A Bit Of A Boost

NSDR, or Non-Sleep Deep Rest, is a relaxation technique where you bring your mind and body into a state of deep relaxation, somewhere between being awake and asleep.

NSDR is a term coined by Dr Andrew Huberman, professor of neurobiology and opthamology at Stanford University and it's similar to a form of yoga called Yoga Nidra.

It brings numerous benefits that I've been enjoying recently and I want to share it with you today.

NSDR is a powerful stress-buster as it activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is the opposite to your fight and flight stress response. Any time you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed out and you need to take a moment to reset yourself, this tool can be great way to accomplish that.

NSDR can also help clear your mind, opening you up to fresh ideas or inspiration. I sometimes do this in the mornings immediately before a bout of journaling, and always find that I can think much more clearly and have more 'ah ha' moments.

It also helps to embed new information as a part of the learning process, and this is another areas that I have found it to be particularly valuable.

If you struggle to get to sleep or fall back to sleep once you wake in the night, it can be a great help with this. Even though it's called 'Non-Sleep Deep Rest', it will move you away from ruminating and dwelling on worries, and towards a state of relaxation that will help you get back to sleep again.

As you work through the 10 minute NSDR that I'm going to share with you today your brainwaves will slow down similar to how they would in a state of deep sleep, yet you remain conscious throughout. In fact I encourage you to set your intention to stay awake right at the start.

But that said, this is definitely not a podcast episode to listen to if you are driving, operating heavy machinery, or in water. You want to find yourself a quiet space where you won't be disturbed for at least 10 minutes.

References:

Huberman Lab podcast: https://hubermanlab.com

When many of us define success we think of things such as those that we are able to have or to do, but my guest on today's episode has a different take.

Jennifer Merritt is a success mentor, and after a successful corporate career you might expect her to fall in line with the traditional society views of what success is.

Although she sees success as something we can all create as a feeling, it's not something that needs to diminish our drive to strive for more.

In our conversation today she shares some of her top tips for reframing success, how to put yourself first, and why it's so important to be clear on why something is important to you if it stands any chance of bringing you any kind of happiness.

Jennifer also shares some of her own incredible story, about burnout, about loss, and about a life changing medical diagnosis just before she got married about 10 years ago.

This episode is packed with inspiration and information, and although Jennifer and I clearly share lots of similar ideas and philosophies, her approach is unique and there are many ideas you can take aways and start applying to your own life today.

Find out more about Jennifer and her work on her website:

https://www.jennifermerritt.com

If there's been one positive from the pandemic it's that it has shone the spotlight of attention even more fiercely on the conversation about mental health.

Although the statistics inform us that 1 in 4 of us will suffer from a mental health problem at some point in our lives, every single one of us has 'mental health' that needs looking after.

Today's episode is less about the general societal challenges with mental health, and more of a conversation with you as an individual.

I share a dozen different ways you can take care of your mental health, not just to avoid ill-health but to boost positive health.

This Sunday October 10 is World Mental Health Day, but no matter when you're listening to this episode and whatever is currently going on for you, I hope that it gives you a bit of a boost!

Resources: Mind.org: https://www.mind.org.uk

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org (call 116 123 to talk to somebody)

Time To Change: https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/mental-health-and-stigma/help-and-support

You don't have to be a 'morning person' to benefit from some kind of morning routine.

In this week's solo episode I get into one of my favourite subjects, why I believe they can make such a big difference to how your day goes, and how to set up your perfect routine.

There's some more general advice and observations on habits and routines, and how to get back on track again when you hit an obstacle that knocks you off course.

One of the resources I mention in this episode is journaling, and you can now get a free 3 part video series on how to get started with journaling from the website:

http://mywipjournal.com

Journaling is one of those things that lots of people know they could probably benefit from, but struggle to get started and turn it into a habit.

I've been writing in a journal since I was about 13 years old and these days it's one of my most important tools for maintaining my motivation, performance and personal development.

A couple of years ago one of my coaching clients Alexa Whitten - herself a book coach and author-maker and another avid journaler - approached me to suggest we collaborate on creating our own journal.

Fast forward almost 3 years and we published the wonderful Work In Progress journal - essentially a beginner's guide to building a journaling habit.

In today's episode, which is being sponsored by the WIP journal - available from mywipjournal.com! - I speak to Lex about journaling.

Not just the WIP, but her own experiences of journaling and how she uses it.

I always find it fascinating that despite having many similar beliefs about the value of journaling, we have very different ways of using the tool!

We discuss some of the common challenges that many people face when it comes to starting to journal, and how you can overcome these blocks.

If you're already journaling then hopefully this episode will reinforce this wonderful habit, and if you're just curious about it or have struggled in the past to keep it going then perhaps this will be the beginning of a long and positive relationship.

The Work In Progress is available from the website here:

http://mywipjournal.com

And the WIP Insta is here:

https://www.instagram.com/wip_journal

You can also find out more about Alexa Whitten and her work as a book coach and 'author maker' here:

https://www.thebookrefinery.com

And her 'Pen To Published' podcast is another great resource for anybody interested in publishing their own book:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-pen-to-published-podcast/id1565327859

For today's episode I'm joined by the award-winning host of the Game Changers podcast, Sue Anstiss MBE to talk about women in sport.

