You are not your thoughts... you are aware of your thoughts. This is such a valuable and important recognition. Most people identify who they are through their thoughts about themselves. What they do, what they believe, which tribe they belong to. But thoughts are just pointers. As the saying goes, 'the finger pointing to the moon, is not the moon'. A key distinction is to recognise the difference between the 'thinking mind' and the 'aware mind'. We are all familiar with the 'thinking mind' whic...
Feb 05, 2024•58 min
Want to know how to overcome fear? Free solo climbing legend Alex Honnold can explain. Alex Honnold climbed a 3000 foot vertical cliff - El Capitan in America - without ropes, a feat described as ‘one of the greatest Athletic feats of any kind, ever’. It was so impressive, they made a film about it called Free Solo. Listen to this, then watch that - and change your relationship with fear. Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself - is now on general release. Drawing on some ...
Feb 02, 2024•10 min
Success evangelism - have you had your fill yet? This idea that hustling for success, in the belief that we will finally be content and fulfilled when we reach the promised land (which invariably stays out of reach) needs a rethink. Some of the most successful people on the planet have been left unfulfilled and empty after achieving their hearts desires. It's time for a rethink. It's time to consider a new way of being. Featuring: (Full episodes below) Jonny Wilkinson: https://pod.fo/e/16ff5e Ca...
Jan 29, 2024•53 min
Think about the people closest to you for a moment. Do you like them for what they achieve, or what they are like? (Hopefully it's the latter) Achievement is important, but not as important as being kind, thoughtful, compassionate and having integrity. My guest is Professor Steve Peters, author of the wildly successful book The Chimp Paradox My debut book - Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself - is now on general release. Drawing on some of my favourite interviews from ...
Jan 26, 2024•12 min
Is it really about winning and trophies - or something altogether more profound? Matthew Syed is a Times Columnist, author, renowned thinker, consultant and former British number 1 table tennis player. My debut book - Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself - is now on general release. Drawing on some of my favourite interviews from this podcast over the last five years, I want to challenge our ideas about 'success', and where peace, joy and fulfilment are truly to be foun...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Success, addiction - and a new way of being. This bitesize episode is with the one and only Ronnie O'Sullivan. In it he talks about addiction, success evangelism and why giving can be more fulfilling than receiving. Ronnie very kindly gave me an endorsement for my book, now on general release. In it, I touch on the themes we discuss in this bitesize ep. 'This book captures the magic of being in flow . . . Highly recommend' RONNIE O'SULLIVAN 'Entertaining and enlightening' MATTHEW SYED 'Using hig...
Jan 19, 2024•10 min
Life Lessons special: Goldie Sayers interviews Simon Mundie. His debut book Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself is on general release from today. The following people have been kind enough to provide the following endorsements: 'This book captures the magic of being in flow . . . Highly recommend' RONNIE O'SULLIVAN 'Entertaining and enlightening' MATTHEW SYED 'Using high achieving individuals, teams and sporting stories Simon has looked into something we actually all k...
Jan 18, 2024•55 min
What is our identity before psychology? This episode is about self-enquiry, a process you can do to explore what your fundamental identity is, before psychology. We tend to have an idea about who we are, based on thoughts about our roles in life, our beliefs, what has happened to us in the past, our relationships, tribal affiliations and so on. navigate the social world we live in - but it is certainly not the whole story. And we overlook this deeper essence at our peril. My guest is Piers Thurs...
Jan 15, 2024•58 min
Why resisting and battling uncomfortable thoughts and feelings doesn't work, but acceptance and self-compassion does. Dr. Russ Harris is the world's best-know teacher of Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) Experiencing emotions like anxiety is entirely normal. It is part of the human experience. If you DIDN'T experience them, then there may be a problem. However, it is not unusual to believe we shouldn't experience uncomfortable feelings and thoughts, and so we are prone to resisting them, o...
