The Decision-Making Studio Podcast

This conversation is all about mindset. How do you train your mind? How do you mentally approach uncertainty? Meet Nicole Davis. Nicole is a retired volleyball player who excelled at the highest levels in the sport. That means the Olympics, where she was a silver medallist in the 2008 Beijing games and again four years later at the 2012 London games. She has played professionally in Europe and for the University of Southern California (USC) where she won back-to-back national championships in 2003 and 2004.   Now Nicole is a professional mindset coach with Compete to Create, a company founded by Super Bowl-winning coach Pete Carroll and prominent high-performance psychologist Dr. Michael Gervais. Nicole is a fantastic part of what is an amazing group that is leading the way in mindset training for individuals and organisations. Her insights are rooted in deep experience and understanding. On the show we cover: Nicole’s background in volleyball; What it takes to be an Olympian; Dealing with pressure; Overcoming setbacks; Tacking uncertainty and risk; How to build a high-performance culture in any team or organisation Tons more! Show notes: Nicole’s website Nicole on:             LinkedIn             Twitter             Instagram Compete to Create Pete Carroll Michael Gervais Compete to Create’s Finding Your Best course (use Nicole’s discount code “ND50“) All Things Risk episode 90 with Annie Duke Satya Nadella _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence

  Think about your life, particularly your routines. Yes, these can serve us – up to a point. They help us get on with life. In other ways, however, they are harmful. They can prevent us from learning and growing. They can get us stuck. Our thought patterns are similar - psychologists and neuroscientists talk about something called the “default mode network” – our familiar thought patterns. It’s therefore good to disrupt our routines and patterns. Our latest guest is all about that. Alastair Humphreys has cycled around the world, rowed across the Atlantic, walked the 1,000 km Empty Quarter and completed loads of other rugged, tough, and risky adventures.  So, what does someone like this do for his next adventure? Well, with no musical training and a self-professed limited musical aptitude, he learns to play some basic notes and tunes on the violin - of course. And then spends a month busking in Spain as he walks from Vigo to Madrid, eating only from the money he earns busking. That’s because adventure is not just about rugged men doing epic things. Adventure is about getting outside of your comfort zone.  This is something Alastair has pioneered through the concept of “micro adventures” – shorter adventures that are designed to get us outside of our familiar routines. He was even named National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year for his work on micro adventures. Alastair writes about his violin busking adventure in his wonderful book My Midsummer Morning in which he follows the footsteps of another Englishman, Laurie Lee who in 1935 completed the same journey and wrote As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, one of Alastair’s favourite travel books. We talk about all of that and much more including: Alastair’s background; The origins of My Midsummer Morning; Learning to play the violin; Fear and vulnerability, particularly the first time he played the violin in Spain; Observations from walking through rural Spain; Loneliness versus solitude; Balancing adventure with family; How to live more adventurously; Much more! Show Notes: Alastair’s website; Alastair on Twitter; Alastair on Instagram; Alastair on YouTube; Alastair on Facebook; My Midsummer Morning; The Spotlight Effect; Alastair on micro adventures in Outside Online; Laurie Lee’s As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning; _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence

Today we talk about diversity, inclusion and equality, particularly in the workplace. This is one of those topics that is important, but polarising – the famous Jordan Peterson / Cathy Newman interview of a few months ago being a good case in point. Our insights aren’t really data-based, and that’s crazy because it’s 2019. Data is the new oil. And diversity might also be an organisational superpower, particularly at the top. Diversity of opinions and backgrounds are excellent ways to manage risks and counteract cognitive biases. It can actually improve the bottom line. Moreover, if our large institutions and organisations are more reflective of our society at large, this could arguably lead to better management of some of the biggest challenges we face. Our guest today has made it her mission to do exactly that. Meet Nancy Roberts, founder of Umbrella Analytics. Umbrella applies Artificial Intelligence to deliver diversity. Nancy is an incredible entrepreneur with tremendous vision and insight. After years of directly witnessing inequality in the publishing industry and the slow, very incremental pace of change, she decided to do something about it. Addressing this stuff requires data and facts, not diatribes, myths and legends. Umbrella was born. We get into all of that and more including: The data on inequality; Differences between men and women in the workplace – and for my male audience, please listen to this!; Organisational culture and why people “go native” in large organisations; Quantifying culture; How organisations can alter the language they use in internal and external communications to reflect greater diversity and obtain numerous benefits; Much more  Show notes:  Umbrella Analytics             On Twitter             On LinkedIn             On Instagram Nancy’s blog on Medium Nancy on Unconscious Bias Training Escape the City The Jordan Peterson / Cathy Newman interview NASA and the space walk cancellation because of lack of women’s sized space suits Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?: (And How to Fix It) by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic The Peter Principle _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Get your free audio book and 30 day free trial at Audible: US listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible UK listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible

What are the limits to human performance? This episode is all about that. It’s not an easy question to answer. As you’ll hear, those limits are elastic – and they are about the body and the mind.  My guest is Alex Hutchinson. Alex is an award-winning journalist and author. He has a regular column in Outside magazine. His most recent book Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance is amazing. This is a book that among other things, explores the relationship between the mind and body in athletic performance. In reading it, I came away with not only a greater understanding of the research into athletic endurance, but with a far greater appreciation for the interaction between mind and body than I ever had before. And, when we think about uncertainty, one of the biggest uncertainties we have is in knowing the limits to our physical performance as humans – and how these limits may have been set by our own minds. This is an amazing conversation. In it, we cover: The background to Endure which includes a great story by Alex; The role of perceived effort; The “Central Governor Theory”; Pacing and risk; Belief; Oxygen and breath; Mental fatigue Tons more!  Show notes: Alex’s website Alex on Twitter Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance Alex’s column in Outside Online Tim Noakes Jens Voigt Samuele Marcora Nike’s Breaking 2 project Loss aversion Erick Wainaina Freediving Alex’s New Yorker article on Brandon Hendrickson and extreme breath holding Wim Hof Good to Go by Christie Aschwanden Roger Bannister _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Get your free audio book and 30 day free trial at Audible: US listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible UK listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible

   One of the types of people we love to have on the All Things Risk podcast are adventurers. Adventures capture so much about risk and uncertainty and they are a microcosm of what we face and deal with in our broader lives. If that sounds like we believe that we should live our lives a bit like adventures, you’re right. Our guest today embodies exactly that and we can learn a lot from her. Meet Katie-Jane L’Herpiniere, aka Kate-Jane Endurance. Katie is an adventurer, endurance athlete, speaker, and expedition leader. She has done some amazing things like being the first to trek across the entire length of the Great Wall of China, crossing the Patagonian icecap, riding the original 1911 Tour de France route unsupported, and being only one of 29 finishers (out of 98) to complete the inaugural Silk Road Mountain Race in Kyryzstan last year. We talk about all of those things and more including:  What to do when things go wrong; Teamwork; Toughening up; Preparation and planning; Quitting (I loved this Instagram post of hers on the topic); Fear of the unknown.  Show notes: Katie’s website Kate on Instagram Katie’s Instagram post on quitting Sir Ranulph Fiennes L’Étape du Tour The Transcontinental Race The Silk Road Mountain Race Free Solo Alex Honnold   _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Get your free audio book and 30 day free trial at Audible: US listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible UK listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible

  This episode was put together as a bit of an experiment – and a very successful one at that. This was our first live recording with an audience and it took place in Louisville, Kentucky at the USITT 2019 conference. USITT is the US Institute for Theatre Technology – and it aims to advance the skills and technology of those working in theatre, entertainment, and the performing arts. Basically, if you think about live shows that might have pyrotechnics, crazy lighting and sound, special effects, amazing stunts and other things, then you aren’t far off.  What’s interesting about all this is that many of these shows are pushing boundaries and trying new things – and that means risk and uncertainty. Which of course means an open door for some amazing insights. That is exactly what we have for you. My guests are Anna Glover and Bryan Huneycutt.  If you are a long-time listener to the podcast, you will remember Anna as my guest on Episode 11. Anna is currently the Director of Organisational Health and Wellness at the Yale University School of Drama. Bryan works at Disney in Entertainment Safety. Both do cool jobs in helping directors and those involved in live theatre do amazing things and do them safely. We have a fascinating conversation that offers fantastic insights applicable to just about any domain. It also features some very thoughtful questions from the audience. We cover: How to speak truth to power and how to speak up; Building a “just” organisational culture; What to do when things go wrong; Why you should ask questions to which you already know the answers; How to learn from mistakes; Pigeons, yes – pigeons; Much more! Show notes: Anna Glover Consulting Anna on LinkedIn Anna on Instagram Yale School of Drama Bryan on LinkedIn Bryan on Instagram USITT The National Theatre War Horse Duncan Wardle on Creativity _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Get your free audio book and 30 day free trial at Audible: US listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible UK listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ I’d like to hear from you! I want to make the show even better – please take two minutes to complete our listener survey.

  For the last few episodes, we have had “big picture” conversations (which BTW I love). However, as much as I enjoy those types of conversations, and as much as we like to frame them in positive terms, when we think about the state of our politics, divisiveness, intolerance and the closed-minded we often see around the world, it is hard not to think that a certain level, the world is in a dark place. Well, this week we are going to flip the script on all of that. This is an episode about adventure, sport, entrepreneurship, culture, and one that reminds us that the world is an amazing place, particularly when cultures collide and we bring a sense of wonder and curiosity to those interactions. My guests are Usman and Adeela Omar. Usman and Adeela are brother and sister, hail from Pakistan but live in the UK, and are young entrepreneurs. The projects they are working on embody that sense of connectedness and the wonderful things that can happen when that connectedness exists. The first project is something called TriPakistan, which must be the coolest and most beautiful triathlon in the world – it certainly is one of the highest. This is a triathlon taking place on July 21st of this year in the Karakoram region of Pakistan. If you check out the photos of this project, you will be stunned by the beauty of this part of the world – a part that we hear so little about. The other is a project called Lemon Doves which focuses on handmade products from local communities in Pakistan. In speaking to Usman and Adeela, I get the wonderful impression that “the kids are all right” if these two are anything to go by. We get into a number of interesting topics, including: Usman and Adeela’s backgrounds growing up in Pakistan; What they think of life in the United Kingdom; Usman’s cycling adventures and participation in the upcoming Silk Road Mountain Race – a 1700km, 26,000m elevation gain event in Kyrgyzstan; TriPakistan and its origins; Lemon Doves; Risk-taking with regard to these endeavours; Travel and adventure; Loads more Show notes: TriPakistan TriPakistan on Instagram Lemon Doves Lemon Doves on Instagram Usman on Instagram Adeela on Instagram The Silk Road Mountain Race Escape the City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Get your free audio book and 30 day free trial at Audible: US listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible UK listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ I’d like to hear from you! I want to make the show even better – please take two minutes to complete our listener survey.

