Uncomfortable is OK Podcast

Happy 2023 Expert business consultant, venture capitalist and my good mate James Brummer-Taylor joins the podcast for the first episode of 2023. It's that time of year when a lot of us are thinking about making change in our lives. We often do it at this time of year. And research shows us that usually those changes don't tend to stick around longer than a couple of weeks. James and I have a conversation about getting strategic about the changes we want to make, so that 1- they stick, and 2 - they positively impact our lives in a meaningful way

Hey everyone - I have Covid so no new episode this week BUT we do have a fantastic past episode for you fro back in 2018. It's with the author of "Atomic Habits", James Clear. James's work has had a big influence on how I shape my behaviour, and with the work I do with my clients. It's a great refresher coming into the new year and thinking about change.

The end of the year is fast approaching, as is the time we start thinking about the changes we want to make in 2023. Change is hard, so once you've figured out the changes you'd like to make, here are some idea to help make them stick.

Brad Dixon, holistic physio, author, and expansive wellness practitioner joins the podcast. Our conversation centres on the concept of expansive wellness. How we can adopt health practices that are not only good for ourselves but good for our communities, the environments we live in, and the world at large. And they're not as hard to do as you might think. We talk through Brad's journey to this point, how he has expanded his view of health and wellbeing and get stuck into some strategies you can use today.

Author and behavioural science expert Dr Kris Lee joins the podcast to talk about micro-dosing bravery and the importance of taking strategic risks and building sustainable resilience. We talk in depth about What resilience is - not just the "ability to bounce back" The adaptability of the human brain and all our human systems Partying at university Keg-stand bravery and how to avoid it Dealing with insecurity Cultivating sustainable meaning The stigma of mental health A universal precautions approach to mental health Moving from a what-if life to a what-is life And of course getting uncomfortable

Richard Bowles joins the podcast today. Richard is a multi world record adventurer and founder of Adventure Alchemy which is dedicated to helpingleaders lean into the challenges of the modern world. Richard takes perverse joy in doing the things he doesn't like, watching his reactions in real time, and synthesising that information into practical learnings for others. Today we talk about - The importance of doing things you don't like - Why you shouldn't rely on positive emotions - How to embrace the dark side of challenge - Goal attainment - Running through war zones - Getting saved from falling off cliffs - Having a shot gun placed in his mouth in the Outback - Running a marathon a day for 5 months - Moving from reactive to proactive to adaptive

Kane Brisco farmer, father, partner, authour of "Tools from the top paddock", and founder of FarmFit joins the podcast. Kane is a dude from the 'Naki just trying to inspire others to be better. He is open and real, and has conversations about lots of important stuff that most of us keep hidden. His ability to do this comes firstly from his lived experience of pain and trauma, as well as the self-awareness he has developed and the skillset he has learnt to process and grow from these experiences. He is a bloody good dude, and we go to some heavy places today. Talking about pain and motivation, the reasons we need problems to solve, taking the power away from negative thoughts, the importance of acceptance, developing emotional literacy, and navigating discomfort. It's a convo that is a bit rough in places, and a bit raw in others. If it triggers anything then please reach out to Kane or myself or someone you trust. • FarmFit Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/FarmFitNZ/ • FarmFit Instagram | @farmfit_nz • FarmFit Online Shop (where you can buy Kane’s book & other merchandise) | https://farmfitnzshop.com

Ant Williams, world record freediver, leadership expert, keynote speaker joins the podcast. Ant worked as a Sport Psychologist coaching big wave surfers, motoGP riders, rock climbers and other risk takers on how to break through mental barriers when he realised, according to him, he was a fraud. He hadn’t done anything risky in his life. He wanted to know if anyone could learn how to become a risk taker. So, Ant decided to take up freediving and learn firsthand how to perform under pressure. Ant has pushed through both physical and mental barriers to hold his breath for over 8 minutes, dive to -100m and to swim 240m on one breath. In short, he knows how to overcome some of the most demanding and uncomfortable challenges a person can face. Ant teaches others how to “lean into discomfort” and take positive, calculated risk. Our conversation is about Ant's journey and the tools he uses and teaches others about performing under pressure, navigating discomfort, and calculated risk taking This episode is proudly brought to you by www.healthmentors.nz Improving performance through health and wellbeing