Jan 12, 2024•9 min
What is ADHD? How does it manifest and display in people? Is it time to stop calling it a disorder? Dr Tony Lloyd is chief executive of the ADHD Foundation, which I am delighted and honoured to have become a patron of. I was diagnosed with ADHD last year, and it had a big impact on me. So much of my life, looking back, now makes more sense. And so i wanted to really dig deep into the topic with Tony, who is a fountain of neurodiverse knowledge. In this episode we discuss: ADHD scepticism What AD...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr 10 min
How to produce work of value - and improve your mental health at the same time. Professor Cal Newport argues that our ability to do deep work, which is where we perform undistracted work on something cognitively demanding, is a vital skill to train. However, the ability to perform deep work is increasingly rare - not least because of the impact of smartphones and social media. So what can we do about it? Allow Professor Newport to explain... My debut book - Champion Thinking: How To Find Success...
Jan 05, 2024•9 min
Embracing pressure with the England striker turned broadcasting behemoth Gery Lineker My debut book - Champion Thinking: How to find success without losing yourself - is available for pre-order now. Drawing on some of my favourite interviews from this podcast over the last five years, I want to challenge our ideas about 'success', and where peace, joy and fulfilment are truly to be found. Pre-Order Now: https://www.simonmundie.com/book YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Instagram: h...
Jan 01, 2024•38 min
"Why do you always have to be better than yesterday? If it's because you feel like you're not enough as you are - let's talk about that" In this episode, Psychologist Katie Warriner questions the whole narrative of what success is – and why achievement in and of itself isn’t impressive, it’s asking yourself – what are you motivated by? And how are you going to use that to contribute to the wellbeing of others and the world? My debut book - Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yo...
Dec 29, 2023•12 min
Simply refusing to give up - even after crushing disappointments. Dame Katherine Grainger is Britain’s most decorated female Olympian and its greatest ever female rower. She won gold at London 2012 and silver at four other Games, and her ability to persist and keep going through setbacks helped set her apart. In this episode, Katherine relives her unforgettable Olympic journey, and unpicks the lessons she learnt about perseverance along the way. My debut book - Champion Thinking: How To Find Suc...
Dec 26, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Sometimes a drive for achievement and 'success' can come from disquiet, as Caitlyn Jenner - the 1976 Olympic Decathlon Champion - explained when I visited her house in Malibu My debut book - Champion Thinking: How to find success without losing yourself - is available for pre-order now. Drawing on some of my favourite interviews from this podcast over the last five years, I want to challenge our ideas about 'success', and where peace, joy and fulfilment are truly to be found. Pre-Order Now: http...
Dec 25, 2023•1 hr 26 min
Staying committed to your path, even when you feel you are missing out. Josh Warrington is a two-time boxing World Champion, who made history in 2018 when he became the first male boxer from Leeds to win a major world title. Early in Josh's career, he was juggling boxing with working as a dental technician and studying at Leeds University, which didn't leave much time to spend with his friends. He felt as if he was missing out on occasion, until one of his pals set him straight My debut book - C...
Dec 22, 2023•12 min
My debut book - Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself - is available for pre-order now. Drawing on some of my favourite interviews from this podcast over the last five years, I want to challenge our ideas about 'success', and where peace, joy and fulfilment are truly to be found. Flow is a fundamental theme. Pre-order here: https://www.simonmundie.com/book Website: simonmundie.com YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonm...
Dec 18, 2023•53 min
Your values are the things that you believe are important in the way you live and work. They (should) determine your priorities, and, deep down, they may be the measures you use to tell if your life is turning out the way you want it to. When the things that you do and the way you behave match your values, life often flows. But when these don't align with your personal values, that's when things feel... wrong. This is why making a conscious effort to identify your values is so important. My gues...
Dec 15, 2023•11 min
What can reflecting on history teach us about living well now? In this episode we are talking about learning lessons from history, particularly perspective and empathy. We also question what impact the suppression of the 'feminine principle', as has happened over the last two thousand years, has had. In the first half we talk about getting in flow, digital minimalism, tapping into creativity, the importance of making complex concepts understandable, the perennial problem of tribalism and much mo...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 3 min
The huge cognitive cost of constantly checking your phone - and what you can do about it. My guest is Johann Hari - author of Stolen Focus - who explains the 'switch cost effect', and outlines some simple steps to rediscover the joys of focus, which is fundamental if you are going to get into flow. Speaking of flow, my debut book - Champion Thinking: How to find success without losing yourself - is available for pre-order now. Drawing on some of my favourite interviews from this podcast over the...
Dec 08, 2023•12 min
Life Lessons from a top CEO. David Shelley is Group CEO of Hachette UK, the second largest British book publishing group. He's held that position since 2018, and will soon also add the CEO role for the company’s United States’ division, Hachette Book Group, to his roster. He will move to New York to take up the role in January. This conversation is all about what it takes to become and remain a top CEO, and the impact holding a position like that has on someone. In this episode, recorded live at...
Dec 04, 2023•54 min
We crave connection for a good reason. Research shows us that loneliness is on the rise, and that a lack of human connection can be more harmful to your health than obesity, smoking and high blood pressure. Dr Rangan Chatterjee - physician and host of the 'Feel Better, live More' podcast - explains how the boom in podcasts reflects this need for connection. He also explains what other life-changing benefits he has experienced from podcasting - from mindfulness to focus and connection My debut bo...
Dec 01, 2023•11 min
We spend a third of our lives asleep - so why not use some of that time to learn, heal from past traumas and grow psychologically and even physically? Charlie Morley is a teacher of lucid dreaming, which is where you are asleep and in a dream, but you know that you are dreaming and can start to consciously direct your dream at will. It's a practice that has been used for thousands of years by Buddhists, mystics and shamans - and science has now caught up, proving the undoubted power lucid dreami...
Nov 27, 2023•1 hr 23 min
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” People often talk about the importance of marginal gains, and improving by 1% in as many areas as possible. However, most of the top performers I have spoken to say by far the most important thing is consistent effort over a long period of time. But finding the fuel to maintain the necessary level of consistency is doing what you love. My YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/Yo...
Nov 24, 2023•12 min
How to make sure you are in the right place at the right time - with the former intelligence officer turned entrepreneur, author and Farnham Street founder Shane Parrish. In this episode, Shane explains the art of 'positioning', and how to play life in 'easy mode' rather than 'hard mode', a skill used by the world's most consistent top performers. He identifies the barriers to clear thinking - Emotional, Ego, Social and Inertia - and explains how to 'get them before they get you'. He also explai...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 13 min
Success is not synonymous with happiness. So many high performers reach the top of the proverbial Everest only to discover that it did not provide the lasting satisfaction that it seemed to promise. One such person is Caitlyn Jenner, who won gold in the Olympic decathlon in 1976. However, the issues that were bubbling away under the surface were free to reassert themselves once the Games were over. My YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonmundi...
Nov 17, 2023•11 min
Communicating what we want to say for maximum impact is far from easy. It’s also not something many people work on. But Ros Atkins, creator of the hugely successful viral BBC videos 'Ros Atkins on...' is truly a master of the craft, and in this episode he shares some of the key techniques and outlooks that make him stand out. Ros has identified the ten elements of what makes a good explanation as well as the seven steps you need to take to communicate what you want to say with clarity and impact...
Nov 13, 2023•56 min
How you do anything is how you do EVERYTHING. What matters is what you do today. That’s the message Stoic author Ryan Holiday emphasises in this bitesize episode. Ryan has written a number of best-selling books on stoicism, including The Obstacle is the Way. He described stoicism as 'the most practical of all philosophies', and he explains that - in his view - it is important to understand that it is our actions that define us, and every moment is a chance to do and be our best. That doesn’t mea...
Nov 10, 2023•9 min
The power of skillful conversation - from the personal to the global level. This week's conversation is with professor Shane O'Mara, a neuroscientist of the top order who is professor of Experimental Brain Research at Trinity College Dublin. He is also the author of Talking Heads: The New Science of How Conversations Shapes Our World. Shane explains the role that conversation and memory has in our ability to envisage a better future. We talk about lots in this episode including the difference be...
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr 19 min
The power of letting go of the need for a specific outcome to go your way. We are halfways through the Strictly Come Dancing season 2023, so what better time than now to revisit my conversation with glitterball favourite and former Strictly champion Kevin Clifton. Kevin was runner up on four occasions while on the show, which triggered some of his old competitive wounds, before finally lifting the trophy with his now wife Stacey Dooley. How? Clearly the chemistry didn't hurt - but nor did his ch...
Nov 03, 2023•11 min
