The Mann on a Mission Podcast

Dr Sarah Mackay is an Oxford University-educated neuroscientist, educator, presenter, media commentator, director of The Neuroscience Academy and author of The Women's Brain Book: the neuroscience of health, hormones and happiness. Sarah helps professional coaches, psychologists, therapists educators, wellness practioners and people from all walks of life distil neuroscience into practical tools to enable pragmatic ways of creating better mental health, wellbeing and longevity. This really is a great conversation that challenges the current paradigms of understanding of how the brain works. We discuss the 'myth of the lizard brain', the bottom-up top-down outside-in approach to undersatnding how we operate, becoming architects of our own experience and much more... https://drsarahmckay.com/ https://www.instagram.com/drsarahmckay/?hl=en https://twitter.com/sarahmmckay

Sophie is a self proclaimed 'Sleep Evangelist' She has always been intrigued by what makes us feel good and function well. After originally studying medicine she went on to complete a PhD in Health Psychology, investigating why happiness protects against heart disease and how to improve well being at work. This research pointed to sleep as the unsung hero of mental and physical resilience. She spent the next 5 years working on 'Sleepio'- Big Health's award winning digital sleep programme. Sophie was awarded an NHS Innovation Accelerator Fellowship in 2016 and helped make Sleepio available on the NHS to a fifth of the UK population. Sophie has been invited to deliver talks for Tedx and Google and regularly features as a sleep expert in national media. She really lives the practice of health and well being in her own life and has just completed a row around Britain in 2021. https://www.thesleepscientist.com/about https://www.instagram.com/drsophiebostock/ https://twitter.com/DrSophieBostock

Nick Compton is a former English cricket opening batsman and first class player for Middlesex and Somerset. He was born in South Africa, the son of Richard Compton, himself a former professional cricketer, and the grandson of legendary England batsman and Arsenal footballer, Dennis Compton. Selected for England in 2012, he played 16 tests, including tours of India and New Zealand, where he scored his first test century. As he discusses in this conversation though, he was hugely disappointed to be dropped from the England team ahead of the 2013 Ashes series and left out of the Lions tour to South Africa in the winter of 2014. At both ends of the spectrum, Nick has done the deeper work of understanding how to inhabit high performance but has also suffered mentally from depression and anxiety. He talks openly about this journey in dealing with the regret of perhaps not realising his full potential, as well as the challenges of moving on from a career in elite sport. This transition has led him to his passion in photography, where he captures people, cultures and landscapes from across the globe. This is a brave and hugely enlightening conversation from someone who embodies personal awareness and humility. (check Nick's amazing photography below) https://nickcompton.com/ Nick Compton Instagram  

Getting nutrition right is a key pillar of recovery, vitality and performance. With that said, there is so much conflicting advice as to what we should actually be putting in our bodies. Glen Burrows really is an expert in all aspects of nutrition, having first studied food science where he quickly saw how the food industry was addicting people towards diets that maximised profits for producers but left consumers bereft of nutrient rich foods and in many cases ill and overweight. Both he and his wife were also long time vegetarians before negative affects on their health led them back to eating meat. This change not only brought them back to full health but also became the catalyst for Glen in founding his new venture 'The Ethical Butcher', where his mission is to reconnect people with nature through naturally farmed animals and produce. We discuss so much in this conversation, including what an 'optimal' diet actually looks like and where false information and fixed mentalities serve to keep people stuck in cycles of over eating and poor health. Amazingly on top of all this, Glen combines his nutrition expertise with his work as a photographer and moving image director, specialising in sports and health and fitness portraits. This work saw him as the 'go to' man for Men's Health magazine and many world leading brands (check out his Instagram below, it is well worth a look!) https://ethicalbutcher.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/ethicalbutcher/ https://www.instagram.com/glenburrows/?hl=en

This is round #2 with former fast jet pilot Mandy Hickson. Again an amazing story and a deeper dive into the mindset needed to operate under the extreme pressures of 'Top Gun' flying. In this conversation we talk about Mandy's experience of imposter syndrome while public speaking and how to work with and  overcome fear in moments of pressure. We also discuss the mental framework of elite performers to be able to recover from mistakes and get back on task and much more... Mandy's website LinkedIn  

Mandy Hickson is a pioneering former fast jet pilot and now a motivational public speaker. Her remarkable career saw her become only to second female to fly a Tornado GR4 on the front line, including 45 missions over Iraq during three operational tours.  Despite her incredible career and success Mandy's story wasn't all plain sailing. After initial awards for flying in the Air Training Corps, she twice failed the RAF flying aptitude test and was told she didn't have what it takes to be a fast jet pilot. Undeterred, Mandy showed unwavering belief to overcome the odds and achieve her lifelong dream. This story of inspiration, drive and determination was detailed in Mandy's recently published book An Officer, Not a Gentleman where she describes the fast paced life and challenges of being a female in a male dominated world, a mum and a pilot. This is part one of our conversation, which lays the groundwork for understanding the mental framework that allowed Mandy to push past perceived limitations, beat the odds and perform under extreme pressure. Mandy's website LinkedIn    

Victor Estima is a Brazilian Ju Jitsu black belt and one of the most exciting middle weight BJJ competitors in history. During his competitive career he collected many titles including - European Champion, Pan American Champion, World No Gi Champion, 6 times Worlds bronze medallist and 4 times World Pro Silver medallist. He is now the founder of Gracie Barra Nottingham and Grace Barra Europe leader, training and empowering the next generation of BJJ competitors. Victor brings to this conversation a very rich understanding of what it means to truly be your best. Words such as confidence, trust, courage, resilience and focus are so often mentioned by people but with very little substance or experience of truly implementing them under pressure. Victor embodies them. Not only through his success on the world stage and his fighting philosophy but also through his mental approach to personal growth in all areas of life. https://www.gbnottingham.com/ @victorestimagb      

Dr Judson Brewer is a world leading thinker in the 'science of self mastery'. He brings a unique approach to his work by blending expertise in both modern science and the ancient wisdoms of mindfulness practice. He is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Centre and an associate professor in psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University, executive medical director at Sharecare, as well as a research affiliate at MIT. He has published two New York Times best selling books 'The Craving Mind' and his latest release 'Unwinding Anxiety'. He has also been featured on 60 minutes, TED (his talk A simple way to break a bad habit has been viewed over 16 million times), Time Magazine (top 100 health discoveries of 2013), Forbes, CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera (documentary about his research) The Washington post and many others including world leading podcasts. As part of his work Dr Jud has developed and tested novel mindfulness programs for habit change, including app-based treatments for smoking, emotional eating and anxiety (eat right now, unwinding anxiety and craving to quit) In this conversation Dr Jud explains how our minds work, how we get caught in habit loops and how we can use the powerful mechanisms of 'Reward based Learning' to create real and sustained change.  https://drjud.com/ Dr Jud's Habit Mapper

“My mission is to empower people to take control of their own health, well-being and fitness using simple breathing exercises proven to improve body oxygenation”. Patrick McKeown Patrick Mckeown is a world renowned author and breathing expert.  Having suffered for many years with asthma, at the age of 26 he made the decision to travel to Russia to study with the world renowned breathing expert Professor Konstantin Buteyko.  This move not only helped him cure his asthma but led to what would become his future career, teaching, lecturing, writing and advising people in the use of functional breathing techniques for health, wellbeing and performance.  His writings have included amazon top 10 best sellers 'Close Your Mouth' and 'Asthma Free Naturally' as well as his highly acclaimed book 'The Oxygen Advantage' and his latest book 'The Breathing Cure' He has been widely interviewed by national and international media, leading podcast hosts, popular health websites as well being invited to speak at his first TEDx event in his hometown of Galway. Oxygen Advantage programmes and training principles have been sought by many elite performance athletes, including from the worlds of NFL, Rugby, Athletics, Football and GAA (Gaelic Football). His message is simple - how you breath at rest and during exercise will affect your overall performance. Learn to breathe correctly and see immediate results in your training. This conversation just could be a game changer! https://oxygenadvantage.com/patrick-mckeown-m-a-tcd/ https://www.facebook.com/PatrickGMcKeown/ The Breathing Cure  

