Leading 4 Life "Stories"

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/XfYdr2UuzOAPressure!  Everyone feels it; however, it's how you respond to it that really matters.  Do you fold underneath the pressure or do you use it as a superpower to enhance your capability?In this episode, I talk about some of my own experiences with pressure.  There are many many more I could have mentioned and I've saved some for further personal story episodes, but my intention this time was to discuss the issue on a thematic basis and, as ever, I hope that what I have to say is useful and informative.  Please do let me have some feedback once you've watched the episode - I would be fascinated to know if your experiences are similar to mine and also to hear how you handle pressure in your own life.  I really hope you enjoy the show.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/GaAeea-feFMSince departing Deloitte to go it alone and run my own company, there are a myriad of things that I have to focus on to build the business.  These are certainly not unique to my company and, consequently, I hope that many of the things I say in this episode will be useful tips for anyone else stepping out from a private or public sector company and starting to build their own business.It has certainly not all been easy or straightforward but I love the freedom that being my own boss gives me and I certainly wouldn't want to change it now.  That said, I don't shy away from the challenges, and my intention with this episode is to share some of those as I have done all along with the personal stories I have shared on the show.I really hope you enjoy the episode.  This is one where I would definitely be interested in your own thoughts and experiences, especially if you have any alternative thoughts to my own.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/5tWESWMJkRcIt was a real delight to interview Maria Franzoni for the show.  Charismatic and lively, Maria is full of great ideas and thoughts that made this a really interesting episode.  She has been in the speaking industry for much of her working life but she has prior experience as well and she draws on that extensively during our discussion.  Within the speaking world, Maria has worked with many household names, initially as a booking agent / agency owner, and now as a mentor and coach, helping speakers to improve their businesses.  She has written an outstanding book, "The Bookability Formula" that is a must read for anyone who is interested in professional speaking in any capacity.Maria certainly doesn't hold back in this episode; she is very open about a wide range of issues, including some deeply personal ones and I found it a fascinating conversation.  I hope you enjoy it too - please do let me know once you have had a watch!Footnote: During the recording, Maria mentions Ravi Rajani but not by his full name so we wanted to credit him here for completeness. You can find Maria here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariafranzoni/Website: https://www.mariafranzoni.me/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMariaFranzoni or https://www.facebook.com/groups/SpeakingBusinessSupport the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/5tWESWMJkRcIt might be a personal view, but I believe that integrity and trust and two of the most important leadership traits and both are sine qua non for any good leader to have.  Sadly, however, we all too often see leaders in pivotal positions who seem to have forgotten the importance of demonstrating integrity, building trust with those that work with them, and trusting those same people to do their very best for the team as a whole.I use political leadership as an example of where I believe this is going wrong, but I do not cite any particular individuals as I don't believe that would be helpful.  The problem is certainly not unique to politicians though; there are plenty of leaders across all walks of life who fail to demonstrate adequate integrity or trust.In this episode, I take a deeper dive into integrity and trust.  I look at a couple of really valuable models that help leaders to think about trust in particular: "5 Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni, and the Trust Equation by Trusted Advisor Associates.  Hopefully I will also stimulate you to think about your own "score" in these areas - passing the "look in the mirror" test is something every leaders should be able to do on a routine basis - when did you last do yours?I really hope you enjoy the episode and, as ever, I would really appreciate your feedback.  This is an area that is too important for us to ignore!Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/_zMu2uG7HbsIt was a real delight to interview the wonderful Leigh Bowman-Perks for this episode of the podcast.  Although she is perhaps best known as the Founder and CEO of the Inspiring Leadership Foundation, her story and career portfolio is much broader.  She is a business performance coach, motivational speaker and a published author and, as becomes clear in the episode, Leigh has also had a multi-faceted corporate career.  As if that wasn't enough, she had to overcome some very challenging early life events, and so her story is both fascinating and emotional in equal measure!Leigh's Inspiring Leadership Foundation is doing outstanding and very important charitable work. It has delivered transformative programmes across 7 countries and has a particular focus on under represented communities.  You can find Leigh here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-bowman-perks-82082910/Website: https://inspiringleadership.foundation/May 2026 will also see the Foundation's second "Ride to Inspire" charity cycling event, which aims to raise the profile of the charity still further using sport, leadership and philanthropy to unite communities and celebrate inspiring role models. If you are interesting in learning more or supporting the Ride to Inspire you can get the full story here:https://inspiringleadership.foundation/ride-to-inspire/As ever, I hope you enjoy what I thought was a great discussion; please do let me know what you think as I really value your feedback.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/JMjhvV7Rj7EDom Wilkins has had a long and impressive career in the world of broadcast media.  His credentials include roles at the BBC, Sky TV and most recently with OSN in Dubai.In this fascinating episode we explore Dom's personal journey but we also get well behind the scenes of the broadcast media world, an area which will be largely unknown to most, since most of us simply view the end product of the TV production process without any real knowledge of all the issues that sit behind that final output.Expect to be surprised by some of what Dom says - I certainly was - but I'm sure you will also learn a lot, and I really hope you enjoy this terrific conversation.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/v7FfWJVAbugWhen I joined Deloitte after my time in the Royal Air Force, I had no idea whether this would be my new "job for life" or just a lilypad to land on before jumping on to the next thing.  As it turned out, it was the latter and after 3 1/2 years of great experiences, wonderful people and a huge amount of learning, I moved on once again to start my own company and begin the journey that I am still on today.In this episode I explain the thought process behind that decision and the steps I took to make the subsequent transition.  