Today, we have a big picture conversation about populism – that thing that seems to be taking over the world, whether we are talking about Donald Trump, Brexit, Bolsonaro in Brazil or Duterte in the Philippines. But, what is populism? Why do people vote for populists? Besides unhelpful explanations that are unhelpful (like everyone is insane), how can we better understand this phenomenon? Today we take our understanding of populism – and as a consequence, our world - up several notches.   My guest is Sam Wilkin. Sam is a political risk expert, an author and a speaker. His latest book is called History Repeating – Why Populists Rise and Governments Fall. In it, Sam shows us that there are patterns to populism – the same drama plays out time and again in places as diverse as Iran, Russia, and yes, the United States with Donald Trump.  Our conversation is both fun and engaging – much like Sam’s book. And once we understand the logic of populism, we are better able to tackle the risks it poses – and as you’ll hear, some of that is surprising and counter-intuitive. We cover:  What populism is; Why people vote for populists; Populism and inequality; Similarities between populists of different countries and eras; The dangers of irregularly removing a populist from office; What populists tend to do once in power; Risks to our world posed by populism; Much more Show notes: Sam’s website; Sam on Twitter; Sam on LinkedIn; History Repeating: Why Populists Rise and Governments Fall; _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Get your free audio book and 30 day free trial at Audible: US listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible UK listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ I’d like to hear from you! I want to make the show even better – please take two minutes to complete our listener survey.

At the time of writing and editing this episode, the United Kingdom was a few days away from crashing out of the European Union without a deal on its future relationship with the EU – something that would be economically catastrophic. If you are in the UK and whether you voted Remain like I did, or voted Leave in the Brexit referendum, I think the vast majority of us can agree that the UK’s politics is a mess. And, if you follow our podcast from outside the UK, you are probably looking on in bewilderment – but at the same time likely have similar frustrations about politics and institutions in your own country – again, regardless of political affiliation. The reality is that around the world, the institutions that underpin democracies have not kept pace with technological and societal change. As a result, we have divisiveness within and across societies, self-interested leadership, and corruption. And that’s tragic, because democracy is worth fighting and dying for and because the world’s biggest risks require strong institutions both within countries and multilaterally. Against this backdrop, this latest episode is in incredibly timely. Our guest is Ed Dowding. Ed is a social entrepreneur who has founded businesses in democracy and public decision-making and in sustainable food and agriculture. In undertaking these ventures, Ed has for years come against the constraints that have now bubbled up to the collective surface. And in so doing, I think Ed is someone ahead of his time. However, Ed’s time may just perhaps be coming. We talk about all of these things in this fascinating episode, covering: Minimalism; Sustainable agriculture; Why there are dis-incentives to fix problems on agriculture; Sustainable sourcing; “Delegative” or “Liquid” democracy; The constraints to modernising our democratic institutions; Loads more! Show notes: Ed’s website; Ed on Twitter; me; Anti-biotic resistance; Monoculture; Farm Drop – if you are in London, please check these guys out and sign up!; Josef Davies-Coates; “Liquid democracy”; _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Get your free audio book and 30 day free trial at Audible: US listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible UK listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ I’d like to hear from you! I want to make the show even better – please take two minutes to complete our listener survey.

Have you ever hid behind anything – perhaps something that held you back? Are you still hiding behind something – is it paralysing you? I want you to meet Nadia Finer. Our conversation with Nadia in the latest episode of the podcast is both fun and powerful. It is about not hiding, and becoming bigger and stronger than you think you could be. Nadia is one of the UK’s foremost business coaches and an accomplished author. As you will hear, for many years Nadia had an insecurity – her voice. That insecurity affected many of the other aspects of her life. It was when she stopped hiding behind that insecurity that she started to flourish. This took bravery – which, as you will hear – is a skill. Nadia took all of that, turned it on its head, launching her brand, her site, and helping many others, particularly entrepreneurs to “unleash their bigness”. And, if that’s not enough to convince you that Nadia plays big and faces fears, then how about knowing that she has gotten into boxing, and has already fought three bouts. We talk about all of that, taking risks, and much more. Show notes: Nadia’s website Nadia on Twitter Nadia on Instagram Nadia on LinkedIn Nadia’s book, Little Me, Big Business Joseph Campbell The Mask of Masculinity by Lewis Howes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The46in219 – my 46 km birthday run – https://the46in219.carrd.co/ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Like what you heard? Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmK Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Get your free audio book and 30 day free trial at Audible: US listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible UK listeners: get your free trial and audio book at Audible _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ I’d like to hear from you! I want to make the show even better – please take two minutes to complete our listener survey.