Episode 133: Introducing Smabouche: Your Conversation Companion with Ngozi Weller and Mihran Hovnanian

by | Oct 15, 2026

Episode 133: Introducing Smabouche: Your Conversation Companion with Ngozi Weller and Mihran Hovnanian

by | Oct 15, 2026

We prepare for interviews, pitches and presentations all the time. But the conversations that can change a relationship, a career or an outcome? We’re often expected to just know how to handle those.

Ngozi Weller and Mihran Hovnanian join me to introduce Smabouche, the AI-powered conversation rehearsal platform we’ve built to help people practise those moments before having them for real. We get into where the idea came from, why difficult conversations are so easy to avoid, and how psychology and AI have come together in the product.

At its heart, Smabouche isn’t there to have the conversation for you. It’s there to help you get better at having it yourself.

Highlights:

(09:04) Why some conversations feel so difficult even when we know what we want to say

(18:46) Where the idea for Smabouche came from

(31:00) Why task-specific AI matters when you’re practising real conversations

(39:39) What using Smabouche actually looks like

(50:53) What we hope better conversation skills could change

Try Smabouche and practise the conversation before you have it: https://smabouche.com

Smabouche gives you a safe place to rehearse the conversation, explore how the other person might respond, and try different approaches before you have the real conversation.

Better conversation starts with practice.

Connect with us here:

Website

Ngozi

Obehi

Aurora Company Profile 2026

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Ngozi Weller

Ngozi Weller is a culture change consultant and an ICF accredited coach who helps build resilience into your business by creating psychologically safe workplaces that enable employees to thrive.

Obehi Alofoje

Obehi is a psychologist and culture change consultant who helps senior HR and business leaders reduce employee burnout, absenteeism & talent attrition through mental wellbeing strategy, training & coaching.

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