Resilience Unravelled

Russell Thackeray
  • 5.0 (47)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

These podcasts help you get the most from life and work by helping you reduce burnout and improve your resilience and performance.

  1. 2D AGO

    Win Win Parenting: Building Resilient Kids and Family-Friendly Workplaces with Dr. Rosina McAlpine,

    In this Resilience Unravelled episode, Russell Thackeray interviews Australia-based Dr. Rosina McAlpine, a PhD educator and former academic, about supporting working parents and raising resilient children. MacAlpine describes her shift from business-school research to parenting after facing conflicting newborn advice, leading her to write Inspired Children and develop Win Win Parenting. She contrasts parenting styles—authoritarian, authoritative (best outcomes), laissez-faire, and neglectful—emphasising that authoritative parenting teaches values, empathy, and resilience. She outlines her practical “SEE” framework: Stop (self-regulate), Empathise (connect), Educate (teach life skills). The conversation links parenting and leadership, discusses workplace equity versus resentment, gender inequality and lack of support after parental leave, and Australia’s new minimum age for social media to reduce harms like bullying, anxiety, and body-image issues. MacAlpine’s website offers resources and programs for leaders to build family-friendly cultures. 00:00 Welcome And Introductions 00:49 Reina Mission And Background 02:47 Doctorate And Pivot To Parenting 03:12 Parenting Styles Explained 07:41 Parents As Family Leaders 08:58 Workplace Wellbeing Gaps 11:22 No Parenting Training Problem 14:23 See Method Stop Empathise Educate 18:48 Workplace Parenting Boundaries 22:06 Non Parents And Support Debate 24:35 Work Stress Spillover 25:21 Equity Not Parental Perks 27:39 Fairness Conflicts and Rosters 28:37 Practical Equity Tweaks 30:22 Gender Equality Reality Check 31:05 Motherhood Career Penalty 35:23 Women Supporting Women 36:50 Parenting Values and Competition 39:31 Social Media Age Ban 41:32 Building Resilience and Literacy 44:02 Win Win Parenting Mission 45:50 Closing Thanks and Wrap You can contact us at info@qedod.com Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com #resilience, #burnout, #intuition

    48 min

  2. APR 13

    The Art of Aging Well: Resilience, Purpose, Connection, and Health Beyond Money

    The episode of Resilience Unravelled with Dr Russell Thackeray discusses “aging well” as an inevitable journey that can be actively shaped, emphasising that while financial security can ease burdens, the most important pillars are accessible regardless of wealth. It argues aging well isn’t about chasing extreme longevity, but cultivating resilience, purpose, connection, health, and meaning. Key themes include building strong social ties to counter loneliness, engaging in community, hobbies, volunteering, and maintaining meaningful conversations. It highlights lifelong learning and curiosity to support neuroplasticity and cognitive health, alongside practical physical habits like daily movement, balance practice, nutritious cooking, and prioritising sleep. The script also stresses mindset—gratitude, adaptability, and reframing narratives—to handle loss, identity shifts from retirement, and challenges like declining mobility, concluding that a “rich” later life is defined by relationships, community, and continued growth. 00:00 Why Aging Matters 01:00 Money Versus Meaning 03:48 Connection Beats Loneliness 06:42 Purpose And Learning 09:32 Move For Life 14:45 Sleep And Brain Health 18:21 Mindset And Resilience 20:26 Facing Later Life Challenges 23:54 Independence Planning Early 24:52 A Rich Life Conclusion You can contact us at info@qedod.com Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com #resilience, #burnout, #intuition

    28 min

  3. APR 6

    ‘Waiting Well’: Turning Delays into Resilience

    This episode of Resilience Unravelled discusses “waiting well,” drawn from long UK healthcare waits and delays in the judicial system, and argues that in a culture of speed, waiting feels like a rude interruption but is inevitable. Waiting well is framed as an intentional mindset—responding to uncertainty with resilience, self-kindness, curiosity, hope, and purpose—rather than passively complaining or catastrophising. Examples include using healthcare waits to seek reputable information, practice mindfulness, and build support, and using career or milestone delays to hone skills and set smaller goals. Not waiting well can increase stress and helplessness, lead to rash decisions, erode trust in institutions, and waste opportunities for growth. Factors that worsen waiting include cultural productivity pressure, uncertainty, poor communication, perfectionism, and digital-age expectations. Strategies include reframing, mindfulness, micro-goals, supportive communities, limiting rumination, meaningful distraction, self-advocacy, and focusing on controllables. 00:00 Why Waiting Matters 01:33 What It Means to Wait Well 03:21 The Costs of Waiting Badly 05:22 Why Waiting Feels Hard Today 09:05 Practical Strategies to Cope 12:47 Advocate and Take Agency 14:45 Make Waiting Part of Life 15:08 Final Takeaways You can contact us at info@qedod.com Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com #resilience, #burnout, #intuition

