The Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast

Trauma is a part of many people’s lives, but not many are able to use it to then help others overcome theirs.

My guest in this episode is a very special friend, Nick Raeburn. He only started to work on his own childhood traumas late on in life and it has changed who he is and how he shows up in the world.

He gets raw and talks about his experience being abused by a family member as a child, and the impact this has had on the relationships in his life. He also delves into the ways this has shaped how he works with clients to support them to show up as their real selves.

This one is not to be missed.

“I think about how what I’ve been through helps other people” – Nick Raeburn

You'll hear about:

00:56 - An introduction to Nick

02:37 - How has sexual abuse affected Nick?

06:14 - Why having children changed Nick

08:49 - The reasons Nick shares his story

14:34 - Trapping a monster in a cage

19:40 - What impact has Nick's wife had on his life?

22:54 - What Nick thinks it takes to be a man

27:04 - Nick's advice to men that are struggling       

30:13 - The good, bad and ugly of LinkedIn

36:11 - Nick on accessing his 'little boy' energy

39:24 - What scares Nick now?

43:21 - How important is purpose to Nick

48:06 - The impact Nick's parents had on him

Nick’s resources:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thatsocialnerd/

Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsocialnerd

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@thatsocialnerd

That Social Nerd Website - https://zaap.bio/thatsocialnerd

My resources:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChrisOConnell11

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

TikTok - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZWYrxrzzaElmpZMy5S86w

Basemindset website - https://basemindset.com/

What does great recruitment look like?

Well, this episode with Charlotte Smith is a no holds barred break down of all things recruitment.

Charlotte is a Recruitment Director who champions the industry and comes from a family full of recruiters. We talk about why emotional intelligence is a recruiter’s superpower and how to get the culture piece in organisations right.

We also go deep into 180 recruitment and why data is king in order become great in this industry.

If you want to know what it takes to be a great in this industry this episode is not to be missed.

“We find people jobs, we don’t do a terrible thing ” – Charlotte Smith

You'll hear about:

00:56 - Charlotte's recruitment background

03:45 - Why recruiters should be proud of what they do     

08:10 - Why you need to understand emotional intelligence           

11:22 - How to get the culture piece right?

16:54 - Why specialist is Charlotte's least favourite word

24:56 - The importance of the follow up       

27:33 - How Charlotte measures performance         

31:27 - Is 2024 going to be better than 2023?          

35:03 - What data does Charlotte look at?

43:28 - What does lazy management look like?

45:56 - Charlotte's view on 180 recruitment

49:21 - Why are recruitment companies poor recruiters?

Charlotte’s resources:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deakinsmith/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/all_things_recruitment/

My resources:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChrisOConnell11

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

TikTok - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZWYrxrzzaElmpZMy5S86w

Basemindset website - https://basemindset.com/

There are many preconceptions about what it is to be a man in the modern world.

A provider, strong, in control of their emotions.

But are these traits healthy and what does it mean if you don’t conform to these things?

In this episode I am joined by my good friends Tom Paine and Steve Ware. We explore these questions and more about what life is like for a man. We share our own fears and experiences with anxiety, loss of purpose and how we can be more than what the world expects a man to be.

This episode is raw and open from all 3 of us, something we need more of from the men in this world.

“It’s acknowledging that emotions are ok to feel, but it’s doing something about it. That’s the key.” – Tom Paine

You'll hear about:

03:18 - Tom's journey since school

06:13 - Do men have it easier?

12:01 - What are the reasons for losing your purpose?

13:29 - What are my values in life?

20:16 - The luxury of feeling your emotions

26:41 - Are younger generations more open?

30:26 - The role partners have in your lives

37:18 - Techniques to deal with anxious thoughts

43:28 - Astral projection

45:29 - What really scares Tom, Steve and Chris

51:23 - The stigma of life coaching

56:43 - Do you feel like you've wasted time in life?

Tom’s resources:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tompainelifecoaching/

Tom’s website - http://tompainelifecoaching.com/

Steve’s resources:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-ware-mindfulness/

Steve Ware Mindfulness Website - https://www.stevewaremindfulness.com/

Steve’s mindfulness blog - https://www.stevewaremindfulness.com/blog

My resources:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChrisOConnell11

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

TikTok - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZWYrxrzzaElmpZMy5S86w

Basemindset website - https://basemindset.com/

Imagine living a secret life you were too embarrassed to share with your friends and family.

That shame is what my guest, Maya Raichoora, lived with throughout her teenage years. After being diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis she opened up to the world about what she was going through.

