'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit. In April 2021, NHS worker Rachel Williams delivered a powerful and moving TEDx Talk, courageously sharing her experience of mental health in the context of being a black woman. In this episode of 'Life Happens' 87% marketing director James Gwinnett speaks to Rachel about her experiences and her belief that we all need to ... pause. We can’t operate at 100% all of the time, yet we impose unrealistic expectations on ourselves to do so. Yet, Rachel explains that giving everything you have, even if it’s not 100% of what you’re capable of, is all anyone can ever ask of you. Rachel is taking the first step, starting the conversation and being brave in talking about mental health, so that others can do the same, especially within the black community, where more people suffer with mental health issues. If you like the episode, please subscribe and share it with your friends to help them build mental fitness.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit. When you’re performing aerobatics with the Red Arrows, there’s no room for error. Yet our latest guest on ‘Life Happens’ admits to failing over and over in his pursuit of a childhood dream to become a fighter pilot. Dan Lowes knew from an early age that he wanted to fly with the RAF. A failed application at the age of 17 set him up to understand the concept of failure and he succeeded in his second application as a more rounded and savvier youngster. As he progressed through training, he continued to experience failure, but in his own words, “It’s not so much the failure that’s the issue. It’s how you learn, how you react and how you adapt.” Passing his course as the pilot that his instructors would ‘most want to go to war with’, highlighting his dependability, he spent eight years on the frontline before joining the world-renowned Red Arrows as a display pilot. Listen to the interview to get Dan’s take on high performance and how he brings what he has learned into everyday life. Performance and focus when it matters is key to being the best we can be but it is also crucial to be able to switch off from that focus to help deal with stress. Most importantly, as someone who has operated at such elite levels, Dan has learned repeatedly that failure is not something to be feared. If we don’t let it knock us, it is something that can prepare us better and ultimately allow us to succeed. If you like the episode, please rate it, review and share it and help others build mental fitness.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit. Abby Johnston, Kat Cordiner and Charlotte Irving make up Team ExtraOARdinary, an extraordinary rowing crew that will embark on the huge challenge of rowing an ocean later this year. Taking part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, they will depart from La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, and attempt to row 3,000 miles to English Harbour, Antigua, across the planet’s second largest ocean. Together, they hope to be the fastest all-female trio to complete the challenge, beating the current record of 49 days, 13 hours and 49 mins. In the latest episode of ‘Life Happens’, our marketing director, James Gwinnett, caught up with Abby and Kat to find out what is driving them on this incredible journey. Veterans of the ‘high seas’, Abby and Kat met whilst taking on the famous Round the World Clipper Race in 2017, spending 31 days together sailing across the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, life hasn’t been ‘plain sailing’ for Kat since then; she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in early 2019. She went into remission but, despite chances of recurrence of around 5%, was told in July 2020 that the cancer had returned, and has since undergone heart surgery. Currently navigating treatment while continuing her training for the row, Kat’s strength – and the commitment of her crewmates – is an example to all of us of how to overcome setbacks. If you like the episode, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and share it with your friends to help them build mental fitness.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit. Ollie Phillips’ CV makes for pretty impressive reading. After graduating from Durham University, he made the leap to professional rugby, playing for the Newcastle Falcons and making a name for himself on the international Rugby Sevens circuit, as a prolific try-scorer in this fast-paced version of the game. Over a remarkable career that spanned more than a decade, he captained England, played at three World Cups and, in 2009, claimed the prestigious award of World Player of the Year.   But if he has experienced his fair share of highs, it’s fair to say that he has also been hugely affected by the lows, as hitting his peak was followed by injury that forced him into retirement. Unwilling to accept the finality of this situation, and with an Olympic Games potentially on the horizon, he threw himself into intrepid adventure pursuits as a distraction and to give himself time to recover. After sailing round the world and setting a Guinness World Record at the North Pole, it was a full two years later that he had to resign himself to the idea that his rugby-playing days were over. A senior role with PwC beckoned but with it came severe imposter syndrome at having to transition from the rugby pitch to the boardroom. Watch the interview for Ollie’s insights into what it takes to develop the mindset of a professional athlete and how he overcame the setback of his career ending prematurely and having to face the challenge of the corporate world. We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please make sure you subscribe and share it with your friends, and check back for more great interviews coming soon.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit. Dan Keeley is one of the UK’s most powerful motivational speakers and mental health activists, encouraging us ‘to have courageous conversations together about the things that really matter’. In 2012 he suffered from a bad episode of poor mental health and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In this interview, we chat to Dan about stripping his life back to the bare essentials in order to build it back up, and reassessing his priorities. In the process, he learned to give himself permission to put himself first, focus more intentionally on his health, passions, relationships and growth, and do so in a balanced way. Since then, he has been on a journey of self-discovery, using those experiences to fuel a passion for helping others through his #AREWEOKUK mission, which is a game-changing social movement that aims to inspire everyone to speak up. Dan is also a champion of active lifestyles and the power of the outdoors to improve our wellbeing. An endurance runner, in 2017 he ran 1,250 miles from the Colosseum in Rome all the way to the London Eye to raise over £15,000 for the Campaign Against Living Miserably. We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please make sure you subscribe and share it with your friends, and check back for more great interviews coming soon.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit. Stella Smith has made a name for herself in innovation across the business world, from a series of high-profile positions in trading and investment to founding the wellbeing benefits disruptor pirkx. With so much energy and positivity, it is no wonder she is as successful as she is and her insights into prioritisation to go after the things you want are incredibly important in today's fast-paced society. Confessing that she still hasn't got everything figured out, Stella's modesty despite her triumphs, and her admissions to her failures in her personal life, are deeply touching. She understands the importance of actively thinking about your mental health, analysing it and taking the time to destress and think through problems, giving us food for thought in our own mental fitness journeys. We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please like it and rate it and make sure you subscribe for more great interviews coming soon.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit. Imagine the pressure of having to brief US Presidents and NATO Generals on war zone strategy. That was exactly the role of our latest guest on the ‘Life Happens’ podcast. As a CIA Intelligence Officer, Rupal Patel faced some highly pressurised situations and had to be absolute and resolute in believing in her ability. In the latest episode of 'Life Happens' she shares how she had to develop resilience, mental toughness and self-belief to succeed in highly-pressurised, high-octane, alpha-male environments. Across a remarkable career, now as a successful businesswoman, Rupal has experienced many ups and downs, successes and failures, and we can all learn from her lessons of focusing on being the best you can be and making the most of the chances that present themselves. We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please subscribe for more great interviews coming soon.

CONTENT WARNING – contains references to sexual abuse, violence, drugs and crime – if you are affected by any of the topics in this video, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or by emailing [email protected] and you can contact the mental health charity Mind by calling 0300 123 3393 or visiting mind.org.uk.  'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit. In this remarkable episode, we chat to Michael Maisey, who is living proof that you can build a positive mindset no matter the circumstances.  During a troubled childhood, Michael was exposed to sexual abuse, drugs and crime. Gang culture led to a heroin addict and crime, which saw him served a series of prison sentences in his teens. After a failed suicide attempt in prison, it was the early stages of sobriety for his mother that set him on his own journey to recovery.  Now 13 years sober, he is a loving husband and devoted father to three daughters who have never seen him drunk or take drugs. His story of redemption is simply incredible and he tells how he turned his life around to become a successful businessman, a mentor to young offenders and addicts and the host of transformational retreats that advocate the power of change. He is also the author of a best-selling book, Young Offender’, which chronicles his journey.  We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please like it and comment below and make sure you subscribe for more great interviews coming soon.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit. In this incredible episode, we hear the story of Esmee Gummer, who, despite being paralysed at the age of 18, has become a renowned personal trainer. From being told she would never walk again to taking on a series of extreme fitness challenges, including being a recruit on the brutal Channel 4 show SAS: Who Dares Wins, she is now the Head of Exercise Wellness at Virgin Active. Esmee's story is one of true inspiration and she talks passionately about the power of the mind in helping her overcome her hurdles. It is a compelling conversation with someone who has come through adversity with a positive mindset and we can all take something from it.

In this episode of Life Happens, we speak with James Gwinnett. James tells us about his life as a semi-professional rugby player and the chaotic and at times toxic lifestyle that he adopted during this period. His world was totally turned upside down when he broke his neck, stopping him from playing rugby or doing any exercise at all. This spiraled him into a deep and secretive depression leading to alcoholism. After months of this double life he created for himself he decided a change had to happen. James then poured his obsession into fitness, as his neck healed and he grew stronger physically and began to push himself to both physical and mental limits. This led to him appearing on the 2019 series of SAS Who Dares Wins. James discusses all of the above with us and much more, he is the embodiment of mental fitness by showing how anyone is capable of bouncing back from tough times. Thank you, James, enjoy everyone!