Rich Diviney is an ex Navy SEAL officer with over 20 years of service. This included more than 13 overseas deployments - 11 of which were to Iraq and Afghanistan. Through his career he achieved multiple leadership positions, including Commanding Officer of Navy SEAL command.  Since leaving the military, Rich has pursued his passion of helping people, teams and organisations discover and accelerate the full range of their potential. This has culminated in him authoring a book called 'The Attributes', where he outlines the 25 hidden drivers of optimal performance. In this conversation we discuss both his book and career as a SEAL. Look forward to great insights from someone who has truly been there and pushed the frontiers of human potential. The Attributes website The Attributes book - amazon   Rich Diviney - Instagram

“Alan played a huge role in my development on and off the court and his guidance helped me get to where I am today.” Kevin Durant - 2017-2018 NBA Finals MVP My guest on this episode of the Mann on a Mission podcast is Alan Stein Jr. Alan is a world-renowned coach, speaker and author. He spent 15+ years working the highest performing basketball players on the planet and now teaches audiences how to utilise the same strategies in business that elite athletes use to perform at a world-class level. Alan specialises in improving individual and organisational leadership, performance and accountability.  His mission in the work he does is to inspire and empower people to take immediate action and improve mindset, habits and productivity. In this conversation we get under the hood of what drives Alan and what drives the people he works with to achieve their best performance. We talk meditation, the power of practicing the basics, being where you 'feet are' to be more present and much much more... https://alansteinjr.com Alan's Book on Amazon - Raise Your Game Alan on Instagram Alan on Youtube    

My guest on this episode of the Mann on a Mission podcast is John Steele. John has had a truly amazing career. Ex army officer, professional rugby player, head coach of Northampton Saints rugby, CEO of the Rugby Football Union, CEO of UK Sport where he led the transformation of team GB medals success in both Beijing and the London Olympics and now Executive Director of Sport at Loughborough University. John really knows how to get the best out of people. How to create the impact that will 'make the boat go faster' for elite performance under pressure. I've had the pleasure of working closely with John and the team at Loughborough, where they continue to build a 'sporting excellence 'eco system' that is truly world leading. We discuss John's thoughts on leadership, the challenges he has faced both personally and professionally and much more.   John Steele - Executive Director of Sport, Loughborough University 

In this episode of the Mann on a Mission podcast I am talking to Hannah Cockcroft MBE, multiple world record holder and para-olympic gold medalist. In her life both on and off the track Hannah has epitomised tenacity and grit in the face of adversity. After suffering two heart attacks at birth and subsequent areas of brain damage, Hannah was left with mobility and motor skill disabilities. True inspiration and insight on how to perform under pressure, against the odds, this conversation acts as a timely reminder of pushing the limits of our potential. https://www.paralympic.org/hannah-cockroft      

Prof Tim Marsh is considered a world authority on the subject of behavioural safety, safety leadership and organisational culture. He has worked with more than 400 major organisations around the world, including Apple, the European Space Agency, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations.  Tim is one of only a few Chartered Psychologists who are also Chartered Fellows of IOSH and he combines these to really get to the core of what drives people's behaviours, particularly in safety critical environments. His book Affective Safety Management is now one of Europe's best ever selling safety books – as is the second of Tim's books Talking Safety. A recent third, book Total Safety Culture has also been well received.  This conversation is a timely reminder that wisdom from the ages in terms of mental health and psychology is as applicable now as it has always been.  https://ankerandmarsh.co.uk/#open-overlay

Oprah Winfrey, Cameron Diaz, Paul McCartney, Ray Dalio, Katy Perry, Hugh Jackman...the list goes on for the people my guest Bob Roth has trained in Transcendental Meditation (TM). For over 50 years he has been devoting his life to helping people train in, practice and realise the benefits of TM to bring to their lives greater levels of ease, equanimity, happiness, peace and strength. I personally trained with Bob over 10 years ago when working with Katy Perry and we discuss the back story to this. We also cover his role as CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, a non profit organisation that brings TM to inner city schools in the US, military veterans suffering from post traumatic stress and victims of domestic abuse.   He walks us through the different types of meditation, some of the misperceptions people have about it, the science behind it, how to approach it and the benefits of it. Golden information from one of the worlds leaders in the field. TM is life changing... "I started Transcendental Meditation in 1973 and have not missed a single day since. Twice a day every day. It has given me effortless access to unlimited reserves of energy, creativity and happiness deep within. This level of life is sometimes called 'pure consciousness' - it is a treasury.  And this level of life is deep within us all" - David Lynch www.davidlynchfoundation.org Watch Bob interviewing Katy Perry and gain more info: https://uk.tm.org/  

Dr Don Greene is one of the world's leading experts and practitioners of performance psychology. Over his career he has coached more than 1,000 performers, including Olympic gold medalists, world tour golfers, Wall Street traders and top-tier symphony musicians. He himself is a former Green Beret and graduate of the US Military Academy - Westpoint. Don has become a friend and mentor to myself and Mann on a Mission and really breaks down in the conversation the art of science of performance under pressure. How we get in our way and how we excel.  We discuss key aspects of his work including enabling the people he works with to develop greater levels of - focus, concentration, mental quiet, courage and resilience. Don has large body of work and has written to date 13 books including Fight Your Fear and Win and Performance Success. His website is: www.winningonstage.com He is also a Ted Educator and co-wrote 'How to practice effectively...for just about anything', which has had over 7.5 million views  https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-practice-effectively-for-just-about-anything-annie-bosler-and-don-greene  

"Success in life is measured, most easily, by the number of days that a person is truly happy" - Eric Edmeades Eric Edmeades is an internationally recognised inspirational speaker (including a supporting role with master coach Tony Robbins). He has logged over 10,000 hours on stage speaking in over 20 countries and is widely regarded as one of the most effective business and personal mentors in the world, inspiring and empowering people people to live compelling, enjoyable and rewarding lives.  A serial entrepreneur he has ran businesses across many sectors including data capture, medical simulation and Hollywood special effects (films included - Avatar, Iron Man, Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean).  In 1991 Eric experienced a dramatic health recovery and then undertook years of research into the fields of human health, evolutionary biology and human history. Today, Eric helps people achieve vibrant health and inspires people to take responsibility for their own self care through his company - Wildfit (https://getwildfit.com) In this conversation, Eric talks about how we can feed beliefs, how important it is to be clear on what we believe to be true, committing to goals, the hindsight window and much, much more... Check out Eric's huge body of work for further inspiration...! https://ericedmeades.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/eric-edmeades/about/ Instagram: @ericedmeades  

Professor Alex Hill is the Co-Founder and Director of The Centre for High Performance (a collaboration between senior faculty from the Universities of Kingston, Duke CE, London Business School and Oxford), which is dedicated to helping high-performing organisations develop a stronger and more robust UK economy, society and environment. The Thinkers50 placed him on their list of 30 management thinkers most likely to shape how future organisations are managed and led. His research has been widely discussed in the the global media, has led to changes in the UK law, and he has worked with a wide range of organisations all over the world. His research has been widely discussed by the media in publications such as Amazon Audible, the BBC, Daily Mail, Economist, Forbes, Guardian, Huffington Post, Independent, Schools Week, Spectator, Times and Telegraph. As part of his work Alex and his team completed  a 5 year study of seven celebrated Centennials who had out performed their peers over the last 100 years and were admired by everyone. This list included;  The NZ All Blacks, NASA, Eton College, the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal college of Art, The Royal Shakespeare company and British Cycling. These insights and Alex's body of work are at the cutting edge of High Performance and in this conversation we discuss just how these organisations not only achieve excellence but also sustain it over time... https://www.radicallytraditional.org/contributors/alex-hill https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hill-1706175/?trk=public-profile-join-page

