Who Needs Instructions

Ben, originally from Essex, but a recent convert to Devon, has spent the majority of his working life in Education. A former French teacher, he spends his days now, helping organisations get to grips with mental health in the workplace.

It's all about the culture of a business and not what they say it is. As Ben puts it, "Culture Shouts the Loudest".

In todays episode, Ben shares his experience of working with young people and how that's shaped the person he's become today.

Ben also shares a wonderful story of why his father is the person who has influenced him the most, throughout his life; and how his future wife discovered this fact at their first time of meeting.

Get in touch with Ben, via his website - https://www.fivewaysdevon.uk/ or you can email him on [email protected].

Don't worry, this isn't a sales pitch, in fact, it's the complete opposite. Andrew explains why some men need his services and others may not.

Despite me having employed the services of a coach already, I learnt something in this episode too; it's not about hiring a coach for success, it's about hiring a coach to help you find what you want from life.

Andrew takes us through the process of what is involved in coaching clients and how the experience can differ vastly from person to person.

The calm approach and well thought out answers in today's podcast are clearly traits that Andrew carries with him through his every day life and I truly enjoyed the short amount of time I spent getting to know him and his work.

You can find Andrew on LinkedIn or via his website, both links are below, cheers.

Find Andrew on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewrichardscoach/

Andrew's website: https://www.andrewmrichards.com/

Imagine bumping in to someone in the street and being told that they'd named their child after you, because you had saved their life?!?! That has happened to Chris!

After over 15 years in the Prison Service and a relocation to the Southwest, Chris has found what he loves to do; help people.

His 9 to 5 finds him helping people get back in to work, but in his spare time, he has opened several clubs which are aimed at helping men and women come together, to discuss their mental health.

He was the man responsible for bring Andy's Man Club to the Southwest; where it now boasts four branches. Plus, after numerous ladies contacted him and said, "Hey, what about us?" Andy, along with 3 colleagues founded the Women's Wellbeing Club too.

Chris is such an amiable chap and he comes across so well in this interview. You can tell he loves what he does and gets so much out of it himself.

Andy's Man Club - [email protected]

Women's Wellbeing Club - [email protected]

Ian runs A Mind for Adventure, which is a Leadership, Coaching and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) training provider.

Ian is a Professional Coach. When I pushed him on this, he said he was an "Organisational Development Consultant" but he went on to describe himself more appropriately as a "PERSONAL ANARCHISTS FRIEND"... now that we can relate to!

Ian started his career at 18 in the Royal Navy. After 12 years as an aircraft engineer, his entrepreneurial itch needed to be scratched, and he left to form i2i Development, a company which is still running today.

If you want to listen to someone who really has their sh*t together, this episode is for you. Ian has a calmness about him which is not only reassuring but comforting too.

In this episode, Ian describes why 'service' has been at the core of everything he has done in his career. The option of working in a comfortable, warm hangar up at Heathrow was there for Ian, but he wanted more.

Ian transitioned out of the military at a time of great change in his life. He got married, started a masters degree and his new wife was also pregnant. He wanted to... show up in the world differently (his exact phrase!).

Take a listen to this podcast and when you're done, maybe listen again... it's full of wise advice from someone who has been there, seen it and done it... but Ian wouldn't say that himself.

Reach out to Ian via his socials, but as he says in the episode, LinkedIn is possibly the best place to get hold of him. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-pitchford-speaker-coach-leadership-mentor/

Thank you Ian Pitchford!

Dene has been through, as he calls it, the sausage machine of life. He's worked in large corporations (Mirror Group PLC), start ups, spent time in the USA and even ran a Gastro Pub. So, he's learned a lot along the way.

He's now taken all that experience and created the Exceptional Leader Academy. He's not only using his years of experience but he's also put himself through numerous training courses himself, as you'll find out if you listen.

In this episode, Dene discusses his career, the mistakes he made along the way, his theory on why women are likely to succeed more then men and why having a coach should now be common place.

