When you think about resilience, mindset or mental toughness it's important not to see them as fixed qualities but rather attributes that you can develop - or cultivate.

In this episode I explore this simple idea and look at the many ways we have to do just that, through deliberate day to day actions that we are in control of and then reframing situations where we perhaps feel less in control.

I believe that there's practical application of this idea for all of us so as you listen think about how you could apply it to your own life.

Hello and welcome to A Bit Of A Boost with me, George Anderson

I'm a wellbeing and performance coach, speaker and author and this podcast brings together guest experts, inspirational stories and ideas that I hope will you a bit of a boost.

On today's episode I welcome to the show a lady who's sports nutrition books I have been reading for over 20 years.

Anita Bean is a registered nutritionist, health writer and author and as well as writing over 20 books and hundreds of articles has been a lifelong advocate of strength training and became the British bodybuilding champion in 1991.

She has worked with the British Olympic Association, London Marathon, Swim England and Ride London, and I met her a few weeks ago after seeing her keep a huge audience engaged on the main stage at the National Running Show in Birmingham.

In our interview I asked her about the major shifts in our understanding of sports and performance nutrition, which opened up conversations about intermittent fasting, the role and importance of carbs, supplements, plant-based eating and gut health.

Talking to Anita was a reminder of the importance of checking in with the latest research when making decisions about our approach to key elements of our wellbeing like nutrition.

The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition has had 9 editions since she first published it in 1993, demonstrating Anita's dedication to bringing the latest scientific consensus to you and I in a way that's both easy to understand and put into practice.

She shares some great insights in this episode so get ready for a bit of a boost!

Visit Anita's website to find out more about her work and books

https://anitabean.co.uk

Connect on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/anitabean1

Welcome to A Bit Of A Boost; I'm George Anderson and I'm a wellbeing and performance coach, speaker and author and this podcast brings together guest experts, inspirational stories and ideas that I hope will you a bit of a boost.

Today's solo episode shares a simple strategy that may help you in those moments when you feel you're lacking motivation: take action FIRST!

Putting action ahead of the need for motivation can have a surprising effect, and although some may call it simply lying to yourself, I've found it to be an effective method of getting more done even when I don't really want to.

Often on A Bit Of A Boost I have guests who are experts in their field, sometimes guests share their inspirational stories, and other times I invite people who have developed certain wellbeing and performance strategies that they are effectively using in their every day personal and professional lives.

Today's episode is one such person: Sukhraj Takhar, who is the non-financial risk director at Direct Line Group.

I interviewed Sukhraj for another piece of work I was involved with and felt that his philosophy and approach to his life was something that I wanted to share with you.

So I'm delighted that he's come back to delve deeper into some of our conversation about wellbeing and high performance and some of the habits he has adopted over the years.

One of the main topics that we get into in today's podcast is meditation.

Sukhraj describes the unexpected influence that got him started, some of the challenges faced by many when it comes to incorporating it a regular practice, the techniques involved and the benefits that keep him coming back to it as an essential daily ritual.

We cover other topics such as self-awareness, metacognition & cognition, identity and having better conversations.

This is a fascinating conversation that I was delighted to be able to record and share with you, and if you'd like to connect with Sukhraj you can find him on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukhraj-takhar-3ab02526

Today's episode draws on a couple of themes from previous episodes, in particular the interview with Dave Robson on his book 'The Expectation Effect' (13th February 2023), and the episode on optimism from 19th February 2021, and gets into the topic of self-talk and beliefs.

Beliefs impact thoughts, emotions, behaviours and even physiology and so it makes sense to pay attention to what you're paying attention to.

I'm joined on the podcast today by love and relationship coach Heather Garbutt to talk about the 5 Love Languages (and the additional 6th that Heather also talks about).

Love Languages is the work of marriage counselor Dr Gary Chapman published in his 1992 book and Heather integrates it into the work she does with individuals and couples as part of her psycotherapy practice.

It's not just romantic love from a partner, but also from parent to child or even appreciation between colleagues at work.

This is a really interesting topic because it gets right into what's at the heart of all relationships which is communication.

We talk about expectations, assumptions, and of course the inner narrative that accompanies all of the beliefs we hold about what people should be doing or how we should be acting.

If this is the first time you've come across the Love Languages I'm sure there will be many lightbulb moments as you listen to our conversation, and if you're already familiar I'd encourage you to listen to the discussion against the backdrop of some of your own relationships.

You can find out more about Heather and her work on her website https://heathergarbutt.com or visit her LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-garbutt-44a62b22

How you talk to yourself matters and having a few set phrases to say to yourself can act like your inner coach who kicks you into action.

Through 2024 I will be publishing a number of short episodes with ideas, insights or thoughts that you may be able to apply in your own life.

Today's episode gets into the topic of mantras, and how they can be potent triggers to take a pre-agreed course of action.

My guest on today's episode - the first of 2024 - is a very special friend of mine, Heather Barrett.

Over the years we have had so many conversations where we've got to the end and said 'we should have recorded that!', so I'm delighted to have finally managed to do exactly that.

Heather is an executive coach and author, and over the years she's been my go-to whenever I'm stuck, struggling or have an idea I want to develop.

One of the things I was keen to talk to Heather about for this podcast was her deep sense of intuition which has always been something that has intrigued me.

I wanted to dig into this and find out how she developed it to become one of her superpowers, and how the rest of us can do so as well.

This was the first 'long form' podcast that I have recorded, and we covered a lot of ground in the 2.5 hours that we talked for.

Although intuition was the main topic I wanted to explore it lead us to talk about the following as well:

- Setting intentions

- Giving yourself permission

- Vulnerability and self-compassion

- Gremlins and negative self-talk

- Creating an infrastructure for success

- Consistency

- Underestimating the things that come most easily to us

- Creating boundaries

- Finding purpose

- Imposter Syndrome

- Comfort zones

I hope you enjoy this episode and that my conversation with Heather gives you a bit of a boost!

Every year I've had some process for looking back over the previous 12 months and then setting goals and making plans for the next 12.

This year I developed a new framework and it's one that I'll be using much more frequently through the year.

The 5Rs are Review > Reflect > Reconnect > Refine > Realign

In this episode I describe each element, why it's important and how to use it as part of an annual check in and also through the year.

Whatever your 2023 has been like I hope you're looking forward to and lining up for a big 2024, and I'll be right here alongside you ready with A Bit Of A Boost when you need it!

It's been a couple of months since the last episode of A Bit Of A Boost and I'm keen to get things back to a regular schedule again!

If you've ever found a good habit drift away to the point where it's no longer there, then this episode contains some questions to ask yourself that could help get you back on track.