Today, Kat speaks with former England rugby player, adventurer, and eternal optimist Ollie Phillips. He shares how choosing optimism, surrounding himself with the right people, and pushing beyond his comfort zone have shaped his life. His journey includes a career in professional sport, corporate work, fundraising, climbing mountains, and now preparing to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic.

Together, Kat and Ollie explore the realities of staying positive in a negative world, how to handle “mood hoovers,” the power of shared experiences and community, and the role small daily habits play in building resilience which also makes it easier to stay optimism.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Choosing optimism is an active daily decision. You can’t control the world, but you can control how you show up in it.

You are deeply influenced by the people around you. Positivity and negativity are both contagious, so it matters who you spend time with – and what energy you bring.

“Mood hoovers” usually have a story you can’t see. Curiosity, listening and genuine care often create more change in them than judgement or avoidance.

Growth lives on the other side of discomfort. Whether it’s extreme adventures or simple habits like cold water dips and movement, stretching your comfort zone helps you feel more alive and resilient.

You don’t truly know if something serves you until you try it. Letting go of preconceived ideas and staying curious keeps your life bigger, richer and more fulfilling.

Surrounding yourself with people who stretch you accelerates your progress. Being the least experienced in the room can feel uncomfortable, but it’s often where your greatest growth happens.

BEST MOMENTS

"Ensuring that you show up every single day ready to deliver the best version of yourself is really the only thing that you can control."

"What are you doing to help that individual? Because I fundamentally believe that nobody wants to be grumpy. Some people might be more skilled at it than others, but nobody wants to be unhappy."

“Make a lifelong commitment to just being curious to trying different things.”

“If all you do is fear losing, you are restrictive, constrained, safe.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillipsollie

Good Vibes Good Life - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Vibes-Life-Self-Love-Unlocking/dp/1788171829

ABOUT THE HOST

Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship, and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself.

She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katthorne

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_morning_gamechanger

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