relationships are built (and hugs are exchanged).

Segment: Community Enablement (Video)

• [20:18] Reece rolls a pre-recorded video discussing how to foster a "Maker Community" within an organisation.

• [21:29] He suggests starting simple:

  • Level 1: A simple Teams Group Chat or Channel where makers are added automatically or manually.

  • Level 2: Viva Engage (formerly Yammer) for broader, searchable discussions.

  • Level 3: Structured SharePoint sites for governance, policies, and environment requests.

• [25:22] Discussion: Back "live," Areti agrees with the "keep it simple" approach. She shares that her organisation uses Viva Engage with communities ranging from technical topics (Power BI, Finance) to social ones (Golfers, Neurodiversity, and even a Ramadan community).

Encouraging New Speakers

• [31:27] Areti discusses the constant need for new speakers. She encourages people to "talk about what they know" rather than trying to be an expert on a brand-new topic.

• [34:03] She highlights the form at d365ppug.com/speak for anyone wanting to submit a session to UK user groups.

• [36:54] Reece shares that his first-ever talk was simply "10 Things I Learned Implementing Power Pages," which was impactful because it was based on real, recent experience.

Areti’s Background

• [40:29] Areti discusses her heritage: she grew up in Athens, Greece, but spent her summers in Birmingham (where her father worked as a doctor). She moved to the UK permanently 20 years ago for university.

• [42:01] Her career path was non-linear: she has a degree in Management and a Masters in Marketing. Her first job involved IT and marketing for a wholesaler, which eventually led her into systems management and consultancy.

• [45:04] They discuss the "Western" tendency to push technical people into management roles, agreeing that people should be able to advance their careers without necessarily having to manage people.

Quick Fire Round

• [47:47] Favourite Power Platform Service: Historically Power Automate (for its connectivity), but she admits Copilot Studio is the future.

• [49:23] Favourite Conference: DynamicsMinds (Slovenia) – she loves the location, weather, and holiday-like atmosphere.

• [50:28] Last Music Listened To: Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?. She has two Spotify playlists: "Low Vibes" (95% of the time) and "High Vibes."

• [52:17] TV or Podcast: TV. She is a visual person and a big film fan.

• [53:37] 2 Hours Free Time: If she could teleport, Kayaking in Mauritius. Realistically, tea and a physical book on the sofa.

• [54:24] Books or Audiobooks: Physical Books. She has a strict rule not to buy new books until she reads the unread ones she already has.

• [55:06] Glass Half Full or Empty: Half full (an "Optimistic Realist").

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8PQkHfBWvw

Show Introduction & Guest Background

• [01:46] Laura introduces herself as someone who sits between the "Data people" and the "Power Platform people." She is commonly known as Laura GB.

• [02:10] She discusses her career path, which started on the business side. She spent years working with Excel and Access databases before moving into training, consultancy, and development.

• [03:04] Laura reveals she was originally a CC Mail Administrator for a big insurance company. After having a baby, she tried to be a stay-at-home mum but realised she needed the "tech buzz" to stay sane.

• [03:37] She returned to work as a freelance trainer. She admits she would often "bluff" her way into teaching specific courses—like charging double her daily rate for PowerPoint training because she hated doing it (and was surprised when clients still paid it).

• [07:29] Entry into Community: Her entry into the tech community was accidental. A client asked for SharePoint training, so she bought books by Penny Coventry to learn it. She then attended a "SharePoint Saturday" to meet Penny.

• [08:16] The Beer Tokens Story: Laura describes herself as shy. At that first event, she helped a speaker (Andy Talbot) pack up his stand. He gave her a handful of "beer tokens" he hadn't used. This gave her "social currency" to enter the bar and network, which she says she wouldn't have done otherwise.

Data vs. BizApps Communities

• [15:06] Reece asks about the differences between the communities Laura straddles.

• [15:15] The Data Community: Described as older and more established (e.g., SQL Bits has been running for 18+ years). The members have known each other for decades and know how to party without getting kicked out of hotels.

• [16:58] The BizApps Community: described as "noisier" and newer. It is filled with problem-solvers from non-tech backgrounds (e.g., former window cleaners). Laura recounts a specific conference where the BizApps crowd nearly got banned for partying too loudly at 4 AM.

• [20:34] Laura notes she saw a similar "hype cycle" hit the data community recently with the launch of Microsoft Fabric, mirroring the excitement the Power Platform saw years ago.

Segment: Building a Copilot Agent (Video)

• [21:29] Reece introduces a pre-recorded segment where he attempts to build a Copilot Agent live without editing.

• [22:22] He sets up the agent to be a "Sports Commentator" and uses the Formula 1 website as its knowledge source.