Portia Bing, counter fraud advisor and international track and field athlete joins the podcast. Our conversation explores the complexities of life, of performance, leadership, identity and personal growth with the lens of sportplaced over the top. We chat through - Experimentation and refining processes - Watching for gaps that you can leverage or develop your skillset - The power of eliminating options - The joy of improving when you're a beginner - The value of having multiple areas of focus - The challenges of missing Olympic selection - Creating an internal pivot - Reciprocally providing value in relationships - The value of diverse backgrounds and experience in creating innovative solutions - Understanding when to let go - Creating a ripple effect of impact - and of course getting UNCOMFORTABLE This episode is brought to you by www.healthmentors.nz Improving performance through health and wellbeing

Recently I put together a short e-book helping people to craft an individualised health plan. This episode is the audio version of the book plus occasional off script commentary around part of the topic This episode is proudly brought to you be www.healthmentors.nz

What does the future of work look like? How does it look for organisations? How does it look for you and me? They way we work is evolving and at times it's butting up against a lot of the social constructs we've previously held tight about what work is. Belinda Morgan, flexible work expert and author of "Solving the part time puzzle" joins the podcast to help us make sense of this change and how it benefits us as individuals, as well as organisations. Bel brings her expertise to the conversation and I bring some of my experiences working part time, and spending time as full time Dad for 11 months, plus the unconscious biases I had to face in that journey.

Callum McKirdy joins us un the podcast. Callum is all about amplifying the power of ADHD+ minds. He is a speaker, author, facilitator host of the "You, Me and ADHD podcast" and author of the the upcoming book "Tilt: thinking differently about thinking differently" This is a conversation about understanding ourselves, and our superpowers and wading through the internal messiness as we do it. We chat through - Watching and understanding people - Watching and understanding ourselves - The power of people who think differently - Embracing your quirks and differences - Questioning "best practice" - Callum's experience with his ADHD - Working super hard to be "average" at certain tasks - Dealing with our internal chaos - Putting on a face to the rest of the world - Including diversity in the workplace - Starting with stupid so we can get to better - Getting comfortable with looking like a Dick

Wahoo 300 episode's not out In this special episode I'm joined by James Brummer-Taylor. International business consultant, Venture Capitalist, entreprenuer, and best man at my wedding. James has spent over a decade inside a multitude of companies helping them to perform better across all aspects of their business. He has seen the themes that drive high performance, and also the things that don't work so well. More recently James has left his decade long comfort zone in operational and strategic consulting to take on the new challenges of being a venture capitalist and entrepreneur Today we talk through What makes a high performer Helpful mindset shifts Becoming a business athlete The power of practice and repetition James' 5 tips for improving your personal performance How James looks after his health to support his performance And how we can build our capacity to take on challenges This episode is proudly brought to you by https://www.healthmentors.nz/ Reach out to Chris with questions or topics chris@healthmentors.nz

This week on the podcast I'm joined by an old High School mate, Luke McFarlane. Luke and a couple of his mates have set up The Lighthouse Project Charitable Trust which aims to raise money for local legends doing their bit to improve men's mental health here in New Zealand. Earlier this year, Luke and his mates road tripped 6000km around New Zealand in 12 days stopping at 24 prominent Kiwi lighthouses along the way, and catching up with local legends striving to improve wellbeing in their communities. In this episode we talk through Luke's journey with his mental health The ins and outs of 4 dudes in a campervan for 12 days on a tight schedule Some of the awesome people working to improve the health of Kiwis Opening up the conversation around mental health with your mates Role modelling honesty in how we are actually doing What the Lighthouse Project is striving for Challenges of fatherhood Some ways that we like to look after ourselves Connect with the Lightlhouse Project https://www.facebook.com/The-Lighthouse-Project-104248205242011 This episode is proudly brought to you by https://www.healthmentors.nz/ Reach out to Chris with questions or topics chris@healthmentors.nz

This episode flips the usual switch and I'm interviewed by Si Alhir. Our conversation was recorded back in early 2020 as Covid was ramping up for an event si organised called "Transcending the Crisis" Our conversation is all about pressure, it's effect on us, and how we can respond. We talk through - How we can become overloaded by pressure without even noticing - The relationship between pressure and performance - The importance of self-awareness and some practical tips - Lots of exercise analogies - Some practical ideas to reduce pressure - Choosing the right direction to move in - Putting knowledge into action This episode is proudly brought to you by https://www.healthmentors.nz/ Reach out to Chris with questions or topics chris@healthmentors.nz

