Forging Resilience

In this conversation, I sit down with Judith Kromberg a political scientist shaped less by theory and more by lived experience. Judith has worked across post-conflict environments with the UN and EU, lived in multiple countries, and now finds herself in Sweden, studying the relationship between the European Union and Greenland. What stands out isn’t the roles she’s held, but how consistently she’s...

If the room is full of nods but decisions still stall, the problem isn’t a lack of harmony it might be a lack of skilful disagreement. Aaron sits down with leadership and culture coach Dean Leek to unpack how teams can turn conflict into a competitive advantage without burning people out.  From elite sport to FTSE boardrooms, Dean has seen what happens when “ win at all costs ” collides with real...

The moment you level up, the doubts level up too. We tackle that head-on with a lively, honest conversation about the “devil at every level” the way new goals awaken old fears and the tools that actually move you forward when motivation goes missing.  With three friends who coach for a living and laugh for sanity, we explore what it looks like to leave a secure career, build a business from scratc...

The shine of rapid growth can hide a brutal truth: when success arrives as a sprint, your life becomes the finish line. Sitting down with Ollie Johnson, founder and CEO of Prescribe Life AI, we trace a candid journey from London finance to launching a cybersecurity startup that looked flawless on paper and felt empty on the inside.  Ollie shares the quiet signals that something was wrong, wins tha...

Joe Rowntree spent years chasing the buzz on stage as a stand-up, in casinos, and on nights out that ended with him stabbed on Las Ramblas in Barcelona. A diagnosis of ADHD, a wrecked bank account and a battle with anxiety forced him to rethink what he was really chasing. In this episode we talk about anxiety as the price we pay for a future-focused brain, why “making it” can feel strangely numb,...

Helen Lunnon-Wood knows what it means to say “good to go” and put the mask on. In this episode of Forging Resilience, we walk through the three thirds of her professional life: psychology student turned fast jet pilot, then senior military leader working across NATO and the US services, and now aviation psychologist, coach, and founder of High Flight. She talks about the cost and the gift of that...

In this episode of Forging Resilience, Aaron sits down with Jeannette Linfoot CEO, board advisor, entrepreneur, and host of Brave, Bold and Brilliant. From the boardroom to burnout, Jeannette has lived the highs of global leadership and the humbling moments that forced her to stop, listen, and rebuild on stronger foundations. Together they explore what it really means to lead yourself before leadi...

What happens when everything you believe about yourself and your purpose suddenly collapses? When the institutions and systems you trusted betray your core values? Dr. Rebecca Nicholson, who works at the intersection of conflict healing and resilience, guides us through the challenging terrain of moral injury—a profound identity crisis that affects people from all walks of life. The conversation o...

What if the very thing stealing your performance is the urge to fit in? We sit down with coach and former professional rugby player Callum Wilson to unpack how desire, presence, and play can outperform grind, and why access to your best self often hides behind split focus and approval chasing.  Today we sit with Callum Wilson speaker, coach, and former pro rugby player to explore how desire beats...

What if calm doesn’t live on the far side of your to-do list?  I share hard-won lessons from coaching two high performers on the edge of overwhelm and a deceptively simple practice that helped me respond instead of react at the dinner table. From there, we take a seat at the theatre—steep rows, exposed sightlines, and a powerful performance from a friend who becomes his character night after night...

Phil Richards MBE spent 32 years at Tesco before life changed in 2017 with stage-four cancer. In this conversation we unpack how he reframed fear into action: the bathroom-mirror moment (“I’m not going to die today”), his three grounding questions (best, worst, reality), and his simple PROOF framework—Purpose, Resilience, Optimistic Reality, Objectives, Focus. We get practical: breaking the imposs...

What if the strongest thing you can bring to the room isn’t control, but connection? We sit down with leadership mentor and former elite high-performance coach Craig White to chart the shift from head to heart, and from managing outcomes to mastering attention. Craig takes us behind the scenes of life at the top of rugby and into the inner practices that changed everything: breathwork as the maste...

