Forging Resilience

War doesn’t stay in the past. And neither does the identity you built to survive it.Parts of this conversation go to some heavy places, including suicide and mental health. Today I sit down with James Malone, former Royal Marines commando and now founder of Palpa Films to explore what really happens when you leave one life behind and try to build another.James walks us through that shift. From Afghanistan to maritime security. From remote mines in Australia and New Zealand to picking up a camera and starting again. It’s not a straight line. It’s messy. At times, destructive. And honest.We talk about what combat leaves behind. The pressure. The responsibility. The moments you can’t control. And what it’s like when others see something in you before you’re ready to admit it yourself.This isn’t just about transition. It’s about what comes after. The drinking. The avoidance. The turning point. James shares the “burn the ships” moment that forced a different path and how small, consistent actions became a way out.We also get into the work he does now. Creativity. Storytelling. Learning to trust instinct. “Be ready. Honour your impulse.”  And what it means to make something about something not just of it.There’s a thread through all of this:  You don’t escape it. You learn to work with it. If you’re navigating change, carrying something heavy, or trying to figure out who you are after the role you once held this one will land.To reach out to James, find him on LinkedIn or via his website. If this conversation brings something up for you, don’t sit with it on your own. You can reach out to Save A Warrior UK for support. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Most high performers are running on a nervous system that hasn't been given permission to recover. You feel fine. You're productive. And underneath it, you're running hotter than you know.Jack McMillan was an elite footballer who kept choking under pressure not from lack of talent, but from a nervous system he'd never learned to regulate. What he found, reluctantly, through yoga and breathwork, changed everything. Not just how he performed. How he lived.Now co-founder of Optima Performance, Jack works at the intersection of breath, physiology, and human performance  with elite athletes, football managers, and corporate teams of 400 people who all share the same problem: they know how to push, but not how to recover.In this conversation we get into the mechanics and the meaning. Why dysfunctional breathing quietly drives overthinking, poor sleep, and tunnel vision under pressure. How a single shift from mouth to nasal breathing can lower your heart rate before you've said a word. And why the pause the one most high performers skip might be the most underrated performance tool available.Jack also walks us through his breathing gears model for difficult conversations, the Reset Breath practice you can do in two minutes before sleep, and why the best athletes he's worked with are the ones who leave their ego at the door.This one is practical. And if you run on stress, it might also be uncomfortable in the best possible way.Reachout to Jack vias his website or LinkedIn Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Your service ends, but your decision load explodes. One day you are inside a system that tells you where to be, what to wear, and what matters. The next, you are choosing everything,for some, the smallest choices can hit the hardest.Helen Lunnon-Wood joins me again for part two of our transition series. As a former RAF fast jet pilot and the founder of High Flight Coaching, she brings a grounded view of what happens beneath the surface when you leave the military. We talk about the messy middle: the loss of structure, the shock of self-presentation after uniform, and the way work boundaries can collide with a lifetime of service-before-self. We also open up the deeper layer around values, ethos, moral compass, and how disillusionment can shape your next move in civilian life.From there we get into purpose, belonging, and the loneliness that can show up even when you are surrounded by people. We tease apart loneliness versus isolation, why so many of us seek “familiar” organisations after leaving, and how mentoring, coaching, journalling, and honest reflection can turn the boulders on your path into stepping stones. We finish by defining thriving not as glory, but as small moments, gratitude, and choices your 80-year-old self will thank you for.If this resonates, listen now, share it with someone navigating a veteran career change, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations on military transition and resilience.Find Helen on LinkedIn or via her website.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

This is a conversation about what’s really going on beneath behaviour.We get into the gap between reacting and responding, and why most of us—especially under pressure—default to the behaviour we see rather than the feeling driving it. Alice breaks down mentalisation in a way that’s simple and practical. Not theory. Real-life application.We talk about what happens when we’re dysregulated as parents, how that shapes the moment, and why connection has to come before correction if we want to be heard. There’s a strong thread around repair—how families that are “working” aren’t perfect, but they come back together well after things go wrong.We also widen the lens. The cost of getting this wrong isn’t just in the home. It shows up in mental health, in systems, in society. And equally, the opportunity is upstream—small, consistent moments of presence, attention, and understanding.There’s a lot in here for parents. But also for anyone leading, influencing, or in relationship with others.Get in touch with Alice via LinkedIn or her website. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

You can plan the exit date, but you cannot schedule who you become afterwards. Aaron Hill sits down with Helen London Wood, former RAF fast jet pilot and founder of High Flight Coaching, to talk honestly about transition as a living process that keeps evolving long after the uniform is handed back. We get into what it feels like when structure vanishes, when identity suddenly becomes a question again, and when you realise you have been “fitting in” rather than truly belonging. Helen shares the jolt of the first month without a military pay cheque and the deeper identity story underneath it: independence, self-worth, and the weight of feeling “dependent”.  Aaron brings a different perspective from leaving earlier in a career and living far from people who share the same background, including the loneliness that can sit beneath achievement. Together, we explore why operational cultures are brilliant at performance feedback yet can leave little room for deeper reflection, and why that gap often shows up during military to civilian transition, career change, or any major life pivot. We unpack the triathlon model of transition: pause, remove what no longer serves, take what you truly need, then move into the next leg with intention. We talk about micro-decompression rituals between meetings, the power of commute time as a psychological reset, and how to find community when you feel isolated. If you are navigating leadership under pressure, veteran reintegration, or a big role change, this conversation offers language, reassurance, and tools you can use immediately. Subscribe for the next part of the series, share this with someone mid-transition, and leave a review so more people can find it. What part of transition are you in right now?Find Helen on LinkedIn or via her website.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

