Follow Our Podcast
Recent Episodes
Monday Night Live with Derek Arden with Eva Fanari Estonia
???? Global Perspective, Local Wisdom & the Power of NegotiationMonday Night Live with Derek Arden featuring Eva Fanari ???????????????? Tonight’s Monday Night Live was one of those conversations that effortlessly travelled from New Mexico to Northern Europe, from negotiation skills to geopolitics, and from real estate deals to the meaning of freedom itself. Derek Arden was delighted to welcome back Eva Fanari, joining from Albuquerque, New Mexico—about as far away as you can get and still make it to Monday Night Live on time! Eva is a communication and negotiation expert, a sought-after trainer for real estate professionals, and a regular opinion columnist writing weekly on European and global affairs. And yes… somehow, she does all that every single Thursday ???? ???? From Negotiation Rooms to Newsrooms ✍️ Eva shared how she became a weekly columnist for an Estonian newspaper—an unexpected role for a communicator based in the American Southwest. What began as a short-term writing challenge turned into a three-year commitment to crafting 1,000–1,500 words every week. Her motivation? Writing forces clarity. It sharpens thinking. And it reveals what you actually believe once the words hit the page. As Eva put it, writing isn’t just communication—it’s thinking out loud with discipline. Tonight’s Monday Night Live was one of those conversations that effortlessly travelled from New Mexico to Northern Europe, from negotiation skills to geopolitics, and from real estate deals to the meaning of freedom itself. Derek Arden was delighted to welcome back Eva Farina, joining from Albuquerque, New Mexico—about as far away as you can get and still make it to Monday Night Live on time! Eva is a communication and negotiation expert, a sought-after trainer for real estate professionals, and a regular opinion columnist writing weekly on European and global affairs.And yes… somehow, she does all that every single Thursday ???? ???? Estonia, History & the Reality of Living Next to Russia A powerful part of the evening focused on Estonia’s history, its strategic position in Europe, and the very real tensions created by the ongoing war in Ukraine. Eva offered a deeply personal and historical insight into life in a small country that has spent centuries under occupation—from Crusaders, to Swedes, to German forces, to Soviet control. For Estonia, independence is not abstract—it is earned, defended, and never taken for granted. She also explained why defence spending, conscription, and NATO cooperation are not political talking points, but matters of survival. “Freedom is not your birthright. It’s something you defend.” A line that landed hard—and stayed. ✈️ NATO, Borders & Modern Tensions Eva described frequent airspace incursions, drone crossings, and the delicate balancing act NATO must maintain—protecting borders without triggering escalation.Peacekeeping, not provocation, remains NATO’s core mission. But as Eva noted, normalising conflict is dangerous, even when it fades into the background of everyday life. ???? Real Estate, Psychology & the Art of the DealSwitching gears, the discussion turned to Eva’s professional world—real estate negotiation in the US.With markets shifting from seller-dominated to balanced, negotiation skills are firmly back in play. Eva’s core belief? ???? Everything is negotiable—if you listen properly.She explained why creating pressure rarely works, why rushed decisions backfire, and why negotiation is about uncovering deal breakers, not bulldozing past them.Listening, planning, and aiming for win–win outcomes remain timeless principles. ???? A Final Piece of Wisdom for 2026 ????Eva closed with a beautifully grounding reminder:We don’t have crystal balls.We don’t know what tomorrow holds.But we do get to choose—right now—what we think, how we feel, and where we place our attention.That, she reminded us, is real freedom. ???? Thank you, Eva https://derekarden.co.uk https://negotiationexpert.co NEW https://negotiatorspodcast.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/negotiatingexpert/
Monday Night Live with Derek Arden with Janice Litvin – Beating Burnout