Season 3 opens with Air Commodore Rob Caine, Head of UK Military Flying Training. We get straight into resilience, how stoicism and The Obstacle Is the Way shape his mindset, then into decision-making under pressure via the OODA loop.  Rob breaks down “Combat Edge,” a holistic upgrade to UK aircrew training that blends coaching, psychological skills, and cutting-edge synthetic/AR environments so m...

Wrapping up Season Two of Forging Resilience with reflections on the journey so far and exciting changes ahead for Season Three. Sharing five key insights gained from creating 76 episodes exploring different perspectives on strength and leadership. • Immense gratitude for guests who have offered their time to discuss important topics and build meaningful relationships • Even after 76 episodes, the...

What does a former commando know about financial freedom? As it turns out, quite a lot. In this illuminating conversation with Kev Halborg, chartered financial advisor and military veteran, we explore how true financial resilience creates the foundation for everything else in your life. Kev shares his remarkable journey from council estate to financial advisor, revealing how early exposure to entr...

James Porter's story is a testament to resilience and transformation. After his teenage dream of becoming an RAF fighter pilot was medically disqualified, James found himself on a wildly different path—one that would take him from teaching drums in a garage to traveling the world with rock stars as Zildjian's International Artist Relations Manager. The conversation traces his extraordina...

What does it really take to raise emotionally resilient boys in today's digital world? This question sits at the heart of my conversation with Nicky, life coach and mother of two teenage sons navigating the complex landscape of modern masculinity. The conversation delves deep into how boys learn respect for women directly through their relationships with their mothers. Through a powerful stor...

What does it take to guide a boy into healthy manhood? In this profound conversation, Adam Gornow returns to explore the challenges facing teenage boys and the crucial role fathers play in their development. Adam begins by highlighting perhaps the most overlooked yet powerful tool in parenting: genuine attention. "One of the best things we can do for our sons is just pay attention," he e...

What happens when elite sport collides with military service? Jordan Dawes knows this terrain intimately.  As both a professional basketball player and Royal Marine, he navigates two demanding worlds that surprisingly share deep commonalities—challenging our assumptions about performance, identity, and resilience. Jordan's basketball journey began quite literally from birth, with family photo...

What happens when a leader steps away from strategy and embraces their heart? Twenty years ago, Jeanette Meier made a radical decision – to stop living for others, start loving herself, and rebuild her life on a foundation of emotional truth. This choice transformed not just her personal relationships, but revolutionized her approach to professional leadership. "I was 100% giver," Jeanet...

"The noise is relentless." When a client shared this profound observation during a recent coaching session, it struck a deep chord. Not just reminiscent of a Rage Against the Machine track, but as a perfect encapsulation of modern life's constant mental bombardment. From professional pressures to family responsibilities, from societal expectations to our own inner critics—the cacoph...

Greg Barden's journey defies conventional career paths in ways that might make most of us rethink our own trajectories. From his early days in the UK Special Forces to an unexpected pivot into professional rugby with Bristol Bears and ultimately captaining England's Rugby Sevens team, Greg's life has been defined by adaptation and purpose. What truly sets his story apart is how thes...

Fear has a unique way of announcing its presence in our bodies. For me, it's the cold sweat under my arms that appears despite the warm spring air of Barcelona. As I made my way to a radio station where I'd been invited to speak in Catalan—my third language—about my personal journey and professional work, that familiar cold sweat reminded me I was stepping far beyond my comfort zone. Wha...

What happens when everything you’ve worked for is ripped away in an instant?  Just weeks before beginning his military career, Matt Addison-Black was diagnosed with aggressive cancer. It had already spread to his stomach, lungs, and bowels. He was 22. This conversation goes way beyond survival. Matt takes us inside the mental, emotional, and spiritual trenches of facing cancer at an age where most...

Have you ever felt completely stuck on a project despite your expertise? In this episode, I explore a powerful mental framework that emerged from my conversation with an accomplished writer struggling with a new project.  Despite his impressive track record in one area, venturing into unfamiliar creative territory triggered intense self-doubt and unconscious self-sabotage. This writer's exper...