The Collective Wisdom Podcast with Cat Preston

Mandell Conway: Eat the chicken and spit out the bones

Hey there, my wise friends and welcome to this episode of The Collective Wisdom Podcast. This September marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers. And for my guest today, September the 11th 2001 was a day that changed his life forever. At 8:46am a plane crashed into World Trade Centre one between floors 93 and 99. Mandell's mother Brenda worked on the 97th floor. Mandell tells the story of the huge hole that was left in his life and the lives of his family that day. It's the heartbreaking story of a 13-year-old boy calling the same number over and over hoping she would pick up the phone at the other end. Telling of the weeks of searching and trying to stay hopeful before finally having to arrange a funeral without a casket. Mandell's story is about the strength of character he's found over the years through faith, forgiveness, and his love for others. Brenda named her youngest son Mandell after the Great Nelson Mandela, and Raheem which means compassion. And she saw in him those great characteristics of strength and kindness, way before he saw it in himself. I'm truly honoured to have been trusted with this story that pays tribute to the wonderful mother, wife, sister and daughter Brenda was and how the seeds of love that were planted in the 13 years she and Mandell did have together were ultimately a gift that he's still cherishes to this day.

Mandell is a beacon of light in a troubled world. If you want to hear more from him you will find him hanging out on Instagram here: 

 

Mandell Conway on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mandellconway/?hl=en

Lon Wong: ‘How can I be more human?’

Hey there, my wise friends and welcome to Episode 35 of The Collective Wisdom Podcast. With me this week is my great friend Lon Wong, who's just written his first book Dear Stellar. In this episode we talk about the process of writing and dig into how to create the space you need to make these creative projects come to life. Also, how to turn off those distractions and really focus on what matters, because essentially the book is all about how much his family mean to him. In his book he also explores what it means to really be human, and perhaps live a little bit more in the moment. Something that is often a challenge to many but with Lon’s words of wisdom can be slightly less so. Lon also gives his selection of music for The Collective Wisdom playlist.

 

Lon Wong’s social media links:

 

HeyLon.ca

 

twitter.com/lon

 

instagram.com/lon247

 

DearStellar.com  New Book: Letters on the art of being human

 

worldvision.ca   change lives with us

 

Song ‘This woman’s work’ by Kate Bush - https://open.spotify.com/track/1Q0sruYhnsq6lmhWgeRFh5?si=35ff263a4d4b461f

 

Wisdom: Ask yourself ‘How can I be more human?’

Dr. Rebecca Lewis: How to have a healthy menopause

Hey there, my wise friends and welcome to Episode 34 of The Collective Wisdom Podcast. I've got a really special guest for you today. And this one's quite personal because Dr. Rebecca Lewis is actually someone who has helped me to navigate through the menopause. She has very kindly agreed to come and share the wealth of knowledge and wisdom that she has about the menopause, and managing the huge array of symptoms that can be part of it. I count myself as being very lucky that a few years ago, when I was talking to my friend Cat, I was just describing this kind of flatness and apathy and lack of get up and go, that I just thought that was part of life. And she said, have we had the menopause conversation yet? It was so far off my radar. And then she sent me a link to Liz Earle's Podcast, where Liz was interviewing Dr. Louise Newson, who was a GP at the time working in a clinic in Birmingham and specialising in the menopause. In the interview, she described the range of not only physical, but also mental symptoms that can be experienced by women as their oestrogen levels decrease. And it was the first time that I'd even considered that the way I was feeling might be hormonal rather than just the way life is. By bringing this conversation into the open, Louise and Rebecca and the team have ensured that as many women as possible will get the help that they need. And I wanted to share this with you because even if you might not be affected directly, there's probably someone in your life whether it's your mum or a partner or a friend, who may well be finding themselves suffering in a similar way. And if any of this resonates, I'm hoping that just as Cat was such a great friend to me, I can be that friend for you.