You can spend years trying to fix a problem that was never locked in the first place. That’s the provocative premise behind our chat with Sam Smith, coach and author of The Door Is Never Locked, and it immediately changes how we think about resilience, mindset, and high performance under pressure. We talk about what it looks like when a single insight shifts your trajectory faster than another plan, another programme, or another round of self-improvement noise. Sam shares a turning point from a dark season in his life, why “deserving” can be the hidden barrier to getting support, and how the simplest prompts can help you trust what you already know. If you’re navigating a career transition, leadership stress, or that vague sense that something needs to change, you’ll hear practical ways to create space and move without forcing. We also dig into why language matters more than we realise, how reframing a story can open real options, and what flow and acceptance look like beyond the motivational posters. Sam introduces two sticky concepts for personal development and coaching: competing commitments that quietly override your goals, and the “kitchen sink test” that often hits right before a breakthrough. What’s one “door” you’re ready to stop treating as locked?To get in touch with Sam, find him on LinkedIn and here you can find his book.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Astronaut training sounds like a world away from everyday leadership, until you hear what Susan Charlesworth learned at the European Space Agency: the best crews succeed because they master the human skills, not because they are fearless. Susan is a psychologist and human performance specialist who has trained astronauts, mission control teams, and Antarctic expedition crews in leadership, communication, decision making under pressure, and the human factors that keep complex systems safe.We dig into what “soft skills” really look like in extreme environments, including how training uses case studies from aviation and space incidents to create urgency, then turns that insight into practice through simulations, clear roles, and disciplined communication loops. Susan also explains how astronauts are supported with tightly planned schedules, nutrition, sleep routines, debriefs, and psychological care, and why that structure can actually reduce stress compared with many workplaces on Earth.One of the most gripping moments is the story of Luca Parmitano’s spacewalk near miss, when water began filling his helmet and communication became harder. It’s a powerful reminder that resilience is not a slogan: it’s preparation, procedures you can execute when your brain is flooded with adrenaline, and simple tools like box breathing to steady yourself in the moment. We also explore problem solving and creativity, why “shower moments” happen, how play can unlock better ideas for technical teams, and what humans may still do best in an age of AI.If you lead people, work in high-stakes roles, or simply want to stay calm when pressure spikes, you’ll take away practical, grounded techniques you can use immediately. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with someone who thrives under pressure, and leave a review to help others find the show.Get in touch with Susan on LinkedIn or via her website. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What happens when the rank slides off and the real test begins? We sit down with Paul Blair, a former Parachute Regiment officer turned founder, to unpack the gritty reality of moving from elite military units to building and scaling products like SafeSticks and ArcX. This isn’t about war stories or pitch decks; it’s the unvarnished blueprint for leading without a uniform, navigating bad deals, and finding focus when the world won’t slow down.Paul takes us inside the SafeSticks journey, from a visceral moment in the park to a vet’s dressing-down, through painful supply chain lessons and public ridicule, to a gutsy trip to a Florida trade show where a chance encounter with Kong’s president led to a global licensing deal. He explains why credibility in startups is earned by competence, not titles, and how the military’s after action reviews, calm under fire, and obsession with clarity translate into a robust operating system for founders.Along the way, we dig into leadership shifts from command to coaching setting clear goals, giving ownership, and building high trust with younger teams. If you care about founder focus, startup strategy, and leadership without theatrics, you’ll find rich, hard-won takeaways here: how to spot bad partners, how to blag opportunity with integrity, how to licence and let go, and when to push or pull the plug. We close on meaning financial security, legacy, and finding reward today rather than betting everything on a distant exit.If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a teammate who needs a “Condor moment,” and leave us a review with one insight you’re taking into your week. Your notes help others discover the pod and keep these candid conversations flowing.To get in touch with Paul find him on LinkedIn or via his website.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

The room went silent when Joel’s son didn’t take his first breath. From that instant, everything accelerated: 45 minutes of resuscitation on the kitchen floor, an ambulance ride that felt like forever, and the surreal calm of a NICU buzzing with experts. Joel takes us inside the father’s experience what it’s like to do infant CPR with shaking hands, to watch a newborn turn from blue to pink and back again, and to face a conversation about end-of-life decisions within 24 hours of becoming a parent.Joel and his partner had prepared with intention midwives, a seasoned doula, infant first aid and that groundwork mattered. Inside the NICU, they learned to advocate with clarity: tracking plans across rotating shifts, asking precise questions, and challenging changes with respect. He shares how listening deeply, naming emotions without blame, and aligning with caregivers turned overwhelm into a shared mission to protect their son.The emotional terrain is raw and human: flashes of rage, memory gaps, the disorienting relief of a “miracle” MRI, and the complex grace of accepting help. Joel talks candidly about pride, money, and what receiving really means when community shows up with meals, rent, and late-night messages. He also offers simple anchors that carried him through breathwork, “I am” statements, and the mantra “I am here now” and how those practices still guide bedtime meltdowns and ordinary days.If you’ve ever wondered how resilience looks when control disappears, this story is a compass. If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with someone who needs hope, and leave a review to help others find it. Joel is also very open for people to get in touch with him, should they wish to do so.  Connect with him via his website or Instagram. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Bex shares her story from early life in London, shaped by a loving family and growing up fast while her mum lived with MS and her dad worked decades in policing. She reflects on a career filled with both extraordinary moments and real trauma, and the pull she’s always felt to “give back” by passing on what works beyond policing into everyday leadership, work, and relationships.A core theme is self-awareness. Bex talks through the “iceberg” exercise she uses with negotiators: what people see on the surface versus what sits underneath values, beliefs, emotional drivers, past experiences. Her point is simple: you can’t lead well, help well, or negotiate well if you don’t understand what’s driving you first.From there, she makes negotiation practical and human. Active listening is the foundation. Seek to understand someone’s perspective before trying to move them. Earn trust through tone, pace, and presence not just words. She also warns against “preset scripts,” and offers softer, more opening language like “Tell, Explain, Describe,” instead of sharper “what/why” questions that can land as accusatory.The conversation closes on transition and resilience. Leaving the police wasn’t clean or easy especially alongside losing her mum because it brought grief, identity loss, and the sudden absence of structure and support. Resilience, for her now, is broader than “cracking on”: it’s building a healthy network, setting personal challenges, choosing work that fits, keeping things fun, and learning to say no without guilt as part of protecting what matters.Reach out to Beks via LinkedIn or her website. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Bodhi Aldridge teaches leaders how to strip back the armour and lead from what’s real. In this conversation, he lays out his core framework for true freedom—inner, outer, and relational—and why most high achievers can win on paper while still feeling trapped.Aaron and Bodhi explore the search for the “holy grail” and the shift from chasing success outside ourselves to reconnecting with essence within. They unpack embodied presence, attention as a leader’s greatest asset, and the difference between resistance and flow in everyday life.They also get practical. From sitting still for five minutes a day to reflective journaling, Bodhi explains why simple daily practice matters more than peak experiences. There’s an honest look at fatherhood, midlife pressure, and the quiet question many leaders ask in their forties: Is this it?If you’re building a business, raising a family, and navigating transition without wanting to burn everything down to find meaning—this conversation offers a grounded place to start.Reach out to Bohdi via LinkedIn or his website.And here is the podcast he mentioned, True Freedom with Richard Stokes. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

