Kat talks with Jay Alderton, a transformation coach, speaker and former British Army soldier, who cuts through the noise with brutal honesty and knowledge based on his personal experiences. They talk about the dangers of online connection replacing real human interaction, relationship longevity and personal growth. Jay delivers powerful truths about self-awareness, accountability, and the courage to do hard things and his unique perspective on why "knowing and not doing is the same as not knowing" will challenge you to examine your own life and excuses!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Jay's experiences have taught him that true success comes from understanding the difference between failing and failure. Failing is just part of the learning process.
• Through his years of experience in the fitness and social media industry, Jay has observed how modern technology creates a false sense of connection. We need real human interaction and he creates this himself by challenging his comfort zone in various situations.
• Jay has found that public accountability is crucial for achieving goals. When he tells others about his intentions, he's more likely to follow through because he values being seen as reliable and trustworthy.
• Environment shapes performance. One thing you can do for your environment is consider your own digital connections through actions like auditing your Whatsapp conversations and social media feeds to ensure they support growth rather than negativity.
• There is power in focusing on one "keystone habit." which can often create a cascade of good habits and success.
• Self-awareness and brutal honesty are essential. Jay challenges his clients for their own benefit.
• Having been with his wife since age 13, Jay understands that relationships require constant communication and adaptation.
• Based on his observations of both clients and his own journey, Jay recognises how people can become comfortable in negativity, creating toxic cycles of complaining without action.

BEST MOMENTS

“You can't fail if you don't give up.“

"Knowing and not doing is the same as not knowing. So you don't know something if you're not doing it, that's the reality. So don't fool yourself that you are, that you know something."

"My granddad taught me to leave things better than when you found them... if every human being left people and things a little bit better than when they found them, the world would be a much better place."

"We are more attracted to negativity and drama than we are to positivity and kindness”.

"Environment dictates performance... Being around other people who are focused on growth and focused on improvement, you end up being that person who's focused on growth and focused on improvement."

 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Jay Alderton

Combining life lessons with accessible advice, ex-British Army soldier and champion bodybuilder Jay Alderton reveals the seven mindset principles for overcoming obstacles, finding your inner strength, and achieving the fulfilling and abundant life that you truly deserve. Every transformation starts in our heads and this book will show you that the journey to a successful, strong, and happy life starts not in the gym or your job, but in the realm of your thoughts. Transform your outlook from " hard" to " hero" and enjoy the rewards of choosing a path filled with hard stuff that leads to an easy life.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hard-Stuff-Easy-Life-Principles/dp/0241682673

ABOUT THE HOST

Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself. 

She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe. 

LinkedIn

Instagram

Kat talks to social psychologist Thomas Curran for a fascinating exploration into perfectionism, productivity, and the pressure to constantly achieve more. Kat and Thomas challenge the societal obsession with constant growth and explore why we feel we're never "good enough." From the surprising economic roots of perfectionism to practical strategies for breaking free from its grip, they share tips on finding balance in a world that demands perfection. Thomas also shares his thoughts on the power of doing nothing and his life changing decision to give up alcohol.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The feeling of "not being good enough" is partly driven by our economy's need for constant consumption, which requires people to feel perpetually insufficient to drive purchasing behaviour.
• Success stories like Gymshark shouldn't be our only measure of achievement. We need to recalibrate and redefine what success means, recognising that making a decent living is enough.
• Perfectionism creates a gap between who we are and who we think we should be, this is driven more by the pressure to constantly achieve more.
• True rest and "doing nothing" can paradoxically be our most productive moments, allowing for creativity and lateral thinking that busy work prevents.
• Early morning exercise, even just 15 minutes, can transform your day - the key is making it easy and accessible rather than setting unrealistic expectations.
• Parents can integrate positive habits with family life rather than seeing them as separate activities, this can be anything, from family book clubs to exercise and walks.
• Phone addiction and constant screen time pull us away from being comfortable in our own skin, contributing to perfectionism and hyperactivity too.
• Small changes, like giving up alcohol, can have transformative effects on energy, presence, and productivity that exceed expectations.

