What if the thing that nearly killed you became the catalyst for changing thousands of lives? In this powerful episode, Richard is joined by Joyce Bender, founder of Bender Consulting Services and the Bender Leadership Academy, whose personal experience of epilepsy and a near-fatal seizure led her to transform how corporate America employs people with disabilities. Joyce pulls no punches: hiring people with disabilities is not charity — it is a smart business investment, and the data backs it up.

From winning the President's Award at the White House to placing 200 people per year with the National Security Agency, Joyce has spent three decades dismantling the stigma, fear, and ignorance that keep 70 percent of disabled people out of the workforce. She shares the story of her angel at the movie theatre, why people with epilepsy have firepower, and what it truly means when someone arrives at work on a stretcher rather than miss a single day.

Key Takeaways

Something bad can happen to you — what defines you is what you make of it.

Hiring people with disabilities is a business investment, not an act of charity, with exceptional retention and engagement.

Stigma, fear, and ignorance are the primary barriers keeping disabled talent out of the workforce.

Education changes everything — the iDisability software platform was built to tackle workplace stigma at scale.

People with disabilities who have been excluded value work in a way that consistently outperforms expectations.

Episode Highlights

Joyce's misdiagnosed seizures leading to a fractured skull, brain haemorrhage, and coma at a movie theatre in 1985.

The mysterious doctor who appeared out of nowhere, saved her life, and was never identified.

How she pivoted from IT executive search to launching Bender Consulting Services in 1995.

Placing 200 people per year with disabilities at the National Security Agency in STEM roles.

The employee who called an Uber to hospital after being hit by a cab — and was back at work the next day.

The iDisability software platform and the Slaughter Stigma Campaign with bestselling author Karin Slaughter.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction — Richard welcomes Joyce Bender

01:00 Growing up with undiagnosed epilepsy

05:30 Pivoting from IT executive search to disability employment

09:00 Why hiring people with disabilities is a business investment

11:00 Retention, engagement, and the 70% unemployment figure

14:00 The Bender Leadership Academy and anti-bullying work

18:00 Teaching confidence, initiative, and public speaking to students

20:00 500 students on Disability Mentoring Day

22:00 The iDisability software platform — 52 modules

25:00 The Slaughter Stigma Campaign with Karin Slaughter

27:00 The employee who went to work on a stretcher

31:00 New focus: employment for people with intellectual disabilities

32:00 University of Pittsburgh partnership and AI in healthcare 33:00 Final words — paychecks not pity

🔗 Connect with Joyce Bender

Website: www.benderconsult.com / www.benderleadership.org

LInkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyce-bender-b840081/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joyce_a_bender/

⭐️ Connect and Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid's work at www.richard-reid.com.

Download the first two chapters of Richard's "Charisma Unlocked", audio or PDF version for free and begin your transformation towards authentic charisma:

https://richard-reid.com/master-authentic-charisma/

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

What happens when an ordinary man finds himself on death row? In this gripping episode, Richard is joined by Aubrey Brooks, author of Death Row in Paradise, whose extraordinary life story spans mercenary combat, a failed coup d'état in the Seychelles, 18 months on death row, and nine months in solitary confinement — all underpinned by an unshakeable belief in himself and in something greater. Aubrey traces the mindset that carried him through the unthinkable, from a childhood shaped by a mother who believed anything was possible, to the moment he said the Lord's Prayer with a rifle butt at his head.

Raised in Rhodesia with a can-do attitude instilled early, Aubrey became a special forces soldier, entrepreneur, and adrenaline junkie before a chance meeting led him into one of the most audacious missions of the Cold War era. Shot in the thigh, captured, tortured, and sentenced to death, Aubrey reveals how faith, mental discipline, and sheer will to live became his only weapons. His account of finding humanity in his captors, a presidential pardon, and returning home is both harrowing and deeply hopeful.

Key Takeaways

Belief in yourself compounds over time — the more you do, the more you become capable of doing.

Faith, whatever form it takes, provides an anchor when everything else is stripped away.

Mental discipline in isolation is a choice: Aubrey memorised songs, counted ceiling shapes, and walked daily to keep his mind alive.

Conducting yourself with dignity, even in captivity, changes how others treat you.

One never knows what is around the corner, holding on is always worth it.

Episode Highlights

Aubrey describes the moment a clairvoyant told him he was going overseas and would return — just days before he agreed to join the mission.

The chaos of the failed Seychelles coup when a loaded AK-47 was discovered in customs.

The beatings, the dark cell, and the orange glow of peace he experienced while saying the Lord's Prayer.

How saving two officers during a prison mutiny ultimately led to a full presidential pardon.