There are lessons in here for everyone because, whilst I took a huge amount from my time at Deloitte, I certainly didn't get everything right in terms of my own career management.  As with so many of my personal stories, I very much hope that by sharing some of my own experiences, I can help others to avoid similar pitfalls in their own lives.I really hope you enjoy the episode; please do let me have some feedback if you have the time.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/xclA3tiY3QYThere are a range of recent occurrences that led me to think that "Accountability & Ownership" would be a good topic for a thematic episode of the show this week.  Far too often (in my view at least) individuals or organisations lose sight of the importance of owning the results of your actions and being accountable for them.  We live in a world where all too frequently, people look around for someone else to "blame" and do everything to avoid taking responsibility themselves.  In this very short episode, I encourage you to take a look in the mirror at your own approach to this issue.  How good are you at holding yourself accountable for your actions and decisions?  If you are a leader, do you take ownership or the results of your team even when they are not what you wanted them to be?  Have a think about it and, if necessary, consider how you might change your approach to this vitally important issue.  I really hope this stimulates your thinking and that you enjoy the episode; please let me have your feedback and I'll be back with more content very soon.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/z2DNiMM2pvsMy time at Deloitte was an extremely interesting and rewarding chapter in my overall career journey.  I learned a huge amount and the experience I gained was invaluable in preparing me for what I do now with my own independent company.  In this episode, I attempt to shed some light on my time within Deloitte.  Inevitably, the need for client confidentiality limits what I can say to an extent but, nonetheless, I hope it give you some perspective and insight into the world of professional services.  There is doubtless much more that I can say about the nature of the business itself and I may well return to that in future episodes but, for now at least, I hope you enjoy this one and, as ever, please do let me have some feedback.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/p--mFXo65nAHow often do you really think about the longer term implications of your actions?  The reality for many of us is that we don't always think through the potential outcomes of our behaviour, our language, our reactions to events, or what we say or do as much as we might.  We frequently react in the moment and, whilst that can be extremely positive in the longer term, if those reactions are perceived as negative, even if that wasn't the intention, then the impact can be very damaging and potentially long lasting.In this episode, I try to lay out a few areas which I think merit careful thought to avoid such pitfalls.  I certainly don't profess to have all the answers, but if I stimulate your thinking even a small amount then I will feel that I have met at least my own expectations, and I hope I will have helped you a little as well!  I really hope that you find this useful and, as ever, if you do, then please share the episode more widely so that others get to benefit from it.  Happy listening!Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/IfqOCGHyltAThis is my 40th personal story episode since starting the podcast and it sees the completion of my Royal Air Force journey, and the start of my second career with Deloitte LLP in the UK.  I've covered some specific themes around transition between careers in a previous episode (Ep95 if you are interested), but this change was self-evidently a critical part of my overall story and so I wanted to share some of the more memorable elements in this episode.One of the things that really stood out for me during the transition journey was the value and strength of my network.  Although I eventually landed a fantastic role in Deloitte, the conversations that went into informing my choices and approach to the career transition were simply invaluable, and I remain immensely grateful to all those that helped me on the journey.I really hope you enjoy the episode; I suspect there will be at least some nuggets in the story that might help others making big career changes in any environment.  As ever, please let me have your feedback and share the episode widely if you enjoy it.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/f_CXtHLKPIQWhen I deliver training, two topics come up more frequently than any other - hybrid working and the impact of AI.  This thematic episode was prompted by a very recent conversation I had with a former senior banker and a group of training participants on a course.  We were exploring the challenge of how to grow the experience of the future workforce. given the impact that remote working has on team dynamics, and the consequent follow on loss of experience historically gained through observing others and informal conversations etc.  This whole issue is potentially significantly impacted by the growth in AI capabilities, especially if those capabilities allow organisations to start reducing junior staff headcount so that their jobs can be automated.  Regardless of some of the current rhetoric suggesting that AI will augment rather than replace workers, it seems inevitable that, from a commercial standpoint, if companies can enhance their bottom line and remove HR related challenges by automating some functions in their business, then they will do exactly that.In many ways, this short episode poses more questions than answers, but I really hope it gets you thinking, regardless of where you currently sit in the seniority chain.  Do please let me have your comments and thoughts, and don't forget to subscribe and follow on your preferred platform.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/0MpurnmgSXQTRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses Jacqui's personal experience of child abuse (physical and sexual) and the impact that experience has had on her life.  Whilst the overall story is an extremely positive one, listeners are likely to find Jacqui's description of what happened to her as a child upsetting.Jacqui Wilkinson is a remarkable lady, not only because of all that she has achieved already as an RAF officer, a keynote speaker, a published author, and a champion of victims of abuse, but also because of the way she handled the journey she had to make to get there!  Growing up with two deeply dysfunctional parents and being the subject of serious abuse at the hands of her father, it is amazing how Jacqui has transformed the horror of her early life into the amazing success she enjoys today.  Normally my guest episodes focus mostly on the core career journey of the interviewee; however, this episode is different.  Much of the conversation is about Jacqui's early life and then the transformation journey she has undertaken since her late teenage years.  It is an emotional but very powerful story and I am sure you will be as impressed with Jacqui's candour, honesty and amazingly positive outlook as I was.  