Smash The Box

Doug Gordon used to be a stressed out investment banker. That was until a near death experience changed his life and set him on a new path. Strong white lights, a strange biblical inscription appearing on his leg, a powerful energy and a strong message set Doug on a path of enlightenment. It’s been a deeply spiritual path that has taken him via several religions; “religions are like rivers - it doesn’t matter which one you go down as long as you get to the sea. Each river is beautiful in its own way.” He tried the Alpha Course before settling on his own path. These days he is a successful executive coach, speaker and host of his own radio show; Inspirational People/Inspirational Stories on 103.2 Dublin City FM (I was actually a guest on his show in September 2019 and it is great to be able to return the compliment!). Energy and intention are central to Doug’s work and teachings. “Energy” he says "is all around us, within us and it affects us". If you can get yourself into a high vibration state then you will perform so much better because you will attract high vibration people”. Much of Doug's work is with Sales Teams. He stresses that the intention for sales people should be all about creating a positive communication, a positive connection and a long term relationship. Not to make a quick sale. "When I visit CEOs, a lot of them do visualisation and meditation. They are actually quite spiritual, because they need to optimise their energy to optimise their performance. Doug’s mantra is ‘Make It Happen’. He has even built a program around it. Get ready to be blown away by this incredible story that has to be heard to be believed.

Smash The Box is a personal development business. Everything I do is with the aim of inspiring you to find your purpose so you can make your mark on the world. One way I do this is by sharing people’s stories. Inspiring stories that the world needs to hear. Stories of breakthroughs, of adversity overcome, of achievements, successes, of setbacks and turnarounds, of realisations and lightbulb moments. This audio experience is a natural and perfect complement to the existing services of Life Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Breakthrough Workshops and Inspirational Talks - all of which forms something quite unique and special. If you are looking to find your purpose in life, in work, or both, then don’t just think outside the box. It’s time to Smash The Box!

Connect with us!

www.smashthebox.me

www.youtube.com/channel/UC7fEEvjX52qS928oyLGCtuQ

www.facebook.com/SmashTheBoxMarkPitcher/

www.instagram.com/markpitcher_smashthebox/

Maggie Murphy is the general manager of a football club. Maggie is doing much more than that however and this is not just any football club On one level, Lewes FC is a small community football club in the Isthmian League. The women’s team currently punches above its weight in FA Women’s Championship - the 2nd tier of the Women’s National League. They play their home matches at the amazingly named Dripping Pan, where the directors boxes are actually beach huts. On another level, Lewes are the first ever football club to pay and treat male and female footballers equally. Maggie’s business card actually says ‘Equality FC’ and that’s what they are. With a background in human rights and a passion for football, Maggie (and the club) are driven by strong values and purpose; "Everything we do is driven to create a better society. We believe in the power of football for good and we believe that football can create inclusive, diverse, happy sustainable societies. Therefore it’s easy for us to turn down sponsorship from a gambling company because we don’t believe that has a positive impact on society”. I used to have a lot of questions; Why was I always fighting for little scraps of money? Why did we only get a little tiny mention in the paper when we won the National Cup? Why did our kit not fit? All these questions hit me at the same time as the corruption scandal was coming out of Fifa. It was huge moment for me - 'That’s why I was struggling’, I thought”. Now Maggie (and the club) are dreaming and aiming big. Lewes FC vs Real Madrid in the Women’s Champions League? Don’t rule it out.

Smash The Box is a personal development business. Everything I do is with the aim of inspiring you to find your purpose so you can make your mark on the world. One way I do this is by sharing people’s stories. Inspiring stories that the world needs to hear. Stories of breakthroughs, of adversity overcome, of achievements, successes, of setbacks and turnarounds, of realisations and lightbulb moments. This audio experience is a natural and perfect complement to the existing services of Life Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Breakthrough Workshops and Inspirational Talks - all of which forms something quite unique and special. If you are looking to find your purpose in life, in work, or both, then don’t just think outside the box. It’s time to Smash The Box!