• [24:49] The Failure: He asks "Who won the last race?" The agent initially fails, giving information about a sprint race rather than the main event.

• [26:23] The Fix: Reece enables "Search Results" in the settings.

• [26:50] The Success: The agent correctly identifies the winner (and Lando Norris as the runner-up), though Reece notes it didn't quite adopt the "sports commentator" persona he hoped for.

Discussion: The Future of AI

• [28:16] Back live, Laura shares her thoughts on AI. She notes AI isn't new (she sat in AI lectures during her computer science degree 35 years ago), but the processing power is now available to everyone.

• [30:51] Fabric Agents: Laura hints at new announcements (some under NDA) regarding "Fabric Agents" that can be pointed at specific data tables, giving users more control over the AI's knowledge source.

• [31:37] She shares a story about AI being used to detect oil deposits based on sea wave patterns—something humans wouldn't have thought to look for because it seems illogical.

• [37:54] Laura draws parallels to historical fears: search engines were supposed to ruin our memories, and the printing press was feared for making us stop talking to each other. She believes we will adapt to AI just as we did to those.

• [38:42] Alexa Story: She tells a story about a friend's father who was going blind. He used to have four different radios tuned to different stations because he couldn't see the dials. An Alexa smart speaker completely changed his world, allowing him to access books and radio by voice.

Quick Fire Round

• [45:39] Favourite Power Platform Service: Power BI (an easy choice for her).

• [45:50] Favourite Conference: SQL Bits.

• [46:01] Last Music Listened To: "A Spaceman Came Travelling" by Chris de Burgh.

• [46:25] TV or Podcast: TV is the lazy option; Podcasts are for driving.

• [46:39] 2 Hours Free Time: Building Lego. Laura reveals she has a massive collection (a 4-foot pile of boxes) and maintains Excel spreadsheets to track her pieces and their value.

• [47:45] Books or Audiobooks: Physical Books.

• [47:56] Glass Half Full or Empty: Half full—because that means there is "space for more wine."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41TGyMYnvtU

Show Introduction

• [00:12] Reece opens the show, welcoming viewers to Power Platform Today.

• [00:39] He introduces his guest, Andrew Bibby, noting that this is Andrew's first time doing a live stream in this specific format, despite having done podcasts and some regional Microsoft events (like Build).

Andrew’s Background & Journey

• [02:49] Andrew has been involved with the platform for roughly 12-14 years, starting back in 2007 as a developer.

• [03:02] He initially worked with Dynamics CRM 3.0 (back when it was just "Microsoft CRM") for a software company in the UK (now owned by m-hance).

• [03:55] He stuck with the technology because he enjoyed the efficiency of it—features like the security layer and database structure were easy to build, and Microsoft had just announced a massive investment in the platform with CRM 4.0.

• [05:08] Reece notes the common theme of people "stumbling" into this career, whereas Andrew made a conscious decision to stick with it early on.

Community & User Groups

• [05:58] Andrew discusses how he got into User Groups. Coming from a .NET background, he was used to active forums, but the Dynamics community back then was tiny (mentioning early bloggers like Jukka Niiranen).

• [07:00] He credits Neil Benson for starting an early user group in Reading, which later evolved when Adam Vero, Scott Durow, and Paul Lin resurrected the CRM User Group in the UK.

• [08:26] Andrew attended his first meeting after a bad day at work, looking for answers. He found a welcoming group of people who were facing the same challenges.

• [11:06] The Quiz: Andrew is well-known as the "Quiz Master" for community events. This started at the Dynamics 365 Dublin event in 2017 when he offered to run a pub quiz to help with entertainment. It has since become a staple at events like Scottish Summit, co-hosted with Megan Walker.

Public Speaking

• [18:54] They discuss the anxiety of public speaking. Andrew admits he was initially terrified of it.

• [19:14] Reece shares that he uses hosting duties (like at parties) as a way to overcome social awkwardness because it gives him a "purpose."

• [20:02] Andrew dived straight into speaking at his second conference (Dublin 2018) to force himself to network. Being a speaker gave him an "in" to talk to established community members.

• [24:43] Both agree that the community is incredibly non-judgmental and supportive, even when demos fail on stage.

Segment: XRM Toolbox (Video)

• [26:45] Reece plays a pre-recorded segment introducing the XRM Toolbox for those who might not know it.

• [28:15] He demonstrates downloading a tool called "Workflow Enabler" (a random new tool he found) to show how the toolbox works.

• [33:13] Discussion: Back live, they discuss the importance of community-built tools. Andrew mentions he has been using XRM Toolbox since ~2008 (created by Tanguy Touzard).

