The Unlock Moment: find your purpose for leadership and life

Dr Gary Crotaz PhD
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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. 185 Dr Michelle K. Johnston: The Seismic Shift, How Connection Unlocks Purpose

    FEB 9

    185 Dr Michelle K. Johnston: The Seismic Shift, How Connection Unlocks Purpose

    What happens when success comes at the cost of authenticity?   In this episode of The Unlock Moment, I’m joined by Dr Michelle K. Johnston - Distinguished Professor of Management, executive coach, and co-author with Marshall Goldsmith - to explore the moment that reshaped her leadership, her research, and her life.   At just 28, Michelle was a rising academic star. But sitting alone in her office, reading student feedback she found hurtful, she realised something profound: she was succeeding by pretending to be someone she wasn’t. In trying to fit a command-and-control mould, she had silenced the very strengths that made her exceptional … her warmth, enthusiasm, and humanity.   That moment sparked a seismic internal shift. One that led Michelle to a lifelong exploration of connection: with self, with others, and with the courage required to show up authentically in environments where you feel different or alone.   We talk about growing up constantly adapting, why connection always begins within, the loneliness that often accompanies deep personal change, and why productivity without connection ultimately leads to emptiness. Michelle also shares the core ideas behind her new book The Seismic Shift in You, including why leaders must move from task to people, from control to connection, and why your calendar reveals your true priorities.   This conversation is a powerful reminder that leadership transformation doesn’t start in the boardroom … it starts inside us. If you’ve ever felt like you were performing instead of belonging, this episode will meet you exactly where you are. The Unlock Moment is hosted by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD — executive coach, speaker and award-winning author. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com Also discover his other podcasts, The Box of Keys and Unlock Your Leadership. Follow, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts — and connect with Dr Gary on LinkedIn for more leadership insights. Part of The Unlock Moment podcast family.

    46 min
  2. 184 Ryan Wain: The Future of Britain - Disrupt Or Be Disrupted

    JAN 26

    184 Ryan Wain: The Future of Britain - Disrupt Or Be Disrupted

    What does it take to stay human in a system that rewards slogans over thinking?   In this conversation, Ryan Wain - Senior Director of Policy & Politics at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change - traces his path from Sainsbury’s checkouts in Liverpool to shaping ideas that influence governments in the UK and around the world.   We talk about the leadership lessons he learned from everyday people … why place and connection matter more than most policy debates admit … and the moment at King’s College London that challenged his confidence, sharpened his sense of social mobility, and pushed him towards a “third way” that isn’t about tribes … it’s about a we.   Ryan takes us behind the scenes of what it really takes to become a parliamentary candidate … the emotional brutality of hustings … and why losing by five votes wasn’t the end of his story.   Along the way, we explore a theme that keeps returning: permission. Permission to think. Permission to debate. Permission to confront the hard truth of national decline - and still believe renewal is possible.   If you care about leadership, democracy, and what it means to build a future worth belonging to … this one will stay with you. The Unlock Moment is hosted by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD — executive coach, speaker and award-winning author. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com Also discover his other podcasts, The Box of Keys and Unlock Your Leadership. Follow, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts — and connect with Dr Gary on LinkedIn for more leadership insights. Part of The Unlock Moment podcast family.

    58 min
  3. 183 Paul Ollinger: The Day Financial Freedom Stopped Feeling Free

    12/29/2025

    183 Paul Ollinger: The Day Financial Freedom Stopped Feeling Free

    What happens when you get everything you thought you wanted, and it still doesn’t feel like enough?   For Paul Ollinger, that question surfaced after leaving Facebook with financial freedom in his early forties. On paper, it was success. In reality, it sparked a deeper reckoning about identity, purpose, and what actually makes a life feel whole.   In this conversation, Paul reflects on the disorienting space that can follow achievement, the moment he realised money had stopped being the motivator he thought it was, and the uncomfortable freedom of having no obvious next step. He explores the tension between ambition and contentment, why work plays such a powerful role in belonging, and how redefining happiness became essential rather than optional.   This episode is an honest look at what really defines success … and a reminder that fulfilment doesn’t begin when you reach the number, but when you ask better questions about what comes next. The Unlock Moment is hosted by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD — executive coach, speaker and award-winning author. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com Also discover his other podcasts, The Box of Keys and Unlock Your Leadership. Follow, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts — and connect with Dr Gary on LinkedIn for more leadership insights. Part of The Unlock Moment podcast family.

    49 min
  4. 182 Garry Ridge: The Hard Truth About Happy, High-Performing Cultures

    12/22/2025

    182 Garry Ridge: The Hard Truth About Happy, High-Performing Cultures

    Some leadership lessons arrive through strategy. Others arrive at 38,000 feet, reading a single sentence that reframes everything.   For Garry Ridge, former CEO and Chairman Emeritus of WD-40, that moment sparked a radical shift in how he thought about leadership, culture, and responsibility. In his second appearance on The Unlock Moment, Garry returns to reflect on what he’s learned since stepping away from the CEO role … and what still matters most about leading well.   In this conversation, Garry shares deeper insight into servant leadership, psychological safety, and why fear is the enemy of learning. He unpacks the real meaning behind his provocatively titled book Any Dumb Ass Can Do It, and explains why leadership doesn’t require brilliance - just care, consistency, and courage.   This episode is a reminder that great leadership isn’t about control or charisma. It’s about how you show up and the environment you create for others to thrive. The Unlock Moment is hosted by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD — executive coach, speaker and award-winning author. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com Also discover his other podcasts, The Box of Keys and Unlock Your Leadership. Follow, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts — and connect with Dr Gary on LinkedIn for more leadership insights. Part of The Unlock Moment podcast family.

    36 min
  5. 181 Dr Bob Gomersall: Worthwhile Wealth and the Courage to Redefine Success from an Edtech Pioneer

    12/15/2025

    181 Dr Bob Gomersall: Worthwhile Wealth and the Courage to Redefine Success from an Edtech Pioneer

    Recorded live at Climb25 - The UK’s Festival of Business Growth & Innovation, this episode of The Unlock Moment features Dr Bob Gomersall: physicist, teacher, accidental entrepreneur and pioneer of global educational technology.   Bob traces his journey from teaching physics in the late 1970s to building a business delivering assessment platforms now used around the world, supporting awarding bodies, professional organisations and educational institutions to deliver over 45 million exams across 140 countries.   Along the way, we explore the Unlock Moments that shaped his path … the decisions that didn’t come from having a perfect plan, but from gaining clarity about how to choose when the stakes were high and the future uncertain.   Drawing on the ideas behind his new book, Worthwhile Wealth, Bob challenges conventional measures of success and invites us to rethink what achievement really means. Rather than chasing scale or status, he reflects on usefulness, impact, and the satisfaction that comes from doing work that genuinely matters - to you and to others.   A thoughtful conversation about innovation, clarity, and building a business and a life that feels worthwhile. The Unlock Moment is hosted by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD — executive coach, speaker and award-winning author. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com Also discover his other podcasts, The Box of Keys and Unlock Your Leadership. Follow, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts — and connect with Dr Gary on LinkedIn for more leadership insights. Part of The Unlock Moment podcast family.

    47 min
  6. 180 Adam Vane: Why Mastering Yourself Is the First Step to Mastering Conflict

    12/08/2025

    180 Adam Vane: Why Mastering Yourself Is the First Step to Mastering Conflict

    Some unlock moments arrive quietly. Others come when life is in full conflict.   For executive coach and conflict mediator Adam Vane, clarity appeared only after he walked away from the family business and into years of intense Zen training. Alone on a mountaintop retreat, he realised a truth that changed everything: “Nobody’s going to help me figure this out… it’s just little me.”   That moment became the foundation for a career spent teaching leaders how to stay calm in chaos. In this episode, Adam offers a masterclass in de-escalation - how to hear the “charged words,” diffuse hostility and guide conversations from confrontation to breakthrough.   From UN crisis zones to high-stakes boardrooms, he shows that effective conflict resolution isn’t about power … it’s about presence, attention and the courage to truly listen. The Unlock Moment is hosted by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD — executive coach, speaker and award-winning author. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com Also discover his other podcasts, The Box of Keys and Unlock Your Leadership. Follow, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts — and connect with Dr Gary on LinkedIn for more leadership insights. Part of The Unlock Moment podcast family.

    56 min
  7. 179 Arad Reisberg: The Clarity He Discovered on the Operating Table

    12/01/2025

    179 Arad Reisberg: The Clarity He Discovered on the Operating Table

    Some moments don’t arrive gently. They shake you awake and force you to see the world differently.   For Professor Arad Reisberg, that clarity began in childhood, sitting on “whites only” benches in apartheid-era South Africa and feeling, long before he had language for it, that something was deeply wrong. Growing up openly gay, Jewish and a migrant, he learned early what it meant to move through the world as both insider and outsider.   Years later, a quiet moment at home changed everything. His husband, a cardiologist, listened to his chest, paused, and said the words that led to a life-altering diagnosis and open-heart surgery. Recovery brought its own lessons - about invisible struggles, misplaced expectations and the humanity we all rely on but rarely talk about.   Emerging from that experience, Arad found a clarity he hadn’t had before. A sharper sense of what matters, what doesn’t, and why lived experience is often the most powerful form of leadership. And he understood that real change, whether in education, healthcare or society, starts with empathy, courage and the willingness to truly listen.   This conversation is a reminder that purpose isn’t discovered in titles or achievements … but in the moments that break the script and show us who we really are. The Unlock Moment is hosted by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD — executive coach, speaker and award-winning author. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com Also discover his other podcasts, The Box of Keys and Unlock Your Leadership. Follow, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts — and connect with Dr Gary on LinkedIn for more leadership insights. Part of The Unlock Moment podcast family.

    49 min
  8. 178 Tim Lupinacci: Why Leadership Starts Long Before You Get the Title

    11/24/2025

    178 Tim Lupinacci: Why Leadership Starts Long Before You Get the Title

    Some lessons in leadership come from success. Others come from failure ... and the courage to own it.   For Tim Lupinacci, Chairman and CEO of Baker Donelson, one of America’s leading law firms, his Unlock Moment came early in his career - a late night in the office, a costly mistake, and a boss who unexpectedly saw potential instead of failure. That moment changed everything, sparking a lifelong mission to help others discover that leadership isn’t something you wait for … it’s something you choose.   We talk about taking ownership, showing up when it’s hard, and how the way you lead - your “leadership aroma,” as Tim calls it - shapes the people around you. He shares practical insights on building trust, creating psychological safety, and finding resilience when the world feels uncertain.   This conversation is a reminder that leadership doesn’t begin with a promotion ... it begins with how you show up today. The Unlock Moment is hosted by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD — executive coach, speaker and award-winning author. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com Also discover his other podcasts, The Box of Keys and Unlock Your Leadership. Follow, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts — and connect with Dr Gary on LinkedIn for more leadership insights. Part of The Unlock Moment podcast family.

    54 min
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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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