People want to be seen, heard, valued, understood and appreciated. Jonathan B. Smith is a business strategist and Black Swan Negotiation Instructor with decades of experience. He has founded multiple companies over the years, and his work has helped companies achieve millions in revenue. His new book, 'Fight Less Win More', is gold - one of the most valuable books I have read recently. Daniel Pink, #1 NY Times bestseller, said: "Fight Less, Win More is a massively useful book for just about anyone who has to deal with the desires, foibles, and idiosyncrasies of other human beings." This conversation demonstrates the critical skill we can use in conversation to help people feel understood! ​

Diane Kahn is the Executive Director of  Humans of San Quentin (HoSQ), a humanitarian non-profit organisation that shares the stories of incarcerated people to humanise those behind bars and break down societal stereotypes, through letters, art, and poetry. Inspired by the Humans of New York project, the organisation was founded in 2020 by Diane, a former elementary school teacher, who began the project while teaching at San Quentin Rehabilitation Centre. San Quentin prison was founded in 1852, and it has served for much of its history as a symbol of the American penal system's harshest instincts, known for housing murderers, traffickers, and death row. Diane has an unstoppable dedication to helping victims and offenders heal and transform their lives, and this is a fascinating conversation about redemption.

​Gary Waldon is the author of 'Mastering the Art of Reinvention: Adapting to life, AI and the other big changes'. Reinvention is an intriguing topic. We go through times when we need to start afresh. Maybe our careers take a different turn, we move to new countries or cities, our relationships change, or our outlook on life evolves. Gary's book guides us on how to handle these unexpected shifts and move into our next chapter. Gary is someone who has faced significant change, including trauma, failures, hardships in business, and certainly in his personal life, through divorce and separations. Many of these challenges he caused himself, and he’s the first to put his hand up, own his shortfalls and take full ownership of his story. 

Jenn Donahue is a warrior. On the battlefield, in business, and in the fight against self-doubt. A retired U.S. Navy Commodore, she commanded thousands of troops across multiple deployments, including overseeing the construction of a bridge across the Euphrates River during the Iraq War and leading an 800-person battalion in Afghanistan. We discuss 'Becoming the Warrior', her book on learning to overcome the internal roadblocks that impede our success and how we can harness inner strength, silence our self-doubt, and live with and/or silence our internal voices. After decades of commanding teams and making high-stakes decisions, she brings fascinating insights to this conversation.

We began this season inspired by Greek mythology's 12 Labours of Hercules, where he faced the crossroads and chose between the seductive comfort of Kakia and the modern path of Arate. Logan Gelbrich, author of 'Going Right, A Logical Justification for Chasing Your Dreams', owns Deuce Gym in LA—an exceptional group of gyms that promote leadership and higher standards of performance through strength training, strongman, wellness, performance, and group fitness. Going Right serves as a powerful metaphor for growth, setting higher standards, making a mark, and standing out as uncommon. It is a philosophical journey, providing a logical reason to chase our dreams in the season ahead.

​The legendary Mike McCastle. Inspired by Greek mythology and the 12 labours of Hercules, Mike has achieved a world record by doing 5,804 pull-ups in a day, pulled a 5,000-pound truck across the Mojave Desert in summer, climbed a rope to the equivalent height of Mount Everest in a gym, broke a world record in an ice bath, and recently, the former US Navy SEAL pushed his body beyond every limit, covering more than 4 miles with walking lunges, breaking two world records in the process. We kick off season 7 with the Hercules theme, and as a way to help us realign and reset, this rewind with Mike is an opportunity to remind ourselves of his approach to life, recap his journey, and inspire you to tackle your own 12 labours in 2026.

​Dr. Paul Taylor is a psychophysiologist, host of the popular 'Hardiness' podcast, and the award-winning author of the book 'Death by Comfort'. Paul has also recently completed his PhD in applied psychology. In this conversation, we discuss his new book, 'The Hardiness Effect', and explore his research on how to boost our psychological and physiological hardiness and cognitive fitness. Paul is very evidence- and fact-based, blending academia with real-world experience, grounded in his background as a former Royal British Navy Air Crew Officer trained in anti-submarine warfare, helicopter search and rescue, and combat survival. His work also draws on the Stoics and many other great philosophers of the past.