An Evolving Man Podcast

What is good leadership? What makes a great leader? What is a servant leader? And how does boarding school impact our leaders? Today I am speaking with leadership expert, Zena Me who has worked for decades with CEOs and senior leaders. She talks about the keys of great leadership: the importance of emotional and spiritual intelligence, humility and serving the wider system. A really fascinating co...

A video exploring why it is so important to explore our inner world. What happens when we explore this unexamined life? I talk about Pete Walker and his book Complex PTSD, and Robert Bly's Iron John. Our wound becomes our gift. Warm regards, Piers --- Piers is an author and a men's transformational coach and therapist who works mainly with trauma, boarding school issues, addictions and r...

 Following on from last week's video I thought that I would share some of the practices and exercises that bring me joy.  A subscriber commented on my last podcast: https://youtu.be/NGa-UoRhHWg  They mentioned that for some people thinking about what makes them joyful is stressful.  So today I share some of the practices that I have learned that have helped me to cultivate joy and happiness....

 Today I talk about the importance of joy.  When we begin on the journey of childhood trauma healing it can become all consuming.  Life can become really hard - lots of tears, feeling pain.  It can feel overwhelming.  But part of the healing is to remember the joy.  So today I talk about the importance of remembering happiness, gratitude and joy.  Warm regards, Piers  --- Piers is an author and a...

 Today I talk about workaholism and childhood trauma.  Why can't you stop working?  Especially if you had experiences of childhood trauma?  I also talk about the link to boarding school.  Why is that many who have been to boarding school are workaholics?  I talk about some of the techniques that we can use to start stopping.  Now. Take care,  Piers  --- Piers is an author and a men's tra...

 What is the power of grief?  What if you can't stop crying? Is this normal?  How important is grief on the path to healing?  Today I talk about tears and the importance of crying as we start to heal on the recovery journey.  I share from the work of Pete Walker and Complex PTSD and from Dr Judith Herman and her book, Trauma and Recovery.  Is it important to grieve?  Take care, Piers  --- Pie...

 Is it common for people who have been to boarding school to have suicidal ideation?  And how many people have actually attempted suicide or taken their own life while at boarding school?  Today I share stories from Richard Branson's autobiography Losing My Virginity, Sir Ranulph Fiennes' Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know and Roald Dahl' biography.  I also share some quotes from Alex R...

PLEASE NOTE: We talk about sexual abuse in this episode which some viewers may find triggering.  Today's episode is with author Charles Spencer. As I was preparing for the interview a line in his book really jumped out: "many of us left Maidwell with demons sewn into the seams of our souls." What a heart-breaking and powerful turn of phrase. One that I can really resonate with. Toda...

Today I wanted to offer a review of Charles Spencer's new book, A Very Private School.  I spoke to Charles on Monday on my podcast which will be going live here on Friday: https://youtu.be/NJBGrRdgKm8  It was a really great conversation where Charles was very open about his boarding school experiences talking about sexual abuse, bullying, corporal punishment, his sister, Diana Princess of Wal...

PLEASE NOTE: We talk about suicide and sexual abuse in this episode which some viewers may find triggering.  What was it like at Piers' boarding school? Today we talk to a man who lived in the same boarding house as Piers, the host of this podcast, for 7 years. Today Dr William Verling, who is a consultant paediatrician, talks about what boarding school was like for him. He also looks at it f...

 Next week I am interviewing Charles Spencer on my podcast which I am really excited about. Today I talk about the interview and his excellent new book, A Very Private School.  To purchase a copy please visit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-A-Very-Private-School/dp/B0CKWD9Z6M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3V69A41C2I6FX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KaA-g5hp1wccFRcaTahrVm0PzjF8WjkORiLbDQLS7x_oEEqNtDhvQuMStb40qY6Km9SVXO...

 Charles Spencer's new book about his boarding school experiences has now been released.  You can find it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-A-Very-Private-School/dp/B0CKWD9Z6M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=320MHELEHEKLN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.81PdazFBg3A7AleHD-lYQrr8QZXqwIxFOeUQIONnMvaAHp1OOHjwnFPEdjHXdQsGwITpT_DRzoK2CZeOTQBf6pju9k8AlNsIdXDgeRRo2A2zAGIM2OTF9_Yos8wdiXjjj3tSuHppUsQHf2crCpWYHg.w7cW417aM6Ih...