This conversation with Tom Dear explores creativity not as artistry, but as a fundamental human capacity for problem solving. Drawing on his journey from amateur rugby into the creative and brand world, Tom reflects on the tension many high performers feel between seemingly opposing identities. Rather than choosing one side, he shares how learning to sit in the middle where structure meets play became a turning point in both his work and his sense of self.A central theme is the distinction between pressure-driven action and genuinely creative states. Tom introduces the idea of NEA (Negative Emotional Attractor) and PEA (Positive Emotional Attractor) states, showing how urgency, stress, and constant stimulation can shut creativity down. In contrast, practices like play, nature, mindfulness, aspiration, and compassion open the space where insight and flow emerge often when we stop trying to force outcomes.The conversation also gets practical. From simple doodling exercises to rethinking how leaders, founders, and creators approach content, branding, and idea generation, Tom offers grounded tools that help people access creativity without performance pressure. His approach reframes creativity as something already present, waiting to be unlocked rather than imported from outside.At its core, this episode is about permission. Permission to loosen the tie, rethink how we work, and stop outsourcing creativity to “experts.” For high performers navigating transition, it’s a reminder that flow isn’t found through more force—but through creating the conditions where thinking, energy, and authenticity can reconnect.Connect with Tom on LinkedIn, Instagram or via his website East and West Studio. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Charlie Radclyffe's story is a hard pivot: British Army officer, injured on duty at 24, and an overnight shift from fully fit to paralysis. He speaks about the strange clarity he felt early on almost skipping the “expected” stages and how the fighter response took over: rehab, grind, “get better.” Alongside that, a quieter thread ran in the background: the sense that this was also a “quest,” a forcing function for deeper learning, identity change, and meaning.A core theme is the tension between fight and quest. Charlie explores how fight can become a refusal to accept the present, and how quest can create a strange attachment to the “after,” as if recovery might mean losing the growth. Over the last year, his relationship with “loss” shifted less partitioning life into before/after, more acceptance, and less charge when old triggers show up.That charge mattered because Charlie’s injury didn’t end at the injury. The legal and administrative reality pensions, tribunals, repeated errors, “brown envelope” letters kept pulling him back into the story. He describes how that system can freeze people in the lived harm, and how the process itself can become corrosive, especially for those with fewer resources, less support, or active mental health strain.Out of that experience, Charlie has built work to bridge the gap between legal complexity and the lived reality of veterans navigating claims. He speaks with a new tone: compassion without denial, accountability without bitterness. And he lands on a practical vision convening major charities, then decision-makers, then law firms not to “wrong” anyone, but to shine a clear spotlight on what’s failing, what’s working, and how to make the path less damaging for the people already carrying enough.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

A single report cracked the silence. When Laura stumbled across research on child sexual exploitation in gang settings, she suddenly saw her teenage years reflected back in detail language for what had been unnamed, proof she wasn’t alone, and a doorway to tell her mother at last. From that moment, a decade-long journey gathered momentum: specialist services, nights of journaling, breath that softened panic, movement that thawed freeze, and a gradual return to a body that once felt unsafe to live in.In this conversation with Laura Coveney, we talk openly about sexual abuse, exploitation and their long-term impact. Laura shares her story of losing her dad at 14, her family collapsing around her, and being drawn into a world of gang members and drug dealers who sexually exploited her at a time when she was looking for somewhere to belong. If you’ve experienced sexual abuse or trauma yourself, or you’re close to someone who has, please know this episode may be activating. Look after yourself and listen in a way that feels safe.That moment shattered her isolation, helped her find language for what happened, and led to a clear decision: “I will do whatever it takes to reconnect to myself.” Laura talks about “keep going no matter what” in a way that includes rest, collapse, trial and error, misdiagnosis, and slowly rebuilding safety in her body through movement, journaling, breath work, somatics and, more recently, cycle syncing  which she now calls “an entire navigation system.” Reach out to Luarua through her Instagram or LinkedIn accounts.  If this moved you, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review, what part of Laura’s story stayed with you?Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What if physical performance looked less like punishment and more like momentum? We sit down with performance coach Chris Tombs whose résumé spans World Cup-winning rugby, professional cricket, action sports, and high-performing everyday people to unpack a framework that actually fits a busy life. No biohacking gimmicks, no three-hour sweat marathons just proven habits and smart training that compound.Chris breaks down the trifecta behind durable results: mobility to move pain-free, aerobic capacity as your energy engine, and strength as your structural chassis. We dig into why consistency beats motivation, how to microdose training on messy days, and the art of finding a volume “sweet spot” that builds you up instead of breaking you down. Expect practical takeaways like the eight-to-one habit framework sleep, steps, mobility, hydration, protein, training, and one grounding hobby that helps you win more days with less friction. Along the way, Chris shares the behaviours of the truly elite: high standards, integrity, and a relentless commitment to the process so the outcome takes care of itself.If you want performance for real life  more energy, fewer aches, better confidence, and the freedom to say yes to adventure this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review to tell us the one habit you’ll start this week.Reachout to Chris through LinkedIn or Instagram Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

In this episode we sit down with Jo Bradshaw, Everest summiteer, expedition leader, and leadership coach. But this conversation quickly moves beyond altitude, summits, and achievement. Jo shares a non-linear life story shaped by uncertainty, fear, loss of confidence, and repeated reinvention from working with horses, to corporate roles, to standing on the highest mountains in the world.What emerges is a deeper conversation about leadership under pressure, responsibility for others, and the cost of chasing external milestones as proof of worth. Jo reflects on what mountains strip away rather than what they give bias, ego, comparison, and the illusion that strength looks only one way. Whether she’s talking about surviving the Everest earthquake, leading teams in extreme environments, or navigating menopause and identity shifts later in life, the focus repeatedly returns to presence, honesty, and self-trust.This is an episode for high performers in transition, those questioning whether the next summit, promotion, or achievement will finally deliver clarity or peace. Jo offers a different lens: growth that comes from attention to the small inputs, ownership of internal states, and the courage to adapt without losing yourself.If this episode sparked something for you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help others find us. What 1% change will you make today?Connect with Jo through her website, LinkedIn or Instagram. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

In this conversation, I sit down with Judith Kromberg a political scientist shaped less by theory and more by lived experience. Judith has worked across post-conflict environments with the UN and EU, lived in multiple countries, and now finds herself in Sweden, studying the relationship between the European Union and Greenland. What stands out isn’t the roles she’s held, but how consistently she’s followed her own internal compass while moving through complex systems, cultures, and identities. We talk about what it means to belong to a place, a culture, and to yourself and how that sense of belonging can become a base from which to explore rather than something that confines you. Judith reflects on growing up Catalan, living as an outsider in different countries, and learning how cultural intelligence, accountability, and self-awareness shape how we navigate unfamiliar environments. The conversation also moves into resilience not as a performance trait, but as something forged quietly through uncertainty, recovery, and adaptation. From post-war Kosovo to long hospital stays after a life-changing accident, to researching Inuit resilience in Greenland, Judith offers a thoughtful, human perspective on how people survive, adapt, and make sense of the worlds they move through. Throughout, Judith’s compass points to a simple, powerful stance: stay curious, hold yourself accountable, and keep asking better questions across borders and beliefs.If this conversation sparked something, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves big questions, and leave a review with your favourite takeaway so others can find us too.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

If the room is full of nods but decisions still stall, the problem isn’t a lack of harmony it might be a lack of skilful disagreement. Aaron sits down with leadership and culture coach Dean Leek to unpack how teams can turn conflict into a competitive advantage without burning people out. From elite sport to FTSE boardrooms, Dean has seen what happens when “win at all costs” collides with real human limits, and why sustainable performance starts with health before high performance.We dig into one gold‑medal story that still stings: a last‑minute weight cut that delivered a podium but raised hard ethical questions. That moment became a leadership pivot—plan for dilemmas, debrief honestly, and define what “winning well” actually means. Dean breaks down the practical side too: how to narrow the authority gap so people speak up, how a two‑minute meeting primer invites challenge, and how to build structures like disagreement zones that create clarity about when to debate and when to decide. The goal isn’t consensus for its own sake; it’s progress through rigorous, respectful thinking.Along the way, we explore serendipity, imposter syndrome as a hidden superpower, and the both‑and mindset that lets empathy and accountability coexist.If you lead a team, coach, or just want better conversations at home, this is a roadmap for disagreeing well and enjoying it.Subscribe, share with a colleague who avoids tough talks, and leave a review telling us one norm you’ll try at your next meeting.Connect with Dean on LinkedIn or via his website. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

