The Hack is back, this episode with special guest Luke Scott. Luke's visit to the podcast was all-encompassing and jumped across a range of fascinating topics, leaving it as an episode that you won't want to miss.

The guys start by talking in-depth about some of the things Luke is passionate about. From the music that gets him pumped up and ready to take on the day, to the books that he's read and the topics that truly grab him, this podcast offers you a much deeper insight into the mindset of a business winner, and how listening to Adele can be one of the best things to do in a difficult time.

The main point of discussion on this week's episode was surrounding mental health. As we all know mental health is something that affects all of us on a day to day basis. The guys talk about an issue that has affected many people recently, and that is the way that lockdown has had an impact on all of us. From difficulties in staying as active as we were before the pandemic to the support networks that we all need when we're struggling, this episode hits a lot of important notes that any of us need to hear in difficult times.

There is also a thorough discussion surrounding Andy's Man Club. 

Andy's Man Club is a mental health support network set up following the unexpected passing of the founder's close friend. It's a place that men can go to find support and help, allowing people to reach out and talk about the problems they've faced.

The Hack is proud to support Andy's Man Club and will continue to do so in order to support those that need mental health support in modern society. If you find yourself affected by any of the issues discussed in this episode, don't be afraid to reach out and get the help you need.

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The newest episode of The Hack has been released, with your hosts Leon McQuade, James Ash and Paul Longley, as well as guest Gemma Gibson, all making the most of their time on the air for you. This episode offers everything from nutritional diet discussion to digital distraction, and what we can do to keep our productivity high in today’s technical landscape.

The discussion opens up on diet, lifestyle, and what a positive change can mean for both your physical and mental health. James’ visits to a health coach are the centre of discussion, and he teaches the guys a few things about habit changing, and how adjusting your behaviour over long periods of time to become healthier can be more difficult than short, sharp changes in your day to day routine.

From here, the discussion turns to the idea of a healthy balance in your life, and what the introduction of social media and the necessity of phones might mean for you. Social media has had such a fundamental impact on everyone’s lives, and we hear first-hand stories from a schoolteacher around the impact phones have on something as simple as eating lunch. The conversation, as usual, returns to business, and how we can apply a step by step ideology to improving our lives. Another idea we explore in this episode is the concept that where you can find a business solution, you can often find a life solution and vice versa.

As always, The Hack is proud to support Andy’s Man Club, a men’s mental health charity that seeks to ensure that men up and down the company have a safe space they can visit to discuss their thoughts, feelings, and to spend time with others. If you have any concerns about your mental health and wellbeing, visit an Andy's Man Club session near you and get involved.

#wellbeing #productivity #networking #mentalhealth #itsupport

As part of The Hack's 100x Leader Challenge, our hosts Leon McQuade, Paul Longley, and Dean Buffield are back to discuss the latest developments in technology and business processes. Today, they're talking about the five gears and how they can be used to balance work and life for busy professionals juggling career and family.

The five gears are distinct energy modes: recharge mode, connect mode, social mode, task mode, and focus mode. In this podcast, we discuss the difference between the five gears and how important it is to understand which mode you're operating in at any time. Even when you're just on recharge mode, it's so important to switch off, disconnect, and make sure your time is spent away from screens to make the most of this gear shift - so that you're ready to launch into focus mode when you need to.

Leon, Paul, and Dean get into the details of the five gears, discussing which ones they identify working in the most and how people, colleagues, and family members working in different gears must work together and practise shifting gears to align themselves with others when needed. Understanding the five gears and how they can be used as a template to understand and control your working patterns is key to efficiency and productivity in busy modern workplaces.

Suppose you're trying to understand your working processes, and you're looking for tips on how to recharge or improve your focus and collaborative skills at work. In that case, this podcast is full of advice that can help you control switching gears and make the most of your free time and your focus time.

Listen to The Hack today to hear exclusive insights, as well as work and social hacks that can transform your day-to-day life.

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#wellbeing #productivity #networking #mentalhealth #itsupport

The Hack is back for the big one! It's Series 10 of the 100x Leader Challenge, our popular mini-series. Hosts Leon McQuade and Paul Longley are once again joined by Dean Bulfield, as our presenters discuss leadership, technology and their personal usage of social media platforms.