I really hope you enjoy this incredible conversation; please do let me know what you think and make sure you share it with others that you think might benefit from listening to Jacqui's experiences and outlook.You can find Jacqui here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquijwilkinson/and details of her excellent book here:https://mybook.to/turningthetablesSupport the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/0jzHPwb7JaUMatthew Scullion is a remarkable man.  He co-founded his first company at the age of just 17, and is now the co-founder and CEO of Matillion, a technology company that has achieved the coveted unicorn status in terms of valuation, and which is continuing to grow year on year.In this episode, Matthew talks about his career journey but, much more than that, he provides great insights into his leadership style and what he feels is important to be be successful.  Matthew is also steeped in the world of AI, a subject that is increasingly impacting all of our lives, and his insights into what AI means for all of us are fascinating and extremely informative.This was a great discussion, full of candour, reflection and humour.  I really hope you enjoy the episode.  Please let me have your feedback once you have had a listen.If you want to know more about Matthew, Matillion or Maia, you can find them here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewscullion/Matillion Website: https://www.matillion.com/More about Maia: https://www.maia.aiSupport the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/7Tm54RUWkMQAlthough I didn't know it at the start of the tour, my time as Director Joint Warfare, based as the Joint Forces Command Headquarters in Northwood, North London would prove to be my final role in the Royal Air Force.  In many ways it was a fascinating and fulfilling role, although it certainly lacked the intensity and profile of my previous role; both aspects would prove useful as I quickly came to the realisation that I would soon be exiting the RAF and leaving the job I loved for more than 34 years behind me.In this episode I cover the key aspects of my time as Director Joint Warfare but I also spend time discussing my thoughts and options that ultimately led to my preparation to leave the military.  I am sure I will return to some of the specific aspects of this role downstream in other personal stories episodes but I very much hope this one is of interest to you as it was very much a pivotal point in my life.Please do let me know what you think!Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/ORoyjo9XvhYJust occasionally something happens that provides an immediate opportunity for a podcast theme, and this week was one of those occasions.  I very nearly lost my life to a crazy driver fleeing a robbery in a van and, although the car I was driving was written off in the collision, miraculously I walked away totally uninjured!The consequent theme for this episode is "luck"!  We all need it, more often than we realise and, in my experience, it plays a role in almost everything that happens in life.  In this episode I not only talk about my experience this week, but also consider the different reactions people have to difficult situations and near disasters.  I hope that by sharing my own experience in some detail, I provide some useful thoughts for everyone as, either directly or indirectly, we all inevitably encounter these challenges during our lives.  I consequently believe that having some level of preparatory thinking as to how to deal with them can only be helpful.WARNING: The video version of this episode includes showing some shocking in-car camera footage of the collision that occurred, which reveals very starkly how lucky I was to come out unscathed. It is, however, very dramatic and hence my caution note here!Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/-oGctPL_m8wMy time in the Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operations) role in the UK Ministry of Defence was one of the most challenging and satisfying of my career.  However, it also forced me to face the realisation that the end of my time in the Royal Air Force was becoming much closer and there were plenty of challenges in this role that certainly made me look hard in the mirror!In this episode I reflect on this whole situation and attempt to provide some thoughts that I hope will be useful to everyone, regardless of the role they are in.  As ever, I would love your feedback so please do let me know what you think.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/IBF7bw_uTb0If you are a leader with Millennials or Gen Zs working for you, or if you are yourself Millennial or Gen Z then this podcast episode is absolutely perfect for you!  Dr Liz Feigin is a specialist in optimising Millennial and Gen Z performance and retention and in this episode she provides some outstanding advice on that subject.  I first saw Dr Liz when she was part of an intergenerational working panel discussion being run by The Leaders' Club in Deloitte's London offices.  I was extremely impressed with everything she had to say and immediately thought that she would make a great guest for Leading 4 Life "Stories".  This fantastic interview just proves how right I was, because it is one of the most valuable and insightful discussions on the topic of intergenerational working that I have ever had.  It is a topic that constantly crops up when I deliver training and is raised by both the younger generations themselves and by those that lead them.  Consequently, I am certain you will find this both interesting and useful; I really hope you enjoy the episode; please let me have some feedback with your thoughts if you can.If you want to know more about Dr Liz, or contact her directly, you can find our further information here: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-elizabeth-feigin-6b2368163/Website: http://www.doctorelizabeth.co.uk/Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/jtn6mcItmDsI first talked about credibility as a leadership theme way back in Episode 2 of the podcast when, for obvious reasons, I was seeking to establish my own credibility with you the audience.  At that stage I bundled it together with self awareness and imposter syndrome, but I mentioned at the time that I would return to all these themes later to cover them in more detail.In this episode I examine the issue of credibility in rather more detail.  I highlight the fact that it is borrowed early but needs to be earned over time, and then move through a series of related themes that hopefully will prompt you to look in the mirror and do a health check on your own standing with regard to professional credibility.  The question I pose near the end is the critical one: "if your title disappeared tomorrow,  what would people still trust you for?"  I hope you enjoy the episode and, as ever, please let me know what you think?Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/QAauQiXyl0YOne of the most fascinating (and frequent) things I was privileged to do whilst I was the Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operations) was to work in the UK Government's Crisis Centre, colloquially known as COBRA.COBRA is a place which few will ever have the chance to see, never mind work in so, in this episode, within the bounds of what I can say, I attempt to shed a bit of light on what it is like and how it operates.  I talk about the physical site itself and how it works, the various levels at which COBRA meetings can function, and I give a few examples of the types of meetings that I was part of during my time.  