TRIBEathlon Podcast

Season 4, Episode 1: Sharron Davies MBE is an English former competitive swimmer who has represented Great Britain in the Olympics and European championships and England in the Commonwealth Games.

Sharron has attended 12 consecutive Olympic Games, competing in three and then working in the media for the BBC Sport, and she has earned a silver Olympic medal, 2 gold and 2 bronze medals at Commonwealth Games and 2 bronze medals at the European Championships.

In addition to working for BBC Sport, she was also a Gladiator and a breakfast TV presenter, but in recent years has received most coverage for being outspoken in the discussion around transgender athletes in sport.

Claire and I want to chat to her about fairness in sport in relation to drugs and gender, the science behind the transgender discussion and the abuse she received for speaking out about what she believes in.

What I’ve Been Reading

Earlier on this summer I recommended Mo Gawdat’s brilliant book, Solve for Happy, as one of the best books I’ve ever read. After reading it, I dove straight into Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World, his frightening but also surprisingly optimistic book on a future with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

By 2049, machines will be 1 billion times smarter than humans; that is the equivalent of Albert Einstein versus a fly. A scary thought that prompts a question; given that the ‘fly’ that has been destroying the planet and creatures they share it with, what will stop ‘Einstein’ squashing the fly?

According to Gawdat, it will be how we, as parents of this future AI generation, raise them. Think of Superman landing on the earth; he was raised by a caring, generous and supportive farming family that turned him into a superhero. Had he landed with an evil, jealous and selfish family, he’d have probably become a supervillain instead. So, what can we as non-programmers do to raise AI to be a superhero rather than a supervillain? A surprising amount actually.

Absolutely gripping, and again, I can’t recommend reading this book enough.

Racing for Charity

This weekend I take on the toughest Ironman on the circuit, Ironman Wales, raising money for CALM. CALM help people suffering with mental health issues, and having recently lost a close triathlon friend to suicide, I can’t think of many better causes to raise money for at the moment.

Ironman Wales is the usual 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run, but with the added fun of a sea swim, a very hilly bike route, and a hilly run to boot, so it typically takes an hour longer than most of the other ‘faster’ Ironman races. If you would like to follow my progress, you can on the Ironman Athlete Tracker App, and if you’d like to help us raise money for this more than worthy cause, you can do so here.  

What I’ve Been Watching

Several people have recommended Toughest Race on Earth With James Cracknell to me over the years, but for whatever reason, I only got around to watching it this week. I guess a part of that was that I don’t believe Marathon Des Sables (MDS) self-proclaimed ‘Toughest Race on Earth’ title, although clearly running 250km across the Sahara Desert with rationed water and carrying everything else, is no easy feat either.

What I found absolutely fascinating about watching this was Cracknell’s ability to dig deeper, to bury himself physically and mentally, more than anyone else you’ll see. His level of achievement in this race, as an inexperienced ultrarunner with totally the wrong body makeup, is off the scales amazing. I can’t quite work out whether it has inspired me more do MDS or less, but it certainly gives you a great understanding of what’s involved.

Podcast I’ve Been Listening To

I’ve previously mentioned the Diary of a CEO podcast, where I discovered Mo Gawdat, but what I’ve been loving about it lately are the brief ‘moment’ episodes.

Typically around 10-15 minutes long, they take a powerful moment from a previous episode. Brilliant for a short journey to work, they are packed full of great advice. I particularly liked the Simon Sinek, Dr Rangan Chatterjee & the Jonny Wilkinson episodes. A great way to get your mind into the right place either to or from work!

Quote of the Week

“The gravity of the battle means nothing to those at peace”

• Mo Gawdat, Solve for Happy

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

Recession or no recession? That is the question! High levels of inflation, together with central bankers expressing their willingness to raise interest rates aggressively to get inflation under control, has managed to convince an increasing number of investors that a meaningful global recession is both imminent and inevitable. Got to love those bankers!

Whilst we agree that the economic growth outlook has worsened and therefore this has affected the equity markets, we believe economic weakness or recession in the near term is by no means a certainty. The volatility we’ve seen in political circles is often unhelpful for the markets and with a new PM at the helm, let’s hope we can return to more stability and certainty. There is nothing that stock markets like less than uncertainty, and if Liz Truss taking over stops the recent bout of political and economic insecurity, it could (and we hope it will) be received positively by markets. You know what they say, “economists have predicted 9 of the last 2 recessions!”

