Crossing The Pond

Twenty-three years in America. No cake. No big post. Just a quiet Tuesday and a number that made me stop. This week's Monday Mood is four things that all landed in the same week and somehow won't stop talking to each other in my head. *Asking for help and why it took this long to get comfortable with it.*Breaking habits that served you once but maybe don't anymore.*Why being kind without agenda is...

My guest this week is James St uart , a guy who literally crossed the pond as a youngster when his parents brought a little piece of England to Florida in the shape of a proper English pub. From those early roots, James went on to cut his teeth in NYC's restaurant scene before helping open some of Manhattan's most iconic restaurants and hotels. Now living in Miami with his wife and two children, h...

What does luxury really mean? For Mike Pearson, a man who has built a career in the world of luxury watches, the answer goes far beyond the industry. In this episode, Gary and Mike explore the quieter luxuries: supportive parents, a career that opened unexpected doors, a life shaped by travel, and a family to come home to. A warm, honest conversation about recognising the good in your life and not...

What if the most powerful thing you did this week took just five minutes? Over the last two weeks, Pat McCarry and Regsan Watkins both said something that stopped me in my tracks. Both of them spoke about receiving messages from people they hadn't heard from in years, people telling them they'd made a difference. And both of them said the same thing: they never would have known. That's the thing a...

This week on Crossing the Pond , we're joined by Regsan Watkins, whose journey began in Melbourne, Australia, and led him halfway around the world to pursue the dream of playing college soccer in the United States. We explore the international recruiting process, what it takes to leave home as a young student-athlete, and the challenges of adapting to a new country, culture, and education system....

We welcome Pat McCarry to the show this week. An educator, coach, and leadership mentor whose career has taken him from the classrooms of Wales and England to coaching and curriculum development roles across the globe. After training  at Loughborough University, Pat has spent decades working in education, teacher development, elite coaching, and executive leadership. His journey has included desig...

Sometimes the most powerful place you can stand is in front of a blank canvas with nothing on it yet. This week on Monday Mood, Gary reflects on one of the most underrated feelings in the world, the clean slate. No history, no baggage, no fixed idea of what you're capable of. Just you, and the question of what the first stroke is going to be. Whether you've just crossed a pond, changed direction,...

This week on Crossing the Pond, we’re joined by Matt Maule. A man whose journey spans countries, careers, and plenty of air miles along the way. Raised in Reading, Berkshire, Matt’s path took him from the lecture halls of the University of Hull to a formative stint in Sweden before he made the life-changing leap to the United States in the early 2000s. Landing at United Airlines, he discovered a p...

We all have someone in our heads frozen as the person they used to be. The kid from the team. The mate from back home. The one you thought you had figured out. But people go through things you never see. One decision snowballs into another, life takes over, and the person who comes out the other side? They're not the same and they're not supposed to be. This week on Monday Mood, Gary talks about g...

Today’s guest is someone whose journey has taken him from the youth soccer to college soccer at Indiana, to being drafted into MLS with Minnesota United. Mason Toye has spent the last decade navigating the reality of professional football. the goals, the setbacks, the injuries, and the growth that comes with it all. In this episode, Mason opens up about how his mindset has evolved through the toug...

We’re introducing something new to Crossing the Pond 🎙️ On the Mondays between our guest episodes, we’ll now be sharing Monday Mood — short, relaxed reflections where we look back at the previous episode and chat about real expat moments from the week just gone. Think of it as a quick cuppa and a catch-up (after using your tea bag bowl) ☕️ A little reflection, a few stories, and the small moments...

This week on Crossing the Pond, we’re joined by Graham Page. A man who made a life-changing leap at 40. With a solid career and a familiar life in the UK, Graham packed it all up and moved to New Jersey when his wife’s career opened a new door across the Atlantic. We talk about what it really means to start again mid-career, climbing the job ladder in a completely new country, and building a circl...

