A New Way of Being

The importance of powering your brain down several times a day. Sir John Kirwan - the All Black's legend who was knighted for services to mental health - shared this golden nugget with me. His is a fantastic analogy - when your computer stops working and you ring IT - what do they advise you to do? Switch it off and then turn it back on again! It's something we all need to be doing - but with our...

Making good choices - even when you feel like you are missing out or not progresssing as quickly as you would like. This is something Josh has done throughout his life, even in the face of peer pressure and frustration. We also talk about getting perspective in your life, stopping complaining about things that are really unimportant in the big scheme of things and why having no regrets when you ar...

Amor fati means "a love of fate". The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche quoted it as his formula for human greatness. In other words – whatever happens in your life – or whatever has happened in the past – accept it fully. Not begrudgingly and reluctanctly - but as if you had chosen it yourself. The question is - how? In this short episode we explore two ways of looking at it. Firstly, throug...

How smartphones and social media may be making us more anxious and distracted - and what to do about it. Cal Newport is the author of two seminal books: 'Deep Work' and 'Digital Minimalism'. He argues that our ability to perform undistracted work on something cognitively demanding is a vital skill to train. However, the ability to perform 'deep work' is increasingly rare - not least because of the...

Why self-sacrificing and people-pleasing can be selfish, while looking after yourself can be selfless. Ed Jackson suffered a devastating accident after diving into a shallow swimming pool and breaking his neck in 2017. He made a miraculous recovery despite being told he would never walk again. Ed first appeared on the show two years ago but this episode is very different. In this conversation we g...

The power of tapping into our internal guidance system - and trusting that it will take us where we need to go. Chrissie Wellington is one of the greatest athletes of all time: a four-time Ironman World Champion who broke the world record and retired undefeated. More importantly, Chrissie is a humble, kind and generous person (which is not always true of people who have reached such lofty heights!...

Why avoiding sport's undoubted riches and ensuing fame - and remaining grounded and humble - can be a blessing. Laura was the world's number one squash player and its World Champion. However, squash doesn't get the attention of some other sports, and is overlooked by the International Olympic Committee time and again. Using her mantra 'life can only be understood backwards', Laura has come to see...

Remembering the importance of play - with the first woman to make a British Olympic rowing team after having children. Helen Glover is already a two-time Olympic Gold medal winner, and wasn't expecting to have the opportunity to win a third. Since winning gold at Rio 2016, Helen has given birth to three children. She has a three-year old, and a pair of one-year-old twins to contend with. She had n...

In the words of one of Britain's greatest ever athletes, "complacency has a tendency to bite you on the backside". At the 1992 Olympics, Colin Jackson was hot favourite to win gold in the 110 metres hurdles, but finished seventh in the final after getting ahead of himself in the earlier rounds. Jackson won the World Championships twice thereafter and held the world record for over a decade, so he...

It may be easy to think – we all know how to breath, but many of us do it in a way that is not optimal for our health. This week’s guest is science journalist and best-selling author of 'Breath, the new science of a lost art' James Nestor. The science shows breathing through your nose is key, as is not over-breathing – something we are prone to doing, particularly when stressed. James has been par...

The importance of building strong foundations and not striving to reach your goal too quickly. Matt Little has coached Andy Murray for 15 years, and is the longest standing member of his entourage. He is a man who knows the importance of values, and of building strong foundations - rather than rushing to achieve success in the shortest time possible. It is about paying your dues and enjoying the j...

What does success mean? Is the simple 'winner and losers' narrative we hear about in sport and life too simplistic? Tim Henman reached six major tennis semi-finals - four at Wimbledon - and was ranked fourth in the world. And yet – in some quarters – there is a false narrative that somehow Tim didn't deliver, or choked when it mattered most. If that were true, then almost all of us are failures. I...

The importance of separating our self-worth and sense of who we are from what we do. As one of Britain's best swimmers, Siobhan-Marie's sense of self-worth was often bound up with her performance in the pool. When she recorded the third fastest time in history at Rio 2016, she was on cloud nine, but when her times slipped she felt like she was a failure. This isn't an issue only related to sport;...

