Mitesh qualified from the London School of Economics with a BSc in Actuarial Science. After graduating, he spent a year in India studying at a monastery/school of philosophy. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and a member of the Diversity Project’s advisory board. Mitesh has been recognised for creating one of the industry’s most open, innovative and inclusive workplace cultures and for putting diversity at the top of the agenda when he was the CEO of Reddington. As a result, in part, of Mitesh’s efforts in this area and his committed leadership, Reddington was one of the first companies in financial services to close its gender pay gap in 2019. Unsurprisingly, Mitesh received an MBE in 2022 in recognition for his contributions.

This conversation spans a childhood in environments as diverse as Bolton and India; being a member of a gang; spending a year in a monastery struggling to belong and be comfortable in your own skin; grappling as a teenager with mental health challenges; and being an impactful senior business leader in a successful financial institution.

00:00 – Introduction
03:16 – Not fitting in during childhood
15:32 – Desperation and finding faith
24:39 – Learning to live simply
36:45 – Spirituality as a foundation for life
47:10 – Supporting, rather than burdening children
01:03:45 – Opening up and revealing yourself
01:14:47 – Allowing children to experience their lives

At the time of that podcast, Max asked me if his girlfriend Jasmine – and now fiancé – could join our conversation, as she herself was on a profound healing journey having experienced intense turmoil, abuse, and neglect as a child and young woman. I really connected with Jasmine during the podcast and we have since become friends, and met up online where she has facilitated some incredible deep-breathing yoga sessions. The more I learned about what she went through, the more I felt that Jasmine’s full story needed to be heard. So, I have invited Jaz back to tell her story in more detail; it is a remarkable testament to the innate capacity we have as humans – not only to heal from past trauma – but to find peace inside ourselves, after desperately searching for it outside ourselves.

3:15 – Living with an abusive and drug addicted stepmother
12:17 – Feeling responsibility for parents
20:39 – Not being protected as a young person
23:53 – Parents losing their way and finding forgiveness
29:50 – Teenage years: hyper-anxiety, binging, insomnia and substance abuse
39:15 – Is addiction genetic? Realising we are not stuck
50:45 – Making changes and the power of yoga
1:08:19 – Forgiving and loving

https://www.jasminehansonyoga.com/

Unconvinced that the medicines being offered were right for her, she took the bold decision to look beyond traditional medical interventions. Having attended a retreat with Professor George Jelinek in Melbourne, Australia, Linda soon started following the Overcoming MS Program, and remarkably, within a year, her symptoms improved dramatically. Linda attributes her healing to this evidence-based approach based primarily on lifestyle changes.

Linda subsequently moved to the UK and established the Overcoming MS charity which is a resource for thousands of people with MS. Linda is also a trustee of The Bloom Foundation which looks for effective ways to address social issues and to empower people to help themselves. Linda is also the wife of Tony Bloom, owner of Brighton & Hove Albion FC, the Premier League football club which is doing absolutely brilliantly at the moment!

4:15 –   First symptoms of MS and diagnosis

12:36 – Reconnecting with spirituality

21:38 – Resilience found in being the daughter of holocaust survivors

28:28 – MS and Professor Jelinek’s research

38:50 – Persevering with lifestyle changes and noticing the difference

47:35 – Becoming a mother, relapse and starting Overcoming MS charity

57:31 – Being trapped in Australia during Covid and separated from husband

1:02:39 – Learning from suffering

1:06:28 – Being the wife of a football club owner

1:11:00 – Security lies within and making a positive impact

Imagine Overcoming MS | Overcoming MS

In Michelle’s words: “Suicide is preventable. As a society we need to do more to stop this epidemic.”

Conversations like this can be hard to hear, but we absolutely need to have them and not shy away from debating the issues. We owe it to our children.

0:00 – Introduction
4:01 – Myths about suicide
10:38 – Oli’s childhood
17:20 – Recognising poor mental health
34:17 – The day Oli died
37:49 – Trying to deal with grief
50:16 – Schools need to address these issues
1:02:33 – Hands-on/off parenting

https://www.theolileightrust.org/#/

It was no easy task whittling down what has to be one of the most impressive biographies I have ever come across. But what’s even more impressive – as you will no doubt hear in this conversation – is what a humble, down to earth, curious, openhearted, honest and genuine person Anthony is.  

Professor Anthony Kessel is a public health physician, GP and academic. He is currently  working part time as Clinical Director at NHS England. Prior to this, Anthony worked for a decade as Director of Global Public Health at Public Health England and National Director of Public Health Strategy. He is also currently Senior Public Health Advisor to the Football Association (FA), and advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) on public health.  

Anthony has over 100 publications in areas of public health, environmental health and the medical humanities. He has trained as an executive coach and writes a personal column exploring his leadership work.

And then came a major transition: Anthony is now the author of the 4-book adventure series for children-  ‘DON’T DOUBT THE RAINBOW’. Threaded throughout the series is a unique and profound approach to support the mental health and resilience of children and young people. The first book, The Five Clues, has been short-listed for several national and international awards. The second book, Outside Chance, was published in July 2022.  

0:00 – Introduction  
4:00 – Becoming an author and loving what we do 
16:08 – Overcoming fear to change  
25:46 – Innate qualities of wellbeing  
29:28 – Learning through loss  
39:02 – Separation: Discovering that my heart can’t be broken  
49:27 – Universality of resilience in personal suffering  
55:39 – Societal mental health and wellbeing  
1:15:27 – Creativity in mental health education  
1:20:24 – Living in the present  

You can find links to Anthony’s work and books in the notes below.

