TNM Unplugged

In this episode of TNM Unplugged, Zoran Todorovic speaks with former professional cricketer and high-performance coach Jim Allenby about what leaders can learn from elite sport.

Jim describes high performance as the ability to be successful across different conditions. Elite performers cannot wait for the perfect environment, perfect preparation, perfect sleep or perfect circumstances. They develop the capacity to show up consistently regardless of what is happening around them.

The conversation explores Jim’s simple but powerful performance model:
Preparation → Performance → Honest Review

Jim explains why repeatable preparation and review processes create more consistent performance and allow us to understand what happened when things do not go according to plan. One of the most powerful lessons from elite sport is surprisingly simple: the better the athlete, the more seriously they practise the basics.

The world’s best performers do not necessarily possess secret techniques. They execute simple fundamentals at extraordinary intensity, repeatedly and over long periods of time. Zoran and Jim explore what this means for CEOs, entrepreneurs and senior leaders who can easily become so experienced, busy or senior that they begin shortcutting preparation.

They also examine one of the more uncomfortable ingredients of high performance: honest feedback. Elite athletes operate in environments where performance is visible and feedback is immediate. Jim discusses why leaders need to understand how people receive direct feedback, why high performers often actively seek criticism, and why the feedback we least want to hear can sometimes create the greatest growth.

The conversation then moves into consistency, flow and pattern recognition. Jim reflects on those periods when performance appears almost effortless, when the mind becomes clearer, patterns become easier to recognise and decisions happen faster.
But these moments do not last forever.

The goal is therefore not to expect peak performance every day, but to extend the good periods, shorten the difficult ones and keep returning to the habits that make performance repeatable. Jim leaves the conversation with an important and perhaps provocative reflection:
High performance isn’t for everyone. For those who choose it, however, the path is remarkably clear: prepare well, master the basics, remain open to feedback, review honestly and keep showing up.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• High performance is the ability to perform successfully across different conditions.
• Waiting for ideal conditions is incompatible with consistent performance.
• Preparation creates the foundation for repeatable performance.
• A consistent review process is as important as consistent preparation.
• The world’s best performers do the basics exceptionally well.
• The higher the level of performance, the greater the commitment to fundamentals.
• Seniority should not become an excuse for shortcutting preparation.
• Deep preparation allows leaders to respond intelligently rather than simply improvise.
• Honest feedback is essential for continued growth.
• High performers may have strong egos while still being highly receptive to feedback.
• The feedback we initially resist may ultimately become some of our most valuable learning.
• Consistency allows our core skills to remain available when pressure increases.
• Repetition can create mental space for creativity, anticipation and deeper thinking.
• Exceptional performance often involves heightened pattern recognition.
• Peak performance cannot be sustained every day.
• The objective is to extend periods of strong performance and recover faster from poor ones.
• Luck and circumstances still influence outcomes, even when preparation is excellent.
• High performance comes with an emotional cost and is not necessarily a goal everyone needs to pursue.
• For those who choose high performance, good habits and disciplined behaviours remain the foundation.

LinkedIn
Instagram
Players Choice

In this TNM unplugged episode, Zoran and Hugo explore ambition not simply as the desire for money, status or achievement, but as a powerful human force, what Hugo describes as the desire to make tomorrow better than yesterday.

They explore where ambition comes from, how social conditioning attaches itself to our ambition, why achievement can become compulsive, and why reaching our goals often provides satisfaction for only a fleeting moment before we begin chasing the next one.
Hugo introduces a powerful metaphor: we spend much of our lives travelling down the corridor towards the doors representing our goals, yet very little time actually passing through those doors.

The question therefore becomes: Are we creating a life that is meaningful only when we reach the destination, or is the journey itself worth living?

As leaders operate in an increasingly fast, performance-driven and AI-native world, this conversation is an invitation to stop, examine the force driving us and consciously decide where we want our ambition to take us.