Janice Litvin is one of America’s leading experts on Workplace Wellness and Beating Burnout. Janice will show us exactly how to help others stop burnout before it starts — with simple, science-based techniques to manage stress, reset our thinking, and build stronger resilience at work and at home. She’ll give us practical tools we can use immediately, including her signature “pause–reflect–reset” method that has helped thousands of professionals stay calmer, clearer, and more in control. ???? Monday Night Live with Derek Arden Beating Burnout, Managing Stress & Strengthening Human Connection in the Age of AISpecial Guest: Janice Litvin — Wellness Expert, Speaker & Burnout Buster ????????✨ Welcome to another inspiring episode of Monday Night Live, hosted by Derek Arden — and tonight, all the way from Walnut Creek, California (yes, Derek almost placed it south of San Francisco!), we welcomed the brilliant, warm and wonderfully energetic Janice Litvin. Janice is one of the USA’s leading voices on stress, burnout, emotional wellbeing, and healthy workplace culture. She’s a former President of the NSA Northern California Chapter, a sought-after keynote speaker, and a true champion of helping people pull themselves out of overwhelm before they reach breaking point. Tonight, she brought her trademark blend of honesty, humour, science and practical tools — and wow, did she deliver. ???? ???? Why Stress & Burnout Are Surging Janice opened with a simple but powerful truth:“Everyone is taking everything personally.” With global issues, political turbulence, climate anxiety, and the constant noise of social media, emotional responses are rising everywhere. Add endless scrolling, comparison culture, and polarised online conversations — it’s no wonder people feel overloaded. She shared that organisations repeatedly tell her the same thing: “Our people are overwhelmed. They have too much to do. And we can’t find enough good help.” This insight, combined with Janice’s 20 years in recruiting, inspired her new talk: ???? ‘Recruit to Retain in the Age of AI: The Power of Human Connection’ Her message is clear:AI is a tool — not a replacement for empathy, communication and emotional contact. Her Amazon interview story said it all: a brilliant young AI engineer interviewed almost exclusively by bots… until a single human appeared on Zoom — and then an automated rejection arrived shortly after.A perfect example of tech overshadowing humanity. ???? Working From Home, Isolation & Human Contact Janice believes remote work offers valuable freedom — but warns that too little connection increases stress. Even one day a week in the office helps morale, communication and belonging (though she and Derek agreed the UK’s standard of what counts as a “long commute” is… radically different to the US! ????????). ???? Harnessing Stress Instead of Being Crushed by It Janice shared her own hilarious pre-speech panic story — mouth full of “cotton balls”, jittery stomach — but how Patricia Fripp’s coaching helped her channel nervous energy into stage presence. The formula? Stress → Awareness → Reframing → Action Ignoring stress leads to burnout.Listening to the “little clues” keeps you in control. She revealed a powerful story about a CEO whose star employee suddenly quit due to complete exhaustion — a wake-up call for leaders everywhere. ???? Helping Our Children & Younger Generations Derek asked how we advise our kids and grandkids — many under far more pressure than we were.Janice spoke about her own son, a hardworking music entrepreneur who pushes himself too hard.The key message:Breaks aren’t luxuries — they’re maintenance.Micro-breaks. Walks. Sunshine. Couple time. Family time. Fresh air. ???? The “DOSE” Happiness Chemicals Janice lit up the room explaining the natural chemicals that lift mood: Dopamine – reward, motivation, small wins ???? Oxytocin – trust, connection, warmth ???? Serotonin – mood, calm, wellbeing ????️ Endorphins – feel-good exercise chemistry ????♀️✨ Even a smile at a stranger can trigger a burst.Janice encouraged us to:“Choose connection at every opportunity.” ???? Understanding the Brain: Prefrontal Cortex & the Amygdala Hijack She explained that the prefrontal cortex handles rational thought.The amygdala creates fight-flight-freeze responses. When someone cuts you off in traffic or ignores your kindness, we’re quick to react — unless we pause and consider a more compassionate story.A powerful reframe that instantly softened the whole group. ???????? Women, Negotiation & Setting Boundaries Janice and Derek revisited last week’s gender-based negotiation discussion.Many women are raised never to say “no” — but Janice shared a brilliant reframing tool for overloaded employees: “I’d love to take on this new project. Before we start