Inevitably much of the detail about specific events remains classified and so I can't go there, but I hope this short episode gives you at least a flavour of the place so that the next time you hear it being mentioned on the UK news, you can perhaps visualise the environment a little more clearly. I really hope you enjoy the episode; please let me know what you think!Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/fbdkM56Wn6sSeason 4 of Leading 4 Life "Stories" kicks off in style with an interview with Andrew Dyckhoff, the Founder and CEO of Energising Leaders.  Andrew has a fascinating career and very diverse career history with a range of CEO roles and some momentous achievements behind him.As the Founder and CEO of Energising Leaders he is now working to share the huge stockpile of knowledge and experience he has built up with other leaders at all levels.  Given that we have similar objectives in our current roles, Andrew and I have a great conversation not only covering his career story, but also about leadership in the round.  I really hope you enjoy what I thought was a fascinating discussion.  Please let me know what you think!  Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/2FxAZyM0hHQIn this final episode of Season 3, I provide a review of Leading 4 Life "Stories" across the year of 2025.  It is a season that includes 15 personal story episodes, 11 thematic episodes covering a wide range of themes, and 26 amazing guest interviews.  As I reviewed what we have covered this season, I was really struck by the diversity of the content, and especially of all the fantastic guests that have generously given their time to be on the show; I am immensely grateful to all of them for their candour and terrific input.  If you are looking for a quick summary of what has been included over the past year, this episode will help to give you that, and although I obviously hope you enjoy it all, I am sure you will find at least something that is of real interest to you.Looking forward to Season 4 and 2026, there will be plenty more stories, themes and guest interviews for you to enjoy, and I very much hope that you continue to watch or listen to the show.  Please do subscribe, follow, comment, and provide me some feedback.  The feedback is something that I find extremely useful, and subscribing or following really helps to boost the podcast across the algorithms that manage the various platforms.I am very grateful for your support across the year, and I look forward to giving you more great content in the year to come! Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/gu9CR1eAvycEmma Henderson is now a highly successful motivational speaker and a published author, but this episode focuses mostly on her back story which is an amazing and very impressive one!Married to a Royal Air Force pilot soon after university, Emma also had the desire to fly, and a chance posting on exchange to New Zealand offered her the opportunity to realise her dream.  She returned from there with a full commercial pilot's licence and then went on to finalise her qualifications and subsequently joined Easyjet.  Rising to be one of far too few female captains in the airline industry as a whole, the effective shutdown of the airline industry during the Covid19 pandemic then caused a further direction change for this inspiring lady.  Seeing the plight of the National Health Service staff during the pandemic, Emma had the vision to found Project Wingman, a concept that then saw huge numbers of volunteer airline aircrew from across the industry set up and run "airline style lounges" to give the hard pressed hospital staff some respite.  The idea blossomed and at its peak there were 104 Project Wingman lounges running in the UK and America.  Subsequently Emma's outstanding work was rightly rewarded with the honour of an MBE. This was another incredibly enjoyable conversation with a really inspiring and fascinating guest; I really hope you enjoy it.  Please share widely, comment and send feedback if you do!You can find Emma here:Website: https://www.emma-henderson.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-henderson-speakerInstagram: @emmahendersonspeakerFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/emmahendersonspeakerIf you wish to purchase Emma's book, you can do so directly from this link:https://www.emma-henderson.com/store/p/nv1ngu6mup4daujb7r8i0yc9csrwdwSupport the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/gOpH-qjGW8cHaving a purpose in life is fundamental to your health, well being and personal happiness, and yet, when asked the question "why do you do what you do?", many people struggle to be able to actually articulate their reasons.  In recent weeks a number of people have asked me exactly that question and it led me to reflect on the importance of purpose to each and every one of us.  Purpose isn’t about job titles, promotions, or ticking the next box. It’s about knowing why you do what you do — especially when things get uncomfortable.  You can be busy, capable, successful and yet still feel unfulfilled and empty.  Living with purpose shows up in small, daily choices: how you respond under pressure; what you prioritise when no one is watching; and whether your actions match your values.Purpose isn’t something you find once. It’s something you choose — repeatedly. Ask yourself one simple question: Does the way I’m living today reflect who I want to be tomorrow?As we head towards the end of 2025, just take some time to pause and reflect on this critical issue.  I hope that my thoughts in this episode help you to put some structure to that thought process.  Please let me know what you think!Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/TTlGEKnM2kQHaving just returned from a week long work trip to Saudi Arabia, it felt entirely appropriate to produce a short thematic episode on the importance of cultural understanding to leaders.Culture is often talked about in business discussions and training events but, in my view, rather too often the discussion is somewhat narrowly defined and focuses on the fairly obvious behavioural aspects of cultural difference.  Essentially the emphasis is often on what not to do to avoid offence etc, rather than taking a broader look at the aspects of leadership that culture affects more widely.This episode seeks to put out some broader ideas about why it is important to be culturally aware as a leader.  It briefly touches on trust, decision making, communication, motivation, conflict, reputation and operational effectiveness, and I hope the ideas will resonate with you as you watch.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/ipkhmzY_oFMGary Deakin had a highly successful career in the British Army, rising to the rank of Major General, before embarking on what has now become a diverse and equally successful portfolio career outside the military.  Along the way, Gary has had a series of ups and downs, including a very challenging time whilst he was the MD of GardaWorld UK.  He talks candidly about all these issues and has a lot of terrific thoughts about leadership that he shares in this episode.I really hope you enjoy what was a fascinating and fun conversation; it you do, please do all the usual things to highlight the episode more broadly and also send me some feedback.  