Unscripted with Spencer Lodge

With over 25 year’s experience combatting issues such as counter terrorism, personal and cyber security and working as a bodyguard for the Hollywood elite, my guest this week is Security specialist Will Geddes. In this week’s episode, Will gives us a specialized and focused insight on the world of Cyber-crime and how to avoid falling victim to it, how to protect your personal security both online and in the real world, and how to protect your children from the dangers of Social Media, Cyber-bullying and the Dark Web. As Director of the leading Specialized Human Threat Management company ICP, and referencing his best-selling book release “Parent Alert: How to Keep Your Kids Safe Online”, Will’s wisdom and inside knowledge ensures that in this ever advancing digital age, you can begin your year with confidence and in the safest way possible.

After a turbulent childhood battling long-term bullying, relationship issues and a lack of confidence, Lisa Johnson fell into success specialising as a Global Passive Income Coach. Having faced business challenges that at times saw her earn as little as £1.15 per hour, Lisa has since made millions – raking in £1.3 million pounds in October alone! She has spent the last 3 years building her widely successful business teaching clients how to work smarter and not harder, allowing their businesses to thrive. In this very fitting and motivational final podcast of 2020, Lisa shares her story that proves how at any time, your strength and hunger for more can create a new beginning and shift your path towards success and fulfilment.

My guest’s story this week is the ultimate example of how, as humans, our thirst for life and survival forms a refusal to accept defeat. After being diagnosed at the age of 11 with two rare conditions, Victoria Arlen lost her ability to speak, eat, walk and move, and quickly slipped into a vegetative state. She spent the next two years hooked to a lifeline in a hospital where she was written off as "a lost cause.” Despite medical professionals agreeing that there was little to no hope of recovery or survival, Victoria regained cognitive function after two years. However, she couldn’t see, move, or talk, but could hear the conversations around her—with no way of letting her family know she was awake. Not only did she wake up after four years, but she has gone to become a Paralympic gold and silver medallist, learned how to walk after 10 years in a wheelchair and was a contestant on Dancing With The Stars. Victoria’s story and experiences teach us how the importance of controlling your mindset, refusing to give up and expressing daily gratitude made her - and can make you - limitless.

With just a week to go until Christmas, this week’s episode is a special one. Santa Claus was obviously my first pick for our Christmas episode, but poor wifi connection in the North Pole prevented him from joining the Zoom call. Luckily, I was instructed to speak with someone who knows more about Christmas than Jolly Old Saint Nick himself! Dr Bowler – the world’s foremost authority on the history of Christmas - joins me all the way from snowy Canada for an in-depth conversation about ALL things Christmas. He is the author of many Christmas books including: The World Encyclopedia of Christmas, Santa Claus: A Biography and The World’s Greatest Christmas Stories. Dr Bowler shares a series of fascinating facts about the world’s most celebrated holiday, the history of the mince pie, and confirms how Covid-19 will affect Santa’s plans for delivering gifts on Christmas Eve. If you have ever been curious about the origins of Christmas traditions, then you’ll love this episode.

Commonly referred to as the ‘ultimate entrepreneur for the information age’, this week I’m thrilled to be joined by leading marketeer and internet entrepreneur, Seth Godin. As well as launching one the of the world’s most popular blogs as recognized by TIME,  Seth has written over 19 best-selling books and has previously appeared on the Marketing Hall of Fame. Recounting and sharing the valuable lessons that he was glad to learn as the founder of one of the world’s first internet companies, Seth tells us which trends to avoid, which ones to follow and how to transform your passion into a productive contribution.

With a career spent fighting for the rights of over 110 wrongly convicted Death Row inmates, my guest this week is criminal defense attorney, David R. Dow. Author of multiple award-winning memoirs and novels, and the former litigation director for the state of Texas, David gives us an in-depth look at his journey to exonerate and seek justice for the wrongly convicted and to shine a light on this violent practice that is still prevalent in the U.S today.

My guest this week is former United States Secret Service Special Agent, Evy Poumpouras. Throughout her 12 years of service, Evy has spent time in the Presidential Protective Division, was an undercover and criminal investigator, is specialized in polygraph interrogation and holds a U.S. Secret Service Valor Award for her heroic efforts as a first responder in the 9/11 terror attacks. Recounting her previous experiences and talking about her current efforts in multi-media journalism, being an educator and an author, Evy shares how she learnt to read people, acknowledge fear, strengthen her resilience, and become “bulletproof”.

Your restrictions don’t define you, and my guest this week at the young age of 21 has already proved just that. Diagnosed with one of rarest forms of dwarfism, on this week’s episode Brandon Farbstein shares with us how through courage, determination and strength, his condition has become his progressive force, and how your adversities can too. Working to inspire, create awareness, elevate empathy and break social barriers, Brandon shares with us the importance of changing your own perception as your key to success, and as a catalyst to drive you forward.  

Trigger warning: This episode includes conversations about child trafficking and abuse. A story that truly emphasizes the power of hope, this week I had the honor of speaking with the incredible and courageous child sex trafficking survivor – Anneke Lucas. Sold by her mother at the age of 6 into an abusive and murderous pedophile network, Anneke recounts her horrific and heartbreaking experiences and shares how she has found healing through psychotherapy, writing, yoga and meditation. Anneke also shares with us her journey on breaking through feelings of shame, turning some of the darkest moments of her life into a passion for advocacy and strength. Anneke’s book “Seeds Beneath the Snow: Uncovering the Divine Feminine on the Path to Global Equality” is scheduled to be released in 2020.

This week I am thrilled to bring you an interview with Britain’s most respected hypnotherapist and the creator of Rapid Transformational Therapy – Marisa Peer. Her therapy method is world-renowned for its ability to create lasting change, without the need for ongoing sessions. Marisa has devoted her life to helping people resolve childhood trauma, find love, and lead happier lives. Through her public speaking, therapy training course, and best-selling books, award-winning therapist Marisa Peer has profoundly changed the lives of countless people. In this episode of The Spencer Lodge Podcast, Marisa shares her wisdom on transforming negative self-talk, how to accept that you are enough, and explains how to overcome the programming that’s holding you back.