BEST MOMENTS

"Growth doesn't thrive in abundance, it thrives under scarcity... In order to have growth, there has to be deficit."

"We live in supply side economies where consumption is a big part of everything... if we need to consume all the time to keep our economy growing, that means that we need to feel inferior all the time."

"I think we should be lounging about wasting days more, human beings need to be contemplative, resting just as much as they need to work."

"When you become a parent, you realise that you're reduced to nothing more than a helpless spectator. So ultimately they're in control anyway."

 

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Thomas Curran

ABOUT THE HOST

Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself. 

She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe. 

LinkedIn

Instagram

Kat is joined by Seema Menon, who shares her journey from being a ‘constantly on’ sales director to discovering the transformative power of mindfulness and balance. She discusses her experiences leading at Sony Pictures and completing marathons, challenging the "busy culture" mindset while offering practical ideas for sustainable high performance. This episode also features surprising statistics about productivity and includes a compelling discussion on why the simplest solutions are often the most effective.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Rather than making life easier, technology has created a "scarcity mindset" where we feel compelled to work harder and achieve more, leading to chronic stress and burnout.
• Small, sustainable changes like five minute meditation breaks or mindful walking can have more impact than dramatic lifestyle overhauls, making them more likely to stick and create lasting positive change.
• The cost of burnout extends far beyond work performance, affecting relationships, health, and finances, with some people taking years to recover from severe burnout.
• Businesses are seeing more silent resignations and decreased efficiency due to the "always on" culture, particularly in hybrid work environments where boundaries between work and personal life have blurred.
• Intentional congruence - combining activities like walking meetings, can help integrate mindfulness into busy schedules without feeling like it’s wasted time.
• Morning routines incorporating exercise or mindfulness can boost workplace productivity by up to 72%, while quality sleep can increase productivity by 29%.
• Seema's practice of mindfulness made her more aware of others' challenges, transforming her leadership style to become more empathetic and supportive of team members.

BEST MOMENTS

"Nobody's going to say that I wish I did that extra one hour of work and got that additional deal for that organisation. It would always be regret about not having spent enough time with their children."

"Every time you look at the clock, bring a smile to your face, you're alive and kicking."

"We get so caught up in this trap of work and careers... What are your children going to remember? What are your partners, your family, your friends going to remember?”

"You don't have to always be the Iron Man or the superwoman... just be yourself and just be kind." 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Seema has over 19 years diverse experience in Broadcast Media and Entertainment predominantly in Advertising Sales. Her previous role as Region Head of Sales, Sony Pictures Network entailed leading teams across multiple geographies with revenue generation responsibilities.

Seema has had a stint in technology (Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning) at SparkBeyond, UK,  an AI scale-up, as Impact Strategist (EMEA). At present, she pursues her entrepreneurial venture as a Coach, Mentor and Keynote Speaker, conducting various Apperceptive programs with Headstride Ltd. Seema remains immersed in her Leadership roles at Toastmasters International, as a Mentor at The Prince's Trust and at CSO UK as a Steering Committee Member.  

LinkedIn

ABOUT THE HOST

Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself. 

She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe. 

LinkedIn

Instagram

Kat talks about the concept of choosing your hard. She explains why choosing what feels like the easier option at the time can actually be making your life harder and the idea that doing hard things creates an easy life.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Kat would spend every morning snoozing her alarm, feeling stressed by immediately checking her phone and needing caffeine to get started. This was a hard way to start the day and ultimately live.
• Getting up at 5 am to exercise or meditate every morning is also hard, but is it a 'better hard' than many of us choose? 
• The small decisions we constantly make in our daily lives are all contributing to how we feel.

BEST MOMENTS

“The question is, which hard are you going to choose?”

“Hard things, easy life”

“We overlook all these little choices every day, they are contributing to how we feel in our lives”

ABOUT THE HOST

Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself. 

She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe. 

