An Evolving Man Podcast

Piers Cross
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Biweekly

An Evolving Man Podcast explores leadership, emotional intelligence, trauma, healing and peak performance. Hosted by Piers Cross, the show features conversations with leading psychologists, psychiatrists, executive coaches, authors, researchers and high-performance leaders, alongside solo episodes on leadership, resilience, relationships and personal transformation. Drawing on the latest research in psychology, neuroscience, attachment, trauma and human performance, the podcast helps leaders develop greater self-awareness, emotional intelligence and the capacity to lead with clarity, compassion and courage. Whether you are a CEO, founder, entrepreneur or aspiring leader, each episode offers practical insights to help you thrive professionally while creating a more meaningful and connected life.

  1. 1d ago

    Why Conflict Can Deepen Love | Dr. Judith Wright on Emotional Intelligence and Relationships | AEM #166

    In this episode of An Evolving Man Podcast, I speak with Dr. Judith Wright, relationship expert, author and co-founder of the Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential. Judith has spent more than 40 years helping individuals and couples transform conflict into connection, deepen emotional intelligence and create more meaningful lives. We explore why conflict is not necessarily a sign that a relationship is failing. Instead, when approached consciously, conflict can become a doorway into truth, intimacy, personal responsibility and deeper love. We discuss the seven rules of engagement from The Heart of the Fight, including taking responsibility for our own happiness, refusing to give more than 50% of the blame, telling the truth, fighting for rather than against, and assuming goodwill. We also explore emotional intelligence, dissociation, shadow work, the drama triangle, relationship as a mirror, and how love can help us become more fully ourselves. Dr. Judith Wright:  https://livewright.com/contact/ Piers Cross:  https://www.piers-cross.com/ Timestamps00:00 Introduction to Dr. Judith Wright  02:00 Judith’s journey into relationship work  05:10 Working with couples across 20 years  08:05 Personal responsibility in relationships  10:15 The drama triangle: victim, persecutor and rescuer  13:20 Changing the field in relationship  16:15 Letting go of control  18:10 The seven rules of engagement  19:00 Accentuate the positive  21:10 Minimise the negative  23:35 No one gets more than 50% of the blame  25:00 100% responsibility for your own happiness  27:15 Truth, trust and no secrets  31:10 Fight for, not against  34:00 Assuming goodwill  38:30 Why conflict is not failure  42:20 How to begin having healthier arguments  45:30 Expressing likes and dislikes  49:00 Receiving love, praise and gifts  52:15 Relationship as a mirror  55:10 The womb and the crucible  57:50 What to do when a relationship reaches an impasse  59:25 Emotional intelligence in relationships  1:00:45 Final reflections and where to find Judith --- 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/

    Why Conflict Can Deepen Love | Dr. Judith Wright on Emotional Intelligence and Relationships | AEM #166

  2. 3d ago

    I’m Not a Leader? Why We Are All Leaders | Compassionate Leadership

    What if you are already a leader, even if you do not have the title? In this episode of An Evolving Man Podcast, I explore the belief many people hold: “I’m not a leader.” This often comes up in conversations about the Compassionate Leader Pathway. People say they are not in a senior position, not a CEO, not a manager, or not the kind of person they imagine a leader to be. But leadership is not only about titles, hierarchy or command and control. Drawing on Mike Manazir’s work in Learn How to Lead to Win, John C. Maxwell’s The Five Levels of Leadership, Simon Sinek’s Leaders Eat Last, Gareth Southgate’s Lessons in Leadership, and the wider field of emotional intelligence and compassionate leadership, I explore why we are all leaders in some form. We explore: • Why many people say, “I’m not a leader”  • Why leadership is not just about titles or status  • The difference between command-and-control leadership and compassionate leadership  • Why parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, counsellors and colleagues are all leaders  • John Quincy Adams’ definition of leadership  • Mike Manazir’s human-centred approach to leadership  • John Maxwell’s five levels of leadership  • Why relational leadership matters  • Why the future of leadership is emotional intelligence  • Gareth Southgate, psychological safety and leadership  • How servant leadership creates leaders, not followers  • Why Compassionate Leaders Global exists  • The upcoming Compassionate Leader Pathway Leadership begins with how we lead ourselves. And from there, how we show up for others. Find out more about the Compassionate Leader Pathway:  https://compassionateleadersglobal.com/the-compassionate-leader-pathway-course/ Upcoming workshop:  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1992503357178?aff=oddtdtcreator #CompassionateLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #EmotionalIntelligence #ServantLeadership #PsychologicalSafety #LeadershipTraining #AnEvolvingManPodcast --- 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/

