A New Way of Being

Kindness can have a profound impact on your health, your relationships, other people and the world at large - with Dr. David Hamilton Dr. Hamilton is a leading expert on the power of kindness, having written several books on the subject, including "The Five Side-effects of Kindness" He explains how even small gestures can have a profound effect, and the key role that 'the kindness hormone' oxytoci...

Taping your mouth shut at night has gone mainstream. I have been taping my mouth shut using microporous tape from Boots (for about £1.50) for about five years now. I used to hold my breath at night and suffered from brain fog - and this one hack had a transformative effect. Now the research is starting to show how powerful it can be. Best-selling author of Breath - James Nestor - is another sleep...

Here are two powerful techniques to tackle anxiety and stop uncomfortable feelings controlling you. The first is about getting out of your head and into your senses - using the 5,4,3,2,1 method The second is called the Sedona method - and is about truly welcoming anxiety, without an agenda to get rid of it. It is paradoxical - but powerful. Chloe Brotheridge - coach, therapist and author of the An...

Are you someone who eats lunch in a hurry, perhaps while catching up on emails? This might not sound hugely significant BUT it can come at a not insignificant cost, even if you have the cleanest, healthiest diet – as my guest Dr Rangan Chatterjee can explain. He talks about the ritual of lunch, about taking our time, about stepping off the daily treadmill – to be able to slip into the all importan...

Are you someone who is better at giving other people advice when they are faced with a problem than you are at helping yourself? If so - don't worry - it’s a really common phenomenon. Everyone has an inner voice. Sometimes the conversations people have with themselves can tip over into destructive rumination and self-criticism, which can affect our mood and negatively impact our physical health an...

What are you like at having difficult conversations? You know the type of thing, you have something you want to say, that needs saying – but rather than embrace the discomfort you decide it’s more bother than it’s worth and sweep it under the carpet. However – our ability to have difficult conversations and express ourselves truthfully, honestly and responsibly is one of the most important life sk...

When was the last time you were bored? For many people, not an easy question to answer. Why? The ubiquitous use of smartphones. Professor Cal Newport is the author of two seminal books, Deep Work and Digital Minimalism. In this episode he explains what Deep Work is and why it's important, and why our inability to find it is making us anxious and less effective. Smartphone use is a big factor - so...

Is your mind on a treadmill? Burnout is a modern epidemic, so – what can you do about it? The answers can be simple and don’t have to be time consuming, but it’s about trying things out and putting them into practice. Here bringing the wisdom is former New Zealand and All Black legend Sir John Kirwan, a true rugby great who suffered from severe depression during his career and has since been knich...

"How to let off steam without blowing your top and upsetting everyone around you." Professor Steve Peters is an English psychiatrist who works in elite sport, who is also the acclaimed author of the Chimp Paradox. In this bitesize episode, Steve explains how to vent to discharge emotions like anger and frustration in an effective and inoffensive way. I also take Steve's example and apply it to 'ex...

Is it time to stop striving for continual personal improvement? This episode is about challenging the idea that we always need to be better than yesterday. This continual striving to improve ourselves is such a pervasive idea – particularly in the so-called self-help industry. My guest is a performance psychologist of the very top order – the world class Katie Warriner ** Follow/message me : Insta...

"Character is doing what needs to be done in spite of pressure and fatigue" In this episode we will be hearing from Bill Beswick, the highly acclaimed sports psychologist who worked at manchster United alongside Sir Alex Ferguson during Manchester United’s hayday. The topic we are talking about is character. What does it mean? And how can one develop character? ** Follow/message me : Instagram htt...

What is flow and what does it tell us about reality? Wimbledon has a different feel this year, because someone who has captivated the audiences here for two decades is missing – Roger Federer. Now Roger’s not this week’s guest, I’m still working on that, but I am talking about Roger as an example of someone who was so able to enter flow and be inspired when he played, to the delight of people watc...