I really appreciate it when I receive feedback from listeners as it helps a lot to build and develop the podcast so please do let me know what you think.You can find Gary here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-deakin/Website: https://kingfisherconsulting.ukSupport the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/BLCPo2h6nCUIt was a great privilege to host Martin Shaw for this week's episode of Leading 4 Life "Stories".  Martin has had an incredible 60 year career in acting and, over that time, has featured in numerous, stage productions, television series, documentary programmes, and films.  He is possibly best known for his television roles as Inspector George Gently and Judge John Deed but the list of credits goes way beyond those two and he really is something of a national treasure here in the UK.I have known Martin personally for more than 25 years but, as he highlights in the episode, we have never previously had the chance for such a wide ranging and in depth conversation so this was particularly special.  Even if you are already a fan and follower of Martin's work, I am certain you will get plenty of new insights into this amazing man's character as you watch or listen to this episode.  Martin doesn't think of himself as a leader but, having reached the top of his profession, and played a number of significant leaders across his career, I can assure you that he has plenty of great thoughts about leadership that emerge during the conversation.I really hope you enjoy what I think was a particularly fascinating episode.  If you do like it, please subscribe for further episodes, share it widely, and send me some feedback with your thoughts.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/qfN8fkZujZsMy tour as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operations) was always incredibly busy but was also punctuated by some amazingly memorable events.  The London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games, and working in the Government Emergency Rooms (COBRA) stand out as being particularly significant and I will cover them both separately.In this episode I focus on two specific things: my first experience of travelling to South America (not just once but twice), and two amazing opportunities to experience the breadth of the Royal Navy's Submarine Service's capability.Anyone can travel to South America if they have the means and the desire to make the trip, but experiencing what it is like to be underwater in a submarine is something that very few have the opportunity to do!  I hope that I capture a little bit of the magic of both experiences here and that my story gives you some insights that you might not previously have had.  As ever, please let me have your feedback and don't forget to follow, subscribe and share widely.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/0l9PXJzJCRIThis episode will be published on Remembrance Sunday (9 November 2025) in the UK and so I thought a short thematic piece on remembrance would be very appropriate.  These are very much my personal thoughts and perspectives, but I hope that at least some of the content will resonate with you too.Wherever you are when you watch or listen to this, please spare a thought for those that have made the ultimate sacrifice across the years, and indeed for all those that have served or continue to serve to protect the life and freedom that so many of us enjoy today.  Every life lost in a conflict is a personal tragedy for the individuals' family and friends and, in many ways, is also the result of the failure of political systems or (too often) the aggression of authoritarian leaders.  The least we can do is remember and reflect on their sacrifice, and that is what I seek to do in this short episode.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/TfiK-iBRp2kJon Geldart is the Director General of the Institute of Directors, an organisation with a main focus on improving the quality of directors, and which represents business at the most senior levels of the UK government.  Prior to his IoD role, Jon had a great career in marketing and professional services.  He has travelled extensively and also has an incredible life outside work as an explorer, mountain leader and co-driver in a rally team!  As you will hear in this episode, Jon has lots of experience and thoughts about leadership, and it was a fascinating discussion that could certainly have gone on much longer had time allowed.  It is such a delight to meet and interview people with backgrounds as diverse and interesting as Jon and I am sure you will really enjoy this great conversation.You can find out more about Jon and the Institute of Directors here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jongeldartiod/Website: https://www.iod.comX: https://x.com/JonGeldart or https://x.com/The_IoDSupport the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/YUdCx-58zkQTammy Barlette has had an amazing career both in the USAF and subsequently with her work as a keynote speaker, mindset coach and trainer.  Her flying background is incredibly diverse; she started out as a first assignment instructor pilot on the T37 before subsequently moving on to the A10 Thunderbolt (aka the Warthog).  Sadly a spinal injury caused her to have to step away from the traditional cockpit, but she then forged a whole new chapter as a Predator and Reaper "drone" pilot, a role which also saw her graduate from the acclaimed USAF Fighter Weapons School.  She subsequently recovered her medical category and returned to the instructional world on the T38 advanced trainer for the final chapter of her career in uniform.Tammy talks very candidly about all aspects of her career including the challenges she faced along the way, and we had a terrific discussion about the many facets of leadership that we have in common given the role that she now has as a mindset trainer.  It's a great conversation all round and I really hope you enjoy it.You can find Tammy here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammybarlette/Website: https://www.crosscheckmentalperformance.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/tammybarletteX: https://x.com/TammyBarletteInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tammybarlette/Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/MIQoHdtZQUULord George Robertson is a man with a justifiably extremely impressive reputation.  Formerly Secretary of State for Defence in the UK, and subsequently, Secretary General of NATO, George is the only man (so far at least) to have ever invoked NATO's Article 5, the collective security guarantee, in the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001.It was a huge privilege to have a statesman of his experience and calibre on the podcast and it was a fascinating discussion.  We cover not only aspects of George's personal experience but also a lot of really interesting and very current geopolitical topics, including George's personal experiences of meeting Vladimir Putin!  If you have even a passing interest in current world affairs this episode will definitely be of interest to you and I really hope you enjoy it.You can find George on LinkedIn here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-robertson-97895820/Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/qBZWcS8rmA8Sally Orange is an extraordinary lady and, as you will discover in this episode, she has had to overcome a number of major challenges in her life.  Those challenges continue as, at the time of recording, she is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.  