  3. Jul 22

    Birthdays and Boarding School

    What were birthdays like in boarding school? Were they celebrated or ignored? Or did you get hazed or bullied on your birthday. 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/

  4. Jul 8

    Why Do the Same People Keep Triggering Me? Leadership, Shadow Work and Boundaries

    Why do the same people keep triggering us? Why do certain relationships, colleagues, family members or situations seem to provoke the same reaction again and again? In this episode of An Evolving Man Podcast, I explore emotional triggers from the perspective of leadership, Jungian psychology, boarding school trauma, nervous system regulation and personal sovereignty. This is an important subject for anyone in leadership, coaching, relationships, parenting or personal development because the people who trigger us often reveal something important about ourselves. Drawing on Carl Jung’s insight that “when an inner situation is not made conscious, it happens outside as fate,” I explore how projection works, why we give our power away, and how we can begin to bring that energy back into the body. We explore: • Why the same people keep triggering us  • Jung, shadow work and projection  • Why triggers are often somatic before they are intellectual  • How boarding school and childhood trauma can create hypervigilance  • The inner critic and outer critic  • Why anger in others may reveal hidden anger in ourselves  • How to reclaim projections and take back your energy  • Why boundaries are essential for emotional maturity  • How to practise saying no without aggression or people-pleasing  • EFT, Havening and body-based regulation tools  • Why triggers are part of leadership development  • How compassionate leadership begins with self-awareness I also share details of our upcoming free Compassionate Leaders Global workshop: Why Do the Same People Keep Triggering Me? 30th July, 6:30pm to 7:45pm UK time Book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1992503357178?aff=oddtdtcreator I also mention the upcoming Compassionate Leader Pathway, a three-month programme beginning in September for people who want to develop a more emotionally intelligent, heart-centred and compassionate way of leading. Find out more here:  https://compassionateleadersglobal.com/the-compassionate-leader-pathway-course/ #CompassionateLeadership #EmotionalIntelligence #LeadershipDevelopment #ShadowWork #JungianPsychology #NervousSystemRegulation #Boundaries #AnEvolvingManPodcast Timestamps00:00 Introduction: Why do the same people keep triggering me?  00:43 Why this matters in leadership, family and relationships  01:35 We are all leaders in some form  02:20 Carl Jung, projection and unconscious patterns  03:33 What triggers reveal about our shadow  04:40 Anger, the inner critic and self-attack  05:45 Reclaiming projections and taking your power back  06:55 Hypervigilance, the outer critic and childhood survival  08:05 Havening, EFT and calming the nervous system  09:00 Boundaries and why the same people keep crossing them  10:05 Practising yes, no and embodied sovereignty  11:05 Feeling triggers in the body  11:55 Upcoming free workshop on emotional triggers  12:35 The Compassionate Leader Pathway  13:05 Final reflections and invitation to comment --- 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/

  5. Jul 3

    Kindness in Schools: Creating Emotional Safety for Children | Masha Kastner & David Moss | AEM #165

