Being Human

#210 Complexity for Business and Society – with Chris Mowles

> Sign Up For Our Newsletter: http://www.firsthuman.com/being-human-newsletter/This week we see the return of a former guest to the podcast, Professor of Complexity and Management at The University of Hertfordshire Chris Mowles. He's back on the podcast to talk about his new book, Complexity: A Key Idea for Business and Society.
 
Drawing on the natural and social sciences, he describes how complexity models are helpful but insufficient for our understanding of complex reality. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, he explains how, whenever humans are involved, it will be 'predictably unpredictable' whether we like it or not. But rather than this being a cause for despair, Chris emphasises how understanding complexity can give us more options for action.
 
We talk: - Handling the discomfort of uncertainty - Ethics in complexity - Sources of group resilience - Unstable stability - There is no system!
 
Links:Complexity: A Key Idea for Business and Society - The BookChris' University of Hertfordshire Page

#209 The Golden Rule – with Tom van der Lubbe

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This week we're releasing a talk I did with friend of the show Tom van der Lubbe at the Forward Summit, a conference dedicated to redefining leadership and management to create happier people and successful organizations.
 We talk:- Applying The Golden Rule in business- Why being small is beautiful- Leading through your frustrations
 
Links:Management 3.0

#208 Everybody Matters – with Bob Chapman

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This week's episode is very special to me, Bob Chapman, a man who's been a personal inspiration for many years. Bob is the award-winning CEO of Barry-Wehmiller and author of the critically acclaimed book Everybody Matters.
Bob's life changed after a friend asked him what dream he most feared taking to his grave. This conversation led him to ditch his traditional management approach to start treating his team members as if they were each his own precious child.
We talk:- Leadership as listening- Validating people's dignity- Better financial metrics than Buffet- Human wealth, not economic wealth- Flipping the frame
Links:Everybody Matters - The BookThe Privilege of Leadership

#207 Finding Zen – with Henry Shukman

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This week I speak with Henry Shukman, author and current Spiritual Director of The Mountain Cloud Zen Center. He teaches mindfulness and awakening practices to a wide range of students from all traditions and walks of life.Henry is a man who seems to have led several lives: author, singer and now Zen adept. His battles with severe eczema at an early age, coupled with the break-up on his parents' marriage, led him on a life-long quest to find relief from his suffering. After a spontaneous spiritual awakening at the age of 19, followed by a difficult few years, he embarked on a long journey of healing and awakening. His Zen quest ultimately led to the international abbot of Sanbo Zen appointing him a teacher in 2010.
We talk:- The Zen atheist- Trauma release and spirituality- Childrearing for awakening- The arduous path
Links:Mountain Cloud Zen CenterHenry's Books

#206 The Chief Wellbeing Officer – with Dr. Steven MacGregor

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This week I speak with Dr. Steven MacGregor, the founder of The Leadership Academy of Barcelona, Honorary Professor of Health and Wellbeing at the Glasgow School of Art, and External Advisor for McKinsey & Company.
After completing his first degree, Steven continued his education, and athletic pursuits whilst his friends took corporate jobs. He watched his own wellbeing sore as his friends' nosedived. Seeing these companies squashing the vitality of his colleagues set him on a mission to change things.  
Steven is also a former international-level duathlete currently racing for FC Barcelona and has trained with Olympic athletes, Tour de France cyclists and Ironman champions.
 
We talk:- wellbeing as a function of habit- nutrition and movement- stealth exercise
 
Links:Dr. MacGregor's booksThe Daily Reset

#205 Somatic Archaeology – with Dr. Ruby Gibson

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This week I speak with an extraordinary woman, Dr. Ruby Gibson, the developer or the technique called Somatic Archaeology, a transgenerational approach to wellness and reclaiming memory.
For the past 35 years, Dr. Gibson has been dedicated to the craft and science of Historical Trauma recovery internationally and among Native Peoples. As a mixed­-blood woman, Dr. Gibson's life experience and ceremonial life guided her to develop these healing techniques. She has learned how to simplify the complexity of trauma recovery through the inspiration of her spiritual grandmothers and the four worlds of creation. 
We talk:
- The 5 archaeological steps- Learning from the natural world- 7 generations in each direction- Healing her family history of alcoholism and abandonment- The power of the indigenous medicine wheel
Links:
Freedom LodgeMy Body My Breath
 

#204 Ice Wisdom – with ‘Uncle’ Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq

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My extraordinary guest this week has dedicated his life to connecting to nature, out there as well as inside. ‘Uncle’ Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq is a shaman, traditional healer, storyteller and carrier of the Qilaut (winddrum), whose family belongs to the traditional healers of the Far North from Kalaallit Nunaat, Greenland. 
We talk the importance of smelling each other (yes), melting the ice, meeting Mandela, and the simple acts of connection that can restore our humanity. 
Links:Ice Wisdom

#203 The Power Of Deep Work – with Dr. Tom Cotton

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Our guest this week is psychotherapist and executive coach Dr. Tom Cotton.He's a man who stands for the power of deep work. So much so that he invites people to spend three days with him in an abandoned village in the Haut-Languedoc mountains to get beneath their surface thinking.  We talk about exploring deep work for connection, creativity, and shared mission. Tom also shares the principles of his approach to deep work for those unable to join his fantastic retreats.
Links:Sue Prideaux - I Am Dynamite!: A Life of Friedrich Nietzsche

#202 Hold on to Your Kids – with Dr. Gordon Neufeld

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For any parents out there, our guest this week is Dr. Gordon Neufeld, author of Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers.He speaks about the perils of peer attachment in our children and what we can do to win them back. I'm joined by a colleague in my co-working space, Suzanne, who is facing this right now, and Gordon provides Suzanne with some real-time advice, including sharing how he rescued his relationship with his own daughter.We talk about effective strategies for preserving our child-parent relationships in the context of today's ubiquitous social media presence.
 
Links:Hold on to Your Kids -  The BookThe Neufeld Institute

#201 What Is Wisdom? – with Kayvan Kian

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I'm delighted to say that we're back this week with one of the most thoughtful guys I know, Kayvan Kian. He has a new book, What Is Wisdom?: A Collection of Practical Thoughts for Better Decisions in Life, in which he invites us to channel different philosophers to help us think through life's challenges and opportunities more carefully. 
The main takeaway from my conversation with Kayvan was the importance of slowing down. Also, the need to make time to think whilst reflecting on how we're thinking. It's this that can help us to dramatically improve our decision making.
Links:What Is Wisdom - The BookKayvan's Website