The Freedom Project

From Despair to Determination: A Decade of Transformation Ten years ago, I was a broken man, standing in a job centre, completely broke and filled with false pride. This moment marked the beginning of a remarkable journey of self-discovery and transformation. Fast forward to eight years ago, I took a bold step by investing in a gym, a decision that was less about finances and more about exploring my identity. Around the same time, I fasted under the guise of health and self-challenge, masking the harsh reality that I couldn't afford food. The Turning Points: Achievements and Adventures Significant milestones marked my path to self-improvement. Seven years ago, earning the green beret of the Royal Marines Commando reshaped my self-view, instilling a belief in my capability for success. Moving to Canada four years later, I discovered a profound connection with the mountains, realising a key part of my identity. The pinnacle of this journey was marrying the love of my life, who stood by me through every hurdle, proving that support is essential for growth.

Alex Staniforth is an adventurer, endurance athlete and speaker. He survived the two biggest disasters to have struck Mount Everest including the 2015 Nepal earthquake. He also has endured epilepsy, a stammer and bullying since childhood but has turned this adversity into an opportunity.   Today on the freedom project podcast, Alex and I discuss: Cultivating that drive to achieve excellence in everything you do How to use adventure days to refocus the mind How one question changed alex’s life What people get wrong about everest How to begin to enjoy the pain of endurance sports And how to thrive in the face of adversity  

Psychologists and counsellors aren’t supposed to look like this. Brian’s thick beard hangs halfway down his chest. He’s jacked too. A heavy set bodyguard turned powerlifter with thighs the size of my waist. Brian turns to his wife: petite, pretty, with an intense wisdom. Carrie also lifts - it shows - and her tattoos cover the majority of her skin. Mental health professionals are meant to be plain types who say little. Not … whatever these two were. “Beliefs,” Brian says. “Beliefs are the reason we have the lives we have. Beliefs are the reason we are the people we are. Beliefs are the reason we’re successful, unsuccessful, happy, sad, conservative, liberal. Beliefs make you, you, Tom.” Sitting 4000 miles away from the husband and wife power couple, I didn’t even know what question to ask them next. I stammered. The software continued recording the podcast. Little did I know that conversation would be my life’s major inflection point.

Tim Howell is a Base Jumper, Alpinist and former Royal Marines Commando. Tim was the first person in the world to climb and then base jump all six of the great north faces of the Alps and the first Brit to ski-base jump.  In this podcast, we discuss :  Tim’s key lessons from over 1000 base jumps.  How to dispel fear. Why luck doesn’t play a role in his safety.  Tim’s best failure. The highs and lows of base-jumping  Pursuing freedom and lots more…  

There are 6 killer tools my clients frequently use to help them perform at the highest level possible. Today, I’m going to tell you precisely what those things are.   Performance coaching is often too theoretical. You get a lot of good ideas, but not enough “how to”. Yet it’s the actual repetition of action that creates change.   You have to put the reps in.   Most people never get to this stage of action.   Today, I’m going to show you a few ways you can begin getting the reps in now, and start living a life you’re proud of living.   What’s more, this article is completely free from sponsorship in any capacity (although if any of them fancy sponsoring me, I’m sure I could be convinced!)   We’re going to cover…   The absolute best meditation app money can buy (that may be free to you) The most overlooked tool you already have but never use properly A way to supercharge your sleep & build your capacity for resilience A 3 minute tool that tells you the most important things to focus on How to track your physiological data with ease A concrete way to track your habits & performance

Kevin Gaskell is an Entrepreneur, business owner, leadership speaker and adventurer. In the boardroom, Kevin has been responsible for revitalising Porsche on the cusp of collapse in the early 90s. Outside of the business world, he has set the world record for the fastest row across the Atlantic Ocean, has been to both Poles twice and climbed some of the world's highest peaks. In this conversation we cover: The Parallels of mentality needed in the middle of the Atlantic & to revitalise a global Icon How limits exist solely in our head. How cultural bounce helps build the perfect team and How to make your adventures actually happen despite a busy life.

My clients seek two things above everything else: adventure, and freedom. These are the four rules I teach them to shortcut the time it takes them to reach it. I learned these the (very) hard way. My clients pay top-dollar for my help implementing them. In this podcast, I’m going to give you them for free. I started my first business because I wanted ultimate freedom. It ended up trapping me because I failed to follow these rules. I don’t want that to happen to you. These rules aren’t obvious, but they’re sure as f**k useful. And their battle tested in hundreds of lives.

Today's guest is Louis Papot. Louis is a client of mine who has been working with me for the past nine months.  He is a fantastic coach within the fitness realm & in this episode we discuss the main lessons he's learnt to him forward in his mindset, diving deep into values and how to apply that for yourself.    Louis' Instagram : coach_louis_pap

The theme that unites you - the readers of this blog - is the drive to become better. It’s also what makes you and I the same. I’m obsessed with becoming better. But aside from the phrase “I want to be the best version of myself”, you probably don’t know what that actually looks like for you, and have even less idea of how to actually do that. So in today’s podcast, I’m going to show you step-by-step how to become better each day. So that this time next year you’re not looking back at another 12 months of no stagnation. Most people stay stuck - or at least living below the life they actually want - because they lack a system to consistently make change. They continue to take the easy path, not the one of growth because they don’t have a process. Every time you choose the easy path you choose to be a worse version of yourself and have a less satisfactory life. This easy choice doesn’t just affect you and your life, but those around you too.   By the end of today, you’ll know: Precisely what you need to focus on to grow as a person How to overcome the low moments What your character training plan exactly looks like How to sustain your growth for ever and never plateau

Today’s guest is George from TheTinMen. George fearlessly dives into uncomfortable conversations and unearths the raw truths often left unspoken. Through his platform @TheTinMen, he sheds light on the lesser explored aspects on gender equality. In today’s episode, the topics we cover are : What we don’t know about male suicide Why therapy for men doesn’t always work  Gender pay gap The education crisis boys find themselves in   Find George on Instagram : @thetinmen

This podcast will show you exactly how to use personality testing to become a far better business owner. I’ll be showing you the exact process I use to help entrepreneurs and business owners become a better version of themselves and therefore create a more profitable business that gives them more freedom.   Let’s cut to the chase. You’ve probably done a few personality tests before.   You hear about them on a podcast or curiosity just drives you there. You find a good one, spend 20 minutes filling it out and then what?   You get the results and they’re kind of interesting. But what do you actually do with the information?   Most of the time, you just store it somewhere in the back of your mind or forget about it entirely. Ultimately, you end up with a great resource but no idea what to do with it.   Therefore you end up in exactly the same place as you were previously.   This is a massive waste of an opportunity.   If you understand your personality at depth, and you understand how it will both positively and negatively impact you, you can put together a plan for overcoming the shortfalls which are unique to you.   You can also lean into your strengths aggressively to pursue your dreams.   A deep understanding of your personality, and a plan of personal growth tailored to you, will help you break through your current limitations in your business and wider life.   We’re going to cover: Which personality tests actually work, and where to find them How to interpret your results Plans for balancing out your weaknesses

In today’s show, we are joined by the wonderful Tim Stevenson. An entrepreneur, healthy enthusiast and an advocate for living to the fullest. In this episode we will take a deep dive into the roles we play in our life & the art of setting up a successful business (especially when you aren’t employable). Tim will also share his top 3 exercises for maintaining optimal shoulder health & embracing freedom.   Tim's Website: https://www.dynamicshoulders.com/ Tim's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dynamicshoulders/?hl=en

Today I’m going to teach you 4 lessons from Stoicism that I impart to my highest performing clients to take them to their next level of lifestyle design and success.   First, know there are four main contributors to your mindset. Physiology, psychology, beliefs, and your personal philosophy.   It’s the final one that we will focus on today. The objective in developing your personal philosophy is to live consciously and intentionally according to a set of values.   Without this, you will be constantly pushed around by the winds of fortune: a “wandering generality” as one of my clients calls it.   When you live by a philosophy, you can banish so much of your second guessing that currently weighs you down.   You can also streamline your decision making, and accelerate your progress toward personal growth, and real-world success.   I’ve been researching, applying, and coaching philosophy for a decade now. Stoicism is by far the most effective school of thought for success in today’s world, and comes with ready made frameworks that take away a lot of the guesswork.   If your goal is to create more freedom and success through mastering yourself, and living a good life is important to you also, Stoicism is your starting point.   I’m going to share with you the 4 most powerful tools from Stoicism that will help you level up. They also happen to be the 4 tools I give to my clients over and over that have the greatest impact.   I’ll share how to:   Maintain positivity and belief whatever the challenge Make huge progress on your biggest struggle Find more calm and centredness in everyday life Develop insane discipline and focus

On today's show, I am joined by Tom Grant.  Tom is an IFMJA Mountain Guide, who specialises in steep skiing, he is a climber and alpinist.  Earlier this year, Tom was my mountain guide, and I instantly got the impression of his mindset as calm, focussed, purposeful and much more.  In this episode, we explore Tom’s mindset, where it comes from and how you can apply it to your training, life and business. We discuss his recent injury, his pursuit of excellence, betterment and stepping outside your comfort zone time and time again.  I really enjoyed recording this episode, and I’m sure you will too!

If you want to create change in the way you run your business, and the lifestyle it gives you, you have to change the way you think about it. So many of my clients come to me when they’ve been stuck in the same way of thinking for years. They’ve been running into the same kind of glass ceiling for years, and they’re ready to make change. To create the change they want, they need to flip the way they think about the problem. Over the years, I’ve discovered 5 frameworks that help entrepreneurs and business owners completely shift the way they are thinking about their biggest problems and take huge steps toward the lifestyle they seek. In this podcast, I’m going to show you the strategies I use to help my clients: Overcome self-sabotage Start prioritising the correct tasks Build the character skills they need to succeed Change limiting beliefs Hit the right balance of hard charging & recovery

In this episode, I talk with a former client of mine as we explore how he applied mindset training to overcome motivational challenges, find more time in his life to do the things he actually loves & increase his output at work. 

For the past two years, I’ve been using this model to help hundreds of business owners & entrepreneurs create the life they seek. Mindset is messy and confusing if you don’t have clarity. So I wanted to share the 3 corners of mindset I teach my clients. In this post, I’m going to tell you exactly what those things are. But first, we must define what a good mindset is.

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with the wonderful Jill Miller. Jill is an incredible author and wellness expert. She is the mastermind behind ‘Body by Breath’ and ‘The Roll Model’.   To purchase Jill’s fantastic work :  In the EU: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Body-by-Breath-by-Jill-Miller/9781628604467 Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Body-Breath-Inspiring-Emotional-Resilience/dp/1628604468

Most of the entrepreneurs and business owners I work with are lonely. They get up early, and never really switch off from their work. Their partner loves them but doesn’t really understand. Their mates have real jobs. What’s more, what they’re pursuing is difficult, and what is difficult is inherently lonely. You are bombarded with self-doubt and questioning, and that compounds the loneliness. When you do something difficult with your life, loneliness will strike. Which would be fine if it didn’t completely derail you from your goals by leaving you second guessing your choices. Loneliness isn’t just a shitty way to feel though. Loneliness is an inhibitor of your goals. The irony is, you and I, us seekers of freedom, desire independence, but that independence often sacrifices connection.

Simon Jeffries is the Co-owner of The Natural Edge (TNE), a former SBS Operator, Mindset Coach and good friend.  Today, we talk about Simon's journey through entrepreneurship: facing the uncertainty of business, geographical freedom, work life balance and creating a strong workforce.    Enjoy!