Best Professor Peter O Sullivan Podcasts (2024)

1
How to unwind anxiety - using a paradoxical but powerful approach: Dr Guy Meadows 12:08

1h ago12:08

12:08

No one likes experiencing uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, like anxiety. However, the more we fight our internal experience, the more likely it is to fight back. Rather than resisting the internal experience we don't want to feel, by urning towards them and even welcoming them - it can have a powerful positive effect, as Dr. guy explains. FULL …

1
How to embrace perspective and be more positive - with the professional rugby player turned walking quadriplegic and now movie star Ed Jackson 1:06:07

1h ago1:06:07

1:06:07

Ed Jackson is a bloody inspiration. He was a professional rugby player before his career was cut short when he dived into a swimming pool and broke his neck. He nearly died and was told he would not walk again. But Ed worked his butt off and confounded the critics, going on to make a remarkable recovery - and has since developed something of a penc…

1
Top Neuroscientist: Being sedentary is killing you - here's why you need to embrace consistent low grade exercise like walking THROUGHOUT the day 14:29

4d ago14:29

14:29

Being sedentary is a killer. Our ancestors walked 15 plus miles a day most days of the week. Not for its health benefits, but because it was weaved into their day naturally. The problem now is that our lives are designed to be sedentary - think cars, desks and sofas - and so we have to be very conscious about fitting in regular lower level exercise…

1
How sport - with a mindful, compassionate approach - can and IS changing the world: Sam Parfitt (TAP) 1:24:51

19h ago1:24:51

1:24:51

Did you seek the Nike Olympics advert- asking 'Am I a bad person - because I want to win?' It got a few people talking before the Games, but once they started it didn't resonate. Because this Olympics, more than any other, exhibited beautiful examples of vulnerability, gratitude, humility, transcending tribalism, and mental-health wisdom. Nike were…

1
World-renowned neuroscientist gives his top tips for a good night's sleep - the last one may surprise you! 7:09

5d ago7:09

7:09

Humans are the worst sleepers in the animal kindom. We are also sleeping fewer hours, and less restoratively than our Grandparents and older ancestors. Sleep is know to be the greatest performance enhancer. A deep 8 hour sleep leaves you feeling like a million dollars - but it is increasingly elusive. I have recorded an episode about insomnia speci…

1
Five practical exercises to help find happiness beyond thought - Awake #2 22:21

15d ago22:21

22:21

Here are five 'practices' I enjoy doing, and recommend, that can help break your identification with thought. I have benefitted from these and continue to do so. I talk about: An ACT defusion technique Self-Enquiry - my favourite question Trauma Release Exercises (TRE) - the importance of bodywork The power of surrender - getting out of your own wa…

1
How To Harness The Transformational Power Of Non-duality: Awake #1 19:01

11d ago19:01

19:01

Explore the transformational power of non-duality. I speak about non-duality quite a lot on ANWOB. I want to explain how it has impacted my life - and how it can yours too. In my experience it can reduce suffering and conflict, increases your sense of uncaused joy as well as your relationships - and can make you a nicer person to be around! Also, i…

1
Pain Is Inevitable - Suffering Is Optional: Peter Crone 8:41

4d ago8:41

8:41

"Suffering is wishing things were other than they are" - Buddha Suffering is a part of life for the vast majority of us - but does that really need to be the case? Pain is inevitable, but psychological suffering is not. This is something I discussed with Peter Crone - aka The Mind Architect - and we talked about it stemming from a fundamental case …

1
How To Become An Olympic Great: Michael Johnson 1:04:39

16d ago1:04:39

1:04:39

What does it take to become an Olympic great? Michael Johnson is one of athletics' greatest ever performers. He did the 200m and 400m double at the 1996 Olympics, smashing a world record in the process. All this while wearing gold shoes - which certainly takes some confidence. I spoke to him a while back about what it took to achieve what he did, a…

