AudaciousNess

In the final episode of the AudaciousNess podcast, Helen and Maribel talk about the conception and growth of the podcast and its transformation into the book. Following two years of interviewing 40 amazingly audacious guests, we’ve managed to collate the experiences and wisdom they shared with us into ten common threads that audacious people live by. These threads became the titles of the book chapters:

1. Triggers | 2. Following our Calling | 3. Mindset | 4. The Inner Critic | 5. Outer Critics | 6. Challenges | 7. Role Models | 8. Values | 9. Advice | 10. Solid Grounding

Using these chapter headings as prompts, we discuss our two-year AudaciousNess journey from the podcast to the book and reveal what’s next in the AudaciousNess story.

Kenneth Mackay campaigned tirelessly throughout the 1970s and 1980s to have a paved road built to his remote village of Rhenigidale on the island of Harris off the northwest coast of Scotland. After a long and arduous struggle involving many conflicting voices, the road was finally opened in 1990 and the future of Kenneth’s village was secured. In this interview with our oldest ever guest on the podcast, 87-year-old Kenneth talks about: 

• what drove him to fight so hard for so long for the road into his remote village 
• how instrumental the village women were in encouraging Kenneth never to give up 
• the resistance he faced in his quest to keep his village connected to the outside world 
• why it’s important to halt the abandonment of remote places and secure their future 
• the importance of getting help and support when undertaking such audacious work 

Terry Tucker is a motivational speaker based in Denver, Colorado. His life and career path has taken him from playing basketball to working in the corporate world to being a SWAT Team Hostage Negotiator. For the past 10 years, Terry has been battling a rare form of cancer which led to his leg being amputated. In this interview, Terry shares with us: 

• how we are all born uncommon and extraordinary, with unique gifts and talents 
• why we need to take personal responsibility for our lives and stop blaming others
• how to learn from our failures and to achieve success by not giving up
• how to deal with the bad days and use them to strengthen our resilience
• how death is nothing to fear as long as we are living our purpose 
• how his faith, his family and his friends are the cornerstone of his life 

Gavin Scott is a Life Coach based in Malaga, Spain, whose mission is to wake people up to enable them to make their life decisions from an increased level of consciousness. Gavin hosts a podcast called Stay Outstanding, in which he aims to inspire people to create space in their lives for betterment. In this interview, Gavin talks about: 

• why living a conscious life is so much more rewarding than living unconsciously 
• how we have been programmed to have the beliefs, behaviours and habits we do
• why it’s important to change ourselves first to be an inspiration to others
• his challenge to swim the English Channel to raise awareness of plastic pollution
• our superhuman abilities to achieve anything in life we put our minds to

Jen Armstrong is a professional singer and songwriter from England. After years co-writing ‘meaningless pop songs’, Jen decided to use her musical talents to stand up for what she truly believes in. Jen now writes songs which give a voice to those who are silenced and oppressed, whether human or animal, and released her debut album, Freedom Warrior, in the summer of 2022. In this interview, Jen talks about: 

• what drew her to the field of human and animal rights and fighting for the oppressed 
• the therapeutic value of being a voice for the voiceless in a cruel and oppressive world
• why it’s important that people know the truth about modern captivity and oppression
• how we have been conditioned and brainwashed into believing how the world should be
• how we all have the power to change ourselves and improve the situation for everyone

Charlene Camilleri Duca runs her own clinical psychology and gestalt therapy practice in Malta. In November 2021 she started a 9-month tour of Europe with her husband and 2-year-old son, living in rented accommodation for a week at a time and shifting her work online. As she nears the end of her trip, Charlene reports on her experience and shares with us: 

• why she wanted to take time out of her busy work schedule to tour Europe 
• how she adapted her dream of travelling to her current life situation
• how we tend to stand in the way of our own goals and how to deal with that 
• why being comfortable is not a good place to be and how to let go of comforts
• the techniques she employs to deal with life’s stresses and challenges 

At the tender age of 18, Katie Taylor has already set herself the audacious goal of becoming an expert in Natural Horsemanship. Having spent much of her youth in a homeschooling environment, Katie has developed the skills, confidence and resourcefulness to be able to achieve her goals. In this interview with our youngest ever podcast guest, Katie explains: 

• what natural horsemanship is and how it differs from conventional horsemanship 
• how learning horsemanship skills can develop leadership and communication skills
• how being homeschooled gave her the confidence and desire to educate herself
• how years of dedication and hard work have led Katie to be considered an expert
• how to literally be outstanding in your field

In 2017, while working for an international company in the north of England, Tish Joyce took the bold decision to attend a meeting in Germany by flying to Amsterdam and travelling the rest of the way on foot. Thus began Tish’s marathon trip across northern Europe with just a backpack, a tent and a pair of running shoes. In this somewhat jaw-dropping interview, Tish explains: 

• what motivated her to run an average of a marathon a day across northern Europe 
• how she overcame adversity through positive thinking and being gentle on herself
• what she learned during hundreds of meditative hours spent running alone 
• how she learned to slow down, live in the moment and be her own authentic self
• how she has achieved life balance and a solid grounding through self-love

Timmy Douglas is a podcaster, coach and entrepreneur from Austin, Texas. Still only in his early twenties, Timmy has set himself the audacious goals of firstly, securing financial freedom for himself and his family, and secondly, alleviating world poverty. In this interview, Timmy talks about: 

• what financial freedom is and how it can be achieved 
• how he plans to set up a system to alleviate world poverty
• his passion and drive for helping people achieve their dreams and goals
• why it’s important to lead an authentic life and take care of yourself
• having a moral obligation to achieve our wishes

Primary school teacher Nik Pandya started his teaching career in an inner city school in London before relocating to Barcelona. After becoming frustrated with the current state of the education system, Nik is now developing projects to transform primary school education, in order to equip children with more relevant life skills for our modern times. In this interview, Nik shares with us: 

• what 21st century skills are and why developing them from a young age is so critical 
• what the role of education should be and how the current model is failing our children
• why it’s more difficult to teach 21st century skills than to teach for exams and grades
• how he deals with both the inner and outer critics when embarking on such a major project
• why he surrounds himself with supportive people who will critically question his choices 

Susanne Hillmer grew up in Germany and since 2014 has been living a nomadic lifestyle, having travelled and worked in Australia, Europe and India. She started by offering her services as a professional house- and pet-sitter and now combines housesitting with living out of a campervan, financing her lifestyle with online training. In this interview, Susanne shares with us: 

• what professional housesitting is and what type of person it’s suited to 
• how she pivoted her career to enable her to work from any location
• why she chooses a life which constantly pushes her out of her comfort zone
• how she explains her lifestyle to people who question her choices 
• how she never feels loneliness despite being alone

In 1991, Philip Keay accidentally emigrated to Thailand, where he accidentally became a teacher. He now devotes his life to exploring the inner and outer worlds and to inspiring others to empower themselves. His book Menu for a Spiritual Revolution, which brings together what Philip has learned over decades of life experience, was published in 2021. In this interview, Philip talks about: 

• what brought him to Thailand and what made him stay 
• how to embrace life’s ‘accidents’ and live in the moment 
• the differences between teaching and learning; leadership and control
• how nurturing self-control advances freedom, reinforces values and reduces fear
• the problems with our current broken schooling model and how we can fix it

Mike Patterson is a business consultant based in the United Arab Emirates who has so far helped over 50,000 people achieve their dreams. A keen researcher who has never believed in conforming, Mike has spent the last 20 years studying facts and figures in search of the truth. In this highly informative interview, Mike talks about: 

• the difference between laws and rules 
• why it’s important to set goals and to plan for the future
• how the system has been designed to dumb people down
• why we need to question everything and do our own research
• the impact of our diet on the positivity of our thoughts
• reframing ‘failure’ as feedback and ‘problems’ as challenges 
• the difference between activities and results 

Claire Tonna is a Maltese singer/songwriter who uses the power of words and music to give 'strength and courage and a sense of belonging in a pretty much lonely world.' In this highly philosophical first episode of Season 2 of our podcast, Claire shares her views on:

• trusting your intuition
• living life in love, not fear
• surrendering and giving up
• feeling whole and complete
• separation and being part of the ecosystem

In our final episode of Season 1, we look back at the 22 guests we’ve interviewed in the last 12 months and take a moment to reflect on what we’ve learned from them.

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all of our guests in 2021, who either originated from, or are now living in, countries as wide ranging as Canada, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, UK, USA and Zimbabwe. We’ve covered almost all the continents!

Our final guest of Season 1 of our podcast is Anne Cholawo, author of Island on the Edge, the book which has been chosen to launch our AudaciousNess Book Club on 1 December. Anne took the bold decision to swap her hectic urban lifestyle in 1980s England for one of rural isolation and self-sufficiency on a tiny Scottish island, without mains electricity, medical services, shops or any other modern amenities. There were 17 people living on the island when she moved there; today Anne and her husband Robert are the only ones remaining. In this fascinating interview, Anne talks about: 

• what it was that drew her to the home and the lifestyle of her dreams 
• how she dealt with adversity and challenges in the beginning
• the need to have a single-minded determination to achieve your goals
• the importance of building the option of failure into bold decisions
• the spiritual awakening she experienced while living on the island
• what compelled her to publish her life story

After battling cancer twice and finding the positive support of people in similar situations lacking, Jessa de la Morena decided to start a community called “You Are The Hero”. Her goal was to provide a safe space for people to share transformational stories and connect with others who have lived through the same loneliness. In this conversation, Jessa talks about:

• viewing adversity and disruption as a gift 
• setting boundaries in conversations with others 
• looking within yourself to find your inner hero
• taking control of your decisions and doing what feels right
• understanding your own reactions to situations and events

Lynn Yap grew up in Malaysia and moved to the UK at the age of 19 to study law. Her career has taken her from law to investment banking to launching a network supporting women and girls in work. In 2021 Lynn published her first book, The Altruistic Capitalist, following research and interviews with business leaders on how to solve today’s complex worldwide issues. In this interview, Lynn talks about:

• her passion for learning and not feeling comfortable being comfortable 
• how passion, perseverance and grit can all be learned and developed
• what she learned when she was forced to decide between family and work
• the importance of focusing on your values and doing meaningful work
• why it’s important for women and girls to have role models and aspirations
• why capitalism is not all bad and can in fact be altruistic

Maryam Mohiuddin Ahmed grew up in Pakistan and has dedicated her life to social justice and human rights. She is the Founder and Director of Social Innovation Lab, an initiative which has helped 150 entrepreneurs start businesses, which have gone on to directly impact over 6 million people around the world. In this fascinating interview, Maryam gives her insights on: 

• how she was able to step back and align her personal values to her work 
• her faith and beliefs, and the mentors who have helped her on her journey
• circular approaches to nature and to life, as opposed to Western linear thinking
• a compassionate and gracious way to deal with naysayers 
• how important it is to find your tribe and know you are not alone 

Dr Ousmane Pame is the founder and director of a network of eco-villages in the Sahel (the area stretching from Senegal on the west coast of Africa to Eritrea on the east, and bordered to the north by the Sahara Desert and to the south by rich savanna land). The previously verdant land of parts of the Sahel has suffered desertification through decades of poor agricultural practices, and Dr Pame is one of many people now working to revive the region to the lush and abundant habitat it once was. In this interview, Dr Pame explains: 

• what factors led to the ecological and socio-economic disaster in the region 
• how to reach young people with the important message of caring for nature
• the need to balance African cultures and traditions with modern Western practices
• how the eco-village project came about and what an eco-village looks like
• the importance of local women as leaders in education and wealth-creation

At the age of 29, Felicia Specht not only founded her own company, an architectural office in Munich, but also established a network to support around 250 young women working in creative industries. Four years later, and with a newborn son, Felicia reveals what she has learned about: 

• being a young female leader and a mother in a male-dominated industry 
• the qualities of good leadership and how to nurture and develop it in others
• accepting your vulnerabilities, voicing your fears and seeking peer support
• recognising the limitations of our upbringings around societal norms and expectations
• mindfully choosing your role models

Rika Cossey grew up in Germany and has spent her adult life travelling and living in countries all over the world. Three years ago she moved to rural Sweden with her husband and two young children, living in a tiny house before buying a farm. Rika and her family are now attempting to live as self-sufficiently and as close to nature as possible. In this interview, Rika talks about: 

• what it was like living in a 39 square meter tiny house as a family of four 
• how she learned to be patient and accepting of things she can’t control
• how she deals with family members who question her life choices
• why she’s made it her life’s mission for her and her family to be self-sufficient 

Colin O'Donohoe is a musician and composer who founded The Pangean Orchestra, an ensemble of performers and instruments from all over the world. He has performed in venues from Mongolia to Brazil, and from Turkey to Japan. Recognized as an outstanding composer, leader, performer and arts advocate through awards, commissions, and grants, Colin’s global impact has earned him the title of ‘World Maestro’. To add to the audaciousness of Colin’s work, he is also recognized as being legally blind. In this interview, Colin talks about: 

• his musical background and upbringing and why music is his life 
• his reasons for developing the concept of a world orchestra
• the challenges involved in travelling, composing music and leading an orchestra with a visual impairment
• the difference between internal and external fulfilment, and why having confidence in your abilities is crucial
• the importance of being a perpetual student and never ceasing to learn
• how to deal with the inner critic 

Mark Matamisa is an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After discovering in 2008 that not everyone in his home land of Zimbabwe had access to clean drinking water, he and his friends put their savings together and set up an enterprise, Project Oasis, to provide safe, treated drinking water to a number of families in the country. In this eye-opening and, at times, emotional interview, Mark explains: 

• how an outbreak of cholera affected him emotionally, and set him on this journey
• the importance of clean water for good health and prevention of illness and disease
• the challenges faced by many in accessing water in Zimbabwe and South Africa
• the criticisms he faced in providing a public good via a private enterprise
• the conflict between running a profitable business and making a positive social impact
• why the greatest success of this project would be the point when it’s no longer needed

Debbie Levitt has set herself the audacious goal of trying to fix the UX industry, by making the user experience (UX) and customer experience (CX) in websites and apps more user-friendly. With a background in Psychology and Music, and 26 years in the UX industry, Debbie has a thriving business and a popular YouTube Channel. In this interview, Debbie explains: 

• how the UX industry came about and developed to where it is today
• why she provides most of her content free of charge
• the impact your environment has on your attitude and state of being
• what motivates her to keep going despite the immensity of the task

Myah Payel Mitra is an award-winning Employee Engagement and Career Transition Coach. She is recognized as one of the Top 5 Women Entrepreneurs working on mental health, leadership and well-being. As a Stanford-trained Positive Intelligence Coach and certified Movement Therapy Practitioner, Myah works with CXOs, senior leaders and high-performing teams all over the world. She is also the Founder President of Lean In Sustainability – a global community focused on climate change and gender. Myah's mission is to build a world that is conscious, sustainable and inclusive. 

In this interview, Myah talks about how she lives her life by design and experimentation, defining her purpose and leading by example. She talks a lot about fear, including how the fear of dreaming big can paralyse you, why the fear of failure kills more dreams than failure itself and why you should have a conversation and make allies with your fear. 

Amaranatho started his working life as a Technical Support Manager and this took him on a transformational journey from studying Artificial Intelligence to exploring the world and spending 15 years as a Buddhist monk. He has spent long periods of time alone, in isolation and dealing with uncertainty. He now coaches executives, leaders and other coaches to improve their agile mindset, their mindfulness and their ability to self-reflect so they can stay calm and connected in complex situations. He is a scrum master and developed the PlayfulMonk approach to awaken people and organizations to their true potential. In this highly contemplative interview, Amaranatho talks about:

• the nature of audacious 'moves' 
• how to gain clarity and to 'uncover' yourself 
• how to deal with conditioning and self-limiting beliefs 
• how nature is our best role model
• the challenges faced by men in modern society
• the collective trauma the world is experiencing right now
• the actions we can take to lead more meaningful lives

Dr. Omolade Femi-Ajao is a researcher at the University of Manchester, where she obtained her Doctorate after researching Nigerian women’s experiences of domestic abuse in the UK. In this interview, Dr Femi-Ajao talks about:

• her audacious work in this area, including what her parents taught her about perseverance and reaching beyond the sky
• how to use facts and evidence to change the system from within 
• how to deal with rejection of your ideas 
• how important it is to be vulnerable, to ask for help and to offer help
• how to break down large goals and approach them one step at a time

Vicky Arundel is a Yoga Therapist based in the southeast of England. In this interview, she explains: 

• the difference between 'mainstream' yoga and yoga therapy 
• how she got into yoga therapy and set up her business 
• how she attracts and retains clients 
• the opportunities that regulation could bring to the industry 
• why a personalised approach to healthcare is necessary (and why a 'one size fits all' approach doesn’t work)
• how planning for each day helps her build routines and achieve her goals
• the importance of having a peer network and similar people to talk to

Environmental lawyer Farhana Yamin talks about her childhood experiences after moving to the UK from Pakistan, her academic and professional journeys in the area of climate justice and her major achievement in ensuring the term ‘Net-zero by 2050’ was included in the Paris Climate Agreement. Farhana explains what drove her to take direct climate action by glueing herself to the Shell building, what she thinks the impacts of 2020 will have on our lives in the future and why community is so crucial to solving the social and ecological problems we are facing. 

After 25 years as a physiotherapist in the UK National Health Service, Denise Cowle made a bold career move when she decided to quit her stable job without knowing where she was going. She then found her passion and purpose in editing and proofreading. Nine years and many milestones later, Denise talks about: 

• what drove her to leave steady employment and leap into the unknown
• how to deal with fear by asking “What’s the worst that could happen?”
• her passion for her new line of work and how she deals with imposter syndrome
• how professional trade associations and peer groups have proved invaluable customers as collaborators, not simply people who buy your services
• her ambitious plans for the future expansion of her skills and business advice for people wishing to move into this flexible and appealing career

Cecilia Chiolerio is the co-founder of Two Stay, a company that provides low cost, flexible coworking spaces in major European cities. By utilising cafés, bars and restaurants which are not usually open for business during the day, Two Stay offers professionals a quiet yet welcoming and collaborative place to do their work. In this episode, Cecilia explains:

• where the idea of using existing empty spaces for coworking came from, and how she refined the concept over time
• the importance of shipping your product before it’s 'ready' and of creating value for all stakeholders
• how she aligns her business with her values and what keeps her motivated
• how she deals with self-doubt and black days and how having a mentor has been a game changer
• what the events of 2020 taught her about coworking needs.

Nahia Orduña is an agile leader in disruption, a data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) evangelist, a Future of Work expert and a lifelong learner. Her recently-published book, Your Digital Reinvention, is a practical guide to helping people discover new job opportunities and find their place in the digital world. In this conversation, Nahia explains:

• why digitally reinventing yourself is so relevant
• why celebrating diversity is more important for our work today than ever before 
• how she dealt with prejudice and backlash against her choice to be full-time working mother
• how she set up networks to help other women develop and thrive in the digital world 
• how knowledge-sharing and thought-challenging can benefit society. 

In the 2013/2014 academic year, Jen Taylor and her husband Neil, sons Adam (15), Matt (13) and daughter Katie (9) travelled around Europe in a campervan. In this podcast, Jen explains the reasons for their trip, what they all learned, the obstacles they overcame and how they managed on a daily travel budget of €10 per head. 

We start our first season with a fascinating conversation with award-winning entrepreneur and CEO Andrea Heuston, who lets us in on a few secrets about what success means, how to nurture the attitude to be able to deal with whatever life throws at you, how we should always think in abundance and what she learned about control after a close encounter with death.