Daksha is a highly skilled Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years' experience and currently runs a private practice in London. She has a deep knowledge of a range of issues including depression, anxiety, burnout, abuse, trauma and a variety of health and neurological related conditions. She has an MSc in health psychology, a Doctorate in clinical psychology and is a Chartered Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She is a full member of the Health and Care Professional Council (HCPC). As an associate clinical tutor on the Royal Holloway clinical psychology doctoral programme, she supervises and assesses the competencies of doctoral trainees. In this conversation, we dig into the actualities of training and developing a mindfulness practice, working with anxiety and fear and how to live a values based life, amongst many other topics... www.parmi.co.uk  

Named '#1 Sports Worlds's Best Brain Trainer' by Sports Illustrated. In this episode of the 'Mann on a Mission' podcast, I'm talking with Trevor Moawad, mental skills coach to the worlds elite and author of his new book 'It Takes What it Takes' Trevor has supported Major League Baseball, the NBA, UFC and many other elite professionals including, Maria Sharapova, Roger Federer and his now business partner Russell Wilson (Super Bowl winning Quarter Back for the Seattle Seahawks) So many takeaways on the fundamentals of thinking to truly be at our best from one of the world's leading experts.... Limitless Minds: www.thinkbig-gofar.com Instagram: @trevormoawad Twitter: @TrevorMoawad  

Nicola is a Master Coach and Master NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) coach and trainer. The main theme of this conversation is the unconscious motivators that impact people's thinking and behaviours. Nicola uses a tool called ‘Print' to help clients uncover these so they can move forward from potentially limiting beliefs and achieve their true potential. She has worked with people from the worlds of sport (primarily golf) and business and this experience and deep rooted knowledge provides a rich background of insight throughout this episode. So many take aways for the challenges life throws at us… Instagram: @nicola.ellwood Twitter: @EllwoodNicola http://www.performanceandmastery.co.uk

Sean Coates is a Brazilian Ju Jitsu professional fighter... He is a Black Belt under world champion Victor Estima and trains at Gracie Barra - Nottingham. He competes at the elite level on the world stage and has a host of victories and achievements which include - 3 x Worlds Medalist, 7 x British Champion, Adu Dhabi Grand Slam Champion, Multiple time IBJJF & UAEJJF double gold medalist. Sean really does epitomise calmness under pressure. He is able to perform in high pressure situations with a calm intensity that has been honed through years of intense training.  Loved this conversation! At only 28 Sean's insight into being at his best is testament to facing the adversity of the BJJ mats and a willingness to push his limits of potential. Covered in the context of BJJ but so much to learn and take away on the mental game... Instagram: @seancoates_bjj Twitter: @SeanTCoates

“ We rarely get to fully control the environment around us. What we have much more control over is our attitude. So even when it's tough, fix a smile and face up to the challenges in front of you.” Jake Meyer is a world-record breaking British mountaineer, adventurer and keynote speaker. Jake was only 14 when he set his sights on wanting to climb the ‘7 Summits' –the highest mountain on each continent. At 6.30am on the 4th June 2005, aged only 21 and 135 days old, he reached the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world and his 7th continental highpoint. At the time, he was the youngest Briton to climb Mt Everest, and the youngest man in the world to complete the 7 Summits. Not content with just the 7 Summits, he also led a team which broke the record for the fastest ascent of the highest mountain in each of the 48 states in the contiguous USA. This culminated in 48 mountains, 350 miles of trekking, 100,000ft of climbing and 15,000 miles of driving in 23 days, 19 hours and 31 minutes. Since 2008 Jake has been focusing on trying to climb K2 in Pakistan, the second highest mountain in the world and arguably the most difficult and dangerous in the world with a 1 in 5 death to summit ratio. He made attempts in 2009 and 2016, but on both occasions he was forced to turn back on his summit attempt, mere hours from his goal. Undeterred, in 2018 he returned for a third time, and on the 21st July 2018 he finally stood on the summit of K2. In doing so he joined an extremely small group of some of the world's best climbers to have done the same –fewer than 400 people who have stood on the top of K2 (more people have been into space) and 85 have died trying. Jake's 10 year odyssey shows that perseverance can truly pay off. He is leadership Development Consultant for the Inspirational Development Group (IDG) who work to transform the behaviour of individuals and teams to bring about sustained change within organisations. His charity work includes support for – walking with the wounded, help for heroes, the princes trust and the make a wish foundation. He is also a current serving army reserve officer with the Royal Wessex Yeomanry which has included an operational of Afghanistan. Learn more about Jake and his adventures, sponsors and charity work: www.jakemeyer.co.uk    

