Dave Coffey applied to join the Army as a private soldier aged 15 years and 9 months to escape a troubled childhood. 25 years later he left the Army having completed 8 operational tours, including 3 fighting tours of Iraq and one of Afghanistan as a Company Sergeant Major.

There are two reasons for doing this podcast, the first is to explore the reality of war with someone who has experienced challenges most of us can only imagine. As Dave explains, war can be chaos and the impact it had on him and his family nearly cost him everything.

Dave Coffey is an inspirational person, there is something about him, he isn’t someone to sell himself in 20 seconds, he is someone you want to spend time with because he exudes leadership that is the result of hardship, loss and reflection. I hope you enjoy the discussion.

Ben Lipscynski spent 13 years as an officer in the Navy serving on both submarines and ships before deciding to take the leap into cyber security in 2015. Ben has worked for EY, Accenture and now at another of the big four consulting firms. 

In this episode we talk about current cyber threats as well as Ben's path into the industry. His story is one of a hugely successful transition and we hope it helps those who are planning career changes and looking for ideas. Cyber security is a good fit for those with a military skill set.

Remember to follow the Watchword Podcast on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn & if you can give us a review on iTunes I would be most grateful.

The primary aim of The Watchword Podcast is to help people.  In this episode I talk to Justin Standfield who runs a training and development company called Incendo. Justin specialises in leadership consultancy and amongst many other things he has been trained by the UK College of Mindfulness Meditation as a mindfulness teacher. He is also a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute. In this episode we talk about leadership, mindfulness and Justin gives some excellent tips on how to manage your state of mind in stressful times.  

You can find Incendo as @IncendoDevelop on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo and Youtube (or you can search for Incendo Development).

Adam Hugill grew up in a small town in East Yorkshire, after becoming a cadet he developed an ambition to join the military as an officer. Adam achieved his aim and served in the Army for 8 years, whilst in Afghanistan he read book about cycling around the world and a seed was planted which led him to leave the military and embark on a 20,000km adventure that changed his perspective on life. It is a great story and I hope you enjoy it.

You can find Adam on Instagram and Youtube if you search for Adam Hugill.

In this episode we do something slightly different, I spent time talking with Jimmy Clark from our first episode about why I created the Watchword podcast, what I hope to achieve and some of the key lessons from our first 4 episodes. We have spoken to Paul Mather, who was one of Deliveroo’s first employees, Stuart Lancaster the former Head Coach of the England Rugby team and Hugh Keir, a veteran of the Parachute Regiment who completed 7 operational tours in the Army. We hope you enjoy it.

Hugh Keir signed up to join the Army in 1999, joining the Parachute Regiment before serving for eleven years, completing 2 tours of Northern Ireland, 2 tours of Iraq and 3 tours of Afghanistan, most of which as a sniper and then sniper team leader. 

Hugh left the Army in 2011 and went on to start the H Hour podcast with the aim of helping the veteran community, he now works for satellite communications company Immarsat and is a passionate advocate of mental health for all. 

You can find out more about Hugh and connect with him via his website charliecharlieone.com.

Stuart began his career as a teacher, balancing rugby and education until he transitioned to coaching full time, starting a journey which led him to become the England Rugby Head Coach and then on to Leinster, arguably the best club team in Europe.

Stuart has dedicated his life to helping others perform whilst continuing to learn himself and I found the conversation inspirational.

If you would like to connect with Stuart, add him on LinkedIn where you can view a huge amount of coaching and leadership content which he distributes for free.

Paul Mather helped grow Deliveroo from 100 delivery drivers to nearly 60,000 in five years. Prior to that he served as an officer in the Army, deploying to Afghanistan in 2013. Paul reflects on some of life's big decisions, what made this Oxford graduate avoid the trappings of the city and join the Army? And how did that lead to 6 years (and counting) dedicated to start ups, growing businesses and helping people?

Paul currently resides in Antigua but you can get in touch with him at pauldavidmather.com or find him on LinkedIn. 

Jimmy Clark joined the Army after deciding to leave his corporate graduate job just 3 months after starting it. Jimmy reflects on some of life's big decisions and the factors behind them. What took him from a child who liked amateur dramatics and science fiction to fighting in one of the worst parts of Afghanistan?

The Watchword Podcast tells the stories of challenge and success. Our aim is to talk to people from all backgrounds and careers to share the benefit of their experience. Reflecting on life's big decisions and the factors behind them so that you are better informed when planning your own path.

Due to my background in the Army, we are starting with several military people, but plan to quickly diversify into other areas including starting a business, social media, content production and even yoga. 

This podcast is brought to you by Watchword Security, providing professional security services to protect people, property and assets. We are a values led organisation who focus on the customer experience. If you need a security team you can rely on Watchword can help. 

www.watchwordsecurity.co.uk