Monday, let’s review my current workload and adjust deadlines so everything gets done well.” A calm, professional, confident boundary.This one is going straight to TikTok. ???????? ???? Gifts, Books, and One Last Tip Janice revealed her book “Banish Burnout” is just 99 cents on Amazon this week, and she’s offering a free stress-awareness handout with three levels of burnout clues. Her final tip for 2026:Pay attention to the early signs.Avoidance, trouble sleeping, irritability, difficulty concentrating — these are the warning lights.Notice them early, take action early, and protect your wellbeing. ???? A Huge Thank You A superb session filled with insights, warmth and practical advice.Janice Litvin — you’re a star. ???? https://derekarden.co.uk https://negotiationexpert.co NEW https://negotiatorspodcast.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/negotiatingexpert/
MONDAY NIGHT LIVE with Derek Arden & Geoff Hunt Global Negotiations
Tonight we’re joined by Geoff Hunt, Group Commercial Director at Arup — a global engineering powerhouse with 20,000 staff, 44 countries, and a turnover of £2.5 billion. Big numbers… so big I had to sit down and have a cup of tea before the show. Geoff has spent 40 years navigating the engineering world at every level — contractor, consultant, COO, and now Group Commercial Director. But what makes tonight’s conversation unmissable is his insight into high-value, high-pressure negotiation — the kind of deals where a wrong move costs millions, and the right move saves entire projects. Settle in — this is a Masterclass. ???? ???? Geoff’s Journey: From Construction Sites to the Top Table Geoff began as a civil engineer on construction sites before realising there was far more to explore in consultancy. Over the decades he moved from small firms to major international consultancies before joining Arup — where he’s now been for 23 years. He’s led big teams, delivered major global projects, shaped commercial strategy, and steered Arup’s operations across the UK, India, Middle East, and Africa.But the thread through his entire career? Negotiation.Fees, disputes, variations, obligations, insurance, approvals — the whole spectrum. And in Geoff’s world, it’s never just about the money. The value is in the variables. ???? The $25 Million Stand-Off: When Two Styles Collide Geoff shared an extraordinary story from a $25 million claim negotiation on a Middle Eastern metro project. Two mediations.Twenty-five people around the table.Lawyers, counsel, technical teams — the works. And then… the opposition’s commercial director arrives with the full “stamping, shouting, paper-throwing” approach. Geoff responded by doing the exact opposite: The louder the other side got, the quieter he became.This completely threw their strategy off balance. The first mediation failed — yet the follow-up negotiation with a calmer counterpart ultimately settled the deal. A reminder that: ???? Staying composed is more powerful than shouting.???? Match the logic, not the volume. ???? Reading the Room – Even When It’s Online In another case, mediation was partly remote and partly in-person — a potential nightmare.But Geoff’s team had a secret weapon: a bilingual lip-reader on WhatsApp. Yes, really. This colleague quietly messaged Geoff what the other side were discussing. That vital insight allowed Arup to reorder negotiation topics and secure early wins before tackling the fee. Takeaway: ???? Preparation meets opportunity… and sometimes luck joins the party. ???? The Paddington Station Plot Twist – Negotiating on the Go One of the night’s most memorable stories came from Paddington Station at 7:30am. A Qatar client — silent for three years — suddenly phoned wanting to settle a major fee claim. They offered 25% of the amount owed. But Geoff’s network quickly uncovered the truth: The client desperately needed a clean bill of health from auditors to unlock their next project. Armed with that insight, Geoff held firm — and secured 90% of the claim.From a train station bench.That’s world-class negotiation. ???????? ???? Why Face-to-Face Still Wins Geoff reinforced a timeless principle: ???? Never negotiate tough issues by email. A handshake, a coffee, and honest eye contact change everything. You learn their pressures, their motivations, their constraints — the things no email ever reveals. Negotiation is human.And humans work best in person. ???? Final Takeaways from Geoff Hunt Build a strong, briefed, well-prepared team Watch the order of negotiation topics Look for upstream pressures on the other side Secure small wins early Don’t fear silence And above all… stay resilient Geoff’s an engineer at heart — a problem-solver — and that mindset serves him brilliantly in high-stakes negotiation. ???? Thank You, Geoff! A huge vote of thanks from all of us at Monday Night Live for sharing such invaluable stories and strategies.Geoff, we’d love to welcome you back next year — your insights help everyone sharpen their negotiation skills. If you’re watching the replay, grab a notebook. This one’s pure gold. ???? https://derekarden.co.uk https://negotiationexpert.co NEW https://negotiatorspodcast.