A Bit Of A Boost

If I look back at my life it's been relatively straight forward. There was a bit of a course correction after I graduated with an engineering masters and moved into personal training, but from there on it's more or less been a series of variations on the theme of wellbeing.

I'm always fascinated by people who have lived a more unconventional life and finding out what makes them tick and I was delighted to be joined on the podcast by the ex-Scritti Politti drummer, Rockstar Activator Tom Morley.

I met Tom at an event a few years ago and am a big fan of his work. His stories reel you in and give you snippets of a life spent crossing paths with cultural icons. We talk in this episode about creativity, tribes and story telling rhythm, identity and human connection, and how it all relates to our wellbeing and sense of place.

I asked him to send me a bio to make sure that I got everything right and he replied with this:

"Tom Morley has just sent me this. He says, "I don't want people to follow me, or pass my details on to anyone, or think of me in any way that's business related. My whole way of being is serenading serendipity, chanting to chance and drumming up a storm for social justice.

All else is confetti in the wind. I've talked with the social media gurus and I wish them well.

During the pandemic the world moved to a different paradigm. You either feel it or you don't. I'm not out to teach anyone anything. I'm just saying, "OK, here we are on this day. Let's see what we can do together. Given the skills we have and the time we've got let's create something.

That's it."

This is what we created last Thursday, I hope it gives you a bit of a boost!

You can follow Tom on social media and his website:

https://tommorley.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommorleyrockstar

In 2014 I ran 10 marathons in 10 days. My cover story was that it was for charity, but I knew there'd be something in it for me as well.

What I got were a number of lessons that transcended the domain of running and positively affected every other aspect of my life.

I reflected on 10 of these lessons after the event and wrote 95% of a piece of work that I never finished.

When I came across them the other day I realised how much I have applied the lessons in the 8 years since the marathons, and I recorded them to share with you on this week's episode of the podcast.

Chocolate, ice cream, alcohol, smoking, checking social media… most of us have something we indulge in a little more than is really good for us.

The level of indulgence will determine how much - if at all - it is a problem for you but even if you're not quite at the stage of sleeping on a park bench with a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag, there's a chance that overindulging could be having a negative impact on your life.

My guest on the show today is coach and speaker Duncan Bhaskaran Brown who doesn't just have a remarkable story of getting over his own unhealthy indulgences, he's literally written the book about it!

We talk about some of the most common indulgences, why they're so common, and how to start the process of breaking a habit that is no longer serving us.

We unpack willpower and how it's possible that strengthening our resolve in one area of our life can have a positive knock on effect in others.

We also talk about self-compassion and forgiveness as a critical starting point for boosting our ability to get over indulgence, along with all the usual fun chat that's become a part of these interviews!

Whatever your vices or indulgences, no matter how rampant or inconsequential they may seem, I hope you'll find there's something of value in this episode for you.

https://www.bhaskaranbrown.com

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Get-Over-Indulgence-Control-Stress-Free/dp/1999966570

One of the things you hear a lot about when it comes to motivation, goals or high performance is the importance of mindset.

But what is mindset and how do we make sure that we have the right one?

My guest today to discuss this topic is a man who I've learned a lot from over the years, business psychologist and coach Bret Freeman.

I know Bret through Toastmasters International and he's forged a strong reputation for facilitating change and development programs in some of the world's largest organisations.

We talk about mindset, why it's important and how to spot when your thinking is holding you back.

Bret also shares a few tips for how to cultivate a non-toxic positive mindset and how to use implementation intentions to do more of the things you want to do.

We also get into the subject of unconscious bias which is another of his specialist areas.

The recent International Women's Day theme was 'beat the bias' so we get into discussing how we can try to uncover our own biases that crop up in all sorts of areas of our life.

This is a great episode packed with insights and tips and if you're interested in mindset and performance then I know you're going to love Bret's approach.

You can connect with Bret through his website or LinkedIn:

https://bizvroom.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretfreeman

For a decade and a half exercise was more than just a passion, it was also my career.

I trained clients as a personal trainer and boot camp coach, and also taught on PT diploma courses and delivered masterclasses to other trainers.

I was fully immersed in it and although my work these days is more holistic, it's still clearly an important topic for me and I'm pleased to have the opportunity to share some of my philosophies, insights and approaches to exercise.

In today's episode I talk about

- The motivations to exercise

- The difference between activity, exercise and training

- The 5 minutes a day exercise approach that can bring surprising results

- The 10000 steps a day myth and what to do instead

- Exercise calories and the after burn effect

- Benefits and approaches to fasted exercising

- The importance of a flexible plan

- The best time of day to train

- The ultimate motivation for exercise

I'll also share a few answers to some of the most common questions I've been asked over the last 20 years.

Program references:

Strong Arm Solution

https://bygeorgeanderson.com/strongarm

The Glute Plan

https://bygeorgeanderson.com/glutes

To The Core

https://bygeorgeanderson.com/core

I live just outside a little town called Thame in Oxfordshire and one of the many things I love about the place is the independent health food store, Planet Health & Organics.

It's run by Nutritional Therapist and Practising Naturopath Peter Dewdney, and over the years we've had many a long conversation about wellbeing, supplements and health and I was delighted to get the opportunity to record some of his wisdom for today's episode of the podcast.

Supplements is such a vast topic and I wanted to find out how much it's changed over the last 15 years that I've known him.

We talk about why somebody might want to supplement their diet and what some of the most common 'cover your bases' options are.

