An Evolving Man Podcast

Piers Cross
  • 5.0 (3)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

An Evolving Man Podcast looks at leadership, peak performance, psychology, healing trauma, boarding school syndrome, spirituality and complexhealing. Every week there will be an interview or a podcast around topics ranging from self-development, leadership, relationships, spirituality, education, and peak performance featuring authors and leaders in these fields.

  1. 6D AGO

    Pressure Reveals Conditioning: Leadership, Stress and Emotional Intelligence

    How do leaders behave when pressure rises? In this episode, Piers Cross explores how stress reveals the underlying conditioning that shapes leadership behaviour. Drawing on leadership research and psychology, the conversation looks at how many leaders unconsciously revert to learned survival strategies under pressure — particularly those who grew up in highly structured or emotionally restrictive environments. When stress rises, leaders may shift into command-and-control behaviour, emotional suppression, or over-dominant communication. But research shows that emotional states are contagious. Anxiety, fear, and tension can spread through teams via subtle physiological signals. This episode explores: • how pressure reveals unconscious leadership patterns  • the impact of childhood conditioning on leadership behaviour  • why emotional suppression spreads stress through organisations  • how emotional intelligence helps regulate pressure  • practical strategies for developing calmer leadership Drawing on insights from Daniel Goleman, Emma Seppälä, Nick Duffell, and Michael Bungay Stanier, this conversation explores how leaders can shift from reactive stress responses to emotionally intelligent leadership. Website:  https://compassionateleadersglobal.com Podcast:  An Evolving Man --- Piers is an author and a men's transformational coach and therapist who works mainly with trauma, boarding school issues, addictions and relationship problems. He also runs online men's groups for ex-boarders, retreats and a podcast called An Evolving Man. He is also the author of How to Survive and Thrive in Challenging Times. To purchase Piers first book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Thrive-Challenging-Times/dp/B088T5L251/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=piers+cross&qid=1609869608&sr=8-1 For more videos please visit: http://youtube.com/pierscross For FB: https://www.facebook.com/pierscrosspublic For Piers' website and a free training How To Find Peace In Everyday Life: https://www.piers-cross.com/community Many blessings, Piers Cross http://piers-cross.com/

    12 min
  2. Beyond the Shell: Leadership, Anxiety and Emotional Ownership | AEM #153 Matt Young | Piers Cross

    FEB 27

    Beyond the Shell: Leadership, Anxiety and Emotional Ownership | AEM #153 Matt Young | Piers Cross

    Piers Cross speaks with leadership coach and former professional footballer Matt Young about identity, emotional intelligence, and sustainable performance. After eight years in elite sport, Matt’s career ended abruptly. Without football, he was forced to confront anxiety, self-doubt, and a deeper fear many high achievers recognise — not being good enough beneath the role. That painful period led him into the work he now does with executives, business owners, and performers. Together, Piers and Matt explore why high performers often rely on pressure and identity to cope, how the inner critic drives overachievement, and why lasting leadership starts with internal awareness rather than external control. The conversation also covers the drama triangle, emotional ownership, and the difference between mental toughness and emotional intelligence. This episode is particularly relevant for leaders who appear strong outwardly but feel unsettled inwardly — and want a healthier way to lead. Guest: Matt Young https://www.mattyounglc.com/ --- Piers is an author and a men's transformational coach and therapist who works mainly with trauma, boarding school issues, addictions and relationship problems. He also runs online men's groups for ex-boarders, retreats and a podcast called An Evolving Man. He is also the author of How to Survive and Thrive in Challenging Times. To purchase Piers first book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Thrive-Challenging-Times/dp/B088T5L251/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=piers+cross&qid=1609869608&sr=8-1 For more videos please visit: http://youtube.com/pierscross For FB: https://www.facebook.com/pierscrosspublic For Piers' website and a free training How To Find Peace In Everyday Life: https://www.piers-cross.com/community Many blessings, Piers Cross http://piers-cross.com/

    59 min

  3. FEB 25

    The First Night: Boarding School Separation and the Psychology of Attachment

    In this episode, Piers Cross explores the psychological impact of a child’s first night at boarding school and why it often becomes a lifelong emotional imprint. Drawing on accounts from Richard Branson, Sebastian Faulks, and Peter Sykes, we examine what happens when children are separated from their families at a young age. Many remember intense fear, others remember nothing at all — a sign of dissociation. Psychotherapist Joy Schaverien describes this moment as a “threshold experience.” It is not simple homesickness. It is a sudden loss of attachment figures, familiarity, identity, and safety. This episode discusses:  • separation and attachment  • dissociation in childhood  • why some memories are vivid and others blank  • adult relationship difficulties  • emotional disconnection in high achievers Many adults who attended boarding school later become capable, resilient, and successful — yet struggle with intimacy, vulnerability, and feeling truly at home. Understanding the beginning helps explain the adult patterns. Website: https://compassionateleadersglobal.com Podcast: An Evolving Man --- Piers is an author and a men's transformational coach and therapist who works mainly with trauma, boarding school issues, addictions and relationship problems. He also runs online men's groups for ex-boarders, retreats and a podcast called An Evolving Man. He is also the author of How to Survive and Thrive in Challenging Times. To purchase Piers first book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Thrive-Challenging-Times/dp/B088T5L251/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=piers+cross&qid=1609869608&sr=8-1 For more videos please visit: http://youtube.com/pierscross For FB: https://www.facebook.com/pierscrosspublic For Piers' website and a free training How To Find Peace In Everyday Life: https://www.piers-cross.com/community Many blessings, Piers Cross http://piers-cross.com/