Season 4, Episode 2: Ryan Stramrood is one of South Africa's top extreme adventurers and ice swimmers. He quietly travels to the planet's most inhospitable waterscapes where he seeks out extreme cold water swimming experiences. He swam the first official “Ice Mile” in -1°C water in Antarctica, completed a swim in the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon in Iceland and is the only person to have swum west to east across the shark infested waters of False Bay; all of which is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of his swimming achievements.

Ryan is also a TED speaker and author of the book 'Push Past Impossible', so Claire and I wanted to chat to him about setting goals that allow him to push past the impossible, conditioning the body for the extreme cold and how to avoid becoming an excuse magnet.

What I’ve Been Reading

In ‘Flow’, everyday experience becomes a moment-by-moment opportunity for joy and self-fulfilment. Flow is the brainchild of a fascinating psychologist,

Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a renowned social scientist who has devoted his life's work to the study of what makes people truly happy, satisfied and fulfilled.

While much of the study of psychology investigates disorders of the human mind, Dr. Csikszentmihalyi takes a different route. He focuses on the noble side of human nature, our capacity for living a life of integrity, courage, and perseverance. In his book Flow: Living at the Peak of Your Abilities he reveals what he considers beautiful in life, ways of being and behaving that make people happy, satisfied and delighted to be alive. His insights into the "flow experience" show ways to lessen stress, fear and anxiety while increasing feelings of challenge, joy and excitement. The revolutionary findings of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Experience Sampling Method offer unprecedented information about the specific ways we can turn life into a continuous high-quality experience. One of the most quoted books in the others that I’ve read, it was definitely worth the wait.

What I’ve Been Watching

I am not sure why I hadn’t watched it until now but The Queen, starring Helen Mirren, is a 2006 British biographical drama film that depicts the events following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997. Initially, the Royal Family regard Diana's death as a private affair and thus not to be treated as an official royal death, in contrast with the views of Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and Diana's ex-husband, Prince Charles, who favour the general public's desire for an official expression of grief. Matters are further complicated by the media, royal protocol regarding Diana's official status, and wider issues about republicanism.

Whilst initially you might think it paints the Queen in a bad light, it is a fascinating demonstration of how old values don’t make the grade in the current society. When you look through it more, you see she was also determined to protect her family through what must have been an incredibly difficult period, whilst also following tradition. A really lovely film worth watching or revisiting.

Quote of the Week

“The task is to learn how to enjoy everyday life without diminishing other people's chances to enjoy theirs.”

• Mihaly Csikszentmihaly

Finance Theme of the Week

According to Bank of America, interest rates in the UK are set to hit 4% by this time next year if Liz Truss's government cut taxes and increases their spend of defence. Their research, released this month, shows an expectation of the Bank of England raising interest rates in its meeting next week before doing the same again each month up to the end of the year. Bank of America noted in their research, “by lowering peak inflation we see the government's energy price cap allowing the BoE to avoid increasing the pace of hikes.”

In a month that saw the Office for National Statistics report inflation hitting close to 10% in the 12 months from August 2021-2022, The Bank of America estimated annual government spending to rise by £40bn and then £50bn in 2026 and 2027. The news falls on the back of Liz Truss having promised around £30bn in tax cuts annually as part of her campaign to become Prime Minister. Truss' approach sits in contrast to that proposed by her main competitor Rishi Sunak, who said he would work to get inflation under control before looking to cut any taxes. Truss' pledges include cancelling a planned rise in corporation tax, abolishing the social care levy as well as the green levy on energy bills - pledges that many considered fiscal irresponsibility.

TRIBEathlon Podcast

Season 4, Episode 5: Sabrina Pace-Humphreys is an award-winning businesswoman, an ultra-runner, a social justice activist, a mother of four and grandmother of three. She is co-founder and trustee of the fast-growing community and campaigning charity, Black Trail Runners, and is also a well-known ultra-marathon runner.

Sabrina took up running in 2009 as a tool to manage her post-natal depression and, nine years later, completed the Marathon des Sables - a 250km multi-stage ultra-marathon across the Sahara Desert. She has run many ultras since, including perhaps Britain's most brutal, The Spine Race - a 268-mile race along the length of The Pennine Way. She is also now the author of the book, Black Sheep: a story of Rural Racism, Identity & hope.

Claire and I wanted to chat to her about her running 'why', running for mental health, experiencing 'rural racism' and The Spine vs Marathon Des Sables!

