Balancing Act - Mastering Work, Wealth and Wellbeing

Host and Author: Sarah Brennand
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Hosted by Sarah Brennand - Executive Coach, Strategic Educator, Author of Balancing Act and Creator of the Calibration Model for High-Performing, Sustainable Success. This podcast explores how leaders, founders, and ambitious professionals achieve results without burnout. You’ll hear from Olympic athletes, military leaders, financial experts, entrepreneurs and professionals balancing leadership with family life, transition, or redefined success. Grounded, practical, and refreshingly honest, Balancing Act is about the strategy, structure, and mindset required to create results that last.

  1. 4d ago

    The Diego Masciaga Way: Lessons from a World-Class Hospitality Legend

    The Diego Masciaga Way: Lessons from a World-Class Hospitality Legend (Episode 15). Guest: Cav. Diego Masciaga OMRI, MCA MAM In this episode, Sarah Brennand is joined by Diego Masciaga, one of the most respected and influential figures in global hospitality, for a rare and insightful conversation on service excellence, leadership, and human connection at the highest level. Drawing on more than four decades at the pinnacle of international hospitality, Diego shares the philosophy and discipline behind what many refer to simply as ‘The Diego Masciaga Way’. From his early training in classical European gastronomy to leading teams where standards never drop, he reflects on what it truly takes to deliver excellence consistently – day after day, guest after guest. The conversation goes far beyond technique. Diego explores why emotional intelligence sits at the heart of exceptional service, how observation, memory, and anticipation shape the guest experience, and why great hospitality is ultimately about how people feel, not what is performed. He also discusses recruitment, leadership, and empowerment, emphasising the importance of selecting for attitude, coaching with intent, and creating cultures where people take pride in making others feel valued. Technology, Diego argues, has a role to play, but never at the expense of human connection. Throughout the episode, he reinforces the idea that service is an act of humanity, and that repeatable excellence is only possible when teams feel trusted, respected, and deeply connected to purpose. This episode offers timeless insight for leaders far beyond hospitality, for anyone responsible for people, performance, and experience in high-pressure environments. Key Topics Covered What defines world-class hospitality at the highest levelThe Diego Masciaga Way: discipline, humility, precision, and careWhy great service is about how you make people feelEmotional intelligence as the foundation of exceptional guest experienceRecruiting for attitude, presence, and values over technical skill aloneCoaching teams to deliver consistency without losing warmthObservation, anticipation, and memory as leadership capabilitiesListening to guests and reading the roomCreating repeatable excellence when pressure is constantThe customer journey beyond the transactionBalancing personal standards, wellbeing, and long-term performance ABOUT THE GUEST Cav. Diego Masciaga OMRI, MCA MAM World-Renowned Service & Hospitality Leader | Advisor | Mentor Diego Masciaga is recognised as one of the world’s foremost leaders in hospitality and service culture. Born in northern Italy and trained from his early teens in classical European gastronomy, he built an international career in luxury settings before joining the Roux family. Over the decades he has become known for an exceptional ability to combine flawless technical standards with warm, human-centred care. His approach, often described simply as “The Diego Masciaga Way” is grounded in anticipation, observation, memory, humility and a style of leadership that elevates everyone around him. For more information, resources and podcasts on high performance and sustainable success, visit: www.balancing-act.co.uk

    The Diego Masciaga Way: Lessons from a World-Class Hospitality Legend

  2. Jun 25

    If You Can’t Get to the Start Line, You Can’t Even Compete - with Guest Steve Judge

