In this episode of The Business of Thinking podcast, host Richard Reid speaks with Penny Mallory, who shares her journey from a challenging childhood and homelessness to becoming a rally driver, boxer, and keynote speaker, highlighting the power of purpose in overcoming adversity and achieving high performance.

Penny reflects on how hitting rock bottom became the catalyst for change, leading her to a rally school that “changed the course of my life,” and shares how stubbornness, proving others wrong, and a relentless pursuit of excellence now drive her resilience and her latest challenge—rowing the Atlantic.

Key Takeaways

• Purpose as a driver: A clear mission or purpose changes everything, forming the foundation of mental toughness and something to lean on in difficult times.
• The foundation of excellence: True elite performance comes from the “drudgery” of repeating mundane tasks until they become natural—the hard yards often overlooked in an age of instant gratification.
• The Power of Reflection: Taking time to reflect on what truly matters—why you’re here and what you’ll hold onto when things get tough—helps define your purpose, often rooted in family and health.
• Reframing Failure: Reframe setbacks as opportunities to learn, not failure. Embrace a growth mindset, as Penny believes failure is a concept she’s "never really embraced."
• Resilience vs. Mental Toughness: Resilience is bouncing back because you have to, while mental toughness is bouncing back because you want to, viewing challenges as growth opportunities.

Episode Highlights

• Penny's formative years, including her family life with an alcoholic mother, and the impact of those experiences on her character.
• The surprising, deeply personal purpose that drove her to become a rally champion: the desire to make her father proud.
• Her terrifying, yet exhilarating, experience boxing and how she manages fear by coaching herself to use nerves for performance.
• Her current focus on conscious health and active living, including two hours of gym every day, driven by the purpose of seeing her new grandchild grow up.
• Details on her next huge challenge: training to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean with a team.

Timestamps

01:04 - Penny's formative years and challenging childhood.

04:47 - The power of purpose in overcoming adversity.

06:05 - Advice on how to find your own purpose.

08:07 - Life after rallying: boxing, climbing, and the adrenaline chase.

09:38 - Not being afraid to fail and having a growth mindset.

16:14 - The terrifying experience of stepping into the boxing ring.

18:01 - How to manage fear and use nerves for high performance.

21:03 - Defining resilience versus mental toughness.

24:00 - Training to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean at age 60.

🔗 Connect With Penny Mallory

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pennymallory

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mallory.penny/

Facebook: facebook.com/PennyMalloryTalks

YouTube: youtube.com/@pennymallory

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Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid’s work at www.richard-reid.com.

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

Welcome to The Business of Thinking, the podcast for high achievers seeking mastery over motivation, as Richard Reed is joined by author, leadership expert, and business coach, Dr. John Dentico. This episode delves into Dr. Dentico's background as a Naval Officer , and explores the pivotal role of trust in every organization and relationship. Dr. Dentico emphasizes that trust is not built through talk, but is a byproduct of action and engagement. Listen in as they discuss the power of mutual trust , the necessity of being proactive and transparent with bad news , and the importance of embracing doubt and ambiguity to kickstart genuine collaboration.

This conversation offers vital insights for leaders and teams, challenging the traditional view of leadership. Dr. Dentico proposes that "leadership is what people do together" and advocates for a shift from focusing on an individual leader's traits to fostering organizational values. The discussion also covers the critical need for meaning and values alignment in the post-COVID work world, citing Victor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning".

Key Takeaways

Trust is the vital fuel for all organizations and relationships and is created through action and mutual engagement, not conversation.

Leaders should proactively deliver both good and bad news with honesty to build trust and integrity.

Embracing doubt and ambiguity opens the door for genuine, necessary collaboration, moving past the "big hug" of fake consensus.

Meaning is the greatest motivational force; creating meaning and a sense of mattering for people is key to addressing engagement problems.

Leadership should be viewed as an implementable process done collaboratively, rather than a set of traits held by one individual.