• [36:38] They highlight the importance of "battle-hardened" tools like Jonas Rapp’s FetchXML Builder, which are maintained to a very high standard. Andrew advises caution with newer or less popular tools as they can sometimes break things if not used carefully (citing a "View Layout Replicator" issue he had years ago).

Quick Fire Round

• [41:23] Favourite Power Platform Service: Copilot Studio (despite some frustrations, he loves the accessibility of AI).

• [41:51] Favourite Conference: DynamicsMinds (in Slovenia) for the location, weather, and atmosphere. He also mentions Nordic Summit.

• [42:56] Favourite Colour: Forest Green (matching his shirt).

• [43:14] Last Music Listened To: A new artist he found on Instagram, possibly called Dodie (or similar). He also mentions watching NPR Tiny Desk concerts on YouTube.

• [45:28] Podcasts or Audiobooks: Podcasts for travelling/driving.

• [45:43] 2 Hours Free Time: He would choose to do absolutely nothing—just sit and relax without guilt.

• [47:10] Books or Audiobooks: Loves collecting physical books but actually consumes Audiobooks (has over 250 in his library).

• [47:54] Glass Half Full or Empty: Half full (optimistic).

• [48:08] If you won £1 million: He would stop working and travel the world for 1-3 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMAado2aTMM

Show Introduction

• [00:38] Reece welcomes viewers to the second episode of Power Platform Today, airing live on Tuesdays at 21:00 British time.

• [01:19] He introduces his guest, Musonda Malama (Musonda), a Senior D365 Microsoft Project Manager, career coach, and speaker.

Musonda’s Background

• [02:14] Musonda explains she came from a legal background (studying law at university) but realised it wasn't for her.

• [02:37] She moved into project management, initially working on a programme involving Dynamics 365 (Finance and Operations) in Qatar.

• [03:00] Upon returning to the UK, she worked for a Microsoft partner on a Power Platform project. To better support her technical team, she took the "Power Platform Fundamentals" certification.

• [03:36] She mentions one of her favourite projects was working with Reece on a "Power Portal" for a major UK alcohol client. She also has experience building portals for housing associations.

• [04:12] Musonda expresses her preference for Agile/Scrum delivery over Waterfall.

The Value of Non-Technical Backgrounds

• [05:08] When asked for her favourite part of the platform, she jokes about not being a "techie" but mentions Power Apps because it allows people without technical backgrounds to build applications.

• [05:52] She actively mentors people to get into the Power Platform as a gateway into the tech industry, noting that skills from other industries are transferable and valuable.

• [08:22] Both Reece and Musonda agree that understanding the business problem is often more critical than the pure tech skills. Reece notes his background in customer service helps him translate technical requirements for clients.

Mentorship

• [09:23] Musonda discusses her passion for mentorship, which started informally with friends and colleagues asking for career advice.

• [10:20] She eventually formalised it to manage her time better, helping people assess their existing skills and transition into tech roles like PMs or consultants.

• [12:01] She shares a story about helping an older colleague who lacked confidence despite having 17 years of operational experience. By reframing his experience, she helped him gain the confidence to ask for a promotion.

The Power Platform Community

• [17:40] They discuss the unique, supportive nature of the Microsoft community. Musonda mentions receiving help from MVPs for an upcoming presentation at Manchester Tech Week.

• [20:20] Reece recalls meeting community "superstars" like Scott Durow and Jonas Rapp (creator of the FetchXML Builder), noting how down-to-earth and helpful they are.

Segment: Community Roundup (Video)

• [23:03] Reece presents a pre-recorded segment reviewing interesting LinkedIn posts:

• Allan De Castro: Posted about an AI tool with code examples for developers.

• Matthew Devaney: Released a blog series on ALM (Application Lifecycle Management).

• Reece Campbell: A "shameless plug" for his own post debating Early Bound vs. Late Bound entities in development.

• Power Automate Admin Connector: Reece highlights that this will soon be available as a .NET SDK.

• Power Pages: New ability to embed site settings directly into Solutions (similar to environment variables).

• Janet: A nostalgia post about the Dublin conference 8 years ago.

• Solution Assessment Tool: A new tool from Microsoft for governance.

Social Media & Personal Branding

• [29:43] Back live, Reece asks Musonda about her social media presence.

• [30:04] Musonda admits she struggles with visibility but shares advice she received: stop seeing it as "cringe" and start seeing it as sharing knowledge to help others.

• [31:10] She is currently doing a 21-day posting challenge on LinkedIn.

• [33:06] Reece discusses his own goal to be more technically focused this year and improve his "personal brand," admitting that family life (a six-year-old) often takes priority.

• [35:16] Musonda shares a thought from a recent AI training session: we spend weeks patiently "training" AI or learning new software, yet we often lack that same patience with human colleagues.

Personality Profiles

• [39:51] They discuss "Insights Discovery" colour profiles.

