North Star Conversations | Unlock Your Potential, Performance & Purpose

Episode Notes
In this episode, I sit down with Chris Daems, a chartered financial planner and author of "What Happens Next: Ditching the Retirement Cliff for a Life Well Lived." We talk about the client story that changed how he views retirement forever - a man who quit his job the moment he learned he had "enough," only to text two days later asking if he needed to get a life. Chris shares his framework for figuring out what a life well lived actually looks like, practical advice on savings, pensions, and business owner tax strategies, and the origin of his Kindness Project - a podcast he started with his teenage daughter that grew into a bestselling book and raised £62,000 for charity.
Don't miss the opportunity to take the first step towards a more fulfilling life. Book your complimentary clarity call today and discover how Will Polston can help you achieve the success you deserve. 💡 https://willpolston.com/book-a-call/
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Video Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:28 - Comparing his book to Will's, and their shared philosophy
01:20 - The story of Mike: "you need to tell me I've got enough"
02:47 - Mike quits immediately after hearing the good news
03:29 - The model airplane text: "Do I need to get a life?"
04:33 - Realizing financial independence is only one part of a life well lived
05:27 - How Chris got into financial planning by accident
07:13 - What comes first: goals or money?
07:58 - The mistake most people make: picking an arbitrary number
09:14 - The Vonnegut and Heller story: "I know how much is enough"
10:00 - Defining financial independence
11:38 - The most common mistake: not thinking with your heart
13:12 - The Greek philosophers on wellbeing
14:19 - Why "retire" should mean "re-energize"
18:11 - The client who spent 30 years "climbing the wrong ladder"
19:20 - The concept of a North Star
19:57 - The question: "What would you do if you had all the money?"
20:36 - Watching his dad's relationship with money growing up
22:20 - The one piece of advice: just save 10%
23:03 - Making money young, and the "why save when I can earn more" trap
24:21 - Paying your future self first
24:46 - The accelerating savings technique
25:47 - The Automatic Millionaire and building habits that stick
28:21 - Saving for the kids without removing their motivation
29:39 - Using pensions to legitimately mitigate tax as a business owner
32:01 - Getting clear on "enough" as a second key habit
33:16 - Calculating your personal net worth
34:17 - Why your business, not your house, is probably your biggest asset
35:07 - Money as a tool, not a goal
36:16 - The difference between a financial planner and a financial advisor
37:55 - Direction over speed
38:27 - Design Your Life and the "wild card" question
39:37 - Incremental change and experimenting your way forward
40:06 - The ultimate success formula, and Chris's NEXT framework
41:10 - "Everybody's got a plan until they get hit in the face"
41:56 - His podcast "What Happens Next" and its growth
42:17 - What does kindness mean to him?
42:45 - The homeless man encounter that started it all
44:00 - Starting a podcast with his daughter Charlotte
44:56 - The blind app developer who built "Be My Eyes"
47:06 - Hitting rock bottom in 2019 and turning to a cathedral
48:32 - Finding a homeless man outside and getting him help
50:04 - Being resourceful with kindness, even without money
50:28 - The Kindness Calendar
51:03 - Bernadette Russell's marathon day acts of kindness
52:20 - Small, compounding acts of kindness
52:48 - Writing The Kindness Project book
53:16 - Starting with just 6 listeners a week
53:47 - Growing to a top 10 UK habits podcast on Spotify
54:37 - Why he chose to stop the podcast at its peak
55:24 - Donating £62,000 in book profits to charity
55:46 - Running the Brentwood Half Marathon and a charity boxing match
56:29 - How to connect with Chris
57:16 - Final reflection: the most important question to answer
58:09 - What you really want vs. what you think you can get
58:34 - The Five Whys technique explained
59:07 - Closing thoughts
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Relevant Links For the Viewer and Citations
Website - https://www.willpolston.com
Instagram - https://instagram.com/willpolston
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/willpolstonmih
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/willpolston/
Twitter / X - https://x.com/willpolston
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@willpolston
Check out Chris's website: https://www.whathappensnext.life
Chris's financial planning website: https://www.cervellofp.co.uk/
About Me: I am dedicated to helping individuals and businesses unlock their true potential through expert coaching and training programs. I'm passionate about empowering others to achieve their dreams and live a life they love. Subscribe for more insights and tips on personal development, productivity, and achieving your goals. Let's embark on this journey together!

Originally aired: March 2025
Episode Number: 226
Great relationships don't happen by accident. They need intention, play, and consistent effort to keep the connection alive.
In this episode highlight of North Star Conversations with Will Polston, marriage-centric business and relationship coach Kelly Clements shares the importance of play, appreciation, and intentional connection in creating a lasting partnership. Learn how shared experiences, positive reinforcement, healthy boundaries, and protecting time away from work can strengthen your relationship, maintain intimacy, and help both partners continue to grow together.
Listen to the full episode here: 
http://kite.link/kellyclements