    If You Can’t Get to the Start Line, You Can’t Even Compete (Episode 14) Guest: Steve Judge In this episode, Sarah Brennand is joined by Steve Judge for a powerful and grounded conversation about resilience, recovery, and what it takes to pursue meaningful goals after life-altering adversity. Steve shares his journey following a near-fatal car accident in 2002 that left both legs crushed and led to the belief that he might never walk again. What followed were years of reconstruction and rehabilitation, during which his focus shifted from survival and mobility to rebuilding physical capability, mental discipline, and purpose. Through structured self-care, progressive goal-setting, and a relentless focus on mindset, Steve transitioned into para-sport and went on to compete at the highest level, becoming a two-time Paratriathlon World Champion, winning world titles for Great Britain in China and New Zealand. The conversation explores what it truly means to get to the start line, not just in sport, but in life and leadership, by doing the unseen work that makes performance possible. Steve also introduces his GOLD model, a practical framework for setting and pursuing goals with clarity and intent. He reflects on the importance of understanding why goals matter, surrounding yourself with the right support, and staying open to opportunity as paths evolve. Throughout the discussion, the emphasis remains on personal responsibility, adaptability, and enjoying the journey rather than fixating on outcomes alone.Key Topics Covered: - Recovering from major injury and rebuilding physical and mental capacity - Being told you may never walk again, and redefining what’s possible - The discipline required to reach the start line before you can compete - Self-care and injury prevention as foundations of sustainable performance - Mindset shifts that support recovery, motivation, and achievement - Transitioning from rehabilitation to elite para-sport - Becoming a two-time Paratriathlon World Champion for Great Britain - The GOLD model: structuring goals with purpose and direction - Visualisation as a tool for belief, energy, and momentum - The role of support systems and accountability - Regular self-reflection, reassessment, and course correction - Learning to enjoy progress, not just the finish line ABOUT THE GUEST Steve Judge Former World Champion | Motivational Speaker | Author Steve Judge is a motivational speaker, author and former world champion paratriathlete whose story has inspired audiences across the UK and internationally. After a near-fatal car accident in 2002 left both legs crushed, Steve was told he might never walk again. Years of reconstruction and rehabilitation followed - years that redefined his mindset, resilience, and goals. Through disciplined recovery and progressive physical targets, Steve entered para-sport and went on to become a two-time Paratriathlon World Champion, winning titles for Great Britain in China and New Zealand. For more information, podcasts and recourses focussed on High-Performance and Sustainable Success, visit: www.Balancing-Act.co.uk

    If You Can’t Get to the Start Line, You Can’t Even Compete - with Guest Steve Judge

  3. Jun 4

    Unlocking Mental Wealth with Mike Pagan

    Unlocking Mental Wealth (Episode 13) Guest: Mike Pagan In this episode, Sarah Brennand is joined by Mike Pagan for a practical and thought-provoking conversation on the idea of mental wealth - and why it deserves as much intentional management as physical health or financial capital. Mike challenges the traditional focus on mental health as something to address only when things go wrong. Instead, he reframes mental wealth as a proactive, ongoing investment in clarity, capacity, and resilience. The discussion explores how habits, environment, relationships, and boundaries shape our mental reserves over time. Drawing on real-world experience, Mike highlights how isolation and cognitive overload affect people at every level, from students to senior leaders, and why strong support networks are not a luxury, but a strategic necessity. The conversation also examines productivity, habit disruption, and the role of coaching, mentoring, and mastermind groups in sustaining performance without burnout. This episode offers a grounded framework for assessing your current mental wealth and making deliberate choices that support long-term effectiveness, focus, and personal sustainability. Key Topics Covered Mental wealth versus mental health: a proactive lens on wellbeingWhy high performers are often most vulnerable to isolationBuilding and maintaining a meaningful support networkSelf-care as a performance enabler, not an indulgenceThe strategic power of saying noIdentifying and breaking unproductive habitsTracking time and energy to improve productivityThe role of mastermind groups in accountability and growthCommunication and connection as foundations of mental resilienceNavigating life and career transitions through evolving support systemsCoaching and mentoring as tools for sustained personal development ABOUT THE GUEST Mike Pagan Mental Wealth Strategist | Executive Coach | Speaker Mike Pagan is a leading mental wealth strategist, executive coach and motivational speaker who helps leaders, entrepreneurs and high performers build the support networks they need to thrive. With more than two decades of experience in coaching, facilitation and organisational development, he specialises in tackling the isolation that often accompanies senior roles, empowering clients to create intentional “mental wealth teams” around them. For more information, podcasts and resources, visit: www.balancing-act.co.uk