Topics Explored:

• Hugo’s journey as a serial entrepreneur
• The question from his wife that changed his direction
• Why ambitious people rarely stop to examine ambition itself
• Ambition as a force rather than simply a goal
• The desire to make tomorrow better than yesterday
• The three stages of the “ambition machine”
• Dissatisfaction, desire and determination
• Social conditioning and inherited definitions of success
• Why ambition does not naturally have a stop button
• The danger of allowing ambition to manage us
• Why achievement can become compulsive
• Learning to celebrate success before asking “what’s next?”
• Hugo’s corridor and doors metaphor
• Why most of life happens on the journey towards the goal
• Looking at goals from the other side
• Corporate goals versus personal definitions of success
• “What is success?” versus “What is success for me?”
• Personal values as a compass for ambition
• The eulogy exercise
• Aligning ambition with what genuinely matters
• Ambition during different stages of life
• Midlife, mortality and changing definitions of success
• Why younger generations are asking different questions
• Leadership and ambition in a changing world
• Hugo’s early success and subsequent loss of everything
• The “fighter pilot” story
• Directing ambition consciously rather than being driven by it

Key Takeaways:

• Ambition is a force, not a destination.
• At its simplest, ambition can be understood as the desire to make tomorrow better than yesterday.
• Ambition itself may be neutral, but the direction we give it determines its impact.
• Social conditioning can quietly determine what we pursue without us consciously choosing it.
• Ambition naturally wants movement, which is why stopping and questioning our direction can feel uncomfortable.
• Achieving a goal may last only moments, while pursuing it can occupy years of our lives.
• The quality of the “corridor” matters as much as the door at the end.
• We need to look at our goals from the other side and ask whether achieving them will actually create the life we want.
• “What is success?” and “What is success for me?” are fundamentally different questions.
• Personal values can provide the compass that ambition itself does not provide.
• Conscious ambition does not necessarily mean becoming less successful or less driven.
• Leaders can help people connect organisational objectives with meaningful personal goals.
• Different stages of life may require different expressions of ambition.
• Sometimes what looks like a midlife crisis may actually be a moment when our old definition of success no longer fits our life.
• The goal is not to eliminate ambition. The goal is to consciously direct it.

Hugo Brooks  is an Ambition Strategist and author who helps founders and senior leaders question whether their drive is taking them towards a consciously chosen life or simply keeping them in motion.

LinkedIn
Website
Book: Ambition: Redefining Success for a Restless Age

In this episode of TNM Unplugged, Zoran welcomes Dr. Shahrzad Jalali, clinical psychologist and executive coach specializing in trauma-informed care, attachment, and nervous system regulation.

Dr. Jalali shares a powerful origin story — including an early moment that reshaped her view of the helping profession — and offers a refreshing, practical way to understand trauma without fear or stigma. She explains the difference between big “T” trauma and small “t” trauma, how leaders often hide pain beneath performance, and why the greatest price we pay for emotional avoidance is living an inauthentic life.

The conversation explores how trauma is stored in the body, why nervous system regulation is essential, and why we can’t fast-track healing — whether through performance, spiritual bypassing, or “espresso-shot” self-help culture. They also move into a timely discussion on AI and therapy, where Dr. Jalali offers one of the clearest frameworks: AI can be a supportive holding environment — but it cannot replace the primary human nervous-system-to-nervous-system connection we need to truly heal.

The episode closes with a strong call to action: you are not enslaved to your thoughts, your past, or your destiny — but it takes courage to stop, reconnect, and build a real relationship with yourself.

Key Talking Points

• Why many people enter the helping field through their own unresolved pain
• Trauma demystified: big “T” vs small “t” (and why small “t” often runs the show)
• Leadership and survival: hiding pain under success
• The long-term cost of “overriding” emotions: living unauthentically
• Why we don’t respond to life — we react from scripts
• Trauma lives in the body: bracing, tension, pain, and unfinished nervous system cycles
• Nervous system regulation as a daily practice (like going to the gym)
• Why high performers struggle to “listen to the body” (no emotional alphabet)
• Healing cannot be fast-tracked — layers unfold over time
• AI + therapy: AI as “babysitter” vs the need for real human co-regulation
• Closing message: you are not your thoughts — you are the one listening

Dr. Shahrzad Jalali is a clinical psychologist and executive coach specializing in trauma-informed care, attachment, and nervous system regulation. She is the author of The Fire That Makes Us, exploring how emotional wounds shape identity and how integration becomes the pathway to resilience and meaning. She is also the creator of Regulate to Rise, a neuroscience-based framework designed to help people move from reactivity to clarity, groundedness, and sustainable performance.