Peter is also an expert in gastro intestinal illness, fertility and end of life care and will be qualifying as a phlebotomist from the London Medical School in summer 2022.

He practices from Thame Therapy Clinic (http://www.thametherapyclinic.co.uk/therapies/peter-dewdney) and you can also find out more about his work and shop in Thame from his website:

https://www.peterdewdney.co.uk

Peter also owns and runs Planet Health and Organic, 8 Greyhound Walk, Thame, which is open 6 days a week and if you're passing pop in and say hello!

On today's episode I'm joined by fellow coach Laura Brunton to talk about living life more authentically and as 'Totally You'.

When I first met Laura a few years ago she was in corporate and you wouldn't have known it to look at her but she was on the brink of burnout.

We talk about some of the things that aligned for her to help her realise how she was holding herself back, how she was misaligned with her priorities and values, and what she did to start bringing about some pretty big changes into her life.

As well as values, beliefs and burnout Laura shares some tips and techniques for identifying and challenging the stories we tell ourselves that could be limiting us, and how to get a grip on those moments in life when things feel like they're just overwhelming us.

Whenever I read one of Laura's posts on LinkedIn or watch one of her videos it always gives me a boost of positivity and energy so I knew that she'd be a perfect guest for the podcast… she's one of those people who I can have an ad hoc conversation with and think to myself afterwards… 'that would have been awesome to have recorded and shared with other people!'… and now we've done just that!

You can find out more about Laura and her work (including her incredible Spring 2022 offer!) on social media and through her website:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-brunton-71b9289

https://membership.totallyyou.me/membership

https://www.facebook.com/laura.mccourt.7

https://www.instagram.com/totallyyoucoachlaura

Some of my own big fitness goals recently have been just that - fitness goals. Not so much the running or the swimming, but all round fitness that includes strength, endurance and power.

But how do you motivate and test yourself with these less linear goals?

Well for me, Turf Games came along and gave me the answer.

My guest on the podcast today is Turf Games founder Andy Manteit, who tells us more about what the Turf Games involves, who it's for, and some of the benefits.

We talk training and competing, motivation, community and teamwork, and at the end of the interview I give Andy some quick fire exercise-related questions!

There may be a bit of less-than-common terminology in this episode so here are some explainers:

AMRAP

A workout where you complete As Many Reps (or Rounds) As Possible in a given time

EMOM

A workout where you do an exercise for a given number of reps Every Minute On The Minute for a prescribed number of minutes

Ski Erg

An indoor cross country ski machine like this one: https://www.concept2.com/skierg/concept2-skierg

Double Unders

Skipping rope exercise where you pass the rope underneath your feet twice for every jump

Clean

Bringing a barbell (or dumbbell or kettlebell) from the floor to the front rack position on the shoulders

Snatch

Bringing a barbell (or dumbbell or kettlebell) from the floor to an overhead position

D-Ball to shoulder

A D-Ball is a heavy medicine ball that lands on the ground with no bounce ('dead'). In the D-Ball to shoulder exercise you pick the ball up from the floor and place it on one shoulder before returning it to the floor

The Worm

A long, heavy sandbag typically lifted by 2-4 people at a time. Coordination and teamwork are everything! https://youtu.be/VykOrx4c-q8

If you train in a gym and haven't yet discovered Turf Games get yourself over to their website once you've listened to today's episode.

And even if 'putting yourself in the bin', as they say, isn't for you, then still listen in because I think you'll find it interesting to hear how this fitness-as-competition movement is gathering momentum.

https://turfgames.com

https://www.instagram.com/turfgames

My guest on the podcast today was the RAF's second ever female fast jet pilot, flying the Tornado GR4 on the front line, completing three tours of duty and 45 missions over Iraq.

Mandy Hickson talks to me about mindset and motivation, resilience and imposter syndrome, stress and confidence, both in and out of the armed forces.

I saw Mandy speak at an event a few years ago and recently read her book, 'An Officer not a Gentleman', which is like a guidebook for how to set and accomplish your most ambitious goals, but also packed with edge-of-your-seat stories and humour.

In our conversation Mandy shares some great tips about how to bounce back from setbacks, how to manage immense pressure and also how to 'debrief yourself' objectively to help learn from mistakes.

You can find out more about Mandy's work through her website and I highly recommend picking up a copy of her book An Officer, Not A Gentleman.

https://www.mandyhickson.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandyhickson

Do you ever feel like you're stuck and unable to find a way forwards? Do you procrastinate, self-sabotage or hold yourself back some other way?

If so then you are in the right place as my guest on today's episode has over 25 years of experience helping people with overcoming precisely these challenges.

Moira Geary is known as the Recombobulator. She spoke at Momentum last month and her presentation on the subconscious mind, fear and positivity was a huge hit so I invited her on the show to dive a little deeper into some of these topics.

With a background in nursing, Moira has been in the personal development space for over 25 years and among many other qualifications holds a Master Practitioner in NLP and a masters in psychotherapy.

In today's episode we chat about where fear comes from, the different ways it shows up and what we can do to create a better understanding and response to it.

Moira shares a number of simple tools and techniques that can help us deal with overwhelm and stuckness, as well as some powerful reframing methods that allow us to work with some of the more negative emotions such as fear, anxiety and worry.

Moira's no-cost Positivity Project is worth checking out if you want to find out more about her work and discover more of her tried and tested strategies.

https://www.moirageary.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/moirageary

https://www.facebook.com/recombobulator