A New Way of Being

Communicating what we want to say for maximum impact is far from easy. It’s also not something many people work on. But Ros Atkins, creator of the hugely successful viral BBC videos 'Ros Atkins on...' is truly a master of the craft, and in this episode he shares some of the key techniques and outlooks that make him stand out. Ros has identified the ten elements of what makes a good explanation as...

How you do anything is how you do EVERYTHING. What matters is what you do today. That’s the message Stoic author Ryan Holiday emphasises in this bitesize episode. Ryan has written a number of best-selling books on stoicism, including The Obstacle is the Way . He described stoicism as 'the most practical of all philosophies', and he explains that - in his view - it is important to understand that i...

The power of skillful conversation - from the personal to the global level. This week's conversation is with professor Shane O'Mara, a neuroscientist of the top order who is professor of Experimental Brain Research at Trinity College Dublin. He is also the author of Talking Heads: The New Science of How Conversations Shapes Our World. Shane explains the role that conversation and memory has in our...

The power of letting go of the need for a specific outcome to go your way. We are halfways through the Strictly Come Dancing season 2023, so what better time than now to revisit my conversation with glitterball favourite and former Strictly champion Kevin Clifton. Kevin was runner up on four occasions while on the show, which triggered some of his old competitive wounds, before finally lifting the...

Embracing the right type of failure with the groundbreaking pioneer of psychological safety, who was voted the most influential international thinker in 2019. Professor Amy Edmonson's work has transformed the culture of leading companies, universities and organisations around the world - and her thinking can change your life too. Amy argues that we need to embrace failure - as long as it is the ri...

Treating people as you want to be treated with boxing legend Carl Frampton, Northern Ireland’s first two weight World Champion. Carl grew up in Belfast, in the loyalist area of Tigers Bay. The next housing estate across was the New Lodge which was Republican. As a child, he witnessed tension and traumatising scenes. Carl is a very humble and level headed guy, and he takes pride in uniting people,...

Just how accurate is the reality we experience through our sense perceptions? That's a big question - and we're about to explain why it is important. We tend to be convinced that that world we experience through our senses is the world as it really is. We also believe we are billions of separate beings - which fosters a sense of tribalism and a distrust of "the other". But, professor Donald Hoffma...

Flow is a peak state when we perform at our best, and feel great too. While success is not synonymous with happiness, flow is. So, how do you get in flow? Here is a tried and tested four-step formula from the Flow Research Collective YouTube : https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonmundie/ For the ' Mundie on Monday ' newsletter - head to simonmundie.com H...

The Life Lessons podcast has a simple mission: to have discussions that reveal something important about life and how best to live it. My guests range from the biggest sporting names on the planet, as well as neuroscientists, world-renowned philosophers, and psychologists – right through to Buddhist monks. With the World Cup nearly finishing, we are revisiting of my favorite conversations with Wor...

"If anyone tells you that such a person speaks ill of you of you, don't make excuses about what is said of you, but answer: He does not know my other faults; else, he would not have mentioned only these." - Epictetus Don't hide your flaws and show off your strengths - the wiser option is to do the opposite. YouTube : https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simon...

The Life Lessons podcast has a simple mission: to have discussions that reveal something important about life and how best to live it. My guests range from the biggest sporting names on the planet, as well as neuroscientists, world-renowned philosophers, and psychologists – right through to Buddhist monks. With the World Cup in full flow, I am using the opportunity to revisit some of my favorite c...

Our early social connections, with parents and caregivers in particular, are the most profound shapers of how we experience the world and our place in it. Dr Bessel van der Kolk - one of the world's leading trauma researchers and author of the best-selling book The Body keeps The Score - reveals that how secure we feel in our early relationships even has a bigger impact on our development than par...

The Life Lessons podcast has a simple mission: to have discussions that reveal something important about life and how best to live it. My guests range from the biggest sporting names on the planet, as well as neuroscientists, world-renowned philosophers, and psychologists – right through to Buddhist monks. With the World Cup in full flow, over the next few weeks I am going to use the opportunity t...