1
How To Use Self-Inquiry For Awakening: Rich Doyle 1:06:46

19d ago1:06:46

1:06:46

'You have to ask yourself the question 'Who am I?'. This investigation will lead in the end to the discovery of something within you which is behind the mind. Solve that great problem and you will solve all other problems' - Ramana Maharshi. Self-Inquiry is a process through which you investigate and discover what you fundamentally are - and what y…

1
How To Find Awe And Enjoy Its Huge Benefits From Spending Time In Nature 11:29

27d ago11:29

11:29

'Awe Is The Emotion Of Self-Transcendence' - Jonathan Haidt Dacher Keltner has spent over 20 years studying happiness, and he thinks the secret to a good life is 'finding awe'. Awe is a state when we feel deeply connected to something bigger than ourselves, and in the process our sense of self (the idea we have about who we are) disappears, or at t…

1
How To Adopt The Habits Of A Record Breaking Team GB Olympic Athlete: Duncan Scott MBE 1:02:27

15d ago1:02:27

1:02:27

Duncan Scott became Britain’s most decorated Olympic swimmer ever in Tokyo three years ago when he grabbed a gold and three silvers to add to the two silvers he bagged at Rio 2016. He is in Paris currently, and by the time this is out may have bagged a hatful more medals. Ahead of Duncan taking to the pool in Paris, we caught up to speak about the …

1
What A 10-Day Silent Meditation Retreat Can Teach You About Uncovering The Bliss of Being 10:42

18d ago10:42

10:42

'All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.' - Blaise Pascal What are you like at sitting without any distractions, and just being? Not great I imagine, as it is something most people resist and avoid like the plague. Our culture is built on continual doing and a cult of productivity. But sitting and just b…

1
Why Integrity is Underrated and Why Identity May Be Overrated: Brad Stulberg - PART 2 48:08

1M ago48:08

48:08

“Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9 percent of everything you think, and of everything you do, is for yourself—and there isn't one.” Brad Stulberg is a best-selling author, speaker and coach. He is a man whose social media posts have a rare value in what can be a sea of rage and golden-bullets. In this conversation, requested by one of our respectiv…

1
Why Integrity Matters, How 'Optimization' is Overblown and What To Do Instead: Brad Stulberg - PART 1 34:51

21d ago34:51

34:51

'Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching' Brad Stulberg is a best-selling author, speaker and coach. He is a man whose social media posts have a rare value in what can be a sea of rage and golden-bullets. In this conversation, requested by one of our respective listeners, Brad and I discuss integrity, the problem with the 'optimi…

1
Why Positive Thinking, High Self-Esteem and Affirmations Are Overrated - and what to do instead: Dr Russ Harris 11:42

1M ago11:42

11:42

Changing 'negative' thoughts to 'positive' thoughts takes up a lot of energy and doesn't always work. But if we can recognise that having 'negative' thoughts and feelings is an entirely normal part of the human experience, we can stop resisting the inevitable. And when we stop resisting - they frequently unwind on their own. My guest is the world-r…

1
How To Recover From Trauma and The Healing Potential of MDMA Assisted Therapy: Bessel Van Der Kolk 51:48

29d ago51:48

51:48

A Groundbreaking new study has found that MDMA shows great promise as a mental health treatment. My guest today is a giant in the world of trauma and Mental Health: Dr. Bessel van der Kolk. He is a world renowned psychiatrist, and author of the seminal best seller about trauma called The Body Keeps the Score. This is Bessel second appearance on the…

1
'Success' Is Overrated - but Flow Isn't: Adrian Chiles 10:37

1M ago10:37

10:37

"I just admire people who are happy in their own skin" It can be so easy to put so-called successful people on a pedestal, but the truth is many of them are driven by a sense of disquiet and fear. That’s not to cast judgement – it’s just a fact, as Adrian Chiles told me. The former Daybreak and One Show presenter hosts a radio show on 5Live where h…

1
How to Uncover True Happiness and Inner Peace: Francis Lucille 1:28:51

2M ago1:28:51

1:28:51

We all want to feel a sense of inner peace and happiness. The problem is we tend to equate happiness with things out there – like success, accumulation, approval etc. In reality, happiness is our deepest nature, and so typically people are looking in the wrong direction. My guest is Francis Lucille – a teacher of Advaita Vedanta or non-duality, who…