I have had the privilege of interviewing a lot of inspiring people for this podcast but Sally raises that already high bar yet further.  Her incredible life story, her courage and her humour in the face of the darkest of situations are truly amazing to hear.  Equally extraordinary is the list of endurance challenges that Sally has completed as a charity fundraiser.  Her focus and positivity on improving awareness of mental health, and now obviously cancer issues to a wider audience is truly inspirational and I am frankly in awe of what she has achieved.This is truly an episode that you do not want to miss and I urge you to either watch or listen to the full amazing story that this remarkable woman shares on this episode.  I really hope you enjoy it.You can find and support Sally here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-orange-mbe-95948741/Website: https://www.sallyorange.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sally.orange.942X: https://x.com/sally0rangeSupport the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/jy8hNj4vbEEI have had the privilege of knowing Lord Kim Darroch for a number of years and he has had a remarkable career in the UK Foreign Service.  As he explains in this episode, he came into the diplomatic world via a very non-traditional route but he has gone on to have some of the biggest and most influential jobs and his life has been fascinating by any measure.Although he came more into the public eye as a result of the very unfortunate leaking of his diplomatic correspondence whilst he was UK Ambassador to the United States during Donald Trump's first term as President, the broader story of Kim's experience is an extraordinary one.  As well as Kim's personal experiences, we discuss a wide range of geopolitical issues including Europe, the Middle East and, of course, the United States, and if you have any interest in foreign affairs and the challenges of the past few decades, this will be an episode for you!Kim's book, Collateral Damage, provides a much more detailed account of his career journey and, if what you hear on this podcast interests you, I highly recommend the book as an excellent read.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/_7UEm53Q68YI first met Peter Sorgenfrei through LinkedIn and rapidly realised that we had a lot in common and would have a great conversation.  So it proved to be, and this episode is packed with leadership thoughts and advice that I think you will find extremely interesting and hopefully very useful.Peter was a serial entrepreneur and founder before a period of stress related burnout forced him to completely rethink his career.  He now focuses on helping founders and leaders to navigate the tricky path to success and, as you will see, we both have very similar thoughts on a lot of issues, despite having very different backgrounds. Peter and I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do too; please let me know what you think and, if you haven't already done so, please subscribe to this channel to get early notification of future episodes. You can find Peter here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sorgenfrei/Website: https://www.petersorgenfrei.com/X: https://x.com/psorgenfreiInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sorgenfrei_co/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094743968571Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/liwjPI9bdF8One of my most enduring and vivid memories of my time in uniform was our participation in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  The military were only ever expected to be in the background of this nationally important event, but the well publicised challenges faced by G4S over their ability to provide adequate venue security, meant that as the Games approached, the military's role grew enormously.  I was fortunate enough to be right in the heart of this drama as it unfolded.  I was the MOD member of the Home Office run "Olympic Security Board" and I and my team, were in the forefront of the planning and eventual delivery of the response.As is widely acknowledged, the military support to the Games was a spectacular success and in this short episode I attempt to capture some of the key aspects of the planning, the delivery, and the aftermath of this incredible period.  I really hope you enjoy the episode and, as ever, I would be delighted to hear what you think if you have the time to provide me some feedback. Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/UMB3ac2V2iEJeff Nielsen has a fascinating aviation career history.  A former United States Air Force C141 transport pilot, then an instructor pilot on the T37 trainer, Jeff subsequently had a 35 year career in Delta Airlines, rising to become one of their most senior captains.Alongside his flying career, Jeff also started podcasting more than 20 years ago, and has produced a huge number of episodes across multiple shows.  He is currently the main host of The Airline Pilot Guy show, a weekly aviation podcast that covers a wide range of aviation topics and has a very broad and large audience across the globe.  If you are interested in aviation, this is definitely a show to have a listen to and all the relevant links are below for easy access.In this episode we talk about lot about flying but also cover some aspects of Jeff's podcasting life as well as leadership of course.  We definitely finished the discussion feeling that there was more to talk about, and so we will definitely have a Part 2 to this episode at some point in the future.  It was a hugely enjoyable conversation and I really hope that you get a sense of that as you watch or listen to the episode.The best way to connect with Jeff is via The Airline Pilot Guy Show and you can find all the links to that below:Web: https://airlinepilotguy.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airlinepilotguyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/airlinepilotguy/X: https://x.com/airlinepilotguyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@airlinepilotguyPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/airlinepilotguySupport the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/dSrc0y8GXZQI've been intending to talk about leadership traits and authentic leadership in particular for some while now, but my work at Deloitte University this week provided a perfect catalyst for this episode.  Authenticity in the workplace was a significant topic of discussion and I consequently thought it would be a perfect subject to cover in this week's thematic episode of the show.The episode is short but I hope you find it both interesting and valuable.  Given that I have only recently started video podcasting, I would be particularly interested in your feedback on the visual format if you have used it.  Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here:https://youtu.be/NLGG5OAMCNoMark Cheshire is a fantastic man with an amazing career track record behind him.  Starting with a 30 year career in Lloyds Banking Group that saw him rise to be the CEO of the Lloyds UK Private Bank, in more recent times he has built a highly successful portfolio career with a particular emphasis on board advisory work and executive coaching.He has a lot of great tips and advice for leaders in senior roles and I'm sure you'll find this episode both interesting and enjoyable in equal measure.You can find Mark on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-cheshire-12252b3b/Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/Nx1yfjz0POUHetti Barkworth-Nanton is a remarkable individual.  