The Unlock Moment leadership podcast: find your purpose for leadership and life Dr Gary Crotaz PhD

The Post Office Horizon IT Scandal represents the biggest single series of wrongful convictions in British legal history. Brought to life in the hit ITV series "Mr Bates vs. The Post Office", the story hit the headlines in early 2024 and at the time of publication is the subject of a major public inquiry.
Faulty equipment and computer software made it look as though money was missing from post office branch accounts and the sub-postmasters’ contracts held them personally liable. More than 900 were prosecuted, many went to prison and many others were financially ruined.
In this very special episode, I am privileged to be joined by one of the subpostmasters affected, Jess Kaur, whose story was told in the ITV drama. We are also joined by TV actress Krupa Pattani who played Jess on screen as 'Sam Kaur'.
If you've watched the series, you'll not be able to forget the scene when Sam's husband walks in to find her bleeding with a knife in her hand. We'll talk about that, how Jess talked to her children about what she went through and how Krupa prepared for such an important scene.
It's been a harrowing road for Jess and she has been very brave to come on and tell her story. I am deeply grateful.
The TV series has prompted a renewed sense of urgency for action, but most victims of the scandal remain without an apology and without compensation for what they have experienced. I hope that interviews like this will help to raise awareness of the personal toll that the scandal took on those affected, and will support those in power to ensure that justice is done.

The other day it was my huge honour to deliver the commencement address at the University College London (UCL) MBA Graduation.
Sitting in the front row and wearing my university robes for the first time in 20 years, I was humbled to hear from the graduating students how much they had sacrificed to complete their studies over four years alongside busy day jobs. And the common threads in each person's story were the human connections that they had made through the programme.
I talked about how my deepest underlying sense of purpose is about finding freedom to choose, and helping others to find their own freedom. Here is a little of what I said:

--

"𝘔𝘺 𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙈𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯.
𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.

𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦.
𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦.
𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥.
𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴.
𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦.

Society makes us feel that some paths are better than others. Doctor, lawyer, engineer, professor, CEO.
But here, in simplicity, is the truth.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴.
𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶."
--
When I spoke to people afterwards, the message that resonated the most was how we need to find time to pause and reflect, and through reflection we can find our own control and freedom.
Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed and out of control, find a pause, even a short one, so you can be more intentional about choosing the path ahead that’s exactly right for you.
Have a good week!

Enjoy this remarkable extended podcast episode with Emmy Award-winner Topaz Adizes, in which he chronicles the search for home, his exploration of questions and his pursuit of the transformative power of deeper human connection.

We’ve had many wonderful guests and today is no exception – a master in the art of powerful storytelling.

Topaz Adizes is a writer, a director and an experience design architect. His work has been selected for prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Sundance and SXSW, and featured in the New Yorker, Vanity Fair and the New York Times. As well as an Emmy for new approaches to documentary, he has won two World Press Photo awards for immersive storytelling and interactive documentary.

Topaz is the founder and executive director of experience design studio The Skin Deep, with almost a million followers on YouTube. Their first project, ‘THE AND’, was an instant hit, now experienced by over 150 million people, and winning an Emmy. Over almost a decade they have filmed thousands of honest and authentic conversations, documenting human connection in all its forms.

So in the pursuit of connection, really there is no-one else with the unique experience and insight of Topaz Adizes. I can’t wait to hear his take on how we build connection and how an exploration of his own Unlock Moments will help us to understand who he really is and how this work serves his own vision and purpose.

Many years ago, when I was studying medicine and going through some challenging times, I took solace in poetry. I had never been the kind of person to study literature when I was growing up, but I set myself the challenge of learning some poems and I would go out for evening walks and recite the poetry to myself.

I can’t recite them from memory any more, but I remember one that always made me reflect. It’s by the Welsh poet William Henry Davies and it’s called “Leisure”.

Years on, I think this poem still has resonance for me, and I hope for you too.

Have a good week!

When your guest has over 300,000 LinkedIn followers, you know that they've got something incredibly valuable to share. This powerful interview with the inspirational Dorie Clark is a classic and I'm delighted to bring it to you here on The Unlock Moment!

These days I’m working with more and more leaders in different countries, cultures and contexts who share one thing in common. They’ve reached a stage in their careers where they have built a lot of stuff – the basic skills and experience required to do the job well, a track record of achievement and impact, the confidence and competence to show up at work and be generally successful. In some ways all that stuff gives you a freedom, to choose who you are and what impact you want to have as a leader. But these people are also very often completely overwhelmed and feel stuck. Running on the hamster wheel. No time for big thinking on questions like - what makes you happy and fulfilled? where are you truly at your best? who really are you as a leader? What is your leadership brand? How do you get your ideas heard?

Well today I’m absolutely privileged to be welcoming a world-leading speaker, business thinker, coach and best-selling author to the podcast. Dorie Clark helps individuals and companies get their best ideas heard in a crowded, noisy world. She has been named three times as one of the Top 50 business thinkers by Thinkers50, and was honored as the #1 Communication Coach in the world at the Marshall Goldsmith Coaching Awards. She teaches for Columbia Business School in New York and is the author of The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You and Stand Out. She has well over 300,000 followers on LinkedIn.

A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Dorie has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and consults and speaks for clients such as Google, Yale University, and the World Bank. She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, a producer of a multiple Grammy-winning jazz album, and a Broadway investor. Truly multi-faceted!

I think we’re in a year where reinvention is a hot topic for both emerging and established leaders. I can’t wait to hear Dorie’s take and of course to explore the Unlock Moments that shaped her as the person she is today.

Usually at this point I say - welcome to another episode of ‘The Unlock Moment’ podcast. But today is really exciting because I’m joined by hit podcaster Aoife O’Brien and we’re bringing together two great leadership and careers podcasts into one, as The Unlock Moment and Happier at Work come together for us to talk about really how to find work and career purpose, happiness and fulfilment.

You'll hear our take on career success, finding your own authentic leadership, using your talents and strengths and how knowing your Unlock Moment helps you to find a deeper sense of purpose at work.

Discover Aoife O'Brien's hit podcast, "Happier At Work", at https://happieratwork.ie and on all major podcast platforms