    14 min
  4. Jane Barclay: Boarding School, the Body, and the Long Road Back to Love | AEM #152

    FEB 20

    Jane Barclay: Boarding School, the Body, and the Long Road Back to Love | AEM #152

    In this episode, Piers Cross is joined by Jane Barclay, a humanistic psychology practitioner, UKCP-accredited, and a member of the BACP. Jane shares her journey into counselling and trauma work — beginning with a major life move, a profound sense of disorientation, and what she later recognised as a traumatic reaction to separation. Her story moves into the heart of boarding school experience: early attachment rupture, lack of privacy, “settling in” as dissociation, and the survival strategies that can last for decades. Together, Piers and Jane explore how trauma can speak through the body, why “it could have been worse” is such a seductive defence, and why healing often requires both trustworthy relationship and the repair of community. Jane also shares her late-blooming creativity — writing songs, developing a children’s musical, and using rhythm and story to support safeguarding, truth-telling, and the restoration of the heart. Guest: Jane Barclay Website: http://jbcounselling.co.uk/ Key themes: Attachment and early separation • Boarding school trauma • Somatic trauma • Dissociation and the “carapace” • Trust and relational repair • Community as healing • Eldership • Creativity and rhythm as medicine --- Piers is an author and a men's transformational coach and therapist who works mainly with trauma, boarding school issues, addictions and relationship problems. He also runs online men's groups for ex-boarders, retreats and a podcast called An Evolving Man. He is also the author of How to Survive and Thrive in Challenging Times. To purchase Piers first book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Thrive-Challenging-Times/dp/B088T5L251/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=piers+cross&qid=1609869608&sr=8-1 For more videos please visit: http://youtube.com/pierscross For FB: https://www.facebook.com/pierscrosspublic For Piers' website and a free training How To Find Peace In Everyday Life: https://www.piers-cross.com/community Many blessings, Piers Cross http://piers-cross.com/

    1h 8m

  5. FEB 18

    The Train That Never Stops: Boarding School Conditioning, Overwork and Burnout

    Many leaders and high performers live as if they are unable to stop. In this episode, Piers Cross explores the long-term psychological effects of boarding school timetabling and how it conditions the nervous system to equate busyness with safety. Children raised in highly structured environments learn to stay constantly active. Stillness becomes uncomfortable — even threatening. As adults this often becomes overwork, productivity addiction, relationship difficulty, and eventually burnout. Drawing on the work of psychotherapist Nick Duffell, performance science, and emotional intelligence leadership, Piers explains why former boarders — and many driven professionals — feel trapped in a cycle of constant doing. This episode covers:  • timetabling and psychological conditioning  • why rest triggers anxiety  • burnout in leaders and executives  • the nervous system and safety  • a simple visualisation exercise to retrain the body The goal isn’t to stop achieving. It’s to learn when to step off the train. Website: https://compassionateleadersglobal.com Podcast: An Evolving Man --- Piers is an author and a men's transformational coach and therapist who works mainly with trauma, boarding school issues, addictions and relationship problems. He also runs online men's groups for ex-boarders, retreats and a podcast called An Evolving Man. He is also the author of How to Survive and Thrive in Challenging Times. To purchase Piers first book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Thrive-Challenging-Times/dp/B088T5L251/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=piers+cross&qid=1609869608&sr=8-1 For more videos please visit: http://youtube.com/pierscross For FB: https://www.facebook.com/pierscrosspublic For Piers' website and a free training How To Find Peace In Everyday Life: https://www.piers-cross.com/community Many blessings, Piers Cross http://piers-cross.com/

    11 min
  6. Boarding School Shame: How It Shapes Identity, Safety, and Self-Trust | AEM #151 Jessica Boston

    FEB 13

    Boarding School Shame: How It Shapes Identity, Safety, and Self-Trust | AEM #151 Jessica Boston

