Hands Up If You're Human

 The podcast is back after almost a year and we're talking about the Perimenopause! Over the last year Wyndham had a huge existential crisis. That enormous crisis helped him see how many elements of our lives come under increasing pressure during what we describe as "mid-life" and how little we talk about and understand them, so, he wants to talk about them! This period of life is c...

This episode I am joined by the simply brilliant Caroline Scarles for a far roaming and honest conversation. With more than 20 years in academia it would be easy to think of Caroline as a list of impressive sounding titles. Vice Dean and Professor carry implied weight as well as long tradition. But, along with her colleague, being the first women to hold certain senior positions at the university...

This episode I am speaking with Joe Hilton, a man who survived a self defined “decade of chaos” and has set out on an journey of “Freedom and Adventure”. Joe is a down-to-earth and honest human being, willing to share and use his own lived experiences as a way to connect to the people he is looking to help.  Having suffered with his won mental health and patterns of behaviour that didn’t serve him...

This episode I’m speaking with the brilliant Tara Donovan. Initially an entertainment lawyer, Tara made partner in her early 30s. Having scaled that particular mountain she very quickly realised that 20-30 more years of that would not create the fulfilling life she wanted. As big as here achievement was, how she felt showed her it was time for a new mountain to climb. But what to do? Well, step on...

This episode I’m speaking with someone whose story embodies the spirit of “Finding Your Freedom”.  Following a long and successful career in in-house Human Resources, Vicky Widlake decided it was time to leave the “comfort” and “safety” of being employed and set out on her own as an Organisational Development Consultant and Coach. But, it was her decision to embrace a patchwork of things that she...

Today I’m speaking with someone whose focus on personal growth started when a scotch egg brought him to tears! Few stories begin with snack induced breakdowns but that is what happened to Steve when he realised he was stressed, burnt out and had no idea what he was doing with his life.  Despite having worked for himself and having been shaping his life his way, he still found he had slipped into t...

This time I’m speaking with someone on a mission. A mission of “Good Girl” deprogramming.  An Occupational Psychologist by training, a diagnosis of ADHD in 2020 was the spotlight Michelle Minnikin needed to understand herself and highlight the coercive control the systems society and culture impose on women especially. Michelle is crystal clear when it comes to her own values, freedom (perfect for...

This episode I’m speaking with the man responsible in the 90s for bringing our awareness to Oprah, Frasier and Friends, before providing PR to the biggest names in music. He has worked at the National Theatre, PR firms and Jamie Oliver. All of which has prepared him for life as an author as his “Deadly Dozen” impart justice the legal system cannot. Join me as I speak with author and all round grea...

This episode it is my great pleasure to be speaking with, Stephanie J Moore, someone who is passionate about helping you live a healthier, happier life.  Initially training as a dancer my guest evolved through multiple stages in her life that, like all of us, shaped her trajectory. Suffering with significant health issues when she was younger it was when she looked alongside the traditional wester...

This episode I’m speaking with someone who puts the “funk” in “funkify life”.  Stefan Redtenbacher is the creative force, and the funky bass, behind Redtenbacher's Funkestra. But...he is so much more. From a conservatory education and early career as a session musician, to leading his own band, my guest and I talk about skill as a utility, how following their authentic self created problems a...

This episode I am speaking with someone who understands how choices are shaped by circumstance.  During a successful career in the RAF operating Tornado fast jets, Kevin Gatland OBE, was used to meticulous planning. And given the nature of his work environment he also knew that life will always throw curve balls. So when his family was rocked by a tragedy he did the only thing he could; reappraise...

What do you do when you want to go back to work after having a family BUT you can't find any jobs that meet and accommodate all your needs? Well, if you are this weeks guest, you start your own business specifically designed to meet and accommodate everything you now want and need. This week I am speaking with Rebecca Newenham, a woman with a great many hats - just listen to the intro to the...

