An Evolving Man Podcast

Why do the same people keep triggering us? Why do certain relationships, colleagues, family members or situations seem to provoke the same reaction again and again? In this episode of An Evolving Man Podcast , I explore emotional triggers from the perspective of leadership, Jungian psychology, boarding school trauma, nervous system regulation and personal sovereignty. This is an important subject...

In this deeply moving episode of An Evolving Man Podcast, I speak with Masha Castner and David Moss, founders and directors of Kind Waves. Kind Waves is a UK charity created to help schools build deeper cultures of kindness, emotional safety and positive relationships. The charity was born from the heartbreaking death of Masha and David’s 13-year-old daughter, Helena, known as Heli, who took her o...

Prince George is set to attend Eton College, continuing a long tradition of future leaders being educated in elite boarding schools. But is this really the best way to prepare someone for leadership in the 21st century? In this episode of An Evolving Man Podcast, I explore five reasons why we need to stop sending our future leaders to boarding school. Drawing on modern leadership literature, board...

In this episode of An Evolving Man Podcast, I speak with Jeremy Lipkowitz, executive coach, meditation teacher, leadership facilitator and founder of Unhooked Academy. Jeremy works with high-achieving men who want to break free from destructive habits, porn addiction, compulsive sexual behaviour, shame and emotional avoidance. After overcoming addiction and depression in his early twenties through...

For Thursday's leadership workshop: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991361811785?aff=oddtdtcreator Keir Starmer’s resignation marks another major moment in British political leadership. If the UK is now heading towards its seventh Prime Minister in just over a decade, the deeper question is not simply who comes next. The deeper question is: What kind of leadership culture are we creating? In...

Why do so many politicians, business leaders and influential public figures come from boarding schools? In this fascinating conversation, I sit down with researcher, author and podcaster Dominic Waterson to explore the hidden influence of childhood experiences, elite education and institutional culture on leadership and power. Drawing on years of research for his book Traitors: The Pandemic Politi...

 For the workshop: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-conversations-youre-not-having-tickets-1991361811785?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true  Many leaders, entrepreneurs and former boarders avoid the conversations that matter most. Not because they don't know what needs to be said. But because somewhere deep in the nervous system, speaking up still feels dangerous. In this episode of An Evo...

What if the thing holding you back isn't your circumstances, your team, your strategy, or even your mindset? What if it's the story you've been unconsciously living for decades? In this powerful conversation, leadership coach and author Will Steel shares his journey from Royal Air Force pilot to transformational coach and leadership expert. Together we explore authenticity, emotiona...

When my wife Michelle died in 2025, I expected grief. What I did not expect was that her death would reconnect me with another loss that had remained hidden for decades. The loss of my mother. The loss of my family. The loss of home. The loss of safety. The loss that began when I was sent away to boarding school. In this deeply personal episode of An Evolving Man Podcast, I explore the striking si...

What happens when a leader confronts their own trauma? In this fascinating conversation, Piers Cross sits down with Dr. Ron Kamacho, police chief, leadership consultant and author, to explore how emotional intelligence transformed his life and leadership. Ron shares his journey from highly driven, ego-based leadership to a more compassionate, accountable and emotionally intelligent approach. Toget...

One of the questions I hear most often from former boarders is: "Why did I hate prep school but love public school?" Or sometimes: "Why was public school much harder than prep school?" In this solo episode, I explore the different experiences people report and why those differences may exist. Drawing on stories from Roald Dahl, David Cameron, Ranulph Fiennes, Bear Grylls and Jo...

Why do so many boarding school survivors struggle with boundaries? In this episode, Piers Cross explores how boarding school conditioning can shape people pleasing, emotional suppression and difficulty saying no later in life. Drawing on trauma theory, attachment work and years of coaching leaders and ex-boarders, Piers explores why boundaries can feel dangerous for many trauma survivors — and why...

 To register for the webinar: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/why-smart-leaders-still-self-sabotage-identify-and-break-hidden-patterns-tickets-1988408152310 Why do we sabotage the very things we say we want? In this episode, Piers Cross explores self-sabotage through the lens of boarding school survival patterns, trauma, leadership and nervous system regulation. Drawing on Gay Hendricks’ concept of...

