10 Lessons Learned

10lessonslearned

Unlock the wisdom of the world’s most accomplished leaders. 10 Lessons Learned is the podcast where global executives, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, and changemakers reveal the 10 life and leadership lessons that shaped their success. Each episode delivers practical insights you can use immediately—in business, leadership, career growth, and everyday life.

  1. Oct 7

    Vincent Van den Broeck: From Coma to Entrepreneur

    Vincent Van den Broeck shares how surviving a near-fatal accident and coma rebuilt his mindset, resilience, and success.In this episode of 10 Lessons Learned, host Siebe Vanderzee interviews Brussels entrepreneur and restaurateur Vincent Van den Broeck. After surviving a near-fatal collision in October 2024 that resulted in severe fractures and major brain trauma—leaving him in a coma for weeks—Vincent underwent three months of intensive rehabilitation. In this conversation, he details how he transformed a devastating tragedy into a daily mission anchored in perspective, gratitude, disciplined non-negotiables, and mental toughness.Exploring the core principles behind his book, Everything Feels Impossible Until It’s Done, Vincent breaks down practical strategies for personal growth, financial freedom, daily habits, and self-improvement. Discover how to build a resilient mindset, surround yourself with an empowering circle, and construct a life aligned with your true goals—even when facing seemingly impossible obstacles. Episode Notes 00:00 - Vincent Van den Broeck: Surviving a Near-Fatal Crash 04:50 - Lesson 1: Why Health Is Your Ultimate Foundation 06:43 - Lesson 2: How to Do What Feels Impossible 09:41 - Lesson 3: Stop Finding Yourself—Start Building Yourself 12:17 - Lesson 4: Protecting Your Only Nonrenewable Asset: Time 15:17 - Lesson 5: Financial Freedom & Creating Real Choices 20:01 - Lesson 6: The Circle of People That Shapes Your Destiny 22:50 - Lesson 7: Why Consistency Always Beats Intensity 24:31 - Lesson 8: Shifting Perspective to Overcome Adversity 27:29 - Lesson 9: Finding Deep Purpose Through Service 30:30 - Lesson 10: Designing a Life Aligned With Your True Goals

  2. Aug 18

    Matt Formston on “Why Not”: Resilience, High Performance, and Trust

    Host Robert Hossary interviews Matt Formston, a blind Australian surfer, cyclist, author and Order of Australia recipient, about his book “Why Not?” and 10 lessons learned. Matt recounts being diagnosed at age five with macular dystrophy and later struggling through bullying, illness, losing sport, a friend’s suicide, and a decade of rebuilding his identity. He explains key frameworks: using “why not” to break down problems; shifting consciously between strategy and execution; treating values as standards with clear consequences; conducting a confronting “b******t audit” of unfiltered behaviour; building capacity by choosing the hard way; making the future “already real” through sensory visualization and self-identity; using empathy to understand people without lowering standards; “owning every hat” with focused time and context-specific behaviours anchored by consistent values; separating diversity from inclusion and avoiding quotas; and a trust formula—trust = standards × consistency × time—as both foundation and amplifier of performance. Episode Notes 00:00 Matt Formston - Why Not? 04:54 Lesson 1: Why Not? 08:09 Lesson 2: Two Gears, One Engine 10:59 Lesson 3: Standards Without Consequences Are Just Wishes 15:36 Lesson 4: The B******t Audit 19:46 Lesson 5: The Hard Way Is The Easy Way 22:50 Lesson 6: The Future Is Already Real 27:24 Lesson 7: Empathy Is A Superpower 33:34 Lesson 8: Own Every Hat 39:28 Lesson 9: Diversity And Inclusion Need A Divorce 46:06 Lesson 10: Trust, The Bedrock And The Amplifier

    Matt Formston on “Why Not”: Resilience, High Performance, and Trust
  3. Aug 4

    Zoe Fragou: Why Pettiness is Ruining Your Career

    10 Lessons Learned with Zoe Fragou: Negotiation, Strengths, Consistency & Speaking Up Guest: Zoe Fragou Zoe Fragou is an Organisational Psychologist with an MSc in Human Resources Management, a clinical psychologist license, a diploma in Business Coaching & Mentorship and a Certificate in Agile Leadership. At the moment, she is a PhD Candidate at Panteion University and her research is mainly focused on the psychometrics of the corporate culture. Alongside her academic interests, she is operating professionally in the full spectrum of her science, taking over projects of culture transformation, employee training and development, business coaching, personal branding, public speaking, and writing, for both private and corporate clients globally.  Zoe shares her 10 lessons: everything is a negotiation; everyone is a mess; focus on strengths; don’t swipe issues under the carpet; pettiness stalls careers; be the person you needed when younger, including negotiating harder and addressing the pay gap; connections matter; stop starting and start finishing; consistency is showing up; and always be the last to speak. She emphasizes speaking up clearly about needs and learning from every conversation. 00:00 Zoe Fragou - Stop starting, start finishing05:56 Lesson 1: Everything is a negotiation08:04 Lesson 2: Everyone is a mess. Some hide it better11:12 Lesson 3: Focus on your strength15:39 Lesson 4: Don't sweep it under the carpet19:00 Lesson 5: Pettiness stalls your career20:51 Affiliate Break20:51 Lesson 6: Be the person you needed when you were younger26:37 Lesson 7: All we have is the connections that we make28:24 Lesson 8: Stop starting and start finishing31:05 Lesson 9: Consistency is about showing up32:11 Lesson 10: Always be the last one to speak

    Zoe Fragou: Why Pettiness is Ruining Your Career
  4. Jul 14

    Dr. Conan J. Higgins - Crisis does not build character. It reveals it.

    About Conan Higgins Dr. Higgins is an international business attorney, crisis leadership consultant, and Amazon #1 Bestselling author who has spent his career operating where most people only theorize. Before embarking on his illustrious academic journey, Conan served as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller with U.S. Air Force Special Operations—including parachuting into enemy-held territory in Iraq—earning two Bronze Stars for Valor across combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. After more than 25 years of military service, he became a Washington State Trooper and SWAT team leader before transitioning to international crisis management, where he oversaw projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars across six continents, from the Middle East and Eastern Europe to West Africa and Latin America. Today, Conan serves as President and General Counsel of TSI Legal Enterprises, advising clients on complex international transactions, defense contracting, and export control compliance. He has consulted for the Government of Qatar, contributed to the World Bank/IMF's "Doing Business" report covering 189 economies, and held leadership positions in the American Bar Association's international law committees. His book, The Maverick's Blueprint: Crisis Leadership for an Unstable World, distills decades of operational experience into practical frameworks for leaders facing high-stakes decisions. He also writes the Princess Gumdrop children's book series—proof that even operators have a softer side. Episode Notes 00:00 Conan J. Higgins - WIP 10:17 Lesson 1: The Signal Was Always There 14:10 Lesson 2: The Plan Dies on First Contact 15:59 Lesson 3: Calm Is Contagious 17:31 Lesson 4: Crisis Does Not Build Character 18:59 Lesson 5: Decide Who You Are Before the Phone Rings 23:03 Lesson 6: Give People a Job 27:45 Lesson 7: Train for the Day, Not for the Drill 31:24 Lesson 8: Relationships Are the Only Currency That Compounds 34:20 Lesson 9: Read the Room Before You Read the Brief 36:17 Lesson 10: Authority Is Not the Same as Judgment

    Dr. Conan J. Higgins - Crisis does not build character. It reveals it.

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About

Unlock the wisdom of the world’s most accomplished leaders. 10 Lessons Learned is the podcast where global executives, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, and changemakers reveal the 10 life and leadership lessons that shaped their success. Each episode delivers practical insights you can use immediately—in business, leadership, career growth, and everyday life.