In her own words it has made her who she is today. But it doesn't define her.

In this episode she shares what life is like living with a chronic illness, as well as her self-love journey that enabled her to start her own business supporting global brands improve their mental fitness.

“I was living a secret life, because I just felt so ashamed of what was happening” – Maya Raichoora

You'll hear about:

00:54 – An introduction to Maya

03:14 – Maya on living with a chronic illness

09:37 – Losing her sense of femininity

16:13 – The importance of embracing negative emotions

22:08 – Maya’s self-love journey

26:39 – Being at peace with letting go

30:04 – The importance of being yourself

35:24 – The power of visualization for mental fitness

41:00 – Maya on purpose and passion

46:03 – Maya’s struggles with anxiety

49:21 - Embracing your feminine and masculine

Maya’ resources:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-raichoora/

Website - https://mayaraichoora.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/maya.mental.fitness/?hl=en-gb

Watch Maya’s TED Talk - https://youtu.be/ZY8ucO8pe58?si=xr7wj-1t6f9yckiM

My resources:

X - https://twitter.com/ChrisOConnell11

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

TikTok - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZWYrxrzzaElmpZMy5S86w

Basemindset website - https://basemindset.com/

To live life free of shame is a powerful existence. Not many do, and those that achieve it will say it takes work on yourself. Constant work.

My guest in this episode, Dionne Slater, lived a life full of shame. From being abandoned by her father, to her mother setting some bad examples, which eventually led her down a path of sex work herself. In her darkest moments she tried to end her life only to be saved by her dog.

After all of this she did the work that allowed her to live an unapologetic life without shame, something she now works with others to achieve through her coaching.

“You’ve got to do the work, you’ll come out the other side so much stronger” – Dionne Slater

You'll hear about:

00:00 - Start

00:32 - How Dionne became so unapologetic

01:30 - Dionne's journey since school

05:13 - Has her mum's actions impacted relationships?      

11:17 - Things you have done don't define you

15:20 - Doing the work is ongoing

20:06 - Dionne's experience getting herpes

23:53 - What was Dionne's darkest moment?

28:42 - Doing work on attachment styles

31:30 - What have been Dionne's happiest moments?

37:11 - Dionne's relationship with her father

41:37 - Dionne's experiences with depression & suicide

46:25 - What improvements does Dionne need to make?

51:49 - Dionne on LinkedIn

53:54 - What is Dionne's purpose?

Dionne’s resources:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dionneslater/

My resources:

X - https://twitter.com/ChrisOConnell11

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

TikTok - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZWYrxrzzaElmpZMy5S86w

Basemindset website - https://basemindset.com/

To be diagnosed with Tourette's after brain damage in his early 20s is a twist Luke Manton never expected.

“Tourette’s was my parting gift from brain damage” – Luke Manton

You'll hear about:

00:00 – Start

00:37 - An introduction to Luke

01:53 - How Tourette’s affected Luke's life

04:48 - Disadvantage and disrespect cause by Tourette’s

08:04 - How Luke has coped with the dark times

13:36 - Luke on his upbringing

16:46 - Luke on his sexuality

21:25 - Did Tourette’s influence Luke's purpose?

27:30 - How has Luke's mental health been impacted?

32:26 - Luke's growth out of the darkness

39:47 - How Luke has handled social media fame

44:30 - Treating people like people

48:12 - Luke on therapy

50:14 - Luke's partnership with George

54:39 - Luke's experience giving a TED talk

Luke’s resources:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukemantonme/

Manton Executives - https://www.mantonexecutives.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mantonexecutives/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mantonexecutives/?hl=en

My resources:

X - https://twitter.com/ChrisOConnell11

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

TikTok - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZWYrxrzzaElmpZMy5S86w

Basemindset website - https://basemindset.com/

A public rejection on Dragon’s Den would be the end of many entrepreneurs’ dreams, not so Laura Bartlett. After being told to “have a reality check” she took the rejection and created something bigger and better.

As the Founder of House of Coco Magazine, now 10 years strong, she has lived through debilitating grief, separation, and bankruptcy. All these things have shaped who she is now and how she views the world.

In this episode she talks about the experience on Dragon’s Den, her relationship with money, how she coped with grief having lost her father and what it was like to go bankrupt.

“Never fall out of love with life” – Laura Bartlett

You'll hear about:

00:00 – Start

00:46 - An introduction to Laura

05:18 - Has Laura always been entrepreneurial?

10:39 - Does Laura stop and feel her emotions?

