Island Life Stories

Darren Gentle
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Places & Travel
  • Biweekly

Real stories. Real people. No filters. Just honest conversations about life, experiences, big decisions and the moments that shape us. “Sharing conversation with Darren on Island Life Stories Podcast was like catching up with an old friend at the pub.  It was relaxed and full of laughs, wisdom and sharing life together.  Darren is one who has cultivated a deep fascination for discovering all the nuggets in each story, principle and illustration.  His joy and hunger for understanding is infectious.  If you are looking for a podcast that feels like coffee with a friend Darren is your guy!  Wonderful host.” Caleb Matthews - The Seelink Academy.

  1. Nov 3 ·  Video

    From Wall Street to Walking Away: Tanya Ezekiel on 9/11, Kabbalah and Starting Over

    Send us Fan Mail Tanya Ezekiel went from the trading floors of Wall Street to coaching C-suite leaders, and the turning point began on 11th September 2001. In this episode of Island Life Stories, Darren speaks with Tanya, founder and CEO of Conductive, executive coach and author. She was 30 and building a career in finance in New York when the attacks happened. She tells the story of that morning, the small decisions that kept her safe, and how it changed the way she saw the people she worked with. Tanya talks about: Her path from Salomon Brothers to Bank of AmericaWhy she walked away from a Managing Director career in the summer of 2008, just weeks before the financial crisis hitHow studying Kabbalah took away her doubt and changed the way she workedWhy high achievers get addicted to stress, and how often you go to your dark place matters more than whether you goA simple way to start changing your life: notice, get curious, and ask a better questionCHAPTERS  00:00 Welcome and who Tanya believed she was before 9/11  02:10 The morning of September 11th  08:15 Rebuilding, rethinking and what stayed with her  12:15 Bank of America and the power of human connection  15:00 Walking out in the summer of 2008  16:15 Discovering Kabbalah  19:00 The Power of Kabbalah and bringing consciousness into business  23:15 Launching Conductive and writing Coaching Mastery  26:00 Stress, high achievers and the dark place  29:30 Where to start: notice and get curious  30:45 “How would the leader I want to be do this?”  32:20 What’s next: a third book and team programmes LINKS FROM THE EPISODE Tanya Ezekiel and Conductive  Website: https://www.conductivecoaching.com About Tanya: https://www.conductivecoaching.com/about Get in touch / book Tanya: https://www.conductivecoaching.com/contact-us LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceocoach-tanyaezekiel X (Twitter): https://x.com/tanyaezekiel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanyaezekiel/ Tanya’s books  Activate Your Opportunities: The Change Agent’s Guide to More Impact with Less Stress  Coaching Mastery: Cultivate Connection, Empower Your Clients, and Expand Your Business  Both on Tanya’s Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08SMMQ414 Coaching Mastery on Audible (narrated by Tanya): https://audible.co.uk/pd/B0DNGJQGHS The book that changed everything  The Power of Kabbalah by Yehuda Berg: https://www.waterstones.com/book/9780340826683 ISLAND LIFE STORIES  Every guest on the show has made an unconventional choice about where and how they live. If you enjoyed this conversation, please follow, rate and share the podcast.  All our links: https://linktr.ee/islandlifestories Premium Beat Youtube ID - VGNMWLD0FQCQVLAF