Episode Highlights

01:10 Dr. John Dentico’s journey from New York City to Naval Officer.

03:57 The two core lessons learned in the Navy: the power of trust and taking care of your people.

04:34 Discussing trust, psychological safety, and the importance of being safe to speak up.

05:34 Trust as a byproduct of action and the concept of mutual trust.

07:33 Building trust through consistency, authenticity, and honesty in communication.

10:08 The shift: Why modern leaders must embrace doubt and ambiguity to foster true collaboration.

12:00 The "big hug" problem: Why fake collaboration fails to engage people.

14:34 The power of meaning as the greatest motivational force and its link to engagement.

17:26 The role of ego in leadership and the first rule of leadership: "It's not about you".

18:36 From servant leadership to collaborative leadership: "Leadership is what people do together".

23:47 The mismatch between leadership training and organizational culture/reward systems.

24:43 The need for culture to be empathetic, authentic, and support vulnerability.

31:09 Post-COVID realization: People are seeking values alignment over just a paycheck.

34:35 Reflecting on Victor Frankl’s three ways to derive meaning.

38:21 Dr. Dentico's current projects: A Udemy course on interviewing and fractional work in strategic thinking.

🔗 Connect With John Dentico

Website: www.throttleupleadership.com

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

⭐️ Connect And Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid’s work at www.richard-reid.com.

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

Jez Rose joins Richard Reid on The Business of Thinking podcast to discuss his multifaceted career - from being a speaker and author to a ceramic artist and the first certified carbon neutral honey farmer. Jez explores the concept of "going all in" on life, which has been informed by personal experiences with loss and crisis. He delves into the psychology of high performance, arguing that the focus should shift from achieving it to sustaining high performance, which requires embracing self-reflection, pausing, and getting rid of the unnecessary - both physical objects and influences.

Key Takeaways

Sustaining High Performance is the Sweet Spot: High performance is achievable, but the real secret is sustaining it, which is much more difficult than the "easy route" of just pushing for more.

The Power of Pause and Reset: The most powerful notion is giving yourself permission to stop, press pause, and reset, allowing you to re-evaluate and remove what no longer serves you in both work and life.

Leadership is Psychology and Behavioural Science: Effective leadership is fundamentally about understanding the psychology of people, knowing what reinforces your team members' behaviour, and modeling vulnerability rather than pretending to have all the answers.

You Have Enough: A powerful realization is that you are enough and you have enough, which is a core Buddhist practice that can bring mental clarity and freedom by removing constant consumption and comparison.

Episode Highlights

Jez Rose's accidental journey into becoming the first certified carbon neutral honey farmer and how his environmental commitment aligns with the difficulty of "doing the right thing" in leadership and sustaining high performance.

How an experience as a critical care paramedic trainee informed Jez's philosophy of being "all in" on life because you are never guaranteed the next day.

The "Seasonal Change Model" which suggests that navigating change involves four phases that mirror nature's seasons, offering a way to identify where you are and what comes next.

The tragic common pattern in businesses where high-performing teams are exhausted because leaders keep pushing for "a bit more" without focusing on sustainability.

The story of a diabetic employee who received a massive hamper of chocolate as a "catch-all" award, illustrating a failure of leadership to know what truly motivates or reinforces an individual's behaviour.

The quote by Lao Tzu, "To hold, you must first open your hand, let go," and the immense trust required to let go of comfortable but unhappy situations in life.