14:28 - How Laura copes with grief

19:16 - Laura's experience on Dragon's Den

23:01 - Laura's relationship with money

26:03 - Laura's thoughts on relationships

28:18 - Laura's mental health journey

35:06 - Laura on going bankrupt

40:12 - Has Laura experienced any discrimination?

45:37 - Does Laura have any regrets?

Laura’s resources:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/laurabartlett0/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartlettlaura/?originalSubdomain=uk

House of Coco - https://houseofcoco.net/

X - https://twitter.com/laurabartlett0

My resources:

X - https://twitter.com/ChrisOConnell11

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

TikTok - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZWYrxrzzaElmpZMy5S86w

Basemindset website - https://basemindset.com/

Being able to life your life on your own terms is something many aspire to but never manage. It can sometimes take losing people close to you to show you that now is the time to take action. Better that than live life in regret.

In this episode I am joined by Chris James, who experienced loss that made him realise he needed to take control of his own life by going all in on his own work. Since then he has built a hugely successful business supporting others to do the same through the power of social sales.

He talks about his darkest moments, including the people he has lost in recent years, his attitude towards money, vanity metrics on socials and engagement pods. He also shares how meeting his wife changed his life and how that impacted the person and business owner he has become.

“It’s the people that stand out that make the difference” – Chris James

You'll hear about:

00:00 - Start

00:40 - An introduction to Chris

03:47 - Chris on his darkest times

05:56 - The sales process for people just starting

10:37 - Chris' attitude towards money

12:18 - Your worth is not linked to follower numbers

15:56 - Chris' view on engagement pods

26:38 - What areas of his life does Chris need to look at?

30:00 - Chris journey to meeting his wife

36:55 - Where would Chris be if he hadn't met his wife

39:16 - Chris' family story

50:13 - How Chris processes trauma

52:35 - What is happiness to Chris

Chris’ resources:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjamesonline/

Chris’ website - https://www.chris-james.co/

Content To Clients - https://www.chris-james.co/c2clp

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCru_YUpPmYCfuj7lb67y7zw/videos

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/salesguychris/

My resources:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChrisOConnell11

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

TikTok - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZWYrxrzzaElmpZMy5S86w

Basemindset website - https://basemindset.com/

When Mitch started out in recruitment 30 years ago, he did the normal contingency consultant thing. He quickly realised there was a better way of doing things - After a move to Geneva, Mitch set up a different kind of search agency. One that used innovative recruitment communications as it's primary source of recruiting - something that proved very popular with the people they were trying to recruit! The agency combined hard-nosed commercial consultancy with creative recruitment marketing and led Mitch to where he is today.

If you've not come across Mitch on LinkedIn, I highly recommend you give him a follow. He'll teach you a thing or two about your copy to candidates and clients, but his sarcastic and satirical take on the industry will make you howl!

01:03 - An introduction to Mitch

03:49 - The difference between a job ad and job description

07:46 - Do attitudes trump skills?

11:27 - Mitch's advice to recruitment businesses

19:38 - What annoys Mitch about Recruitment?

27:04 - Why recruiters don't last in the job

33:18 - The importance of personal branding

38:13 - What adversity has Mitch faced?

46:06 - Mitch's proudest moment

49:08 - What is Mitch's purpose?

58:56 - Advice to recruitment rookies

Find Mitch here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchsullivan/

Find Vincere here: https://www.vincere.io/chrisoconnell

On this week's episode, I am joined by Trauma expert, Rebecca Fox. After growing up with an abusive, narcissistic mother Rebecca found herself falling in and out of relationships with narcissists as an adult. After suffering unbelievable trauma at the hands of the people she was in those relationships with, Rebecca has now dedicated her life to helping people heal and move on from toxic relationships.

00:49 - An introduction to Rebecca

01:57 - Rebecca's journey with narcissism

07:12 - Did being strangled change Rebecca?

10:53 - Did her upbringing have a bigger impact on her?

14:41 - Is narcissism deliberate or a disease?

17:34 - Rebecca's journey from school to now

23:36 - Can adversity become a gift?

28:32 - Is there a cure for narcissism?

31:06 - The effect of losing 2 loved ones

37:44 - Rebecca's life's effect on her relationships

45:42 - Respect in relationships

48:35 - Rebecca's challenges with her mental health

57:01 - Life after narcissistic relationships

59:13 - What is gaslighting?

Rebecca's Resources

Find Rebecca here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-fox252/ 

My resources:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/itschrisoconnell/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChrisOConnell11

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

TikTok - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZWYrxrzzaElmpZMy5S86w

Basemindset website - https://basemindset.com/