Website
Instagram
LinkedIn

In this episode of TNM Unplugged, Zoran Todorovic speaks with Daniel Zavrel about the relationship between wellbeing, human performance, purpose and leadership.

Daniel shares his personal journey from childhood trauma, insecurity and severe insomnia into meditation, mindfulness and inner development. He introduces the concept of the “insecure high achiever”, someone who may use external achievement and performance to compensate for internal insecurity, a pattern he has observed among senior executives and elite athletes.
The conversation explores why physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing can no longer be separated from sustainable performance, particularly as organisations become faster, more digital and increasingly AI-native.

Daniel shares examples from his work in elite sport and corporate environments, while Zoran discusses his personal experience of completing the ConsciouzScan Body & Mind Scan and the perspectives it created around stress, recovery, energy and wellbeing.

Ultimately, the episode asks us to reconsider performance itself. Rather than continuously pushing harder, perhaps sustainable high performance begins by developing the physical, emotional, mental and inner capacity to meet pressure without losing ourselves.

Topics Explored :

• Daniel’s journey from childhood trauma to wellbeing
• Severe insomnia and rebuilding inner safety
• The concept of the “inner career”
• The psychology of the “insecure high achiever”
• Meditation, mindfulness and inner stillness
• Bridging spirituality and the corporate world
• Physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing
• Executive wellbeing in an AI-native world
• The concept of the corporate athlete
• Daniel’s work with elite athletes and football teams
• The ConsciouzScan Body & Mind Scan
• Zoran’s personal experience with the assessment
• Purpose, passion and Ikigai
• Connecting personal purpose with professional contribution
• Emotional regulation and heart-focused practices
• Wellbeing, absenteeism and organisational ROI
• High performance without sacrificing wellbeing
• The future of holistic leadership development

Key Takeaways:

• Sustainable performance requires sustainable wellbeing.
• High achievement can sometimes be driven by underlying insecurity.
• Outer performance needs to be balanced by inner development.
• Leadership wellbeing includes physical, emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions.
• Purpose and passion can fundamentally change our relationship with work.
• Measurement can provide another starting point for deeper coaching conversations.
• Leaders increasingly need recovery and self-regulation skills, not simply greater productivity.
• Personal wellbeing and organisational performance should not be treated as competing priorities.
• In an increasingly fast and AI-enabled world, wellbeing becomes a leadership superpower.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR TNM UNPLUGGED LISTENERS
Daniel is offering TNM Unplugged listeners 15% off a one-hour online ConsciouzScan Body & Mind Scan.
Book here
Discount code: ZORAN

FREE CONSCIOUZSCAN COACH CERTIFICATION MASTERCLASS
Daniel offers a free ConsciouzScan Coach Certification Masterclass for coaches, mentors, therapists and wellbeing professionals interested in exploring his methodology.
Register here

Website 
Instagram 

In this deeply moving episode of TNM Unplugged, Zoran Todorovic speaks with Tim Thomas former Australian Special Forces soldier, founder of Breathwork in Bed, and veteran recovery specialist—about the life-changing power of nervous system regulation.
After serving in Afghanistan and later battling PTSD, Tim found himself trapped in a cycle of medication, poor sleep and emotional exhaustion. His journey eventually led him to discover something remarkably simple: The breath is one of the most powerful forms of medicine we already carry within us.

Together they explore how isolation fuels suffering, why sleep is foundational to wellbeing, how breathwork can transform emotional states within minutes, and why so many leaders unknowingly live in chronic survival mode. Tim also shares the moving story behind his work with military veterans, the lessons learned from trauma, and why helping people feel safe—not simply fixing them—is often the beginning of healing. If you’ve ever struggled with stress, anxiety, burnout, poor sleep or emotional overwhelm, this conversation offers both hope and practical techniques you can begin using today.