Connect with us!

www.smashthebox.me

www.youtube.com/channel/UC7fEEvjX52qS928oyLGCtuQ

www.facebook.com/SmashTheBoxMarkPitcher/

www.instagram.com/markpitcher_smashthebox/

James Routledge started a business at university and had been it for 4 years but he made more impact in one blog post than anything he had ever done before. At the tender age of 21, he wasn’t used to talking about his feelings. “I didn’t really have a relationship with my mental health". The post not only went bananas and had a positive impact on people, it also felt invigorating. James describes it as the best day of life. “I felt accepted.., heard…,seen”. It was the start of a culture that James has created, via his business, Sanctus, that gives permission around mental health. The aim - to put a mental health gym on the high street. “Physical health is a hobby for people so why can’t mental be? We want to position a space, more like a gym. It’s not a therapy room, or counselling. It’s coaching applied to a broader range of mental health. The world needs a mental health brand”. James calls for more regulation of the coaching industry and talks about the challenges the industry faces. Despite the success of Sanctus to date, James says that his mental health can suffer still and talks with an honesty that is raw and refreshing when it comes to his own struggles. Failure, self-deprecation, panic attacks, anxiety - it’s all in here and addressed in a very upfront and real way. James says that Sanctus is all about connection and community. This was the last podcast recorded in person before the lockdown and is a great one to tap elbows with!

Smash The Box is a personal development business. Everything I do is with the aim of inspiring you to find your purpose so you can make your mark on the world. One way I do this is by sharing people’s stories. Inspiring stories that the world needs to hear. Stories of breakthroughs, of adversity overcome, of achievements, successes, of setbacks and turnarounds, of realisations and lightbulb moments. This audio experience is a natural and perfect complement to the existing services of Life Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Breakthrough Workshops and Inspirational Talks - all of which forms something quite unique and special. If you are looking to find your purpose in life, in work, or both, then don’t just think outside the box. It’s time to Smash The Box!

Connect with us!

www.smashthebox.me

www.youtube.com/channel/UC7fEEvjX52qS928oyLGCtuQ

www.facebook.com/SmashTheBoxMarkPitcher/

www.instagram.com/markpitcher_smashthebox/

Women are more likely than men to start businesses which benefit society and the environment versus purely economic ventures. However, 60% of women with a business idea don’t pursue it because they don’t believe they have the right skills to be a business owner or the confidence.This is all according to Kim Sprague, who believes hugely in women-led businesses and is passionate about supporting them. Flamingo Life is Kim’s purpose driven coaching business aimed specifically at women who want to make a difference. There is also a podcast - Her Balanced Business - that supports it. After making it to the top in her field in PR/Communications, Kim found it didn’t make her as happy as she thought. “If you ask a lot of people if they would like to do something else, you’ll be surprised at the number of people who say yes”, says Kim. A near fatal labour experience and a detour via a yoga practice made Kim realise she wanted to make an impact but needed to balance this with income. “It comes down to balancing impact and income”. Find out Kim’s goal setting tips and more for women who want to make money they deserve for doing good in the world. Plenty for men to learn here too!

Smash The Box is a personal development business. Everything I do is with the aim of inspiring you to find your purpose so you can make your mark on the world. One way I do this is by sharing people’s stories. Inspiring stories that the world needs to hear. Stories of breakthroughs, of adversity overcome, of achievements, successes, of setbacks and turnarounds, of realisations and lightbulb moments. This audio experience is a natural and perfect complement to the existing services of Life Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Breakthrough Workshops and Inspirational Talks - all of which forms something quite unique and special. If you are looking to find your purpose in life, in work, or both, then don’t just think outside the box. It’s time to Smash The Box!

Connect with us!

www.smashthebox.me

www.youtube.com/channel/UC7fEEvjX52qS928oyLGCtuQ

www.facebook.com/SmashTheBoxMarkPitcher/

www.instagram.com/markpitcher_smashthebox/

066 Extra Time & Penalties with Paul Armstrong by Mark Pitcher

n 2018, CEO & Author, Andrew Barnes boarded a plane from his home in New Zealand, armed with just a laptop, some papers and a copy of The Economist. He was the most dangerous man on the plane yet, when he arrived at his final destination of London, he was not arrested and walked effortlessly through security. He had fired an email to his HR Director (who promptly deleted it, thinking it was a joke!) and what happened next transformed his working life, transformed his business (Perpetual Guardian), the lives of his employees and is now starting to change the world of work. “You only get one chance to change the world and this is mine” he smiles. Already being talked about and adopted by businesses in 83 countries (the Russian government have added it to their policy manifesto), it will be interesting to see, post Covid-19, how many more businesses adopt his 100-80-100 model, as we move into a brave new world. Inspired and shocked by an article in The Economist that revealed that the average worker in the UK is only productive for 3 hours a day. It’s 2.5 in Canada, Andrew decided to immediately put this to the test his own business, starting with his own board. "Just because someone shows up and sits in an office from 9-5, actually they’re not necessarily delivering you anything in return. Commute, coffee, emails, surfing the internet… and then you get down to work…and then someone taps you on the shoulder”. On average you get disturbed once every 11 minutes and it take you 22 minutes to get back to full productivity. Andrew explains 100-80-100. “We will pay you 100% of your salary of 80% of the time spent at work, on the condition that we still get 100% of the output”. Sound crazy? Think again. Despite the mischievous, attention grabbing title of his new book; “The 4 Day Week”, this is not really about three day weekends or improving culture and balance for people - albeit these are amazing outcomes. This is about improved productivity and a happier workforce. In Andrew’s company’s case, productivity went up 25%, revenues went up and profits went up and staff retention went through the roof. The first objection Andrew often gets is “but that won’t work in my industry because…”. Andrew has an answer for you. Prepare to hear him out and have your perspective changed in this world changing podcast.