  2. Oct 20 ·  Video

    St Helena Halloween Special - Unlucky Episode 13

    Send us Fan Mail A woman with no feet in Half Tree Hollow. Six headless oarsmen rowing out of a cave. A ghostly voice calling “Boat ahoy” across James Bay. And a silver Labrador who kept barking at nothing at all. Welcome to the St Helena Halloween Special. After dark, one of the most remote inhabited islands on Earth becomes a very different place. Darren takes you from the Halloween trick-or-treat procession down Jamestown’s main street into the island’s ghost stories and folklore, from High Knoll Fort and West Lodge to Plantation House and the Butcher Graves, where he filmed and felt something he still can’t explain. Along the way you’ll hear about the dog who refused to stay in the billiard room, a phantom passenger on a motorbike, a ghost ship off Jamestown, and the Gilly Gilly, a superstition some Saints would rather not discuss. These are folklore, family stories and local legend. Some connect to real history and plenty can’t be verified, so you decide what to believe. The episode also pauses at Rupert’s Valley, where the true history is more haunting than any ghost story. 👻 Many of these stories come from the St Helena Island Info website’s collection of island ghost stories, folklore and superstitions: https://sainthelenaisland.info/ghoststories.htm Timestamps  00:00 St Helena after dark  01:45 Halloween in Jamestown  04:40 From Wales to St Helena, and Annie at Red Gate  07:10 The ghost story rabbit hole  08:20 The woman with no feet, Half Tree Hollow  09:40 High Knoll Fort and the redcoats  10:55 West Lodge and the sailor’s story  13:05 The gentleman in the top hat  13:55 Pilling School and Free Molly  15:15 Plantation House and Governor Galway  17:10 The Butcher Graves  19:20 Ghosts with no faces: “Boat ahoy” and the motorcyclist  21:15 Ghosts at sea: the ghost ship and the headless oarsmen  22:35 Rupert’s Valley  24:00 The Gilly Gilly  25:15 Back to Red Gate  28:45 Happy Halloween 🔗 All my links, including where to follow, listen and get in touch: https://linktr.ee/islandlifestories Do you have a St Helena story, or one from somewhere else that stays with you after dark? I’d love to hear it. Happy Halloween from Island Life Stories. Premium Beat Youtube ID - VGNMWLD0FQCQVLAF #IslandLifeStories #StHelena #Halloween #GhostStories #Folklore #Podcast

    St Helena Halloween Special - Unlucky Episode 13

  3. Oct 6 ·  Video

    The Astrobiologist Who Built Her Own Path to NASA | Dr Michaela Musilova

    Send us Fan Mail What does it take to turn an eight-year-old's fascination with alien life into a career at NASA, when the degree you need doesn't even exist? Dr Michaela Musilova is an Astrobiologist, Analog Astronaut, Explorer, Author and Science Communicator. She grew up in Bratislava, Slovakia, left home as a teenager to chase her dream, and went on to Caltech and NASA. She has commanded more than 30 simulated Moon and Mars missions, founded the non-profit XtremeFrontiers, and recently lived underwater for six days as a fully qualified aquanaut. In this episode, Michaela shares how she got from Slovakia to NASA, what life on a simulated Mars mission is really like, why empathy matters more than a perfect CV, and her advice for anyone chasing a dream nobody has mapped out. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 00:50 Growing up in Slovakia 01:50 Age eight and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn 03:00 Leaving home at 15 and studying at UCL 04:00 The Caltech scholarship 05:00 Getting to NASA, and the visa problem 07:00 Astronaut dreams and meeting Slovakia's first astronaut 09:00 Building Slovakia's first satellite 10:00 What is astrobiology? Life in extreme environments 12:00 HI-SEAS and commanding simulated missions 16:30 Going her own way: XtremeFrontiers and Astro Seven Summits 18:00 What an analog mission looks like 20:30 Why empathy matters more than a CV 24:00 Where the research data goes 26:00 Becoming an aquanaut 30:00 Overcoming imposter syndrome 31:30 Is there life elsewhere in our solar system? 33:00 If NASA called tomorrow 34:00 Michaela's advice Connect with Dr Michaela Musilova Website: https://www.michaelamusilova.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astro_michaela/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@astro_michaela TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@astro_michaela Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astroMichaela Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/astro-michaela.bsky.social LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-michaela-musilova/ Support her work All donation options: https://www.michaelamusilova.com/how-to-donate Astro Seven Summits crowdfunder: https://chuffed.org/project/astrosevensummits PayPal Giving Fund: https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/5159823 Venmo (XtremeFrontiers): https://account.venmo.com/u/XtremeFrontiers_ More Astro Seven Summits: https://www.michaelamusilova.com/astro-seven-summits-1 Publications & films: https://www.michaelamusilova.com/my-publications-films All the links for Island Life Stories are at linktr.ee/islandlifestories Premium Beat Youtube ID - VGNMWLD0FQCQVLAF All photos in this video kindly provided by Dr Michaela Musilova.

