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Welcome to the A Bit Of A Boost: Fit to Perform Series.   We all know that looking after ourselves is important, but when you're busy, under pressure and juggling competing priorities, it's not always easy to stay consistent.   Exercise and wellbeing can quickly become things we know we should do, rather than things we make time for.   But what if looking after yourself isn't a distraction from your professional performance, but one of the things that helps you perform at your best?   In this series, I'm talking to busy professionals who make exercise and looking after themselves a priority, despite the demands of their working lives.   These aren't professional athletes or fitness influencers. They're people with demanding careers, deadlines, meetings and responsibilities, who have found ways to make their health and fitness part of their lives without having to get everything perfect.   We'll explore what motivates them, how training affects the way they feel, think and perform, and what happens when life inevitably gets in the way.   We'll also get into the challenges of maintaining consistency, the habits and mindset strategies that help them stay on track, and how they get back into their routines after periods of disruption.   My hope is that these conversations will inspire you to think differently about your own health and fitness, and perhaps recognise that you don't need more time or a perfect routine. You just need to find an approach that works for you. ============================== I have two guests on today's show - Paige Wheeler, head of sales and customer success at Sunrise Software, and Emily Wright, marketing manager also at Sunrise Software.   Emily and Paige both work from home and share two very different approaches to exercise, along with some great tips for how to maintain consistency when trying to integrate movement into your day.    You can find out more about my guests from today's episode on LinkedIn:   Paige Wheeler - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paige-wheeler-68004362 Emily Wright - https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilywright94

Welcome to the A Bit Of A Boost: Fit to Perform Series.   We all know that looking after ourselves is important, but when you're busy, under pressure and juggling competing priorities, it's not always easy to stay consistent.   Exercise and wellbeing can quickly become things we know we should do, rather than things we make time for.   But what if looking after yourself isn't a distraction from your professional performance, but one of the things that helps you perform at your best?   In this series, I'm talking to busy professionals who make exercise and looking after themselves a priority, despite the demands of their working lives.   These aren't professional athletes or fitness influencers. They're people with demanding careers, deadlines, meetings and responsibilities, who have found ways to make their health and fitness part of their lives without having to get everything perfect.   We'll explore what motivates them, how training affects the way they feel, think and perform, and what happens when life inevitably gets in the way.   We'll also get into the challenges of maintaining consistency, the habits and mindset strategies that help them stay on track, and how they get back into their routines after periods of disruption.   My hope is that these conversations will inspire you to think differently about your own health and fitness, and perhaps recognise that you don't need more time or a perfect routine. You just need to find an approach that works for you. ============================== In this episode, I'm joined by Chris Dixon, managing director for consultancy at Unipart.   Chris talks about the importance of balance and boundaries, prioritising your most important daily goals, the struggles with switching off at the end of the day and how hard work will always win over talent.   You can find out more about Chris or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Welcome to the A Bit Of A Boost: Fit to Perform Series.   We all know that looking after ourselves is important, but when you're busy, under pressure and juggling competing priorities, it's not always easy to stay consistent.   Exercise and wellbeing can quickly become things we know we should do, rather than things we make time for.   But what if looking after yourself isn't a distraction from your professional performance, but one of the things that helps you perform at your best?   In this series, I'm talking to busy professionals who make exercise and looking after themselves a priority, despite the demands of their working lives.   These aren't professional athletes or fitness influencers. They're people with demanding careers, deadlines, meetings and responsibilities, who have found ways to make their health and fitness part of their lives without having to get everything perfect.   We'll explore what motivates them, how training affects the way they feel, think and perform, and what happens when life inevitably gets in the way.   We'll also get into the challenges of maintaining consistency, the habits and mindset strategies that help them stay on track, and how they get back into their routines after periods of disruption.   My hope is that these conversations will inspire you to think differently about your own health and fitness, and perhaps recognise that you don't need more time or a perfect routine. You just need to find an approach that works for you.   In this episode, I'm joined by Alex Board, production group control leader at Red Bull Powertrains.   In our conversation, we explore some of the pressures of operating inside F1, how consistent exercise has been a support system, finding the motivation for training even when you don't feel like it, and the need for a flexible approach to routines.   You can find out more about Alex or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Consistency is the holy grail of habits.   Instead of frustrating cycles of all-or-nothing, actually doing what you say you're going to do without interruption or deviation.   I wanted to return to recording the podcast with this topic because it feels very relevant, given how it's now May and this is the first episode I have published since the start of the year.   I share my own challenges but also the ways I try to overcome them, how I apply these strategies to everything from pubslishing a podcast, exercise and business development.   If any of your habits have drifted or fallen away completely, maybe there'll be something in this short episode to help you get back on track at the next logical point.   ==================== If you enjoyed this episode or the podcast in general, please subscribe, leave a review or share it with your friends! Connect with me on LinkedIn >> By Design Not Default >>