She is the CEO of Ploughshare, Chair of Refuge UK, Co-Founder and Patron of The Joanna Simpson Foundation, but those are just the formal positions she holds.  Listening to her story, it is clear that, in the margins of her mainstream roles, Hetti is supporting a range of other individuals as they deal with a variety of traumatic personal situations.  Hetti's own journey is an emotional one, but it is a true tale of triumph over adversity.  The related story of her campaigning, together with Diana Parkes (Joanna Simpson's mother), to ensure the continued imprisonment of Joanna's killer has received mainstream media publicity, and resulted in both of them being honoured with the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire), as well as winning a Pride of Britain award in 2024.Hetti's passion, emotion and drive are very evident in all that she says on this podcast.  It is a powerful and fascinating story, and she provides a range of great advice and thoughts that will benefit anyone who is currently suffering or has previously suffered with the effects of trauma.  I found it incredibly moving, but we also had a lot of fun doing the interview - I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!  Your feedback would be greatly appreciated and, if you like what you see, please share it widely so that others can join the debate.You can find Hetti here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hettibn/X: https://x.com/hetnantonSupport the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/7vYdDL4e1k0Greg Bagwell and Sean Bell have been colleagues and friends of mine for many years now.  Both are former fast-jet pilots but we all went down different aircraft paths at the end of flying training.  Whilst I went to the Jaguar, Greg went to the Tornado, and Sean went to the Harrier, via an instructional tour on the Jet Provost as a "creamed off" Qualified Flying Instructor.  We all climbed the career ladder to close to the top of the Royal Air Force, with Sean and I making 2* rank, whilst Greg went further and retired as a 3* Air Marshal.Unsurprisingly, given our similar backgrounds and long standing relationship, this episode is full of banter and flying stories, but there is also a plethora of great leadership advice and plenty of commentary on contemporary events from two guys who are very close to what is happening in the here and now. Both have portfolio careers, but Greg is the President of the Air & Space Power Association (https://airspacepower.com/), and Sean is a regular defence commentator on Sky News.  They also come together as hosts of The High Ground Podcast, which focuses specifically on air & space power issues of the moment.I highly recommend their podcast if you are looking for some expert commentary on this crucial component of defence capability.  You can find it either via a link on the Air Space Power Association website (main link above) or at the following:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1JQusc6SVDIpjmkUH6gPy6 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AirSpacePowerAssociation You can also find Greg and Sean individually here:Greg: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjbagwell/X: https://x.com/gregbagwellSean:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-bell-1998633a/X: https://x.com/BellusUKSupport the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/BsCKsGCDXOgAt the conclusion of my tour at the Chief of Defence Staff's Liaison Officer in The Pentagon, I was fortunate enough to be promoted once again, this time to be an Air Vice-Marshal, which was to be my final rank in the Royal Air Force.I returned to the UK Ministry of Defence, into the role of Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operations), a job that I never dreamed I would get so this was a big deal!The tour was fascinating on all sorts of levels and there is much to much to restrict it to a single episode of the show.  Consequently, as with some of my other big roles, there will be several parts to this personal story, and I begin by setting the scene rather than getting into too many specifics.I really hope you enjoy the episode; please let me have your feedback as I always love to hear what you think.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/FnN6o5eSScIHaving known him for almost 20 years, I was delighted that Tom Tugendhat agreed to join me as a guest on Leading 4 Life "Stories".  Tom is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Tonbridge, a constituency in the South East of the UK.  Although he is now a back bench MP on the opposition benches, for a period in the previous government, Tom was the Minister of State for Security, and was also the Chairman of the important Foreign Affairs Committee.  He has also run twice, so far unsuccessfully, to be the leader of the Conservative & Unionist Party.Prior to his parliamentary life, Tom was initially a journalist and then an Army officer, and he talks about his journey extensively during the episode.  With such an interesting and varied career, it is entirely unsurprising that Tom has a wealth of leadership experience and tips to share.  It is relatively unusual to get sitting MPs to do long form interviews such as this, and I am extremely grateful to Tom for giving such a personal and candid account of his life and experience.As well as his personal story, we explore a lot of current issues in the wider geopolitical and UK political arena and, whatever your personal political preferences, I think you will find Tom's perspectives well considered and very interesting.  This was an interview I have been hoping to secure for some time and it was absolutely all that I could have wished for.  I really hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it.  If you do, please share it widely across your own networks.Should you wish to know more about him, you can find Tom here:LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-tugendhat-138a531/Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/tomtugendhat/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tomtugendhatSubstack:  https://tomtugendhat.substack.com/X:  https://x.com/TomTugendhatSupport the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/U7exNBCMO5MI have worked with Tabi Haller-Jorden a number of times whilst facilitating at Deloitte University, and I realised a while ago that she would be an outstanding guest to have on Leading 4 Life "Stories".  Tabi has an amazing career background with a wide range of senior and very entrepreneurial roles.  Her leadership knowledge and expertise is fantastic, and she has a ton of great tips for leaders at all levels that I'm sure you will find valuable. Over the course of this conversation, we discuss Tabi's:- Career summary- Early motivations- Changes in leadership style- Thoughts on the most important leadership traits- Role models- Advice to her younger self- Career highs and lows- Tips for integrating work and personal life- Tips for leaders given today's geopolitical and societal challenges- Most memorable moment- Most difficult questionI sincerely hope you enjoy this episode.  If you do, please send me some feedback, and share it widely so that others can benefit from Tabi's great thoughts.