Real Clear Values

Sobiya Jawaid is the first hijab-wearing, female British Muslim Kickboxer to have represented England at European level, where she won silver medal.  She's also a Leadership Coach, Diversity and Belonging Consultant, Coach and Speaker. In this episode we discuss values in relation to identity and connecting with others, as well as the value of good coaches and mentors, the case for diversity and the true meaning of belonging, and how to make the most out of your uniqueness in serving others.

(Episode recorded on 21st February 2023.)

What does abundance mean to you? Is it found without or within? What do you really want?

Sometimes we’re presented with opportunities that look good in the moment. But when we look at them closer, we see that they will prevent us from getting what we really want in the long-term.

Creating a life you’re happy to call your own requires owning your values.

In this episode, Abundance Coach Claudia Noriega-Bernstein visits the Real Clear Values podcast to discuss the above and more.

(Episode recorded on 16th January 2023.)

The role of Aleksandr Dugin as an advisor to Vladimir Putin and influencer in Russian society has long been shrouded in mystery. Over time, this has earned him the moniker of “Putin’s Rasputin”. But despite Dugin’s widely acknowledged influence relating to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, his role and identity remain stubbornly difficult to pin down. Who is this agent of chaos, pulling at the fringes of western society? What does he want? And should the west be worried about its philosophical enemies like Aleksandr Dugin? Benjamin Teitelbaum visits the Real Clear Values podcast for the third time to discuss these questions and more.

Repentance isn't about external control; it's about internal change.

I was asked to give a talk at church on the topic, "Repentance is a mighty change of heart and mind", which I gave on Sunday 29th January 2023.

It isn't usual to record a talk that you give in a church meeting, but I felt prompted to do so beforehand. From the feedback I received from members of the congregation afterwards, I felt to share the recording on this podcast for others to listen to.

Repentance is something that I think about a lot, particularly as a means of personal transformation in so many different contexts, spiritual and secular. Yet, unfortunately, the word repentance has a branding problem, conjuring up all manner of images of social control and externally induced guilt and shame. (Shame can be a valuable internal stimulus for change, however, as I discuss in the talk.)

Repentance is driven by three fundamentals:

1. Identity – who you are and who you want to become;

2. Vision – where you want to go and what you want to obtain;

3. Love – there is nothing more transformational than the power of love.

For many listening who come from a non-religious background some of the terminology and concepts in the talk may seem strange, but the principle that underpins repentance is universal and isn't limited to a single denomination or belief-system. As a principle of transformation, repentance is like a key that will never rust.

I hope you gain something from listening to the talk.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments: [email protected].

Professor Malcolm Gaskill’s recently published book, The Ruin of all Witches: Life and Death in the New World, has received high praise from many quarters. It is a tragic tale of the struggles of life in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1651, speaking to neighbourhood rivalries, social and political power structures, early modern gender roles, and what it meant to be accused of witchcraft in the New World.

In this episode we discuss all of these themes and more, exploring how Malcolm adeptly explains the past without explaining it away and finding a simple but powerful moral to the story that can be applied in any era.

(Episode recorded on 16th November 2022.)

If you’re a CEO and you’re hoarding power then chances are that you’re limiting your organisation’s performance.

But don’t just take my word for it; take it from someone who’s done it both ways…

In this episode I had the pleasure of speaking with Kevin Hancock, CEO of Hancock Lumber Company, to talk about sustainable success.

Hancock Lumber was founded in 1848, so they know a thing or two about sustainability!

The foundation of their business’s sustainability doesn’t only depend on the sustainability of their supplies (i.e. trees), though that is critical, it also rests on people-oriented sustainability.

And this is where Kevin thrives in his stewardship as CEO of the company.

✅ Creating meaningful work for staff

✅ Creating a working environment in which staff are engaged and happy in their work, making it safe for them to speak up about necessary changes and improvements

✅ Empowering staff throughout the company to make their very best contributions through the dispersal of power

But before you start thinking that this is some sort of fluffy, emotional idealism, you need to pay attention to the cold, hard numbers that Hancock Lumber’s put up since Kevin started to disperse power throughout the organisation.

There’s a very stark before and after here – it’s staggering!

Why the change in approach?

In 2010, Kevin lost his voice and was forced to change his approach; which is when the magic started to happen.

Tune in to learn more about Kevin’s story, his approach and his enviable results.

Why did America, whose riches and military might dwarfed those of North Vietnam, fail to win the Vietnam War with its allies in the south?

In this episode, Dr. Tom Tunstall Allcock from University of Manchester gives some answers to that question, as well as exploring the war more broadly from an American perspective.

We discuss the pitfalls of the failure of American leadership to properly understand the values of its enemy in the war, its lack of clear purpose and goals through military intervention, its loss of moral authority through backfiring military operations, and unprecedented press coverage of the war which illustrated the horrors of war like never before.

The Vietnam War had a seismic impact on America, undermining trust in American leadership at home and abroad, bringing about unprecedented social unrest, contributing to the demise of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s power and presidency, and costing the lives of tens of thousands of American soldiers.

Whilst it was a staggeringly expensive tragedy, the Vietnam War offers a wealth of learning opportunities for leaders in almost any context.

(Episode recorded on 7th June 2022.)

Think you know all about the Vietnam War?

This interview with Dr. Sean Fear from the University of Leeds may make you think again.

Sean has researched Vietnamese-language archival materials, memoirs, and print media extensively, enabling him to present valuable perspectives that are often absent in western documentaries and movies about the war.

In this episode, we start by discussing the beginning of the Vietnam War (from the Vietnamese perspective) before getting into the South Vietnamese state's failure to win legitimacy in the eyes of its constituents, and the role that that played in the denouement of the war.

This episode is longer than usual to ensure that the nuances and complexities discussed can be properly represented.

Sean’s voice is authentic and insightful on this topic, challenging (western) conventional wisdom about the war, highlighting its intractable complexities, and giving valuable insight to western audiences.

(Episode recorded on 1st June 2022.)