    In this deeply moving episode of An Evolving Man Podcast, I speak with Masha Castner and David Moss, founders and directors of Kind Waves. Kind Waves is a UK charity created to help schools build deeper cultures of kindness, emotional safety and positive relationships. The charity was born from the heartbreaking death of Masha and David’s 13-year-old daughter, Helena, known as Heli, who took her own life. Through their grief, Masha and David have become passionate advocates for changing the emotional culture around children, families, educators and school communities. In this conversation, we explore how many children suffer silently, why school pressure can become overwhelming, and how kindness is not simply about being nice. It is about creating environments where children and adults feel safe, seen, heard, valued and supported. We discuss: • The story behind Kind Waves • Heli’s life and the heartbreak of losing her • Why many children suffer silently • The pressures facing young people in schools • Why kindness is different from niceness • The importance of emotional safety in schools • Why behaviour is often a nervous system response • How shame and humiliation affect children • Why teachers need support, not more pressure • How schools can build cultures of kindness • The importance of listening to children • How safe adults can make a life-changing difference • Social media, perfectionism and the pressure young people face • Why children need challenge without fear • How rest, creativity and connection support learning This is a powerful conversation about grief, education, children’s mental health, school culture and the urgent need to create kinder environments for young people. Kind Waves: https://kindwaves.org.uk/     @kindwavesuk Piers Cross: https://www.piers-cross.com/ #AnEvolvingManPodcast #KindWaves #KindnessInSchools #ChildrensMentalHealth #EmotionalSafety #CompassionateLeadership #SchoolCulture #MentalHealthAwareness Timestamps00:00 Introduction to Masha Castner, David Moss and Kind Waves 02:05 The story behind Kind Waves 05:20 Heli’s life and what her parents learned through grief 09:10 Children suffering silently 12:45 School pressure and young people’s mental health 16:30 Behaviour as a nervous system response 20:15 Why punishment and shame can harm children 24:40 The importance of emotional safety in schools 29:05 How external voices become internal voices 34:10 Positive challenge rather than pressure 39:00 Social media, perfectionism and young people 44:15 Safe adults, open doors and early support 49:20 Rest, regulation and the school day 53:10 Kindness versus niceness 56:35 The vision for Kind Waves 58:20 Where to find Kind Waves --- 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/

    Kindness in Schools: Creating Emotional Safety for Children | Masha Kastner & David Moss | AEM #165

  6. Jul 1

    5 Reasons We Need to Stop Sending Future Leaders to Boarding School

    Prince George is set to attend Eton College, continuing a long tradition of future leaders being educated in elite boarding schools. But is this really the best way to prepare someone for leadership in the 21st century? In this episode of An Evolving Man Podcast, I explore five reasons why we need to stop sending our future leaders to boarding school. Drawing on modern leadership literature, boarding school syndrome research, attachment theory and the work of writers such as Nick Duffell, Joy Schaverien, Sue Gerhardt, Richard Beard, Louise Champion, Daniel Goleman, Antonio Damasio, Kouzes and Posner, I ask whether boarding school really creates the qualities we need in leaders today. We explore: • Why great leadership needs love • Why boarding school often teaches children to live without love • How emotional repression affects decision-making • Why emotional intelligence matters more than ever in leadership • How boarding school separates future leaders from the people they will one day lead • Why secure attachment supports a flexible brain • Why resilience is not the same as dissociation • The difference between confidence and a survival mask • Why command-and-control leadership is no longer enough • Why future leaders need compassion, connection and emotional maturity This is not simply about Prince George. It is about what kind of leaders we want to create. If we continue sending future leaders into environments where love, vulnerability, emotional expression and ordinary human connection are removed, should we be surprised when those leaders later struggle with empathy, intimacy, transparency and care? The future needs emotionally intelligent leaders. Leaders who can listen. Leaders who can feel. Leaders who can connect. Leaders who understand the people they are here to serve. #BoardingSchoolSyndrome #Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #Eton #PrinceGeorge #BoardingSchoolTrauma #CompassionateLeadership #FutureLeaders Timestamps00:00 Introduction 00:35 Prince George, Eton and future leadership 01:10 Why this conversation matters 01:55 The five reasons we need to rethink boarding school 02:45 Reason 1: Great leadership needs love 04:20 Boarding school and the absence of love 05:25 Reason 2: Emotional repression 06:30 Why leaders need emotional information 07:15 Reason 3: Separation from those they will lead 08:05 Reason 4: Secure attachment and the flexible brain 09:15 Reason 5: Confidence, resilience and dissociation 10:35 Why command-and-control leadership is no longer enough 11:10 Final reflections and invitation to comment --- 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/

  7. Jun 26

    Porn Addiction, Shame & Mindfulness | Jeremy Lipkowitz on Breaking Free from Destructive Habits | AEM #164

    In this episode of An Evolving Man Podcast, I speak with Jeremy Lipkowitz, executive coach, meditation teacher, leadership facilitator and founder of Unhooked Academy. Jeremy works with high-achieving men who want to break free from destructive habits, porn addiction, compulsive sexual behaviour, shame and emotional avoidance. After overcoming addiction and depression in his early twenties through meditation, Jeremy left a doctoral programme at Duke University and spent time as a Buddhist monk in Asia. In this conversation, we explore why porn addiction is so powerful, why shame keeps so many men stuck, and how mindfulness, Buddhist psychology, community and emotional intelligence can help us break free from compulsive patterns. We discuss: • Jeremy’s personal journey with porn addiction and depression • How Buddhism and meditation changed his life • Why craving is at the heart of addiction • The three A’s of porn addiction: affordability, accessibility and anonymity • Why porn is so difficult to stop when it is available on every phone • How shame creates a cycle of secrecy and acting out • The importance of men’s groups and safe community • Healthy shame, moral dread and Buddhist ethics • The attention economy and why our minds are being trained into distraction • How mindfulness helps us reclaim the space between stimulus and response • Practical ways to begin working with urges, emotions and addictive patterns This is a powerful and honest conversation about one of the subjects many men struggle with but rarely talk about. Jeremy’s work: Unhooked Academy unhookedacademy.com Jeremy’s podcast:  https://unhooked.buzzsprout.com/  Piers Cross: https://www.piers-cross.com/ #AnEvolvingManPodcast #PornAddiction #Mindfulness #MensWork #Buddhism #AddictionRecovery #EmotionalIntelligence #JeremyLipkowitz --- 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/

    Porn Addiction, Shame & Mindfulness | Jeremy Lipkowitz on Breaking Free from Destructive Habits | AEM #164

  8. Jun 24

    Keir Starmer Resigns: What Britain’s Leadership Crisis Reveals About Emotional Intelligence

    For Thursday's leadership workshop: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991361811785?aff=oddtdtcreator Keir Starmer’s resignation marks another major moment in British political leadership. If the UK is now heading towards its seventh Prime Minister in just over a decade, the deeper question is not simply who comes next. The deeper question is: What kind of leadership culture are we creating? In this episode of An Evolving Man Podcast, I reflect on leadership in the UK, the limits of command-and-control leadership, and why emotional intelligence, honesty, compassion and self-awareness are now essential qualities for leaders in politics, business and wider society. Drawing on leadership thinkers such as John Maxwell, Kouzes and Posner, and research from the Chartered Management Institute, I explore why so many managers and leaders in the UK are still promoted without proper leadership training, and how this creates what the CMI calls “accidental managers.” We explore: • Keir Starmer’s resignation and the wider UK leadership crisis • Why Britain may not just need a new leader, but a new leadership culture • The problem with command-and-control leadership • John Maxwell’s five levels of leadership • Why positional leadership is the lowest level of leadership • The importance of honesty, competence, inspiration and forward-thinking • Why emotional intelligence is no longer optional for leaders • How public school, grammar school and institutional cultures shape leadership • Why leaders need to understand ordinary people’s lived experience • Compassionate leadership as a new model for politics, business and society • Why the conversations we are not having may be the most important ones This is not a party-political episode. It is a reflection on leadership, emotional intelligence, culture and the future of how we lead. If we want a different kind of leadership in Britain, it begins with the leadership we practise in ourselves, our families, our organisations and our communities. Website: https://www.piers-cross.com/ Compassionate Leaders Global: https://www.compassionateleadersglobal.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/

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About

An Evolving Man Podcast explores leadership, emotional intelligence, trauma, healing and peak performance. Hosted by Piers Cross, the show features conversations with leading psychologists, psychiatrists, executive coaches, authors, researchers and high-performance leaders, alongside solo episodes on leadership, resilience, relationships and personal transformation. Drawing on the latest research in psychology, neuroscience, attachment, trauma and human performance, the podcast helps leaders develop greater self-awareness, emotional intelligence and the capacity to lead with clarity, compassion and courage. Whether you are a CEO, founder, entrepreneur or aspiring leader, each episode offers practical insights to help you thrive professionally while creating a more meaningful and connected life.

Information

  • Creator
    Piers Cross
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    319
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 An Evolving Man Podcast
  • Show Website
    An Evolving Man Podcast

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