Smash The Box is a personal development business. Everything I do is with the aim of inspiring you to find your purpose so you can make your mark on the world. One way I do this is by sharing people’s stories. Inspiring stories that the world needs to hear. Stories of breakthroughs, of adversity overcome, of achievements, successes, of setbacks and turnarounds, of realisations and lightbulb moments. This audio experience is a natural and perfect complement to the existing services of Life Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Breakthrough Workshops and Inspirational Talks - all of which forms something quite unique and special. If you are looking to find your purpose in life, in work, or both, then don’t just think outside the box. It’s time to Smash The Box!

Connect with us!

www.smashthebox.me

www.youtube.com/channel/UC7fEEvjX52qS928oyLGCtuQ

www.facebook.com/SmashTheBoxMarkPitcher/

www.instagram.com/markpitcher_smashthebox/

Kapil Gupta’s story is one of re-invention. He is a Transformation Coach and Founder of Nibana. “Nibana means liberation. To live in a prolonged moment of bliss,” says Kapil as he brings our attention to three main areas of life he believes we should be focussing on, practicing and learning; 1) Sensuality/Sexuality, 2) Material, 3) Values/Morals/Integrity. "Both sexes have both masculine and feminine in them. My purpose is to bring more feminine to the world”, he announces. In this deep and spiritual podcast Kapil explores what it means to be a man in a world where women matter. Kapil believes that both men and women have been conditioned when it comes to sexuality and intimacy. “When women own their sexuality and become empowered , many men do not know how to deal with that,” he proffers. Kapil works with men and couples to help them with connection and intimacy. After growing up in India, Kapil sees his life as having been split into two parts; “there was the traditional part - degree, career, marriage, money. And then the re-invention which has brought him to a deeper, more existential life. “No one trains you on how to be in a relationship. I realised I didn’t even know myself or how to show to up with others.” Losing his father in 2002 was a pivotal moment. Suddenly aware of his own mortality, Kapil started to ask himself some of life’s bigger questions. Now he asking others the same. Kapil’s lens on life is a fascinating one for those ready to explore life in a different way.

Smash The Box is a personal development business. Everything I do is with the aim of inspiring you to find your purpose so you can make your mark on the world. One way I do this is by sharing people’s stories. Inspiring stories that the world needs to hear. Stories of breakthroughs, of adversity overcome, of achievements, successes, of setbacks and turnarounds, of realisations and lightbulb moments. This audio experience is a natural and perfect complement to the existing services of Life Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Breakthrough Workshops and Inspirational Talks - all of which forms something quite unique and special. If you are looking to find your purpose in life, in work, or both, then don’t just think outside the box. It’s time to Smash The Box!

Connect with us!

www.smashthebox.me

www.youtube.com/channel/UC7fEEvjX52qS928oyLGCtuQ

www.facebook.com/SmashTheBoxMarkPitcher/

www.instagram.com/markpitcher_smashthebox/

Sara Challice cares a lot. In fact, she cares for carers. Not professional carers but ordinary, everyday people who have dedicated their lives, or a large proportion of it, to caring for a loved one. Home carers save the NHS £132 Billion every year. That’s the cost of a second NHS. The fact is, says Sara, that 3 in 5 of us will at some point become carers and 75% of that number fall ill as a result. “That statistic needs to change” Sara asserts. Sara is speaking from experience. She cared for her husband Neil for 13 years before he passed away in 2015. Just six weeks into their relationship, Neil fell ill with a brain tumour. In this emotional and heartwarming podcast, Sara reveals the physical and emotional rollercoaster she experienced and the lessons learned from it. Her book; Who Cares will be published later this year and will help many who are suffering. Her business Who Cares 4 Carers also runs masterclasses and courses to help prevent others from losing themselves in the way that Sara did. "If you’re a carer, you are not a dogsbody. You are doing an amazing job. We need to stop the suffering.” Who cares? I invite you to care enough to give this wonderfully human story a listen.