 

Dr. Rebecca Lewis - Newson Health - https://www.newsonhealth.co.uk/about/team/dr-rebecca-lewis

 

The Balance App - Help for a healthy menopause - https://balance-app.com/

 

The Menopause Doctor website - https://www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/

 

Louise Newson The Menopause Doctor on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/menopause_doctor/?hl=en

 

Channel 4 Documentary - Davina Macall: Sex, Myths and the Menopause - https://www.channel4.com/programmes/davina-mccall-sex-myths-and-the-menopause

 

Song:  'Crow' by Bear's Den

 

Wisdom: Don’t suffer in silence with your menopausal symptoms. There is help out there.

Gene Early: Love has a name

Hey there, my wise friends and welcome to Episode 33 of The Collective Wisdom Podcast. I have a wonderful, wise and kind guest to share with you today, Gene Early, who is an expert in NLP or neuro linguistic programming. In this episode, as well as sharing his wisdoms learnt and acts of kindnesses, Gene talks about gaining an understanding of our essential self and how this is the key to trusting our own intuition, and really getting in tune with our truest motivations. This episode is named after the song he chose, Love Has a Name, which is such a beautiful sentiment in itself. I do hope you enjoy spending time with my lovely friend Gene just as much as I did.

 

Song: Love Has a Name by Kim Walker Smith - https://open.spotify.com/track/2R73ci2mlkyLfpOwP87bSV?si=7db7fbe92fed41ba

 

Wisdom:  We all have a unique purpose and contribution to make. Our job is to find it and make that contribution.

Michael Averill: Take the time and make the most of it

Hey there, my wise friends and welcome to Episode 32 of The Collective Wisdom Podcast, which is boldly titled Take The Time You Need. And that seems so fitting at the moment because taking the time to do stuff that matters has been a big part of August for me, and it always pays off. My guest this week is a very talented Canadian singer songwriter Michael Averill, whose song Thank you, you may have heard if you listen to the last episode of season three. I don't know that many Canadians but what I can say is that of the Canadians I do know 100% are really stellar people. And Michael doesn't disappoint. We talk about his creative songwriting process, and how it's taken him all over the world, including a trek to Nepal and a 3000 kilometre hike across Canada. As he shares some really intriguing insights about some of the magic that happens when you start to tune into those intuitive hits that so often, we ignore. Michael is someone who has taken the time to really reflect on what life is all about doing things you can because you want to and connecting with others along the way.

 

Songwriting workshops and Podcast https://www.writesongsyoulove.com

@writesongsyoulove on Instagram

Artist page and music production work https://www.michaelaverillproductions.com

 

@michaelaverillproductions on Instagram

 

‘Anything You Want’ by Derek Sivers - https://sive.rs/a

 

Fully Human by Steve Bidulph - https://www.waterstones.com/book/fully-human/steve-biddulph/9781509884759

 

Song: All we ever need by Michael Averill - https://open.spotify.com/track/1UB97nuidMIASNH47JPWO6?si=49620865c4474185

 

Wisdom: ‘Take the time and make the most of it’

 

And  ‘Always let someone know when they have something in their teeth’

Enrika Greathous: Be the light

Hey there, my wise friends. And welcome back to Season 4 of The Collective Wisdom Podcast. I find September is always a great time to get new projects underway, or push just that little bit harder as we start to see the end of the year on the horizon. So we're kicking off this season with the wonderful Enrika Greathouse, who is a fellow coach and all-round superstar. I was recently on a call with her and she shared a tip about finding balance in the work she's doing, by asking herself if it's ticking four boxes of care, creativity, connection and contribution. And if what you're doing is hitting those boxes, then you're probably on the right path. Enrika is an absolute angel, her warmth, her empathy, her absolute all-round love for humanity just shines through in everything she says and does. But as you'll hear, it wasn't always that way. And she calls out the people who saw her and supported her and remained steadfast that she has light and something to offer, even when she didn't see it for herself.

 

@enrikacreates

 

Enrika Greathous on LinkedIn

 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/enrika/

 

Small Gorilla Marketing on Instagram

 

https://www.instagram.com/heysmallgorilla/

 

Small Gorilla Creative Studio

 

https://smallgorilla.net/

 

'Love Does' by Bob Goff

 

Song: “My Life” by Mary J Blige

 

Wisdom ‘Be the light’

Reflection and Gratitude: A selection of favourite moments from Seasons 1,2 and 3

Welcome to Episode 30 of The Collective Wisdom Podcast. 