  4. Sep 22 ·  Video

    From Corporate Sales to Cabo: Caleb Mathews on Discovering Your Design

    Send us Fan Mail Episode Title: From Corporate Sales to Cabo: Caleb Mathews on Discovering Your Design Description: Caleb Mathews walked away from a top-performing corporate sales career in Canada's telecom industry, sold his house, and moved to San José del Cabo, Mexico — trading a safe, celebrated position for life as a digital nomad and entrepreneur. In this episode, Caleb shares the pitch that got turned down (and became the catalyst for everything after), why he and his family chose Cabo, and how that leap led to two businesses: The Itinerant Oasis, a co-working retreat space for remote workers, and SeeLink — his platform built around the "DNA of Design" framework and the belief that every person has an innate design type and purpose. Darren takes the DNA of Design quiz live on the show and the two dig into what it means to be a "Builder/Kingdom Architect," why chasing childhood joy can point you toward your calling, and how fear of conforming to "the world's construct" can keep people stuck. Caleb also does some real-time dream interpretation with Darren, unpacking a recurring dream and what it might be pointing to. Caleb wraps up with news of the SeeLink Academy, launching this Fall 2026 — an online community for leaders ready to move from instinct to blueprint, with group training, live webinars, dream-interpretation sessions, and direct coaching. The first 15 Founding Members get a locked-in VIP rate for life, early access to the content library, and a free 1-on-1 Design Discovery session with Caleb. Timestamps: [00:00] Introduction – meeting Caleb, based in San José del Cabo, Mexico[01:00] Life before the leap: a top-performing sales career in Canada's telecom industry[03:00] Pitching a hybrid remote role to his boss — and the "online sales don't work" rejection[06:00] Handing in his notice, selling the house, and the move to Mexico[06:45] Why Cabo over Mazatlán[08:00] Building two businesses — The Itinerant Oasis comes first[10:00] Introducing SeeLink and the DNA of Design quiz[11:00] Darren's result: Builder/Kingdom Architect[12:30] The seven design types explained[13:30] Finding your design by looking back at childhood joy[15:30] Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, and resisting the noise of "clone culture"[19:00] What SeeLink offers: framework, community, and next steps[20:00] Announcing the SeeLink Academy, launching this Fall[22:00] Dream interpretation as part of the Academy's offering[23:00] Live dream analysis: Darren's recurring "rolling ball" dream[30:00] What's next for Caleb and the Academy timeline[30:45] The Founding Member offer — how to claim one of 15 spotsLinks mentioned: Take the DNA of Design Quiz: www.calebmatthews.net/dna-of-design-quizSubscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TheSeeLinkReserve a Founding Member spot: email theseelink@gmail.com with "ACADEMY" (first 15 only)Follow Island Life Stories: linktr.ee/islandlifestories Premium Beat Youtube ID - VGNMWLD0FQCQVLAF

  5. Sep 8 ·  Video

    "I Lost Myself When I Left the Army — Then I Rebuilt Everything" - Danny Pilkington

    Send us Fan Mail Danny Pilkington spent 12 years in the British Army with the Coldstream Guards, serving on active duty in Northern Ireland and Bosnia before leaving to build a career that's taken him through personal rock bottom, boot camps in the rain, gym ownership, and now full-time mindset coaching as "The 5 Star Lifestyle Guy." In this episode, Danny shares the raw story of losing his identity after leaving the military, the drinking and self-destruction that followed, and the moment at a festival in Leeds that forced him to turn things around. We follow him from flyering lampposts for a one-woman boot camp through to buying and rebuilding Prime Mover Fitness in Sheffield — including taking it online overnight when COVID hit — right up to winning Best Independent Gym in 2024, selling the business, and stepping fully into coaching, speaking, and writing. Danny also breaks down his Five Fs framework — Fun, Fitness, Friends, Finance, and Faith — the foundation of his upcoming book, and shares practical, no-nonsense advice on resilience, mindset, and taking small steps forward every day. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction and welcome01:00 – 35 years of helping people: military, gym, coaching02:00 – His dad's influence and work ethic04:00 – Joining the Coldstream Guards at 1606:00 – Active service, becoming a PTI and weapons instructor07:00 – Leaving the army and losing his identity09:00 – Spiraling out of control after leaving the military11:00 – Rock bottom at a festival in Leeds13:00 – Deciding to turn his life around, step by step15:00 – Starting a boot camp from scratch17:00 – Persevering and building the boot camp18:00 – Moving into gym training and buying Prime Mover Fitness19:00 – Rebuilding the gym to 250 members20:00 – COVID and taking the gym online overnight21:00 – Rebuilding post-COVID and winning Best Independent Gym (2024)22:00 – Selling the gym and moving into coaching23:00 – Becoming "The 5 Star Lifestyle Guy"26:00 – Mindset, resilience and reframing negative thoughts33:00 – The Five Star Lifestyle Guide and the Five Fs35:00 – Taking small steps forward every day37:00 – Closing thoughts and resourcesAbout Danny Danny Pilkington — The 5 Star Lifestyle Guy — is a speaker, author, and coach. A former Coldstream Guardsman turned award-winning Sheffield gym owner, he now helps people rebuild confidence, resilience, and drive across five key areas of life: Fun, Fitness, Friends, Finance, and Faith. His book, The Five Star Lifestyle Guide, is out mid-September. #islandlifestories #resilience #mindsetcoach Connect with Danny: Instagram: @personalgrowthcoachFacebook: Danny PilkingtonEmail: danny@5starlifestyleguy.comFree resource from Danny: The Resilience Blueprint — five short videos to help you build resilience, step by step: https://changethescriptcoaching.ezycourse.com/en/course-detail/thresilienceblueprint/38197 Find more episodes and ways to connect at linktr.ee/islandlifestories Premium Beat Youtube ID - VGNMWLD0FQCQVLAF