The 100X Leader series podcast sees our presenters invite listeners and guests with them on a journey to establish just what exactly leadership is, how you can spot it, and a range of attributes you need to excel in the world of business leadership. In this episode, our hosts take a deep dive into a range of subjects, including a topical look into the marketing of COVID 19 vaccines and how these give us lessons on how to present our products and the role of choice in modern markets.

Behavioural science also plays a major role in this episode as Leon, Paul and Dean discuss the science behind refusing to go to bed as a child and how it relates to "decision fatigue", an issue that we all face in our day to day lives. Making decisions is at the heart of management and leadership, after all, working out how and why particular decisions are made can be key to making the most of leadership roles.

If you'd like to learn about all facets of leadership, from networking to communication to decision making, there's no better resource than this episode of the 100X Leader Series.

The Hack and 100X Leader series strives to promote the great work done by Andy's Man Club, a non-profit mental health organisation focused on getting men the support they need to resolve issues and improve their mental health.

Listen to The Hack today for more insight that you can't hear anywhere else.

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#wellbeing #productivity #networking #mentalhealth #itsupport

Returning for another episode of The Hack, the ninth instalment of our 100X Leader series is now available. It features our hosts Leon McQuade and Paul Longley, who have once more been joined by the dulcet tones of Dean Bulfield. As always, the guys take a meander along the path of leadership, exploring new ideas and leadership concepts along the way.

Early in the podcast, your hosts dive headfirst into a discussion around failure and rejection, what that can mean for your self-confidence, and how an effective leader can move past these issues. Converting failure into success is one of the most important things a leader can try to do. That's why striving to make the most of every failure sets poor leaders apart from the pack.

Your hosts also delve into a discussion around development and the role of production evolution in modern markets. Technology is moving faster than anyone could have anticipated, which can be worrying for companies that feel somewhat stuck or have a set product that doesn't evolve.

Aside from product development, the lads discuss personal development. Leadership courses and personal attributes play a vital role in the world of management today, and if you're not able to develop as either a manager or an employee, you'll get left behind. Focusing on growing as a leader and improving your workplace attributes can put you ahead of the field, something we explore in much greater depth in the episode.

The Hack, and the 100X Leader mini-series alike, are proud to support Andy's Man Club, a mental health charity based in the north of England, focusing on ensuring that men get the support they need to live a happy and fulfilling life.

You can improve your leadership prospects and even simply have a good time by listening to The Hack today.

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The Hack is back and what a show we have in store for you this week as your hosts Leon, Paul and Jo are joined by none other than Hull rugby legend Lee Radford.

Lee is a former England international rugby player who spent most of his career representing Hull. He had a hugely successful spell at the Bradford Bulls sandwiched in the middle, going on to coach the club he represented on over 190 occasions. Lee is now set to become head coach of the Castleford Tigers, where he will look to add to the honours he won as a player.

Lee's career provides a perspective not yet covered on the show and one especially poignant with regards to the 100x Leadership challenge which our hosts are also doing on our spin-off series, 100x Leader. To have a leader in elite sport on the show provides a wide range of thought-provoking topics to discuss, including effective leadership, building a team and developing potential.

As always, The Hack focuses on people, processes and technology and it's especially interesting to learn the process that goes on at a top-level sporting institution. With Lee set to start a new role as head coach of Castleford Tigers next year, this episode provides an insight into the man himself as our hosts try to discover what makes him tick. From books that have changed his life to small purchases with a positive impact, we're able to learn more about Lee than just his rugby exploits.

With his role with the Tigers looming large in his mind, we're able to get a sneak peek into what the club might look like under his stewardship, his plans for the team and his ambition to align the club with the local community.

The Hack continues to support the fantastic work of Andy's Man Club, a non-profit organisation in the North of England seeking to provide a welcoming environment for men struggling with mental health issues.

All this and more make for another fascinating episode of The Hack that you will not want to miss!

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Supervillain today for us and everyone listening, whether you're an entrepreneur, a parent or a high achiever, is a digital distraction. Think of social media, count up how many messaging platform alerts and app updates you get in one 24hr period. Then look at all of the dopamine hits our brains are subjected to as a result of this.

Do you know how many times the average person opens up, let’s say Instagram?

It’s 150 times. Even if you open it less, that still means some are opening it up a whole lot more! We only have to stop and think, why is it we do this? The answer is super simple to understand ……… It's because it's by design!  We get this dopamine flood into our brain that drives our habits or addiction for one of a better word. These tendencies form our patterns, influence our actions which have consequences and shape our reality.