I hope you're enjoying the podcasts so far. Please make sure you share it with a mate and get them to subscribe too. And, please give us a rating too, that's so important.

Contact Dene via email here: [email protected]

Mark Sealey; father, husband and I.T. Guru decided one day that he was going to row the Atlantic Ocean after watching a documentary about Ben Fogle and James Cracknell doing just that.

Some of his friends were a little sceptical shall we say, but ultimately Mark proved them wrong, he completed the race (with his 3 rowing companions) and he's absolutely buzzing because of it!

It's a life changing challenge that Mark just had to take on. It took him over 3 years just to get to the start line on the 12th December 2020... and it took him a further 50 days, 22 hours and 16 minutes to get to the finishing line!

He's less stressed and physically in a much better condition than when he started. His blood pressure, which he takes medication for, is lower too. He's a huge advocate for the challenge, as it has changed his life for the better!

But that's not it. Completing this has inspired Mark to do more and he definitely wants to do it again. So, if you're interested, drop Mark a line, because he'd do it again, in a heartbeat.

After eventually settling into a recruitment career (of 17 years), Stuart was suddenly made redundant at the beginning of the Coronavirus Pandemic. As if that wasn't bad enough, Stuart's wife also had a break down, and was admitted to hospital.

During her stay in hospital, Stuart's wife actually attempted suicide whilst on the phone to him; a memory which clearly lives with him to this day. Bearing in mind, Stuart was at this point, looking for work, he realised that he wanted to serve... something that didn't sit well with his own father.

Listening to Stuart's story, a remarkable one as you'll hear, he has been on quite the journey of discovery. This includes seeking therapy himself, which is actually provided by his new employer, The Circle Line - www.thecircleline.co.uk.

Sit back and soak in this episode. Stuart's life has changed dramatically in the last 18 months, but it has taken some monumental things to have brought about those changes. He now wants us to learn from this and not have to go down the road he and his wife have, to realise there's more to life than work.

After being kicked out of his own home at 16 by his Dad and moving in to his Uncle's building (The Tower) which needed looking after, Jason had to grow up very quickly.

He eventually bought his own place, after working hard in his jewellery industry but still hadn't spoken to his father for around 12 years. An illness brought about the reconciliation with his Dad and it was at this time that Jason realised just how much like his Dad he was.

Jason got married, settled down but has always struggled with his own happiness and the stress of work. He has found at outlet to help him deal with this and is now developing something called the Miserable Dad's Club, which is a work in progress.

Jason is brutally honest about his own mental health and is still coming to terms with it to this day. But, he has cooing techniques which he shares in the podcast. He's a good guy, one if us, and this is a great podcast that will make you warm to him. Enjoy chaps.

Drew's career has seen him on the West End stage in Mamma Mia, recording the soundtrack for Danny Boyle's opening ceremony at the 2012 London Olympics and performing for audiences all over the world.

The brotherhood and sisterhood in the world of theatre is strong and Drew tells us of the times where he's had to lean on them to help him through. The precarious world of acting and singing was hit hard by the pandemic; colleagues of his had to go and find new jobs doing anything and everything to simply survive and Drew talks about the resilience of people in the theatre world to bounce back.

Plus, Drew's 'Dad Joke' game is STRONG, make sure you listen all the way to the end to hear them.

Here's the link to donate to Lily's Live Lounge

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lilys-live-lounge

Leaving school and going to play for Chelsea FC was the reality of Pat's life. Three years later, he was released but his friends were there for him. He continued to play football professionally, for the remainder of his career, until a serious knee injury brought that career to an end.

However, Pat had a plan. With a young family to support, he had a plan to become a primary school teacher... yes, a Primary School Teacher!

Dealing with rejection and the resilience that took, was a major factor at several points throughout Pat's playing career. His friends picked him up, plus he had his Rock by his side, Alex (Mrs Baldwin).

Pat proves that being vulnerable is OK. In fact, it's a good thing which helps you realise that most of us put up a false front, which is unnecessary.

If you enjoy this episode, please make sure you leave a review (5-stars of course!) and I'll speak to you soon.