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/negotiatingexpert/
Derek Arden with Tim Durkin — The Results Model
Tim Durkin Returns: The Results Model, Via Negativa & The Arrival Fallacy ???? I’m Derek Arden, and welcome to Monday Night Live. Tonight, we’re delighted to have Tim Durkin from Granbury, Texas, one of our founding members and long-time friends of the show. Tim first joined us when Monday Night Live launched on 23rd March 2020, and he’s been part of the family ever since. Tim is an educator, a lifelong learner, and someone dedicated to sharing wisdom, insight, and practical ideas you can apply immediately. After months on the road, he told us he’d “missed the group, missed the learning, and missed all his MNL friends.” And tonight, he returned in classic Durkin form — thoughtful, humorous, and packed with gold. So let’s dive into the three big transformational ideas Tim shared… 1️⃣ The Results Model — Why You’re Getting EXACTLY the Results You Deserve ???? Tim opened with a model that he says has “saved his life… maybe twice.” Learned originally from Larry Wilson at the Pecos River Learning Center, it explains—beautifully and bluntly—why we get the results we do in life. ???? The Model in Brief:Event → Evaluation → Response → Result → Next Event Every event triggers an evaluation (“What does this mean?”), which drives a response, which creates a result… which becomes the next event.Most people believe they should be getting love, happiness, financial security, peace, success. But Tim makes a provocative point: “The results you should be getting are exactly the results you’re getting.” Not as punishment — but because all the conditions that create those results are currently in place. If you want different results?You don’t always need to change your map (your beliefs, worldview, or identity)…But you can always change your response. And Tim’s wonderful little finger-rotation exercise proved it instantly:Change your point of view — and what you see changes too. Magic. 2️⃣ Via Negativa — Improving Life by Subtraction ????️✨ Next, Tim introduced the elegant idea of via negativa — borrowed from Peter Drucker and inspired by Michelangelo’s “I just released David from the stone.” Instead of endlessly adding tasks, books, goals, habits, apps, and projects… Ask:“What do I need to REMOVE?” Complexity is often self-created.Deleting requires courage.And sometimes the bravest thing you can do is let go. Tim suggested a brilliant New Year tradition:New Year’s Dissolutions, not Resolutions. Write down things you want to subtract from your life — unhealthy habits, pointless subscriptions, unhelpful commitments, even energy-draining people — and burn them in a “burning bowl” ritual. (Maybe not in the Hilton Hotel like Derek’s friend Simon Zucchi… unless you enjoy triggering fire alarms!) A killer question to evaluate anything you’re doing:“If we weren’t already doing this, would we start today?”If the answer is no — maybe it’s time to dissolve it. 3️⃣ The Arrival Fallacy — Why The Journey Is the Reward ????❤️ Tim’s third idea dismantles a common myth:The belief that achieving a goal creates lasting satisfaction. It almost never does. As Tim put it:“Three people I know who reached the summit of Everest all had the same reaction: it’s just a bunch of rocks.” The joy was in the months of preparation, the training, the challenge, the adventure. From Winnie the Pooh to Ralph Waldo Emerson to Cervantes… the timeless message is the same: The journey is better than the destination. Tim quoted world-number-one golfer Scottie Scheffler, who says after winning a tournament he enjoys about 10 minutes of satisfaction… then wonders what’s for dinner. Because the practice is the joy. ???? Final Thoughts & Derek’s Wrap-Up Tim closed by reminding us that: If you want new results, examine your map and your response. If life feels overloaded, try subtracting instead of adding. And whatever goal you’re chasing… remember to enjoy the journey. Derek added his own reflections on energy vampires (“they impose a YES tax”), post-it burning mishaps, and his travels to Fiji and New Zealand — which, he admitted, looked suspiciously like the Surrey Hills after 24 hours of jet lag. A brilliant session packed with insight, humour, and practical wisdom.Tim — thank you! ???? https://derekarden.co.uk https://negotiationexpert.co NEW https://negotiatorspodcast.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/negotiatingexpert/