We can’t all be better than average – there just isn’t room at the top for everyone. Striving for the top is a nice idea, but the other side of it is: if we become anything other than ordinary, we feel that we have failed somehow. This goal-orientated outlook is widespread. But, is it really important to be remembered as a high achiever or 'Champion'? Isn't it more important to be a kind, caring i...

The Life Lessons podcast has a simple mission: to have discussions that reveal something important about life and how best to live it. My guests range from the biggest sporting names on the planet, as well as neuroscientists, world-renowned philosophers, and psychologists – right through to Buddhist monks. All Black legend and World Cup winner Sir John Kirwan. JK was knighted for services to menta...

"Don't just do something, sit there!" Forget ice baths, HIIT workouts and marathons - if you really want to develop resilience, then sit down and do nothing. For the first time in human history, we never have to be bored and sit with our thoughts and feelings. But we are missing a trick - because doing nothing is something very few people embrace, but those who do can enjoy a multitude of benefits...

The Life Lessons podcast has a simple mission: to have discussions that reveal something important about life and how best to live it. My guests range from the biggest sporting names on the planet, as well as neuroscientists, world-renowned philosophers, and psychologists – right through to Buddhist monks. With the World Cup in full flow, over the next few weeks I am going to use the opportunity t...

The Life Lessons podcast has a simple mission: to have discussions that reveal something important about life and how best to live it. My guests range from the biggest sporting names on the planet, as well as neuroscientists, world-renowned philosophers, and psychologists – right through to Buddhist monks. We all have psychological defence mechanisms - including the often deep-seated pattern of pr...

'Resistance is something we do, acceptance is what we are' With the World Cup in full flow, over the next few weeks I am going to use the opportunity to revisit some of my favorite conversations with World Cup winners and legends. Today's episode is with Jonny Wilkinson, 20 years ago from his World Cup winning drop goal - and below are some of the topics we reference during our conversation. I hav...

The Life Lessons podcast has a simple mission: to have discussions that reveal something important about life and how best to live it. My guests range from the biggest sporting names on the planet, as well as neuroscientists, world-renowned philosophers, and psychologists – right through to Buddhist monks. The importance of constructive feedback & developing the skill of efficiency. David Coul...

The general consensus in society tends to be that to have success in any field requires early specialisation and many hours of deliberate practice - aka the 'Tiger Woods model'. And if you dabble or delay, you'll never catch up with those who got a head start. In this episode, David Epstein dispels this widely-held myth. He explains that the best way to succeed is by sampling widely, gaining a bre...

The Life Lessons podcast has a simple mission: to have discussions that reveal something important about life and how best to live it. My guests range from the biggest sporting names on the planet, as well as neuroscientists, world-renowned philosophers, and psychologists – right through to Buddhist monks. Do not underestimate the importance of posture when you feel under pressure. Dave Alred - th...

"We are always striving for the top - but sometimes it's better to embrace being in the middle". Konnie Huq is a TV & Radio presenter, a screenwriter and a children's author, who holds the record for being the longest-serving presenter of the iconic British children's TV programme Blue Peter. The essence of what Konnie speaks about in this episode is that our continual striving for more, bigge...

The Life Lessons podcast has a simple mission: to have discussions that reveal something important about life and how best to live it. My guests range from the biggest sporting names on the planet, as well as neuroscientists, world-renowned philosophers, and psychologists – right through to Buddhist monks. One of the key skills anyone can develop is to do what needs to be done, even when you don't...

How to go from all-rounder to outstanding. Nick Matthew is the greatest squash player in English history - a genuine legend of the game who reached world number one and won both the World Championships and the British open (the Wimbledon of squash) on three occasions. To reach the top, Nick had to pivot and adapt on several occasions, eventually working out his 'super strengths' to be able to take...