Welcome to the A Bit Of A Boost Burnout Series!   This is a topic I've explored on the podcast before, and one that comes up regularly in coaching sessions, workshops and conversations with high performing professionals.   What's become clear is that it doesn't just suddenly hit you. It creeps up, gets normalised and isn't always easy to spot until it's too late.   In this series I'm sharing real conversations with people who've experienced burnout firsthand.   Not the theories or frameworks, but the personal stories of what happened.   How it felt, what was going on at the time, the contributing factors, and the signs that were missed, that in hindsight seem so obvious.   We also explore what people learned from the experience, and the changes they made to avoid ending up in the same place again.   You may recognise yourself in parts of these stories. Either because they echo your own experience, or reflect something you're going through right now.   My final guest in this series is Matt Adamson, now a career coach after a 20 year career in banking.   In this conversation, Matt shares his personal experience of burnout - and how some of his tendencies to seek validation and positive feedback lead to unsustainable self-expectations and work practices.   You can find out more about Matt or connect with him via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattadamsoncoaching

Welcome to the A Bit Of A Boost Burnout Series!   This is a topic I've explored on the podcast before, and one that comes up regularly in coaching sessions, workshops and conversations with high performing professionals.   What's become clear is that it doesn't just suddenly hit you. It creeps up, gets normalised and isn't always easy to spot until it's too late.   In this series I'm sharing real conversations with people who've experienced burnout firsthand.   Not the theories or frameworks, but the personal stories of what happened.   How it felt, what was going on at the time, the contributing factors, and the signs that were missed, that in hindsight seem so obvious.   We also explore what people learned from the experience, and the changes they made to avoid ending up in the same place again.   You may recognise yourself in parts of these stories. Either because they echo your own experience, or reflect something you're going through right now.   My next guest in this series is Lucinda Powell, a psychology teacher at an Oxfordshire secondary school .   In this conversation, Lucinda shares her personal experience of burnout - how she normalised being exhausted all the time, and regularly weighed up the relative merits of going into work versus crashing the car on the drive there   You can connect with Lucinda here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucinda-powell-fbpss-635120a3

Welcome to the A Bit Of A Boost Burnout Series!   This is a topic I've explored on the podcast before, and one that comes up regularly in coaching sessions, workshops and conversations with high performing professionals.   What's become clear is that it doesn't just suddenly hit you. It creeps up, gets normalised and isn't always easy to spot until it's too late.   In this series I'm sharing real conversations with people who've experienced burnout firsthand.   Not the theories or frameworks, but the personal stories of what happened.   How it felt, what was going on at the time, the contributing factors, and the signs that were missed, that in hindsight seem so obvious.   We also explore what people learned from the experience, and the changes they made to avoid ending up in the same place again.   You may recognise yourself in parts of these stories. Either because they echo your own experience, or reflect something you're going through right now.   My next guest in this series is Severine Helms, an in-house business coach at Nestle.   In this conversation, Severine shares her personal experience of burnout - and how talking about some of the early signs is something she encourages within her team . You can find out more about Severine or connect with her via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/severine-hemms

