Episodes

What will happen at the end of time? How will the world end? How will our lives end? Where is history heading to? Is there any sense or coherence in this increasingly complex and challenging world that we live in? That is the subject of Hollywood movies and popular science fiction novels down the ages. Popular movies and novels can be great fun and escapism, but then you have to get on with the rest of life with all of its predictability and mundaneness. Could there be another narrative? Indeed...

Religious faith. That is certainly a subject that can polarise and divide opinion between different people! We live in a world where it seems as though the more committed someone is to their particular faith view, then the more certain they seem to be about life and what others should or should not do. That is often the impression that comes through much of the popular media’s analysis of faith and life issues. But does that really help to make sense of life in all its mystery and complexity? W...

It’s not necessarily a comfortable subject to talk about, but it is increasingly relevant in the complex and challenging world we live in. Burnout is a state of chronic stress that has profound effects on many aspects of our lives. It covers a wide range of emotions that include physical and emotional exhaustion; cynicism and detachment from others as ell as an overall reduction in performance and levels of effectiveness. In this podcast conversation, my co-host Andrew Horton and I discuss our ...

I like to cheekily describe my friend Andy Parnham as a happiness guru. He works part of the week for the charity Livability, that serves people with disabilities, while the rest of the time he acts as an independent wellbeing advisor and coach, running amongst other things, The Happiness Course. This is in a variety of settings, including schools, health centres, companies and the voluntary sector. Do join us on this podcast as Andy and I discuss a subject of relevance to every one of us. We d...

To be human is to have conflict with other people. You cannot avoid it. Conflict can cause stress, as well as a host of other consequences, such as loss of sleep and even physical illness. But if you’ve had a difficult relationship, you come to realise that just ignoring it is often not the best way to handle it. So how can conflict be a means to growth and getting closer to others rather than being driven further apart? Is that even a possiblity for the difficult relationship in your own life? ...

Time. Such an important part of our lives and yet so hard to get a grasp of! We all have the same amount – 168 hours or 10,080 minutes a week or 86, 400 seconds a day. But we all struggle and wrestle with it. On top of that time is such a strange concept to grasp. What do we exactly mean by time and why does it seem to go at such a varying pace during different periods of our life? As someone once said: If you want to know the value of one year, just ask a student who failed a course. If you w...

According to the futurist and philosopher Alvin Toffler, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” The subject of education evokes strong views from all sorts of people. It is multi-billion dollar industry. In this podcast with my co-host Andrew Horton we give our personal reflections on education and learning. Do join us as we discuss: What do we actually mean by education? How doing well at school so oft...

Everyone loves a good story. Stories are part of what make us human. But I am not talking about the novels and classics many of us love to read. There is already a story going on in each of our minds. It is those stories that we tell ourselves about what happens to us that can have huge implications for our lives. How do those stories come from the way we see the world? Do come and join my co-host Andrew Horton and I as we discuss: The see-do-get model of human behaviour. How the way you see t...

In a world that is becoming increasingly volatile, unpredictable, challenging and complex, the development of grit has arguably never been more necessary. On the one hand, especially in the more prosperous parts of the world, we have never had more access to technology and labour saving devices. At the same time it is incredibly easy to become overwhelmed and exhausted by the never ending demands on our time and the things that need to be done at what seems to be greater and greater speed. Do c...

Baroness Caroline Cox founded Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART) in 2004. In the video and podcast below we find out about the inspiration behind the charity and its work in making a difference. HART seeks to reach those who are off the radar screen of the mainstream media and cannot be supported by major aid agencies. https://youtu.be/KdzqRIWXWJQ Do join us on the podcast as we discuss with Baroness Caroline Cox how HART was founded to fill a need to support and encourage those in desperate...

Caroline Cox is a remarkable lady. 6 July 2016 is her 79th Birthday. She is mother to 2 sons and a daughter as well as grandmother to 10 children. But she is no ordinary grandmother who likes to sit at home knitting, baking cakes and watching television. She has been accused by some of being a secret agent because of her ability to enter countries whose oppressive governments are intent on keeping her out. Her work in protecting the rights of Muslim women from oppression through Sharia courts i...

When many people think of those who are religious, it seems to me they go to one of two extremes. Either they think of someone who is arrogant and opinionated in their beliefs (especially to those who believe or think differently) or someone who is so nebulous and abstract in their thinking about God that they appear to accept anything and everything. On this podcast interview my co-host Andrew Horton and I attempt to go beyond these stereotypes to something we call spiritual maturity. We disc...