What I’ve Been Reading

James Clear’s Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones has been on my reading list since seeing him speak at a conference. For some reason, it only recently made it to the top of that list, but I wish it had been sooner as it is possibly the best book I’ve read in 2022.

I have long believed that it is not the big things we do occasionally that shapes us and the results we achieve, but the small things that we do regularly. Clear explains in fascinating detail why this is the case, but more importantly the tactics we can use to improve and embed good habits whilst avoiding and eliminating bad ones. If you want to get fit, improve your productivity, or in fact make any improvement in your life, I’d really recommend what can only be described as the most compressive guide to mastering your habits.

What I’ve Been Watching

In the late 90s and early 00s, I was a fan of Adam Sandler movies, especially the all-time classic golf comedy that is Happy Gilmore. If you’re a golf fan, and you’ve not seen it, where have you been? Anyway, I digress, I must have missed the 2006 release of ‘Click’ through ‘Sandler exhaustion’, and was recommended it by a friend. Whilst it is the usual laugh packed family friendly film you’d expect from Adam Sandler, it has 2 much deeper and meaningful messages embedded within it. I’d recommend it to all, but especially anyone that is working too many long hours, or is rushing through today in the hope that the future will be fun. Trust me, it will ask you some deeper questions as well as making you laugh.

TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting

Have you ever wondered, how do creative people come up with great ideas? Organizational psychologist, Adam Grant, author of a previous Friday Footnotes recommendation, Think Again, studies "originals": thinkers who dream up new ideas and take action to put them into the world.

In his TED talk The surprising habits of original thinkers, learn three unexpected habits of originals -- including embracing failure. "The greatest originals are the ones who fail the most, because they're the ones who try the most," Grant says. "You need a lot of bad ideas in order to get a few good ones."

Quote of the Week

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

I am writing this prior to today’s budget; slightly nervous as to what will have been unleashed from our new chancellor. By the time you read this, you’ll know the structure of the inevitable bad news. Ultimately, we all know we need to pay more tax, but with inflation running at over 11%, it is a fine line between repaying debt and driving the country into a deep recession. You won’t need the FFN to tell you the news, as it will be on every news source. The questions that remain are how much, by whom and when!

What I’ve Been Reading

Daniel Lieberman is a Harvard professor with a passion for running. It was his research that was behind the infamous book, Born to Run, that I’ve recommended previously.

In his excellent book Exercised, The science backing mass participation sporting events, he does a deep dive into the history of exercise, why many people don’t find it fun and how best to use it to prevent the aging process and avoid disease. It is packed full of interesting research and stories, and as Lieberman is one of the most quoted researchers in the exercise space, this book delivered on everything I expected.

TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting

Every seven years, designer Stefan Sagmeister closes his New York studio for a yearlong sabbatical to rejuvenate and refresh their creative outlook. In his TED talk The power of time off, he explains the often overlooked value of time off and shows the innovative projects inspired by his time in Bali. I particularly like his approach to bringing forward 5 years of his retirement and interspersing them into his working life.

What I’ve Been Watching

The Okavango River Basin provides a vital source of water to about 1 million people, the world’s largest population of African elephants and significant populations of lions, cheetahs and hundreds of species of birds. However, this once unspoiled oasis is now under siege due to increasing pressure from human activity.

From National Geographic Documentary Films, Into the Okavango chronicles a team of modern-day explorers on their first epic four-month, 1,500-mile expedition across three countries to save the river system that feeds the Okavango Delta, one of our planet’s last wetland wildernesses. I was lucky enough to visit this amazing part of the world around 25 years ago, and so this was both a wonderful flashback as well as a stark awakening as to how threatened it now is.

Quote of the Week

“There are two types of pain you will go through in your life: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces, while regret weighs tons.”

• Jim Rohn

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

I’ve said it here many times, but the markets hate uncertainty, so it’s a shame that more politicians don’t read The Friday Footnotes. If the proper process has been followed, we could have avoided market falls, the pound crashing and mortgage lenders withdrawing already made offers. Cutting the top rate of tax, whilst unpopular, has historically increased the total tax take, as less people then avoid it by residing abroad, but without the correct budgeting reports, and the laughable urgent claim, they really didn’t help any of us.

Hopefully they’ve learnt from their mistake, and we can see more market stability return. In the meantime, tin hat on again!

