The John Borland Podcast

John is joined by special guest, Emily Proctor, to talk about the contradiction of self-confidence. The idea of feeling at times like we are lacking self-confidence and yet also doing things that take real high levels of confidence. This contradiction, that many of us experience, can lead to a sense of confusion and holding back in life. John and Emily explore how they have built their own self-co...

John is joined by special guest, Laurie Kennedy to talk about his life as an autistic person, who also supports others with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Laurie speaks openly about the highs and lows of autism, what it has brought to his life in blessings and challenges, and how the world around him responds to autistic people. Whilst John shares some of his own journey as the father of a child...

John is joined by special guest, Jessica Crawford, who at 28 years old learnt she has a genetic mutation meaning she will develop dementia in her fifties. Jess talks openly about her future facing Frontotemporal Degeneration Dementia (FTD), how she has witnessed her own mum suffer at its hands and how she has dealt with her own diagnosis. From the fear of the unknown to the impact it has had on he...

John is joined by special guest, Karen Locking, to talk about her experience of being child-free by choice. In a world where the norms, expectations and assunptions are for women to want to be a mother, Karen shares her story of going against the grain. Revealing what life has been like, how she has been treated and the assumptions she has had to dispel. John and Karen share their thoughts on the...

John is joined by an extra special guest, his sister, Anne Borland, as they discuss toxic relationships. Anne shares her experience of finding herself in toxic relationships, how she got there and what she has learnt from it. From the impact it had on her to the recovery she has made, Anne candidly speaks of her journey through shame and silence to reflection and courage. John and Anne reveal thei...

John is joined by special guest, Dave Scholes, as they discuss the idea that when it comes to mental health and well-being, you don't always have to be an expert to help people. Sparked by the loss of a friend to suicide and his own experience of mental health issues, Dave reveals his thinking on how we can all play our part in the mental wellness of others. John and Dave talk openly and frankly a...

John is joined by special guest, Jess White, to talk about the idea of self-love. Often loving ourselves has been seen as an arrogant way of being. Yet self-love is vital to our happiness, confidence, purpose and ability to love others. John and Jess share their own diverse journeys with self-love and reveal their thoughts on why self-love is so important. They talk through what holds us back from...

John is joined by special guest, Malcolm Smith, to discuss why we care so much about what others think of us. Many of us can be crippled by our over-concern of others' opinions of us and find we spend too much time and energy trying to be liked. John and Malcolm share their thoughts and personal experiences of learning to step away from needing to be liked and finding ways to lessen the obsession...

John is joined by special guest, Mel Hoban, to talk about the other pandemic we've been experiencing in recent years, which is a pandemic of loneliness. Sharing their own thoughts on how we create meaningful connections and combat loneliness in our lives, John and Mel talk about their own moments of loneliness, and the loneliness they see in the world around us. Mel also draws on her own experienc...

John is joined by special guest, Tim Robinson, to talk about the role that our environment plays in our levels of performance. Taking what he has discovered from the world of sports coaching and applying it to life, Tim shares with John his research into Ecological Dynamics and the difference that our interaction with our environment makes. It is all too easy to overlook the impact that our enviro...

John is joined by writer, Simon Cross, to discuss the idea of the importance of doing the little, mundane things in life. We can be so obsessed in our culture with the big, the important, the famous and the grand, that we forgot to focus on the details of life. John and Simon discuss their thoughts on the spiritual aspect of learning to find contentment, peace and purpose within the mundane, repet...

John is joined by special guest Reenie Hollis to talk about what 'Making it' looks like. As a former member of indie-rock band, The Long Blondes, who rose to fame in the 00's, Reenie shares her story of what making it looked like. From having their debut album reach number 1 in the UK Indie charts, to playing Glastonbury, touring the world and experiencing a sudden break up of the band. In turn, J...

