DEVSOC Dispatches: Recent Episodes
The Development Society
A community-led podcast from The Development Society. In this series, we explore ideas around mental health and physical movement. In concise and actionable episodes, we discuss how these ideas can be applied in our daily lives. Stay Wavy.
In this episode, Alex talks to flexy-legend Richie to bust some myths about yoga. With his own unique style of movement, Richie is on a mission to make yoga more accessible for all. He is also the host of DEVSOC's 30 Day Yoga Challenge, available on the website. Find more of Richie's stuff at Yoga WIth Richie on socials.
For many, the focus for the last couple of years has been on adapting to survive in a hostile environment. Is it now possible that despite the many challenges that still lie ahead, we might move to a more positive, hopeful mindset and ask ourselves ‘what conditions do I need to create in order to thrive’?
Our guest, Chris Bodman has been working in elite sport doing just this with individuals and teams for the past 17 years. Initially as a strength and conditioning coach working with Gloucestershire County Cricket Club before moving to work in sports psychology as a Chartered Sport Psychologist where he has worked with a variety of elite sporting organisations including the English Institute of Sport, the Rugby Football Union, England and Wales Cricket Board, Somerset County Cricket Club and Gloucester Rugby.
His work has focussed on finding ways to improve individual and team performance at both a physical and psychological level under the incredible pressure that comes as part of playing sport at such a high level.
Chris recently founded his own company,LMNTARY performance, which draws on his experience to offer clients a wide range of services to empower those who want to improve their minds, bodies and behaviours through essential learning and development experiences. Chris’s work delves into the why, what & how of human development & human performance. He describes his role as one of support and facilitation in order to create psychologically underpinned and sustainable high-performance environments that develop the person as well as the performer to THRIVE.
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The term, Wellbeing no doubt conjures up many different images. For some it might be one of peace and tranquillity; achieving a calm state of mind, for others it might be one of physical improvement or perhaps a combination of both. Increasingly it is seen by organisations across the world as a vital focus in life and one that, if correctly applied, can bring profound benefits to the performance of the individual.
Back in June 2021 I was fortunate enough to hold a conversation with Pekka Pohjakallio, Business Development Director & Executive Mentor at Hintsa Performance as part of the Hospitality Resilience Series I co-hosted with Jonathan Humphries (HoCoSo founder and Director) and Chris Mumford, (Cervus Leadership Director). We discussed this often confusing topic drawing on Pekka’s many years of experience working in this field with the very best in the business.
Pekka had a successful career with Nokia and in his final position there was Vice President of Concepting and Innovation. After Nokia he founded 925 Design, a design agency for better working life and he also co-authored a book ‘Workbook’ focused on practical solutions for higher productivity and higher energy. Today Pekka is part of the team at Hintsa Performance.
Hintsa works with many of the drivers and teams on the F1 grid and over the past six seasons 99% of the races have been won by a Hintsa-affiliated driver. Their work however is not just in sport but in business, coaching executives and leaders all around the world.
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In this episode, Alex (Head of Waves) interrogates Darren (Head of Vibes) on his controversial opinions within the fitness world. From short term mega shreds to supplements.
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The ability to persevere against challenges and setbacks in the achievement of our goals can often seem overwhelming. We are forced to dig deep and draw on our well of personal resilience in order to overcome the negative influences and voices that crowd us on our journey of personal development. Self confidence is a critical tool in our resilience arsenal and one that can be hard to find and develop.
In this episode DEVSOC’s Head of Self engages in a fascinating, honest and insightful conversation with Pasha Munro , ex Royal Marine, Mountain Leader, SBS operative and own business Director about how the challenges he faced in his childhood and his career helped develop his confidence and create his own methodology for success. Pasha’s self belief, enthusiasm and determination despite everything he has faced is infectious and provides some wonderful insights in the art of building self confidence.
Check out our Executive Coaching Executive Coaching – The Development Society
In part two of Training Intensity, Alex & Ryan build on the points discussed in Training Intensity episode one to really flesh out what "intensity" means for the average person. A no-nonsense approach to fitness.
If ever there was a need for dynamic leadership at every level it is now. We only have to observe current affairs to be afforded examples of dynamic, and not so dynamic, leaders. So what does it take to be a dynamic leader today?
Our guest in this episode has worked all over the world with leaders from a variety of organisations as a coach and mentor delivering a multitude of programmes targeting the development of the leadership mindset.
Patrick Ghielmetti is a multi-cultural, multilingual global leader who is passionate about changing the world - one leader at a time. Born in Switzerland, Patrick knew, aged seven, that he was meant for a career in hotels. A goal he achieved, spending 30 years in hotel management working on four continents, primarily with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.
On leaving the world of hotel management Patrick establishedGhielmetti & Associates, which built on his lengthy and diverse experience working in Operations, HR and Leadership Facilitation to work with corporations and organisations who are looking to build more cohesive and effective management teams.
Patrick has worked in over 35 countries as a facilitator of dynamic, transformational, experiential leadership programs and as a behaviour based executive coach. His work with diverse groups from C Suite to emerging leaders has produced amazing results across mindset change, productivity, and cultural change.
For small business owners, entrepreneurs, or freelancers the need for persistence will be all too familiar. What drives you to take a great idea and turn it into a great business? How do you overcome the moments of doubt and negativity? What do you draw on when the challenges seem insurmountable? In this episode the Head of Self discusses this topic with Alex Stanley, founder and Director of Onigo, www.playonigo.com **whose purpose is to design and deliver playful experiences that bring colleagues together, build teams and boost happiness. Alex talks about his definition of persistence, the importance of purpose and values and what it takes to overcome challenges, maximise opportunities and develop a business in challenging times.
Check out our executive coaching**Executive Coaching – The Development Society
In this episode, Sam and Rob break down investing into its core components. What is investing, how to invest and what to invest in?
What happens when we are not sure how to progress in life or start to question our abilities or our environment? In this episode the Head of Self explores this all too familiar personal and career development topic with guest Simon Jeffries from The Natural Edge. Having negotiated a number of career changes himself and through his work with clients on his Tier 1 mindset Coaching Course this is something Simon is well placed to discuss.
Check out some of DEVSOCs Executive Coaching products: Executive Coaching – The Development Society
The pathway from talented child to professional athlete is long and extremely hard. To get there takes herculean amounts of focus and determination amongst many other things. So what does it take to stay focussed at the very highest level of professional sport? In this episode, the Head of Self discusses this topic with Ruaridh McConnochie, the England international and Bath rugby player. Drawing on his personal experience, career highs and lows and volunteering work for Give us a Shout, a charity supporting young people in crisis made this a thoroughly engaging conversation with some surprising observations.
Many conversations in this series have focussed on achieving personal transformation, so is it different or similar when we consider what this means for organisations? With over 20 years experience managing complex transformation projects for large corporations across the world there is no better man to ask than our guest, Ben de Haldevang. In this episode Ben draws on examples and experience from both his own blog and podcast series, entitled, the Inarticulate ramblings of a Management Consultant and his recently published book, Save the Silver bullet, a fascinating collection of extraordinary stories recounted by those charged with delivering complex transformation and highly disruptive change within their organisations.
Check out some of DEVSOCs Executive Coaching products: Executive Coaching – The Development Society
In this episode, our first guest from the DEVSOC community joins Alex to talk about motivation in physical activities and what works for him.
In this episode, the Head of Self discusses our ability to respond to people and situations with guest Mark Hardie. The conversation picks up on the concept of stimulus and response, conditional response and the importance of finding your own response patterns including recognising your triggers and core values and how that affects your responses. We even had time to touch on the principles of development.
In this episode, the Head of Self and guest; lecturer, speaker and business owner, Jonathan Humphries discuss the common desire to affect lasting change in our lifestyles. Having undertaken a recent and concerted change in his own lifestyle Jonathan is well placed to talk from personal experience about the challenges and stages of transition, the desire to find balance and the difference between transition and change. This is absolutely not a midlife crisis.
In this episode, the Head of Self and guest, actor, coach and facilitator, Niall MacGregor discuss a key strength in the field of resilience; the ability to ‘bounceback’ from adversity. What can we learn from our own experiences and those of others, what resources can we use to support us, how can we put that to good use in our everyday lives and can we blame our parents?
In this episode we introduce a new segment of the Dispatches Podcast that focuses on physical movement and the areas that surround it. To kick it off, Alex chats with Ryan (Head of Coaching) to discuss training intensity. What it means, who should be using it, and who shouldn't. We also discuss 80% RPE vs 100% RPE and when they should be used. Lots more episodes like this to follow, send us your thoughts on topics to cover via DM. Stay Wavy
In this episode, the Head of Humbling and the Head of Self expand on their self-awareness discussion and begin to explore strengths. They explore questions such as: What is a strengths based approach to skills? Why is it important? Should you focus on playing to your strengths or improving your weaknesses? The second discussion in a new game-changing pillar in the DEVSOC arsenal. Let's start playing the game, on our own terms.
Stay Wavy,
Team DEVSOC
In this episode, the Head of Humbling and our new Head of Self begin to explore questions such as: What is self-awareness? Why is it important? How does one become self-aware? The very first discussion in what will become a game-changing pillar in the DEVSOC arsenal.
Stay Wavy,
Team DEVSOC
The Head of Waves and our new Head of Self continue their discussion on the topic of Executive Coaching. In this episode they discuss the concept of ‘Leader as Coach’ a powerful mindset for modern leaders. What is it, what does it involve and how can it be used in the workplace?
Stay Wavy,
Team DEVSOC
In this episode, the Head of Waves and our new Head of Self introduce the world of Executive Coaching. What is it, what are the benefits of using a coach and how does it differ to mentoring? Introducing a powerful, accessible and enlightening tool in what will become a game-changing pillar in the DEVSOC arsenal.
Stay Wavy,
Team DEVSOC
In this episode, the Head of Humbling and the Head of Vibes begin to explore their experiences around transitioning out of the Military. What are the essentials in a period of transition? What was it like leaving a secure job in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic? The first in a multi-episode series of leaving the ‘mob’ chatter.
Stay Wavy,
Team DEVSOC
In this episode, the Head of Waves chats with the Head of Vibes about "non-negotiables". In short; what things are absolute "musts" in life? Training, spending habits, and making your bed are all covered. Stay Wavy, TEAM DEVSOC
With our fast-paced lives, it is easy to forget about the future. Rob and Sam discuss pensions and the need to think about our future. What options are out there? What do we need to know to give us the best start to retirement? Part One explores some of the different schemes available to us.
Disclaimer: The topics discussed should not be misconstrued as financial advice. DEVSOC advises you to seek the services of an Independent Financial Advisor to discuss your specific needs.
How can a philosophy that is "properly ancient" apply to our daily lives in the 21st Century? Alex and Charlie join forces to chat about how Stoicism provides such a strong source of inspiration for the DEVSOC community, and how Stoicism helps us on the daily.
Have you ever come across those accounts on Social Media where they post about "daily motivation", "loving the hustle" and just generally winning at life? In this ep, Head of Vibes and Head of Peaks discuss the mantra "Impossible is nothing". Is this a realistic outlook on life? Or do we need this attitude if we are to succeed?
DEVSOC Founders, Alex and Sam, explore why "good gear doesn't make you good". With all the techno gizmos and gadgets we have available, it's good to get back to basics.
In this episode, we’re talking about the “chimp brain”. It’s a nickname for our limbic system which urges us to make decisions emotionally. It’s a weird evolutionary hangover that can sometimes get in the way of our human brains making actual progress.
So how can we control this side of our mind? And what are the benefits of being able to recognise when our chimp brain is speaking to us? HoP and HoB meet up to chat about it.
In our latest dispatch, Co-founders Alex and Sam explore the thought of being an "enabler" as opposed to a "disabler" and how being more mindful of this can help us to unlock more potential for ourselves and within others.
"Stay Wavy" is a phrase used all the time in DEVSOC. It's our version of "live long and prosper" or "may the force be with you". It represents a simple and elegant idea, rooted in Stoicism, that can help you stay mentally cool, calm and collected. Join Charlie and Alex from DEVSOC, as they discuss how.
In this Ep, Charlie and Devsoc Co-Founder Sam, discuss how to "get humbled". With physical movement being a huge part of what Devsoc is about, they unpack what "humbling" is and how it can help you achieve your goals.
In our first episode, two wavy dudes in the Devsoc team, Darren and Charlie, look into a core tenet of Devsoc - "the 1% gain". Together, they talk about how small changes that we choose to make every day, can have a huge impact on our lives in the long-run. Enjoy!
Devsoc's Head of Waves and Head of Peaks (or Alex and Charlie!) set out what Devsoc Dispatches is, and how we aim to bring audible goodness to our community.