Welcome to the A Bit Of A Boost Burnout Series!   This is a topic I've explored on the podcast before, and one that comes up regularly in coaching sessions, workshops and conversations with high performing professionals.   What's become clear is that it doesn't just suddenly hit you. It creeps up, gets normalised and isn't always easy to spot until it's too late.   In this series I'm sharing real conversations with people who've experienced burnout firsthand.   Not the theories or frameworks, but the personal stories of what happened.   How it felt, what was going on at the time, the contributing factors, and the signs that were missed, that in hindsight seem so obvious.   We also explore what people learned from the experience, and the changes they made to avoid ending up in the same place again.   You may recognise yourself in parts of these stories. Either because they echo your own experience, or reflect something you're going through right now.   My next guest in this series is Martin Summerhayes, Managed Services Director at Northdoor.   In this conversation, Martin shares his personal experience of burnout - how it built up over time without him realising, and how some of his behaviours changed in that time.   You can find out more about Martin or connect with him via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsummerhayes

Welcome to the A Bit Of A Boost Burnout Series!   This is a topic I've explored on the podcast before, and one that comes up regularly in coaching sessions, workshops and conversations with high performing professionals.   What's become clear is that it doesn't just suddenly hit you. It creeps up, gets normalised and isn't always easy to spot until it's too late.   In this series I'm sharing real conversations with people who've experienced burnout firsthand.   Not the theories or frameworks, but the personal stories of what happened.   How it felt, what was going on at the time, the contributing factors, and the signs that were missed, that in hindsight seem so obvious.   We also explore what people learned from the experience, and the changes they made to avoid ending up in the same place again.   You may recognise yourself in parts of these stories. Either because they echo your own experience, or reflect something you're going through right now.   My next guest in this series is James Perryman, a leadership development consultant with a corporate background in the telecommunications industry.   In this conversation, James shares her personal experience of burnout - the physical symptoms he noticed before a doctor eventually told him what was happening, and how he has found better work life balance with a set of non-negotiable practices.   You can find out more about James or connect with him via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesperryman1

Welcome to the A Bit Of A Boost Burnout Series!   This is a topic I've explored on the podcast before, and one that comes up regularly in coaching sessions, workshops and conversations with high performing professionals.   What's become clear is that it doesn't just suddenly hit you. It creeps up, gets normalised and isn't always easy to spot until it's too late.   In this series I'm sharing real conversations with people who've experienced burnout firsthand.   Not the theories or frameworks, but the personal stories of what happened.   How it felt, what was going on at the time, the contributing factors, and the signs that were missed, that in hindsight seem so obvious.   We also explore what people learned from the experience, and the changes they made to avoid ending up in the same place again.   You may recognise yourself in parts of these stories. Either because they echo your own experience, or reflect something you're going through right now.   My third guest in this series is Paige Wheeler, senior account executive at SugarCRM.   In this conversation, Paige shares her personal experience of burnout - how it has recurred several times, the patterns she's figured out and how to hopefully catch it before it gets a hold next time. . You can find out more about Paige or connect with her via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paige-wheeler-68004362

Welcome to the A Bit Of A Boost Burnout Series!   This is a topic I've explored on the podcast before, and one that comes up regularly in coaching sessions, workshops and conversations with high performing professionals.   What's become clear is that it doesn't just suddenly hit you. It creeps up, gets normalised and isn't always easy to spot until it's too late.   In this series I'm sharing real conversations with people who've experienced burnout firsthand.   Not the theories or frameworks, but the personal stories of what happened.   How it felt, what was going on at the time, the contributing factors, and the signs that were missed, that in hindsight seem so obvious.   We also explore what people learned from the experience, and the changes they made to avoid ending up in the same place again.   You may recognise yourself in parts of these stories. Either because they echo your own experience, or reflect something you're going through right now.   My second guest in this series is Clare Brown, director at Microsoft.   In this conversation, Clare shares her personal experience of burnout - what was happening at the time, and how it took an intervention from her family to finally make some changes . You can find out more about Clare or connect with her via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-brown-78a1532