TRIBEathlon Podcast

Season 4, Episode 4: Mark Allen is the arguably the most successful triathlete of all time having won the IRONMAN World Championships® 6 times, the Nice International Triathlon 10 times, and the first recognized Olympic Distance Triathlon Championship. He went undefeated in 21 races for an astounding two-year winning streak from late 1988 thru 1990. He has been inducted into the Halls of Fame for IRONMAN, USA Triathlon, and the International Triathlon Union. In 2012 Mark was voted “The Greatest Endurance Athlete of All Time” by ESPN.

Post retirement Mark has devoted his career to coaching athletes of all levels and to sharing the lessons he learned about preparation, perseverance, and living up to their full potential.

Claire and I wanted to chat to the legend that is Mark Allen about his infamous performances in Kona, which of course include the race known as the 'Ironwar', about quietening the mind, how Shamanism helped him reach his potential and finally about how he is using artificial intelligence to coach athletes

What I’ve Been Watching

Whilst on a plane recently I watched The Father, a film where Sir Anthony Hopkins plays an elderly gentleman with dementia. What makes this so interesting is that it is watched through the eyes of the dementia sufferer and goes some way to demonstrate the scary confusion this dreadful affliction causes. This film is equally brilliant, thought provoking and upsetting, and something I would highly recommend to all, if for no other reason that to bring awareness of this sad disease. 

What I’ve Been Reading

I love listening to running books while running. In fact, I usually have a running book, a driving book and a cycling book on the go at any one time, as my ability to think, my appetite and of course take notes differs in each. 

I’ve recently finished In it for the long run: Breaking Records and Getting FKT by the incredible ultra-runner and former TRIBEathlon guest Damian Hall. As a journalist, his story telling is predictably excellent, but his career is fact full of both funny, inspiring and educational stories. If you like running, you’ll love it; and I’d definitely recommend listening to it while running the trails! 

TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting

In her TED talk Every kid needs a champion, Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids". Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like". A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level. In this touching TED talk, Rita really highlights how educators can truly impact their students, as opposed to just educating them.  

Quote of the Week

“The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” 

• Michael Porter

Finance Theme of the Week

When we think of the above quote and apply it to the world of finance, it makes me think of all of the fads that come and go within investing. Whether it is crypto-currency, watches, classic cars, traded endowments or peer to peer lending, there are trends that come and go, and then there are things that have always worked. 

You may look at me with surprise when I say a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, property and commodities has always worked, given that at the moment we have seen a market fall, but since Harry Markovitz developed the Modern Portfolio Theory in the late 60’s, through the ups and down of the market, a diversified portfolio has continued to deliver positive returns. It doesn’t mean it always will, but it always has to date. 

There are always new fads coming into the investment world that are ‘currently working’, but invariably they have their time, and then crash horribly. It may not be a sexy, but we’ve always had the approach that we stick to what has always worked, not the latest craze. If you are worried about where the markets are now, just remember that a well-diversified portfolio, which is what all of our clients have, has never failed to recover from a market blip; and personally, I doubt it ever will!  

TRIBEathlon Podcast

Season 4, Episode 6: I met Leon Chevalier when sat next to him on the flight back from Kona, Hawaii, after he had finished 7th in the Ironman World Championships (in a year where he had also completed his Masters in Chemical Engineering).

Leon has been racing long distance triathlons across the world since 2021, and has already won Ironman Mallorca and Embrunman, came 3rd at Ironman UK and rose from 420th to 22nd in the PTO World Rankings.

He is most definitely one to watch among the rising stars of the long course, so Claire and I wanted to chat to him about the incredible start to his professional career, what Chemical Engineering can teach us in triathlon, the unexpected pressures of turning pro and how he can use the sport to create positive change in the world.

What I’ve Been Reading

They say that ‘facts tell, while stories sell’, and we know deep down it is true, so when I started to read Building a Story Brand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen I expected it to be about telling stories to our clients, but it’s about much more than that. There are so many good nuggets for building a success business through marketing, that I can see myself going back to this time and again. If you run your own business, I would strongly encourage you to read this little gem.

What I’ve Been Watching

You could have written the little I knew about the culinary icon, Anthony Bourdain, on a postcard; so when the Netflix documentary Roadrunner, about his life was recommended to me, I wasn’t initially drawn to it. That said, it was a convincing argument from a trusted source, so I decided to give it a shot; and I was certainly not disappointed.

This documentary explores Bourdain’s larger than life personality and his adventurous spirit whilst also highlighting the lows and search for happiness that he clearly struggled with. A touching and thought-provoking watch by the Oscar-winning filmmaker, Morgan Neville, that presents Bourdain as both the hero and the villain of his own story.

TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting

Scaremongers play on the idea that robots will simply replace people on the job when, in fact, they can become our essential collaborators, freeing us up to spend time on less mundane and mechanical challenges. In his TED talk Why we will rely on robots, Rodney Brooks points out how valuable this could be as the number of working-age adults drops and the number of retirees swells. He introduces us to Baxter, the robot with eyes that move and arms that react to touch, which could work alongside an aging population and learn to help them at home too.

App I’ve Found Useful

For Caryl and me our happy place is St Agnes in Cornwall; set along the most stunning stretch of UK coastline I have seen, it is classed as an area of outstanding natural beauty, as well as being home to a wide variety of sea life.

Recently, the most awful sewage release there hit the news and gone viral on social media and it got me researching more about the issue. The water companies are being regulated less than ever and, as a result, are releasing more and more into our oceans. If you would like to know where the damage is being done, be kept up to date with where is not safe to swim or help keep the water companies accountable, please download the Surfers Against Sewage App and even better, support them.

I cannot comprehend how, in this day and age, treating our waterways like this is acceptable.

Quote of the Week

“Normal is not something to aspire to, it’s something to get away from.”

• Jodie Foster

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

The Autumn statement saw another smoke and mirrors nibble by the tax man. Stealth taxation increases like decreasing the Capital Gains Tax allowance by half, the annual dividend allowance by half and reducing the top rate Income Tax threshold all have much less dramatic affect when it comes to raising money, simply because most people will miss it. Some more tax might disappear through their payroll, and other through their tax return, but little by little it all adds up without causing a media storm.

Noticeable absentees to the new Chancellors reforms were changes to ISAs, pensions, and other tax allowances, so be sensible and make the most of the allowances you have. We all need to do our bit for helping the country but doing more than your share is best achieved by action rather than inaction!

Wow, where did 2022 go to? Gone in the blink of an eye would be an understatement, but what a year it has been. Whilst there have of course been new challenges, if we think back to what 2020 and 2021 had in store for us, I think we can also be incredibly grateful for where we are today. We can share Christmas with our loved ones, travel to far flung parts of the world and attend the events that make us who we are. Long may that continue.

TRIBEathlon Podcast

Season 4, Episode 7: Julian Dean is a former professional road racing cyclist from New Zealand who competed as a professional between 1999 and 2013. He last rode for UCI World Tour team Orica–GreenEDGE, where he now works as sporting director. Some of his achievements include racing in and completing 7 Tour de France, 4 times Olympian and winning the 2007 and 2008 New Zealand National Road Race Championships.

At the peak of Julian's career, he was considered the best lead out rider in the world, so Claire and I wanted to chat to him about the mental discipline of repeatedly setting up others for the win, racing in the Olympics vs the Grand Tours, being shot whilst in the Tour de France and the future marginal gains in cycling.

What I’ve Been Reading

For years we’ve been hearing that we need to specialise to succeed to the point where we sometimes need to check that an ear specialist will deal with both the left ear and the right! 

In his book Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein  shows you that the way to succeed is by sampling widely, gaining a breadth of experiences, taking detours, experimenting relentlessly and juggling many interests - in other words, by developing range. Studying the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors and scientists, Epstein demonstrates why in most fields - especially those that are complex and unpredictable - generalists, not specialists are primed to excel. Certainly an interesting read that steps away from the current belief system especially if you, or someone you know, are thinking about a career change.  

What I’ve Been Watching

The Swimmers tells the remarkable true tale of sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini, who fled their native country of Syria at the height of the Civil War in 2015 to fulfil their dream of going to Germany and thereafter participate as swimmers in the Rio Olympics in 2016. On their journey they encountered human traffickers, a near fatal ride across the Mediterranean, slept on the roads of Hungary, survived rape attempts, withstood indignation and months of red tape in Germany while waiting for asylum. 

This film is an inspiring true story of epic adventure, guts, determination, and sheer will, told entirely from the perspective of refugees. Whilst it isn’t a Christmas film as such, it’s certainly one to add to the Radio Times highlighter list!

TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting 

Apparently ‘Goblin Mode’ is the “word(s) of the year”, but for me the statement of the year has been ‘human being, not human doing’. I seem to have stumbled across it in books, conversations with friends and my coaching and when I saw Alex Gibb’s TED talk called Finding happiness is a human being, not a human doing, I thought I better give it a go. 

Alex will introduce you to a process of finding the way to happiness not because of what you do, but with whom you are as a unique human being.