Originally aired: March 2025
Episode Number: 225
The path to becoming who you want to be rarely follows a straight line. Sometimes, the experiences that challenge us most can become the catalyst for deeper self-awareness, personal growth, and a completely different way of living.
In this episode highlight of North Star Conversations with Will Polston, Founder of Superbeam Tiernan Dixon opens up about his journey through addiction, recovery, and discovering a deeper sense of spirituality. Explore how surrender, self-awareness, service, and reciprocity can transform the way you relate to yourself and others, and why shifting from a life centred around having more to one focused on being, giving, and connecting can create profound personal change.
Listen to the full episode here: 
https://kite.link/tiernandixon

Episode Notes
In this episode, I sit down with Perry Gladstone, a serial entrepreneur who built one of Canada's largest snowboard brands, became friends with Tony Hawk through skateboarding, launched a television network in Israel, competed as a national-record-holding free diver, and now coaches elite performers and business leaders through identity transitions. We talk about the belief that's carried him through every reinvention - "I will figure it out when I get there" - and what happens when that belief meets its limits: a paragliding accident that nearly killed him in front of his pregnant wife, a free diving blackout that ended his competitive career, and the collapse of his identity when a scandal ended his skateboarding business overnight. Perry shares his framework for navigating the "transition trap," why every major decision ultimately comes down to identity, and the powerful question he wishes more people asked themselves.
Don't miss the opportunity to take the first step towards a more fulfilling life. Book your complimentary clarity call today and discover how Will Polston can help you achieve the success you deserve. 💡 https://willpolston.com/book-a-call/
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Video Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:05 - Where in the world: Toronto
01:17 - Curiosity from a young age, and the school play story
03:22 - Being a "quick start," not a planner
04:07 - His foundational belief: "I will figure it out when I get there"
04:56 - The origin story: his parents' three different versions of the same event
07:50 - When has "I'll figure it out" not worked?
08:16 - The paragliding accident that nearly killed him
09:43 - Failing big, more than once
10:29 - Every decision eventually comes down to identity
13:13 - Building the muscle of survival through failure
13:52 - Teenage obsessions: skateboards and the surf culture ideal
16:23 - Becoming friends with Tony Hawk through hardware sales
18:51 - Waking up surrounded by skateboarding legends
19:43 - The transition into snowboarding
21:13 - Sneaking onto mountains before snowboarding was allowed
21:24 - Stacy Peralta's mentorship and life-changing advice
25:00 - Starting Limited Snowboards from nothing
25:51 - Selling the business, losing his marriage, and identity collapse
26:32 - The pro rider scandal that ended his skateboard career
28:45 - "So I guess you're out of the industry" - the comment that cut deep
30:42 - Does he believe in luck?
32:00 - Who are you when the thing that defines you is gone?
33:15 - Disruption and leveraging existing infrastructure
34:15 - Will's "mastery spiral" concept
36:32 - The trap of everyone around you still expecting the old identity
37:11 - The shift into music, guitar, and a record deal
38:02 - Making skateboard videos and shaping "reality" through editing
39:30 - Selling the snowboard company and starting a film company
41:21 - The Israel Global Television Network story
44:22 - An "embarrassment of riches" - doors opening everywhere
45:43 - North Star thinking and the value of the journey
46:24 - Wanting to know what's possible, and how far he can take something
47:01 - What is free diving?
47:54 - Competing in depth, time, and distance
48:15 - His national record: 6 minutes, 1 second
48:41 - The training accident that ended his free diving career
51:18 - Chasing flow state through extreme sports
53:20 - Where he finds flow state now, as a father
55:23 - The identity work he does with elite performers and leaders
58:35 - The real question leaders need to ask themselves
1:00:08 - The "transition trap" explained
1:02:47 - What comes first: knowing the next chapter, or knowing who you are?
1:03:17 - His book: Fast and Hot
1:03:49 - How to connect with Perry
1:04:17 - Who are you now?
1:05:09 - Now working with people who can change history
1:05:49 - Knowing when a risk has gone too far
1:08:00 - Who is he becoming over the next 3-5 years?
1:09:31 - Final reflection: the one question he wishes people asked
1:11:04 - Closing remarks
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Relevant Links For the Viewer and Citations
Website - https://www.willpolston.com
Instagram - https://instagram.com/willpolston
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/willpolstonmih
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/willpolston/
Twitter / X - https://x.com/willpolston
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@willpolston
Check out Perry's website: https://perrygladstone.com
Get Perry's book, "Fast and Hot: How to Open Hearts, Win Minds, and Create a Better Business and a Better Life"
About Me: I am dedicated to helping individuals and businesses unlock their true potential through expert coaching and training programs. I'm passionate about empowering others to achieve their dreams and live a life they love. Subscribe for more insights and tips on personal development, productivity, and achieving your goals. Let's embark on this journey together!

Originally aired: February 2025
Episode Number: 224
Success doesn't always begin with a clear passion or a perfect plan. Sometimes it comes from being willing to learn, take opportunities, solve problems, and keep moving forward when the path becomes difficult.
In this episode highlight of North Star Conversations with Will Polston, award‑winning accountant‑entrepreneur and owner of the Pocknells Group John Holliday shares the unconventional journey that took him from wanting to become a professional footballer to building and leading a successful accountancy practice. Discover how embracing risk, developing a problem-solving mindset, and learning through difficult experiences can turn unexpected opportunities into lasting growth, and why continually challenging yourself may be the key to building a career and business that keeps evolving.
Listen to the full episode here:
https://kite.link/johnholliday