Hello and welcome to A Bit Of A Boost with me, George Anderson   I’m a wellbeing and performance coach, speaker and author and this podcast brings together guest experts, inspirational stories and ideas that I hope will you a bit of a boost.   My guest on today’s podcast is author of the book The Curveball, Colby Sharma.     Colby shares his own personal story of growing up and having to overcome adversity, and how this experience lead him on the path not only succeed in his education...

Hello and welcome to A Bit Of A Boost with me, George Anderson   I’m a wellbeing and performance coach, speaker and author and this podcast brings together guest experts, inspirational stories and ideas that I hope will you a bit of a boost.   Today we discuss strengths... not the 'strengths and weaknesses' where you should 'work on your weaknesses to turn them into your strengths', but the elements of your character that you may or not already be aware of are something of a super power. ...

Hello and welcome to A Bit Of A Boost with me, George Anderson   I’m a wellbeing and performance coach, speaker and author and this podcast brings together guest experts, inspirational stories and ideas that I hope will you a bit of a boost.   I came across some research recently about the impact of open water swimming on menopause symptoms, and was delighted when the study author Professor Joyce Harper accepted my invitation to join me on the podcast to discuss it.   Having had an...

I was fortunate enough to attend the recent World Happiness Summit (WOHASU) in London a couple of weeks ago and wanted to share a couple of takeaways from the event along with some more general observations about what comes up when I ask the question 'what does happiness mean to you?'   The strapline of the conference was 'Wellbeing is the Purpose' which gives a clue about at least one of the dimensions, but what does this really mean and how important is it that we find our purpose?   ...

Hello and welcome to A Bit Of A Boost with me, George Anderson   I’m a wellbeing and performance coach, speaker and author and this podcast brings together guest experts, inspirational stories and ideas that I hope will you a bit of a boost.   There's a 'mild to moderate controversy warning' for today’s episode, as we get into the topic of stretching… not ‘the best ways to stretch’, but exploring the question ‘should we be stretching at all?’   As trainers we're taught the importance of...

Despite change being an inevitable part of life, it can cause quite a headache when it comes at us and feels like it's happening TO us.   I've covered this topic a few times on the podcast and many of my guests have mentioned it also, so today we're going to look at some of the reasons behind why it can be such a struggle, and 5 self-coaching questions to ask to help you feel more confident as you work through it.      

Welcome to A Bit Of A Boost with me, George Anderson   I’m a wellbeing and performance coach, speaker and author and this podcast brings together guest experts, inspirational stories and ideas that I hope will you a bit of a boost.   My guest today is described as a Mother, Marketer, Mariner, Motivator.    Felicity Ashley has an incredible and inspiring story and I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing her for this episode and extracting some of the lessons     Whenever I speak to somebody...

Hello and welcome to A Bit Of A Boost with me, George Anderson   i’m a wellbeing and performance coach, speaker and author and this podcast brings together guest experts, inspirational stories and ideas that I hope will you a bit of a boost.   Today I want to discuss an experience that all of us will have had, and no doubt will continue to have in one form or another - and that is disappointment.   We'll look at what disappointment is, what can cause, what happens in our brain and body,...

Hello and welcome to A Bit Of A Boost with me, George Anderson   I’m a wellbeing and performance coach, speaker and author and this podcast brings together guest experts, inspirational stories and ideas that I hope will you a bit of a boost.   My guest today brings with her a combination of deep wisdom and powerful mindset messages, all underpinned with a truly inspirational story.   I’m delighted to welcome the host of Mindset Kitchen, Dajana Paliokaite to the podcast to share her...

When you think about resilience, mindset or mental toughness it's important not to see them as fixed qualities but rather attributes that you can develop - or cultivate.   In this episode I explore this simple idea and look at the many ways we have to do just that, through deliberate day to day actions that we are in control of and then reframing situations where we perhaps feel less in control.   I believe that there's practical application of this idea for all of us so as you listen...

Hello and welcome to A Bit Of A Boost with me, George Anderson   I’m a wellbeing and performance coach, speaker and author and this podcast brings together guest experts, inspirational stories and ideas that I hope will you a bit of a boost.   On today’s episode I welcome to the show a lady who’s sports nutrition books I have been reading for over 20 years.   Anita Bean is a registered nutritionist, health writer and author and as well as writing over 20 books and hundreds of articles...

Welcome to A Bit Of A Boost; I'm George Anderson and I’m a wellbeing and performance coach, speaker and author and this podcast brings together guest experts, inspirational stories and ideas that I hope will you a bit of a boost.   Today's solo episode shares a simple strategy that may help you in those moments when you feel you're lacking motivation: take action FIRST!   Putting action ahead of the need for motivation can have a surprising effect, and although some may call it simply...

Often on A Bit Of A Boost I have guests who are experts in their field, sometimes guests share their inspirational stories, and other times I invite people who have developed certain wellbeing and performance strategies that they are effectively using in their every day personal and professional lives.   Today’s episode is one such person: Sukhraj Takhar, who is the non-financial risk director at Direct Line Group.   I interviewed Sukhraj for another piece of work I was involved with and...

Today's episode draws on a couple of themes from previous episodes, in particular the interview with Dave Robson on his book 'The Expectation Effect' (13th February 2023), and the episode on optimism from 19th February 2021, and gets into the topic of self-talk and beliefs.   Beliefs impact thoughts, emotions, behaviours and even physiology and so it makes sense to pay attention to what you're paying attention to.    

I'm joined on the podcast today by love and relationship coach Heather Garbutt to talk about the 5 Love Languages (and the additional 6th that Heather also talks about).   Love Languages is the work of marriage counselor Dr Gary Chapman published in his 1992 book and Heather integrates it into the work she does with individuals and couples as part of her psycotherapy practice.   It's not just romantic love from a partner, but also from parent to child or even appreciation between...

How you talk to yourself matters and having a few set phrases to say to yourself can act like your inner coach who kicks you into action.   Through 2024 I will be publishing a number of short episodes with ideas, insights or thoughts that you may be able to apply in your own life.   Today's episode gets into the topic of mantras, and how they can be potent triggers to take a pre-agreed course of action.

My guest on today's episode - the first of 2024 - is a very special friend of mine, Heather Barrett.   Over the years we have had so many conversations where we've got to the end and said 'we should have recorded that!', so I'm delighted to have finally managed to do exactly that.   Heather is an executive coach and author, and over the years she's been my go-to whenever I'm stuck, struggling or have an idea I want to develop.   One of the things I was keen to talk to Heather about for...

Every year I've had some process for looking back over the previous 12 months and then setting goals and making plans for the next 12.   This year I developed a new framework and it's one that I'll be using much more frequently through the year.   The 5Rs are Review > Reflect > Reconnect > Refine > Realign   In this episode I describe each element, why it's important and how to use it as part of an annual check in and also through the year.   Whatever your 2023 has been...

It's been a couple of months since the last episode of A Bit Of A Boost and I'm keen to get things back to a regular schedule again!   If you've ever found a good habit drift away to the point where it's no longer there, then this episode contains some questions to ask yourself that could help get you back on track.    

I have a very special guest on the show today, somebody who’s research I have been following for a number of years and that is having a tremendous impact on creating better places to work around the world.   Professor Christina Maslach is a social psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, and has been studying burnout for over 4 decades.    When we think about engagement, burnout, or wellbeing at work it would be impossible to do so without getting into some of the areas...

I love the expression ‘success leaves clues’ and today I get to talk to a man who has plenty of these clues to share!   So often we look at people who are already achieving what we want to achieve - whether that’s in their careers, personal life or with their physical wellbeing - and focus on the results that they’re getting.   This can be inspirational, but it can also lead to comparison, or a sense of not-enough-ness, which ultimately has the opposite effect to motivating or instructing...

Following a bit of a break from the podcast over the last few weeks I have a new series of interviews and solo episodes lined up.   But first though I thought I'd start with a topic that's always top of my mind around this time of year (September - though it's relevant whenever you're listening to it!): resetting your 'environments'.   We have several environments that I touch on in this episode; notably the internal and external ones.   Every year as a personal trainer I saw a...

“I know what to do, but I just don’t do it!”   If you’ve ever found yourself saying these words to yourself then you’re not alone. With so many things that you could be doing to help boost your physical and mental wellbeing, it can feel overwhelming when there’s no structure.   This episode outlines a series of points in the day where a set of behaviours can be turned into routines, rituals and habits that have a positive impact for minimum effort. The idea isn’t to try and do them all,...

If you've ever found yourself at a fork in the road, needing to make a decision - or the default of NOT making one - then this strategy might come in handy.   It's a simple thought exercise that can bring clarity to the decision, and ensure that you won't look back at a later date with regrets.   Hindsight can mess with our memories and what seems obvious now we assume must have been obvious back when we made our choice.   This method prevents this from happening and can help give you...