Ed Jackson is a bloody inspiration. He was a professional rugby player before his career was cut short when he dived into a swimming pool and broke his neck. He nearly died and was told he would not walk again. But Ed worked his butt off and confounded the critics, going on to make a remarkable recovery - and has since developed something of a penchant for climbing mountains. And now, a movie has been made about his remarkable story, called The Mountain Within Me. It's currently in UK...

Being sedentary is a killer. Our ancestors walked 15 plus miles a day most days of the week. Not for its health benefits, but because it was weaved into their day naturally. The problem now is that our lives are designed to be sedentary - think cars, desks and sofas - and so we have to be very conscious about fitting in regular lower level exercise like walking THROUGHOUT the day. Just going to the gym after work won't cut it - in fact it may be counterproductive. Here's what we talk about in...

Did you seek the Nike Olympics advert- asking 'Am I a bad person - because I want to win?' It got a few people talking before the Games, but once they started it didn't resonate. Because this Olympics, more than any other, exhibited beautiful examples of vulnerability, gratitude, humility, transcending tribalism, and mental-health wisdom. Nike were beind the curve. One person (and organisation) who is most certainly ahead of the curve is Sam Parfitt, founder of the true Athlete Project, who...

Humans are the worst sleepers in the animal kindom. We are also sleeping fewer hours, and less restoratively than our Grandparents and older ancestors. Sleep is know to be the greatest performance enhancer. A deep 8 hour sleep leaves you feeling like a million dollars - but it is increasingly elusive. I have recorded an episode about insomnia specifically, link below, but this bitesize episode features a world renowned neuroscientist sharing his top tips for sleeping well - the last one may...

Here are five 'practices' I enjoy doing, and recommend, that can help break your identification with thought. I have benefitted from these and continue to do so. I talk about: An ACT defusion technique Self-Enquiry - my favourite question Trauma Release Exercises (TRE) - the importance of bodywork The power of surrender - getting out of your own way Exploring awareness - does anything actually arise 'outside' of awareness? YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YouTubeSimonMundie Website:...

Explore the transformational power of non-duality. I speak about non-duality quite a lot on ANWOB. I want to explain how it has impacted my life - and how it can yours too. In my experience it can reduce suffering and conflict, increases your sense of uncaused joy as well as your relationships - and can make you a nicer person to be around! Also, it allows us to face and transcend limiting beliefs, conditioning and patterns. If you want to watch this episode, you can do so here on my YouTube...

"Suffering is wishing things were other than they are" - Buddha Suffering is a part of life for the vast majority of us - but does that really need to be the case? Pain is inevitable, but psychological suffering is not. This is something I discussed with Peter Crone - aka The Mind Architect - and we talked about it stemming from a fundamental case of mistaken identity. ** Website: simonmundie.com YouTube:...

What does it take to become an Olympic great? Michael Johnson is one of athletics' greatest ever performers. He did the 200m and 400m double at the 1996 Olympics, smashing a world record in the process. All this while wearing gold shoes - which certainly takes some confidence. I spoke to him a while back about what it took to achieve what he did, and learned some valuable lessons about dealing with nerves and 'pressure' in the process ** Website: simonmundie.com YouTube:...

How To See Through Status Hierarchies - And The Problem With 'Talent'  The ego thrives on comparisons, being right, and judging others. No matter how accomplished or 'succesful' someone is, they’re still just human beings going through the same human experience as you are. Sure, maybe their job and financial situation is different from yours, but they have strengths and weaknesses, fears, good days, and bad days – just like you. When we form a conceptual identity about someone and relate to...

'You have to ask yourself the question 'Who am I?'. This investigation will lead in the end to the discovery of something within you which is behind the mind. Solve that great problem and you will solve all other problems' - Ramana Maharshi. Self-Inquiry is a process through which you investigate and discover what you fundamentally are - and what you are not. It is a 'technique' popularised by the Indian Sage Ramana Maharshi, in which you question your sense of 'I', and which can lead to a...

'Awe Is The Emotion Of Self-Transcendence' - Jonathan Haidt Dacher Keltner has spent over 20 years studying happiness, and he thinks the secret to a good life is 'finding awe'. Awe is a state when we feel deeply connected to something bigger than ourselves, and in the process our sense of self (the idea we have about who we are) disappears, or at the very least shrinks dramatically. One of the best ways to experience awe is in nature, which Dacher and I discuss in this episode. ** Website:...

Duncan Scott became Britain’s most decorated Olympic swimmer ever in Tokyo three years ago when he grabbed a gold and three silvers to add to the two silvers he bagged at Rio 2016. He is in Paris currently, and by the time this is out may have bagged a hatful more medals. Ahead of Duncan taking to the pool in Paris, we caught up to speak about the habits that have taken him to the top of his sport. From accountability to boundaries and avoiding too much digital distraction, as well as...

'All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.' - Blaise Pascal What are you like at sitting without any distractions, and just being? Not great I imagine, as it is something most people resist and avoid like the plague. Our culture is built on continual doing and a cult of productivity. But sitting and just being, while frequently torturous at first, can transform into a blissful experience as the thinkiung mind quietens down to reveal the innate joy...

“Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9 percent of everything you think, and of everything you do, is for yourself—and there isn't one.” Brad Stulberg is a best-selling author, speaker and coach. He is a man whose social media posts have a rare value in what can be a sea of rage and golden-bullets. In this conversation, requested by one of our respective listeners, Brad and I discuss integrity, the problem with the 'optimization fad', and how consistency and community matter - even if they are...

'Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching' Brad Stulberg is a best-selling author, speaker and coach. He is a man whose social media posts have a rare value in what can be a sea of rage and golden-bullets. In this conversation, requested by one of our respective listeners, Brad and I discuss integrity, the problem with the 'optimization fad', and how consistency and community matter - even if they may be somewhat less 'sexy'. This is party 1 of our conversation - part 2 is...

Changing 'negative' thoughts to 'positive' thoughts takes up a lot of energy and doesn't always work. But if we can recognise that having 'negative' thoughts and feelings is an entirely normal part of the human experience, we can stop resisting the inevitable. And when we stop resisting - they frequently unwind on their own. My guest is the world-renowned ACT expert Dr Russ Harris, author of The Happiness trap and the Confidence Gap. ** My book Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without...

A Groundbreaking new study has found that MDMA shows great promise as a mental health treatment. My guest today is a giant in the world of trauma and Mental Health: Dr. Bessel van der Kolk. He is a world renowned psychiatrist, and author of the seminal best seller about trauma called The Body Keeps the Score. This is Bessel second appearance on the show. In this episode, we revisit the basics of trauma and discuss his latest groundbreaking research about how MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy,...

"I just admire people who are happy in their own skin" It can be so easy to put so-called successful people on a pedestal, but the truth is many of them are driven by a sense of disquiet and fear. That’s not to cast judgement – it’s just a fact, as Adrian Chiles told me. The former Daybreak and One Show presenter hosts a radio show on 5Live where he interviews high performers, and that is certainly a phenomenon he has noticed too. So don’t buy into the hype that successful people are special,...

We all want to feel a sense of inner peace and happiness. The problem is we tend to equate happiness with things out there – like success, accumulation, approval etc. In reality, happiness is our deepest nature, and so typically people are looking in the wrong direction. My guest is Francis Lucille – a teacher of Advaita Vedanta or non-duality, whose most well known student is Rupert Spira, who is of course a previous guest on the show. This episode is deep – and we do challenge some widely...

Most things are not black and white and there is huge value in embracing that. Paul McGee is the best-selling author of SUMO - Shut Up and Move On - which has been selling like the proverbial hot cakes for well over a decade. In this bitesize clip, Paul cleverly illustrates that we need to recognise that people see things in different ways. Embracing different perspectives is a good and healthy thing. Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself draws on some of my favourite...

My guest this week is a titan in the world of British sport – Eve Muirhead, who of course won curling gold for Team GB at the last winter Olympics. Curling is that sport that absolutely grips the attention when the winter Olympics is on – and then doesn’t get quite the same level of coverage the rest of the time. This episode is really about understanding that gold medal winners – or successful people of any category for that matter – are still just normal people. Achieving success or fame or...

Human beings are animals, and as such we have typical mammalian impulses, like being tribal and territorial. These base impulses can get us in trouble, but in this bitesize episode Shane Parrish shares a brilliant way to embrace the power of self-imposed rules to stop you from doing or saying something you will later regret. The advice in this episode is brilliant, and references the brilliant author of Thinking, Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman. Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without...

Do you know what attachment style you are? Whether you are secure, anxious, avoidant or a bit of a mix – your attachment style developed in childhood as a result of your relationships with your parents and primary caregivers, which then likely shapes what type of relationships you have for the rest of your life. That is, unless you can become aware of an insecure attachment style, and work to heal it. My guest is an attachment specialist Adam Lane Smith. In this episode you will learn about...

“All of humanity's problems, stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” - Blaise Pascal This bitesize episode is with Steve Magness, best-selling author of Do Hard Things. It's all about developing genuine resilience, but the beauty of this conversation is in recognising that one of the best ways of truly 'toughening up' is to sit still without distractions. To embrace simply being over continual and habitual doing. So, don't just do something - sit there! Champion Thinking:...

Jason Fox is a former Special Forces soldier, an adventurer, TV personality and author. This is Foxy's second appearance on the show, and in this conversation he shares what he perceives as the four life cycles we all go through, including periods of chaos and calm. How can we embrace and thrive in the former, while maximising our recovery in the latter? Expect to find out about how to find hidden moments of calm in daily life, the importance of having 'missions' to make the most of your...