MNL with Derek Arden & Justin Urquhart-Stewart Markets, Mindsets & Mayhem in the Global Economy
This week on Monday Night Live, your host Derek Arden welcomed renowned commentator Justin Urquhart‑Stewart to deliver an incisive and crowd-pleasing dive into the state of the global economy, financial markets and the shifting tides of investor confidence. Expect a blend of big ideas, sharp clarity and practical insights you can use — all served with that signature Monday-night energy. ???? Major talking points Market jitters & pulse-checkJustin kicked off with a candid take on why markets are in a state of flux — from inflation pressures and supply-chain turbulence to interest-rate ascent and currency instability. He and Derek unpacked what these mean for the UK and beyond. The pound, borrowing and the budget backdropWith the UK’s borrowing ballooning and the pound wobbling against global peers, the duo discussed how macro policy decisions are feeding investor sentiment and what to watch next. Europe, geopolitics & supply-chain fault linesEurope’s leadership vacuum, Russian gas risks, Greek debt legacy, Brexit dynamics — all got a mention as major undercurrents shaping financial flows and strategic bets. Digital assets, crypto whispers & blockchain frontiersJustin shared his view on whether emerging crypto/blockchain trends are over-hyped or legitimately changing the game for investors and institutions alike. Investor mindset & resilience in times of changeBeyond charts and graphs, the psychological game — how to stay confident, agile and opportunistic when everything feels uncertain — was a recurring theme ???? Why this matters for you If you’re seeking to stay ahead of macro-economic waves, this episode is your inside tour of what’s moving (and shaking) beneath the headlines. For business leaders, negotiators or creators (yes you, reader), the take-aways go beyond finance: understanding how global tremors affect decision-making, trust, cash-flow, risk appetite and opportunity. And if you find your mind drifting in uncertain times — this live chat offers clarity, narrative and a timely reminder: crisis = context + choice. ???? Key quotes to remember “We’re in a phase of re-evaluation, not just recession.” “Confidence is currency — and once that drains, everything else follows.” “Digital assets aren’t either hype or future: they’re a parallel game that we ignore at our peril.” ???? Host-guest chemistry & standout momentsDerek brought his trademark blend of incisive questioning and human storytelling, challenging Justin to go beyond surface-stats and probe deeper into meaning and mindset. Justin responded with crisp conviction, bringing decades of market experience and the ability to translate complexity into insight. The result? An episode that feels both strategic and grounded — perfect for Monday night reflection with purpose. ???? Don’t miss a beat …• Subscribe to the channel so you’re notified for future episodes featuring top-tier guests, bold thinking and actionable insight.• Drop a comment below: What surprised you most in this episode? Which macro trend will you keep an eye on this week?• Share the episode with someone in your network who needs a fresh view on the world (and their mindset) for the week ahead. ✅ Final thoughtsWhether you’re monitoring markets, leading a team, negotiating a deal or simply staying sharp in a volatile world — this week’s Monday Night Live is your strategic pit-stop. Derek and Justin don’t just throw numbers at you: they invite you into the story behind the numbers, the mindset behind the moves and the opportunities emerging when the crowd is hesitating. Thanks for tuning in — may your week ahead be informed, resilient and punchy. https://derekarden.co.uk https://negotiationexpert.co NEW https://negotiatorspodcast.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/negotiatingexpert/
POWERED BY BLUBRRY