The power of embracing a cause bigger than yourself. The qualities associated with being selfless include generosity, kindness, thoughtfulness and a sense of humility. Former England captain Lewis "Mad Dog" Moody is someone who has embodied selflessness throughout his life, on the pitch and off it. Connection is one of his top values, which has allowed him to thrive, inspire and lead. This episode...

Why resisting and battling uncomfortable thoughts and feelings doesn't work, but acceptance and self-compassion does. Dr. Russ Harris is the world's best-know teacher of Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) Experiencing emotions like anxiety is entirely normal. It is part of the human experience. If you DIDN'T experience them, then there may be a problem. However, it is not unusual to believe w...

Why learning to face uncomfortable feelings is vital for our wellbeing. Clarke Carlisle, once crowned "Britain's brainiest footballer", has had well publicised mental health difficulties and issues with drink and gambling. He believes his issues with drink, gambling and other activities stemmed from an inability to sit with painful emotions. In this episode, we discuss patterns passed down through...

Everyone has had the experience of being 'in flow' - but what about being able to create it during the exact moment you've trained your life for? Goldie is an Olympic medalist in the javelin and was Britain's top thrower for a decade. In this episode we reflect on some of the implications and possible lessons that came up during the 'philosophy of sport' conversation with Rupert Spira. Goldie reso...

The main battle we all face is with our self - even when you've been a World Champion boxer. Tony Bellew was the WBC Cruiserweight Champion, but he's also been a Hollywood star and is now an author too. One thing Tony isn't - is full of himself. He understands we are all the same, irrespective of what we achieve in life. We all have good days and bad days, and that's ok. It's only when we believe...

The power of creating and living a compelling vision of how you want to be in the world. Helen Richardson Walsh scored one of the crucial penalty shootout goals as Team GB won a historic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The team's journey to the top of their sport was a bumpy one; after winning bronze at London 2012 they finished 11th at the 2014 World Cup prompting a radical rethink. They hel...

What the experience of flow in sport may reveal about the nature of reality One theme that has arisen time and again on this podcast is the experience of flow: when we lose ourselves in whatever it is that we are doing. Several sportspeople have spoken about the experience of "me" not being there in such moments. But what is that "me" that seems to disappear? That’s a big question and here to help...

Reflecting on your strengths and weaknesses to grow as a person in sport, business and life. Kerry is one of Britain's best coaches, leading Team GB's women's hockey team to gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016. He's now leading GB's men to Tokyo 2021. Rio was Kerry's third Games as GB hockey coach. His first was at Beijing 2008, after which he endured a chastening post-Games debrief in which his meth...

Letting go of control and self-importance to find peace of mind with Jonny Wilkinson. While we explore the art of letting go of control in order to find peace of mind, we talk about the concept of pressure and how it is created by thought, not by external factors. Wilkinson opens up about the emptiness he felt after winning the Rugby World Cup, and what that reveals about our false belief that hap...

How to go from surviving to thriving with All Black legend and mental health advocate Sir John Kirwan. Back when All Blacks legend Kirwan was one of the best rugby union players in the world, he had a serious mental health crisis which sent him on a wellness journey that eventually led to him being knighted for services to mental health. Here he shares his 'daily mental health plan', which include...

What causes addiction and how to face it, with the Arsenal and England legend Tony Adams captained a title-winning team in three different decades - the 80s, 90s and 00s – but describes founding the Sporting Chance Clinic, that provides treatment for sports men and women suffering from drink, drug or gambling addictions, as his greatest legacy. A recovering alcoholic, Adams explains the key factor...

Kindness can make us happier, deepen our relationships and even improve our heart health and immunity. Fascinatingly, with an R number of five, kindness has the power to ripple out and make a big impact on the world around us. David Hamilton PHD explains how ** For the newsletter - head to simonmundie.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...