Dive into the intricacies of the Mother Wound with guidance from author, Dr Mark Stibbe.  This video unpacks the keys about the Mother Wound. What is it?  And what are its symptoms in adults?  How does boarding school and the Mother Wound overlap? Dr Mark Stibbe has been writing books since he was 16 and has clocked up over 50 titles. His PhD on storytelling was completed in 1982 and is published...

How does complex PTSD show up in people's lives?  What are the symptoms if people have been through trauma as children or adults and are wondering if they have complex PTSD?  Today I share some thoughts from Pete Walker's book Complex PTSD and I share some of the symptoms.  I also talk about some of the examples from my own life and that of clients.  I link boarding school syndrome to co...

In today's video I talk about what is complex PTSD, complex post traumatic stress disorder or CPTSD.  I draw upon the work of Dr Judith Herman, Pete Walker and Dr Gabor Mate.  What is it?  And what are the seven diagnostic criteria for Complex PTSD?  I have been reading Pete Walker's book in more depth recently and have been struck by how similar boarding school syndrome is to complex PT...

Tom Greaves is an actor and comedian. He made an award winning show called, Goodbye Uncle Fudgey which was performed during the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023. It will be touring soon showing in London in April. This comedy tells the story of the fall out from boarding school. Tom trained at the world famous Ecole Philippe Gaulier clown school.  Questions for Tom: How did you get into the work you now d...

Today I wanted to offer some reflections about the mother wound and boarding school. I share some insights I had from last weekend's boarding school retreat which we were filming for our documentary Boarding on Insanity.  I talk today about how boarding school creates a mother wound.  Our mothers are no longer there for us.  I share some teachings from Joy Schaverien and other experts in the...

What does an educational psychologist who has spent 30 years in this profession feel about boarding schools? And what were her own experiences of boarding school like? Today my guest shares her personal and professional experiences of boarding especially co-educational boarding. What does attachment theory think of residential institutions? And have boarding schools changed? Are children getting g...

 Today I offer an update to the documentary Boarding on Insanity #boardingoninsanity. I share some reflections about the four days of filming we are about to undertake in Somerset.  As part of the film we will be filming 10 ex-boarders at a workshop.  What is the impact of boarding on both men and women?  What was the experience like for them?  Today I share some of my thoughts about the retreat....

Today I am speaking with the founder of First Men, Sam Adams about practices for mental and emotional health. We talk about rewilding ourselves. What does that mean? And what does it look like? We also talk about reconnecting with nature and how important being outside is for our mental well-being. A really fascinating conversation. --- Sam Adams is the founder of First Men and Red Phoenix Rewildi...

 Today I talk about control. If we have been through some form of childhood trauma the chances are we were controlled by others.  If we went to boarding school then many of us had petty rules we had to contend with and lived in a very controlled environment.  And as adults we can become controlling of others.  This can be unpleasant in relationships.  So what can we do if we are controlling?  I ta...

Dr Mark Stibbe has been writing books since he was 16 and has clocked up over 50 titles. His PhD on storytelling was completed in 1982 and published by Cambridge University Press. Lately, Mark has been writing novels in the magical realism genre. His novel A Book in Time was picked as the overall winner out of hundreds of entries in the Page Turner Awards. His latest novel is called House of Dream...

Today I make some reflections about attachment and how it relates at boarding school.  I have been reading Isobel Ross' new book called Almost Boys ( I am interviewing her next Monday). https://www.amazon.co.uk/Almost-Boys-Psychology-Co-ed-Boarding-ebook/dp/B0CRLF8M6L/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Q4B2UE3HXS3K&keywords=almost+boys+isobel+ross&qid=1706691785&sprefix=isobel+ross%2Caps%2C469&s...

What were Tony Blair's experiences of boarding school like? What went on at school and what did his teachers think of him? Today I read some of the excerpts from the Tony Blair biography by John Rentoul. I share some of the reflections of the teachers and also some of the events that went on during Tony's boarding school time. I talk about how he was beaten by older boys and the housemas...

Boarding at age two and a half. Today I am speaking with Roger Sharpley who went to boarding school from the ages of 2.5 until 7.5 years old. What was the impact for him in his life? Why did his parents send him and his sister to boarding school at such a young age? We also talk about the path of recovery he has taken. We talk about Buddhism, Tai Chi, Qigong, meditation, therapy and singing. A ver...