John is joined by his old friend, Andrew Evans, to talk about life as adoptive dads. Andrew and John share their thinking on fatherhood, parenting and what adopting children has meant for them. With two quite diverse stories, these two dads, living in two different countries, chat through the challenges, fears and joys of adoption. Dispelling some of the myths and getting to the heart of parenting...

John is joined by his friend and special guest Selina Witts to discuss living in a place of possibilities. They share their thinking on the richness that choice, options, spontaneity, and the great unknown bring to our lives. Many of us can fear uncertainty so much that we squash and diminish the possibilities available to us, leaving us stuck, frustrated, and bored. John and Selina reveal how emb...

John is joined by special guest Geoff Dawson, who shares his inspiring story of being the parent of a child with cancer. Geoff openly and honestly, reveals how he and his family not only coped with the circumstances of their son's diagnosis, but found ways to grow through them. He takes us on a journey through the feelings, thoughts and challenges he faced from the early signs of a health issue, t...

John is joined by special guest Jemma Akers-Jacklin to talk about her life as a gay woman, but how she grew up pretending to be heterosexual. Jemma shares her story of how she hid her sexuality even from herself, and the denial she lived with. Revealing the challenge of finding acceptance of herself, and learning to embrace who she really is, Jemma gives great insight into the struggles she faced...

John is joined by special guest Andy Kennedy to talk about how we can learn to let go of the mental and emotional baggage that many of us carry around. John and Andy discuss the benefits of learning to let go of the things which do us no good and how we start the process of putting them down and moving them aside. Sharing their own personal experiences of letting go they unpack the challenges and...

John is joined by special guest Bhavn Khaira to discuss what fighting for freedom and choice is really like. Bhavn tells her life story of growing up in Britain in an Indian family, and the struggles of freeing herself from her cultural ways. Recognising her lack of freedom and choice, she reveals how she has found a way to create liberty for herself and her children. John and Bhavn share their id...

John is joined by one of his personal heroes, Jan de Villiers, to talk about his work in transforming communities and loving the unlovable. Jan shares his experiences of trying to make a difference with young people and families in the inner-city, amongst high levels of crime, unemployment, and anti-social behaviour. John and Jan tell their stories of what it really takes to commit to loving those...

John is joined by special guest, Tim Elgar to talk about Psychological Safety and why it is so important for all of us. Sharing their thoughts of how it impacts workplaces, teams, families and other aspects of our lives, John and Tim take us on a journey through what it means to be psychological safe and what happens when we're not. Challenging us to think about how it impacts us personally and al...

John is joined by special guest, Steve Johnstone, to talk through how we get to know ourselves. Its one thing to try and become more self-aware, but where do we even start and how do we make this happen. John and Steve share their thoughts on how all of us can begin to better get to know ourselves. Disclosing what has worked in their lives and the benefits it has created, John and Steve offer some...

John talks with special guest, Karl O'Reilly about the effects of Imposter Syndrome on our lives. We all suffer from this sense of not really knowing what we are doing, or not feeling good enough for the role we are in and can create for ourselves a sense that one day we will get 'found out'. John and Karl share their own experiences of imposter syndrome both within their professional and personal...

John talks with special guest, Dave Warman about the stories we tell ourselves of who we are and who we're not. All of us hold stories of who we believe ourselves to be and these stories affect us more than we realise. John and Dave openly share their experience of noticing their own stories of themselves, learning how to change them and finding the freedom this has created. If you want to change...

John talks with special guest Dan Vockins, about how we create greater happiness in our lives. Happiness is the ongoing desire for so many of us and yet it can so often prove elusive. John and Dan share their thoughts on how they bring happiness into their lives and what gets in the way of them feeling happy. Talking through the different elements of happiness they reveal how all of us can begin t...

John talks with special guest, Dave Houchin, about the importance of self-awareness and how tricky it can be to get to know ourselves. John and Dave share their insights and personal experiences of the benefits and struggles of trying to raise their awareness. From self-limiting beliefs to how to use criticism, and the negative bias in our brains, John and Dave delve through various aspects of how...