The John Borland Podcast

John is joined by special guest Melissa Marris to talk about the idea of Progress Over Perfection, and how focussing on the journey of development is so much more beneficial to us than striving after perfection. John and Mel discuss the pitfalls of perfectionism, how our expectations hinder us and why even our view of progress can cause us to stumble.   Melissa Marris is an executive Head Teacher...

John is joined by special guest Wendy Kettleborough to talk about the first 1001 days of our lives and why they matter so much. As an expert in early years development, Wendy shares her thoughts on everything from brain development to how learning really takes place, from the crucial role that parents play to why interaction is so vital for our growth.   Wendy Kettleborough is a Brain Architect, C...

John is joined by special guest Rachel Haith to discuss the importance of self-belief and how we cultivate it in our lives. From her own personal experience of being driven by 'naivety' to the point of breakdown, Rachel shares her journey of building and growing self-belief. From what self-belief  brings, to what makes it different from confidence, John and Rachel give their own unique take on why...

John is joined by special guest Kerry Castledine to talk about the importance and challenges of the Mother-Daughter relationship. Drawing from her own lived experiences of being both a daughter and a mother, along with her training in Mother-Daughter Coaching, Kerry delves into the heart of this unique and special relationship. Sharing how and why it can so often go awry, along with ways in which...

John is joined by special guest Lee Davy to talk about men's mental health, and the challenges men face in maintaining good mental health in our modern world. Sharing their own experiences and struggles along the way, John and Lee discuss the blockers to men having good mental health, from the inability to express emotions to the toxic messages being placed upon them, and much more in-between. Lee...

John is joined by special guest Callum Kirkley to talk about change, and how we go about making changes that are right and good for us. From his own recent experiences, Callum shares what propelled him to make major changes in his life and how he managed to figure out what the right changes were. John and Callum talk through the challenges of making changes, how self-awareness holds the key and ho...

John is joined by special guest Louise Eastwood to talk about all things Menopause. From exploring why so many people still treat it as taboo, to what the benefits of talking about it openly and honestly are. Louise candidly shares her insight into her own experiences of navigating the menopause, and the variety of attitudes she encounters in the people around her.  Louise Eastwood is a Personal T...

John is joined by special guest Jack Moore to talk about the challenges of going from apprentice to manager in the same organisation. John and Jack talk through the struggles of making peace with transitions, the power of self-belief and the part our inner critic plays. Drawing on Jack's own experience of the mental and emotional difficulties in keeping pace with the changing roles, and how other...

John is joined by special guest Harry Gamble to talk about his experiences and thoughts around reverse ageism. Being a younger person in a management position, Harry shares his challenges of having to prove himself and overcome the assumptions that exists around youthfulness in the workplace. John and Harry also discuss the narratives that exist within our wider culture about young people, and wha...

John is joined by special guest Sarah Linley to talk about the emotions involved in the creative process. Being an author and crime writer, Sarah shares her experiences of the high and lows of turning ideas into reality. Looking at both the failures and the successes, John and Sarah reveal their own challenges in creating original pieces of work, and how they respond when the process doesn't go ex...

John is joined by special guest Katy Robinson to talk about her experiences with career anxiety. Katy shares the detrimental impact that comparing herself to others has had upon her confidence and why career anxiety is more prevalent than we might realise. From the external pressures of social media to the internal feelings of imposter syndrome, John and Katy discuss how we can learn to deal bette...

In this 100th Episode celebration the tables are turned as James Ash takes over the reins of host and John Borland becomes the guest on his own show. James takes John on a reflective journey exploring the real reason behind his podcast, how it started, why he keeps creating it and what the future might hold. Find out about John's own personal story of the challenges and progress that over the past...

John is joined by Amy Mumby to talk about mental health, her own challenges with anxiety and what she has discovered about the things that help and hinder her. Addressing ideas from how much ownership we have over our own mental health to the impact that social media plays, John and Amy share their own perspectives and lived experiences of improving and maintaining their mental well-being. Amy Mum...

John is joined by Emma Palmer to talk about the importance of belonging. It's something we all need and yet many of us can struggle to truly find a sense of belonging. John and Emma share their thoughts and experiences of how to find and create belonging in our lives, how to dodge the mistakes that so many of us fall into and why feeling like we are on the 'outside' is so difficult for us. Emma Pa...

John is joined by Jess Neary to talk about the Quick-Fix Mindset and the negative impacts it can have upon us both individually and collectively. John and Jess share their own thoughts on how growth and development really happen, how all of us can fall into the trap of chasing overnight success, and how learn to focus on the direction of our lives rather than the destination. Jess Neary is a Healt...

John is joined by Ben Oliver, a sex and relationship educator to talk about pornography and the impact it has. Sharing their thoughts and understanding, John and Ben delve into the world of porn to talk about its prevalence in society, the affect it has on culture and how it's a topic we all need to be more aware of. Ben Oliver is a Sex and Relationship Educator based in North-East England. If you...

John is joined by Andrew Yeomans to discuss the idea of creating and maintaining deep friendships. In our modern social-media driven world of 'likes' and 'follows', where being popular seems more important than true connection, how do we develop the deeper friendships that we all so desperately need. John and Andrew share their own experiences of friendship and their journey to develop the deeper...

John is joined by Sharon de Villiers to share their thoughts on stepping more and more into uncertainty. Talking through what happens when we are able to let go of our desperate need to know and learn to embrace the unknown in life. John and Sharon discuss their own personal journeys of discovering that the more they grow the less they know. Sharon de Villiers is a Youth Worker and Mentor based in...

John is joined by Naikmal Hamdard to share his story of losing his whole life in just one day. On 15th August 2021, when the Taliban seized control of Kabul, Niakmal knew his life was in imminent danger. He shares with John the incredible story of his evacuation to the UK, his new life as a refugee and how he has coped with losing everything he had worked so hard to build. Naikmal Hamdard is a pro...

John is joined by his childhood friend and first ever podcast guest, Dan Theobalds to talk about the lessons learnt from a year of cancer treatment. Dan joins John again to share his journey of dealing with cancer and what he has discovered about himself and others throughout this process. Talking about finding peace with mortality, learning to hold things lightly and knowing how to do the things...

John is joined by his sister-in-law, Rachael Wooldridge, to talk about her experience of being a grown-up orphan. Rachael shares how as a teenager she handled the death of her mum, dealt with her father's subsequent struggles with mental health and how following her dad's passing she is now raising her own young family without her parents. John and Rachael talk loss, grief, filling the voids and b...

John is joined by Claire Borer to delve into the topic of why we are so obsessed with upsetting people and how we find peace with it. From worrying what people are thinking of us, justifying why we don't say the difficult words and understanding how much we actually choose to upset ourselves, John and Claire reveal their own challenges of finding harmony with others' upset. Claire Borer is Freelan...

John is joined by Billie Richardson to talk about the idea of owning our own excellence. Many of us can struggle to not only know what we are brilliant at, but to truly take ownership of our strengths. John and Billie discuss their own journeys of becoming aware of their excellence and striving to unashamedly display those qualities. Billie Richardson is a Practice Consultant based in Hull. John B...

John is joined by Sarah McCarten-Williams to talk about how we can learn to do our own thinking. So often the thinking we do is so dictated by others, culture and social norms that finding our own thoughts can be tricky. Sarah reveals how being able to disagree helped her develop her own mind, whilst John ponders on how our desire to be 'right' causes us to stunt our own development and growth of...

John is joined by Rachel Oatridge to talk about the art of Travelling Light through life and how we find rest and space along that journey. John and Rachel talk about the importance of discovering how we find our own rest and the space we truly need, whilst sharing personal thoughts and stories about everything from busyness to minimalism along the way. Rachel Oatridge is a coach, children's occup...