Great Escape Podcast

It is actually quite difficult to make progress without measuring both our current situation and our progress. Even quite simple measures like a "how positive am I feeling today?" on a 1-5 scale can help us identify the things that help and the things that hinder.

A while ago a friend introduced me to the WhatThreeWords app. We play a game where we use the three words it generates to create crazy messages to each other. But actually, words can be an incredibly useful and powerful tool. In this episode we explore using groups of three words to help make more intentional decisions about how we live our lives.

It is all too easy to deal with the tactical and urgent at the expense of the strategic and important. I've been beginning to make progress with some simple tricks to help reverse this and focus more effort on the strategic things I need to get done.

Sometimes taking a moment to stand in silence and remember the sacrifices of others is an important thing to do. Today, in the UK, and in many other nations around the world we remember those who gave their lives for our freedoms. But we should also remember those who went to battle and survived, often carrying horrific trauma for the rest of their lives.

Human beings like to exist in communities. When we get isolated from friends and family it is very easy to start feeling down and lonely. Fortunately, for most of us, the answer is relatively simple. SPend physical time with people. Even if it is just a short conversation at the water cooler or coffee machine. Facebook isn't real ;-)

Kat was really suffered some significant challenges in her life be she's stood on her own two feet for the whole of her adult life. She's pivoted frequently in order to find meaningful and fulfilling work that makes her feel good after realising that she had been basically selling her soul to earn money.

I've really been struggling with self doubt and imposter syndrome recently and it is time to knock it on the head. The only thing holding me back is me right now. No I say. No!

Jill was abandoned at birth and suffered a head injury at a very early age. She's overcome these things to build her own business, help lead a church and be a mom. Where you've come from is much less important than where you want to go.

I was listening to SAara Moseley's excellent podcast today and her interview with Care Jose on imposter syndrome really hit me. Go and have a listen.

Sugar is the original psycho-active drug and many of us are hooked on it from a very early age. Mike talks about his own struggles with addiction, both to sugar and other substances, and how he's trying to help all of us get out from under this burden that does such damage to ourselves and society.

I've got a few quiet moments whilst my students are out doing an exercise. I'm teaching a course all this week. It's absolutely terrific fun and on this Little Escape episode of the Great Escape Podcast I just thought I'd talk about what it's been like to sit with a group of people who've never done anything like what we're talking about this week. A lot of them have no idea, other than that they wanted to join this course, about the real nitty-gritty about what we do every day when we're being a celebrant But one of the joys for me, spending a week with a group of people from all walks of life from all over the country, is the things I pick up from them the little bits of conversation where I suddenly realise that I thought I understood a concept or I thought I understood how something works, or a group of people live their lives, and actually discover that the reality is somewhat different. So the privilege as as a teacher, as somebody who is helping other people explore their lives and move forwards in their lives is actually that you never stop learning, that you are always discovering something new... and just today I had a conversation with somebody at lunchtime and learnt something which will change the way I think about parts of celebrancy and, I hope, really enhance my practice as well. And again, I know I've said this relatively recently... it was that moment of humility is not to be the person who knows everything there is to know about a subject, but it is to be willing to learn, to be willing to be the student even though theoretically you're the teacher. I know I'm a day late with this one and I'm sorry about that, it's been a mad, mad, week with a classroom full of wonderful people learning lots of things, and, on that note, I shall sign off... but yeah, never become big headed, always be willing to learn something new.

Kim's story is one of overcoming her past by correctly taking responsibility and allowing others to take the blame for their actions. In this episode we explore some pretty difficult subjects.

Everything we do reflects our personality and values. When we start and run a business, whether it is just us or a team of people, it also has a personality and values. The great thing is that we get to choose that personality and those values. The ethos of our businesses is far too important to leave to chance. This needs to be carefully thought about.

One man's journey from the mental "hellness" and a suicide attempt to a TED talk and the experience of our birthright, mental wellness. David and I recorded this episode on August the 30th, one day before what he calls his "New Year's Day" and, by complete coincidence I'm preparing it for release one day before my birthday. As I watch the sun set over the Pyrenees preparing to help with a beautiful wedding tomorrow (yes, I'm working at the weekend and on my birthday) my thoughts are with a human being I'm incredibly privileged to have begun to get to know. David, you are an inspirational human. Let's keep saving lives. And to you dear reader... if you're thinking that life isn't worth living please reach out to someone and get help. In the UK you can call the Samaritans on 116123 and in the USA their number is 1 (800) 273-TALK. David and I have both been to that place. We both came back from it and life is better - especially for those we nearly deprived of our existence.

Lots of people have asked me recently what it is like to work for yourself. My answer is simple: it is wonderful. But the real answer is a little bit more complicated than that ;-)

Ellyn was following a career path that seemed to be the expected route for a career scientist but it was breaking her. Having the courage to get off the treadmill and start following her own path has saved more than just her sanity. It has given her a new joy and purpose in life.

Coincidences happen all the time. Something about the way our brains work means we're constantly spotting them. As an entrepreneur we can make use of coincidences to create opportunities and this is serendipity.

Ian was massively overweight, drinking and eating too much and heading for a serious health meltdown. He's turned it all around and is now an elite level triathlete. Doing it for himself made all the difference.

It is all too easy to think that we're alone in the world and when we start slipping into depression that sense is heightened. When we're trying to transform our lives and get out of an intolerable situation it is heightened even more so especially if there are people around us who don't see the problem. DOn't suffer alone. Reach out to someone: friends, family, professionals. Get help.

