The Unlock Moment: find your purpose for leadership and life

Dr Gary Crotaz PhD
  • 5.0 (14)
  • CAREERS
The Unlock Moment: find your purpose for leadership and life

My name’s Dr Gary Crotaz, I’m an international speaker, an executive coach, and I coined the term The Unlock Moment. An Unlock Moment is that flash of remarkable clarity when you suddenly know the right path ahead. Unlock Moments define us. They teach us about ourselves. And we remember them decades later. In exploring Unlock Moments on this podcast and in my speaking and coaching work, I’ve discovered how we can see ourselves through a new lens, how we can make new and powerful connections, and how we can get right to the heart of our deepest underlying sense of purpose. In these intimate and curious conversations I explore how people find fulfilment, happiness and balance. From ordinary people with extraordinary stories, to some of the most successful people on the planet, you’ll hear them reflect on those pivotal life and career moments, when they suddenly knew something they didn’t know before. And as you listen, maybe you’ll be inspired to explore your own Unlock Moment. I’m so happy you’re here. Sit back and open your mind. Welcome to The Unlock Moment!

  1. 155 Luis Velasquez: Ordinary Resilience - Prepare Yourself For Whatever Life Throws Your Way

    1 DEC

    155 Luis Velasquez: Ordinary Resilience - Prepare Yourself For Whatever Life Throws Your Way

    A remarkable conversation with a remarkable coach, who pulled himself up from his darkest moment to find new stability and to help others discover their Ordinary Resilience. Luis Velasquez grew up in poverty in Guatemala, became a Professor of Genetics, overcame a brain tumour and is today one of the world’s leading coaches working with executives from Google, Salesforce, Twitter and IBM. His mantra is “you can’t control the rain but you can control whether you get wet.” Luis is a facilitator at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and, prior to entering the coaching world, Luis served as a professor of Fungal Genetics and Plant Biology at Michigan State University. Alongside his academic background, Luis has a passion for endurance running and human resilience. As a successful executive coach, Luis has worked with individuals and teams in both global technology companies and successful startups. His book, “Ordinary Resilience: Reframing How Effective Leaders Adapt and Thrive,” combines his personal experience with professional insights working with individuals and teams. Luis’s story was featured in the book “The Long Game” by bestselling author Dorie Clark (also see Episode 139).

    43 min
  2. 154 Lisa Bodell: I Wasn't Broken, Work Was - Maybe The Answer Is Not More But Less

    4 NOV

    154 Lisa Bodell: I Wasn't Broken, Work Was - Maybe The Answer Is Not More But Less

    I haven’t got time. I’ve been in too many meetings. I just don’t know where to start. We’ve all been there – overwhelmed with volume and complexity, unable to find a simple path through. Making life and business simple is one of the hardest things you can do, and also the most freeing. Today’s guest is a world-leading expert on how to make things simple. Lisa Bodell is a global leader and a world-leading speaker on simplification, collaboration and innovation, how to eliminate complexity and unlock the power of simplicity to unleash creativity and spark energy in people and organisations. She founded FutureThink which for over 20 years has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world and pioneered research, tools and training. She’s author of two groundbreaking books – "Why Simple Wins – Escape the Complexity Trap and Get to Work That Matters," and "Kill The Company – End the Status Quo, Start an Innovation Revolution." She’s also a celebrated speaker and Real Leaders ranked her in the top 50 keynote speakers in the world. Given how much I cram into my week, I definitely want to know more about how to keep things simpler, and of course I’m curious to understand about the Unlock Moments that inspired this powerful purpose in Lisa.