  6. Aug 25 ·  Video

    Slow Travel, Worldschooling & Freedom: Running a UK Property Business From Anywhere — Julie Talbot

    Send us Fan Mail Julie Talbot swapped twelve years as an expat in the UAE for something even bolder — full-time slow travel with her husband and twin daughters. In this episode, Julie shares how the family made the leap, how they've worldschooled their kids across Sri Lanka, Central Asia, Nepal and now Cambodia, and how she continues to run and grow a UK property portfolio from wherever they happen to land. We also get into how they choose their next destination, what "unschooling" actually looks like day to day, the moment on a beach in Sri Lanka that planted the seed for this whole lifestyle, and Julie's honest advice for anyone with itchy feet who isn't sure whether to take the leap. Please note: this episode is audio only. We ran into some bad weather during recording which knocked out the signal and we lost the video — but the conversation is every bit as good, so settle in and enjoy. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction and welcome01:00 – How the move to the UAE came about03:00 – Adjusting to a completely different culture06:00 – The Sri Lanka beach moment that planted the seed for slow travel08:00 – Building a UK property business while living overseas11:00 – Leaving the UAE post-COVID and choosing where to go first13:00 – Finding accommodation on the road16:00 – How they decide when and where to move next17:00 – World schooling hubs and the traveling community19:00 – Staying connected with family back home20:00 – The shift from structured homeschool to unschooling23:00 – Life in Siem Reap, Cambodia — quiz nights, board games and netball26:00 – What's next: heading into Laos28:00 – Decluttering and owning less30:00 – No regrets — the philosophy behind the journey31:00 – Advice for anyone thinking about moving abroad34:00 – Closing thoughtsAbout Julie Julie is an ex-expat turned nomad, slow traveling the world with her husband and twin daughters, worldschooling her children while continuing to grow a UK property portfolio from outside the UK — and helping other freedom seekers do the same. Connect with Julie: Website: www.julietalbot.co.ukInstagram: @julierosetalbotFacebook: Julie TalbotEmail: julie@julietalbot.co.ukFree resource from Julie: Want to know how she does UK property viewings without flying back? Check out her 60-minute mini workshop at www.viewfromoverseaswithease.com #virtualpropertymachine Find more episodes and ways to connect at linktr.ee/islandlifestories Premium Beat Youtube ID - VGNMWLD0FQCQVLAF

  7. Aug 11 ·  Video

    The Itch: Why We Left Wales, Moved to Saint Helena, and Came Home

    Send us Fan Mail In this solo episode, host Darren steps away from the interview chair to tell a story he's never fully told on the podcast: his own. For years, Darren felt a restless "itch" — a nagging sense that there had to be something more, even as he built a settled life in the Welsh Valleys. That itch eventually led him and his family to make a leap most people only talk about: leaving Wales behind for Saint Helena, a tiny, remote British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean, hundreds of miles from anywhere. Darren shares what island life on Saint Helena was really like, the extraordinary warmth of the local community (the Saints), and how a family illness back home eventually forced a decision to return to Wales sooner than planned. But this isn't a story about a dream that failed — it's about what happens in the messy middle between deciding and doing, why coming home isn't the same as giving up, and how the "itch" that drove him for years finally went quiet. It's also the origin story of Island Life Stories itself — why Darren started interviewing people who've made big, life-changing decisions, and what he's learned from all of them along the way. Chapters: 00:00 – Welcome & why this episode is different01:00 – The itch: years of feeling like something was missing03:00 – How COVID made the itch impossible to ignore04:00 – One last family holiday, then the decision was made05:00 – Moving to Saint Helena: what it's really like on this remote island07:00 – The gap between "I'd love to" and "I've done it" — and how Island Life Stories was born09:00 – Reflections on the guests and stories the podcast has featured so far10:30 – When the plan changed: family illness and the decision to return to Wales12:00 – Coming home — and realizing the itch was finally gone15:00 – The Saints: the people who made Saint Helena feel like home16:30 – So, what now? Settling back into life in Wales18:00 – What the experience taught him about agency, change, and starting again19:00 – A message for anyone sitting with their own "itch"21:00 – What's next for Island Life Stories, and how to get involvedFollow the show and find everything Island Life Stories: linktr.ee/islandlifestories If this episode resonates, share it with someone standing at their own crossroads. And if you've got a story of a big decision that changed your life's direction, Darren would love to hear it — details at the link above.