• [40:19] Reece shifted from Green/Yellow (people-focused/creative) early in his career to Red/Blue (assertive/analytical) as he moved into leadership.

• [41:53] Musonda identifies as Red (results-driven and direct) but with a strong caring side (Green).

Quick Fire Round

• [42:48] Favourite Power Platform Service: Musonda draws a blank initially.

• [43:14] Favourite Conference: Scottish Summit (though she missed the last one for a holiday in Greece).

• [43:48] Favourite Colour: Blue (even though she always says purple, she gravitates towards blue).

• [44:45] Last Music Listened To: Gravity by L (an acoustic version).

• [45:30] Podcasts or Audiobooks: Audiobooks, especially while driving or cooking.

• [47:12] Glass Half Full or Empty: Always half full.

• [47:18] If you won £1 million: She would keep it secret, put it in the bank, and maybe buy a Bentley (her one luxury wish).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aZ0E1KBNb4

Show Introduction & Guest Welcome

• [01:23] Reece opens the show, welcoming viewers to the pilot episode. He mentions it’s a mix of entertainment and technical discussion focused on the Power Platform community.

• [02:02] Keegan (the guest) is introduced. Reece explains the show's format: a 30-40 minute live stream airing weekly.

• [05:09] Technical Glitch: Keegan attempts to introduce herself, but Reece interrupts to note that the audience couldn't hear her. After fixing the audio, Keegan restarts her introduction.

Guest Background: Keegan

• [06:31] Keegan introduces herself as the Director of Operations for a strategic Microsoft partner. She describes her career path as "wavy," moving from a psychology degree to marketing, then to telecommunications, and finally into the Microsoft partner space.

• [08:10] She discusses her entry into the Power Platform world, starting with Dynamics CRM (transitioning from version 4 to 2011) and realising this was her route into the tech industry.

• [11:28] Keegan recalls her "lightbulb moment" at the first Scottish Summit, seeing Christopher Huntingford and William Dorrington demonstrate the Power Platform. She was blown away by the "Lego block" nature of the tech and decided to pivot her career entirely to the Microsoft ecosystem.

Segment: Scottish Power Platform User Group (Spug) Review

• [16:56] Reece introduces a pre-recorded video segment ("VT") reviewing a recent user group event.

• [18:24] Event Review: Reece recounts his trip to the "SPPUG" (Scottish Power Platform User Group) meeting in Glasgow on February 25th.

  • [21:07] Speaker 1: Stuart Baxter spoke about the Government Design System (GDS) and its application in Canvas Apps.

  • [22:12] Speaker 2: Damian Bird, a Microsoft architect, gave a live demo on building a Copilot agent that could send emails based on website knowledge.

  • [24:27] Speaker 3: Keith Atherton discussed responsive design in Canvas Apps, using an app itself for his presentation slides.

• [26:45] Reece highly recommends attending local user groups for both the learning and networking opportunities.

Discussion: The Value of Community & User Groups

• [29:15] Reece and Keegan discuss the "Spug" acronym and transition to talking about the Bletchley AI User Group.

• [30:07] Keegan announces that the AI User Group is going national, with plans to launch groups in Liverpool and other locations. She highlights the unique mix of attendees at Bletchley, from local businesses to tech enthusiasts.

• [35:13] They discuss why community events change lives. Reece emphasises that networking helps people understand what jobs and roles exist out there, broadening horizons similar to how travel does.

• [37:58] Keegan notes the "subconscious learning" that happens just by being in the room—absorbing new terminology and concepts even if you don't fully understand them yet.

Quick Fire Round

Reece ends the show with a series of rapid-fire questions for Keegan:

• [39:12] Favourite Power Platform Service: Power Pages (formerly Portals), despite the work involved.

• [39:58] Favourite Conference: South Coast Summit, praised for its "all-in-one" location and camaraderie (and free ice cream).

• [40:40] Favourite Color: Pink (specifically "chilled out" pink).

• [41:00] Last Music Listened To: Karaoke versions of The Pretty Reckless, Paramore, and Evanescence.

• [41:40] TV or Podcast: TV. Keegan explains she needs visual cues to focus, which is also why she takes copious notes during meetings.

• [42:53] 2 Hours Free Time: She would choose a spa day.

• [43:07] Massage or Cold Plunge: Reece loves the cold plunge/Wim Hof method; Keegan prefers a massage and hates the cold.

• [44:41] Books or Audiobooks: Books (visual preference again).

• [44:47] Glass Half Full or Empty: Always full. Keegan believes in positive manifestation.

• [45:39] If you won £1 million: First thought is a "mega house" with a swimming pool and cinema room to maximise quality time with her family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJTMSjHEVKE