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Jon Parker has had an incredible career, progressing through military flying, then airline flying, to now being the founder and CEO of his own company, Flyby Technology. Massively experienced in the aviation world, Jon has a wealth of fascinating stories. He served on the Royal Air Force front line, flying both the Buccaneer and the Tornado, prior to moving over to the instructional world on the Hawk. From there he made the jump to single seat and completed two tours of embarked aircraft carrier operations flying the Royal Navy's Sea Harrier.

Electing to leave the RAF when his children were born, Jon then went into civil aviation, rising to be a senior training captain with Tui Airlines, but suffering a very signficant medical issue during that journey that definitely threatened the end of his flying career.

Recognising that he needed to have an alternative income stream, Jon then founded Flyby Technology, with an initial focus on drone pilot training. He has subsequently diversified that business into drone production and the company is now at the cutting edge of future warfare with the work they are doing on highly capable large, armed drones, of the type that are certainly going to form part of future military capability for the UK's Armed Forces.

We cover all these areas of Jon's career in some depth and this was a really interesting and fun conversation. I hope you enjoy it as well - please do let me know what you think.

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Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

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Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

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I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/mx8hH6OwSkg

Marianne Withers has had an extremely varied career and her story is a fascinating one. She has made a great success of turning contract consulting roles into full time positions and, subsequently, she has also been extremely successful at starting and running several businesses.

Her support and work for Atombit and subsequent transition away from the company provides some good food for thought for leaders, as do many of the other interesting facets of her career story, including Marianne's unusual role as the "Entrepreneur in Residence" at Portsmouth University.

I really hope you enjoy the episode; please let me have your feedback as ever - I always read it and, where I can, I act on your suggestions too!

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/b_8j15FoFpY

I have always enjoyed the big rides at amusement parks and so it was no real surprise that I loved aerobatics from the moment I was introduced to them whilst flying in a Chipmunk on an air experience flight as an air cadet at school.

Aerobatics, in the military world also have a real purpose. They are designed to help you learn the aircraft's handling limits and so help develop your overall confidence and skill as a pilot. It is a natural extension of that which sees them feature a lot at airshows and in competitive flying, and the airshow environment is where most members of the public are likely to have seen them, both in solo displays and with formation teams such as the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows.

In this episode I talk through my own experience of aerobatics and also attempt to explain a bit more about the manoeuvres themselves as well as the work that goes in to creating a really great sequence, the like of which you will often see at public displays.

I really hope you enjoy this slightly reflective look into my past flying experience and that you find it at least interesting. Please do let me have some feedback as I would love to know if you would like more (or less) of this type of content.

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/jT26QzqZAS0

While I was delivering some training this past week, one of my participants asked me for my thoughts and advice about "regulating emotions", and it prompted me to think that the subject would make for a useful thematic episode on the podcast so here we go!

Emotional regulation is an important part of emotional intelligence and, consequently, it is important in all walks of life, not just the work environment. Understanding yourself, being aware of your own emotional state and, most importantly, being able to manage those emotions is a key aspect of being a good leader. It is equally important to be able to "read the room" and gain a good understanding of the emotions of those around you, so that you can use that knowledge to enhance the way you regulate your own emotional responses, and thereby better support your team on an individual and collective basis.

It does not matter whether we are talking about happiness, sadness, frustration, anger or something else, emotions have a profound impact on the way we work and the way we lead. I hope that in this short episode, I can at least prompt you to think broadly about the topic. I certainly do not profess to have all the answers but, as ever with my leadership work, I am to leave you with some tools, tips, techniques and ideas to help shape your own leadership thinking and style.

I would love your thoughts so please do let me have some feedback and let me know whether you agree with me, whether you think I have missed anything, or whether you have a different view on any of the topics I discuss. Feedback helps us all improve and so please do get in touch with your comments.

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/zEgQnbq6nmk

Jo Living is an incredibly gregarious, enthusiastic and charismatic lady who I am sure you will find as fascinating as I did when I recorded this interview. She's very entrepreneurial and already has a diverse and very successful career behind her, but Jo's current venture "Aces High" is simply fascinating.

An avid card playing enthusiast since she was very young, Jo is taking a non gambling form of poker into the corporate world as a leadership development tool and her concept is brilliant. We talk in depth about all aspects of Aces High and, to be honest, I could have talked to Jo for a lot longer as I find all that she is doing incredibly interesting and her vibrant personality just shines through.

As time goes by, I think we will all be hearing a lot more about Jo and Aces High, because I am sure she is really onto a winning concept with what she is doing and I think it will be very successful. It's pretty rare to come across something so novel in the leadership development world (which of course is also the space I am occupying) so that helped to make this a really great discussion.

Have a watch or a listen; I'm anticipating that you will be every bit as impressed as I was - please let me know what you think!

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/rPZwRS_Kd2c

With geopolitics and national security so much in the headlines these days, my special guest for this 150th episode could not be more appropriate. Marshal of the Royal Air Force, the Right Honourable, the Lord Jock Stirrup KG GCB AFC FRAeS FCMI is a former UK Chief of the Defence Staff and a very active cross-bench member of the House of Lords.

I have known Jock almost all of my working life. He was my flight commander way back when I was on the Jaguar Conversion Unit in 1983 and subsequently my squadron commander when we were both on II(AC) Squadron in Royal Air Force Germany during the Cold War. His whole career story is an amazing one and I have huge respect for all that he has achieved whilst in uniform and beyond.

From starting out as a first tour flying instructor, Jock rapidly found himself on active operations as a loan service officer in what was then the Sultan of Oman's Air Force during the Dhofar War. He subsequently became a leading figure in the Jaguar Force before continuing up the career ladder to ultimately become the UK Chief of Defence Staff from 2006 to 2010.

In this episode, we discuss his career journey and also his thoughts on the political and security challenges facing not only the UK but also the wider world today. Jock is also the first Knight of the Garter who has been on the show and so we discuss that in some detail. For those not familiar, the Garter is the highest order of chivalry in the UK and, can have a maximum of only 24 companion knights at any one time so it is a very exclusive club indeed.

It was a real privilege to get Jock on the show and, as anticipated, it was a fascinating discussion. I very much hope you enjoy it and, as ever, please let me know what you think.

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/Iuo5x542X6Y

These days it's impossible to have a leadership discussion without "working with Gen Z" coming up pretty quickly, and that is what makes the guest on this episode particularly special.

Emily Stone is a Deloitte "Brightstart" apprentice who in her own words is doing an "earn while you learn" degree programme alongside her day job as a consultant in Deloitte's UK business. She joined Deloitte straight from school (that's the basic premise of the Brightstart programme) and, as you will hear on the episode, she is an incredibly charismatic, gregarious individual who without doubt has a very bright future ahead of her.

If you are interested in the Gen Z perspective on the world of work, this episode is definitely one for you, and I think it's fair to say you might be surprised by what Emily has to say. She breaks down a number of the stereotypical assumptions that people often make about the younger generation, and brings out a range of great leadership observations. It is a fascinating conversation that I really hope you enjoy, and I very much look forward to your feedback once you have had a listen.

You can find Emily on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-stone-382200263/

It was a privilege to conduct this interview as part of a routine event for The Leaders' Club so, although it won't be apparent to you when you listen, we also had a live audience and the chance for some follow on Q&A (which is not included with this episode). If you are interested in what The Leaders' Club has to offer and want to join a really interesting group for fascinating weekly Chatham House Rules presentations, just head to https://www.theleadersclub.org/ where you will find everything you need to know, including how to become a member.

On a final note, this episode was recorded away from my normal location so I do apologise for the background noise that you can sometimes hear whilst I am speaking - it was regrettably unavoidable on this occasion.

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/kAXVVXmvEkA

As I conclude the personal stories chronology of my career to date, I thought it would be appropriate to provide a bit more detail on what I am actually doing now with Leading 4 Life under the umbrella of Bob Judson Consulting Ltd. The content may feel a bit like an advert and, although that was certainly not the intent, I would of course be delighted to hear from anyone that is interested in what I offer within my current portfolio. I will continue personal stories in future episodes as I take a deeper dive into some of the most interesting periods in my career throughout the years.

As someone who is passionate about leadership development, I haven chosen to develop my offer around three focused areas: professional keynote speaking, workshops and training; and executive coaching. Each of these areas has real value for anyone that is looking to develop personally or to improve the skills of their teams and, as I highlighted in my double page spread in the Spring 2026 edition of Your Business with James Caan, I strongly believe that starting with keynote speaking is a really time and cost efficient way to help a good number of people in short space of time. Workshops and coaching are also immensely valuable for anyone looking to go deeper and I am always available to discuss any or all of these options if it would be of interest to you.

I really hope that you find the episode interesting and enjoyable, even if you aren’t specifically looking for leadership development at this time. As ever, if you like it, please share it widely, comment, repost and subscribe for future episodes. Thanks again for watching / listening - I really do appreciate it.

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life