The Freedom Project

Life either happens to you, or for you. In Neil Laughton’s case, he chose the latter. I say chose, because what could have been setbacks were turned into the events that made him the man he is today. That is our constant choice. The ability to lean into life as the adventure it is. Not something to be shied away from, or resisted, but embraced. It’s that willingness to lean into, and engage with o...

Physios, just like climbing coaches, chefs, bankers, and hell, even adventurepreneurs, aren’t all made of equal quality. Some are stuck in techniques of the 1980s. Others are on the bleeding edge of the most advanced research. Some are uncaring and impersonal. Others are highly personal and connect with you. So how do you tell the difference? And what should you look out for? Particularly as a mou...

From Despair to Determination: A Decade of Transformation Ten years ago, I was a broken man, standing in a job centre, completely broke and filled with false pride. This moment marked the beginning of a remarkable journey of self-discovery and transformation. Fast forward to eight years ago, I took a bold step by investing in a gym, a decision that was less about finances and more about exploring...

When asked why risk it all to be the first person to climb Everest, George Mallory responded with a mysterious answer that speaks to so many explorers, adventurers, and mountaineers. “Because it is there.” There’s something in many of us adventurers, that looks at the magnificent peak as a writer looks at the blank page. It is just beckoning to be explored, to bear witness to our striving and crea...

Your family, your clients, even your dog. If you give to those around you without expectation of reciprocation, your life will be meaningful and eventually, you will be rewarded. Fail to look after yourself though and you never be able to give fully. Whether you’re building a business, nurturing your family, or leading a polar expedition, mastering the balance of prioritising your greatest asset,...

Returning from his sixth overseas deployment in seven years, Nick Goldsmith hit rock bottom. Complex PTSD consumed Nick’s life. He used traditional forms of therapy that were provided by the military, but they didn’t fully provide what he needed. Rewilding himself gave him a pathway to connect with a more authentic version of himself. His woodland gave him the opportunity not just to reconnect, bu...

Addressing a group of open-minded men, I delivered what I believed was a compelling talk. From the outside, my life seemed perfect. I was a newlywed, a successful entrepreneur, a former Royal Marines commando, a skilled outdoorsman, and a dog owner. However, beneath this veneer of success, I was grappling with deep-rooted imposter syndrome and a persistent sense of emptiness. Despite my external a...

The death of a parent and a friend pointing out that you need to get a life. You wouldn’t elect for these two things if you had that choice. But these two things proved to be turning points in Stella Kamba’s life. She lived the corporate life and was excellent at it. But something nagged at her to do something more aligned with her true self. That thing was to start More Life Adventures; a busines...

Meet the godfather of freeskiing - Mike Douglas. Mike - alongside a handful of others - reinvented ski technology and therefore the future of skiing itself. After being instrumental in the creation of the twin tip ski that unlocked a completely different style of skiing, then becoming a mainstay of the pro skier scene, Mike turned his attention to creating ski films. In doing so, he became an icon...

What could possess a man to run the fastest known time from the base of the valley to the top of Mont Blanc and back? The thrill of adventure, the unknown, and the chance to test oneself. Iain Innes spent years making his way into professional ski racing. Eventually he realised this wasn’t his journey, and took a step back from his life long goal. Without this structure, Iain entered the unknown....

Does your scarcity mindset create a life you secretly despise? I used to have a horrendous scarcity mentality. There was never enough time. There was never enough money. There was never enough X, Y or Z for me to really live the life I want. This royally fucked me for years. It’s not like I wasted those years. But I certainly didn’t make the most of them. I dragged myself out of that hole over the...

The conventional path never was for Willis Morris. Willis sought another kind of freedom. He moved from indoor climbing to alpinism, and became world class at it. Then from alpinism to speedriding. He wanted, in his words, “the toughest way up, and the gnarliest way down.” What’s more, he chose to teach himself how to speedride. This podcast is an exploration of: How to learn any skill What you le...