Smash The Box is a personal development business. Everything I do is with the aim of inspiring you to find your purpose so you can make your mark on the world. One way I do this is by sharing people’s stories. Inspiring stories that the world needs to hear. Stories of breakthroughs, of adversity overcome, of achievements, successes, of setbacks and turnarounds, of realisations and lightbulb moments. This audio experience is a natural and perfect complement to the existing services of Life Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Breakthrough Workshops and Inspirational Talks - all of which forms something quite unique and special. If you are looking to find your purpose in life, in work, or both, then don’t just think outside the box. It’s time to Smash The Box!

Connect with us!

www.smashthebox.me

www.youtube.com/channel/UC7fEEvjX52qS928oyLGCtuQ

www.facebook.com/SmashTheBoxMarkPitcher/

www.instagram.com/markpitcher_smashthebox/

Brendan Hall successfully skippered his team to victory aboard Spirit of Australia, in the 2009 Clipper Round The World Yacht Race. That doesn’t tell the whole story though. It would be easy to title and fill this narrative with sailing analogies. Yet, this is a story of incredible team spirit, of brilliant leadership, of failures, disasters, near death experiences. All of which came before that ultimate triumph. Brendan’s skills as a leader were tested to the hilt. Things went wrong on the very first leg; whilst Brendan obsessively focussed on the metrics, his volatile moods brought morale to a complete low. He vowed to only learn the hard lessons once. By taking blame out of the equation, he and the team were able to learn lessons in a productive way and communicate in a more constructive way. “I had to create from nothing this team culture…way of working…ethos…that was going to keep everyone safe. There was a realisation of how much we all wear masks. When you’re at sea…no one can keep that mask on.” In his book, Team Spirit, Brendan tells how he learned to re-frame the entire race; “this wasn’t a race of 10 yachts but a race of 10 teams.It’s 80% leadership, communication and teamwork skills and 20% hard sailing skills”. Some important lessons for business leaders here as Brendan emphasises the importance of trust. Find out how Brendan skippered not one, not two but three boats during the course of the race! Hurricanes, crises, sadness, euphoria and some big life lessons in this incredible episode. This isn’t a podcast, it’s an adventure!

Smash The Box is a personal development business. Everything I do is with the aim of inspiring you to find your purpose so you can make your mark on the world. One way I do this is by sharing people’s stories. Inspiring stories that the world needs to hear. Stories of breakthroughs, of adversity overcome, of achievements, successes, of setbacks and turnarounds, of realisations and lightbulb moments. This audio experience is a natural and perfect complement to the existing services of Life Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Breakthrough Workshops and Inspirational Talks - all of which forms something quite unique and special. If you are looking to find your purpose in life, in work, or both, then don’t just think outside the box. It’s time to Smash The Box!

Connect with us!

www.smashthebox.me

www.youtube.com/channel/UC7fEEvjX52qS928oyLGCtuQ

www.facebook.com/SmashTheBoxMarkPitcher/

www.instagram.com/markpitcher_smashthebox/

Former drug addict and reformed alcoholic, Kingston Davis has completed turned his life around through the help of yoga and personal development. Now the proud owner of his own fitness business; KTK Fitness, Kingston is speaking out for the first time about the demons of his past so, that he can help inspire others. Allowed to “get away with stuff” that he shouldn’t and neglected at any early age set Kingston on a path that led to him drinking a bottle of vodka every day. A potential career in professional football was lost to Kingston’s wayward tendencies. Weight training helped start his transformation but this alone was not enough. A tendency to self-sabotage still dogged him. Helped and inspired by the positive influence of his sister, Daniella, Kingston found his answer in Yoga. “Yoga helped me to install a positive feeling in me. It helped me to think clearly.” Since his recovery, Kingston has reached back to people from his past to apologise for some of his behaviours and is now passionate and focussed on helping others. He is dedicating his life to one of service. “I’m not doing this for the money.”His message to other addicts is simple; “You can change. No matter how lost you think you are, you can find your way back. Find the reason why you want to change.” he suggests helpfully. Kingston know sees opportunities everywhere. “Drink and drugs cloud you. You miss out on so much”. He encourages us to be mindful of our self-talk, especially at night, before going to bed. “Your brain is the most powerful tool in your body. The more positives you have in your life, the more that voice will be positive.” Oh…and "train hard!" An inspiration to all, find out how Kingston turned his life around from the depths of despair to one so positive.