    41 min
  3. 153 George Butler: Remember Also Me, Drawing The People Of Ukraine

    14 OCT

    153 George Butler: Remember Also Me, Drawing The People Of Ukraine

    A remarkable story with a remarkable artist. The kind of illustrator who walks into danger to tell people's stories through the power of his art. George Butler is an award-winning illustrator but has reinvented the role of the Artist Reporter drawing conflict zones, climate issues, humanitarian crisis and social issues for the news. His drawings are done in situ - in pen, ink and watercolour. In August 2012 George walked from Turkey across the border into Syria, where as a guest of the rebel Free Syrian Army, he drew the Civil War-damaged, small and empty town of Azaz. A decade later he spent several days in the Metro in Kharkiv, Ukraine recording the lives of those that lived underground to avoid the Russian bombardment. These drawings can be seen in the National Archive at the V&A Museum. Over the last 15 years George has been commissioned to offer a deliberately slow alternative to the headlines. He attaches his drawings to the personal testimonies of those that he meets and records their resolve and resilience alongside the vulnerability of their situations. This has included in a Leprosy Clinic in Nepal, a militia in Yemen, the Mass Graves in Bucha, a caesarean-section in Afghanistan, the artisanal oil fields of Myanmar and most recently for the Guardian documenting the aftermath of the Earthquake in Turkey and Syria. "We seem to have lost the art of the observational reporter with a sketchbook to photography, Butler's memorable images show that a closely observed drawing is not just worth a thousand words but hundreds of photographs." A A Gill

    44 min
  4. 152 Hortense le Gentil: A Dream That Sparked The Search For The Path Of Roses

    16 SEPT

    152 Hortense le Gentil: A Dream That Sparked The Search For The Path Of Roses

    What is your path of roses? For world-leading coach Hortense le Gentil, a dream sparked her search for balance and fulfilment which took her on a journey of self-discovery and growth. Why you should listen: In a world where we place too much value on material things and spend too little time prioritising ourselves, our contentment and our freedom, the message Hortense shares about how to become 'unlocked' is one that will resonate with very many of my listeners. -- Hortense spent 30 years in business, working across industries including media consulting and advertising—and as an entrepreneur. She was a 2021 and 2023 nominee for the Thinkers 50 Coaching and Mentoring Awards and has been ranked #5 on the Global Gurus list by World Management Global Gurus. She is a certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered™ coach and a member of MG100 Coaches. Author of THE UNLOCKED LEADER: Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World (2023), and ALIGNED: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader You’re Meant to Be (2019), Hortense is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and ThriveGlobal.com, and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and Business Insider.

    41 min
  5. 151 Andrew Jenkins: Left For Dead - The 'Traitor' Who Overcame Major Trauma And Found A New Purpose

    28 AUG

    151 Andrew Jenkins: Left For Dead - The 'Traitor' Who Overcame Major Trauma And Found A New Purpose

    My wife and I are huge fans of the highly successful Traitors TV show. And if you’ve watched it then in Season 2 of the UK series you’ll remember the big-hearted Welshman Andrew Jenkins, playing a Traitor and whose banishment at the last round table set the series up for a memorable finale. But the story of Andrew’s journey starts long before he was on TV. Two decades ago, at the age of 21, he was in a horrendous car accident and was thought to be dead at the side of the road. In a coma for 4 weeks he was fighting for his life and doctors told his family he would likely have severe brain damage. He proved his doctors wrong and learned to walk and talk and live again, but the journey over the next 20 some years of physical rehabilitation, mental recovery and rebuilding connection with those around him would come to define him as a person. We met recently and today Andrew is on a mission to inspire others and to try and end the stigma around mental health. We’ll be talking about the journey he’s been on and the Unlock Moments of remarkable clarity that helped him to figure out the path ahead.

    57 min
  6. 150 Anna Mathur: The Uncomfortable Truth - How To Stop Living Your Life As A Half Life

    10 AUG

    150 Anna Mathur: The Uncomfortable Truth - How To Stop Living Your Life As A Half Life

    This raw, unflinching account of burnout and recovery from leading psychotherapist Anna Mathur is one of the most emotionally-charged conversations I've had to date here on The Unlock Moment. Anna is widely celebrated for her accessible mental health advice she offers across her platforms – including her Instagram page, incredibly popular podcast ‘The Therapy Edit’ and five-star rated online courses on Reframing Anxiety, People Pleasing and Self-Worth. With an audience of over 210,000 on Instagram, Anna regularly features in titles including the Telegraph, Grazia, Marie Claire, The Sun, Closer, Stylist and Mother and Baby. Anna’s books include “Mind Over Mother” and “Raising a Happier Mother” Her new book is called “The Uncomfortable Truth – Change Your Life by Taming 10 of your Mind’s Greatest Fears”. But behind the profile of any successful public persona, there is a human story. I am curious to discover more about Anna’s journey, the challenges she faced and what she has learned that she can share with you. And we’ll be talking about the Unlock Moments of remarkable clarity that helped her to figure out the path ahead. One not to be missed!