A time to reflect and show gratitude to those 29 incredible humans who have been so generous and trusted me with their beautiful stories. 

As with any creative project, it takes being vulnerable and  facing up to your own fears and understanding that you are never not going to feel that fear but the only thing that will help you get through it is to take some action and make a start. 

The recognition however, should really go to those wonderful guests who have shown the real courage here and told their stories often as if there are only two of us in the room when the reality is that there are lots of people whose hearts have been touched or spirits lifted by those stories.

How do I know?

Well because people have told me and reached out with their generous feedback and encouraging support. 

 

 

With grateful thanks to all my incredible, kind, smart, generous guests. This podcast wouldn’t be possible without you. Thank-you 

 

Michael Averill’s podcast: Write songs you love 

 

Thank You Song by Michael Averill 

 

Dennis Harhalakis: You don’t have to believe everything you think

Welcome to Episode 29 of The Collective Wisdom Podcast.  This week features a topic that affects us all in some way or another: money.

Joining me is Dennis Harhalakis, a certified money coach, who has so much wisdom to share about the psychology of money, and how understanding our own attitudes and beliefs towards it, is the key to lasting financial independence and success, either on a personal level, or if we're running a business.

It is a subject that's at the centre of our lives, and yet we're never really taught much about it. Instead, we pick up, often unhelpful, beliefs that can lead to anxiety, shame or regret that actually become the money blocks in our life.

As Dennis so wisely says at the end, money doesn't come with instructions, but it does come with a whole set of emotions. I found this conversation fascinating and it definitely caused me to stop and reflect on my own attitudes to money, and how intentional or even conscious they are. Understanding this stuff can really change your mindset around money, and with it your financial reality.

If this conversation has caused you to learn more about money coaching and how it can help you can head over to Dennis's website at;

Cambridge Money Coaching

where you can take the money quiz or book in a free consultation call to discuss any challenges you are facing and whether Dennis can help. 

contact@cambridgemoneycoaching.uk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-harhalakis/

 

Music ‘Wish you were here’ by Pink Floyd

The Collective Wisdom Podcast Playlist

 

Wisdom:  Money doesn’t come with instructions only emotions.

“You don’t have to believe everything you think”

Rebecca Harrison: Slow down and take a break

Hey there, my wise friends. Thanks so much for being here for Episode 28 of the podcast, which I'm so happy to say is with my lovely friend, artist and designer, Rebecca Harrison. I love this conversation so much as it's all about the courage it takes to give up a steady job and make the leap into the unknown, which is what Rebecca did at the beginning of 2020.

And sure enough, the first thing that she had to do was trust that it was all going to work out when the pandemic arrived. But for Rebecca, moving away from all the 'shoulds' and expectations of others, has been a path to finding true freedom. We also talked about her creative process and how she finds her motivation and inspiration, which I personally find fascinating. I hope you enjoy listening to her just as much as I did.

 

Rebecca Harrison’s fantastic website: https://rebeccaharrisondesigns.co.uk/

 

Rebecca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebecca_harrison_designs/?hl=en

 

Song: Cyndi Lauper ‘Girls just want to have fun.’

 

Wisdom: ‘Slow down and take a break’

Clive Glass: Don’t stress the ‘could haves’ if it should have been, it would have.

My guest today is another very personal one, as this episode airs just two days after Father's Day, I thought it was only fitting to get my own dad on the podcast, and share a bit of wisdom with you that I've had the privilege of being around all my life. I really lucked out when I chose my dad. He's a real gem of a man and a great storyteller. One of the things I love about him the most, is the way he's able to find a funny side to just about anything. As you'll hear, we somehow go from talking about design inspiration to a cautionary tale about what happens when you don't buy pants from Marks and Spencers. We also talk about how he narrowly missed out on becoming a great violinist. And I came to see that seeing the best in people is something that is really baked into my DNA. So Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there and here's mine to share a bit of wit and wisdom with you.

 

Wisdom:  Don’t stress the ‘could haves’ if it should have been, it would have.

 

Music: Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony No. 6

 

https://rebeccaharrisondesigns.co.uk