Is success about winning - or fulfilling your potential? Someone I see often at Wimbledon is Tim Henman – who I loved watching in the late 90s through to the early 2000s, and who I have had the pleasure of interviewing several times over the years. Tim used to get flack – and sometimes still does – for not winning Wimbledon. He was four-times a semi-finalist, but many people seemed to think that w...

What price is worth paying for medals and success? Wimbledon is starting today , and the point of this episode is to challenge the idea that winning is the only thing that matters. In sport, and in life – it can be quite a pervasive idea. But if that was true, then out of the 128 people that entered the singles draws at Wimbledon, 127 of them would be – by definition – losers. And clearly that is...

"There is nothing either good or bad, only thinking makes it so" One thing that is clear right now is that times are tough for many people. There is the cost of living, inflation, strikes, a war in Europe… the list goes on. So I thought it was worth revisiting how the ancient Greek philosophy of stoicism might help people to cope as best they can during these trying times. My guest is Ryan Holiday...

"When you feel afraid, ask yourself - are you actually in danger?" Alex Honnold is the Oscar winning Free Solo climber who scaled El Capitan, a sheer rock face twice as high as the Empire State building, without ropes or safety equipment. Alex therefore knows a thing or two about fear and consequence. Alex explains how often when we feel afraid we are not in danger, it just feels like we are. We a...

Everyone faces adversity and pain in life, but it's how we respond to it that counts. If we choose to give in to fear, the inclination is to hide our flaws and insecurities, which restricts our ability to be vulnerable and connect authentically. Often a sense of shame accompanies what is a fear of rejection. When we choose to project those feelings of shame outwards - by criticising, belittling an...

Sir Chris Hoy is the most successful international track cyclist of all time, but things could have been very different but for a decision he made while still a junior. Hoy was initially a BMX rider, but the cost of competing was starting to bite and so he had a couple of choices: give his passion up and look for something more affordable - or put himself out there by seeking for financial help. H...

Peter Hamlyn is a world renowned neurosurgeon who operated on - and saved the life of - the boxer Michael Watson after a blood clot formed on his brain minutes after his infamous world title fight with Chris Eubank in 1991. Even though Michael's early prognosis was bleak, his recovery has been nothing short of remarkable. The Hamlyn family motto never give up, and Michael Watson further showed the...

Anxiety rates have exploded over the last decade, even before the impacts of covid and other recent events. Beyond medication, which certainly has its place, what is the best way to stop anxiety from having power over you? The answer may be a counter-intuitive one. Rather than battling to get rid of the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings associated with anxiety, can you make space for them and ac...

"Language is the most powerful drug known to man" Would you like to know how to be able to positively impact people's behaviour? Dave Alred is one of the most in-demand coaches in world sport, mentoring Jonny Wilkinson through his career and working with golf major winners and many others too. He explains how, if you want to change someone's behaviour, it is important to start by catching them doi...

"Values are the way we get peace within ourselves" Think about the people closest to you for a moment. Do you like them for what they achieve, or what they are like? (Hopefully it's the latter) This episode is about the difference between 'being' and 'doing' - and emphasises the importance of living in accordance with your values. my guest is Professor Steve Peters, author of the wildly successful...

'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit" When it comes to developing positive, healthy habits, one of the world's top experts is professor BJ Fogg, the author of the best-selling book 'Tiny Habits'. BJ busts the myth that habits are simply about repetition and illustrates his method - which has helped literally hundreds of thousands of people around the world - b...

Whenever we step into a performance situation - whether it is giving a speech or presentation through to an Olympic final - it is normal to experience nerves. Many people try to bat such feelings away, or even believe they shouldn't be feeling that way, but if you can make space for those feelings - truly welcome and befriend them - then you can channel the power of adrenaline to help you. To illu...

Self-acceptance and self-compassion are two of the most powerful mental health 'tools'. As part of mental health awareness week, I explore both topics with the help of Nigel Owens, the beloved Welsh rugby referee who attempted to take his own life as a young man because he felt unable to accept his sexuality. ** A huge thanks to my sponsors, Puresport . Their range of CBD and Nootropics supplement...