Quote of the Week

“Losers have goals and winners have systems” 

• Scott Adams 

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

As we get to the end of one year and the dawn of another, it is a great time to reflect on whether you have hit the goals you set out at the start of 2022 and to set goals that you want to achieve in 2023. 

There is a power in writing these goals down and revisiting them at least every quarter as research shows that the simple act of committing pen to paper and then reassessing every 90 days massively increases the likelihood of you hitting them. So, if you were sat here 1 year from now looking back, what must you have achieved for you to be happy with your progress? Specifically, what have you got to achieve in the most important areas of your life (namely your finances, career, health, wellbeing, relationships and fitness) for you to have had an amazing 2023?

If you’d like a structured way to set and reassess your goals, why not download The Limitless Life Planner. As the quote above tells you, winners have systems, so give yourself the best chance of achieving what’s important to you in 2023! 

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous 2023.

The turn of the year is a great time for reflection on the year gone by, to mentally reenergise and to plan for the year ahead. Will you make 2023 more of the same or is it time for change? One trend I am seeing during and since lockdown is a lack of work/life balance amongst entrepreneurs and professionals; they are close to burnout and if they don’t make time for themselves, they’ll soon need to make time for illness. So, should 2023 really be more of the same or should this festive period be a turning point for you and the way you live your life?

Now is the time to reflect on whether you’ve hit the clear and measurable goals you set out at the start of 2022; did your goal setting system help or hinder you? How are you going to make 2023 a brilliant year, and how are you going to measure that success?  If you, like so many others, would like to accelerate your success in 2023 whilst also regaining your work/life balance and refocusing on the most important things in life, I’d love to help. I’ll be running 2 free half-day workshops in January on the mornings of 11^th (virtually) and 12th (in Rutland) to help you set yourself up for success in 2023.  Places are free of charge, but are limited to just 20 spots, so if you would like to attend one of them, please email [email protected] as soon as possible.

If you want to create success in 2023 you need to start with the end in mind and in these workshops, I can help you do just that. Come and join me and I’ll help you kickstart an incredible year.

TRIBEathlon Podcast

Season 4, Episode 8: Michellie Jones was an Australian triathlete who won two ITU Triathlon World Championships, an Olympic silver medal when triathlon made its Olympic debut and the 2006 Ironman World Championship. She also won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics as a guide for Katie Kelly, when paratriathlon made its debut at the Paralympics. She now spends her time coaching other triathletes and around her other passion, horses.

Claire and I wanted to chat to Michellie about race day mentality, how she focuses on controlling the controllables, the power of artificial intelligence in coaching, quietening the 'chimp brain' and the power of visualisation.

What I’ve Been Reading

Whilst it’s good to read books about goal setting and reflection at this time of the year, it’s also good to read books that just make you happy.

I’ve previously confessed to being a teenage metalhead, so it won’t surprise you that growing up in the 80s and 90s led me to Iron Maiden. Unlike most metal bands that tell stories of drunken antics and drug induced comas offstage, Iron Maiden were the refined gentlemen of the genre, and no more so than their lead man, Bruce Dickinson.

In What Does This Button Do?, Dickinson tells the story of Maiden and of the rather intriguing man at the front. Playing the Maiden frontman is just one of the many hats Bruce wears; in addition to being one of the world's most storied and well-respected singers and songwriters, he is often credited as a genuine polymath as he is an airline captain, aviation entrepreneur, motivational speaker, beer brewer, novelist and film scriptwriter and has also competed as a world-class level fencer. Bruce, in his own words, sets forth many personal observations guaranteed to inspire curious souls and hard-core fans alike.

What I’ve Been Watching

Leap is a documentary based around a one-year experiment that seeks to discover whether coaching can help ordinary people achieve extraordinary things. Whilst it isn’t the most gripping recommendation you’ll see here in Friday Footnotes, it does highlight the important role coaching can play in taking people to the next level, breaking through barriers and achieving more.

Health Matters to Consider

Too much Christmas turkey or fed up of eating Quality Streets for breakfast? Perhaps you need the take on the 2-week detox this January. I promise that after you do it, you will feel so good that it might just stick as a long-term lifestyle and act as a springboard to a fitter, healthier life as it did for me 10 years ago. If you want to the details of this detox challenge, you’ll find them here.

TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting

For the first time ever, we have five generations in the workplace at the same time says entrepreneur, Chip Conley, in his TED talk What baby boomers can learn from millennials at work -- and vice versa. What would happen if we got intentional about how we all work together? In this accessible talk, Conley shows how age diversity makes companies stronger and calls for different generations to mentor each other at work, with wisdom flowing from old to young and young to old alike.

Quote of the Week

"Vision without action is just a dream, action without vision just passes the time, and vision with action can change the world."

• Nelson Mandela.

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

A New Year often means renewed focus on long standing and niggling issues, so it’s important you seize the moment while the enthusiasm remains and ride the wave of energy that the start of a new chapter brings. If that is revamping your finances, better organising your estate for your loved ones, or planning your dream retirement, then we’d love to help you make 2023 a huge step forward financially.

TRIBEathlon Podcast

Due to the festive period, there is no new TRIBEathlon episode this fortnight, so I wanted to take a step back in time to one of my favourite episodes. 

John McAvoy is currently a professional Ironman and a Nike sponsored athlete, however he was previously a high profile armed robber who found redemption through the power of sport. Having broken both British and World records whilst in prison he is now forging a new life as an endurance athlete and speaker who is committed to using his story of rehabilitation to help and inspire others to change their lives for the better. His journey from iron bars to Ironman is quite astonishing, and one that is inspiring others to do the same. 

Sid and I wanted to learn more about his incredible story, the power of role models and creating a legacy. Listen to his episode of the podcast here

What I’ve Been Reading

Dan Pink has been one of my favourite authors for years, and I have previously recommended his books Drive, To Sell is Human, A Whole New Mind and When. 

Whilst I am not sure his new book The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward is his best work, it is still packed full of interesting stories and insights about human psychology. “No regrets”, you’ve heard people proclaim as a philosophy of life, but that’s nonsense, even dangerous, says Pink. Everybody has regrets; they’re a fundamental part of our lives and if we reckon with them in fresh and imaginative ways, we can enlist our regrets to make smarter decisions, perform better at work and school, and deepen our sense of meaning and purpose. With Pink’s signature blend of big ideas and practical takeaways, captivating stories and crisp humour, The Power of Regret offers an urgent and indispensable guide for a life well-lived.

What I’ve Been Watching

The Madoff docuseries on Netflix follows the rise and fall of financier, Bernie Madoff, who orchestrated the biggest Ponzi scheme in Wall Street history. 

There are so many interesting elements to how Bernie managed to pull off the biggest financial scandal in my lifetime, not least the regulators appalling failings, greed of investors and the lack of due diligence by financial institutions on behalf of their clients. Ultimately the only people who made money were the lawyers. Whilst the regulators had huge failings, the corporate investors did little to identify the flaws that one man spotted in minutes. A fascinating and devastating story worth watching.  

Quote of the Week

“Regret doesn't remind us that we did badly. It reminds us that we know we can do better." 

• Kathryn Schulz 

Finance Theme I’ve been Considering

Every day we make decisions that have good or bad consequences for our future selves; for example, should I increase my pension contributions? 

Daniel Goldstein makes tools that help us imagine ourselves over time so that we make smart choices for ‘Future Us’. This is especially important when it comes to considering how we think about money. If you want to learn more, he has a great TED talk The battle between your present and future self, which is worth watching a reflecting on.

The Trusted Team

If you read Dan Pink’s book ‘When’ you will learn about the importance of ‘the beginning’ of anything, even if it’s not actually the beginning! For example, football teams that are 1-0 down at half time play disproportionately better and win more often than they should, because half time is an opportunity to begin again. 

He says we should “Start right. Start again. Start together.” What he means by this is we need to start with intention, revisit regularly and also build a tribe of people to support us. This approach is very much in tune with my approach to goals setting and goal achieving. 

Creating the goal is just the start; putting it into action, revisiting it and finding others that can help you that actually ensures you hit it. We have a Trusted Team free taster virtual workshop coming up on Wednesday 22nd February.  if you want our help in setting and succeeding in hitting the goals that will create you a better future. You can register by sending a quick email to [email protected]

TRIBEathlon Podcast

Season 4, Episode 9: Dede Griesbauer recently became the Ultraman World Champion at the age of 52. Not turning pro until she was 35, Dede is a veteran Professional Triathlete, being a 3-time Ironman Champion and a 2-time 70.3 Champion. She is the 2016 12-hour Time Trial World Champion, where she set the course record of 258 miles, beating all of the men as well. She won Ultraman Florida in 2020 where she set an Ultraman World Record and she is the 2022 Ultraman World Champion where she set a course record by over 45 minutes.