Buy The Five Clues – Don’t Doubt the Rainbow

Buy Outside Chance – Don’t Doubt the Rainbow 2

Mesmerized by the show, Shellie decided then and there that one day, she would be up there performing on the world’s biggest stages as a member of the troupe. This dream came true a decade later when Shelli became the running woman in Cirque du Soleil’s critically acclaimed show, ‘Luzia’.  

In today’s podcast, Shelli and I investigate and explore the immense grit, sacrifice and discipline that often seems to be lacking in our youth today. We delve into the resilience and the perspective she was able to discover as she came up against rejection; being told to lose weight or lose her contract;  finding herself without a job during the covid pandemic; and facing debilitating, career ending injuries, which led her to ask herself : “If am not a circus performer, who am I?”  

Shelli is an inspirational example of a young woman who had a big dream, and was willing to fall – in order to fly. 

The link to Shelli’s book and website can be found in the notes. 

0.00 – Introduction 
2:07 – Childhood dreams and sacrifices  
14:01 – Disappointment: Missing out on the Olympics  
36:18 – Being told to lose weight  
43:17 – Pinnacle: The Running Woman  
47:41 – Dealing with praise and criticism  
51:44 – Covid and job loss; what came next  
55:34 – Injury and Identity crisis 
1:00:52 – Leaving the Cirque du Soleil  
1:09:55 – Resilience and life lessons 

https://www.shelliepstein.co.uk 

https://www.instagram.com/shelliepstein/  

Flying High: Life Lessons from the Big Top 

In listening to this podcast, you will understand why he has spent almost 30 years years traversing the globe as an in-demand public speaker, advisor and thought leader. You will hear his moving story of his daughter Candice’s heroin addiction battle on the inner city streets of Hillbrow in Johannesburg that led to the creation of One Million Strong – an organisation committed to raising the next generation of leaders in countries across Africa. 

Yet, there is a tragic twist that is revealed discover as we probe and investigate Paul’s story. Just as he and his family thought they had finally found peace, they were confronted with more heartbreak, unexpected loss and grief. This inspirational story of struggle, courage, and remarkable resilience is one of the most moving you will ever hear. 

0.00 – Introduction 
2:30 – One Million Strong  
8:34 – How it all started  
22:04 – Tough love parenting  
26:33 – Taking personal responsibility  
33:44 – Be part of the solution, not part of the problem  
43:10 – The strength to say yes to the right things – and no to the wrong things  
49:40 – Candice’s recovery and subsequent illness 
59:09 – Dealing with grief  
1:07:45 – Intentionality and congruence 

Click here to view One Million Strong’s Website

Julian is a highly accomplished, humble and wise individual. His job title as Chief Commercial Officer at Endava only skims the surface of his accomplishments; he also proudly serves as trustee for iheart Charity, in addition to being a devoted parent, with Jacquie, to Phoebe and Aaron.

Jaqui is a powerhouse of talent and insight – her charisma captivates hearts! She has an impressive resume with experience as a coach, multi faith minister, breathwork facilitator and a certified iheart facilitator. On top of this, she founded Serenity Practice, a not-for-profit dedicated to reminding people them that joy and serenity is our birthright.

Both Jaqui & Julian were very open and transparent during our conversation – no sugar coating or romanticising here! It was a joy to be part of this raw yet genuine exchange between two incredible people exploring how they navigated their lives through the dark and messy moments of parenting, mental health challenges, mistakes made, and lessons learnt. Most most of all, it was inspiring two spend time with a couple who profoundly understand that this life is one of grappling, ongoing learning and appreciating.

0:00 – Introduction 
3:10 – Child-raising challenges and different approaches to parenting 
13:23 – Their daughter’s overdose  
20:10 – Learning that you can’t control everything 
38:39 – Phoebe’s recovery and resilience 
47:51 – “We had no expectations of her … but we could have done better”
52:00 – Impact on their relationship 
59:40 – Social media and its challenges
1:02:46 – Believing that our children are not broken

https://theserenitypractice.com/about/

Explore remarkable stories of resilience in our new podcast, The Resilience Files. Join us on this journey and be part of something truly special. Tune in, like, follow & subscribe for updates. Please leave a review as this helps raise our profile and reach more people.

On October 25th 2019, Max’s life changed forever. Vanessa, a talented musician, their two-year-old daughter Luiceinne and four-month-old son Desmond were heading to a family gathering but tragically, en-route, their car was intentionally struck head on by a man attempting suicide.

After the murder of his family, Max went on a journey to understand why and how this could have happened and what life and death means to him. In this conversation, Max shares his profound and heart-breaking story with his new partner Jasmine.

While trying to come to terms with the tragic loss of Molly, Ian decided to investigate how this tragedy could have occurred. His persistence led him to the realisation that some of the world largest technology and social media companies had to be held to account.

If you or your family engage with social media, this is a conversation that you need to hear. As Ian asks; “If we don’t understand this new space we are co-living in, how can we use it responsibly and safely?”

In this first episode, Terry shares her deeply moving personal story of battling with chronic depression and anxiety, acute anorexia, and extreme self harm that began in her early teenage years. At the age of 29, already a wife and mother of five young boys, she attempted to take her own life. Following her release from hospital, Terry unexpectedly discovered the ‘invincible summer’ and innate resilience that resides within her. Even more unexpected was the extraordinary discovery that this invincible summer exists within all human beings.

Inspired by this life-changing knowledge, Terry went on to found iheart – a global non-profit dedicated to sharing the message that we have everything we need inside – not just to survive life, but to thrive in life. “Our mission,” explains Terry, “is to educate all people that they do not have a resilience deficit. Rather, we empower them with the confidence that they can uncover their built-in mental health, wellbeing and resilience so that they can overcome their challenges and realise their extraordinary potential.”