Great Traits Project

Mark Maclaine (@markmaclaine) is one of the world's most experienced tutors. With over 20,000 hours of one-to-one tutoring Mark has built a reputation as one of the most prolific tutors in the world in mathematics and science. Mark's pupils include the children of royal families, sports stars, movie stars, musicians and billionaires. He can be found tutoring in London, Hong Kong, Cannes, St Moritz, New York and the Caribbean. Mark is also the co-founder of www.tutorfair.com a company which sources tutors for parents and students. He has established the Tutorfair Foundation to provide free tuition for children who can't afford it. For every student who pays for tutoring the Tutorfair Foundation provides free tuition for a student that can't. In the podcast Mark shares loads of personal insights from the adversity he suffered as a child, the difficulties he faced in school, how he became a tutor and how he established his reputation as one of the very best in the world.

Pen Hadow (@PenHadow) is an explorer and world record holder. He is the only person to trek solo, without resupply by third parties, from Canada to the North Geographic Pole. His remarkable feat, in 2003 has not been repeated since and some argue it is comparable in difficulty to making the first ascent of Everest, solo and without oxygen. Within months of completing the North Pole expedition Pen went on to become the only Briton to have trekked, without resupply, to both the North and South Geographic Poles. In 2009, he formed Geo Mission, a pioneering environmental sponsorship organisation, which delivered the multi-award winning series of Catlin Arctic Surveys (2009-2011) investigating the rates, causes and global impacts of the fast-disappearing Arctic sea ice. In the podcast we talk about Pen's expeditions, world records, the concept of luck, physical and psychological challenges, setbacks, failure, pressure, mindset management and global warming.

On this month's podcast we meet Dr. Dave Alred

Dave is an elite performance coach who works with world class sportsmen and teams. He helps them deliver when the pressure is at its most extreme.

Dr. Alred is a pioneer in performance, mindset and attitude. He holds PhD in Performing under Pressure from Loughborough University. He is a member of the UK Coaching Hall of Fame, a winner of the Mussabini Medal and a member of the ECB Elite Coaching Fellowship.

His clients include rugby's Jonny Wilkinson, George Ford and Johnny Sexton; golfers Padraig Harrington, Francesco Molinari and Brad Kennedy; footballers, Joe Cole and David James; the England rugby union team; the British Lions; the England cricket team; British Judo and Premiership football sides, Manchester City, Sunderland, Watford and Newcastle.

He is also the bestselling author of The Pressure Principle.

On this month's podcast we meet Patrick Drake @patrickdrake

Patrick is an entrepreneur and chef. He is the founder of the revolutionary food delivery service Hello Fresh www.hellofresh.co.uk/

Patrick started his career wearing a pin-stripe suit working for one of the most prestigious law firms in London. However, he quickly found that his love of food dragged him away from the boardroom and into the kitchen.

Despite working long hours as a lawyer he spent his evenings training in the kitchens of iconic restaurants in London such as the Cuckoo Club and Brindisa. He also spent time working with Heston Blumenthal at the legendary Fat Duck restaurant in Bray.

Recently, he has created an online cookery school called the 60 second chef which teaches you all the cooking techniques you need to be confident in the kitchen. www.the60secondchef.com

He also has a TV show which is available in 68 countries which airs on National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.

On this month's podcast we have something a little different, we have a scientist who specializes in the psychology of extreme and isolated environments.

The man in question is Dr. Nathan Smith, he has degree in Sport & Exercise Science and he has a PhD in Sport & Exercise Psychology and he is a Lecturer in Sport Psychology at the University of Northampton.

His research focuses on:

• The Psychology of extreme and isolated environments (such as astronauts, explorers, deep sea divers and high altitude mountaineers)
• He also looks at motivation in sports
• Role of physical activity in the promotion psychological health

For this podcast we talk about the psychological attributes you need to survive and thrive in extreme environments. We talk about the kind of character traits that drive people to seek out extreme environments. We also look at how to manage anxiety, how to build resilience. We discuss the role of self belief, strategies to cope with pain, goal setting and gratitude

Levison Wood is an explorer, bestselling author and photographer. He spent a number of years as an Officer in the British Parachute Regiment, and served in Afghanistan.

After leaving the Army to pursue a full time career as a writer and explorer, in 2014 he completed a nine-month expedition walking the full length of the river Nile. It was a journey of 4,250 miles which took seven million steps to complete.

In 2015, he walked the length of the Himalayas from Afghanistan to Bhutan, a journey of 1,700 miles which took four million steps to complete.

Both expeditions were documented in a Channel 4 series and an accompanying book. It is worth pointing out, in this podcast we do not go through the nitty gritty of each expedition but we focus on Lev's career, his mindset and what makes him tick. If you want to know more about his specific expeditions we recommend looking at the book and Channel 4 series.

Note, this podcast was recorded before Lev took on his expedition to walk across the Americas.

Karl was serving in the Staffordshire Regiment in Iraq in 2005 when he suffered a direct hit from a petrol bomb. This resulted in 40% of his body being burnt in particular, his arms, chest, hands, legs and face. He was placed in an induced coma and faced numerous skin graft operations to heal his wounds. 5 years later, in 2010 he completed his last operation and dedicated himself to running marathons and ultra marathons to raise money for the medical staff who helped save him and rebuild his life. Over a period of 52 weeks he successfully completed 52 marathons. Karl is determined to show that a life changing injury is not the end of life but simply a new beginning.

Kirsty Henderson became the first (and is still the only) woman in Britain to attain a Black Belt in Shidokan Karate (better known as Japanese Mixed Martial Arts). After travelling, studying and competing in Japan she become ranked as the top female Shidokan fighter in the world. On returning to the UK, she became coach to the British Men's Team training them to successful international-championship wins.

Kirsty's list of qualifications are staggering. She is a qualified...

• Martial Arts Instructor
• Shidokan Blackbelt 2nd Dan (Japan)
• Mixed Martial Arts Instructor and Coach
• Krav Maga Instructor
• Specialist Defence Instructor
• Knives and Edged Weapons Instructor
• She is also a qualified Yoga Teacher
• She has a Reiki Degree and 3 University Degrees.
• Kirsty has completed 7 years of training to become a qualified architect at the prestigious Charles Rennie Mackintosh School of Architecture.

Currently she is the Founder & Owner of the Five Rings Training & Research Institute

As you can imagine she has a wealth of wisdom and I'm honoured to share her insights and inspiration.

Welcome to the Great Traits Project Podcast. We investigate the character traits that drive great achievements and reveal the mindset behind success. Throughout these podcasts we introduce you to remarkable individuals from the world of sport, business, the military, the arts, science & technology, ground breaking explorers, and many more. We shed light on how they behave and what they believe. We discuss their attitude to life.

On this month's podcast we meet Roz Savage an ocean rower, author, speaker and environmental campaigner. Roz is the first woman to have rowed solo across the three major oceans, the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian. She has rowed over 15,000 miles, taken around 5 million oarstrokes, and spent cumulatively over 500 days of her life at sea in a 23-foot rowboat.