Second Mind empowers you to become the greatest version of yourself and better the world. To ignite personal growth and intrigue your mind, we showcase the journeys, ideas and mindsets of inspiring people. We broadcast guests who live and think differently to create their mark on the universe. Their messages will challenge your perspectives and give you the fuel to master your potential.
Episodes
Monday Feb 21, 2022
Monday Feb 21, 2022
We have all been there. You glance down at your phone whilst going about your day to see another headline about that world issue that you care about. Something rises up in you, a new energy that demands action and positive change. But as quickly as this spark arrived, it dims and vanishes as you move through the rest of your day. Maybe you sometimes wonder, what if I answered the call to action?
My guests today, Isaac Kenyon and Alex Pierrot, are prime examples of individuals who have caught that moment of inspiration about a cause they care about and turned it into a positive and purposeful project that creates change. Isaac and Alex run Climate Explorers, a community interest company with the mission to highlight climate solutions, raise environmental awareness, and promote physical and mental wellbeing through eco-adventures in the great outdoors.
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Tuesday Aug 04, 2020
Tuesday Aug 04, 2020
I am in conversation with Dr Ian Tenant, a wellbeing specialist helping people make inexpensive and simple choices that improve their health. With a doctorate from The University of Edinburgh in Clinical and Surgical Sciences and qualifications in sports massage and holistic lifestyle coaching, Ian works with knowledge on the frontiers of medical research to help his clients feel more energised and understand why the habits of healthy people actually work. Ian has previously worked as a researcher at the Medical Research Council Centre for Inflammation Research, but now helps clients face-to-face with health issues, including professional athletes and high-level entrepreneurs.
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Friday Jun 26, 2020
Friday Jun 26, 2020
In the last 50 years, humanity has destroyed 50% of all wildlife on Earth. Currently, there’s more carbon dioxide in our atmosphere than any other time in human history, causing a climate breakdown. It is clear our modern society’s relationship with nature is heavily out of balance. Whilst all this destruction is occurring to our environmental life support systems, people in the UK spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, disconnected from nature. How can we value and respect something that we do not feel connected to?
Enter my newest podcast guest, the brilliant Faith Douglas, who has made a career out of helping people with nature connection, a powerful process where an individual can use their senses to mindfully engage with the elements and environments of the natural world. Faith runs forest bathing courses in the UK and she is the curator for Thorp Perrow Arboretum, helping people to enjoy a special selection of tree species. She has recently completed her awesome new book called The Nature Remedy, a guide to help anyone connect back with elements of the natural world, from the sky to the earth to the trees.
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Tuesday Jun 16, 2020
Tuesday Jun 16, 2020
In this episode, I am joined by Grace Kingswell, a functional nutrition therapist who is passionate about the healing power of food.
Through her functional nutrition practice, Grace works to treat and heal the root causes of health issues, guiding her patients on complex chronic issues such as thyroid disorders, gut imbalances and eczema. She also has gained qualifications in breathwork and acupuncture, which she uses to help her patients improve their health with a holistic approach.
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Monday May 25, 2020
Monday May 25, 2020
My guest on the show is the fantastic Fiona Quinn, an endurance adventurer, entrepreneur and keynote speaker.
Just a few years ago, Fiona was new to adventuring, finding her feet with small local cycling trips. Fast forward to the end of 2018, she was able to paddleboard 800 miles across 81 days from Land’s End to John O'Groats, despite having a deep fear of the sea created when she almost drowned as a child. In completing this paddleboarding achievement, she became the first ever woman to complete a length of Britain triathlon, having already walked and cycled the route in previous years.
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Wednesday Mar 11, 2020
Wednesday Mar 11, 2020
In this episode, I am in conversation with former monk, long-term peace and environmental activist and world-renowned speaker, Satish Kumar, who has been quietly setting the global agenda for change for over 50 years.
At the age of just 9 years old, Satish left home to become a Jain monk and campaigned for Gandhi’s vision of a renewed India. In the 1960s, he embarked on an 8,000-mile peace pilgrimage with no money, walking on foot and relying only on the kindness of strangers to travel to each of the 4 nuclear weapons capitals, delivering a message of peace.
After settling in the UK, Satish served in the position of Editor at Resurgence and Ecologist magazine for over 40 years. He is founder and Director of Programmes of the Schumacher College International Centre for Ecological Studies, and of The Small School, promoting an innovative model of holistic education. He is the author of 9 books, including Soil, Soul & Society: A New Trinity for Our Time.
In this conversation, we discuss how tending to our inner wellbeing can benefit world issues and humanity as a whole. Satish gives his advice on how we can increase our wellbeing through our daily choices. Our guest shares his perspectives on why he thinks we should be careful not to over-specialise in our skills and experiences. We talk over the vital importance of connecting to nature for individual wellbeing, and identify some key techniques people can use to connect back to the natural world. The former Jain monk talks on the power of optimism in the face of great planetary challenges, and outlines his three key values for his vision of a sustainable and happy society: Soil, Soul and Society. We deliberate the place that money and competition could have in a fairer, more ecological society. Finally, Satish tells of his experiences from his incredible 8,000-mile peace pilgrimage to the world nuclear capitals.
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Wednesday Mar 04, 2020
Wednesday Mar 04, 2020
We dive into the experiences and learnings of Ash Bhardwaj, a travel adventurer, writer, film-maker and storyteller who explores the world with curiosity and excitement. He has written for The Daily Telegraph, The Times and Huffington Post and has produced programmes for Channel 4 and the BBC.
