The Ridiculously Human Podcast

Author. Coach. Bookworm. Habit Queen. Professor. Kate Courageous. Nerd. Mom. Entrepreneur. Triathlete. Researcher. Smiler. Founder of Your Courageous Life. Perhaps you think you are not a courageous person? The truth be told, is that you certainly are! For you to have gotten to where you are in life, no matter what your situation, has taken courage on some sort of level. We must not forget what we have overcome, to get to where we are today in life. Our Podcast guest this week, Kate Swoboda, is a lady who has devoted much of her time to understanding and researching this ‘phenomenon of courage’, which some of us have in abundance and others really struggle to find much of. Kate, grew up in the midwest of America, in Missouri. Her family structure had it’s issues, with her folks divorcing early on and money being a scarce commodity. She loved to immerse herself in reading and poetry too. She’d spend hours in the library because it was one way to escape the stifling afternoon heat of the Midwest! Growing up, she felt a confusing mix of being both highly sensitive and doggedly tenacious, she was extremely introverted and also ferociously opinionated. It was difficult to neatly categorise all of those contradictions, which often left her feeling isolated and out of place in social groups. High school was a depressing time and it infiltrated itself into her college experience too. Her depression manifested itself as, extreme isolation, crying, eating disorders, cutting, and being borderline suicidal. Often thinking “I wish I could just go to sleep and not wake up.” Growing up in a poor environment taught her to spend money wisely, and how to be respectful of it. She also learnt a strong work ethic and spent 4 years working two jobs, which allowed her to save up enough money to go and spend a month in her beloved Italy. When she returned, she realised it had all boiled down to choice. You chose to make it happen, you chose to realise your dreams despite your fears and doubts. Kate knew the courage it took for her to do so, and wanted to share that with others. These days, Kate is the founder and creator of the Courageous Living Coach Certification and creator of the Coaching Blueprint. Her book, The Courage Habit, explores how we create courageous habits using; her 4-step habit realisations:   Realisation #1: Habit-formation goes much deeper than isolated actions. Realisation #2: Habits are trip-wired by cues that are often unconscious and somatic. Realisation #3: Habits run on a loop of cue-routine-reward. Realisation #4: Often, we don’t look beyond “lessening of anxiety.”   and her courage building process:   1 - Access the body 2 - Listen without attachment 3 - Reframe limiting Stories 4 - Create community   We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. Let’s find out what it means for Kate Swoboda, to be Ridiculously Human. Your fellow beings, Craig and Gareth SHOW NOTES Background, Context & Reference Connect with Kate Swoboda: Website | Instagram | FaceBook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Kate’s Book: The Courage Habit Kate’s Blog Other relevant points discussed and mentioned:   Beyonce's - Formation Lizzo - Juice Babysitters Club Sweet Valley High Allen Ginsberg - Mind Breaths Mugging - Poem Natalie Goldberg - Writing Down The Bones Naropa - School of Disembodied Poetics Fireflies Denny's Scholastic Corporation Moleskine Notebook Twelve Step Program Naked Body Acceptance Morning Pages - The Artist's Way Metacognitive teaching Basal Ganglia Google Scholar A Beautiful Mind Philips Sunrise Alarm Clock Zen Buddhist Meditation Insight Timer - Meditation App Daily Greatness Business Planner Safe Place International People Discussed Trevor Noah on The Daily Show Jack Kerouac Tony Robbins Sarah Blunden Julia Cameron - The Artist's Way Scott Belsky Places Mentioned Missouri San Francisco Bay Florence, Italy Music By The Bambuseae Rhythm Section - Check them out here The Simon Van Gend Band - Check them out here Right Hook Request HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE PODCAST? We know this is always a big one to ask and you hear it a million times but anything you can do to help us get our podcast out there into the ether will be massively appreciated! Please tell Your Friends & Share Online Subscribe, Rate & Review:  Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Soundcloud | Google Play | TuneIn | iHeartRADIO | Follow us on: Website | YouTube | Medium | Instagram | FaceBook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Related Podcasts You Might Enjoy RHP #072: Margo Aaron, Accidental Marketer, Entrepreneur, Daywalker, Writer, Mom, Founder of That Seems Important RHP #076: Michael Bungay Stanier, Author, Coach, Speaker, Rhodes Scholar, Founder and CEO of Box Of Crayons RHP #082: Bruce Lipton, Stem Cell Researcher, Developmental Biologist, Epigenetic Expert, Author, Keynote Speaker, Spiritual Scientist RHP #086: Claude Silver, Marketing and Advertising Guru, Outdoors Fanatic, People’s Person, Music Lover, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia

Bernhard Baatjies - ex-Gangster. Traveller. Entrepreneur. Restauranteur. Bodyguard. Smiler. Script Writer. Storyteller. Founder of The Make a Change Project. This is a short and sweet, supplementary version of our weekly Podcast. It’s a taster to give you a flavour of what to expect from the full Podcast episode. Connect with Bernhard Baatjies - http://bit.ly/BernieBaatjiesFB Listen to Full Podcast - http://bit.ly/RHPBernhardBaatjies

ex-Gangster. Traveller. Entrepreneur. Restauranteur. Bodyguard. Smiler. Script Writer. Storyteller. Founder of The Make a Change Project. Sadly, in many 3rd world countries where people live in ghettos, slums, townships, favelas, life is tough. Each day is a struggle, you need to have your wits about you, and you need to earn your street cred. The people and mentors you look up to are likely to be those who lead you down the wrong path, often to drugs and crime. Our Podcast guest this week, Bernhard Baatjies, was born in Hanover Park, Cape Town. Hanover Park is known to be one of the most dangerous places in the world, a place where there is not much hope. His Dad was a well-known pastor and helped many people out, but not his own family. Small things, like walking to school were a treacherous affair for Bernie. A walk which should take 7 mins, would take him 30 mins, because he had to dodge the ‘Wild Cats’ and ‘Americans’, who were two of the local gangs in Hanover Park. At 16, he had become a gangster and started making zip-guns for their warfare. Fortunately for Bernie, there was a spark inside of him. At 19, he jumped onto a train with the little cash he had and headed into the big smoke of Cape Town city. Thanks to one person believing in him and mentoring him, he got a job in a new bar which was opening up. That opportunity, together with his charisma, gave Bernie the trajectory he needed to take that first step into his new life, out of the Cape Flats. A few years later, a slippery slope led him back into gangsterism. He got involved in the famous Brown’s Club, through Cyril Beeka, one of the biggest gangsters in Cape Town at the time. Bernie was offered to manage and have a small partnership in the club. Something he couldn't really resist due to the partying, women, and drugs, seven days and nights a week. An incident involving someone who was almost killed due to the security operation which Bernie was part of, really gave him the wake-up call he needed in life. He asked for permission to leave the gang and was granted that wish. Bernie would go on to live in Johannesburg, Bahrain and Thailand. He ran successfully eateries in all of those places. Along the way, he met Donovan Marsh, who took an interest in Bernie’s story and ultimately wrote a script and made a feature film about his own life called, Dollars and White Pipes. The script was actually the first ‘book’ that Bernie had read cover to cover. These days, Bernie is married to his Norwegian wife. They run a charity called, The Make a Change Project, which supports his old community with a school creche and a weekly soup kitchen. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. Let’s find out what it means for Bernhard Baatjies, to be Ridiculously Human. Your fellow beings, Craig and Gareth

Carl Amery - Former Sergeant Major and Combat Engineer. Coach. Rugby Enthusiast. Welshman. Salesman. Entrepreneur. Dad. Mindset Master. Disciplined Dude. Speaker. Mentor. This is a short and sweet, supplementary version of our weekly Podcast. It’s a taster to give you a flavour of what to expect from the full Podcast episode. Connect with Carl Amery - https://www.clientsinabundance.com/ Listen to Full Podcast - http://bit.ly/RHPCarlAmery

