EPISODE · Jun 13, 2025 · 49 MIN
Driven
from Not by the Playbook · host BBC World Service
Sir Roger Bannister is most famous for being the first man to ever run a sub 4 minute mile. He once said "The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win". This week, guests who have displayed the drive needed to overcome the most serious challenges life can throw at you. The word "drive" can have many different meanings. From maneuvering a car, to pushing a cause and making positive change... Carol Glenn does all three! A Motorsport fanatic, she has successfully done many roles within the sport. She's been a race marshall, secretary of the meeting, championship co-ordinator and a clerk of the course. All roles dedicated to ensuring events run smoothly and safely. To hold those positions is rare for a woman in a male dominated sport... even rarer as a woman of colour! In fact she was the first black woman to become a licensed race official in the UK. Her latest endeavour might just be her boldest yet as she sets about changing the face of the sport to ensure those who want to take part, regardless of colour or background, are given an opportunity. She has set up the Next Racing Generation Academy and so unsurprisingly is a very busy woman.We meet a father and son duo completely driven to be the best in the business! The business of boxing promotion. Not since Don King has a promoter achieved the same level of fame as their boxers. And you can add Barry and Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Promotions to that list. How have they got to such a place? Well by being driven of course.The majority of boxers only fight a few times each year. It's not only extremely physically demanding, but mentally challenging too. But Londoner Johnny Greaves arrived late to the professional ring just before his 30th birthday ... he had one goal ... one hundred professional fights. So driven was he, that he achieved this rare feet by the time he was 34. Averaging a bout every other week, for four years straight. And what makes his journey even more unusual is that Johnny lost ninety-six of those fights, but as you'll hear for him - his record of wins and losses is nothing compared to challenges he overcame just to step in to the ring. Johnny's is a remarkable story, he's detailed it all in a new book, Bright Lights and Dark Corners(Photo: Carol Glenn with Sir Lewis Hamilton. Credit: Carol Glenn)
What this episode covers
Sir Roger Bannister is most famous for being the first man to ever run a sub 4 minute mile. He once said "The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win". This week, guests who have displayed the drive needed to overcome the most serious challenges life can throw at you. The word "drive" can have many different meanings. From maneuvering a car, to pushing a cause and making positive change... Carol Glenn does all three! A Motorsport fanatic, she has successfully done many roles within the sport. She's been a race marshall, secretary of the meeting, championship co-ordinator and a clerk of the course. All roles dedicated to ensuring events run smoothly and safely. To hold those positions is rare for a woman in a male dominated sport... even rarer as a woman of colour! In fact she was the first black woman to become a licensed race official in the UK. Her latest endeavour might just be her boldest yet as she sets about changing the face of the sport to ensure those who want to take part, regardless of colour or background, are given an opportunity. She has set up the Next Racing Generation Academy and so unsurprisingly is a very busy woman.We meet a father and son duo completely driven to be the best in the business! The business of boxing promotion. Not since Don King has a promoter achieved the same level of fame as their boxers. And you can add Barry and Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Promotions to that list. How have they got to such a place? Well by being driven of course.The majority of boxers only fight a few times each year. It's not only extremely physically demanding, but mentally challenging too. But Londoner Johnny Greaves arrived late to the professional ring just before his 30th birthday ... he had one goal ... one hundred professional fights. So driven was he, that he achieved this rare feet by the time he was 34. Averaging a bout every other week, for four years straight. And what makes his journey even more unusual is that Johnny lost ninety-six of those fights, but as you'll hear for him - his record of wins and losses is nothing compared to challenges he overcame just to step in to the ring. Johnny's is a remarkable story, he's detailed it all in a new book, Bright Lights and Dark Corners(Photo: Carol Glenn with Sir Lewis Hamilton. Credit: Carol Glenn)
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Driven
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