  8. Jul 28 ·  Video

    When the Dream Move Isn't Quite Right: Kate Kurdziej on Starting Over

    Send us Fan Mail Description: Kate Kurdziej was a practice manager in wealth management in Yorkshire when COVID hit, her waters broke early, and life suddenly felt very fragile. Five months later, with maternity pay running out and no desire to put her newborn into full-time childcare, she launched her own business strategy consultancy from home — a decision that would eventually take her family to two different countries. In this episode, Kate talks us through the lifelong dream of moving to rural France, what happened when that dream turned out to be lonelier and less practical than expected, and the tough but ultimately right decision to start again in Jávea, Spain. We cover the reality of juggling visas across three countries (including a late-stage pivot to Polish EU citizenship via her husband), the impact the move had on her young son's development, and how Kate has since pivoted her business into hosting and coaching business retreats. If you've ever dreamed of moving abroad — with or without kids — this episode is full of honest, practical, lived-experience advice. About Kate: Kate Kurdziej is a business retreat host and retreat launch strategist based in Jávea, Spain. She helps entrepreneurs plan and launch their own sold-out retreats, having built and rebuilt her own consultancy business across the UK, France, and Spain. Connect with Kate: Instagram: @kate_kurdziejWebsite: olivier-consultancy.co.ukEmail: kate@olivier-consultancy.co.ukWANT TO LAUNCH YOUR FIRST RETREAT? Watch the my free training- The 5 Must-have Steps to Your First Sold-Out RetreatJOIN A BUSINESS RETREAT Work ON your strategy in Spain without distractions; Join the waitlist hereFeatured in: The Times | Daily Mail | i Newspaper | Stylist Magazine | We are Tech Women | The Successful Founder | Process Excellence Network | Tech Round | She Can Code Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction to Kate01:00 – Life before the move: Yorkshire, wealth management, and burnout02:00 – Introducing Jávea and life on the Costa Blanca03:00 – COVID, an early birth, and the pivotal moment04:00 – Launching a business from home with a newborn06:00 – The leap to France: entrepreneur visas and selling everything07:00 – Rural French life: cold winters and isolation08:00 – Their son's speech delays and the search for support10:00 – Discovering Jávea and the digital nomad visa11:00 – Settling in Spain and no regrets14:00 – Worrying about what other people would think17:00 – The visa maze: digital nomad visas vs. Polish EU citizenship19:00 – Their son thriving, trilingual, and settled in Spanish school23:00 – Why the Spanish climate matters for wellbeing24:00 – Future plans: finding the "forever house"25:00 – Pivoting the business into hosting retreats27:00 – Would she do it all again?30:00 – Reflecting on France with no regrets31:00 – Kate's advice for anyone considering a big move33:00 – Closing thoughts and thanksHashtags: #ExpatLife #MoveAbroad #DigitalNomad #LifeInSpain #BusinessRetreat #FemaleFounder #IslandLifeStories

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Real stories. Real people. No filters. Just honest conversations about life, experiences, big decisions and the moments that shape us. “Sharing conversation with Darren on Island Life Stories Podcast was like catching up with an old friend at the pub.  It was relaxed and full of laughs, wisdom and sharing life together.  Darren is one who has cultivated a deep fascination for discovering all the nuggets in each story, principle and illustration.  His joy and hunger for understanding is infectious.  If you are looking for a podcast that feels like coffee with a friend Darren is your guy!  Wonderful host.” Caleb Matthews - The Seelink Academy.

Information

  • Creator
    Darren Gentle
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Island Life Stories
  • Show Website
    Island Life Stories