Former Sergeant Major and Combat Engineer. Coach. Rugby Enthusiast. Welshman. Salesman. Entrepreneur. Dad. Mindset Master. Disciplined Dude. Speaker. Mentor. Every single day there are men and women who are doing one of the noblest things in the world. They are serving their country and putting their lives at risk by going into war zones. It’s something quite difficult for normal civilians like us to comprehend or fathom! Our guest this week, Carl Amery, is a man who knows this all too well. He served in the British Army for 18 years. He had dedicated over half his life to the Army, before deciding that there was more in life for him to accomplish. Carl was born in Ely, Cardiff. Growing up on a council estate provided Carl with everything he needed as a kid. Admittedly it was basic, but everyone in the community knew and helped each other out. The simplicity provided duality though. He never knew what mayonnaise or spinach was until he left home, they never went on family holidays either. So he was both frustrated and longed for better things in life, which he was missing out on. At 14, he started running because he wanted to join the army, and to be accepted, one of the requirements was that they needed to run a mile and a half in under 8 minutes. The discipline, routines and habits started early for him, and are a true testament to what has helped guide him throughout life. Carl speaks highly and fondly of his time in the Army. He made many lifelong friends, honed his disciplinary skills, visited many places around the world and developed a work ethic and mindset which are second to none. It was one of his posts in Iraq when he began to question what he was doing. He was lying on his belly, in the dust, with a metal prong in his hand, prodding around for landmines because he needed to clear the lane for vehicles to get passed. Thoughts like, “What if I die now? What about my family? Will anyone even know? How will I be remembered? Why am I even doing this?! Were things that were going through his mind... Two years ago, he was faced with what seemed like an easy decision. Stay in the Army for a few more years, lock in a full pension, receive a lump sum payment for his services and have a high paying salary guaranteed for the rest of his life too. That was not the option he decided to take though. He hobbled into his office, he had a broken leg at the time, forced his way onto a computer, and a few clicks later he had resigned after 18 years of service. Now to tell his wife and figure out what to do…. These days, he helps coaches scale their coaching businesses. His forte is getting people to believe in themselves and providing them with the confidence and ability to think that anything is possible with the correct attitude and mindset. What you put in, is what you get out! We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. Let’s find out what it means for Carl Amery, to be Ridiculously Human. Your fellow beings, Craig and Gareth SHOW NOTES Background, Context & Reference Connect with Carl Amery: Website | Instagram | FaceBook | Other relevant points discussed and mentioned:   Monopoly Royal Army Physical Training Corps Royal Engineers PTI Royal Marines PTSD Your Best Year Ever - Jim Rohn Network Marketing Law of Attraction People Discussed Sir Gareth Edwards Bruce Lipton Tony Robbins Jim Rohn Alex Jeffreys Bill Gates Places Mentioned Ely, Cardiff Belize Iraq Music By The Bambuseae Rhythm Section - Check them out here The Simon Van Gend Band - Check them out here   Right Hook Request HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE PODCAST? We know this is always a big one to ask and you hear it a million times but anything you can do to help us get our podcast out there into the ether will be massively appreciated! Please tell Your Friends & Share Online Subscribe, Rate & Review:  Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Soundcloud | Google Play | TuneIn | iHeartRADIO | Follow us on: Website | YouTube | Medium | Instagram | FaceBook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Related Podcasts You Might Enjoy RHP #039: Andrew Roberts, Ex-Warrant Officer Class 01 and Domestic Abuse Victim RHP #041: Paul De Gelder, Motivational Speaker and Shark Attack Survivor RHP #043: Paul Connolly, Author, Celebrity Trainer and Victim of Child Abuse RHP #082: Bruce Lipton, Stem Cell Researcher, Developmental Biologist, Epigenetic Expert, Author, Keynote Speaker, Spiritual Scientist

Claude Silver - Marketing and Advertising Guru. Outdoors Fanatic. People’s Person. Music Lover. Mom. LGBTQ Advocate. Smiler. Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia. This is a short and sweet, supplementary version of our weekly Podcast. It’s a taster to give you a flavour of what to expect from the full Podcast episode. Connect with Claude Silver - https://www.claudesilver.com/ Listen to Full Podcast - https://ridic-human.com/podcast/claude-silver/