Topics Explored

• Tim’s journey through Special Forces and Afghanistan
• PTSD, trauma and recovering from military service
• Why isolation is one of our greatest hidden challenges
• Breaking isolation through human connection
• Why breathwork works faster than thinking
• Understanding the nervous system
• Breathwork for stress, anxiety and emotional regulation
• Sleep as the foundation of mental and physical wellbeing
• Morning and evening “golden windows” for transformation
• Leadership under pressure
• Emotional resilience and recovery
• Breath as natural medicine
• Learning to regulate rather than suppress emotions
• Moving beyond pharmaceuticals responsibly
• High performance without burnout
• Practical breathing exercises anyone can use
• How breath changes the brain and body
• Why healing begins with feeling safe
• The connection between trauma, purpose and service

Tim Thomas is the founder of Breathwork in Bed, former Australian Special Forces soldier, veteran recovery specialist and internationally recognised breathwork educator.

Following his military service in Afghanistan and his own recovery from PTSD, Tim dedicated his life to helping others regulate their nervous systems naturally through breathwork. Over the past decade he has worked extensively with military veterans, first responders, leaders and everyday people seeking better sleep, reduced anxiety, emotional resilience and greater wellbeing.
His Breathwork in Bed platform teaches simple, science-informed breathing practices designed to help people fall asleep with peace, wake with energy and reconnect with themselves—one breath at a time.

Key Takeaways

• Breath is one of the fastest ways to change your emotional state.
• You don’t have to fight your thoughts—your breath can regulate them.
• Isolation amplifies suffering; connection creates healing.
• Sleep is one of the foundations of emotional wellbeing.
• High performance requires nervous system recovery.
• Breathwork is practical, accessible and available to everyone.
• Healing begins when we feel safe.
• Small daily practices create profound long-term transformation.
• The first and last five minutes of each day shape how we live.
• Every person already carries powerful healing resources within themselves.

Website
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
LinkedIn
Breathwork in Bed App - Apple App Store
Breathwork in Bed App - Google Play

This episode combines powerful storytelling, neuroscience, leadership, trauma recovery, and practical breathwork into one compelling conversation. It will resonate strongly with leaders, coaches, entrepreneurs, veterans, healthcare professionals, and anyone seeking practical ways to reduce stress, improve sleep, regulate emotions, and perform at their best. The episode also includes a guided breathwork demonstration that listeners can practise safely in an appropriate setting.

In this inspiring conversation, Zoran Todorovic speaks with Patty Azzarello—former Silicon Valley CEO, leadership advisor and bestselling author—about why so many talented people unknowingly sabotage their own success long before anyone else has the chance.

Patty shares the remarkable story of almost talking herself out of the biggest promotion of her career, despite being one of the strongest candidates. She reveals how mentors changed the course of her life, why confidence is something you build rather than wait for, and why embarrassment and failure became some of her greatest teachers.

Together, they explore self-disqualification, imposter syndrome, executive presence, authentic leadership, women in leadership, resilience and why your inner critic should never be allowed to drive your career. If you’ve ever doubted yourself, delayed taking the next step, or felt you weren’t ready, this episode will completely change the way you think about confidence, ambition and personal growth.
Topics Explored:

• Why we sabotage our own careers without realising it
• What self-disqualification really is
• Why confidence follows action—not the other way around
• The difference between confidence and competence
• How to stop waiting until you feel “ready”
• Understanding and managing your inner critic
• Why imposter syndrome can actually be a sign of growth
• Learning from failure instead of fearing it
• Patty’s journey to leading a billion-dollar business
• The power of mentors and sponsors
• Women in leadership and overcoming invisible barriers
• Building authentic executive presence
• Coaching and overcoming limiting beliefs
• Leadership lessons from Silicon Valley
• Practical advice for anyone navigating self-doubt

Patty Azzarello is a business leadership advisor, keynote speaker, bestselling author and former Silicon Valley CEO.
She became Hewlett-Packard’s youngest General Manager at the age of 33, went on to lead a $1 billion software business at just 35, and became a CEO at 38.