The moment you level up, the doubts level up too. We tackle that head-on with a lively, honest conversation about the “devil at every level” the way new goals awaken old fears and the tools that actually move you forward when motivation goes missing. With three friends who coach for a living and laugh for sanity, we explore what it looks like to leave a secure career, build a business from scratch, and still hit publish when perfectionism flares.We dig into the upper limit problem and the internal thermostat that snaps you back to familiar comfort. You’ll hear how perfectionism shows up as a sign, not a standard; why fifty takes of a thirty‑second reel is a trap; and how commitment beats moods when it counts. We share small, concrete systems decide ahead of time, act small, measure the gains that make progress inevitable. Belief is a lagging indicator, not the starter pistol. Break goals into tractable actions, detach your identity from outcomes, and let experience recalibrate your limits.  If you’re sitting on a goal because the fear feels bigger than your confidence, this is your nudge to move, imperfectly and on purpose.If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs the push, and leave a review to help more people find these conversations. What ceiling are you choosing to challenge this week?Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

The shine of rapid growth can hide a brutal truth: when success arrives as a sprint, your life becomes the finish line. Sitting down with Ollie Johnson, founder and CEO of Prescribe Life AI, we trace a candid journey from London finance to launching a cybersecurity startup that looked flawless on paper and felt empty on the inside. Ollie shares the quiet signals that something was wrong, wins that felt numb, constant tension, and a moment on a flight where not landing seemed like relief and the decision to step away, regroup with his family, and rebuild a healthier way to work.That experience sparked Prescribe Life AI, a platform that gives coaches and leaders a 360-degree view of physiological markers, habits, readiness, sleep, and mental wellbeing, turning foggy feelings into clear signals and early warnings. We talk openly about why numbers can’t replace human connection and why the real fix requires emotional honesty, coaching, and cultural change.For founders and leaders, the biggest takeaway is concrete: your habits set the standard. Late-night emails and weekend pings teach your team what survival looks like. Boundaries teach something else. If your calendar is always full and your joy is oddly quiet, this conversation offers practical steps to steady the ship sleep and recovery routines, HRV and trend tracking, external coaching, and a cultural reset that prizes sustainable performance. Listen, reflect, and then choose one boundary to protect this week. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help others find these conversations.Find out more about Prescribe Life AI or connect with Oli on LinkedIn. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Joe Rowntree spent years chasing the buzz on stage as a stand-up, in casinos, and on nights out that ended with him stabbed on Las Ramblas in Barcelona. A diagnosis of ADHD, a wrecked bank account and a battle with anxiety forced him to rethink what he was really chasing.In this episode we talk about anxiety as the price we pay for a future-focused brain, why “making it” can feel strangely numb, and how booze, gambling and performance can become DIY medication for an unsettled mind. Joe shares how he rebuilt from GA meetings and therapy into Anxiety Uncovered, helping young people understand their own brains.If you’re a high performer who looks fine on the outside but feels restless, wired or empty on the inside, this one will land close to home.If you’re a parent, teacher, or high performer navigating change, this conversation offers grounded strategies and a humane perspective. You’ll hear how to turn anxiety from saboteur into fuel, why success is an inside job, and how small daily reps, awareness, a single “hello” can rewire a life. Listen, share it with someone who needs it, and if it helps, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find these tools.Get in touch with Joe via Instagram or website. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Helen Lunnon-Wood knows what it means to say “good to go” and put the mask on. In this episode of Forging Resilience, we walk through the three thirds of her professional life: psychology student turned fast jet pilot, then senior military leader working across NATO and the US services, and now aviation psychologist, coach, and founder of High Flight. She talks about the cost and the gift of that journey, migraines that ended her flying career, becoming a parent, and the slow shift from the cockpit to supporting others from the ground.We dig into Helen’s take on resilience, far beyond the buzzword. She shares her LEMONS framework, lifestyle and loving what you do, exercise, “meditations” as emptying your head, optimism, nutrition, and sleep and how migraines became her early warning system when her resilience was low. We talk about marbles in the jar, the tiny daily choices that really build resilience, and why sometimes that looks like a deliberate mental health day.Helen also opens up about being one of the very few women in fast jet squadrons, the tension between belonging and fitting in, and the masks she wore from her callsign “Elle” to the masculine armour she had to adopt just to survive.Helen explains how tools from aviation planning, briefing, debriefing, feedback transfer into business and leadership, and why “good to go” has become her shorthand for the warrior mask leaders put on. Reach out to Helen on LinkedInHelp us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