LinkedIn

Instagram

Kat is joined by Damien Baxter, a former teacher and now Head of Marketing for LiveLink Ai. They explore the often overwhelming busyness we all struggle with and how to achieve sustainable well-being through creating positive habits. Kat and Damien highlight the vital connection between mental, emotional, and physical health and talk about the importance of creating unscheduled moments to simply exist. The conversation also addresses why success doesn't always mean happiness, why you are always the priority and offers advice for creating a more balanced, fulfilling life beyond hustle culture.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Our brains only have so much capacity and the hectic modern world we are all living in currently makes things difficult for us, particularly around memory.
• Being busy is a habit in itself. Damien creates what he called ‘interim time’ to just exist and be, rather than always being scheduled to do something.
• Kat’s burnout in 2016 was in part because she did not give herself the space or time to understand what was happening in her life and the challenges she was facing, particularly in regard to relationships.
• Looking after yourself properly, including eating well and exercising is proven time and time again to impact both your professional and personal performance, but this is easily ignored at the expense of 'working hard'.
• Your number one priority in life isn’t your work or other people it is your own wellbeing. You have to look after yourself to be able to help others.
• Your mental health and your emotional health are intertwined with your physical health and performance. Damien experienced first hand what this meant during covid.
• If you can learn how to give yourself energy and increase performance regularly, you won’t need to always feel like you are waiting for your next ‘break from life’ to relax, like annual leave or Christmas.
• Just because someone has everything society tells us we need to be successful, it doesn’t mean they are happy. Even the likes of Steve Jobs is rumoured to have regrets on his deathbed of not spending enough time with family and friends.
• Even small changes to your habits can completely transform your life and your happiness levels.

BEST MOMENTS

“Having that free time to just do ‘stuff’ is important”

“One of the reasons my life completely exploded in my face is because I never gave myself the space to truly know what was going on”

“Life’s too short, enjoy it and embrace the people around you and make time for strangers, everybody has a story, just listen”

“Prioritise what you have to do and make time for yourself.”

“Without you, everything falls apart, so you’ve got to look after yourself”

“People will die for their children, but they won’t live for them”

“Men do cry, men can have these moments of weaknesses emotionally”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Damien Baxter, a former teacher and now Head of Marketing for LiveLink Ai. 

LinkedIn

ABOUT THE HOST

Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself. 

She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe. 

LinkedIn

Instagram

Join Kat for part 2 of this special episode recorded live at the International Fitness Summit in Ibiza. She talks to Paul, Nicola, Ousin and Charlie about their number ONE positive habit for getting into a high-performing state.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Paul talks about prompting journaling, where you ask yourself a series of direct questions in the morning, directing his attention to the things he wants and needs to focus on. He calls these questions the steering wheel of the mind.
• We all have time to put better habits into practice, almost all of us spend time doom scrolling and wasting hours.
• One of Nicola’s biggest lessons from the Ibiza summit was to be confident and to remind herself that everyone is just a normal person, from millionaires to superintendents.
• Walking stops Nicola from procrastinating and allows her time and space to organise her thoughts.
• This is Charlie’s first time back in Ibiza since 2013, 3 weeks before his 5-year prison sentence. His number one positive habit for getting into a high-performing state is exercise. It helps keep him focused and on track.
• The key to sustainable exercising is to find something you enjoy doing and allow yourself to get out of your comfort zone, taking the first step is the hardest.
• A lot of people in the UK are really struggling right now, Kat believes habits are at the core of this and we have the ability to change it.
• A positive habit Ousin has developed is being vulnerable and talking about when he is not in a good place. This means that any challenging feelings are in the open before they develop into something more difficult to deal with.
• Building positive habits into her daily life has meant that when tough things have happened to Kat, she is able to tackle them without becoming completely wiped out. Something she previously struggled with.

BEST MOMENTS

“73% of people the first thing they do in the morning is look at the phone”

“I can check in on my life, my goals or look at someone elses on a screen”

“They’re just normal people who have habits like everyone else”

“Exercise always keeps me focused, keeps me on track”

“Making one small positive habit change can be really powerful”

“It’s something I pride myself on; I’m literally an open book”

“Now I’ve got all these positive habits in place, when tough things have happened it hasn’t knocked me over completely like it did in 2016”

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Paul Mort

Paul is a two-time UK Master Coach of the Year, renowned for his no-nonsense approach to life transformation. After overcoming personal challenges, including depression and a lack of purpose, he now dedicates himself to helping individuals who feel lost, stuck, or overwhelmed in areas such as work, business, relationships, family, and finances. Through his programs like Unstoppable28 and the Alliance, as well as his chart-topping podcast "Paul Mort Talks Sh*t," he empowers others to take decisive action and reclaim control over their lives.

Instagram

Nicola Buchan

Nicola is a mum of 2 awesome kids and 4 doggos. She is a gym owner, sports commentator and coach. I love to do hard things I have ran multiple marathons 20 to be exact,18 of which were in 18 consecutive days and she competes in strongwomen placing top 3 in Scotland 3 years in a row. She's just a normal person who looks for challenge to Inspire others they can to do hard things.

Instagram

Charlie Hendrie 

Charlie is a former Royal Marines commando & body guard to the super rich & famous made a life changing mistake which then lead to a 10 year prison sentence. After serving 5 years inside,Charlie left prison with £40 to his name and had to rebuild his life all over again. He now runs an online fitness business, takes gym classes and has built up an amazing hiking community. He is also a current HYROX athlete & HYROX ambassador

Instagram

Ousin Mulligan

Oisin (Mulligainz fitness) An online fitness coach who managed to lose 60kg with the help of his older brother who now helps people do the same using the same older brother type support !

Instagram

ABOUT THE HOST

Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself. 

She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe. 

LinkedIn

Instagram

Kat speaks to one of the most positive people she has ever met, Nils Viken who is currently the Chief Revenue Officer at H5P Group AS. He talks to Kat about habits, how he sustains an excellent work-life balance in his career and how his positive mindset has contributed to this as well as his good mental health. He also shares his number one positive habit and why it works so well for him!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Culturally, it is very socially acceptable to take time off in Norway, Nils has always taken four weeks in the summer. He recognises the importance of creating a balance between his home life and work. This has been challenged when working in global companies but still always something he has prioritised.
• Knowing he has this break with his family, is one of the highlights of his year and is a key component to his good mental health and his family’s wellbeing and happiness.
• The UK has been scored as one of the lowest countries for mental wellbeing. One of the contributing factors to this was something called ‘lack of family bonds’.
• One of the differences between Norway and the UK is the financial security many families feel. Nil thinks that there is more pressure for people in the UK to ‘work hard’ in order to achieve financial stability.
• Nil and his family make a conscious effort to not have phones out at dinner or nearby when socialising, to keep boundaries in place and create a good work-life balance. He also enforces certain times to be switched off from work.
• A positive mindset is the first step to creating more positive habits, if you see things as opportunities, it is much easier to find the positive in all situations.
• A positive attitude influences others, if you are a positive person that influences other peoples decision making which creates a positive spiral effect.
• Prioritise things that you enjoy, giving priority to the things that you like. If we aren't careful life passes us by without us spending time doing the things we love.
• Not everything you do has to have a purpose, it's important to keep the brain alive and active and a lot of that can just come from spending time simply on something we are interested in. 
• Earlier in his career, Nil realised he didn't look after his sleep and the impact it had on his energy levels and performance. This is something he focuses on now. 
• Having the confidence to say no to things and people that don't serve you or contribute to your life positively can have a transformative impact on your life.

BEST MOMENTS

“You need to allow yourself times to block things off”

“You can email at all times but you can’t expect a reply at all times”

“You’re one of the most positive people I have ever met and ever worked with”

“When you see things as an opportunity you can almost always see something positive out of it”

“Your positive attitude influences other people who make decisions”

“A lot of people have great lives but it feels like groundhog day”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Nils Viken has an extensive career in sales and leadership roles, beginning in 1995 at Scala, Inc. and currently serving as the Chief Revenue Officer at H5P Group AS. With experience at companies like itslearning AS, Océ Norway, and Trustix, Nils has held various titles such as Managing Director, VP Sales and Marketing, and Sales Director. Nils holds a BSc in Management Sciences from The University of Manchester and a Bachelor's degree in IT and automation from Østfold University College.

Website

ABOUT THE HOST

Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself. 

She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe. 

LinkedIn

Instagram

ABOUT THE GUEST

Nils Viken has an extensive career in sales and leadership roles, beginning in 1995 at Scala, Inc. and currently serving as the Chief Revenue Officer at H5P Group AS. With experience at companies like itslearning AS, Océ Norway, and Trustix, Nils has held various titles such as Managing Director, VP Sales and Marketing, and Sales Director. Nils holds a BSc in Management Sciences from The University of Manchester and a Bachelor's degree in IT and automation from Østfold University College.

Website

ABOUT THE HOST

Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself. 

She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe. 

LinkedIn

Instagram

This episode explores how positive habits can help people navigate menopause, reconnect with themselves, and build stronger relationships, as Kat chats with menopause coach and educator, Adele Johnston, about confidence, and finding joy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Part of my menopausal symptoms is that I get cold bones and shivery, so when I go inside the sauna it’s heaven for me. I feel safe, like I’m having a big warm hug, my bones are happy. 

• We, as women – females born female at birth with reproductive organs – are the majority percentage of the world that will appease others. By us sitting silent and not voicing what we do and don’t want (like guys talking in the sauna when I went in there to relax) we won’t get it.

• When we think of relationships it’s wider than marriages or partnerships, it’s  relationship with self, within professional settings, friendship settings, children. Within the space of work that I do as a menopause coach I work with a lot of women who are no longer in a relationship with themselves. That’s the challenging foundation to build upon to have structured, strong relationships in all other senses.

• Losing a relationship with self is really sad to witness and I went through it. I went into early menopause in my mid-30s and I lost my relationship with myself. Everything from changing body shape and the ability to feel comfortable and confident in that new body composition. You start to question yourself, like if you’re good enough for that promotion, so why put my name in the hat?

 

BEST MOMENTS

“Sometimes we just have to ask for what we want.”
“In romantic relationships, when we start to feel less than, not sexy and sensual we stop dressing that way and we don’t feel our best possible self, that confidence that oozes out of us that our partners fall in love with isn’t there anymore. That became a big divide between me and my husband.”
“We can get swept up in the whirlwind of life, we can be at the forefront of our career in our 30s and 40s and we can become a slave to life and forget about ourselves and stop doing the things that bring us joy.”
“What’s in your joy jar? Where do you like to go? What do you like to experience with your senses? It’s about re-learning you.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Adele Johnston is a menopause coach and educator for health coaches, PTs, Aesthetics practitioners, dentists and coaches, specialising in women’s health and happiness. She specialises in empowering women to navigate perimenopause, menopause, and beyond with health, happiness, and success.

Website

ABOUT THE HOST

Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself. 

She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe. 

LinkedIn

Instagram

 

In this episode, Kat chats with sports commentator Harry Everett about his own mental health journey and the challenges men face in opening up about their struggles. Harry shares some personal stories, tips for getting through the winter blues, and how being real with others can make a huge difference.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• I used to hate this time of year when you’d go to work and come home in the dark. Now I do outdoorsy things like going for a run or a cycle during the day and I’ll go to gym when it’s dark. I’m lucky, being self-employed, that I can do that others might not be so lucky. But, if you’re employed and can’t run, cycle of exercise during the day, simply making sure you get outside on your lunch break can be enough to overcome seasonal affective disorder.
• In recent years I’ve not been very good in my own company, I get bored easily and have to ring people to talk to someone. Maybe I’m too extroverted or ADHD but feel like I need to be busy all the time or around people. I’d like to be more comfortable with just myself on my own and I’ve started testing myself when I’m away for work by going out to eat on my own, but it’s a work in progress.
• My best mate, Max, killed himself when he was 19. I never got over it and always wanted to try to help and support him. At my wedding recently I didn’t have a best man because Max was always supposed to be my best man, luckily I had some very understanding and supportive groomsmen! Instead we had a charity box set up for people to donate to MIND which was a positive way to honour him.
• If you give up an hour of your time to talk to someone, on a podcast for example, and show your vulnerability – it might make you feel uncomfortable, embarrassed or cringey, but that doesn’t matter. You never know, your conversation could end up saving someone’s life.