If you want to jump-start your brain in the morning routine or evening routine, we all want to be more, do more, and get more, which comes from looking at our daily habits.

We're back once again like the renegade master! This week sees us bring you the seventh instalment of The Hack's spin-off mini-series 100X Leader. This week we have a new host joining the team, as Dean Bulfield joins our regular masters of ceremonies, Leon McQuade and Paul Longley, on their journey learning leadership and life skills from the Giant Platform 100x Leader.

100x Leader is a leadership platform developed by GIANT and introduced to Leon and Paul by former guest Steve Cockram. The mini-series of the same name has seen our hosts invite the listener along on the journey with them as they explore and evaluate a wide range of topics and discover what it means to be a successful leader. This latest episode is no different as the hosts dig into the difference between the definition of a boss and a leader, direct and indirect leadership, and how the internet impacts knowledge and intelligence.

As always, people, processes and technology are at the heart of the discussion, and this series has seen us get to know our hosts a little better. This extended episode sees Dean join the pair to contribute to the discussion around the program as the trio work to evaluate how we, as individuals, can improve and improve as part of a team.

Later on in the show, the lads discuss challenges to personal growth, what might help someone struggling with self-belief and the role of confidence in developing your personal and professional life.

As always, The Hack and the 100X Leader mini-series promote the fantastic work of Andy's Man Club, a non-profit organisation in the North of England seeking to provide support and solidarity for men struggling with mental health issues.

Listen now to another thought-provoking episode of The Hack.

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It’s that time again people! Your hosts Leon McQuade and Paul Longley return for another thought-provoking episode of The Hack’s sassy side series 100X Leader, a mini-series devoted to the Giant platform the boys are learning life and leadership skills from.

As always people, processes and technology are the centre of conversation as the hosts continue their exploration of the platform they were introduced to by former guest Steve Cockram.

This mini-series has seen our hosts challenge themselves, and the listeners, to go on a journey of self-improvement and reflect upon their own personal and professional experiences to become even more effective leaders.

This episode focuses on prohibition and inhibition - who says you can’t? Our hosts explore the idea of being prohibited and inhibited what that means professionally and institutionally. There are things that outside factors prohibit us from doing but our own inhibitions often prevent us from doing things too, this episode explores this to try and work out how we can be uninhibited.

Our hosts have enabled us further insight into their lives across this series and this episode is no different as the 100X Leader Challenge allows opportunities to reflect upon their personal and professional relationships.

As the hosts explore what it means to be an effective leader, it’s evident the platform is starting to create more questions and opportunities for development in their respective lives.

As always, The Hack and this 100X Leader mini-series work to promote the amazing work of Andy’s Man Club, an organisation both Leon and Paul have helped to develop, focusing on promoting positive mental health in men and a supportive environment to discuss their issues.

#wellbeing #productivity #networking #mentalhealth #itsupport

The street talking, smart tech podcast is back! The Hack is here with an all-new episode. This time around, your hosts Leon McQuade and Paul Longley are joined by none other than Dr. Andrew Steel of the Plant A Tree Today Foundation.

PATT was formed in 2006 in Thailand after a mini-bus trip to the village of Sangklaburi where they carried out their first tree planting project. Now the foundation continues to honour its name by planting trees every day, so many in fact they've planted over 3 million trees already!

Naturally, given Andrew's appearance on the show, this presents the opportunity for discussion around the environment, how we can protect it and what donating to the PATT foundation will allow them to do.

As always, our hosts are on hand to lead the thoughtful discussion and try to find out what helps Andrew tick, from books that have changed his life to that amp up a song that gets him raring for the day. Andrew opens up on his founding of the PATT foundation, his family and even his sporting pedigree after competing in the first-ever rugby league game on Asian soil.

The insight into the Plant A Tree Today foundation provides a reminder of the importance of nature on planet earth. The foundation has 10-15 dedicated team members ensuring over 3,000 trees are planted per day and they want that number to keep growing! Andrew explains how technology is vital to the process of planting trees and the foundation's mission.

The Hack, as a podcast, focuses on business, mental health and online working and always endeavours to promote the amazing work of Andy's Man Club, a mental health organisation based in the North of England seeking to promote better mental health in men.

Please pay the PATT Foundation a visit at www.patt.org and support the wonderful work Dr. Andrew Steel and his team are doing to help keep our planet alive and healthy.