Welcome to the A Bit Of A Boost Burnout Series!   This is a topic I've explored on the podcast before, and one that comes up regularly in coaching sessions, workshops and conversations with high performing professionals.   What's become clear is that it doesn't just suddenly hit you. It creeps up, gets normalised and isn't always easy to spot until it's too late.   In this series I'm sharing real conversations with people who've experienced burnout firsthand.   Not the theories or frameworks, but the personal stories of what happened.   How it felt, what was going on at the time, the contributing factors, and the signs that were missed, that in hindsight seem so obvious.   We also explore what people learned from the experience, and the changes they made to avoid ending up in the same place again.   You may recognise yourself in parts of these stories. Either because they echo your own experience, or reflect something you're going through right now.   My first guest in this series is Rachael Malton-Smith, head of business performance and projects at Babcock International Group.   In this conversation, Rachael shares her personal experience of burnout - what was happening at the time, how she noticed her behaviour change and some of the lessons she took away from it.   You can find out more about Rachael or connect with her via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-malton-smith-cp-apmp-098b0762

We're kicking off the 2026 podcast episodes with this insight to the 6 different levels of thinking.   When we set goals, most of us consider just the ONE level: what BEHAVIOURS do I need to change?   This is important, but it's not the only level we need to consider if we want more rapid and permanent change.   I first came across the 6 Logical Levels when I was stydying for my NLP practioners course, and have used it regularly since then.   In this short episode I will walk you through all 6 levels - environment, behaviours, capabilities, beliefs & values, identity and purpose - and explain how you can use it to expand your thinking when you're considering a new goal or change.   In the introduction I also share the reason I believe this podcast is still going - 5 years after the first episode back in January 2021 - and my approach to some of the solo episodes I have produced in that time (including this one!)   Whatever your goals are for the next 12 months, I wish you success, motivation and all the resilience you need to get back on track when you face the inevitable challenges along the way.   Thank you for listening to A Bit Of A Boost!

In this final episode of 2025 I share 16 questions that will help you extract more of the lessons from the last 12 months, and get clear on what is most important for the next 12. These are the exact questions I sat down to answer a couple of weeks ago as part of my traditional annual review. I looked at 4 areas: 1) The successes from the 205 2) The setbacks  3) What I need to amplify or release for 2026 4) The goals, mission and objectives for the year ahead Whether you just think through your answers to these 16 questions as you listen to this episode, or spend some time writing them down and going deeper, I hope that you get some benefit from pausing and reflecting, and resetting for 2026!

My guest on today's show is cofounder of Thriviae and Workplace Performance Strategist, Luke Mulcahy.   For the last few years Luke and his team have been developing a revolutionary platform that help support organisations in tackling some of the most pressing challenges of the modern workplace.   His recently published academic paper and research report introduces the Periodic Table of Workplace Thriving, which I have to say really spoke to my love of order and organisation. It structures 24 enablers and over 100 measurable elements that shape wellbeing, performance and development across organisations.   We began by focusing on the tricky topic of PURPOSE. What this really means, why it's important, and some of the challenges in articulating it as well as creating teams where there is a shared sense of purpose.   As predicted, our conversation ran into a number of different topics including belonging, multi-generational workforces, burnout and team cohesion.   If you want to find out more about Luke and the work he is doing you can find him on LinkedIn and his website, and I recommend having a read of the white paper and academic paper if it's a topic you're interested in! White Paper: https://www.emerald.com/ijoa/article/34/12/1/1334179 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukemulcahy/ Thriviae website: https://www.thriviae.com Articles: https://www.thriviae.com/thought-leadership/