Timestamps

00:49:03 Jez's upbringing and the discovery of Buddhism

00:00:51:09 Jez Rose's accidental honey farm and being carbon neutral

00:03:41:00 Why "going all in" on life is his philosophy

00:05:34:14 Transition to a speaker/trainer and working with Disney and Lloyd's Bank

00:06:43:03 Career as a professional magician and TV presenter

00:10:29:23 The power of pressing pause and a blank new page

00:15:46:12 The real tragedy of high performance and sustaining it

00:17:38:07 The importance of knowing what drives individual team members

00:22:28:03 Moving away from annual appraisals to monthly check-ins

00:23:50:19 The problem with "nonsense" values that can't be lived

00:27:20:14 The Seasonal Change Model for navigating life changes

00:28:28:08 How to start the change process: cutting back physical objects and influences

00:33:57:17 The quote: "you can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending"

00:36:19:12 Leaders an

This episode of The Business of Thinking features host Richard Reed in conversation with Matt Phelan, co-founder of The Happiness Index. They skip the surface level talk and go straight into the psychology of high performance , exploring Matt's unique background, the founding of his company, and the power of data in measuring and transforming workplace culture. Matt shares a powerful philosophy from his farming roots: "You have to create the right environment and things take time" for growth.

Tune in to discover why Matt believes marketing teams are often 10 years ahead of HR teams in resource and data utilization , and his belief that "comparison is the fee for joy".

Key Takeaways

Farming Philosophy in Business: Matt's farming upbringing shaped his approach to business—focusing on creating the right environment for growth, accepting setbacks, and taking responsibility.

The Power of Data in Culture: The Happiness Index was built to add data and "light" to the subjective world of culture and HR, much like data transformed marketing.

Embrace Freedom and Growth: Matt’s transition from a restricted corporate role to entrepreneurship was driven by a desire for autonomy and freedom, embracing the scary but exhilarating "big ocean" of business.

Conversation is the Lowest Barrier to Entry: To begin developing an organizational culture, start conversations: ask colleagues what truly motivates them (unpeeling the "onion" of their answers) and collect that information.

Episode Highlights

Matt's unconventional upbringing on a farm in Harwich, Essex, and how it instilled principles of commitment and hard work.

Relatable experiences with the pandemic from a farmer's perspective, having already gone through crises like BSE (Mad Cow Disease) and Foot and Mouth.

The psychological resistance to data, even conclusive evidence, when it contradicts long-held beliefs or identity.

Matt's advice on normalizing uncomfortable reactions to data by explaining the role of hormones, urging people to lean in when data feels "icky".

The strategic decision to go "deep and not wider" with The Happiness Index, aiming to uncover more than the believed 9.5% of what makes us tick in the world of work.

Timestamps

00:00:48 Matt's Farming Background & Philosophy

00:01:44 The Farmer's Approach to Growth and Environment

00:04:45 Transition to Marketing and Entrepreneurship

00:06:05 The Founding of The Happiness Index

00:11:49 Resistance to Change and Conventional Wisdom

00:14:39 Normalizing Uncomfortable Data (Ego & Hormones)

00:18:00 Why Internal Comparison is Better than External Benchmarking

00:19:46 Future: Going Deeper and Connecting Culture to Performance

00:24:48 The Importance of Continually Checking In (People Change)

00:25:47 Final Takeaway: Stay Intrigued About People

🔗 Connect with Matt Phelan

Website: https://mattphelan.co.uk/

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

Instagram: @ matthewJphelan

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

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If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid’s work at www.richard-reid.com.

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

In this episode, leadership coach and keynote speaker Ali Cammelletti shares her powerful personal backstory and philosophy on resilience. Ali discusses her upbringing, which led to high-achieving traits like perfectionism, hypervigilance, and a drive to earn self-worth through her career, ultimately taking a toll on her health.

She shares candidly about managing life-altering stress - including a major health crisis, family loss, and divorce - and how these experiences forced her to create crucial daily tools. Learn how to identify when you're being "too resilient," distinguish between actions driven by love vs. fear, and apply mindfulness and gratitude practices to build sustainable high performance.

