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

    2D AGO

    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

  2. 4D AGO

    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
  3. 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

  4. 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
  5. 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

  6. FEB 4

    Safety, Boarding School, and the Nervous System: What the Body Remembers

    What happens to a child’s nervous system when safety is missing — not for a moment, but for years? In this episode, Piers reflects on safety and boarding school, exploring how chronic fear, hypervigilance, and emotional suppression shape the adult nervous system long after school ends. Drawing from lived experience, trauma psychology, and insights from neuroscientist Dr. Amy Albright, this conversation looks at:  • Why many ex-boarders struggle to relax  • How survival personalities form in unsafe environments  • The link between safety, digestion, and emotional regulation  • Why dissociation becomes a learned survival strategy  • How healing begins by restoring safety in the body The episode also offers simple, accessible practices to help calm the nervous system and reconnect with embodied safety — including memory, posture, breath, and imagination. This is a compassionate, non-blaming exploration for anyone who grew up in boarding school and still feels guarded, tense, or disconnected. --- 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
  7. Masati: Near-Death Experiences, Trauma, Coherence & Exponential Intelligence | AEM #149

    JAN 30

    Masati: Near-Death Experiences, Trauma, Coherence & Exponential Intelligence | AEM #149

    In this episode of An Evolving Man, I’m joined by Masati, CEO and founder of Exponential Intelligence Science (XI). After multiple near-death experiences, Masati devoted his life to understanding human potential beyond conventional performance psychology—exploring coherence, consciousness, and what creates real, measurable change. We begin with Masati’s personal story: a life-threatening accident in his mid-20s, the profound “life relive” experience many describe as a life review, and what shifted in his perception when he returned. We then explore why many high performers—particularly those with childhood trauma—build success through a hidden internal equation: using achievement to stabilise an inner wound. This is a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, trauma, identity, and presence—including a practical exercise to reconnect with the body and reduce overthinking. Topics include: Near-death experiences and expanded perceptionTrauma, success, and the hidden cost of “proving yourself”Why performance doesn’t heal the original woundCoherence vs. mindsetSpatial referencing as a daily stabilising practicePresence, happiness, and aligning with your highest potentialIf you’re a leader, ex-boarder, or high performer exploring deeper healing and sustainable success, this one is for you. #NearDeathExperience #TraumaHealing #HumanPotential #Consciousness #NervousSystem #Leadership #Meditation #SomaticHealing  For more information please visit: https://thexicode.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/

    57 min

  8. JAN 28

    Why Ex-Boarders Struggle With Decision-Making | Trauma, Leadership & Intuition

    Why do so many ex-boarders struggle with decision-making — especially in senior leadership, relationships, and life? In this reflective solo episode, I explore how boarding school conditioning shapes our ability to think independently, trust intuition, and make decisions without fear of rejection or punishment. Drawing on the work of Nick Duffell, I unpack the three core survival patterns often seen in ex-boarders — the Complier, the Rebel, and the Crushed — and how each one impacts confidence, intuition, and leadership. We explore: Why decision-making feels easier in middle management but overwhelming at the topHow humiliation, conformity, and peer policing suppress independent thoughtWhy intuition is essential for good decisions — and how boarding school disconnects us from itThe role of dissociation, overthinking, and perfectionismHow to rebuild embodied decision-making through nervous system awarenessReferencing insights from Jim Collins, Antonio Damasio, and Alex Ferguson, this episode brings together leadership research, neuroscience, and lived experience. Decision-making isn’t just cognitive.  It’s emotional, embodied, and relational. If you grew up being told what to think, when to act, and how to fit in — this episode is an invitation to reconnect with your inner authority and begin deciding from a place of self-trust. --- 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/

    16 min
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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
    284
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 An Evolving Man Podcast
  • Show Website
    An Evolving Man Podcast

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