    17 min

  4. MAR 30

    AI, Entrepreneurship, and Resilience: Ephraim Ebstein on Skills, Regulation, and the Future of Work

    In this Resilience Unraveled episode, Dr Russell Thackeray interviews San Diego-based IT and AI services entrepreneur Ephraim Ebstein, who shares his background growing up in California with frequent trips to Germany and an early interest in entrepreneurship. They discuss why California produces many startups despite high taxes and regulation, and how networks of smaller businesses create opportunity. Ebstein argues AI is transformative but overhyped, noting an MIT-cited finding that over 95% of AI implementations delivered no ROI and that AI-generated code can increase error rates and hurt long-term scalability, leading some companies to rehire engineers. They cover AI’s tendency to degrade when trained on AI outputs, copyright and likeness risks, the need for balanced regulation, and concerns that AI and social media reduce deep reading and critical thinking. Epstein advises personal accountability, skill-building, and considering blue-collar trades and entrepreneurship as resilient paths. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:14 Old World Office Tour 01:40 Backstory and Roots 02:44 Why California Breeds Startups 06:19 AI Hype vs Reality 09:25 Jobs Skills and Inequality 12:26 AI Slop and Copyright Fights 15:51 Regulation Ethics and Deepfakes 18:38 Brains Social Media and Thinking 20:42 Work Builds Resilience 23:07 Adapting Careers in the AI Era 24:43 Blue Collar Paths and Entrepreneurship 27:11 Risk Failure and Resilient Mindset 28:06 Where to Find Ephraim Ebstein 28:44 Closing Thanks You can contact us at info@qedod.com Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com #resilience, #burnout, #intuition

    30 min

  5. MAR 23

    Is our UK democracy resilient enough for the modern world?

    In a solo episode of Resilience Unravelled, Dr Russell Thackeray reflects on whether UK democracy is resilient amid events in America and stresses that democratic resilience means absorbing shocks, adapting, upholding rule of law, and maintaining trust. They outline UK strengths: deep-rooted institutions, rule of law, civil society, a relatively free press (including BBC impartiality rules), civic participation, and the Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling against Boris Johnson’s prorogation as evidence of checks on executive power. Key vulnerabilities include Brexit-driven hyperpolarisation, online misinformation, outdated electoral laws, an unwritten constitution reliant on norms, centralisation of executive power, economic stagnation and regional inequality, voter ID concerns, loose campaign finance, data vulnerability, and collapsing public trust after scandals. They argue renewal requires modernising Parliament and legal frameworks, cross-party reform, civic education, and courageous leadership to rebuild trust and accountability. 00:00 Intro and Context 00:25 Is UK Democracy Resilient 01:41 Defining Democratic Resilience 02:13 Institutional Strengths 04:10 Polarisation After Brexit 05:05 Misinformation and Digital Threats 06:08 Unwritten Constitution Exposed 06:40 Executive Power Creep 07:26 Inequality And Alienation 08:23 Electoral Integrity Risks 09:16 Reform Needs Political Will 10:22 Trust and Scandals and the myth of Populism 11:35 Modernise And Renew Democracy 12:51 Solutions from Leadership to Education 14:14 Final Call To Action You can contact us at info@qedod.com Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com #resilience, #burnout, #intuition

