A New Way of Being

Want to know how to overcome fear? Free solo climbing legend Alex Honnold can explain. Alex Honnold climbed a 3000 foot vertical cliff - El Capitan in America - without ropes, a feat described as ‘one of the greatest Athletic feats of any kind, ever’. It was so impressive, they made a film about it called Free Solo. Listen to this, then watch that - and change your relationship with fear. Champion...

Success evangelism - have you had your fill yet? This idea that hustling for success, in the belief that we will finally be content and fulfilled when we reach the promised land (which invariably stays out of reach) needs a rethink. Some of the most successful people on the planet have been left unfulfilled and empty after achieving their hearts desires. It's time for a rethink. It's time to consi...

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) Achievement is important, but not as important as being kind, thoughtful, compassionate and having integrity. My guest is Professor Steve Peters, author of the wildly successful book The Chimp Paradox My debut book - Champion Thinking: How To Find Success W...

Is it really about winning and trophies - or something altogether more profound? Matthew Syed is a Times Columnist, author, renowned thinker, consultant and former British number 1 table tennis player. My debut book - Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself - is now on general release. Drawing on some of my favourite interviews from this podcast over the last five years, I w...

Success, addiction - and a new way of being. This bitesize episode is with the one and only Ronnie O'Sullivan. In it he talks about addiction, success evangelism and why giving can be more fulfilling than receiving. Ronnie very kindly gave me an endorsement for my book, now on general release. In it, I touch on the themes we discuss in this bitesize ep. 'This book captures the magic of being in fl...

Life Lessons special: Goldie Sayers interviews Simon Mundie. His debut book Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself is on general release from today. The following people have been kind enough to provide the following endorsements: 'This book captures the magic of being in flow . . . Highly recommend'  RONNIE O'SULLIVAN 'Entertaining and enlightening'  MATTHEW SYED 'Using hi...

What is our identity before psychology? This episode is about self-enquiry, a process you can do to explore what your fundamental identity is, before psychology. We tend to have an idea about who we are, based on thoughts about our roles in life, our beliefs, what has happened to us in the past, our relationships, tribal affiliations and so on. navigate the social world we live in - but it is cert...

Why resisting and battling uncomfortable thoughts and feelings doesn't work, but acceptance and self-compassion does. Dr. Russ Harris is the world's best-know teacher of Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) Experiencing emotions like anxiety is entirely normal. It is part of the human experience. If you DIDN'T experience them, then there may be a problem. However, it is not unusual to believe w...

What is ADHD? How does it manifest and display in people? Is it time to stop calling it a disorder? Dr Tony Lloyd is chief executive of the ADHD Foundation, which I am delighted and honoured to have become a patron of. I was diagnosed with ADHD last year, and it had a big impact on me. So much of my life, looking back, now makes more sense. And so i wanted to really dig deep into the topic with To...

How to produce work of value - and improve your mental health at the same time. Professor Cal Newport argues that our ability to do deep work, which is where we perform undistracted work on something cognitively demanding, is a vital skill to train. However, the ability to perform deep work is increasingly rare - not least because of the impact of smartphones and social media. So what can we do ab...

Embracing pressure with the England striker turned broadcasting behemoth Gery Lineker My debut book - Champion Thinking: How to find success without losing yourself - is available for pre-order now. Drawing on some of my favourite interviews from this podcast over the last five years, I want to challenge our ideas about 'success', and where peace, joy and fulfilment are truly to be found. Pre-Orde...

"Why do you always have to be better than yesterday? If it's because you feel like you're not enough as you are - let's talk about that" In this episode, Psychologist Katie Warriner questions the whole narrative of what success is – and why achievement in and of itself isn’t impressive, it’s asking yourself – what are you motivated by? And how are you going to use that to contribute to the wellbei...

Simply refusing to give up - even after crushing disappointments. Dame Katherine Grainger is Britain’s most decorated female Olympian and its greatest ever female rower. She won gold at London 2012 and silver at four other Games, and her ability to persist and keep going through setbacks helped set her apart. In this episode, Katherine relives her unforgettable Olympic journey, and unpicks the les...

Sometimes a drive for achievement and 'success' can come from disquiet, as Caitlyn Jenner - the 1976 Olympic Decathlon Champion - explained when I visited her house in Malibu My debut book - Champion Thinking: How to find success without losing yourself - is available for pre-order now. Drawing on some of my favourite interviews from this podcast over the last five years, I want to challenge our i...

Staying committed to your path, even when you feel you are missing out. Josh Warrington is a two-time boxing World Champion, who made history in 2018 when he became the first male boxer from Leeds to win a major world title. Early in Josh's career, he was juggling boxing with working as a dental technician and studying at Leeds University, which didn't leave much time to spend with his friends. He...

My debut book - Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself - is available for pre-order now. Drawing on some of my favourite interviews from this podcast over the last five years, I want to challenge our ideas about 'success', and where peace, joy and fulfilment are truly to be found. Flow is a fundamental theme. Pre-order here : https://www.simonmundie.com/book Website : simon...

Your values are the things that you believe are important in the way you live and work. They (should) determine your priorities, and, deep down, they may be the measures you use to tell if your life is turning out the way you want it to. When the things that you do and the way you behave match your values, life often flows. But when these don't align with your personal values, that's when things f...

What can reflecting on history teach us about living well now? In this episode we are talking about learning lessons from history, particularly perspective and empathy. We also question what impact the suppression of the 'feminine principle', as has happened over the last two thousand years, has had. In the first half we talk about getting in flow, digital minimalism, tapping into creativity, the...

The huge cognitive cost of constantly checking your phone - and what you can do about it. My guest is Johann Hari - author of Stolen Focus - who explains the 'switch cost effect', and outlines some simple steps to rediscover the joys of focus, which is fundamental if you are going to get into flow. Speaking of flow, my debut book - Champion Thinking: How to find success without losing yourself - i...

Life Lessons from a top CEO. David Shelley is Group CEO of Hachette UK, the second largest British book publishing group. He's held that position since 2018, and will soon also add the CEO role for the company’s United States’ division, Hachette Book Group, to his roster. He will move to New York to take up the role in January. This conversation is all about what it takes to become and remain a to...

We crave connection for a good reason. Research shows us that loneliness is on the rise, and that a lack of human connection can be more harmful to your health than obesity, smoking and high blood pressure. Dr Rangan Chatterjee - physician and host of the 'Feel Better, live More' podcast - explains how the boom in podcasts reflects this need for connection. He also explains what other life-changin...

We spend a third of our lives asleep - so why not use some of that time to learn, heal from past traumas and grow psychologically and even physically? Charlie Morley is a teacher of lucid dreaming, which is where you are asleep and in a dream, but you know that you are dreaming and can start to consciously direct your dream at will. It's a practice that has been used for thousands of years by Budd...

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” People often talk about the importance of marginal gains, and improving by 1% in as many areas as possible. However, most of the top performers I have spoken to say by far the most important thing is consistent effort over a long period of time. But finding the fuel to ma...

How to make sure you are in the right place at the right time - with the former intelligence officer turned entrepreneur, author and Farnham Street founder Shane Parrish. In this episode, Shane explains the art of 'positioning', and how to play life in 'easy mode' rather than 'hard mode', a skill used by the world's most consistent top performers. He identifies the barriers to clear thinking - Emo...

Success is not synonymous with happiness. So many high performers reach the top of the proverbial Everest only to discover that it did not provide the lasting satisfaction that it seemed to promise. One such person is Caitlyn Jenner, who won gold in the Olympic decathlon in 1976. However, the issues that were bubbling away under the surface were free to reassert themselves once the Games were over...