Timestamps

01:00 Childhood in Rhodesia and a mother's belief

11:00 Relocating to South Africa and building Mr. Printer

20:00 The mission to the Seychelles and what went wrong in customs

28:00 Shot, captured, and two days on the run

31:00 Arrest, beatings, and solitary confinement

39:00 Mental strategies for surviving isolation

54:00 Meeting the President of the Seychelles

57:00 Sentenced to death and keeping composure

🔗 Connect with Aubrey Brooks

Website: www.aubreybrooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Aubrey-Brooks-Motivational-Speaker-100063549762539/

⭐️ Connect and Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid's work at www.richard-reid.com.

Download the first two chapters of Richard's "Charisma Unlocked", audio or PDF version for free and begin your transformation towards authentic charisma:

https://richard-reid.com/master-authentic-charisma/

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

What if the secret to doing more was actually doing less? In this episode, Richard Reid sits down with author, coach, and keynote speaker Chris Lovett to explore why busyness has become one of the biggest threats to performance and how simplification might be the sharpest competitive advantage most leaders are ignoring. It all started with a CD case, a Fawlty Towers moment, and a one-way ticket to Copenhagen.

Chris shares how stepping on a Mark Morrison CD in 2016 triggered a complete unravelling of his life, selling his flat, his car, and almost everything he owned — before returning to the corporate world with a radical new perspective. Now working with banks, tech firms, and leadership teams globally, Chris helps people strip back the noise, protect their energy, and deliver what actually matters.

Key Takeaways

Busyness is a badge and it's making us worse at our jobs.

Back-to-back meetings drain decision-making capacity far faster than most leaders realise.

The best ideas don't come from screens.

The incubation effect, showers, walks, boredom is scientifically proven to unlock creativity.

Simplicity is a competitive advantage, not a retreat.

Your lunch break might be one of the highest-performing things you can protect.

Episode Highlights

• The Mark Morrison CD case moment and the ripple effect that changed everything
• "Entrenched narratives" - the stories we keep telling ourselves long after they've expired
• Leaving meetings five minutes early: the smallest rebellion that becomes a cultural shift
• The Volkswagen diesel scandal - what happens when people are pushed too far
• JK Rowling, Keith Richards, Joni Mitchell and what boredom actually produces
• Relentless, the business book designed for people who don't have time to read one

Timestamps

• 00:00 Welcome and introduction
• 01:15 The CD case moment that started everything
• 04:14 Selling the flat, the car, and going around the world
• 05:42 Returning to corporate life with fresh eyes
• 09:36 The smallest act of rebellion — leaving five minutes early
• 11:57 Simplicity as competitive advantage
• 21:27 Mistakes caused by pushing people beyond their limits
• 29:09 Three things to free time and energy right now
• 33:25 Boredom, JK Rowling, and the incubation effect
• 41:53 About Relentless — and why it tells you to put it down

🔗 Connect With Chris Lovett

Find Relentless by Chris Lovett on Amazon, Waterstones, and Barnes & Noble.

⭐️ Connect And Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid's work at www.richard-reid.com.

Download the first two chapters of Richard's Charisma Unlocked, audio or PDF version for free: https://richard-reid.com/master-authentic-charisma/

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

What if the clarity, confidence, and peace of mind you've been searching for were already inside you? In this episode, Richard Reid sits down with bestselling author, coach, and keynote speaker Jamie Smart to explore why so many high-performers feel stuck - and the surprisingly simple shift that changes everything. As Jamie puts it, clarity is your mind's natural state. The problem isn't that you don't have it. You've simply been taught a misunderstanding of how your mind works.

Jamie shares how he went from running large IT projects to discovering principles for psychology that he believes are as fundamental as the discovery of germs was to medicine. From a client who more than doubled his business turnover after a three-day intensive, to the Harvard Business Review research linking calm, happy states to peak performance, this episode is packed with insight on what truly drives results in business and life.

Key Takeaways

Your experience is created from the inside out — not by external circumstances.

Happiness, wellbeing and clarity are internally generated, not dependent on achievement, relationships or bank balances.

Entrepreneurs often mistake what they've built for the source of their success, when the real source is the mindset that built it. Over 93% of 700+ senior executives performed at their best when calm, happy and energised.

Clarity is your mind's natural state. Overthinking fills it - understanding clears it.

Episode Highlights

Jamie's journey from IT project manager to Sunday Times bestselling author.

The "Ian formula" - how subtracting misunderstanding unlocks creativity and freedom.

The rope bridge metaphor - navigating AI, exponential change, and humanity's future.