A conversation with three ex SBS colleagues...this conversation is with Jason Fox, Ollie Ollerton and Gaz Banford. 'Foxy' and 'Ollie' are now stars of the hit Channel 4 show - SAS Who Dares Wins. They have both published best selling books and together run 'Break Point' where they run a range of programmes training corporate and private clients in team/individual development. Break Point has also established an academy to help ex service members in their transition into civilian life. They have also just released a mind, body and fitness app called 'Battle Ready 360' This podcast was hosted by Gaz Banford who runs a company called Duratus UK. His work is similar to that of Mann on a Mission in helping people maximise their potential through Performance Coaching. The Duratus podcast has a growing following and again like Mann on a Mission has conversations with people from all fields achieving elite performance. The conversation featured many aspects of our mental approach to working and living in the Special Forces, including the darker side of pressure and PTSD. This is round one with more to come from the team! Links to the guys include: ww.break-point.co.uk www.channel4.com/programmes/sas-who-dares-wins www.duratusuk.com

Jon White is a former Royal Marines officer and now leadership & resilience expert. While on tour in Afghanistan, he sustained life changing injuries after being blown up on patrol, which resulted in losing three limbs. His story is one of inspiration and remarkable fortitude in the face of severe adversity. Jon has had to learn how to manage everyday tasks but now describes his life as amazing... He now draws upon his experiences to deliver talks and training worldwide for private and public organisations.   Jon has two young children, so when not working, he is building Lego, playing “hide and seek” or conducting “rescue missions” around the house. He still attempts DIY projects. You can learn more about Jon at his website link below:  www.thewhitehousefuture.co.uk You can watch Jon's TED talk at the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTOmU31QW6U    

Ryan is a Mental Skills Coach based in Orange County, Ca. He works with top level athletes, corporations, and individuals looking to perform at an elite level. He uses a mindfulness based, process oriented approach to allow his clients to achieve greater performance, reduce stress, and gain more enjoyment out of their lives. In this conversation we discuss Ryan's work with elite athletes in the baseball world and how he helps them train to be more often in the present moment. Ryan also shows courage in discussing his own battles with anxiety. This may surprise some coming from a mental skills coach but this was a result of a condition called SIBO, which affects the gut bacteria of the small intestine. Once diagnosed and now treating the condition Ryan has made dramatic improvements but this highlights the link between the gut biome and mental health. www.ryandambach.com @ryamdambach19

On this podcast I am interviewed again by Dr Glenn Fox of the Performance Science Institute, University of Southern California. We dive deeper still in part 2 with a continuing theme around effortless power. We follow on from completing Special Forces selection to the private security world and my work in performance coaching. We discuss topics ranging from vulnerability, being our most authentic self, goal setting and optimising states of mind. Dr Glenn Fox - Performance Science Institute  

On this podcast I am interviewed by Dr Glenn Fox. Glenn is the head of the Performance Science Institute, University of Southern California.  The conversation covers my background in greater depth and in it we discuss, effortless power, performance under pressure and the selection process for the Special Boat Service (SBS) 

In this episode I introduce the Mann on a Mission podcast. Some background on myself as host and what we will be exploring in the coming conversations with guests.