    Unlocking Mental Wealth with Mike Pagan

  4. May 28

    Fear, Control and Choice: Leading Yourself Through the Hardest Moments

    In this episode, Sarah sits down with former RAF pilot and Gulf War POW John Peters to explore what leadership, resilience and perspective really mean when everything is stripped away. Shot down on the first day of Operation Desert Storm and held captive for seven weeks, John reflects on how he learned to manage fear, pain and uncertainty, and how those experiences reshaped his understanding of success, identity and what truly matters. The conversation moves beyond survival to examine the quieter challenges of returning to life, navigating sudden public attention, and recalibrating career, purpose and personal relationships. With rare honesty, John shares insights on emotional control, acceptance, and the long-term impact of lived experience, offering grounded reflections for anyone facing pressure, transition or change. His lessons are not about endurance alone, but about perspective – and how to lead yourself, and others, when it matters most. Key Topics Covered The early motivation and personal drive behind becoming a fast-jet pilotHow intense career focus can quietly disrupt personal life and balanceLeadership as a practice of adaptation, awareness and decision-making under changeMindset, structure and psychological strategies used to survive captivityThe role of acceptance in managing fear, pain and emotional responseNavigating public attention and identity in the aftermath of high-profile eventsReframing life experiences as learning points rather than defining outcomesThe importance of ongoing learning in leadership and personal developmentThe stabilising role of trusted relationships and honest feedbackSelf-understanding as the foundation for meaningful leadership and contribution John Peters Former RAF Pilot | Author | Motivational Speaker John Peters is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot, author, and recognised motivational speaker, best known for surviving as a prisoner of war during the Gulf War and co-authoring the notable book 'Tornado Down.' His career has been defined by both remarkable achievements and profound challenges. He earned his pilot’s license by age 17 and joined the RAF as a university cadet, completing a BSc in Building Technology at UMIST in 1983. Throughout the 1980s, he served as a fast jet fighter pilot and instructor on various RAF squadrons, including XV Squadron. On the first day of Operation Desert Storm in January 1991, during a low-level daylight strike over Iraq, Peters’ Tornado GR1 was shot down, leading to his capture. He endured seven weeks of torture and interrogation before being released as a prisoner of war. Despite this ordeal, Peters returned to flying duties within weeks and continued his RAF career for nearly another decade. He co-authored 'Tornado Down,' a best-selling account of his Gulf War experiences, and later earned an MBA before leading leadership and safety programmes within the Ministry of Defence. After retiring from the RAF, he founded a consultancy focused on leadership under pressure, resilience, and change, working with senior business teams globally. John Peters remains an acclaimed motivational speaker and business consultant, advising organisations on leadership under duress, team dynamics, and managing uncertainty. His story exemplifies resilience, courage, and the ability to find meaning and perspective even in extreme adversity. Visit www.balancing-act.co.uk for more details, podcasts and resources.

    Fear, Control and Choice: Leading Yourself Through the Hardest Moments

  5. May 22

    Beyond the Words: Nuance, Pause and Presence in Communication

    Beyond the Words: Nuance, Pause and Presence in Communication (Episode 11)Guest: Gina BalarinIn this conversation, Sarah speaks with Gina Balarin, a communication specialist based in Brisbane, known for her work helping leaders articulate their message with clarity, confidence, and intention. The discussion explores the art and science of skilled communication, one of the core Calibration Tools for sustainable success, and examines how leaders can strengthen their voice, presence, and impact both professionally and personally.Gina shares insights drawn from her childhood love of language, her career in marketing and leadership communication, and her work helping CEOs communicate with authenticity and influence. Together, they unpack practical tools for becoming more intentional communicators, from mastering pause and volume to understanding context, story structure, and emotional intelligence.Key Topics Covered-The CEO’s Voice – Understanding intention, message, and audience as a single, connected system.-Why leaders benefit from support that helps them move from “great to extraordinary.”-Hearing What Isn’t Said – the “sixth linguistic sense”: noticing tone, pauses, nuance, and body language.-Why leaders need humility and curiosity to understand their blind spots.-The role of self-observation in elevating communication.-The Power of Pause – Pausing as a tool for clarity, authority, and audience engagement.-Why silence is often the most underused leadership technique.-Communicating Online vs. In-Person – Managing gestures, eye contact and physical presence on camera.-Crafting Messages That Land – Why message structure must suit both the speaker and the audience.-Using repetition, clear transitions, and dramatic openings to maintain engagement.-Consistency, Authenticity & Style-Practice & Preparation – How over-preparers and improvisers each fall into their own traps.-Communication at Work vs. Home – The crossover effect: how communication improvements at work can transform family relationships.ABOUT THE GUESTGina BalarinExecutive Speaking Coach | Founder of The CEO’s Voice & Verballistics | Storytelling Advisor to C-Level Leaders | TEDx Speaker & AuthorGina Balarin (CPM FAMI FCIM CMktr) is an executive speaking coach, storyteller for C-level impact and founder of The CEO’s Voice and Verballistics. She makes leaders extraordinary on the screen, stage and page, working with CEOs, founders and senior executives to turn their ideas into influence and their messages into moments that move people.Visit www.balancing-act.co.uk for more information, podcasts and resources on high Performance and Sustainable Success