In this episode of Forging Resilience, Aaron sits down with Jeannette Linfoot CEO, board advisor, entrepreneur, and host of Brave, Bold and Brilliant. From the boardroom to burnout, Jeannette has lived the highs of global leadership and the humbling moments that forced her to stop, listen, and rebuild on stronger foundations. Together they explore what it really means to lead yourself before leading others, and why the toughest work any leader will ever do starts on the inside.Jeannette shares her journey from chasing success to redefining it how illness became her wake-up call, how belief became her superpower, and why courage often begins with slowing down. This is a grounded conversation about progress, authenticity, and the quiet bravery it takes to show up as yourself not the version you think the world wants to see.If you’re ready to redefine success on your terms, lead with clarity, and build teams that perform under pressure, this conversation is your reset. Subscribe, share with a leader who needs it, and leave a quick review to tell us your favourite takeaway.Connect with Jeannette on LinkedIn, her website or find the Brave Bold Brilliant Podcast here! Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What happens when everything you believe about yourself and your purpose suddenly collapses? When the institutions and systems you trusted betray your core values? Dr. Rebecca Nicholson, who works at the intersection of conflict healing and resilience, guides us through the challenging terrain of moral injury—a profound identity crisis that affects people from all walks of life.The conversation opens a window into understanding conflict at its deepest levels. Dr. Nicholson explains how moral injury differs from ordinary struggles, comprising three critical elements: a legitimate authority you believed in, feelings of guilt and shame, and an existential crisis where you no longer understand your place in the world. This often manifests when people realize years of effort and sacrifice within a system were ultimately meaningless, leading to what she describes as "anhedonia"—the breakdown of the brain's reward system where nothing feels worthwhile anymore.We explore the devastating consequences: broken relationships, substance abuse, and suicide risk. Yet through Dr. Nicholson's expertise, we also discover paths toward healing that conventional approaches often miss. Her work in unconventional healing addresses the whole person—emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually—offering hope where traditional methods have failed. Particularly fascinating is her identification of three characteristics that help people recover: flexibility in identity, motivation driven by service to others rather than personal gain, and the ability to redefine success beyond conventional measures.Whether you're facing your own crisis of meaning, supporting someone through difficult transitions, or simply curious about the deeper dimensions of human resilience, this episode offers profound insights into how we survive and ultimately thrive when our foundations are shaken to the core.Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn or through her website. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What if the very thing stealing your performance is the urge to fit in? We sit down with coach and former professional rugby player Callum Wilson to unpack how desire, presence, and play can outperform grind, and why access to your best self often hides behind split focus and approval chasing. Today we sit with Callum Wilson speaker, coach, and former pro rugby player to explore how desire beats conformity. We talk performance vs acceptance, presence, and playing life like a game. Cal shares his brain-injury transition from rugby to coaching, identity beyond titles, and simple distinctions like choice vs decision and journey vs exploration — all aimed at living, leading, and performing at your best. Connect with Cal on his LinkedIn or through his website. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What if calm doesn’t live on the far side of your to-do list? I share hard-won lessons from coaching two high performers on the edge of overwhelm and a deceptively simple practice that helped me respond instead of react at the dinner table.From there, we take a seat at the theatre—steep rows, exposed sightlines, and a powerful performance from a friend who becomes his character night after night. That backstage glimpse opens a wider question: what’s the real cost of the roles we play at work and at home? We unpack masks as tools that protect and perform, and how they turn into heavy armour when we forget to take them off.  Press play, try the questions at the end, and let me know: where did you notice peace today? If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—it helps others find us and keeps the conversation going.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Phil Richards MBE spent 32 years at Tesco before life changed in 2017 with stage-four cancer. In this conversation we unpack how he reframed fear into action: the bathroom-mirror moment (“I’m not going to die today”), his three grounding questions (best, worst, reality), and his simple PROOF framework—Purpose, Resilience, Optimistic Reality, Objectives, Focus. We get practical: breaking the impossible into the “next rock,” living in the moment with family, training at 6 a.m. when motivation is gone, and talking about cancer without the head-tilt. It’s a masterclass in building discipline, choosing meaning over years, and turning adversity into service. Beyond mindset, Phil’s story carries tangible impact. He’s raised close to £200,000 for a small diagnostic charity, earned an MBE for services to charity and the economy, and built a new network defined by service and honest connection. The thread through it all is simple: break the impossible into the next rock, remember what you love when times are good so you can reach for it when times are hard, and turn motivation into discipline through focus.If this resonates, follow Phil on LinkedIn at “Phil Richards MBE,” check philrichardsmbe.com for his PROOF resources, and share this conversation with someone who needs practical hope. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what’s the best that could happen if you took one small step today?Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What if the strongest thing you can bring to the room isn’t control, but connection? We sit down with leadership mentor and former elite high-performance coach Craig White to chart the shift from head to heart, and from managing outcomes to mastering attention. Craig takes us behind the scenes of life at the top of rugby and into the inner practices that changed everything: breathwork as the master regulator, nature as a nervous-system reset, and relational presence as the true measure of leadership.Craig opens up about a month in a tantric yoga school that split his career into a before and after—two weeks of restlessness followed by deep stillness, heart-opening states, and a flood of long-buried fear, anger, and grief. He explains why he reframes “soft skills” as attention skills, how he learned to share spirit and non-linear movement with hard-edged teams, and the rule that guides his work: never ask a client to do what you haven’t done yourself. We explore the often-hidden topic of male sexual energy as creative fuel, and how redirecting it through breath cultivates vitality, clarity, and steadiness under pressure.For high achievers who’ve built success on control, Craig lays out first steps toward safer relationships and better leadership: recognise dysregulation, recentre through the senses, and blend anger with love when setting boundaries. He shares a practical 20-question safety inventory couples can use, a redefined barometer of success—daily joy and staying open while activated—and seven pillars of self-leadership spanning self-understanding, radical accountability, emotional mastery, mission, vision, energy, and love. We finish with transitions as natural upgrades and the invitation to embody the body’s wisdom so you can meet life, and the people you love, with a clear spine and a soft front.If this conversation sparked something in you, follow and share the show, leave a review to help others find it, and tell us: what practice will you try this week to come back to centre?Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Season 3 opens with Air Commodore Rob Caine, Head of UK Military Flying Training. We get straight into resilience, how stoicism and The Obstacle Is the Way shape his mindset, then into decision-making under pressure via the OODA loop. Rob breaks down “Combat Edge,” a holistic upgrade to UK aircrew training that blends coaching, psychological skills, and cutting-edge synthetic/AR environments so more people reach the front line ready to fly, fight, and win. We talk psychological safety, transparent debriefs, learning from mistakes (including Rob’s own QWI setback), and the basics that sustain high performance: sleep, nature, humour, and strong teams. He shares why Ubuntu—“we’re good because we’re good together”—guides his leadership, and how mentoring from day one builds better aviators and better humans. Reach out to Rob on LinkedInHelp us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Wrapping up Season Two of Forging Resilience with reflections on the journey so far and exciting changes ahead for Season Three. Sharing five key insights gained from creating 76 episodes exploring different perspectives on strength and leadership.• Immense gratitude for guests who have offered their time to discuss important topics and build meaningful relationships• Even after 76 episodes, the nervous excitement before recording remains, making the experience feel alive and energizing• Embracing a "good enough" philosophy rather than perfectionism – getting episodes to 75% and out the door• Pride in creating something meaningful from what started as a wild idea and accident• Season Three will feature slight shifts in format while maintaining interesting conversations with fascinating people• Possible addition of video content and more focused topics for specific audiences.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What does a former commando know about financial freedom? As it turns out, quite a lot. In this illuminating conversation with Kev Halborg, chartered financial advisor and military veteran, we explore how true financial resilience creates the foundation for everything else in your life.Kev shares his remarkable journey from council estate to financial advisor, revealing how early exposure to entrepreneurial thinking shaped his understanding of money. With refreshing clarity, he breaks down his three-part framework for building financial resilience: knowing your number through comprehensive auditing, establishing a fighting fund for emergencies, and implementing proper protections for yourself and your business. The conversation takes fascinating turns as Kev explains the unexpected spillover effects of financial awareness - from weight loss to improved sleep and relationships. He challenges common misconceptions that financial resilience requires wealth, demonstrating how people at any income level can implement these principles. Parents will appreciate his practical approach to teaching children healthy money habits without transferring anxiety.Business owners receive particularly valuable insights on continuity planning and protection strategies that not only safeguard families but enhance business value during potential sales. Kev's military background brings a unique perspective on risk management and preparedness that translates perfectly to financial planning.Throughout our discussion, one truth emerges consistently: financial resilience begins with awareness and honesty. By understanding your current financial reality and implementing basic protective measures, you create the security needed to pursue growth in all areas of life. Connect with Kev on LinkedIn to continue the conversation and start building your own financial resilience today.Connect with Kev through LinkedInHelp us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