    1h 10m
  7. 149 Dominic McGregor: The Co-Founder of Social Chain On Why He's Never Drinking Again

    8 AUG

    149 Dominic McGregor: The Co-Founder of Social Chain On Why He's Never Drinking Again

    Recorded LIVE at the Climb24 Investor Summit in Leeds, UK. Dominic McGregor is today a successful investor with Fearless Adventures, investing and driving growth in entrepreneur-led e-commerce businesses. But he's most famous for co-founding Social Chain with Dragon's Den star Steven Bartlett in 2013, and after six years selling that business and eventually taking the combined business public. The Unlock Moment though is about the personal more than it is about the job. And Dominic has spoken publicly and we'll be talking today about some of the personal struggles that he experienced on his journey of entrepreneurship. And why he published his first book called "I'm Never Drinking Again - how to stop drinking so much and change your relationship with alcohol." I'm curious to understand the pressures that Dominic experienced as a founder of a high-growth business, how his struggle with alcohol shaped his path, and of course the Unlock Moments of remarkable clarity that he experienced on that journey.

    38 min
  8. 148 Michael Rutland: The Man Who Taught A King - Extraordinary Stories From The Kingdom Of Bhutan

    29 JUL

    148 Michael Rutland: The Man Who Taught A King - Extraordinary Stories From The Kingdom Of Bhutan

    I’m sure most of us can think of an inspirational teacher who helped to guide us in our journey from childhood to adulthood. Mine was Mr Rutland, my enigmatic physics teacher who revelled in turning complex concepts into memorable moments. He also started me on my journey in public speaking, teaching me and my friends the skills required to be impactful speakers and driving us up to London in the rickety school minibus to hear thought leaders of the day debating at the English Speaking Union in Mayfair. But we also heard glimpses of another life. Tutoring a young prince who would become a king. Travelling to the mountain kingdom of Bhutan where the country measures its progress not by Gross Domestic Product but by Gross National Happiness. We hadn’t spoken for almost three decades, but when we reconnected recently it was as if no time had passed at all. Michael Rutland has lived in Bhutan now for a quarter of a century, became the first Honorary Consul of Bhutan to the United Kingdom and then the first Honorary Consul of the United Kingdom to Bhutan. In 2005 he was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for services to British-Bhutan relations and is also a holder of Bhutan’s Order of Merit . I can’t wait for you to hear his perspectives on the search for fulfilment, for happiness and for balance, and of course to explore the Unlock Moments of remarkable clarity he experienced along the way. This is an extraordinary conversation covering topics as diverse as the search for contentment, the skill of a master public speaker and how decades of change is also no change at all. Note on sound quality: we did the best we could with a patchy internet connection between rural England and deepest Bhutan so bear with us on the occasional glitch - the conversation is completely worth it!

    1h 31m
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About

My name’s Dr Gary Crotaz, I’m an international speaker, an executive coach, and I coined the term The Unlock Moment. An Unlock Moment is that flash of remarkable clarity when you suddenly know the right path ahead. Unlock Moments define us. They teach us about ourselves. And we remember them decades later. In exploring Unlock Moments on this podcast and in my speaking and coaching work, I’ve discovered how we can see ourselves through a new lens, how we can make new and powerful connections, and how we can get right to the heart of our deepest underlying sense of purpose. In these intimate and curious conversations I explore how people find fulfilment, happiness and balance. From ordinary people with extraordinary stories, to some of the most successful people on the planet, you’ll hear them reflect on those pivotal life and career moments, when they suddenly knew something they didn’t know before. And as you listen, maybe you’ll be inspired to explore your own Unlock Moment. I’m so happy you’re here. Sit back and open your mind. Welcome to The Unlock Moment!

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