London's Leadership Podcast

Although some might consider Loewen the fittest mom after the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games, she doesn’t feel she should hold the title of “Fittest Mom on Earth.”“Moms have a lot of pressure on themselves. The last thing I want a mom to see is if you’re not competing at a CrossFit Games level, you’re not doing enough. … We already have so much unrealistic expectations of ‘you have to fit back in your clothes, you have to lift what you lifted before.’ All your kid wants is you and for you to love them. It takes time and patience.”After facing the challenges that come along with giving birth and becoming a mother, Loewen realized that regardless of fitness ability, every mom is a super mom. Whether they are doing CrossFit to get back in shape after birth, to be able to pick up their kid when they are a toddler, or to prove to themselves they can overcome challenges, parenthood is no small feat. “Everybody has a purpose. I’m lucky and thankful that my talent has brought me to the CrossFit Games. … Other girls, their journey might not look similar, but it’s still just as important, just as amazing, just as great,” Loewen said. “Comparison is the thief of joy. So I’d hate for them to look at me and be like, ‘I’m only successful if I make it to the Games after having a kid.’ No, your journey is different. And it is more than enough. It’s awesome.”

"I’m Russell Harvey, and I am a Resilience Coach, Facilitator and Public Speaker.My Purpose is to positively affect 100,000 people by the year 2025 (Right now I am at 14,003!). This could be by developing a client’s self-confidence, providing clarity and direction to their role, providing them with the tools and techniques to create the right conditions to apply “transformation” to their department or company, and much more. I have had a 20 year career in Learning, Leadership and Organisational Development and my overall style is influenced by positive psychology and a Strengths-Based approach.When working with my clients, I aim to strike the right balance between:· Pragmatism· Creativity and Playfulness· Support, Challenge and ProgressIn addition to the work I do with my clients I am the Chair of Governors of a local primary school and a volunteer with Leeds Young Authors. I also run public speaking and confidence workshops in schools."

Mat’s mantra, “Hard Work Pays Off” (HWPO), guided him to become the most decorated and dominant athlete in the history of CrossFit, which now drives him in business. ‍In his competitive career, he earned five consecutive CrossFit Games Titles as the Fittest Man on Earth (2016 - 2020) and finished on the podium seven consecutive times (2014-2020).Before finding CrossFit, Fraser had an entire career in Olympic Weightlifting. He was the 2009 Junior National Weightlifting Champion and a Resident Athlete at the Olympic Training Center. ‍Most recently, Mat coached HWPO PRO Athlete Mal O’Brien to a 2nd-place finish at the 2022 CrossFit Games and assisted Jake Marconi in coaching HWPO PRO athlete Jayson Hopper to a 7th-place finish.

James Ray is the founder and CEO of XCC the Extreme character challenge focused on helping men their full selves. XCC focuses on the mind, body and soul of a man!"Our mental health, like physical health, can fluctuate. It is reported that almost 50% men regularly feel worried or “low”. Our minds are also the places we often make moral decisions, about what we think is right or wrong. We think through problems and think about issues.On an XCC we make space to talk about some of the difficult challenges we face and to speak together about some of the “solutions” or at least some ways others have found answers.It is a time for you to think.That’s why it is a MIND ADVENTURE.It can be said that we don’t just have a body, we are a body! Our bodies are remarkable, strong, resilient and powerful….but some of us haven’t discovered that yet.An XCC is a demanding physical experience, designed to challenge and test your body. It’s not a military fitness test, more an exercise in determination and resilience. Those who have gone before you have said it was one of the most rewarding physical experiences of their lives.Your body will impress you…but you should get ready: train a bit, it will be tough. That’s why it is a BODY ADVENTUREYou might be wondering: “What do they mean by SOUL?” – some people don’t even believe such a thing exists!….but we think that when you connect with people, or watch a sunset or stand in a quiet place, something can happen “inside” us. And this is a SOUL connection….XCC events are run as a journey to discover identity and purpose. Faith is therefore a key element and is something we talk about, specifically from a Christian perspective. However everything we do is held as “optional” in the sense that you buy in as much as you can and want to. That’s why it is a SOUL ADVENTURE"

Adam Alter is a Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business and the Robert Stansky Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellow, with an affiliated appointment in the New York University Psychology Department.Adam is the New York Times bestselling author of two books: Irresistible (March, 2017), which considers why so many people today are addicted to so many behaviors, from incessant smart phone and internet use to video game playing and online shopping, and Drunk Tank Pink (2013), which investigates how hidden forces in the world around us shape our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Adam has also written for the New York Times, New Yorker, Washington Post, Atlantic, WIRED, Slate, Huffington Post, and Popular Science, among other publications. He has shared his ideas on NPR's Fresh Air, at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, and with dozens of companies, including Google, Microsoft, Anheuser Busch, Prudential, and Fidelity, and with several design and ad agencies around the world.Adam’s academic research focuses on judgment and decision-making and social psychology, with a particular interest in the sometimes surprising effects of subtle cues in the environment on human cognition and behavior. His research has been published widely in academic journals, and featured in dozens of TV, radio and print outlets around the world.He received his Bachelor of Science (Honors Class 1, University Medal) in Psychology from the University of New South Wales and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Princeton University, where he held the Charlotte Elizabeth Procter Honorific Dissertation Fellowship and a Fellowship in the Woodrow Wilson Society of Scholars

Major General Paul Nanson is a British Army Officer who serves as Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and General Officer Commanding Recruiting and Initial Training Command. During his thirty year career in the British Army, he has served in the Troubles, the Gulf War, the Bosnian War, the Iraq war, and the war in Afghanistan, which saw him appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for distinguished services. In his tenure at Sandhurst he has established the Centre for Army Leadership, the world's premier centre for army leadership.

Aged just fifteen, Ben attended the Army's selection weekend for potential officers and subsequently embarked on six gruelling years of training and assessment to fulfil my childhood dream.After graduating from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, Ben completed two tours of duty in Iraq as a Captain in the British Army. It was during hia first tour in 2003, at just 23 years old, that he had to ask the unthinkable of two young soldiers. This experience and reflecting on what made them do as he asked caused the passion that he has for leadership to burn even stronger.

Needless to say, this episode is not what you initially think. It's better!Thomas Erikson is a motivator, author and lecturer. His book Surrounded by Idiots is one of the world’s best-selling non-fiction books and has been translated into over 40 languages. Thomas has devoted over 20 years of his career to helping people communicate with each other, and along the way he´s developed practical and functional tools that facilitate both professional and private life. Thank you for tuning in today - we look forward to speaking next time.