• Today she advises CEOs and executive leadership teams around the world, helping organisations strengthen leadership capability, accelerate business performance and build high-performing workplace cultures. Patty is the bestselling author and her latest book Why Is SHE Still Here?, which explores ambition, self-doubt, leadership and the hidden ways people disqualify themselves from success.
  Key Takeaways:
• Never disqualify yourself before someone else does.
• Confidence is built through action.
• Feeling scared doesn’t mean you’re not ready.
• Failure is one of the greatest teachers of leadership.
• Your inner critic doesn’t have to control your decisions.
• Great leaders focus on their strengths rather than their weaknesses.
• Mentors often see our potential before we do.
• Authenticity creates stronger leadership than perfection.
• Courage is choosing to keep showing up.

Memorable Quotes

• “Never disqualify yourself.”
• “Confidence follows action.”
• “Being scared does not disqualify you.”
• “Failure is one of the best teachers.”
• “Your inner critic can come along for the ride—but it doesn’t get to drive.”
• “Courage is simply deciding to come back tomorrow.”

Website
Linkedin
Books

Many leaders achieve success by pushing harder, demanding more, and maintaining control. But what happens when the very traits that create success begin creating suffering?

In this deeply honest and inspiring conversation, Zoran Todorovic speaks with Ron Camacho, Chief of Police of the North Charleston Police Department, about his personal journey from fear-based leadership to emotionally intelligent leadership.

Ron shares how childhood conditioning, insecurity, and unresolved trauma drove his early leadership style, creating results but also damaging relationships and organizational culture. Through therapy, self-awareness, introspection, and years of personal development, he transformed not only himself but the way he leads others.

The conversation explores the role of ego in leadership, why vulnerability requires courage, how emotional intelligence can transform organizational culture, and why self-awareness may be the foundation of all effective leadership. Ron also shares practical insights from leading a 400-person police department and explains how empathy, authenticity, humility, and psychological safety have become central to building high-performing teams.

Topics explored include:
• How childhood trauma influences leadership behavior
• The hidden relationship between insecurity and ego
• Why successful leaders often struggle with vulnerability
• The transformational power of therapy and self-awareness
• Ego as a leadership blind spot
• Emotional intelligence as a leadership superpower
• Developing empathy in high-pressure environments
• Creating psychologically safe cultures
• The importance of accountability and self-reflection
• Why introspection is a critical leadership practice
• Building trust through authenticity and vulnerability
• Repairing relationships and rebuilding trust
• Leading culture change in complex organizations
• The “Soft Arts of Leadership”
• How emotional intelligence improves performance and engagement
Ron Camacho serves as Chief of Police for the North Charleston Police Department, leading a 400-person law enforcement organization and one of the largest police departments in South Carolina. His career spans more than thirty years in policing, including leadership roles across multiple departments as a police chief, commander, senior law enforcement executive, SWAT commander, operator, and trainer.

In this fascinating episode of TNM Unplugged, Zoran Todorovic speaks with Alison Meckiffe — Harvard-certified Board Director, transformation CEO, Non-Executive Director, AI advisor, and experienced business leader — about the future of leadership in the age of AI. Together they explore why fear is often the default response to rapid technological change and how leaders can consciously shift from fear to curiosity.

Alison introduces the concept of becoming “the CEO of You” — a powerful framework for self-leadership that emphasizes self-awareness, discernment, authenticity, accountability, and personal responsibility. The conversation also explores one of the most overlooked capabilities in modern leadership: discernment. While AI can process information, identify patterns, and generate recommendations, Alison argues that discernment, wisdom, authenticity, and human judgment remain uniquely human capacities that will become increasingly valuable in the years ahead.

Key Talking Points
• What becomes uniquely human in the age of AI?
• Why so many leaders experience fear around AI
• FOMO and FOBO: Fear of Missing Out vs Fear of Becoming Obsolete
• Curiosity as the antidote to fear
• AI as augmentation rather than replacement
• What it means to become “the CEO of You”
• Self-mastery, self-awareness and leadership
• Discernment as a strategic leadership capability
• Intelligence versus wisdom
• The importance of pausing before reacting
• Authenticity as a leadership practice
• Why reverse mentoring may be one of the most underutilized leadership tools today
• Learning from younger generations
• Human potential in a technology-enabled future

Alison Meckiffe is a Harvard-certified Board Director, transformation CEO, Non-Executive Director, AI advisor, and experienced executive leader with more than twenty-five years of experience leading organizations through growth, change, digital transformation, and innovation.

