Ben Newton has spent his life leading in extreme environments military, close protection, fire service, industrial rescue. But none of that prepared him for the hardest thing: leading himself.

In this conversation, Ben and Aaron trace the thread that runs through every high-pressure role Ben has held and every identity he has worn. From a near-fatal anaphylactic episode on a rooftop in Afghanistan, to a nine-day cruise where silence finally caught up with him, to finding his tribe on a Brazilian jiu-jitsu mat before sunrise, Ben's story is about what happens when the character you've built starts to crack and what's underneath it.

At the centre of it all is a deceptively simple idea: lead yourself first. Not as a performance. Not as a discipline hack. As the only honest foundation anything else can be built on.

This one moves slowly and hits hard. If you've ever been the go-to person for everyone else while quietly losing ground on yourself this conversation is for you.

Reach out to Ben via Kaizen Summit, LinkedIn or Instagram.

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