    What does boarding school shame do to a child’s nervous system — especially when it’s wrapped in privilege, silence, and “you should be grateful”?  In this episode of An Evolving Man, I’m joined by Jessica Boston — trauma-informed transformation coach and creator of The Homecoming Method (a somatic approach integrating subconscious reprogramming, nervous-system safety, and reparenting).  Together we explore how shame forms in boarding school environments through:  👉Constant scrutiny, punishment, and “not enough”  👉Bullying, ostracism, and social exclusion (including a year of silence)  👉Loss of privacy and chronic hypervigilance  👉The deep guilt of speaking up: “Don’t tell. Don’t be ungrateful.”  Jessica shares candidly about her own boarding school experience, how shame distorts perception (“others had it worse”), and why survival often looks like compliance, rebellion, or shutdown.  We also explore the long tail: perfectionism, difficulty trusting yourself, decision paralysis, and the feeling of being “other” even in a room full of people.  We end with practical pathways forward, including:  👉 Recognising shame patterns and language  👉 Re-educating the subconscious 👉 Shifting from external validation (ELOC) to inner authority (ILOC)  👉 Rebuilding self-trust through embodiment and reparenting Jessica’s work:  Website: https://www.jessicaboston.com/ Book: Homecoming Meditations (a guided, room-by-room approach to reconnecting with intuition, boundaries, compassion, and celebration)  If you’re an ex-boarder — or you grew up in any high-shame environment — this conversation will likely land.  --- Piers is an author and a men's transformational coach and therapist who works mainly with trauma, boarding school issues, addictions and relationship problems. He also runs online men's groups for ex-boarders, retreats and a podcast called An Evolving Man. He is also the author of How to Survive and Thrive in Challenging Times. To purchase Piers first book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Thrive-Challenging-Times/dp/B088T5L251/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=piers+cross&qid=1609869608&sr=8-1 For more videos please visit: http://youtube.com/pierscross For FB: https://www.facebook.com/pierscrosspublic For Piers' website and a free training How To Find Peace In Everyday Life: https://www.piers-cross.com/community Many blessings, Piers Cross http://piers-cross.com/

    1h 14m

  7. FEB 11

    One Year on From My Wife's Death - 3 Learnings That Have Helped Me | Piers Cross

    One year on from my wife, Michelle's death. What are some reflections?  What are 3 things that have really helped me? Here is the interview with her: https://youtu.be/fKs1A_4xw7A Take care, Piers --- Piers is an author and a men's transformational coach and therapist who works mainly with trauma, boarding school issues, addictions and relationship problems. He also runs online men's groups for ex-boarders, retreats and a podcast called An Evolving Man. He is also the author of How to Survive and Thrive in Challenging Times. To purchase Piers first book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Thrive-Challenging-Times/dp/B088T5L251/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=piers+cross&qid=1609869608&sr=8-1 For more videos please visit: http://youtube.com/pierscross For FB: https://www.facebook.com/pierscrosspublic For Piers' website and a free training How To Find Peace In Everyday Life: https://www.piers-cross.com/community Many blessings, Piers Cross http://piers-cross.com/

    12 min
  8. Dr. Amy Albright — Safety, Trauma, and the Neuroscience of Human Potential | AEM #150

    FEB 6

    Dr. Amy Albright — Safety, Trauma, and the Neuroscience of Human Potential | AEM #150

    In this episode of An Evolving Man, I’m joined by Dr. Amy Albright, an expert in human potential who bridges neuroscience, health, business strategy, and spirituality with rare depth and academic rigour. We go deep into a theme that affects so many leaders — especially those shaped by early separation, boarding school, adoption, or childhood trauma: safety. Amy explains why safety is not a motivational slogan. It’s a measurable state in the nervous system. When safety is missing, we overthink, disconnect from emotion, struggle with intimacy and leadership, and often reach for relief through work, alcohol, or constant striving. When safety is restored, intuition returns, relationships improve, and performance becomes far more sustainable. This is a powerful, practical conversation about rebuilding biological safety, restoring embodiment, and integrating science with the sacred without drifting into pseudoscience. We discuss: Why safety is a continuum, not a single achievementThe leadership cost of chronic fight/flight and emotional shutdownTrauma patterns behind addiction (including workaholism)Nature and water as nervous-system regulatorsWhy meditation can feel hard after trauma (and what helps)Embodiment, intuition, and the intelligence of the bodyA larger frame: meaning, miracles, and living in a “friendly universe”Find Dr. Amy’s work and resources at: holonexperience.com (Free download mentioned in the episode is available there.) --- Piers is an author and a men's transformational coach and therapist who works mainly with trauma, boarding school issues, addictions and relationship problems. He also runs online men's groups for ex-boarders, retreats and a podcast called An Evolving Man. He is also the author of How to Survive and Thrive in Challenging Times. To purchase Piers first book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Thrive-Challenging-Times/dp/B088T5L251/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=piers+cross&qid=1609869608&sr=8-1 For more videos please visit: http://youtube.com/pierscross For FB: https://www.facebook.com/pierscrosspublic For Piers' website and a free training How To Find Peace In Everyday Life: https://www.piers-cross.com/community Many blessings, Piers Cross http://piers-cross.com/

    1h 10m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

An Evolving Man Podcast looks at leadership, peak performance, psychology, healing trauma, boarding school syndrome, spirituality and complexhealing. Every week there will be an interview or a podcast around topics ranging from self-development, leadership, relationships, spirituality, education, and peak performance featuring authors and leaders in these fields.

Information

  • Creator
    Piers Cross
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    287
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 An Evolving Man Podcast
  • Show Website
    An Evolving Man Podcast

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