 

BEST MOMENTS

“During the Winter one of my friends has started to go to bed at 10pm and get up at 7pm to make the most of the daylight hours.”
“There have been nights where I’ve woken up and taken myself to A&E because I’ve been considering doing what Max did. Probably because he did it is why I haven’t done it because I’ve seen the pain it caused his family and friends.”
“I want to raise awareness of mental health because it’s an elephant in the room and a subject that people don’t talk about enough.”
“Anyone can do Movember for free, it costs nothing not to shave.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Harry Everett is a freelance sports journalist, compere, host and coach who spends a lot of time commentating on Somerset cricket on their award-winning livestream and for BBC Sport on football and cricket amongst other more niche sports media roles such as Media Manager for Badminton England and work in pickleball too. He has also commentated on England Lions and Sri Lanka and South Africa's international sides and is regularly invited on other sports podcasts.

He also tries to be a positive advocate for mental health and in getting young men speaking particularly too, you can donate to his Movember page here: 
X

Instagram

Do get in touch with him if wanted for speaking at any events

ABOUT THE HOST

Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself.

She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe.

LinkedIn

Instagram

On this episode, Kat sits down with Maria and Louise at the Future of Work Summit in Sofia, Bulgaria to talk about the future of work and how technology could shape the way we work.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The rate at which technology is developing means things could go both ways: Dystopian or fascinating. AI could aid us to be more efficient and to have more free time. I think it’s time we slowed down, we’re working too hard, and we need a 3-day week which I think we could achieve with AI.

• If we’re going to have some sort of impact in society in general, it’s going to have to come out of the organisations that we work in because that’s where we spend most of our lives. Technology can help us here because it’s going to be doing things which humans no longer have to do, which will free us up to have more high-level/value work. But leadership in organisations has to really give value to free time or work/life balance.

• Self-compassion is not very popular with people, but it should be right at the top of the list. Part of the training that we need to look at more closely is: How do you master your own life to bring the best of yourself into your work or home life? It starts with being aware of your own body, it’s highly intelligent and will tell you when you’re about to misbehave/go off track.

• There’s one ugly truth: Whenever people within an organisation start being really self-aware/mindful for themselves and start listening to what their bodies are telling them, then they become more difficult to control. This is why many organisations prefer to do training on technical skills of soft skills like more effective communication. How can we create a real shift away from this?

 

BEST MOMENTS

“Embrace the uncertainty – it’s going to be different, but it’s beyond great.”
“The more people have free time to take care of themselves, the more productive we are, the better balance we can find, but it has to come from the top of organisations. That shift is enormous. Can we do it?”
“The more you see/honour/listen to people, the more they feel seen and will perform and be productive in a positive way.”
“If corporates want to be in the future or work and really work with people that give them added value in this technological world that we live in, they need to be ready to really trust their people, to let them be themselves, and they definitely need to start with leaders.”

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Louise Evans is a humanist, author, speaker, transformational coach and long-term-entrepreneur. She is motivated by a profound desire to help people reach their fullest potential

in environments permeated by mutual respect. To achieve this she has created a transformational behavioural tool called 'The 5 Chairs' to support every man woman and child on the planet discover their uniqueness. 

TEDx:  https://youtu.be/4BZuWrdC-9Q

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-evans-b67485/

Maria Stoeva is the CEO & Executive Consultant of SISTEMMA - a company for organisational development and business excellence. She is also the license-holder and organiser of DisruptHR Sofia, and a brand ambassador for HR One. She is one of the most well-known experts in cultivating positive workplace cultures and business excellence in South East Europe. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariastoeva/

Website https://sistemma.org/

Future of Work Summit

ABOUT THE HOST

Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself. 

She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe. 

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