Off The Lead

This is a topic I'd like to revisit as there's a lot left unsaid. I essentially compare how the legal profession has been decimated by the advent of the internet in a way that the medical profession hasn't, but should. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hedges, lawns and growrooms. 3 things in my life that are a proxy for my psychological wellbeing. This episode trys to underpin some of the ways that we can ensure we don't drown when the inevitable flood comes. It also trys to explain how we have an unconscious 'counter' of sorts that is keeping track of all the things we do right, but also and equally as importantly, do wrong. The episode ends w...

What do pilots, martial artists, stand up comedians and podcasters have in common? Time spent perfecting their craft. This episode is an exploration into the idea that just because you've been 'doing something 10 years' doesn't necessarily mean that you've been doing it for 10 years. It delves into self reports about our accomplishments and our ability to both overplay and downplay our expertise a...

For the most part we find it easy to know how well we're doing financially. But when it comes to our 'emotional bank ballance' we don't have anything like the black and white figure at the end of our statement. This episode is an exploration of the idea that how well you're doing/feeling emotionally or psychologically will go a long ways to predict how well you're doing/feeling in future. Hosted o...

For the record, I don't suffer from anxiety per se. At least no more than most of us. However, I also don't suffer from brittle bones but that hasn't stopped me breaking a few over the years. In this episode I explain how I've recently had an anxiety attack, thankfully the first one I've had in years and years. I did what I could to explain what it was like at the time and and how I dealt with it....

Mark my words the day will come that I'll do a deep dive episode on Christopher Hitchens, Tom Mac Donald, Airsoft and Mixed Martial Arts, but untill then this 'blend' will have to suffice. In hindsight this episode is about the idea that you should never think you know anything, let alone everything! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all know that there are 1, 2, maybe 20 things we'd like to change about ourselves. But we often fail to formally identify them. Because of this we are doomed to never formally even start rectifying any of them. Which leaves us destined (to some degree at least) to keep making the same mistakes over and over and be miserable. Don't be miserable. Identity what you would like to change and make a...

Haven't done a 'getting out of my own way' episode in ages. Inspired by Blindboy Boatclubs advise of taking the fear of failure out of any creative endeavour, I said fuck it, I'll just do it for the sake of doing it and not bother about making it 'good'. This is essentially getting rid of the fear of failure and is the key component in any creative endeavour as far as I'm concerned. If I had any a...

For the most part we've all ended up in jobs that we hated. Jobs that we just couldn't make work. Jobs that just 'weren't for me'. And hidden amongst all the stress related to this phenomenon is your personality.  We are largely the same but are differences matter, enormously.  This episode essentially makes the point that we could avoid years of stress by simply understanding what makes...

I'm both claiming to have coined the phrase 'Out Of Ego Experience' and claiming that I'm most likely not the first to do so. This episode essentially turned out to be my attempt to define 'soulful experiences' and to highlight some of the differences between creative and non creative people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We generally don't care if our running times aren't at a high level but when it comes to creativity we seem to have been convinced that if it's not very good them you shouldn't bother. You could probably imagine someone wondering why you bother painting/singing/writing/podcasting etc if they're not that good at it, but you wouldn't think that about someone out running. When we see 'bad runners' ou...

Creative people like creative things and non creative people don't like creative things (BSGA). My guess is that my audience is disproportionately creative, as this whole Off The Lead 'thing' is nothing if it's not creative. No pre or post production, just raw unfiltered content. Not for everyone but that's kind of the point. The obvious downside of being outside of cultural norms is that it can b...

In continuation from yesterday's episode I expand on what we are to do in order to ween ourselves off being fed a narrative. The fist step being to notice that we are. I touch on education, fake news, narrative, echo chambers, "parroting", the staus quo and the elites. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ho boy. I went from talking about 'flow states' to the difference between an internal and external loci of evaluation to how pervasive immorality has become and is increasingly becoming. And then topped it all off by comparing war profiteers with child molesters and rapists. What came out of the wash here was essentially the idea that evil will continue to thrive as long as we allow it to. Hosted...

Back onto the whole personality/identity 'thing'.  I also end up talking about where I get my news from, internal and external loci of evaluations, Blindboy Boatclub, being an asshole, pidgeon holes, mainstream media aka 'corporate press' and much much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I try to remind myself that to a large degree we are who we say we are. And who we say we are over time, can often determine who and what we are or are at least becoming. This is summed up in the quote, "whether or not you think you can or can't do something, you're right". We create our own reality. In hindsight, this episode is essentially an introduction to the idea of epigenetics. Hosted...

Impromptu roadside recording which had me talking about Jimmy Carr, wishing wells, prayer, envy Vs jealousy, being a jack of all trades and rebaptising the worst of us as the best of us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do you want to be when you grow up?........ Well?........Did anything come to mind? Were you surprised that it did, or didn't? It's a sad state of affairs that this is typically only ever asked of children. As if everyone over the age of 18 has it already figured out. I touch on flow states and practice, being in the moment and the benefits of not knowing exactly what you are doing but being...

I'm rough as a badgers arse today folks so apologies if I meandered even more than usual on this one. I started out talking about 'Warrior Training' and ended up with the realisation that what I've essentially been teaching kids every Monday evening for the past 6 months is competency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's because he looks like John Barnes. Ps. Today I compare myself and PGAFOTS Dave Webster along 2 dimensions of personality, namely introversion and extraversion and end up saying what is the defining point of the episode, that your personality shouldn't be at odds with your life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Papers cuts, patience, compassion and Einstein oh my! A classic solo with me trying to get my head 'round my personality from the perspective of relativity. As a wise Greek once said, "Know thy self bitches". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I don't always do what I say I'm going to do but I'm happy to report that after years of talking about it, I finally have chickens and it's high time I spoke about their shits and their photo periods. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"The General Malaise" by 'A Few Shapes', check it out on Spotify. EDIT; I mentioned how PGAFOTS Peadar Reilly recently ran his 300th 10km run, apologies, it was only 200. Lazy fuck. Today being the first day of lent I said I'd pull my big fat finger out of my big fat hole and start shouting into the abyss again. This episode is the first of 42 to be uploaded over the next 42 days so buckle up bitc...

It's over and out for me for a while folks. For how long remains to be seen but I'll most definitely be back, bigger and better than ever before! Stay off the lead, and on that note, I'll chat to you soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neurology is fucking amazeballs! Today I briefly discuss "motor neurons" and "mirror neurons" and the phenomenon of "phantom limbs".If you want to know more about this check out anything by V.S. Ramachandran on youtube, the mans a genius! Second last episode of the season folks and I'll be taking a well earned break from Podcastland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.