In this episode we're joined by Chase Hughes Chase Hughes is a leading behavior expert in the United States and the #1 bestselling author of two books on tactical behavior skills. He is the author of the worldwide #1 bestselling book on advanced persuasion, influence and behavior profiling.​Chase teaches elite groups, government agencies and police in behavior science skills including behavior profiling, nonverbal analysis, deception detection, interrogation, and advanced behavioral investigation. This episode was orginally recorded in 2020, and hasn't seen the light of day until now. We talk through - Leading our own behaviour - The power of persuasion - Looking after our future self - Cognitive disonance and how we can get rid of it - Why we should work on our weaknesses Connect with Chase https://www.chasehughes.com/ This episode was proudly brought to you by Health Mentors https://www.healthmentors.nz/ Get in touch with Chris chris@healthmentors.nz

Dr David Keane, Founder and CEO at The 10 Behaviours of Successful People joins us for a conversation around increasing positivity and meaning in our lives. This conversation was originally recorded in 2020 at the kick off of Covid, so contextually we're having this dicussion with all that was going on at the time, AND the points David discusses with us are as valuable today as they were then. We talk about - How we define success for ourselves, and the impact it has on how we live our lives - Hitting pause to take time to reflect - Simplifying the complexity of our lives - Intentionally placing our focus - Doing an information audit on the information we are exposing ourselves to "Uncomfortable is OK" is brought to you by Health Mentors - helping change makers dial in their health, and improve their performance in the middle of a chaotic world www.healthmentors.nz Email Chris - chris@healthmentors.nz

It's been a little over two years since the last episode of Uncomfortable is OK went to air. Today it's officially back! Apologies for the abrupt finish. Hopefully this episode helps to clear some of that up for those of you who are still listening. Today Chris will talk through - What was going on two years ago - What's been happening since - Why Uncomfotable is OK is back - What it's going to look like going forward Email Chris with questions or discussion topics for the show chris@healthmentors.nz Check out the health mentors website www.healthmentors.nz

Thomas Maharaj returns to the podcast for Round two. We catch up with what Tommie has been up to in the last few years and his exciting new project "I'm in" We chat through the challenges he is facing, what scares him the most, why he is doing it, and what is the hope that keeps him going.

Tom Ahern returns to the podcast for our annual-ish chat. It doesn't disappoint We talk through - Tommy's books - fatherhood - self identity - dealing with overwhelm - Tools for managing our mental state - Dogs - Finding wonder in the world - self development - learning - and getting uncomfortable

JP Tocker joins us on the show today to chat through - getting started - going against what others think - the difficulty of getting over that first hump - dealing with FOMO - the power of perspective and mindset - and of course, getting UNCOMFORTABLE This one has been on the cards for a while and very happy to get it finally up and going. JP's broadcasting and podcasting skillset comes through at times when he turns the tables and starts asking me questions Show notes: A formative experience Getting out of the discomforts A new routine to follow Coming across the difficulties Last and next Uncomfortable situations Strategies to approach uncomfortable situations Challenge this week

This episode is something a little different. It's the first two episodes of a new show I'm putting out called "Leading through Challenge" If you want to up your leadership skill levels to better lead your team through adversity then this is the show for you. Subscribe on Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/leading-through-challenge/id1508020586?fbclid=iwar0zhxwo0vbs4iqwn7j6sw92gnrphkeu8jcmkkdwvp1e8sa2uu8sfklsk7w Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0raefZiVW0iJz2niG4otsq Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-797YMIQ-Gg9_Q0ftc3QA?view_as=subscriber

  I came across Ollie a couple of months ago when he posted on LinkedIn about going bungee jumping, and the fact that he needed to do it because it scared him. We have a great chat today about what strategic discomfort gives Ollie. How he chooses uncomfortable activities. How he shifts perspective. The duality of life, and much more.   Show notes: A formative experience The moment of realization that, there is something wrong An interesting way of looking at perceptions How to stop judging people and arguing Identifying things that are positive for him but uncomfortable Strategy to approach uncomfortable situations Challenge this week

Today I'm chatting with Grant Pritchard, an in-house lawyer, technology enthusiast and workplace mental health advocate at Spark -- New Zealand's leading telecommunications, media, and digital services company. He leads Spark's thriving workplace mental health community and is working to inspire other Kiwi organizations to take a fresh look at how they do mental health at work. We chat through mental health, how your workplace plays its part, Grant's path towards passionate advocacy, the duality of discomfort and challenge, and of course getting uncomfortable.

One of my favorites, Cam Calkoen returns to the podcast to chat inspiration, motivation, dreaming big, being hopeful, and dealing with adversity. We recorded this prior to lockdown, but the messages are ones that we all need to hear at the moment.

Kerene Strochnetter is the Managing Director of Mindful at Work, a business hell-bent on making the M-words cool in the workplace - mindfulness and meditation. She’s also a sort after public speaker with a clear message is - if busy is the new stupid, then mindful is the new smart! Kerene wants to get the message out: that mindfulness isn’t just limited to meditating but includes a set of robust well-researched practices, which when implemented, powerfully impact people’s lives and positively change workplace culture. Her new book ‘Crazy Busy’ targets people suffering from the relentless pace of modern life - people who struggle to switch off and are looking for effective strategies to help to reconnect with what really matters - their lives, their work and the people close to them. We chat mindfulness, wearing a busy badge of honor, the different paths we walk down. slowing down, focusing, and of course, dealing with discomfort. Show notes: Nursing experiences (9.30) The motivation (11.30) The tipping point and mindfulness (14.50) The start of meditating and benefits (20.00) Writing her book (31.40) How to stay with good things (39.00) Strategy to approach uncomfortable situations (44.00)  

Jase Te Patu returns to the podcast. Jase is an award-winning facilitator with more than 25 years of experience in the health and wellness sector. He is co-owner of Awhi Yoga and Wellbeing, a teacher trainer, facilitator, keynote speaker and creator of M3. Jase’s students include the All Blacks, the Hurricanes, the Pulse, the NZ School of Dance contemporary students and many more high-performance athletes. This conversation covers challenges, self-awareness, and identity, human potential, mindfulness, training to ask for help, and of course, getting UNCOMFORTABLE Make sure to support Jase in the next phase of his project https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/6479-m3-mindfulness-for-children-ltd-early-childhood-videos Show notes: The concept The differences between kids The mindset and the challenges Lessons he has learned Challange this week

Today I'm joined by Annaliese Arnold. Mum, business owner, mindfulness teacher, who is aiming to live a kick-ass life and help others to do the same We chat about starting something hard, being mindful, following your curiosity, keeping going when things get tough, and of course getting UNCOMFORTABLE

Lisa Tamati is an ultra runner who has pushed her body and mind to its limits. She has run ultra races in all corners of the world and has raced over 70,000 km. She returns to the Uncomfortable is OK podcast to talk about mental toughness, and to tell us about the toughest challenge she has faced so far. Links: lisatamati.com

Two recent podcast favorites, Gareth Edwards and Paul Watkins return to record an episode together. These two dudes push the boundaries regularly and consistently get uncomfortable. Today we explore the idea of what it looks like when we decide to take the uncomfortable path and what we didn't realise we were missing out on until we did.

What are you choosing to adapt to?

In a society where comfort is the norm - choose hardship

I'm joined by Maya Nova who is all about self-awareness, resilience, agile mindsets, and mindful leadership. Maya has spent over 25 years practicing mindfulness meditation, including a stint as a Buddhist nun. For over the last decade she has been distilling and teaching the practice of applying these skills to our day to day and work lives. Show notes: Values to her heart (3.36) Self-awareness to herself (10.20) When did the curiosity strike (14.28) Areas to approach first (21.00) Identifying the important habits (31.10) Challenge this week (46.00)

Gareth Edwards joins me on the podcast today. Together with his mate Tom, he holds the unofficial Tyre flipping world record for 24 hours. Coming soon Gareth is going to be flipping a Tyre by himself for 60 hours. He is doing this to raise awareness of the 60 men who lose their lives to suicide every hour globally. It's a frank conversation about the challenge, going to dark places, human potential, mental wellbeing, and of course getting UNCOMFORTABLE Make sure to follow along with Gareth

Failure is a dirty word in our society. It's something to be avoided at all costs. BUT failure is inevitable. It happens to everyone at some point even if we're actively avoiding trying things because we're scared to fail. This conversation turns the tables. It's a recording from the Augmented learning podcast where Carl Condliffe interviews me on how we can get better at failing.

Renee and Jenna from Real Health NZ join me on the podcast to talk starting business, parenting, juggling balls, health, battling doubts, getting excited, and getting uncomfortable. Show notes: The idea (4.00) The purpose of doing it (7.00) What really drove them to the way (12.15) The influences of social media (21.05) Things they learned through the process (23.10) Worldwide Health awareness (28.00) Big challenges they are facing (31.00) Challenge this week (36.00)

Life from a polar bear's perspective is how Josiah Pasikale views life. Today I sit down with him on the podcast. Our conversation covers many bases and Joe tells us heaps of stories but the main theme is around identity. Firstly understanding your own identity, and secondly having the courage to allow your identity to shine through. Link www.motivatejoe.com Show notes: A big experience (3.00) Being interested in GUYS and the feeling (4.20) The start of shifting to the way he is now (11.50) The relationship with FAITH and how it has changed things (20.00) Strategy to approach UNCOMFORTABLE situations (27.50)

Happy New Year all! Today I'm joined by Blair Mainwaring owner of Ocean Design here in Wellington. Blair has owned and run Ocean for the past 3 decades and talks us through some of the ups and downs of business and life. Specifically, we discuss + Getting Started + Navigating change + Defining purpose and values + Choosing to live by purpose and values even when it is uncomfortable + and of course getting UNCOMFORTABLE Hit me up if you are interested in defining a challenge for yourself in 2020 chris@chrisdesmond.nz Show notes: Why he didn’t succeed the first time (9.10) Challenges he has faced in the last 30 years running a business (13.05) How did he evolve (18.30) The process of Identifying people (26.00) Strategies to approach UNCOMFORTABLE situations (33.15) Challenge this week (37.10)

Understand how to overcome discomfort by stepping back, stepping up, and stepping in

I'm joined on the show by Carl Condliffe, Teacher, Learner, Business Owner, Speaker, podcaster and an all-around good dude. We chat through a raft of topics including; failure, learning, starting a business, purpose, prioritization, working hard, and of course getting UNCOMFORTABLE Links Twitter https://twitter.com/NZPEteacher Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AugmentedLearningNZ/

Chris runs through the 4 things that have made him the most uncomfortable this year. What they have been, where he is at with them, and what he has learned.

Cut through the decision fatigue holding you back and take action by asking yourself one simple question. www.getoutofmycomfortzone.com

Dr Sarah Leberman is a professor of Leadership at Massey University, with has a particular interest in women in sport and academia. Among a myriad of other things she has been a steering group member of New Zealand Woman in Leadership program since its inception in 2006, and co-founded Women in Sport Aotearoa in 2017. Today our conversation centers around understanding privilege, our own, others, and why we need to be aware of it in our lives. We talk about awareness of privilege in leadership and how to remain in integrity. Obviously we also talk about the challenge and getting UNCOMFORTABLE

There are 4 common reasons that you give up when faced with a challenge, find out what they are and start to plan to combat them. chris@chrisdesmond.nz

Paul Watkins Mountain Climber, Adventurer, Entrepreneur, Pharmacist, Speaker, Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Nerd, etc joins me again on the podcast. Today we talk through defining ourselves, how others define us, and how we go about redefining ourselves. We dive into playing the long game, why it is important and some practical aspects of how to navigate the discomfort of doing it. And of course, we talk about getting UNCOMFORTABLE. https://www.roguescholar.com.au/

Early this week I attended a Movember fundraiser with a whole lot of dudes and a lot of openness and honesty about the hard stuff that we go through. I thought I would set a challenge for us to share some of our own daily discomfort on social media and go behind the scenes so we can support each other and learn important lessons about discomfort from the community. Use the hashtag #dailydiscomfort and tag me in your post LinkedIn  || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter 

Paul brings 30 years of business experience to the podcast today. Starting out in the month of the market crash in 1987 to recently exiting his business and the highs and lows and learning of everything in between. We chat about the gold nuggets he has taken from these experiences