1
How To See Things From other People's Point Of View: SUMO 7:34

1M ago7:34

7:34

Most things are not black and white and there is huge value in embracing that. Paul McGee is the best-selling author of SUMO - Shut Up and Move On - which has been selling like the proverbial hot cakes for well over a decade. In this bitesize clip, Paul cleverly illustrates that we need to recognise that people see things in different ways. Embraci…

1
Olympic Champions are NORMAL people, 'Success' does not actually change you in any fundamental way: Eve Muirhead 49:04

2M ago49:04

49:04

My guest this week is a titan in the world of British sport – Eve Muirhead, who of course won curling gold for Team GB at the last winter Olympics. Curling is that sport that absolutely grips the attention when the winter Olympics is on – and then doesn’t get quite the same level of coverage the rest of the time. This episode is really about unders…

1
How To Embrace Rules To Rise Above Destructive Impulses: Former Spy Shane Parrish 8:49

2M ago8:49

8:49

Human beings are animals, and as such we have typical mammalian impulses, like being tribal and territorial. These base impulses can get us in trouble, but in this bitesize episode Shane Parrish shares a brilliant way to embrace the power of self-imposed rules to stop you from doing or saying something you will later regret. The advice in this epis…

1
Recognising Your Attachment Style - and rethinking the 'Anxious-Avoidant trap': Relationship expert Adam Lane-Smith 55:17

2M ago55:17

55:17

Do you know what attachment style you are? Whether you are secure, anxious, avoidant or a bit of a mix – your attachment style developed in childhood as a result of your relationships with your parents and primary caregivers, which then likely shapes what type of relationships you have for the rest of your life. That is, unless you can become aware…

1
How To Develop True Resilience By Embracing Being Over Continual Doing: Steve Magness 8:39

2M ago8:39

8:39

“All of humanity's problems, stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” - Blaise Pascal This bitesize episode is with Steve Magness, best-selling author of Do Hard Things. It's all about developing genuine resilience, but the beauty of this conversation is in recognising that one of the best ways of truly 'toughening up' is to sit s…

1
Finding Calm Amid the Chaos: Jason Fox 49:58

2M ago49:58

49:58

Jason Fox is a former Special Forces soldier, an adventurer, TV personality and author. This is Foxy's second appearance on the show, and in this conversation he shares what he perceives as the four life cycles we all go through, including periods of chaos and calm. How can we embrace and thrive in the former, while maximising our recovery in the l…

1
How To Develop Your Acceptance Muscle: Jenna Ashford - elite athlete, hardcore meditator and psychologist 10:47

3M ago10:47

10:47

There are few skills as important to develop as acceptance. Psychological flexibility – which is described as our ability to make contact with the present moment fully and without defence, is all about acceptance. When we feel uncomfortable – our thoughts typically try and drag us away from the source of apparent discomfort. But discomfort is a par…

1
Why You Need To Embrace Slow Productivity: Professor Cal Newport 1:45:43

3M ago1:45:43

1:45:43

Rates of burnout are higher than ever before, and continue to head in the wrong direction. We have more inputs in a week than many people had in a lifetime 100 years ago. We have prehistoric brains in a futuristic world. So what's the answer? Professor Cal Newport argues that we need to embrace slow productivity. Instead of getting lost in busy-nes…

1
How To Communicate Clearly: BBC master communicator Ros Atkins 8:34

2M ago8:34

8:34

If you want to get along with other people, and therefore be able to get ahead, being able to communicate clearly is a fundamental skill. In this age of chatbots and remote work, one thing that cannot be outsourced to machines are decent communication skills. And yet, so many people in so many industries speak in a language and jargom that makes it…

1
How To Recognise You are Innately 'Enough', And Its Relationship With Having Enough And Doing Enough: Becky Hall 1:19:22