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/X6pWwKLn24sI won't attempt to disguise that this is something of a stream of consciousness and a personal rant, but I do think that poor behaviour, lack of common courtesy and selfishness is becoming an increasing problem in our society.As leaders, I don't think this is something we should just tolerate and / or ignore; we have a responsibility to do our best to develop our people to be the best they can be and to positively contribute to the work environment and to society in general.  In this episode I do my best to set out some of my own thoughts and I provide a number of personal examples of where I have seen poor behaviour and my own approach to dealing with it.  I would be really interested to hear whether you think I have simply "gone off on one" or whether you share my views; please let me know.  There is no such thing as bad feedback in my view!Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageThis episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/jKA5vGqq6tEJonathan Bowman-Perks was my guest way back on Episode 24 of Leading 4 Life "Stories" but, given we work in very similar fields and interview a lot of great leaders, we both felt that it would be great to do another episode where we discuss a range of big themes that are affecting leaders in all walks of life at the moment.Over the course of this conversation, we discuss:Intergenerational workingHybrid workingThe speed of growth of AIThe rise of populism and more extreme forms of government Geopolitical threats and the lack of individual / societal resilience in the face of those threatsIt was a great discussion and, whilst we certainly don't profess to have all the answers, we hope that we stimulate your thinking and at least initiate a debate within your own leadership circle.Do let us know what you think as feedback is most definitely "the breakfast of champions"!You can find Jonathan here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanperks/Website: https://jonathanperks.com/Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageIn the run up to January 2011, I had fought hard to avoid going to the USA as the Chief of Defence Staff's Liaison Officer to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs based in The Pentagon in Washington DC.  I hadn't fought because I didn't fancy the job; the role was a high profile one and clearly looked as though it would be rewarding and fun.  The issue was that it was only just over 2 years since I had returned from Afghanistan, my wife and I had faced down a lot of personal dramas over that period and, to cap it all, we were right in the middle of building our new house in Sussex.Nonetheless, having made my points, I had accepted my lot and was now focused on doing the best job I could whilst I was in Washington.  I had absolutely no idea at that point that it would turn out to be one of the most rewarding postings of my entire career, with masses of operational activity to contend with, as well as the absolute privilege of working with some of the very best in the US military at that point in time.  The personal bill was high though; I spent a lot of time flying to and from the UK for 36 hour visits to help my wife with the house build and I wouldn't wish that on anyone but, on the positive side, the house got built and we still love it to this day!I very much hope you will pick up my enthusiasm and admiration for the US military that I worked with over this 9 month period - it was a truly amazing role and I absolutely loved it.  Do please let me know what you think!Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageI am delighted that for my 100th episode of Leading 4 Life "Stories" I am joined by my old friend Paul Beaver.  Paul is a prolific author (his 80th book is about to be published!), an extremely knowledgeable historian and a seasoned broadcaster.  He has a passion for the military, and has been on the ground in some serious conflict zones both as an Army reservist and as a journalist so, unsurprisingly, we chat a good deal about geopolitics and the current challenges the world faces.  We also cover a great many leadership points, and Paul's incredibly multi-faceted career makes him ideal to provide some great thoughts on all aspects of leadership.It was a real joy to talk to Paul at length and I really hope you enjoy this milestone episode - please do let me know what you think!You can find Paul on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulbeaver/ Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageWay back in September 2023 (Episode 8), I published a thematic episode on personal resilience and self-care.  The world feels very different since that episode was published and so I thought it was time that I put out some more thoughts on resilience, but this time I thought it more appropriate to focus on national and societal resilience, especially given the increasingly challenging geopolitical situation the world is currently facing.I always try to stay clear of political positions in my podcasts and this is no exception; however, I passionately believe that a much more robust debate on national security and national resilience is long overdue.  Having cut my early career teeth in the last years of the Cold War, I am only too aware of the impact of the resultant "peace dividend" that affected many countries, particularly across Western Europe following the collapse of the Soviet Union.In this episode I also highlight another podcast that has recently been published by Sky News.  Entitled "The War Game", it is outstanding and I highly recommend that you listen to it.  Not only does it have startling relevance to recent events across the globe, it also features role play in the "game" by a wide range of senior UK political, civilian and military figures who have themselves had very prominent roles within the UK Government or wider national security structure.  It is not comfortable to listen to, but it is certainly important to listen to!  Our political leaders continue to "talk the talk" about national security but, understandably, they are also driven by the perceived priorities of their electorates and those same electorates (especially in the UK) are certainly not yet feeling any form of existential threat to their own borders and shores.  I believe we need to change that narrative and that will require collective work from across the population.  If you believe in the same priorities, I hope you will add your own voice to this critical issue.I hope you enjoy the episode; please do let me know what you think.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageWith my epic tour in command of Kandahar Airfield behind me, my next posting took me back to the Ministry of Defence in London to be the Head of Targeting and Information Operations.  In many respects this was an amazing job and a great tour, albeit that much of it cannot be discussed on this podcast because the majority of the actual work was highly classified.  However, it wasn't the work environment that defined this chapter of my life.  It was the personal challenges that dominated and the handling of which I still reflect on to this day! In this episode I try to shed some light on those challenges and offer some advice and thoughts about how you might respond in similar circumstances.  This is definitely one occasion when that advice is mostly focused on "don't do what I did" and I very much hope you find it useful. Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life