    16 min

  6. MAR 16

    Jerzy Gregorek on Resilience, Olympic Weightlifting, and the Happy Body Program

    In this Resilience Unravelled episode, Dr Russell Thackeray meets Jerzy Gregorek, born in Poland, recounts becoming a firefighter at 19, studying fire protection engineering, and joining Solidarity during the 1981 crackdown, including a crushed 10-day strike and three years underground after the murder of a priest he knew. A fter warnings he could be captured, he left Poland in 1985 and later moved to the U.S., where he was rejected by the fire department as “overeducated.” Turning to weightlifting and early personal training in gyms, he built a successful coaching career focused on customised, measurable progression in flexibility, strength, posture, and bodyweight. He describes developing the “Happy Body Program” over 10 years as “athletic lifestyle medicine,” emphasising numbers, micro-progression, and long-term goals to combat aging, improve health, and avoid entertainment-only exercise. 00:00 Meet Jerzy Gregoreck 00:27 Firefighter Roots in Poland 01:12 Solidarity Strike and Crackdown 02:50 Losing Everything Finding Love 05:57 Alcoholism to Empathy 07:25 New Life in America 09:25 Personal Training Breakthrough 12:40 Engineering a Training Method 14:56 Making Progress Fun 18:52 Coaching Culture and Mentors 21:08 Happy Body Lifestyle Medicine 24:36 Aging Proof Strength Stories 28:59 Big Goals and Resilience 29:40 Where to Learn More 30:12 Closing You can contact us at info@qedod.com Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com #resilience, #burnout, #intuition

    32 min

  7. MAR 9

    Will Steel on Courage, Limiting Beliefs, and being Free to Lead

    Will Steel joins Resilience Unravelled and shares a business lesson from investing £50,000 in a shirt venture that failed after the designer overcharged and manipulated import paperwork, which Steele links to Keith Cunningham’s idea that leadership failures stem from lack of courage. He introduces himself as a coach for business owners and entrepreneurs, helping them grow while reducing time spent working in the business, after a 27-year background leading transformational programs and a prior career as an Air Force and airline pilot. Steele distinguishes his ontological coaching from curriculum-based mentoring, illustrating with a client avoiding a pay conversation with his brother/employee. He discusses limiting beliefs and confirmation bias, gives a personal spelling example, and explains writing his book, Free To Lead, to support leadership programs in the Middle East—especially for women—framing leadership as speaking up in the moment. He notes the book’s availability via Amazon and his website. 00:00 Intros 00:26 Shirt Business Betrayal 00:59 Courage and Leadership Lesson 02:32 Working With Creative Egos 03:50 Meet Will Steele 04:44 From Pilot to Transformation Work 05:38 Pandemic Pivot to Coaching 06:56 What Real Coaching Is 08:00 Brother Employee Breakthrough 09:53 Limiting Beliefs and Bias 11:33 Spelling Story Mindset Shift 13:06 Why He Wrote Free to Lead 16:34 Leadership for Everyone 18:24 Where to Get the Book 19:33 Closing Thanks You can contact us at info@qedod.com Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

    21 min

  8. MAR 2

    Alexis Sikorsky on Entrepreneurship, Private Equity Exits, and Getting Unstuck at Scale

    In this Resilience Unravelled episode, Alexis Sikorsky, a Swiss entrepreneur based in London, recounts building an internet café/ISP in Senegal, fleeing the country with only a suitcase, then returning to Geneva to grow a banking software and internet development business to about $10–11M revenue before the 2008 financial crisis cut 75% of revenue in a day. After years of survival, he rebuilt to breakeven and sold to private equity on an 11x EBITDA deal with 85% cash and 15% earnout, emphasising that PE deals involve uneven information and founders should do diligence on acquirers by speaking to prior CEOs. He discusses why most people shouldn’t be entrepreneurs, differentiates “having a job” from owning a company, advises seeking free mentors who’ve done what you’re doing, warns about conflicts with PE-paid advisors and small-company investment banks, explains when to avoid investment unless necessary, and describes his book Cashing Out and his initiative Night Scale to help firms stuck at $5–50M revenue using mission-based, part-time C-level expertise. 00:00 Welcome 00:43 From Geneva to Dakkar 02:03 Building and Losing It All 03:20 Private Equity Exit Playbook 06:24 Chairman Life and Retirement 09:23 Who Should Be Entrepreneur 11:57 Mentors and Real Advice 16:14 Due Diligence on Buyers 21:30 Investment vs Exit Decisions 24:00 Why I Wrote Cashing Out 26:05 Night Scale and Growth Plateaus 27:49 Social Media Reality Check 28:47 Final Thoughts and Goodbye You can contact us at info@qedod.com Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

    30 min
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5
out of 5
47 Ratings

About

These podcasts help you get the most from life and work by helping you reduce burnout and improve your resilience and performance.

Information

  • Creator
    Russell Thackeray
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 QED - Performance on Purpose
  • Show Website
    Resilience Unravelled