Key Takeaways

• Cost of Hyper-Achievement: Unsafe environments can lead to perfectionism (stickler), hyper-achievement, and hyper-vigilance (anxiety) as defense mechanisms.
• Health as a Red Flag: Neglecting self-care manifests in serious health issues; the body shouts louder when you're not listening.
• The Worth-Production Cycle: Many high achievers unconsciously try to earn their worth through their production—a sign they may feel unsatisfied elsewhere.
• Mindfulness in Nature: Daily rituals like spending time in nature without earbuds are powerful for balance and reducing anxiety.
• The Secret Sauce of Gratitude: A daily gratitude practice is important for resilience, especially when negative feelings arise.
• Love Over Fear: Ali's core personal value is ensuring all her actions are out of love, not fear.
• Values as a Compass: Feeling like something is "not right" is often a sign your actions are not in alignment with your core values.

Episode Breakdown Highlights

• Ali’s challenging upbringing and the development of high-achiever characteristics.
• The warning sign: How Ali’s lack of self-care led to a massive liver tumor.
• Hitting a wall with anxiety and depression during the four-year adoption wait.
• Actionable Tools: The importance of self-care, exercise, and gratitude practice.
• Living by the personal value: All actions are out of love, not fear.
• Current work: Developing a core value alignment survey for companies.

🔗 Connect with Ali

• Website: Spark Your Mindset
• LinkedIn: Ali King Cammelletti
• Instagram: Snack Leadership
• Facebook: Spark Your Mindset
• YouTube: Spark Your Mindset

⭐️ Connect and Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. You can find more of Ali's work at sparkyourmindset.com or on LinkedIn.

• Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

In this conversation with leadership coach Laura Camacho, we explore the psychology of high-performance for introverted entrepreneurs and leaders. Laura, who specializes in communication for introverts, addresses the negative stigmas introverts face (e.g., being perceived as disinterested for not speaking up).

Learn actionable strategies to manage your energy, increase visibility, and leverage your innate strengths as a deep thinker so your valuable ideas are acknowledged.

Key Takeaways

• Introversion Defined: Introverts need to recharge after social interaction; managing this energy is key to success.
• Silence Stigma: Not speaking up can be falsely assumed as a lack of commitment or having nothing to contribute, leading to low visibility.
• Preparation is Power: The biggest challenge for introverts is thinking on their feet. Preparing points ahead of time is vital for effective contribution.
• "Sell It Before You Tell It": Increase the perceived value of your ideas by adding context or "packaging" to evoke curiosity before revealing the solution.
• Building Your "Insurance": When exhausted, use sincere texts or emails to build an emotional bank account. This prevents misinterpretation of low energy as being aloof or angry.
• Trusted Advisor Mindset: Reframe speaking up not as "ego," but as your responsibility to contribute value and help people make better decisions.
• Inclusive Leadership: Leaders must intentionally give introverts a heads-up or topic to prepare for before meetings to capture their valuable input.

Episode Breakdown Highlights

• The key lesson: Being an expert is not the same as selling your craft.
• Addressing false assumptions: Why introverts are often negatively perceived.
• The Achilles heel: Struggling to think on your feet.
• Communication as a source of value (Warren Buffett quote).
• Reframing speaking up to focus on creating value.

🔗 Connect with Laura

• Website: www.speakupwithlaura.com
• Free Resource: Executive Presence Scorecard
  • This quick assessment reveals the gaps between the leader you think you are and the leader others experience.
  • Get free access: Email hello@speakupwithlaura.com with the word "score" in the subject line.

⭐️ Connect & Subscribe

Thank you for joining us! Subscribe and leave a rating for more insightful content on the psychology of high performance.

• Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

Forget the clichés and the fake gurus. Real success isn't just hard work - it's smart thinking.

Welcome to The Business of Thinking, the podcast for high-achievers who want more than just motivation, they want mastery. Hosted by Richard Reid, we skip the basic motivational talk and dive deep into the real psychology of high performance.

Each episode explores critical topics like:

• High-performance psychology
• Decision-making under pressure
• Mental resilience and focus
• The strategies of innovation

Hear real conversations with innovators, leaders, and thinkers who built their empires from the inside out. Because in business, it's not just what you do—it's how you think.

Don't just compete. Dominate.

New episodes of The Business of Thinking launch November 18th, with new episodes weekly.