My guest this week could easily be forgiven for relaxing into the labels society and culture seemingly praise. As a Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist he has a job of authority, responsibility and respect, and at one point that was important to him. However, over the last few years those labels have lost a great deal of their value to him. Join me as Connor and I discuss the contradictions of exte...

Sometimes in life you meet people who challenge you in a way that creates inflection points. My guest today is one of those people for me. When I met her I was at rock bottom. Everything felt uncertain and the only thing I really thought I knew to be true was the fact that to change my life I would need to change my thinking. And then I met Rosanna "RozyGlow" Hanness. Transformational So...

This week I am joined by my very first yoga teacher, Chris Abay. From "success" in a corporate career where he scaled the heights to be Managing Director of a global business to disconnection, despair and alcohol dependency, Chris experienced the reality of so many. He had created the life he was "supposed" to have created. Wife, kids, house, busy high flying job, and had found...

The show is back after a longer than anticipated break. Join Wyndham as he previews the new season of the Hands Up If You're Human podcast. This season, to align with a new book Wyndham is publishing he has lined up a series of conversations with some remarkable people and he is focussing on a single, powerful question: What does "finding your freedom" mean to you? Come along for th...

As we teeter towards the end of 2024 it's worth reflecting on the year that has been. The ups and downs, the progress made and ground lost. So, join me for the last episode of the season and the year, as I look back, offer my take on new years resolutions, and provides a poem to take into 2025. Hands Up If Your Human will be back with a new feel including more incredible guests. I wish you a...

Sometimes other people's expectations of us can feel suffocating. And as with all elements of a human life there are layers of stories, nuance and complexity. So join Wyndham as he introduces you to Inalienable Truth #8: "You are not responsible for the pedestal others put you on." If you're interested in the "Companion Book of Inalienable (and often inconvenient) Truths&q...

We see and hear it everywhere, especially on social media. And, like so much of social media, at times it can feel like a competition as to who is doing it best.  But, WTAF is "Doing the work"?  Is it journaling, meditation, yoga, primal screaming, forest bathing? Do you have to announce to the world how deeply you're commitment is to doing the work? And what if you're not doin...

When life perfectly matches the topic of the podcast episode! This episode we talk about Frustration, which is apt as while recording this I was feeling deeply frustrated at how terrible I was being.  So, join me and let's take a look at what frustration is, when it occurs and what our choices are when it does kick in. And, you can buy my new book: "Find Your Freedom: It's Time To W...

Some things are really hard. But, when Shakespeare, Michael J Fox, Rich Roll, the Stoics and Daoism agree on something, surely it's worth listening to, isn't it? It's all too easy to wish we were further ahead than we are. We're constantly bombarded by curated images and stories of people's lives, all designed to present the very best version of someone's life that it...

This week we talk about Regret. We talk about what regret actually is and how, when we start to link the Inalienable Truths, they click together to create an ever expanding solid ground beneath our feet, from which we can boldly step forward into the lives we really want. We also discuss the classic view on regret. On the one hand some people say they never regret anything. On the other side some...

This week we take a look at self or personal empowerment. So many of us spent so much of our lives in a state of disempowerment that the idea we can take control and have agency over our lives and how they turn out can seem alien. So what do we do when we feel like a leaf on the ocean, buffeted and directed by currents beyond our control? We could turn to the myriad tools and techniques "well...

This week Wyndham offers the 5th of the Inalienable Truths for you all to contemplate.  This Inalienable Truth is about the inevitability of consequences, both intended and unintended. For so long Wyndham didn't make decisions because all he could see were the "negative" consequences of his actions. What he lacked was clear vision and intention around what he was trying to create. O...

This week Wyndham channels his serious dose of man-flu and sees where his thoughts take him. In this episode he speaks about the importance of self-awareness and taking responsibility for one's actions and decisions. The importance of reconnecting with one's true self and to understand that "beliefs and truths" that shape our perspectives are not objectively true but are shaped...