James Porter's story is a testament to resilience and transformation. After his teenage dream of becoming an RAF fighter pilot was medically disqualified, James found himself on a wildly different path—one that would take him from teaching drums in a garage to traveling the world with rock stars as Zildjian's International Artist Relations Manager.The conversation traces his extraordinary journey through the music industry, including the surreal experience of singing onstage with Queen in front of Nelson Mandela and 30,000 people. But the most profound part of James's story isn't about external success—it's about his inner journey. After 50 years as a committed Christian, he began asking questions that shook the foundations of his faith. With refreshing honesty, James shares how exploring theological concepts beyond his "charismatic evangelical bubble" led to a more expansive understanding of spirituality and ultimately changed how he relates to others.Now working as a transformation coach, James helps clients move beyond mere survival to creating their preferred futures. His approach isn't about quick fixes but addressing deeper beliefs and mindsets. The simple yet profound question that guides him: "Did you learn to love?"This conversation will resonate with anyone who has questioned deeply-held beliefs, faced unexpected life transitions, or sought to love more unconditionally. Whether you're religious, spiritual-but-not-religious, or neither, James's journey offers valuable insights on finding purpose through life's twists and turns.Connect with James on LinkedIn or through his website. Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What does it really take to raise emotionally resilient boys in today's digital world? This question sits at the heart of my conversation with Nicky, life coach and mother of two teenage sons navigating the complex landscape of modern masculinity.The conversation delves deep into how boys learn respect for women directly through their relationships with their mothers. Through a powerful story about enforcing PlayStation boundaries, Nicky illustrates how maintaining calm, loving firmness rather than reactive anger creates both respect and deeper connection. "I cannot let you disrespect me in that way," she told her son during a challenging moment – not as a power play, but as an act of love that teaches boundaries while honoring emotions.We explore the courage required to have uncomfortable conversations about sexuality, consent, and pornography – topics many parents avoid due to their own discomfort. Nicky suggests that when parents are willing to acknowledge their own awkwardness while still addressing these subjects factually, it creates safety for boys to ask questions without shame. This approach stands in stark contrast to the "because I said so" parenting many of us experienced growing up.Listen to this episode if you're raising boys, work with young people, or simply want to understand how emotional intelligence can transform our approach to difficult conversations both at home and in the workplace. Connect with Nicky on Instagram or reach out via her website to continue learning about emotional resilience.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What does it take to guide a boy into healthy manhood? In this profound conversation, Adam Gornow returns to explore the challenges facing teenage boys and the crucial role fathers play in their development.Adam begins by highlighting perhaps the most overlooked yet powerful tool in parenting: genuine attention. "One of the best things we can do for our sons is just pay attention," he explains, describing how truly listening creates space for authentic connection in a world demanding constant speed and immediate responses. This simple practice—slowing down, pausing before answering, being fully present—lays the foundation for meaningful relationship.We dive deep into how modern society has abandoned the "village concept" critical to raising well-rounded children. Historically, boys weren't raised solely by parents but by a community of adults providing diverse examples of healthy masculinity. Without this structure, parents face unrealistic expectations while boys lack clear guidance on the transition to manhood.The conversation explores the hero's journey as a universal pattern for healthy masculine development across cultures. Traditional rites of passage separated boys from the known world, guided them through challenges, and returned them to society as recognized men. Modern substitutes like military training provide partial initiation but fail to develop the complete masculine archetype, leaving many men trapped in what Adam calls "the Peter Pan effect"—emotionally immature and avoiding responsibility.Adam offers practical insights for fathers wanting to create meaningful challenges for their sons—pushing them to the edge of comfort zones while maintaining safety. He emphasizes this cannot be done by individual parents alone but requires collective effort.Whether you're raising sons, working with young men, or simply interested in the psychology of healthy masculinity, this conversation offers powerful guidance for nurturing the next generation of integrated, responsible men. Connect with Adam on LinkedIn or through his organisation Save A Warrior Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What happens when elite sport collides with military service? Jordan Dawes knows this terrain intimately. As both a professional basketball player and Royal Marine, he navigates two demanding worlds that surprisingly share deep commonalities—challenging our assumptions about performance, identity, and resilience.Jordan's basketball journey began quite literally from birth, with family photos showing him being breastfed courtside during his mother's games. His father, a coach who met his mother through the sport, ensured basketball was woven into the fabric of their family life. But Jordan's path wasn't smooth. "In both environments, you're expected to perform regardless of what's happening outside," Jordan explains, drawing fascinating connections between sport and military service. "You might not like someone in your troop or on your team, but when it matters, you have to get past that." This perspective gives Jordan unique insight into high-performance cultures, though he notes one crucial difference: "In basketball, we're primed to perform under perfect conditions; in the corps, you're primed to perform under the worst conditions imaginable."Perhaps most compelling is Jordan's advocacy for diversity within the Royal Marines, drawing from his experiences as a mixed-race serviceman navigating different cultural expectations. "It's about bringing your whole self to work," he explains, making both moral and performance-based arguments for inclusive organisations.Want to discover how elite performers maintain balance, overcome setbacks, and find fulfillment while constantly pushing boundaries? Jordan's journey offers rare insights from someone who lives in two demanding worlds simultaneously. Listen now, then connect with Jordan on Instagram or his performance coaching business Phyz Factory.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What happens when a leader steps away from strategy and embraces their heart? Twenty years ago, Jeanette Meier made a radical decision – to stop living for others, start loving herself, and rebuild her life on a foundation of emotional truth. This choice transformed not just her personal relationships, but revolutionized her approach to professional leadership."I was 100% giver," Jeanette reflects, describing how she once lived entirely for others to the point where "I didn't even know what I liked to eat." Her wake-up moment led her from New York to Barcelona and eventually to developing a leadership philosophy centered on human connection rather than control.The distinction Jeanette makes between loving yourself and valuing yourself offers profound insight. While she committed to self-love early in her journey, truly valuing herself took much longer – a realization that came through painful lessons about trusting her own judgment. This awareness shapes her approach to leadership, where she focuses on recognizing each person's unique gifts and creating space for them to flourish.Perhaps most illuminating is her concept of the three entities essential for any relationship: yourself, the other person, and what you create together. This framework applies equally to personal connections and professional collaborations, challenging us to show up authentically while honoring the creative space between us.For those interested in heart-centered leadership, Jeanette emphasizes practice and patience. Learning to distinguish between the chatter of thoughts and the deeper knowing of the heart takes time – but transforms every interaction. As she beautifully puts it, this approach "plants seeds in people that continue growing long after you're gone."Ready to explore how leading from the heart might transform your relationships and work? Connect with Jeanette at jeanettemeier.com or through LinkedIn to continue this powerful conversation.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

