The Tom’s Life Lab Podcast

tomslifelab
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  • MENTAL HEALTH

Tom’s Life Lab is a podcast exploring practical and innovative ways to navigate life’s challenges, boost happiness, and embrace uncertainty. Each episode is an experiment in mindset shifts, personal growth, and life hacks, helping you live with clarity, confidence, and curiosity. We invite interesting and insightful guests who share their expertise to help you be happier and more effective in life and work. You can find out more about Tom’s work and that of his company, HEX, at www.hex-development.com or on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-emery-b8809818/.

  1. Episode 64 Anxiety in the life: Recognising the trigger

    MAY 13

    Episode 64 Anxiety in the life: Recognising the trigger

    In the final episode of the anxiety series, Tom explores how anxiety often starts in the body before it ever becomes a thought. Racing heart, tension, urgency, these physical signals can quickly pull us into overthinking or reactive behaviour. And in those moments, we’re more likely to believe thoughts that are fast, protective, and often exaggerated. This episode focuses on a simple but powerful skill: recognising when you’re triggered and creating space before you act. This week’s experiment: when you notice the signs, pause for 90 seconds. Don’t react, don’t respond, just let the wave pass, and then choose your next move more deliberately.

    2 min
  2. Episode 63 Anxiety in the life lab: The illusion of control

    MAY 6

    Episode 63 Anxiety in the life lab: The illusion of control

    In the second episode of the anxiety series, Tom explores a pattern that sits at the heart of anxiety: the need for control. Under pressure, we often try to manage everything: outcomes, opinions, and uncertainty. But instead of calming us down, this can leave us feeling drained and stuck in overthinking. This episode introduces a simple framework to help: separating what’s in your control, what you can influence, and what’s outside of both. By focusing your energy in the right place, you can reduce mental clutter and respond more clearly. This week’s experiment: when anxiety starts to spiral, map your thoughts into three columns : control, influence, and out of control, and focus only on what’s yours to act on.

    2 min
  3. Episode 62 Anxiety in the life lab: Managing the uncontrollable

    APR 29

    Episode 62 Anxiety in the life lab: Managing the uncontrollable

    In the first episode of the anxiety series, Tom shares a story about “Will” - someone who, from the outside, seems to have it all together, but internally feels like everything could fall apart at any moment. This episode explores a common but rarely discussed experience: high-functioning anxiety. The kind that shows up as perfectionism, overthinking, or the constant fear of being “found out.” Tom breaks down a simple but powerful shift that helped: learning to separate what we can control from what we can’t. Alongside this, he introduces practical tools like gathering evidence to challenge anxious thinking, spotting early physical triggers, and creating a small pause before reacting. This week’s life lab experiment is to notice when anxiety shows up, question the story you're telling yourself, and take back control of your next move.

    3 min
  4. Episode 61 From miles to milestones: The finish line

    APR 22

    Episode 61 From miles to milestones: The finish line

    In this final episode of Tom’s life lab, Tom reflects on crossing the finish line of the Manchester marathon 2026. After months of early mornings, long runs, and sticking to a plan, even when motivation wasn’t always there, the race itself becomes a moment of celebration. But what stood out most wasn’t the finish line. It was everything that came before it. Marathon training has a rhythm. Some runs feel strong and effortless, others feel slow, heavy, and difficult. And often, the hardest part is simply getting out of the door. But over time, those small, consistent efforts begin to add up. It led to a simple but powerful reflection on leadership. While it’s easy to focus on big moments, results, and visible milestones, what really shapes outcomes are the small decisions made day after day. The conversations you have when they’re difficult. The preparation you do when it feels repetitive. The discipline to keep going when progress feels slow.

    2 min
  5. Episode 60 From miles to milestones: The quiet miles

    APR 15

    Episode 60 From miles to milestones: The quiet miles

    In this fourth episode of Tom’s life lab, Tom reflects on one of the more unexpected parts of marathon training, the quiet miles. While preparing for the Manchester marathon, his training plan has created regular time to run. On this particular run, there was no music or podcast, just the sound of his footsteps and breathing. And in that quiet, something shifted. Without distraction, his mind had space to wander, reflect, and think more clearly. It led to a simple realisation; many leaders don’t struggle with effort, they struggle with a lack of space. Space to think, to process, and to notice what’s really going on. In leadership, it’s easy to stay busy and keep moving. But without time to step back, clarity becomes harder to find and decisions become more reactive. This episode is an invitation to experiment with creating your own quiet miles.

    2 min
  6. Episode 59 From miles to milestones: Finding rhythm - the pace of leadership

    APR 8

    Episode 59 From miles to milestones: Finding rhythm - the pace of leadership

    In this third episode of Tom’s life lab, Tom reflects on a simple but often overlooked idea in both running and leadership: pace. While training for the Manchester marathon, he’s following a structured plan; Some days focused on speed, others on distance, and some simply about getting the miles done. This particular run didn’t start well. The first mile felt heavy, his breathing was laboured, and nothing seemed to click. But instead of forcing it, he stayed with it. Gradually, his breathing settled, a rhythm emerged, and the run began to feel smoother, eventually even enjoyable. It’s a reminder that not every run, or every day, is meant to be fast. In leadership, there’s often pressure to operate at full speed all the time. But in reality, sustainable performance comes from knowing when to push, when to maintain, and when to slow down. This episode invites a shift in perspective, from constantly driving forward to learning how to recognise and respond to your natural rhythm.

    2 min
  7. Episode 58 From miles to milestones: Running through resistance

    APR 1

    Episode 58 From miles to milestones: Running through resistance

    In this episode of Tom’s life lab, Tom shares a very different side of marathon training. With the Manchester marathon getting closer, not every run feels good. This one nearly didn’t happen at all. Before even leaving the house, the excuses were there: maybe tomorrow, maybe a shorter run, maybe not today. But he went anyway. It wasn’t a great run. Heavy legs, no rhythm, no flow. Just getting it done. It’s a simple reminder that leadership isn’t always about motivation or big moments. A lot of the time, it’s about showing up, especially when you don’t feel like it.

    2 min
  8. Episode 57 From miles to milestones: In flow - when leadership feels effortless

    MAR 25

    Episode 57 From miles to milestones: In flow - when leadership feels effortless

    This episode of Tom's life lab is the first in a five-part series 'from miles to milestones'. Tom shares a moment from his marathon training for Manchester marathon 2026 where everything just clicked. Most runs feel pretty ordinary: tired legs, low motivation, just sticking to the plan. But this week, he had one of those rare runs where everything just clicked. His breathing settled, his legs felt light, and he found that rhythm runners call flow. It made him think about leadership. Because those moments where things feel effortless, when teams are aligned and work just moves, don’t happen by accident. They’re built on consistency, preparation, and all the work that came before.

    2 min
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About

Tom’s Life Lab is a podcast exploring practical and innovative ways to navigate life’s challenges, boost happiness, and embrace uncertainty. Each episode is an experiment in mindset shifts, personal growth, and life hacks, helping you live with clarity, confidence, and curiosity. We invite interesting and insightful guests who share their expertise to help you be happier and more effective in life and work. You can find out more about Tom’s work and that of his company, HEX, at www.hex-development.com or on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-emery-b8809818/.

Information

  • Creator
    tomslifelab
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Tom’s Life Lab Podcast