Timestamps

• 00:00 Welcome and Introduction
• 01:00 Jamie's background and career pivot
• 04:27 The inside-out nature of experience
• 18:20 The three steps to real change
• 29:34 Reception in coaching and therapy communities
• 33:48 The future — AI, exponential thinking, and the rope bridge
• 38:00 Where to find Jamie Smart

🔗 Connect With Jamie Smart

Website: www.JamieSmart.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiesmartclarity/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/clarityjamiesmart

⭐️ Connect And Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid's work at www.richard-reid.com.

Download the first two chapters of Richard's "Charisma Unlocked", audio or PDF version for free and begin your transformation towards authentic charisma: https://richard-reid.com/master-authentic-charisma/

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

What does it really take to perform at your best under pressure?

In this episode, Richard Reid sits down with Dr. Steven Stein - clinical psychologist, author, and globally recognised expert in emotional intelligence - to explore how EQ shapes leadership, decision-making, and resilience. Steven shares insights drawn from 40+ years of research and work with elite groups including Navy SEALs, the FBI, and professional athletes.

From managing anger constructively to trusting your gut in high-stakes moments, this conversation is packed with practical, research-backed strategies. As Steven puts it: "Find your purpose, and then find out how emotional intelligence can help you get there."

Key Takeaways

Emotional intelligence involves three core skills: awareness, management, and use of emotions. People tend to be either over-emotional or under-emotional, and both create problems.

Hardiness - built on Commitment, Challenge, and Control - is a proven framework for resilience. Daily small wins matter more than big rewards for sustained motivation.

In the age of AI, emotional intelligence will become even more critical for leadership.

Episode Highlights

EQ in elite military units - what Navy SEALs taught Steven about psychological safety and leadership.

Anger as a tool - how to manage it constructively rather than suppress or explode.

Gut instinct vs. analysis - when to trust your intuition and when to slow down.

The Three C's of Hardiness - Commitment, Challenge, and Control explained with real-world examples.

AI and the future of EQ - why human emotional skills will be the differentiator in an automated world.

Timestamps

03:37 — Common EQ challenges: over and under-emotion

05:12 — Managing anger effectively

07:46 — Working with Navy SEALs and elite military groups

13:14 — Instinct vs. emotional intelligence in fast decisions

16:24 — Practical EQ strategies for busy professionals

20:00 — Managing back-to-back meetings and mental load

22:11 — The power of daily small wins and positive emotions

25:30 — Hardiness: the three C's framework

40:34 — Steven's next book: life lessons from reality TV

43:44 — Final advice: find your purpose and use EQ to get there

🔗 Connect With Steven Stein

Website:

LinkedIn:

Instagram:

Facebook:

YouTube:

⭐️ Connect And Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid's work at www.richard-reid.com.

Download the first two chapters of Richard's "Charisma Unlocked", audio or PDF version for free and begin your transformation towards authentic charisma:

https://richard-reid.com/master-authentic-charisma/

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

What does it mean to go from feeling like the only one to becoming the first? Richard is joined by Caroline Flanagan - The Coach for Black Lawyers - for a powerful conversation about identity, imposter syndrome, resilience, and the mindset shift that changes everything.

From studying on a makeshift desk of car tyres while facing eviction, to holding a Cambridge offer, Caroline's story is one of radical reframing. You have never been the only one. You are the first.

Key Takeaways

Imposter syndrome is rooted in being the only one in the room - awareness is the first step. Survival mode drains your bandwidth and limits your performance. Reframing from victim to first-mover changes how you show up entirely. Hard work alone won't get you promoted - visibility and strategic relationships do.

Episode Highlights

Caroline's defining moment at five: the only Black child in her school assembly hall. Growing up between two worlds - excelling at boarding school while facing poverty at home. Studying for A-levels while facing eviction, with a Cambridge offer on the table. Why technical excellence alone won't get you to partner level.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

01:06 From law to coaching

03:26 The defining moment

06:41 Imposter syndrome and self-fulfilling prophecies

12:21 Survival mode vs flow

16:06 Family pushback on aspiration

23:39 The car tyre desk story

28:31 Who Caroline coaches and how

33:35 Is the dial moving on DEI? 3

8:28 You are the first — closing message

🔗 Connect with Caroline Flanagan

Website: https://carolineflanagan.com/about-caroline/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolineflanagan00/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolineflanagan00/photos

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@carolineflanagan-coach

⭐️ Connect and Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid's work at www.richard-reid.com.

Download the first two chapter of Richard's "Charisma Unlocked", audio or PDF version for free and begin your transformation towards authentic charisma:

https://richard-reid.com/master-authentic-charisma/

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

What happens when external success starts fracturing your soul? Sherilyn Shackell, founder of the Marketing Academy, didn't walk away from a lucrative headhunting career — she was forced out of it by burnout and a serious illness that made her rethink everything. What came next was one of the most extraordinary not-for-profit leadership organisations in the world, built entirely on generosity, reciprocity, and the belief that exceptional talent deserves exceptional development.