Just to name a few of his accomplishments, he has:
- Travelled 8500km through 11 countries along Russia's European border.
- Retraced WW2 secret missions through Albania’s mountains on foot.
- Walked 800km through India on the tv documentary ‘Walking The Himalayas’.
- And walked 1100km through Uganda and Sudan with Levison Wood on the documentary Walking The Nile.
On our show, the adventurer gives his advice on how to gain richer adventure experiences that allow travellers to gain deeper insight and understanding of local environments and communities. We explore how he broke into the travel and adventure industry, picking up key tips for others to follow a similar path. Ash recounts the fascinating experiences he gained whilst travelling 8500km overland from the top of Norway to Romania, exploring former Soviet countries and their neighbours. Our guest gives his insights into how geopolitical tensions and events impact the real grassroots communities on the frontlines of change.
We also delve into his incredible journey with Levison Wood on the documentary Walking The Nile. In our conversation, we discuss the ethical and moral dilemmas of the travel industry in an age of increasing environmental and social pressures. Our guest drops some great insight on travelling alone, keeping motivated through tough travel experiences and the value of walking as a tool for discovery. If you are looking to upgrade the way you travel and gain the most from your adventures, then this conversation will serve you well.
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Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
In this episode, we explore the story of Skip Graham AKA Barefoot Skip, who recently completed his latest adventure prone paddle boarding 1000km around the South West coast of the UK in just a matter of weeks. Skip, a passionate environmentalist, stopped off in coastal areas along the way to help out in local beach cleans, whilst also raising money for the #2minutebeachclean charity.
We discuss the mindset and techniques Skip used to take on such an epic challenge, covering how to manage the internal dialogue that is crucial for athletic performance and many other areas of life. Skip also give his perspective on knowing when to accept temporary defeat, managing risk and coming back stronger in the long run. Our guest recounts the process of the paddle itself and discusses the reasons why it is so important to bring the spirit of adventure into your life, even on a small scale.
During the show, we dive into the current environmental crisis that has led to polluted beaches and impacted communities. Skip gives his empowering perspectives on facing environmental issues and discusses the importance of community action through inspiring campaigns like the #2minutebeachclean. We finish the conversation acknowledging the importance of everyday inspiration in making the planet a better place for all. Never underestimate the impact you can have on the world day by day!
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Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Our guest for this episode is a former RAF communications specialist and professional engineer Jon Boys, who empowers people to break through their limits using fire walking. After a self-proclaimed ‘nervous breakthrough’, Jon started his own personal development company and trained as a firewalking instructor. Running his own workshops across the UK he has helped transform the lives of countless people through the fire walking process, providing a catalyst for individuals to find their inner strength and work through fear.
In our conversation, we talk about the pressures and stress that led to Jon experiencing his ‘nervous breakthrough’, which sparked a deeper interest in personal development and self-care. We talk about the relationships between leadership roles in society and practising individual vulnerability. Jon shares his perspectives on allowing self-worth/love in every stage of your individual journey. We talk through Jon’s changing relationship to fear and he gives insight on how people can create fears and limiting beliefs that do not serve them. We discuss how people are able to uncover the power that is inside every one of us at our core using different techniques. Jon shares his perspectives on the relationship between money and happiness, and details daily techniques he uses to live a more fulfilling life with nature and gratitude. He also details his challenges with mental health and how he currently maintains his personal wellbeing.
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Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Henry Blanchard left a boring corporate job at Deloitte to create an adventure sports business, set up a charity in rural Uganda, and travel the world. He now shows others how to do the same. Working with Oxford University Business School, Enterprise Nation, TEDx, and others, Henry delivers events and workshops to help people get the most out of their work and life. A social entrepreneur, he's raised more than £2million for good causes across the world, and his work has been featured by the BBC, The Guardian, Red Bull, London Evening Standard, The Telegraph and more.
In this episode, Henry tells his truths on seemingly ‘overnight success’ and reveals the grit and determination it took to create the first ever Uganda Marathon. The social entrepreneur details how you can embrace unpredictability and create new opportunities in life by finding comfort outside of your comfort zone. He offers valuable perspectives on the power of mindset in the ability to progress your projects and ideas. Most importantly, we cover how people hold themselves back from discovering and following an exciting new life direction, with Henry offering his guidance on how to take successful action.
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Tuesday Sep 24, 2019
Tuesday Sep 24, 2019
In this episode, we travel inside the mind of Leyth Hampshire, a globetrotting businessperson and digital creator who is blending the line between commerce and environmentalism. Still in his early 20’s, he has already co-founded the sustainable food business Pelico, and is now spreading useful habits and mindset tips through his personal brand, Me Being Leyth. His dedication to ethical volunteering initiatives led him to receive the prestigious, Spirit of 2015 volunteer award in Bristol’s historic green capital year, recognising his powerful drive and enthusiasm to address the largest environmental challenges that face humanity.
Leyth takes a deep dive describing how you can become a more effective leader, of both others and your own self. Discussions reveal the strategies to employ habits to create massive life change, whilst also covering the process of finding happiness and contentment in the present moment. The digital creator describes the techniques he uses for focussing his excitement to build a career around what he truly loves most.
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Thursday Sep 05, 2019
Thursday Sep 05, 2019
After losing his business, ending a long-term relationship and being diagnosed with depression, Adam Laidler began to reinvent himself by seeking to help others and embarking on a journey of continual self-discovery. We explore the experiences and mindset behind the radical change in the councillor, life coach and public speaker, whilst discussing how people can be mindful about the potentially damaging influences of mainstream culture and associated social conditioning.
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