 Here is the link to this Friday's podcast with Sara Warner about the vagus nerve and wearables: https://youtu.be/HpxcTW0oKI8  In this episode, I explore polyvagal theory, the vagus nerve, childhood trauma and boarding school syndrome. Following my recent conversation with Sarah Warner about vagus nerve stimulation, wearables and nervous system regulation, I wanted to look more closely at wha...

In this episode, I explore why criticism can feel so painful for those of us who went to boarding school. For many ex-boarders, criticism does not simply feel like feedback. It can feel like danger. It can activate old patterns of shame, fear, compliance, dissociation or defensiveness. I reflect on boarding school conditioning, the fear of getting things wrong, Nick Duffell’s work on wounded leade...

In Episode 159 of An Evolving Man Podcast , I’m joined by Professor Helen Odell-Miller OBE , one of the UK’s leading pioneers in music therapy. Helen has spent decades working with trauma, attachment, mental health and emotional healing through music. She also worked closely with the late Joy Schaverien, whose work on boarding school syndrome transformed the conversation around early separation an...

Many boarding schools claim they build resilience. But what if what they often create is something else entirely? In this episode, I explore the difference between true resilience and dissociation , and why so many ex-boarders struggle with relationships, emotional regulation, connection and rest later in life. Drawing on the work of Barbara Fredrickson, Emma Seppälä, Joy Schaverien, Nick Duffell...

In this episode, I explore the powerful influence of crowds and group behaviour , particularly within boarding school environments. Why do people join in when someone is being shamed or targeted?  Why does it happen so quickly — and often without conscious thought? Drawing on Elias Canetti’s Crowds and Power and modern neuroscience around mirror neurons, this episode looks at how emotional contagi...

In Episode 158 of An Evolving Man Podcast , I’m joined by Peter Sykes — humanitarian, strategist, writer and author of Somewhere Never Home . Peter has led major humanitarian responses across the world, but in this conversation we explore the deeply personal side of his story. We talk about growing up as a third culture kid, being sent to boarding school at age 10, identity loss, addiction, achiev...

In this short solo episode, I reflect on one of the deepest impacts of boarding school: The loss of identity. What happens when children learn that their name, hobbies, feelings and individuality are not safe? Drawing on my recent conversation with Peter Sykes, I explore how institutional environments shape children into survival personalities — the complier, the rebel or the crushed child. We als...

In episode 157 of An Evolving Man, I speak with Kimberly Isherwood and Joan Ginsberg from Public Child Protection Wales. Together we explore one of the most urgent and difficult issues in modern society: how we genuinely protect children from harm. Kimberly and Joan share why Public Child Protection Wales was founded, what they see happening on the ground in education and safeguarding, and why the...

 To buy tickets for the Glastonbury screening on 18th April 6.30-9pm or to share it: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/goodwillinactiontopreventsuicidecio/2140155  In this short video, I’m sharing some reflections and inviting you to a special screening of our documentary Boarding on Insanity on April 18th in Glastonbury . This feels like a full-circle moment, as we return to the very retreat ce...

In Episode 156 of An Evolving Man , I speak with Christopher J. Wesley — artist, speaker, and emotional leadership thinker — about trauma, identity, and emotional truth in a world shaped by pressure, performance, and algorithms. Christopher shares his powerful journey from early childhood abuse to rebuilding his identity through grief, creativity, and self-awareness. We explore how trauma shapes t...

In this episode of An Evolving Man , I explore the concept of the outer critic — a key pattern in trauma, CPTSD, and boarding school syndrome. Drawing on the work of Pete Walker, we look at how unresolved emotional pain can turn outward, shaping how we judge, mistrust, and distance ourselves from others. While the inner critic attacks the self, the outer critic targets others — often silently and...

In this episode of An Evolving Man , I’m joined by Deri Llewellyn-Davies — boardroom strategist, creator of the Ultra States framework, and someone deeply immersed in the worlds of performance, pressure, recovery, and leadership . Deri has worked with hundreds of boards and has also pushed himself through extreme endurance events, giving him a rare perspective on what prolonged pressure does to th...