I’ve seen countless people massively shift their levels of performance. And I’ve seen countless fail to change anything at all. The latter end up mediocre, miserable and resentful. The former ends up free, successful, and satisfied. Which camp you fall into is not down to luck. It’s down to your choices. There are five choices adventurepreneurs make time and time again which ensure mediocrity. Tod...

Adventure comes to us in many different forms. For some of us, the mountains, the sea, or the sky reveals itself to us as our path. For others, our call to adventure is a literal call to arms. A signal reveals itself to us and whispers “this is your journey, this is your gauntlet”. The price of admission is mighty, and the potential cost is your life. The adventure of a military career is rewardin...

Two months back, I had a “fuck it” moment. It’s not every day you get the chance to go on a ski mountaineering trip of this kind. I no longer live 45 minutes away from the best skiing in the world. I live at least 5 hours, a plane journey, and multiple countries away. Because of this, big trips: Cost a lot more money Take a lot more time Are a big interruption to my family and my business   For ma...

At some point in life you’re going to have to drop the identity you’ve built up and change who you are. Sometimes, this comes at the end of a challenging career when you’ve realised you’re just not going to make it. Other times, this is when you’re doing incredibly exciting and daunting things. For example when you’re moving onto another stage in life. When Jackie Paaso decided to give up on her m...

True: a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. But, that step must be in the direction of travel. Plus, it helps if each step covers as much ground as possible. Today, I’m going to show you how you cover as much ground as possible each and every day. Because if you fail to make the most of every single day, you’ll end up looking back at yet another year of stagnation. We’re going t...

What kind of person is compelled to travel from the lowest point in every continent to the highest through human power alone? Well, the same kind of person who is willing to walk the length of the world’s largest freshwater lake whilst it’s frozen over. And the same person who ends up in the hands of Uzbek interrogators accused of narcotic smuggling. This person is adventurer, explorer and expedit...

Why do you fail to commit to your goals? With my clients, I’m looking for four signs they’re actually committed to their goals. Not just engaging in mental masturbation… …a lot of people are doing the latter Here’s another way to put it (crass language upcoming): A client once said to me, “you know what’s different about your coaching compared to the rest of what’s available, Tom? It’s the differe...

In a life of adventure, you’re going to have injuries. Some will be minor scrapes. Hopefully, you’ll avoid the life changing ones. But, in doing difficult things, life changing injuries are a real possibility. How do you cope with the initial injury? How do you adapt your life on the other side? And how do you maintain your identity when you have injuries such as these? These are all questions tod...

In this podcast, I'm excited to take you through the incredible transformation of one of my clients, Louis, who went from feeling trapped and unfulfilled to achieving resilience, emotional stability, massive productivity, and total freedom. Louis' journey is a testament to the power of science-based high-performance coaching. Today, I'll walk you through the exact step-by-step process we followed...

Alex Staniforth is an adventurer, endurance athlete and speaker. He survived the two biggest disasters to have struck Mount Everest including the 2015 Nepal earthquake. He also has endured epilepsy, a stammer and bullying since childhood but has turned this adversity into an opportunity.   Today on the freedom project podcast, Alex and I discuss: Cultivating that drive to achieve excellence in eve...

Psychologists and counsellors aren’t supposed to look like this. Brian’s thick beard hangs halfway down his chest. He’s jacked too. A heavy set bodyguard turned powerlifter with thighs the size of my waist. Brian turns to his wife: petite, pretty, with an intense wisdom. Carrie also lifts - it shows - and her tattoos cover the majority of her skin. Mental health professionals are meant to be plain...

Gareth Timmins is a former Royal Marines Commando, emerging behavioural/cognitive scientist turned published author of: Becoming the 0.1%: Thirty-four Lessons from the Diary of a Royal Marines Commando Recruit. Having previously completed a BSc (Hons) in Forensic Psychology, Gareth is currently exploring PhD Research – focusing on how humans Gauge Atmospheres in life-threatening situations, and th...

I spent years attempting to balance adventure & business.   I thought that more business skills would create the freedom I sought.   I was wrong.   Business skills need to be combined with personal skills in order to be effective.   Today, I’m going to teach you the 4 most important concepts which help me personally strike that balance and help my adventurepreneur clients do exactly the same....