Dawn describes how her life fell apart with bullying at work and unreasonable demands to the point where she really felt she had no hope at all. Fortunately she and her family have escaped from that situation and in a deeply honest and revealing interview Dawn talks about how she had to navigate to a new life whilst managing to maintian family connections and encouraging her husband to think outside of the box to seek new pastures.

There's always something new to learn. Part of the joy of life is discovering new things and putting them into practice.

Eric started life with all the privileges of a white middle class upbringing and education but quickly slipped into drink, drugs and crime. Time in prison gave him time to re-assess some of those decisions and the chance to start again. Hard work, both on himself and at work, have lead him to a place where he is ok with the man in the mirror.

Are we too hung up on what we want life to BE like or to LOOK like? Perhaps if we focussed more on what we want life to feel like we'd have more clarity omn the direction to head.

Kenyon describes living the American dream and then realised that it isn't a "one size fits all thing" - How can one dream be right for all of us? So he set off to build the life he and his family actually wanted.

What do you want your legacy to be? What will people say about you when you are no longer here?

Mike was born with Cystic Fibrosis but refuses to let this life limiting disease limit his life. He now runs his coaching business from the beach in Lanzarote where the warm climate makes breathing easier and has built a business that supports his lifestyle whilst giving him the challenge he thrives on.

Our brains don’t like trying new things but outside our “usual” lies a land of new ideas, new experiences and new ways of thinking about old problems. Go on, go and try something new today.

Kenny, like most of us (actually all of us), suffered trauma as a child and struggled in his adult life because the childhood trauma continued to have an impact on his decisions and thinking as an adult. Kenny talks about overcoming these feelings and regaining control of his life.

Post partum depression or post natal depression effects a significant number of mothers and can vary severity from mild depression that has little effect on family life all the way up to catastrophic depression resulting in horrific consequences. For Lex it was destroying her life and putting her children at risk. Through the help of her family combined with professional assitance she has recovered and is building her own business to help other people build lives of meaning and purpose.

Why do we procrastinate? What is it that makes making a podcast episode more interesting than the task I actually needed to get done! Why do our brains self sabotage so easily? All this and more explored today. (This episode was recorded on the road so the audio quality may not be up to the usual standards)

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again... the beliefs we have about ourselves are almost always the things that hold us back the most! We know how to build the worst prisons for ourselves and the problem is that we then go ahead and do it.

Maura was, in her words, "groomed" for a career in law to follow in her grandfather's footsteps. The choice was made by her family and it was literally draining the life out of her. Escape was essential.

>Men and women plan new ventures very differently but there is a way to get it right and satisfy the over planner's desire to perfect the plan and the under-planner's desire to get started. (This episode was recorded on the road so the audio quality may not be up to the usual standards)

Angela has seen some interesting times as a teen mum and then an NFL wife, always in the shadow of her husband, invisible in her own right, she talks about escaping and finding herself and her own role in life.

Human beings are a social species. We are generally happier and more productive when we exist in positive and supportive communities. (This episode was recorded on the road so the audio quality may not be up to the usual standards)

Joel talks candidly about being a parent, managing a blended family and how his major breakthrough was changing his own attitude. He realised he was the biggest obstacle to his own happiness.

Random acts of gratuitous kindness can be fun

Work life isn't the only place that life can become intolerable. In this episode I share a particularly painful part of my own life involving the breakup of my second marriage and how I had to re-think many things and change my own thinking in order to find a way forwards.

Is the goal you're trying to achieve worth the effort to get it? Do you actually want to make the changes you've been telling yourself you need to make? In this episode I talk about the importance of being utterly tenacious in chasing down the resources, people, and skills you need to get there.

Michael and Tina met at work and knew they had to be together and they had to get out of the somewhat toxic environement at work. They both loaved floating (check out the show notes for more information) and they've built a great business helping everyone from pregnant mums to top flight athletes enjoy the benefits of the deep relaxation that floating can bring.

In this episode I explore the ideo of planning and specifically planning with someone else to get the ideas out of my own head and explore them with someone else.

Sara ran her own business but was still trapped. One day she realised worked out that she had just 250 weekends left with her children, before they got bored, and were not interested in her being around at weekends any more. Something had to change!

"You face your fear because your goal demands it" If your goal isn't demanding things of you that are stretching you is your goal really worthy of the name?

Terry is a multi award winning wedding DJ and Master of Ceremonies but he wasn't always happy in his life. He now trains wedding professionals how to increase their business and find higher quality business. Starting from very challenging beginnings and finding real happiness in life.

Just after we stopped recording the other day Sarah said "Everything worthwhile is outside my comfort zone" and this has had me thinking about comfort zones and fear.

Sarah Riley has built her life around family and outdoor interests after escaping corporate cubical hell and surviving life threatening illness. In this frank episode Sarah talks about her journey to launching her own business and how she now helps other people create thriving hospitality businesses.

When we find ourselves in an intolerable situation the first thing we need to look at is our own attitude. Sometimes fixing our attitude is actually the simplest solution to the entire situation… if only changing our attitudes was easy. The reality is that, even if there is going to have to be physical change in order to resolve the situation, seeing if we can have a more positive attitude will make the whole process significantly easier and much more likely to be successful.

Matt worked in the complaints department of a large utilities company slowly climbing the corporate ladder and becoming frustrated with life. A chance conversation with his boss opened the route to a whole new career and freedom from corporate drudgery. https://www.socially-m.co.uk/ was born and life changed.

In this pilot episode Stuart explains why this podcast exists and what the Six Steps to Freedom are.