It was an honour for Claire and I to interview her and former TRIBEathlon co-host, Laura Siddall, who crewed for Dede in her Ultraman win. We chatted to them about the difference in strategy from Iron distance to Ultra distance triathlon, creating longevity in the sport through smart recovery and how to build a great support team around you.

Tech I’ve Found Useful

I officially have a new favourite tech tool - if you have not yet tried Microsoft’s Chat GPT, prepare to have your mind blown. 

Whether you want it to create code for you, summarise a book, write you a poem, draw up a legal contract, write your blog, recommend a product, film or book or even diagnose an illness, you need to check out the future of search and artificial intelligence. It is smart enough to pass The Bar exam, a Medical Finals exam and a Business School final. 

Not sure it will take off? Whilst it took Netflix 3.5 years to get to 1 million users, Facebook 10 months and Instagram 2.5 months, it took Chat GPT 5 days and it got to 100 million in just 2 months! If you want a guide as to how you can use Chat GPT to make your life easier, watch this video as a starting point. Prepare to be amazed and remember, don’t stop at asking one question. Follow up with further questions or requests on the same subject to really enjoy Chat GPT’s potential. 

What I’ve Been Reading

Conventional wisdom holds that if we work hard, we will be more successful and if we are more successful, then we'll be happy. If we can just find that great job, win that next promotion, lose those five pounds, happiness will follow. But recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology have shown that this formula is actually backward; happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we are positive our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work. This isn't just an empty mantra. This discovery has been repeatedly borne out by rigorous research in psychology and neuroscience, management studies, and the bottom lines of organisations around the globe. 

The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, who spent over a decade living, researching, and lecturing at Harvard University, draws on his own research - including one of the largest studies of happiness and potential at Harvard and others at companies like UBS and KPMG - to fix this broken formula. Using stories and case studies from his work with thousands of Fortune 500 executives in 42 countries, Achor explains how we can reprogram our brains to become more positive in order to gain a competitive edge at work. 

If I’m honest, the book got off to a bit of a slow start for me, but as I got further and further in, I took more and more notes. Whilst much of this can be found in other books, it is a brilliant book that takes the best ideas from the topic and is definitely worth reading.

What I’ve Been Watching

I recently finished watching Limitless on National Geographic (Disney+), and I can honestly say it is one of the best TV series I’ve watched. Actor, Chris Hemsworth, doesn’t rely on a physique honed during a decade of playing Thor in movies, but instead challenges his mind as well as body in a quest to develop habits that might extend life. Experts guide him through a series of challenges, whilst also providing the science behind what makes each aspect so powerful. If you want to learn about living a long and healthy life, I suggest you watch it.

Quote Of the Week

"The impact of GPT on the field of natural language processing is hard to overstate. The potential for this technology to revolutionize industries from healthcare to finance is enormous." 

- Yoshua Bengio, computer scientist and co-recipient of the 2018 Turing Award. (Sourced by Chat GPT).

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

Inheritance Tax Planning is important to your family because it helps to ensure that your loved ones receive as much of your estate as possible when you pass away. When you leave money or property to your family, the government may take some of it as Inheritance Tax. Inheritance Tax Planning helps you to minimize the amount of tax your family will have to pay so they can keep more of the money you intended for them. 

By working with a financial planner or solicitor, you can create a plan that is tailored to your specific needs and goals. This may include making gifts during your lifetime, creating trusts, or other strategies to reduce your taxable estate. In addition to minimizing tax, Inheritance Tax Planning can also help to ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes, minimize family conflicts, and protect your assets for future generations. By taking the time to plan ahead, you can provide peace of mind and financial security for your loved ones. 

The Trusted Team

At Efficient Portfolio, we aimed to help take the client on a journey from financial uncertainty and inefficiency to a place of peace of mind, certainty and understanding. That is why we created The Efficient Wealth Management Process, a unique journey that clients were guided through, to help them do more with their money. Any new client always knew what the journey would look like, because we explained it in multiple places and in multiple ways. 

In a recent Workshop for The Trusted Team, we got people working on creating what I call The Phenomenal Process; their own unique client journey. Have you thought about how you explain your journey to clients? how they benefit from what you do, and how you name the process? It is incredibly powerful. 

If you’d like to come and see how we are helping entrepreneurs and professionals in practice grow their business, improve their work life balance and enjoy their work more, come and join one of The Trusted Team’s taster workshops. You can find out more and register here.