Today’s guest is Richard Scott. A coach whose journey started in the framework of his hometown club, Newcastle United, before taking him across the Atlantic to the US with a short stint in Iceland for good measure, before quickly into various roles within MLS academies experiencing the game through a completely different lens. Recently, Richie’s made a bold pivot… stepping away from the pitch and...

**This Episode in Association with the Wigan Arts Festival 2026** This week I sit down with The Scary Guy. A man whose name alone sparks curiosity, but whose story hits far deeper than shock value. What began as a life marked by identity struggles, and destructive choices transformed into a powerful global mission rooted in one simple idea: total responsibility. In this episode, we unpack the pivo...

My guest this week took a stop in the US in 2004 as a part of his early coaching pathway before returning home to the UK to continue his career in football. Lee Burch has since gone onto coach and manage in every division of the women’s professional game in the UK, all the way up to his current role as the manager of Rugby Borough in the Fa National League. We’ll talk about the ups and downs of hi...

This week I'm joined by Paul Cliff, who I first met in the US in 2003 but ironically, we grew up less than 5 miles away from each other back home in England. Paul describes his early years in the UK and the direction that has taken since his return home. we talk about his faith and how it leads him in his day-to-day life, His decision to make a career pivot at the age of 40 and the work he does no...

This week’s guest is Greg Lawley, whose European roots run through his family history, but whose energy and impact are very much felt right here in his fitness community, every day. Greg is a person whose enthusiasm can’t be ignored and we dig into how, after various geographical and vocational changes, he’s found a way to channel it into something meaningful: helping others become stronger, more...

My guest this week is Gareth Gore may be a journalist and author of a critically acclaimed book but, more importantly, he’s an old friend from his working class upbringing in Wigan, to the halls of Cambridge University, then onto the sharp end of financial journalism and best-selling books, he’s never truly forgotten where he came from. We talk about the importance of hard work, the class divides...

This week we check back in with Greig Paterson, 6 months on from his move to the US with his family. We do a bit more digging into Greig’s journey, including his time with Clemson Men’s Soccer in the late 90s, coaching in Melbourne 🇦🇺 after a short stint with United Soccer Academy and more of the day to day discoveries (good and bad) as he and his family navigate new surroundings here in the US. #...

Happy new year to everybody and welcome to the first episode of CTP for 2026! This episode ironically enough will be a look back at all of our guests for 2025. Highlights of the stories the experiences and all the lessons learned along everybody’s individual journeys. #crossingthepondpodcast #resilience #transformation #personalgrowth #lifelessons #experiences #challenges #change #podcast #storyte...

For this week‘s episode, I took time out of a recent jaunt to Houston to talk about traditions, trips and making an effort. My guests, Eric Hawthorn, and Michael Freeman unpack their own holiday traditions from both Europe and here in the US. Recounting previous experiences and discussing the hardship of navigating distances that can exist between family and friends during this time of the year. T...

This week we welcome Yolanda Reshemah, creator of The Places We Call Home and Starting Over in the USA. Yolanda’s journey has taken her from her birthplace of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to England, France and now all the way to the West Coast of America. We’ll dig into her experiences of connection, belonging, and what she has discovered since creating and hosting her own podcast, including th...

Kieran O’Boyle story starts in Blackpool when he was scouted at a young age to play as a goalkeeper in a part of Manchester United Academy, being coached, and also playing alongside some modern-day household names. His pathway later shifted after an offer to complete his masters and play soccer at university in Texas shifted him over to San Antonio After college he played this trade in small busin...

Zach Rodriguez shares his journey from a construction science background to becoming a U.S. Navy pilot, detailing the pivotal moments that shaped his career and personal life. He discusses a near-fatal helicopter incident that changed his perspective on risk and purpose, leading him to prioritize health and family. Zach also introduces his financial planning firm, Outlive, which aims to integrate...

Timucin Uras has built a home wherever football and friendship meet. A lifelong Fenerbahçe fan, he discovered a love for Liverpool FC during his university days in the UK, and found something familiar: passion, pride, and sense of family that any football team can create. Now, through the  American Scouser  podcast, he’s built a community that brings those values to life. Connecting fans across oc...