In this conversation with Richard Reid, Sherilyn talks candidly about the moment she realised she was living a discordant life — professionally successful, personally unfulfilled — and how that near-death wake-up call became the catalyst for founding the Marketing Academy in 2010. Fifteen years on, the Academy now runs free, highly selective leadership programs across the UK, US, Australia and Asia, with over 1,400 alumni in 40 countries and a virtual campus reaching 10,000 people.

Sherilyn and Richard dig into the psychology of the "treadmill of doom" — how we end up chasing success in careers we didn't consciously choose, driven by parental expectations, peer pressure and external validation — and what it actually takes to step off it. They also explore the CMO-to-CEO pipeline the Academy is quietly building, the power of human-first leadership, and why Sherilyn believes you have 100% ownership over how you choose to think — even when the world feels like it's heading towards Armageddon.

Timestamps

01:24 Why marketing, media and advertising can change the world

02:18 From headhunter to founder — Sherilyn's unconventional route in

05:33 Intrinsic motivation — being good at something vs. loving it

06:18 Living a discordant life — when joy and purpose aren't aligned

08:42 The treadmill of doom — how parental expectations shape careers

10:51 Inside the Marketing Academy programs — scholars, fellows and alumni

29:48 The ripple effect — CMOs becoming CEOs, alumni feeding back in

31:39 What's next — virtual campus, geographic expansion and alumni investment

🔗 Connect with

Sherilyn Shackell — Founder & CEO, The Marketing Academy

Website:marketingacademy.org

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sherilynshackelllinkedin.com/in/sherilynshackell

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/sherilyn_tma/

⭐️ Connect and Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid’s work at www.richard-reid.com.

Download the first two chapter of Richard’s “Charisma Unlocked”, audio or PDF version for free and begin your transformation towards authentic charisma:

https://richard-reid.com/master-authentic-charisma/

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

In this compelling episode, Richard is joined by Chris Shelton, former Scientology member of 25 years, cult recovery consultant, and expert in coercive control. Chris shares his extraordinary personal journey from being raised inside Scientology to working for the Church for decades, enduring physical and psychological abuse, and ultimately escaping in 2012.

Chris breaks down the mechanics of manipulation, how coercive control shows up in business, relationships, and politics, and why no one regardless of intelligence is immune to being manipulated. A vital listen for anyone interested in the psychology of influence, group dynamics, and self-protection.

Key Takeaways

Cults Are Closer Than You Think — Coercive control isn't limited to religious groups.

How Cognitive Dissonance Keeps People Trapped

Information Control Is The Mechanism - Restricting what people can read, watch, or think about is how destructive groups maintain power.

Emotions Are The Achilles Heel — We are feeling creatures who rationalise, not thinking creatures who feel. Predators exploit that gap.

Trust Your Gut And Slow Down — When someone gets you pressured to decide fast, that's a red flag.

Episode Highlights

Growing Up Inside Scientology — Chris describes how a childhood inside the Church created a sealed worldview where Scientology was simply "normal."

25 Years, $20 A Week — Working for the Church's inner circle meant sleep deprivation, physical abuse, and near-zero pay

The Moment Everything Unravelled — Gaining unfiltered internet access in 2013 triggered four months of daily reading: testimonials, FBI files, and historical records that dismantled everything he believed

Cult Dynamics In The Business World — From Enron to predatory entrepreneurship, Chris draws clear parallels between cult control tactics and common business manipulation.

Why Smart People Fall For It — No one is too intelligent to be manipulated. Emotional exploitation doesn't care about IQ.

Timestamps

00:00 — Introduction 00:21 — Chris's background: growing up in Scientology

03:30 — Working for the Church for 25 years

05:36 — What triggered his exit in 2012

08:42 — Cognitive dissonance and the process of waking up

14:30 — Internet restrictions and thought policing inside Scientology

18:00 — The emotional aftermath of discovering the truth

21:34 — How cult dynamics appear in business and everyday life

28:01 — Family fallout and post-cult recovery

33:38 — Why emotions are our greatest vulnerability

35:32 — Red flags to watch for: how to protect yourself

41:25 — Enron and YOLO business culture as cult behaviour

43:16 — Why three out of four people go along with the crowd

48:36 — Critical thinking and emotional awareness

52:03 — Closing reflections

🔗 Connect With Chris

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisSheltonMsc/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF326xyA0QHI7Z5xAwKQDJg

⭐️ Connect And Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid's work at www.richard-reid.com.

Download the first two chapters of Richard's "Charisma Unlocked", audio or PDF version for free and begin your transformation towards authentic charisma:

https://richard-reid.com/master-authentic-charisma/

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/