"The noise is relentless." When a client shared this profound observation during a recent coaching session, it struck a deep chord. Not just reminiscent of a Rage Against the Machine track, but as a perfect encapsulation of modern life's constant mental bombardment.From professional pressures to family responsibilities, from societal expectations to our own inner critics—the cacophony never truly stops. Yet the breakthrough isn't about silencing this noise completely (an impossible task), but rather developing practical strategies to turn down its volume and create mental space within the chaos.This episode explores three powerful pillars for managing life's relentless noise. Whether you're facing decision fatigue, workplace challenges, relationship struggles, or simply the exhaustion of modern life, these practical approaches offer a roadmap to greater peace without requiring complete silence. I leave you with reflection questions to immediately apply these concepts: What's creating the loudest noise in your life right now? What small step could you take back from it today? Where might you pause before reacting? Join our community of resilient leaders finding their way through the noise toward greater clarity, purpose, and peace.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Greg Barden's journey defies conventional career paths in ways that might make most of us rethink our own trajectories. From his early days in the UK Special Forces to an unexpected pivot into professional rugby with Bristol Bears and ultimately captaining England's Rugby Sevens team, Greg's life has been defined by adaptation and purpose.What truly sets his story apart is how these seemingly disparate experiences converged into a powerful mission. During military deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, Greg discovered something profound in his interactions with locals—commerce created connection. Whether buying fresh bread from a baker in Lashkar Gah or coffee from Baghdad's bazaars, he witnessed how simple transactions dismantled walls between people from vastly different worlds.Now, as founder of Xplore Local—an app connecting people with genuine independent businesses—Greg has taken his mission mobile. Traveling across the UK in a converted VW Transporter with his wife and six-month-old daughter, he's experiencing firsthand the communities he aims to champion while building a technological platform that helps others do the same.Greg's perspective cuts through conventional narratives about "supporting small businesses." Instead, he frames the choice to engage with local commerce as profoundly self-interested: "Loneliness is one of the fastest growing diseases in the Western world," he notes, suggesting our digital isolation and commercial habits directly contribute to this epidemic of disconnection.Whether you're building a business, seeking more meaningful community connections, or simply wondering how your daily choices impact the world around you, this conversation offers refreshing perspective on how commerce can become common ground for human connection. Download Explore Local today and discover what happens when you experience your community like a local again. Connect with Greg on LinkedInXplore website Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Fear has a unique way of announcing its presence in our bodies. For me, it's the cold sweat under my arms that appears despite the warm spring air of Barcelona. As I made my way to a radio station where I'd been invited to speak in Catalan—my third language—about my personal journey and professional work, that familiar cold sweat reminded me I was stepping far beyond my comfort zone.What makes this experience worth sharing isn't the interview itself, but the practices that helped me move through the fear and show up.  I'd spent time sitting with my discomfort, acknowledging the protective voices in my head without letting them dictate my actions.Perhaps the most powerful practice was consciously choosing what this opportunity meant to me. Instead of framing it as a potential public embarrassment, I decided it represented a chance to prove to my younger self that remarkable achievements are still possible, even on unfamiliar stages. The next time you feel that familiar clamp of fear in your gut, remember it might be pointing you toward your greatest growth opportunity. Need support applying these tools to your own challenges? Let's have a conversation.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What happens when everything you’ve worked for is ripped away in an instant? Just weeks before beginning his military career, Matt Addison-Black was diagnosed with aggressive cancer. It had already spread to his stomach, lungs, and bowels. He was 22.This conversation goes way beyond survival. Matt takes us inside the mental, emotional, and spiritual trenches of facing cancer at an age where most people are just getting started. We talk about identity loss, the quiet pain of watching friends drift away, and the surprising places where real resilience lives far from the battlefield.He opens up about the bureaucracy he fought to stay in the military, the systems that helped him cope, and the moment he realised being strong doesn’t mean being silent. His ABCD method Ambitious, Brave, Curious, Determined became his anchor. But it was love, fatherhood, and purpose that pulled him through.This one’s about what matters when everything is stripped away.Connect with Matt on LinkedInHelp us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Have you ever felt completely stuck on a project despite your expertise?In this episode, I explore a powerful mental framework that emerged from my conversation with an accomplished writer struggling with a new project. Despite his impressive track record in one area, venturing into unfamiliar creative territory triggered intense self-doubt and unconscious self-sabotage. This writer's experience reveals a common human struggle: our brains can resist accepting our competence in unfamiliar domains, regardless of our success elsewhere.When overwhelm strikes, we're typically too zoomed in – our perspective so narrow we trip over details and lose sight of direction. Alternatively, when we feel lost and directionless, zooming out connects us with purpose and meaning. The real skill isn't permanently remaining in either perspective, but developing the flexibility to shift between them based on what you need in the moment.When you feel stuck, ask yourself: Am I too zoomed in or out? Do I need to reconnect with my "why" or identify the smallest next step I can take? This simple practice can transform stagnation into clarity and forward momentum.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Dr Sharon Pickering shares her perspective on personal and professional alignment, challenging us to explore what alignment means to us as individuals and how it impacts our ability to perform at our best. We discuss how to navigate the complex relationship between our internal values and the external demands that compete for our attention in modern life.• Understanding alignment means recognising there's no right or wrong way to align yourself with your values• Finding alignment requires putting joy at the centre alongside your purpose and values• Adaptability is crucial for alignment, especially when rigid goals and timelines create unnecessary pressure• Recognising misalignment often requires an emotional check-in that many people resist or don't know how to do• Negotiating with yourself must come before negotiating with others for true alignment• The best starting point for alignment is asking "What is in my control?"• Alignment is cyclical and changes daily—it's never perfect but always personalConnect with Sharon on LinkedIn Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Ever caught yourself saying "I should" before tackling a task, only to feel immediate resistance? That simple word reveals volumes about our emotional landscape and often keeps us trapped in patterns of guilt and judgment.Our language gives profound clues about what's happening beneath the surface, with "should" being one of the clearest signals that we're operating from obligation rather than choice.These patterns typically originate in childhood when our lives were structured by external authorities telling us what to do, when to do it, and how to behave in various situations.The path to freedom begins with awareness. By noticing when we use "should" language, we can investigate whose voice is really speaking. Is it truly our own, or are we hearing echoes of parents, teachers, or social expectations from years ago? Ready to stop "shoulding" all over yourself? Listen now and discover practical strategies to transform obligation into choice, discomfort into growth, and limitation into freedom. Share your own experience with breaking free from "shoulds" in the comments and subscribe for more conversations about forging resilience in everyday challenges.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What drives us to persevere through challenges? How can we find meaning in the struggle? And why do some high achievers reach their goals only to feel empty?My friend Dr. Nick Wadsworth returns to dive deep into the intricate relationship between meaning, authenticity, and purpose. As a chartered sports psychologist working with elite athletes and a co-founder of MAP Performance, Nick brings profound insights into how we can unlock our potential while honoring our true selves.This conversation explores the fascinating paradox of human performance. Nick reveals how authenticity forms the foundation upon which meaningful experiences and purposeful action can flourish. Through powerful stories of Olympic medalists who found gold medals empty yet silver medals fulfilling, we discover how achievement without meaning leads nowhere.Perhaps most valuable is Nick's perspective on anxiety and fear. Rather than seeing these emotions as obstacles to overcome, he reframes them as natural companions on any growth journey. "I'd be concerned if you weren't anxious," he notes, challenging the common assumption that discomfort signals something wrong rather than something right.The episode offers practical insights for anyone navigating performance environments, whether in sport, business, or personal development. Nick shares how our past experiences shape our current beliefs, how simple acts of self-expression can transform our experience, and why connecting to something larger than ourselves fuels perseverance through inevitable challenges.For leaders, coaches, and individuals alike, this conversation provides a blueprint for creating environments where people can flourish authentically while pursuing excellence. Because as Nick observes, the modern workforce—and indeed modern humans—increasingly demand purpose beyond performance and meaning beyond metrics.Join us for this enlightening exploration of what it truly means to perform with purpose and find fulfillment in the journey, not just the destination.Find Nick on LinkedIn MAP Website Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Ever found yourself waiting to feel confident before taking that important step? You're not alone. The myth of confidence keeps countless people stuck in perpetual preparation mode, forever postponing meaningful conversations, career moves, and personal growth.What I've discovered—both personally and through coaching clients like "Dave"—is that we've been thinking about confidence all wrong. Confidence isn't something we need before taking action; it's what naturally develops after we've shown up consistently. It's not a feeling to chase but a byproduct of courage.In this episode, I break down the crucial difference between confidence (which is really just competence) and self-confidence (the understanding that outcomes don't define us). Dave's story illustrates how building a body of evidence from past experiences where we've acted despite fear creates a foundation for taking courageous steps in other areas of life.The key insight? Courage means accepting all emotions—fear, nervousness, uncertainty—without letting them dictate our actions. These feelings don't signal a lack of confidence; they confirm our humanity. By acknowledging them while still moving forward, we discover that confidence emerges naturally through the process.Whether it's having difficult conversations, sending postponed emails, or launching that podcast you've been planning, remember: confidence isn't the prerequisite for action—it's the reward you get after taking it.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Have you ever noticed how resistance to uncomfortable feelings can keep you stuck in patterns that no longer serve you? Prompted by feedback from mentors and colleagues, I explore the transformative power of acceptance - not as passive resignation, but as an active choice to create space for honest self-awareness. Through the lens of my own public speaking journey, which started with a splash when in childhood I experienced wetting myself on stage at nine years old, I reveal how avoiding our discomfort often prevents growth more effectively than any external obstacle.The real transformation comes through a simple but powerful framework: awareness forms the foundation, acceptance builds the middle, and action completes the pyramid. Most of us instinctively jump from awareness straight to action, missing the crucial acceptance step that allows for grounded, intentional response rather than reactivity. This missing piece explains why we often find ourselves stuck in loops of frustration, anger, and avoidance.Whether you're facing challenges in your career, relationships, or personal growth, this episode offers practical questions to develop greater acceptance: "What's happening for me right now?", "What aspects are within my control?", and "What small, aligned step can I take forward?" Join me in exploring how accepting our reality - without necessarily liking it - creates the foundation for meaningful change and authentic leadership.Ready to transform your relationship with discomfort? Listen now, and if this resonates with your experience, I'd love to connect and continue the conversation.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