2M ago1:19:22

1:19:22

Enough is an underrated word. If more people recognised we are all innately 'enough', then the world would likely look very different. Becky Hall is the author of 'The Art of Enough', and she explains the relationship between being enough, having enough and doing enough. The sense of not being enough is so prevalent and drives so many fear-based be…

1
A New Way of Being 1:53

3M ago1:53

1:53

A New Way of Being is about recognising that we are all innately enough. Most of us don’t always feel that way, but it’s an illusion largely created by identifying with the outdated voice in our heads. And so much stuff out there, including much of the so-called high performance culture, comes from a place of inadequacy. If we are not enough as we …

1
Improve Your Emotional Intelligence: Daniel Goleman 12:25

4M ago12:25

12:25

"If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships - then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far." That is one of Daniel Goleman’s quotes about emotional intelligence, which was also…

1
Letting Go Of Outcomes: Kevin Clifton 1:00:00

5M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

"Letting go is one of the most efficacious tools by which to reach spiritual goals." - David Hawkins This conversation is about the power of letting go of outcomes, identity and attachments. It is paradoxically incredibly hard, and easy, at the same time. Letting go allows us to free ourselves from the burdens of the past and live fully in the pres…

1
Confidence Comes From Preparation: Sam Warburton 7:34

5M ago7:34

7:34

"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation." - Arthur Ashe So many of the elite performers I have spoken to over the last six years have exuded confidence. But what makes them so confident in their abilities? The answer — preparation! Once the building blocks are in place, you can let go and…

1
Performance Nutrition: James Collins 1:03:10

5M ago1:03:10

1:03:10

How to ensure you are getting the right nutrition to fuel yourself for performance, health, mood and overall wellbeing. James Collins is recognised as a leading Sport & Exercise Nutritionist. In elite sport he has worked with Team GB Olympic teams and athletes over three Olympic Games. He joined Arsenal Football Club in 2010, where he spent seven s…

1
The Darker Side of 'High Performance' - Caitlyn Jenner 8:07

5M ago8:07

8:07

You cannot fill an inner void with accomplishments and approval. The reality is, many 'high performers' are driven by a desire to compensate for emotional wounds. This isn’t to cast judgement on so called "successful" people – it is just to suggest that putting them on a pedestal is simplistic and frequently overlooks deeper truths. This week's bit…

1
Embracing Continuous Evolution: Ebony Rainford-Brent 1:06:55

5M ago1:06:55

1:06:55

To evolve is to survive. Former England cricketer turned TMS pundit Ebony Rainford-Brent suffered a huge personal tragedy when she was just five, her oldest brother died after being a victim of knife crime. Ebony also grew up without much material wealth, and aged 19, she suffered a serious back injury which meant she could barely walk and faced ne…

1
The Key to Happiness: Accept Yourself - with Nigel Owens 1:03:37

5M ago1:03:37

1:03:37

You’re always going to be you, therefore it’s better to accept yourself as you are than to try to be something you’re not. In this episode, which was recorded live at the Hay festival, Nigel Owens shares the vital lessons he learnt about self-acceptance, after coming close to taking his own life because of an inability to accept his sexuality. My b…

1
Embracing Hard Conversations: Kate & Helen Richardson-Walsh 11:14

5M ago11:14

11:14

It can be so easy to let resentments build and sweep things under the carpet, to avoid having the difficult conversation because you know it will be uncomfortable. But – sweeping issues under the carpet is not a recipe for harmony, whether in business, families, relationships of teams. Issues and feelings need to be faced and processed. Two people …

1
What the All Blacks Can Teach Us about the Business of Life - James Kerr 52:10

5M ago52:10

52:10

Best-selling author James Kerr goes deep into the heart of the world's most successful sporting team, the legendary All Blacks of New Zealand, to reveal 15 powerful and practical lessons for leadership and business. The 15 lessons are Character, Adapt, Purpose, Responsibility, Learn, Whanau, Expectations, Preparation, Pressure, Authenticity, Sacrif…