Marketing and Advertising Guru. Outdoors Fanatic. People’s Person. Music Lover. Mom. LGBTQ Advocate. Smiler. Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia. Imagine a CEO says that she/he works for the 700 people who fall under them in their organisation. Say What??! Working for your employees and not the other way around? Funnily enough, by taking full responsibility for how your staff perform and operate, and ultimately doing your best to ensure that they are happy, fulfilled and appreciated in their positions, is something that will differentiate your business in this era. This week's Podcast guest, Claude Silver, is a lady who operates by that exact ethos, and is literally obsessed with changing how large organisations operate. In her role, at one of the world’s leading advertising, marketing and design agencies, she gets to spend a large portion of her time, meeting, greeting, speaking and listening to the people that she works for i.e. the 700 staff reporting into her. Claude is a native of New York City. She was never the most academic of children, even though her family was a very smart bunch of people. However, the other family traits of being altruistic, creative and generous, are ones which she took on in abundance. Claude allowed her intuition to guide her for much of her life, which meant that she also enjoyed living an experimental and experiential life. She started dabbling in recreational drugs in her teenage years, which ended her chance of truly fulfilling her potential as a highly skilled tennis player. Sadly and unintentionally, she replaced the drugs and tennis with a highly abusive relationship. It was her first relationship with another lady, so there were also those added pressures. The physical abuse and beatings she experienced, deeply impacted her. After years of running her own business and holding senior leadership positions at prestigious advertising and marketing Agencies in San Francisco and London, her life would take an incredible turn. In 2013, her best friend introduced her via email, to a rather renowned man. A month later, Claude flew to New York, and within five minutes, pretty much fell ‘in-love’ with her future manager, Gary Vaynerchuk, the CEO of VaynerMedia. Claude is now the Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia. Her primary objective is to scale Gary Vaynerchuk, together with overseeing anything and everything that has to do with their people. We think you’ll agree that Claude is one exceptional lady, who leads from the front, with open arms and an open heart. She provides light and comfort in the corporate world when it can often seem more doom and gloom than anything else. Between herself, Gary, and the people that they work for, they are changing the shape of how we work and how companies treat and respect their employees. We encourage you to take a step into their lanes and do the same thing! We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. Let’s find out what it means for Claude Silver, to be Ridiculously Human. Your fellow beings, Craig and Gareth SHOW NOTES Background, Context & Reference Connect with Claude Silver: Website | Instagram | FaceBook | Twitter | LinkedIn | VaynerMedia Other relevant points discussed and mentioned:   The Alchemist Dyslexia Adobe Houses SATs Geoffrey Chaucer's - Canterbury Tales Beat Poetry Golden Gate Bridge Institute of Intuitive Studies Clairvoyance Chakras Past Life Regressions Dotcom Bubble Burst Number 73 Bus - London Number 10 Bus - London VaynerMedia Gen-Z Me Too Movement People Discussed Michael O’Brien Robert Frost EE Cummings Langston Hughes Jim Morrison Sir Ken Robinson Gary Vaynerchuk Michael Bungay Stanier Places Mentioned New York City Santa Fe, New Mexico San Francisco Sausalito Nepal Silicon Valley London Park City, Utah Bands Mentioned The Cure Joy Division REM Led Zeppelin Bloc Party Depeche Mode Psychedelic Furs Music By The Bambuseae Rhythm Section - Check them out here The Simon Van Gend Band - Check them out here   Right Hook Request HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE PODCAST? We know this is always a big one to ask and you hear it a million times but anything you can do to help us get our podcast out there into the ether will be massively appreciated! Please tell Your Friends & Share Online Subscribe, Rate & Review:  Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Soundcloud | Google Play | TuneIn | iHeartRADIO | Follow us on: Website | YouTube | Medium | Instagram | FaceBook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Related Podcasts You Might Enjoy RHP #001: Anna Sward, Founder of Protein Pow, Cook Book Author and Protein Expert RHP #011: Dr Alex Hynes, Emergency Veterinarian Physician and Business Woman RHP #052: Wanjira Mathai, Youth Leadership Developer, Conservationist, Kenyan Smiler, Storyteller and Chairwoman of Wangari Maathai Foundation RHP #067: Jody Calitz, Women’s Health Expert, Ex-Pro Bikini Bodybuilder, Nutritionist, Vegan Athlete, Elite Personal Trainer RHP #068: Lilia Tarawa, ex-Gloriavale Daughter, Cult Convalescent, Author, Speaker, Smiler, Business Coach

Erik Bergman - Entrepreneur. Ex-Poker Player. Modern Slick Swedish Viking. Philanthropist. Podcast Host. Money Maker. Smiler. Creative Guru. Communication Solver. Founder of Great.Com This is a short and sweet, supplementary version of our weekly Podcast. It’s a taster to give you a flavour of what to expect from the full Podcast episode. Connect with Erik Bergman - http://www.great.com Listen to Full Podcast - https://ridic-human.com/podcast/erik-bergman/