Her leadership career includes senior executive positions within major international organizations including AXA, Cigna, TUI, and Endsleigh. Alison works at the intersection of strategy, governance, leadership, technology, and human development, helping organizations navigate complexity while remaining focused on people, purpose, and sustainable growth. Her work increasingly focuses on the relationship between artificial intelligence, leadership capability, self-awareness, and the future of human potential.

LinkedIn

In this deeply reflective episode of TNM Unplugged, Zoran speaks with Cynthia Abulafia — author, educator, yoga therapist, and guide in embodied spiritual practice — about embodiment and why so many people, despite years of personal growth, still feel disconnected from themselves.

Cynthia introduces the concept of the “transcendence bias” — the tendency across many spiritual and self-development traditions to encourage people to rise above, let go, detach, or transcend their humanity, while often neglecting the wisdom of the body and lived experience.

Together, Zoran and Cynthia explore:
• Why so many people feel disconnected from themselves despite years of personal development
• The hidden costs of “leaving the body” in spirituality, leadership, and everyday life
• The forgotten feminine principle and what modern leaders can learn from it
• Why curiosity may be one of the most powerful healing and transformational tools we have
• The relationship between embodiment, trauma, coaching, therapy, and healing
• How to work with emotional activations rather than bypass or suppress them
• Why leadership without embodiment can become performative
• A practical framework for reconnecting with the body in daily life
• The importance of returning from transcendence back into form — what Cynthia calls “the second half of the circle”
• How to reclaim sovereignty, reverence, and wholeness in an increasingly disconnected world

This is an episode for leaders, coaches, therapists, seekers, parents, high achievers, and anyone longing to reconnect with themselves in a deeper, more authentic way.

Key Talking Points
• What is the “transcendence bias” and how does it shape modern spirituality?
• Why embodiment is the missing piece in leadership and human development
• The forgotten feminine principle in spirituality and growth
• Why curiosity is a pathway to healing and sovereignty
• The cost of spiritual bypassing and emotional disconnection
• The relationship between trauma, therapy, coaching, and embodiment
• Why many spiritual practices teach us to leave the body
• The “second half of the circle” — returning to form after transcendence
• Practical ways to reconnect with the body in everyday life
• Why wholeness already exists within us

Cynthia Abulafia is an author, educator, yoga therapist, and guide in embodied spiritual practice with more than two decades of experience leading teacher trainings, workshops, and retreats worldwide. Her work explores self-inquiry, embodied awareness, spirituality, and the deeper passages of personal growth. She is the author of: Embodying the Goddess
Website
Instagram

In this episode of TNM Unplugged, Zoran speaks with Navid Nazemian about the hidden realities of executive transitions and why success at senior level requires far more than technical competence.

Navid shares why many leaders fail not because they lack ability, but because they underestimate politics, culture, stakeholder dynamics, emotional pressure, and the personal toll of leadership change. Drawing from his renowned Double Diamond Framework, he explains how leaders can prepare before day one, build trust quickly, read the culture intelligently, create early wins, and sustain energy through one of the most demanding periods of their career.

The conversation also explores humility, self-awareness, coaching support, and the inner qualities required not just to survive transition — but to thrive consciously through it. This episode is essential listening for executives, founders, HR leaders, and anyone preparing for a major leap in responsibility.
Key Talking Points
• Why executive transitions are more difficult than most people realise
• Why the first 12–18 months matter more than the first 90 days
• The common reasons senior leaders derail early
• Why technical skills get leaders hired but soft skills determine success
• How to navigate politics and hidden power structures
• Reading organisational culture before making change
• The Five C’s framework for successful transitions
• How to create early wins without rushing decisions
• Managing stress, energy, and executive pressure
• Why coaching support can dramatically improve outcomes
• Inner qualities leaders need during major transitions

Navid Nazemian is an executive coach, leadership advisor, and trusted partner to senior leaders navigating high-stakes career transitions. He previously spent over two decades in senior HR leadership roles across global organisations including Adidas, GE, Vodafone, BAT, and Roche. He is the author of Mastering Executive Transitions, an award-winning book helping leaders succeed in new senior roles.

LinkedIn
Website