Dean Stott didn't grow up dreaming of joining special forces he wanted to be a fireman. Yet a chance conversation with his father redirected his path, leading to 16 remarkable years in the military, including his time with the elite Special Boat Service (SBS). When a devastating parachuting accident abruptly ended Dean's military career, he faced the identity crisis familiar to many veterans: "What is my role? What is my purpose? How do I now fit in society?" His answer came through physical challenges that would test the limits of human endurance. With minimal cycling experience, Dean set off to conquer the Pan-American Highway – a 14,000-mile journey from Argentina to Alaska that he completed in an astounding 99 days, breaking the world record while raising nearly £1 million for mental health charities.Throughout our conversation, Dean reveals powerful insights about managing pressure, finding motivation when traditional sources of identity disappear, and the unexpected ways we discover purpose. What makes this episode particularly compelling is how Dean's extraordinary experiences illuminate universal truths about resilience. Whether facing a life-altering injury, a challenging transition, or simply the pressure to constantly surpass your previous achievements, Dean's journey demonstrates how physical challenges can become pathways to mental fortitude. Join us for this fascinating exploration of human potential and discover how Dean's journey from special forces to world record holder offers wisdom for anyone navigating life's inevitable transitions.Connect with Dean on Instagram Dean's website Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What if toxic workplaces aren't the exception, but the rule? Leadership psychologist Professor Nigel McLennan delivers a sobering reality check about workplace toxicity that will resonate with anyone who's ever felt trapped in a harmful work environment.McLennan introduces us to the "toxic tetrad"—sociopaths, psychopaths, narcissists, and Machiavellians—who create psychologically harmful workplaces while masterfully presenting positive public personas. These toxic leaders excel at appearing productive while causing untold damage to those beneath them. Most troubling? They're experts at identifying and punishing whistleblowers who dare speak truth to power.The harsh reality? Sometimes the only way to truly thrive is to leave. With approximately 97% of whistleblowers suffering life-changing detriment and little legal protection, McLennan acknowledges that our current systems often reward silence over integrity. Yet understanding these dynamics is the first step toward protecting yourself and, eventually, creating healthier workplace cultures.Nigel's website PSY PerformOr connect with him on LinkedInHelp us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram | 

What happens to resilience when the uniform comes off? This profound question lies at the heart of my conversation with James Elliott, a former British Airborne Forces soldier whose journey from the battlefield to Harley Street offers unique insights.Through his work with elite athletes, special forces, and cancer patients, he's discovered that resilience isn't about suppressing emotions or "toughing it out" – it's about developing a robust sense of self that transcends external roles and circumstances.Our discussion takes a provocative turn when James explains why the military recruits from disadvantaged backgrounds. Contrary to the belief that "council estate kids are tougher," he argues that vulnerability makes individuals more psychologically malleable – easier to shape into effective soldiers. This pattern creates a dependency where purpose, identity, and belonging become inextricably tied to military service, leaving many veterans struggling when that structure disappears.James advocates for a proactive approach to transition: "Find a sense of who you are outside the uniform while you're still in it." His personal journey exemplifies this philosophy, from working with rugby players as a strength coach to pursuing multiple academic degrees. He's become, in his words, "the very version of myself that I needed as a child."Perhaps most powerfully, James challenges us to define ourselves beyond what we do. When he asks clients "Who are you?" many respond with roles and titles – things that could be taken away. True resilience, he suggests, comes from knowing your essential qualities and values that remain regardless of circumstance.Whether you're navigating a military transition, career change, or personal reinvention, this episode offers transformative insights into building lasting resilience through self-knowledge, emotional intelligence, and continuous growth. As James reminds us: "A master is an individual who has failed at every possible eventuality in a very limited subject."James's book "Think Yourself Resilient" is available on Amazon and in Waterstones. His new Patreon "The Vault" launches March 31st with regular content sharing his expertise on resilience and mental performance.Connect with James through his website.Or LinkedIn.Help us improve! I'd love to get your feedback...Forging Resilience supports Save A WarriorSave A Warrior works with veterans and first responders facing complex PTSD and the reality of suicide.Through this podcast, we’re supporting their work.If you want to get behind it, you can do that by buying a bag of  Major Stoke Blend coffee. All profits go directly to Save A Warrior.Good coffee. Real conversations. Work that matters.Support the showFollow my social media accounts | LinkedIn | Instagram |