1
How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself 54:12

5M ago54:12

54:12

I was fortunate enough to be invited onto the Healing Place podcast recently with MIta Mistry - author, therapist and columnist - to talk about my book Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself. I really enjoyed speaking with Mita - and so am sharing our conversation here. The Healing Place Podcast: https://shows.acast.com/heal…

1
JASMIN PARIS SPECIAL - How To Be Superhuman 51:27

5M ago51:27

51:27

How to juggle family, career and record breaking ultra running, while remaining utterly down to earth, with ultrarunning legend Jasmin Paris. Jasmin has become the first ever woman to finish the notorious Barkley Marathons race in America, made up of five punishing 20-mile loops around the Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee. Paris’s finishing time…

1
Don't Focus On The Outcome: Sir Chris Hoy 9:58

5M ago9:58

9:58

It's not about the end goal, it's about enjoying the steps along the way. I had the pleasure of catching up with Sir Chris Hoy recently, and it reminded me that he is one of those relatively rare high performers who retain humility and stay truly grounded while enjoying huge success, as he did in winning gold medals at three Olympic Games. So many …

1
How To Stop Struggling PART 2: Jenna Ashford 54:34

6M ago54:34

54:34

A radically new approach to dealing with stress and pressure using scientifically proven techniques from ACT. This is part 2 of my conversation all about how to stop struggling in life, to skillfully become more comfortable being uncomfortable, and find more ease and innate resilience. My guest is Jenna Ashford, former elite hockey player turned ps…

1
How To Stop Struggling PART 1: Jenna Ashford 48:26

6M ago48:26

48:26

A radically new approach to dealing with stress and pressure using scientifically proven techniques from ACT. This episode is all about how to stop struggling in life, to skillfully become more comfortable being uncomfortable, and find more ease and innate resilience. My guest is Jenna Ashford, former elite hockey player turned psychologist and per…

1
How To Sit With Difficult Emotions: Clarke Carlisle 8:51

6M ago8:51

8:51

What are you like at sitting with difficult emotions - like fear, sadness or anger? Let's be honest, it's not fun. But our ability to sit with discomfort is so important, although most of us tend to distract ourselves where possible, which is much easier these days with the digital distraction devices in our pockets. Clarke Carlisle explains how he…

1
FLOW - Part 2: Jonny Wilkinson, Damon Hill, Frankie Dettori, Goldie Sayers & Jos Buttler 35:31

6M ago35:31

35:31

Jonny Wilkinson, Damon Hill, Frankie Dettori, Goldie Sayers and Jos Buttler share their experiences of flow. This follows on from the last episode in which Alex and I discussed how to get more moments of flow into your everyday life at will. Do listen back to that one if you haven't already - or if you need a reminder. During flow, times distorts a…

1
How To Get More Flow In Your Everyday Life 51:37

6M ago51:37

51:37

Flow is “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it” - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Flow is when we feel and perform at our best, and while it frequently has something of a mystical quality t…

1
How Your Perspective Changes Everything: Ryan Holiday 10:55

6M ago10:55

10:55

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”. If we can refrain from making negative judgments about our daily life events, we can liberate ourselves from a significant amount of unnecessary psychological suffering. With Stoic author Ryan Holiday My book Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself - is now on g…

1
Embracing Life Long Learning: Nigel Adkins 1:11:16

6M ago1:11:16

1:11:16

Having a positive and empathetic outlook can make a big difference to yourself and those around you. One man who knows this is legendary former Southampton manager Nigel Adkins. He secured back-to-back promotions from League One up into the Premier League, lifting the club 51 places in the process. Nigel is clearly one of football's most likeable c…

1
How To Make A Difference In Life: Dame Commander Heather Rabbatts 52:47

6M ago52:47

52:47

How can you make a difference in life, alongside other people? That is a question long pondered by Dame Commander Heather Rabbatts, who has a quite remarkable CV despite underachieving at school. She was the first woman to be appointed a director of the FA and she was also chief executive of Millwall football club, she’s also been a barrister, a BB…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Professor Peter O Sullivan Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide