In this episode of Unleash Your Inner Leader, host Randip Singh sits down with trusted leadership advisor, author, and podcast host Jonathan Bowman-Perks MBE. Jonathan shares powerful lessons from his time as a military instructor at Sandhurst, uncovering the inspirational story of his late father, mastering delegation with the T-GROW coaching model, managing anxiety through Stoic principles, and exploring the eight quotients of leadership outlined in The CEO's Compass.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

From Average to Extraordinary: Receiving an "average" assessment at Sandhurst forced Jonathan to re-evaluate his leadership style, learn from elite peers, and study the selfless legacy of his late father.

Lead Like Bamboo, Not Oak: True resilience is about flexibility and adapting under pressure, combined with disciplined rest and recovery to prevent burnout.

Control the Controllables: Combat anxiety by focusing solely on what you can control, maintaining physical fitness, eating clean, and adopting Stoic and Buddhist principles.

The T-GROW Model for Delegation: Managers can empower teams and solve high-stakes problems using Topic, Goal, Reality, Options, and Will/Way forward.

Presence is Everything: True leadership presence involves giving people your undivided attention and curiosity, as demonstrated by Queen Elizabeth II when presenting Jonathan with his MBE.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Intro & Father's High-Stakes Legacy

02:23 - Introduction to Jonathan Bowman-Perks MBE

03:01 - Overcoming "Average": The Sandhurst Wake-Up Call

04:47 - Discovering His Father’s Story & Selfless Leadership

10:02 - Overcoming Fear, Mask-Wearing & Living in the Moment

13:34 - Managing Anxiety: Control, Clean Living & Stoic Wisdom

18:27 - Resilience & Burnout: Be Bamboo, Not an Oak Tree

23:03 - Staying Curious: AI, Grok & Evolving Leadership Courses

25:04 - Authentic Leadership & Randip’s Board Service

29:28 - The MBE Story & The T-GROW Delegation Model

34:00 - Leadership Presence: Lessons from Queen Elizabeth II

37:34 - The 8 Leadership Quotients & The CEO's Compass

42:16 - Advice to Young Leaders: "It's Not About You"

44:08 - How to Connect with Jonathan Bowman-Perks

Resources mentioned:

The CEO's Compass by Jonathan Bowman-Perks

Inspiring Leadership by Jonathan Bowman-Perks

Inspiring Women Leaders by Leigh Bowman-Perks

Connect:

• With Randip
• With Jonathan
• Jonathan's Website

In this episode of Unleash Your Inner Leader, host Randip Singh sits down with author, keynote speaker, and psychologist Petra Velzeboer. Petra shares her story of growing up in a religious cult, becoming a parent at age twenty three, overcoming alcohol addiction, building a personal boardroom of support, and managing digital well being in modern leadership.

Key Takeaways

Parenting as a Turning Point: Becoming a young parent forced Petra to stop running away from problems, stay in one place, and take radical responsibility for her life and legacy.

Overcoming Addiction and Finding Purpose: Reaching rock bottom led to sobriety through recovery groups, learning honesty, and shifting away from a victim mindset.

Building a Boardroom of Support: Leaders need two to five trusted people outside work who provide space to be fully authentic and recharge.

Managing Digital Well Being: Technology should support your goals rather than distract from them, so leaders must model healthy screen habits.

Navigating Difficult Work Cultures: Managing a challenging environment requires strong personal boundaries, resourcing yourself outside work, and adopting an experimental mindset.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Introduction to Petra Velzeboer

01:02 - Life in a Religious Cult & Becoming a Parent

04:32 - Overcoming Addiction & Building Personal Accountability

08:03 - Finding Help & Embracing Vulnerability

12:16 - Creating Your Personal Boardroom of Support

15:39 - Digital Well-Being & Managing Screen Habits

19:49 - Stress, Burnout & Regulating Your Nervous System

25:46 - Prioritizing Personal Health & Daily Movement

30:30 - Systems, Automation & Meaningful Connection

35:01 - Practical Strategies for Difficult Workplaces

39:31 - The Power of an Experimental Mindset

41:41 - How to Connect with Petra Velzeboer

Resources mentioned:

Digital Wellbeing by Petra Velzeboer

Links:

https://www.petravelzeboer.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/petra-velzeboer
https://www.instagram.com/petra.velzeboer/

In this inspiring episode of Unleash Your Inner Leader, host Randip Singh sits down with adventurer, keynote speaker, performance coach, and author Alex Staniforth. Alex shares his story of surviving the 2015 Mount Everest earthquake, overcoming unseen personal challenges such as living with a stammer and managing mental health, founding the mental health charity Mind Over Mountains, and learning to redefine resilience in leadership and life.

Key Takeaways:

• The Comfort Zone Myth: Staying in your comfort zone is not always safe. Stepping forward into a challenge can ultimately place you in a safer and more empowered position.
• Finding Meaning in Tragedy: Turning adversity into an opportunity to give back can provide direction and help overcome survivor guilt.
• Mentorship vs Coaching: Mentoring provides advice based on personal experience, whereas coaching is non directive support that helps individuals unlock their own answers.
• Managing Unseen Challenges: High performers and leaders often navigate hidden obstacles every day, from speech impediments like stammering to mental health struggles.
• Empowerment Through Delegation: Founders and leaders must empower others and delegate to allow a vision to grow larger than themselves and avoid burnout.
• Redefining Resilience: True resilience is not about invincibility or pushing through fatigue. It is about having the capacity to pause, recharge, and sustain ongoing performance.
• Legacy and Turning the Arrows Outward: Real fulfillment comes from shifting focus away from personal accolades and asking what you can do for the world.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction to Alex Staniforth

[01:03] The 2015 Everest Earthquake and Reevaluating Life

[03:56] Processing Trauma, Grief, and Finding Purpose

[07:48] Career Journey and The Impact of Mentors

[11:02] Understanding the Difference Between Coaching and Mentoring

[13:52] Overcoming Unseen Challenges: Living with a Stammer and Mental Health

[17:17] The Healing Power of Nature and Founding Mind Over Mountains

[20:58] Royal Recognition: Meeting the Princess of Wales

[22:57] Redefining Resilience: Recharging vs Toxic Masculinity

[26:04] Continuous Learning and Becoming a Certified Running Coach [28:50] Advice for Future Leaders: Turning the Arrows Outward

[32:39] How to Connect with Alex Staniforth

• 🌐 Alex Staniforth’s Official Website: alexstaniforth.com
• 🏔️ Mind Over Mountains Charity: mindovermountains.org.uk
• Resource mentioned: Joe Wright book on coaching culture