The Be Braver Podcast

Our guest this week is Paul Tonkinson, a stand-up comedian, radio presenter and a tv personality. He’s been in the limelight for nearly 35 years and performed worldwide with some of the top stars. He's also a runner and has written two books on the subject. 26.2 Miles to Happiness(he's run a marathon in under 3 hours) and Running through Sand, the latter about taking part in one of the world's most famous ultra races - the Marathon Des Sables(MDS).
Paul shares his experiences on the stage and there's a great chat about the deep connection between humour and resillience. We discus running as therapy, moving out of the comfort zone and we hear about performing to the troops overseas in the most harrowing of circumstances.
Thanks for listening. We would love to keep in touch with you via instagram on @bebraverpod and please drop us a message with any comments or stories.

Here's a special episode with Annie and Josie taking on some issues about being braver.
Josie has evidence to show working out with a buddy or training with a buddy is more effective than doing it alone. She talks about the work she did for a leading sportswear company and a dating app.
Annie airs her frustration at the big stores selling ultra processed food and calls for action. There's a conversation about the detrimental effects of processed foods on overall health and how to foster a well-being culture from a young age.
And Josie talks about the differenes between a winning mindset and a mastery mindset.
We'd love to hear from you, especially this week on the stories of your light-bulb moment, how you feel you're winning at life and how you found your 'thing'. Please keep in touch via Instagram @bebraverpod

Today's guest tells a remarkable story of resilience with so many valuable lessons about life.
In 2017 Phil Richards was working in HR for Tesco - a 39 year old with a big career and family. But overnight his world was turned upside down with a diagnosis of advanced incurable cancer of the kidney.
Phil tells how he has lived with this prognosis and how he has changed his life. His approach has been to change his mindset and now shares his life lessons speaking to businesses, charity and individuals.
It really is a special episode.
You can find out more about Phil and his work www.philrichardsmbe.com
Thanks for listening. We'd love you to follow us on insta @bebraverpod

This episode of the Be Braver podcast features a man with a remarkable story to tell, the broadcaster JJ Chalmers.
JJ is a regular face now for BBC Sport at the Olympics and has had a life journey that is full of resilience and courage. As a teenager he wanted to be a Royal Marine Commando and achieved this at 18.
He went on to enjoy his time as a Commando, learning that his body and mind were both more capable than he ever imagined. JJ talks openly about joining this crack military team and the process of preparing and going to war.
All was well until an horrific incident in Afghanistan which led to a huge explosion and left him with 5 years worth of recovery from substantial life-altering injuries.
JJ talks about the resilience and mental fortitude he was taught in the Marines and how that helped him survive, along with the remarkable team of medics.
His transition back in to civilian life included competing at the Invictus Games where he won a gold medal. But more importantly, it saw him back in a team environment and gave him a mental focus. And for JJ, the post-event interview led to a curiosity about the media and eventually getting a role working at the Paralympics for Channel 4, followed by BBC work at the Olympics.
We hope you find this a fascinating chat.
Thanks for listening. Please follow us on insta @bebraverpod

Today's guest is one of GB's most successful women athletes. She's Olympic gold medal winning cyclist Victoria Pendleton CBE and she's total fun and full of incredible experiences which have given her strength in life and shaped her new book.
Victoria won 9 cycling world titles along with Olympic triumphs in Beijing and London.
After retirement, she switched to being a jockey, winning a race and finishing 5th at Cheltenham in the Foxhunter Chase.
She's attempted to climb Everest, learnt to high wire and been a contestant on Strictly and Celebrity SAS. She's now doing a major house renovation.
Victoria's new book is just out. It's called The Fear Opportunity - how feeling your fear builds strength and confidence. It's published by Bluebird and is in trade paperback, ebook and audio.
We hope you're enjoying the series. Please follow us on instagram at @bebraverpod