    Beyond the Words: Nuance, Pause and Presence in Communication

  6. May 12

    The Calibration Model for High Performance and Sustainable Success

    The Calibration Model: Balancing Work, Wealth and Wellbeing (Episode 10) Solo Podcast with Balancing Act Author & Host: Sarah Brennand In this solo episode, Sarah Brennand introduces The Calibration Model, the core framework at the heart of the Balancing Act for Mastering Work, Wealth and Wellbeing. During this episode Sarah explains how sustainable success is shaped by alignment across three interdependent paradigms: Money & Mission, Mental & Physical Health, and Work & Life. Drawing on years of executive coaching, leadership advisory work, and real lived experience, Sarah explores why capable, driven professionals often find themselves under sustained pressure despite doing ‘the right things.’ The issue is rarely motivation or ambition. More often, it is a lack of structure to understand how competing demands, energy, identity and decision-making interact over time. The episode explains how the Calibration Model helps you see where alignment is strong, where friction is forming, and how pressure in one area quietly creates ripple effects across the others. Rather than chasing balance as a static ideal, calibration offers a dynamic way to adjust, recalibrate and stay effective as circumstances shift. Sarah also introduces the three Calibration Tools that support the model: Emotional Intelligence, Skilled Communication and The Resilience Advantage, and how they operate across each paradigm to support clarity, capacity and performance. This episode provides a clear lens through which to engage with the rest of the Balancing Act podcast series, offering listeners a practical framework they can return to when navigating growth, transition, challenge or change. Key Topics Covered Why sustainable success requires structure, not more effortThe origins and purpose of The Calibration ModelMoney & Mission: direction, meaning and decision-makingMental & Physical Health: capacity, resilience and emotional bandwidthWork & Life: rhythm, boundaries and operational structureHow pressure in one paradigm impacts the othersRecognising early signs of misalignment before burnoutCalibration versus traditional goal-settingEmotional Intelligence as a performance capabilitySkilled Communication under pressureResilience as a system that can be strengthened and maintained ABOUT THE SPEAKERSarah BrennandCreator of the Calibration Model | Executive Coach | Speaker | Performance & Leadership SpecialistSarah Brennand works with leaders and organisations operating in high-pressure, high-performance environments, supporting them to build capability and achieve results that are sustainable over time. She is the Founder of L7 Executive Coaching and Co-Founder of Illuminare Executive Education, delivering leadership and business solutions internationally across multiple sectors.Her work integrates strategy, human performance and wellbeing, informed by executive leadership experience, extensive coaching practice, and a strong belief that clarity, structure and alignment are essential to long-term success.For more information, podcasts and free resources and high performance and sustainable success, visit: www.balancing-act.co.uk

    The Calibration Model for High Performance and Sustainable Success

  7. May 1

    Cashing Out with Alexis Sikorsky On the Balancing Act Mastering Work Wealth and Wellbeing Podcast

    CASHING OUT: THE REAL PATH TO ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS Guest: Alexis Sikorsky In this episode of Balancing Act – Mastering Work, Wealth and Wellbeing, Sarah Brennand is joined by Alexis Sikorsky, entrepreneur, advisor, and author, for an honest conversation about what entrepreneurial success really looks like over the long term. Alexis shares his journey from starting businesses as a teenager to building New Access into a global banking software company and navigating a nine-figure exit. Along the way, he reflects on the realities behind growth: pressure, responsibility, decision fatigue, and the personal cost of leading through uncertainty. The conversation explores not only the strategic decisions that shaped Alexis’s success, but also the moments of failure, including financial collapse, redundancy decisions, and the identity shift that followed his exit. He speaks openly about the emotional impact of these experiences and why founders are often well-prepared for scale, but not for what comes after. Now working with founders and leadership teams, Alexis shares the principles behind his APEX method and why emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and personal readiness are critical assets in building companies that last. This episode offers grounded insight for entrepreneurs who want to scale with intention, prepare for exit properly, and define success in a way that holds up beyond the finish line. Key Topics Covered • Starting young: early entrepreneurial experiences and lessons learned • Building and scaling New Access over two decades • Strategic pivots and responding to market reality • Leading through pressure, uncertainty, and financial crisis • The emotional and human cost of high-performance leadership • Making difficult decisions, including redundancy and restructuring • Preparing for exit: business readiness versus personal readiness • The identity gap after selling a company • Reframing failure as feedback rather than defeat • Emotional intelligence as a strategic leadership capability • The APEX method: structuring companies for scale, resilience, and exit • Redefining success after a major liquidity event • Creating sustainable success across work, wealth, and wellbeing About the Guest: ALEXIS SIKORSKY ENTREPRENEUR | BUSINESS ADVISOR | AUTHOR Alexis Sikorsky is an entrepreneur, business advisor and author known for building, scaling, and successfully exiting New Access SA, a Geneva-based banking software company he founded in 2000. Over two decades he grew the business into a major player in its sector before engineering its acquisition by a private equity firm for a nine-figure sum. For more episodes of the Balancing Act – Mastering Work, Wealth and Wellbeing podcast, additional recourses, articles or to buy the book, visit: www.balancing-act.co.uk