Entrepreneur. Ex-Poker Player. Modern Slick Swedish Viking. Philanthropist. Podcast Host. Money Maker. Smiler. Creative Guru. Communication Solver. Founder of Great.Com For many people in life, money is the be-all and end-all, and something that provides status. While we cannot deny that money is essential to almost every human on the planet, it’s important to remember that it’s a human invention, which we have allowed to indoctrinate us and which we are all a servant to. Our guest this week, Erik Bergman, is no stranger to money and has, for a time in his life, used it’s status to fill a void and deal with insecurities he had. Coming from humble beginnings, to having too much cash that he didn’t know what to do with, he shares his treasure chasing journey and experience with us. Erik, was born and grew up in idyllic Sweden. From a young age, his entrepreneurial flair kicked in. He and his older brother would go around to all the houses in their village, knock on the doors and sing Christmas Carols for a few extra Swedish Krona to fill their stockings. He was however, a very lonely kid from the ages of 7 to 12 years old. When he turned 13, his family moved towns. He attended a school predominantly for wealthy families, even though his folks weren’t wealthy. Moving there added to his insecurities, but he somehow, all of a sudden, changed and started making friends and finding ways to fit in with the rich kids. When he was 18, he started to play online poker and became rich very quickly. He was earning up to $10,000 per month, way too much for any 18 year old to really know what to do with. He spent it all on things to make him stand out and look impressive in front of his peer group, like cars, champagne, clothes, TV’s and an apartment! In less than 2 years he would not be able to afford this lavish lifestyle and would be living back with his parents. Erik and his best friend at the time, Emil, started dabbling in building businesses. By 2012, they had taken on a Venture Capital firm to fund and grow their business. The following year was immensely stressful, both emotionally and physically, they began acquiring companies, 20-25 in total, and Erik was still only 24 years old! In 2017, his company IPO’d and listed on the stock exchange. He made enough money in that single day to never have to work a day again in his life. All problems sorted, right? Not at all….he still had relationship troubles, had lost his friendship to his best friend and business partner, his health hadn’t improved and the euphoric feeling of selling his business had quickly disappeared… This was to be the start of an internal journey of finding, healing and accepting himself. He was also trying to find what his next pursuit would be, as well as how to re-kindle the love and sex in his relationship. It was a time to get honest and man-up. He donated $13,000 to build a school in Ghana, and then after going there first hand to teach and share in the experience, Erik decided he wanted to change the way that charities around the world worked and also how they are perceived. So he acquired the website www.great.com for $900,000 and is now on a mission to make a global impact and re-shape an industry. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. Let’s find out what it means for Erik Bergman, to be Ridiculously Human. Your fellow beings, Craig and Gareth SHOW NOTES Background, Context & Reference Connect with Erik Bergman: Website | Instagram | FaceBook | YouTube |Twitter | LinkedIn | Erik’s Former Company: Catena Media Becoming Great Podcast Other relevant points discussed and mentioned:   Affiliate Marketing Online Poker Casino Gaming AskGamblers.com Start With Why - Simon Sinek IT School in Ghana - Story Against Malaria Foundation William MacAskill - Centre For Effective Altruism People Discussed Fei Wu Wayne Gretzky Simon Sinek William MacAskill Places Mentioned Sweden Malta Gibraltar Ghana Music By The Bambuseae Rhythm Section - Check them out here The Simon Van Gend Band - Check them out here Right Hook Request HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE PODCAST? We know this is always a big one to ask and you hear it a million times but anything you can do to help us get our podcast out there into the ether will be massively appreciated! Please tell Your Friends & Share Online Subscribe, Rate & Review:  Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Soundcloud | Google Play | TuneIn | iHeartRADIO | Follow us on: Website | YouTube | Medium | Instagram | FaceBook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Related Podcasts You Might Enjoy RHP #063: Travis Kuhn, Professional Bartender, Smiler, Entrepreneur, Founder of Perfect Serve RHP #069: Richard Mulholland, Punk Rocker, ex-Roadie, Speaker, Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Founder of Missing Link, Talk drawer and HumanWrit.es RHP #082: Bruce Lipton, Stem Cell Researcher, Developmental Biologist, Epigenetic Expert, Author, Keynote Speaker, Spiritual Scientist RHP #084: Dr John Demartini, Human Behaviour Specialist, Researcher, Educator, Author, Personal Development Expert, Founder of Demartini Institute

Human Behaviour Specialist. Researcher. Educator. Author. Personal Development Expert. Founder of Demartini Institute. Surfer. Yogi. Master Sage. Bookworm of 32,000 Read Books. This is a short and sweet, supplementary version of our weekly Podcast. It’s a taster to give you a flavour of what to expect from the full Podcast episode. Connect with Dr John Demartini - https://drdemartini.com/ Listen to Full Podcast - http://bit.ly/RHPDrJohnDemartini