Sue has been a major player in driving change in women's sport for over 30 years. She's a founding trustee of the Women's Sport Trust and co-founder of the Women's Sport Collective and was recognised for her services to women's sport with an MBE in 2018.

More recently though, she has written a book that charts the history of women in sport and exposes many of the inequalities that are still hiding in plain sight

I was lucky enough to have a read of 'Game On: The unstoppable rise of women's sport' ahead of publication and I can honestly say that my eyes have been opened!

I was delighted to have this opportunity to interview Sue and ask her some questions about the book, and of her own experiences of sport.

We talk about how girls are so often put off sport and exercise in general at a young age, both through practical barriers but also societal beliefs about things like femininity and acceptability.

I asked Sue about how the media and major sports sponsorship are helping or hindering progress, and the role that men have to play in actively supporting and encouraging, but also calling out inequalities that simply don't make any sense.

Whether you're a man or a woman, a participant or a spectator, Game On is a fascinating read and I hope that you find it as enlightening as I did!

'Game On: The unstoppable rise of women's sport' is available on Amazon and all good book stores from September 2 2021:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Game-Unstoppable-Rise-Womens-Sport/dp/1800180624

Sue's website https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk is the access point for more information about the book, her 'Game Changers' podcast, and all the other work and services she offers as part of her mission to promote and bring equality to women's sport.

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

https://twitter.com/sueanstiss

https://www.instagram.com/fearlesswomen__

Much as I love the holidays I know that I'm at my best when I have routine in my life!

In today's episode I share 5 of the key areas of my life I regularly reset. Not just after a break, but any time I sense they're starting to drift away.

1) Morning routine

2) Planning

3) Training

4) Evening routine

5) Goals

You may have other areas that benefit from a bit of a reset, but the principles I share in today's episode can be applied anywhere.

I'd love to hear from you if you have any comments or questions from today's episode - please get in touch by emailing me at [email protected]

Welcome back to Season 3 of the A Bit Of A Boost podcast!

And what a start to season 3, as I welcome back a guest from episode 27, positive psychologist, happiness expert and all round wonderful person Vikki Barnes!

During my time off I relaxed by reading her brand new book 'Free Happiness', made many notes, and decided that I'd ask her to join me again here on the podcast for another chat about happiness, positivity and life in general.

We talk about festivals, working with Sir Richard Branson, optimism, acceptance and enjoyment, as well the difference and overlap between vulnerability and authenticity.

You can find Vikki's book on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Free-Happiness-art-science-positivity/dp/B0997RJW3L

Follow Vikki on social media here:

https://www.instagram.com/drvikkibarnes

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

https://twitter.com/DrVikkiBarnes

And her website here:

https://www.drvikkibarnes.com

A couple of weeks ago I was in the North East visiting my mum and I dropped my friend Dean Coulson a line to see if he was around for a workout.

Dean is a coach and trainer with a very similar set of beliefs to me when it comes to how to approach holistic wellbeing, and our training sessions are always peppered with fascinating conversations.

I knew Dean would make a great guest for the podcast, and the timing was perfect as his brand new book THRIVE! is published today! (July 22 2021)

Dean's personal story is inspiring, and he ended up leaving a career in IT to open a gym and become a lifestyle coach working predominantly with men. He's been practicing martial arts for 30 years and we talk today about some of the lessons he's taken from the sport that other non-practitioners could also benefit from.

We get into talking about Dean's 4 elements of health and wellbeing - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual - and keep coming back to a central question that we are always asking ourselves - though usually subconsciously - "am I safe?"

The answer to this question is often the reason why we struggle to do the things we said we were going to do, and keep repeating patterns of behaviour that we know are harming or limiting us.

As well as delving into the book, I wanted to make sure that through our conversation we extracted a few solid takeaways that you can begin to apply immediately to your own life.

You can order a limited edition hardback copy of THRIVE! from Dean's website here:

https://www.theleanwarrior.com/thrive-pre-order-page

You can also follow Dean on social media here:

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

https://www.instagram.com/dean_n_coulson

https://www.facebook.com/DeanNCoulson

One of the things that continually intrigues me is how people perform consistently at a high level. Whether it's in their work, their sport or any other area of their lives, pushing and holding themselves to higher standards seems to be a hallmark of the high performer.

My guest on today's episode is ex-professional rugby player Leon Lloyd, who now works with individuals and organisations to help them build high performance habits, teams and culture. Leon started playing professional rugby union for Leicester Tigers at the age of 16 just as the sport turned pro, and went on to have a successful International career.

After retiring from rugby, Leon gained a first-class honours degree in Leadership and Management, followed by an MBA where he received a distinction.

In our conversation today I asked Leon about what it was like to choose rugby as a career at a time where it hadn't previously been an option, and being around the likes of Martin Johnson and Neil Back in that early Tigers professional team.

He talks about setbacks and mistakes, and how he recovered from them to improve his own game and cement the high performance mindset he now shares with others.

We also talked about the challenge that professional sports people often face as they transition out of the structure of full time sport, and have to create their own routines to help them stay motivated.

Leon gives us a fascinating insight into the world of professional rugby, and how some of these lessons translate across to life outside of sport.

You can find out more about Leon and the work he does at the following links:

Website: www.leonlloyd.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leon-lloyd-mba-ba-hons-b409201a

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeonLloyd13