John's Blog

He Overcame a Stutter and Low Self Esteem.

I want to thank Steven Brackfield, Category Manager of the Salvation Army Buildings and Facilities, for sending me Rowan Atkinson’s fantastic life story and all the challenges he had to overcome to break through to comedy stardom. It is an excellent

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The Immense Power of Motivation

This week, I had a fabulous time working with members of the EO Group, which Ian Micklewright, the Managing Director of Alps Ltd, runs. The EO group comprises high-level executives who join to experience a leadership journey that results in

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The Top 5 Ways to Lower Stress

I was excited to deliver Mind Resilience Masterclass 1 to the staff at the Derby College Annual Conference on Student Experience and Pastoral Support this week. This was a wonderful group that was engaged and full of energy. They participated

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Failure Makes You Stronger

I came across this article from Word for Today, and it clarified my thinking about failure and its potential for huge benefits.  Never give up “Failure doesn’t mean you will never succeed; it just means it may take a bit

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The Last Flight Out of Dubai!

It was March 2020, and I arrived in Dubai, ready to deliver my Mental Resilience Masterclass to several blue-chip companies organised by Robin Wells, who was running a successful employee benefits business spanning the Middle East and Asia, advising some

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Never Stop Dreaming!

It was great to return to the Northeast to deliver my new ‘Increased Productivity’ Masterclass for two teams from Rolls Royce based in Washington. This brought back many memories for me, including playing professional basketball for Sunderland and working for

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Train Your Brain

This brief article in Word for Today highlighted some fantastic facts about positive thinking and its health benefits. “A study conducted in the Netherlands found that optimistic people have healthier hearts than those who are grumpy. Self-described optimists died of cardiovascular

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Do Affirmations Really Work?

I have used positive affirmations for many years, and they have helped me overcome chronic fear and anxiety which held me back from achieving anything worthwhile. I hid this lack of confidence quite well, but as a result, I avoided

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What is Your Inner Voice Telling You?

As I sat this morning reading out loud my positive affirmations, I thought about a coaching client I have been working with whose life has been transformed by the knowledge that their inner voice is significantly impacting their mental health. As

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Every Challenge is an Opportunity

We all have challenges in life, and sometimes, life gets on top of us. I defy anyone alive to tell me they don’t have doubts and don’t get down occasionally. This is true for everyone alive and breathing. Like many of

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The Power of Passion and Vision

“Milton S. Hershey is best known as the founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company, one of the world’s largest and most successful chocolate manufacturers. However, his path to success was marked by numerous challenges and failures before he achieved greatness. Milton

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Turning Pain into Purpose

What a fantastic week this has been! First, I delivered my new ‘Improved Productivity’ Masterclass online to Siemens staff, and then I delivered two Mental Resilience Masterclass 1 sessions to Rolls Royce staff over two days. This Masterclass received excellent feedback,

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Never Underestimate the Human Spirit

This week, I had the pleasure of working with postgraduate students at Nottingham Trent University Business School. I do this several times a year, and working with these enthusiastic students is an absolute joy. During this Masterclass, we covered areas like

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Wanda Diaz-Merced

I love discovering people I have never heard of who have overcome incredible difficulties to succeed. Here is someone who, despite the onset of blindness, which should have curtailed her career, created something that transformed how astronomical data is analysed. This

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What You Sow is What You Reap

It has been a brilliant week, with a trip to Barnoldswick, near the Lake District, to deliver my 3 Masterclasses to the Rolls Royce team led by Production Leader Graham Dickinson. They were an energetic, interactive group, and we had

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The Amazing Impact of Encouragement

This week, I had the pleasure of delivering Mental Resilience Masterclass 1 to Springfield Training’s staff and their clients in Leeds. The response to the session was outstanding, and it made me realise just how much I enjoy what I

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The Power of Deep Thinking

This week, I have spent a great deal of time thinking deeply about my business and the direction I should take in the next ten years. I am seeking new opportunities and clarification on existing areas of my business to

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The World’s First Armless Pilot!

We celebrated International Women’s Day yesterday, and I had to double-check what I was reading when I came across this incredibly inspirational story of a woman born without arms who is a qualified pilot. Just think about this for a

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How To Build Strong Mental Resilience

Thank you to all who replied to my midweek request to make your thoughts known on whether I should carry on writing these blogs. As I mentioned in the post, I have been writing them for nine years and thoroughly

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Harlem Globetrotters 58 Years Later!

I had a real blast from the past yesterday when Julie treated me to a surprise late 70th birthday present to watch the Harlem Globetrotters Basketball team in Nottingham on their world tour. This was a very significant occasion for me

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I’m 70 and Loving Life!

I’m writing this blog post from Dubai, where I’m celebrating my 70th birthday. This trip has been absolutely incredible! Reaching the age of 70 marks a significant milestone in my life. Little did I know all those years ago that

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