    Cashing Out with Alexis Sikorsky On the Balancing Act Mastering Work Wealth and Wellbeing Podcast

  8. Apr 24

    Money That Works for You: How to Build a Life-Driven Wealth Strategy with guest Anne McClean

    Episode 8. Money That Works for You: How to Build a Life-Driven Wealth StrategyGuest: Anne McClean In this Balancing Act conversation, Financial expert Anne McClean delves into the psychological aspects of money, discussing how perceptions of ‘not enough’, ‘enough’, and ‘plenty’ shape financial behaviours. Sarah and Anne explore practical financial planning strategies for both employees and self-employed individuals, emphasising the importance of understanding one’s financial situation and goals. The discussion also covers the significance of liquidity and legacy in wealth management, as well as tips for building money confidence. Anne provides actionable advice on budgeting, investing, and preparing for the future, highlighting the need for personalised financial guidance aligned with longer term aspirations. Key Topics Covered Understanding your perception of money is crucial.Financial planning should be proactive and personalised.Budgeting is essential for financial success.Investing early can lead to significant growth.Self-employed individuals face unique financial challenges.Liquidity is important for maintaining lifestyle.Legacy planning should start early in life.Building money confidence requires understanding your finances.Utilising employer benefits can enhance financial health.Seeking trusted financial advice is key to success. For more information, additional podcasts and resources visit: www.balancing-act.co.uk Anne McCleanPartner and Head of Wealth | Chartered Financial Planner and Certified Financial Planner | Specialist in Strategic Financial Planning Anne McClean is a multi-award-winning wealth strategist with two decades of experience advising high-achieving professionals, business owners and families on how to translate earnings into long-term financial security and purpose-led decision-making. Currently a Partner and Head of Wealth at IPS Capital, Anne previously served as a Partner at Smith & Williamson (now Evelyn Partners) and holds Fellowships with both the Personal Finance Society and the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. Anne’s expertise bridges complex financial planning with clarity, empathy, and a deep understanding of human motivation. Whether her clients are scaling businesses, transitioning careers, or preparing for generational legacy, her advice helps demystify financial systems and align capital with life aspirations. She specialises in ensuring that the life being built today is structurally and emotionally supported by the decisions made for tomorrow. Named a Top-Rated Adviser multiple times by VouchedFor and recognised by the Personal Finance Society and Women in Finance Awards, Anne is trusted for her depth of knowledge, her calm, grounded presence, and her ability to create confidence in moments of uncertainty. Anne’s insights appear throughout the Money-Mission paradigm in this book, enriching topics including wealth strategy, liquidity, legacy planning and building a successful future that reflects what matters most. Her contribution offers a powerful reminder that financial confidence is about more than numbers, it’s about pro- active planning and making your money work in service of your bigger purpose.

    Money That Works for You: How to Build a Life-Driven Wealth Strategy with guest Anne McClean
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About

Hosted by Sarah Brennand - Executive Coach, Strategic Educator, Author of Balancing Act and Creator of the Calibration Model for High-Performing, Sustainable Success. This podcast explores how leaders, founders, and ambitious professionals achieve results without burnout. You’ll hear from Olympic athletes, military leaders, financial experts, entrepreneurs and professionals balancing leadership with family life, transition, or redefined success. Grounded, practical, and refreshingly honest, Balancing Act is about the strategy, structure, and mindset required to create results that last.

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