Death may well be the last taboo subject in modern Western society. The comedian Woody Allen is humorously quoted as saying, “I’m not afraid of dying. I just don’t want to be there when it happens!” And yet while we try to put the topic out of our minds, a clear understanding of our mortality is so important in bringing clarity to our complex and at times challenging lives. As Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, said two years before he died, “Remembering I’ll be dead soon is the most important to...

They say truth is stranger than fiction. In many ways the life story of Rahil Patel illustrates that. To read about it in a novel would sound implausible, even fantastically impossible. And yet here is his life story with such surprising and unexpected twists and turns. But what has this to do with Harry Potter? You will have to keep reading and listening! Rahil is of East African Kenyan Gujarati origin. He was brought up in North West London from the age of 5. At the age of 16 he gave a speech...

Leadership. What is it? Why does it matter? How should it matter to you and me? And also why whoever you are and whatever you do, you owe it to yourself and the world to see yourself as a leader. These are some of the questions my co-host Andrew Horton and I discuss on this podcast. We unravel some of the confusion around leadership. We also look at why it is not pompous or grandiose to think of yourself as a leader. We unpack the following definitions: “Leadership is influence. Nothing more....

Manoj Raithatha is a man who does not live life in small measures. He has been an English teacher, a BAFTA award winning and Emmy-nominated TV writer and a successful property entrepreneur – so successful in fact that his business at its height in 2007 was turning over £70 million a year and in 2005 he was able to buy 220 off plan appartments for £30 million. However, his life changed dramatically after the financial crisis of 2008. Also in that same year his 2 year old son became critically ill...

“That which does not kill us, makes us stronger,” so said the German philosopher Frederick Nietsche. Its a great quote, but I have to say that it is not necessarily automatic! As I have got older I have found my need for resilience has grown greater. And I am convinced that experience is not unique to me. Developing resilience in a world that is getting increasingly volatile, unpredictable, complex and ambiguous is an important life skill for anyone anywhere at any age. The need to master chang...

2015 was the year I turned 50. On this podcast discussion with my co-host Andrew Horton we think about ageing in a world and culture that tends to celebrate youth and ignore wisdom. Having said that getting older per see is not the issue. Its not experience alone that counts, but rather evaluated experience. Or as someone has eloquently put it, “There is a world of difference between 50 years of experience and 1 year of experience repeated 50 times!” As we explore these life lessons, we have be...

How do we make sense of money? How much money do we actually need? Don’t worry I am not trying to sell you anything! They say money can’t buy happiness – and there are many examples of that. But are there ways money can actually buy happiness? In this podcast with my co-host Andrew Horton we explore the fascinating and complex subject of money. I’m afraid I don’t think we can solve your money worries and problems, but we do explore ways that our attitude to money can lead to a healthy and last...

Stephen Richards Covey (24 October 1932 – 16 July 2012) was an American educator, author, business man and keynote speaker. His most popular book was “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” that sold 25 million copies and was translated into 28 languages. His Covey Leadership Centre has 3/4 of Fortune 500 companies as clients. The 5 minute video below gives a small glimpse of his wisdom, personality and genuine warmth: ›‹› https://youtu.be/YjxpyaOX3dE On this podcast I have the privilege...

On this podcast we have the privilege of interviewing Simon Prince about the subject of mindset . Simon is a director of MDN Fusion based in New Delhi, India. MDN Fusion is a global leadership development and assessment consultancy that seeks to develop people to their full potential through a combination of coaching and training. They have offices in the UK and India. Do join us on this podcast as we discuss: Why technical education is not enough to grow as a fully developed leader. What mi...

In the Khan Market area of Delhi is a thriving and busy bookshop called Bahrisons. It has been running since 1953 and is now based in the most expensive retail location in India (and in the top 30 for the world). But it has certainly not always been like that. On this podcast I have the privilege of interviewing Anuj Bahari (pictured above) about his father Balraj Bahari Malhotra and the story behind the bookshop. Its a story that goes all the way back to the partition of India in 1947. It’s al...

Religious thinking. What exactly is it? Is it something we need more of or less of in our world? It often comes as a surprise when I say that I struggle with religious thinking. A clue is in the bell-shaped curve below: Do come and join the podcast discussion with my co-host Andrew Horton and I as we discuss: What do we exactly mean by religious thinking? The problem that this creates some semi-humourous examples that illustrate this. religious thinking and mental health The alternative to rel...

Joy. Its a great subject, but why is it important and so fundamental to your life and my life? In this podcast we try to make sense of joy and distinguish it from happiness. Do join my cohost Andrew Horton and myself as we discuss the following: How as a psychiatrist practically all my training has been on the negative rather than the positive in life. The dangers of the “if only…..” mindset Why personal circumstances only account for 10% of your overall level of happiness. The importance of t...