A memorable encounter aged just 13 with the CEO of British Steel was Chris Cooper's Unlock Moment. The moment when he knew there was more for him in life than to follow his father into the steelworks. Often those formative moments that shape our sense of purpose happen early in our lives. Many years later Chris is a leadership strategist, a speaker, a broadcaster and an author, helping others to elevate themselves in a culture where people love the work they do.

Host of The Business Elevation Show on Voice America, Chris's show was the most accessed business programme in the world and he has recorded over 500 hours of interviews. He's the author of "The Power To Get Things Done (Whether You Feel Like It Or Not)" published by Penguin Random House. He's also the founder of The Elevation Collective, an international community bringing together extraordinary individuals for the greater good.

Listen in for the inspiration to find freedom in your own journey, to break away from the path others have set out for you and to choose your own future.

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Chris Cooper: https://chriscooper.co.uk/

Chris Cooper on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisdcooper/

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

We think of leadership development and coaching as something for the workplace, right? But what if you could use those same approaches in young people to help them develop their capabilities as a leader right from the time when they're in school?

Well that's what former Pentagon and UN advisor Julie Carrier has been doing for years. She's been featured on NBC, Discovery Channel and MTV, and she's been named Woman of the Decade for girl empowerment by the Women Economic Forum.

And here on The Unlock Moment we dig into the stories from her own life that inspired her to break out from being a shy girl to a girl who walked tall, who speaks in front of audiences of up to 70,000 people and who now serves as an inspiration to millions of young girls across the world.

If you have children who you think could really go somewhere in life, or if you work with young people in school or university, then this is a must-listen episode - as the incredible Julie Carrier lights up The Unlock Moment.

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Julie Carrier: https://girlslead.com/

Leadership Development Institute for Young Women: https://www.leadershipdevelopmentinstituteforyoungwomen.com/

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

Storytelling at its best, the gentle Irish lilt of senior tech leader Feargal Moorhead is compelling as he tells his story from growing up in Ireland to leading roles at Intel and Amazon. He draws connections between the unique culture of County Clare and how it influenced his most recent career pivot from autonomous vehicles to his new venture supporting other leaders to be at their best.

Questions you might ask yourself as you listen:

1. What is it about the environment of the place I grew up in that influences my choices today?

2. Who was the first person other than a family member who inspired me?

3. How do I know when it's time to make a change in my life?

Feargal Moorhead is a seasoned senior leader from world-leading tech firms like Intel and Zoox, the autonomous vehicle division of Amazon. After over thirty years of professional experience space, today Feargal has decided to make a career pivot.

I’m finding it’s becoming much more common for senior executives to reevaluate their priorities and make radical career changes. We’re going to hear about Feargal’s journey, why he’s making the change and of course we’ll hear about the Unlock Moments of remarkable clarity that have shaped his path.

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Feargal Moorhead: https://www.linkedin.com/in/feargal-moorhead-70895643/

Buckley Moorhead: https://buckleymoorhead.com/

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

A remarkable conversation with a remarkable coach, who pulled himself up from his darkest moment to find new stability and to help others discover their Ordinary Resilience.

Luis Velasquez grew up in poverty in Guatemala, became a Professor of Genetics, overcame a brain tumour and is today one of the world’s leading coaches working with executives from Google, Salesforce, Twitter and IBM. His mantra is “you can’t control the rain but you can control whether you get wet.”

Luis is a facilitator at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and, prior to entering the coaching world, Luis served as a professor of Fungal Genetics and Plant Biology at Michigan State University. Alongside his academic background, Luis has a passion for endurance running and human resilience.

As a successful executive coach, Luis has worked with individuals and teams in both global technology companies and successful startups. His book, “Ordinary Resilience: Reframing How Effective Leaders Adapt and Thrive,” combines his personal experience with professional insights working with individuals and teams. Luis’s story was featured in the book “The Long Game” by bestselling author Dorie Clark (also see Episode 139).

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Luis Velasquez: https://www.velascoaching.com/luis-velasquez/

Ordinary Resilience: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ordinary-Resilience-Rethinking-Effective-Leaders/dp/1544545630

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

I haven’t got time. I’ve been in too many meetings. I just don’t know where to start. We’ve all been there – overwhelmed with volume and complexity, unable to find a simple path through.

Making life and business simple is one of the hardest things you can do, and also the most freeing. Today’s guest is a world-leading expert on how to make things simple. Lisa Bodell is a global leader and a world-leading speaker on simplification, collaboration and innovation, how to eliminate complexity and unlock the power of simplicity to unleash creativity and spark energy in people and organisations.

She founded FutureThink which for over 20 years has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world and pioneered research, tools and training. She’s author of two groundbreaking books – "Why Simple Wins – Escape the Complexity Trap and Get to Work That Matters," and "Kill The Company – End the Status Quo, Start an Innovation Revolution." She’s also a celebrated speaker and Real Leaders ranked her in the top 50 keynote speakers in the world.

Given how much I cram into my week, I definitely want to know more about how to keep things simpler, and of course I’m curious to understand about the Unlock Moments that inspired this powerful purpose in Lisa.

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Lisa Bodell: https://www.futurethink.com/

Why Simple Wins: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Simple-Wins-Complexity-Matters/dp/1629561290

Kill The Company: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kill-Company-Status-Innovation-Revolution/dp/1937134024/

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

A remarkable story with a remarkable artist. The kind of illustrator who walks into danger to tell people's stories through the power of his art.

George Butler is an award-winning illustrator but has reinvented the role of the Artist Reporter drawing conflict zones, climate issues, humanitarian crisis and social issues for the news. His drawings are done in situ - in pen, ink and watercolour.

In August 2012 George walked from Turkey across the border into Syria, where as a guest of the rebel Free Syrian Army, he drew the Civil War-damaged, small and empty town of Azaz. A decade later he spent several days in the Metro in Kharkiv, Ukraine recording the lives of those that lived underground to avoid the Russian bombardment. These drawings can be seen in the National Archive at the V&A Museum.

Over the last 15 years George has been commissioned to offer a deliberately slow alternative to the headlines. He attaches his drawings to the personal testimonies of those that he meets and records their resolve and resilience alongside the vulnerability of their situations. This has included in a Leprosy Clinic in Nepal, a militia in Yemen, the Mass Graves in Bucha, a caesarean-section in Afghanistan, the artisanal oil fields of Myanmar and most recently for the Guardian documenting the aftermath of the Earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

"We seem to have lost the art of the observational reporter with a sketchbook to photography, Butler's memorable images show that a closely observed drawing is not just worth a thousand words but hundreds of photographs." A A Gill

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George Butler: https://www.georgebutler.org/

Remember Also Me - Testimonies From The War: https://www.amazon.com/Ukraine-Remember-Also-Testimonies-War/dp/1536240435

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

What is your path of roses? For world-leading coach Hortense le Gentil, a dream sparked her search for balance and fulfilment which took her on a journey of self-discovery and growth.

Why you should listen:

In a world where we place too much value on material things and spend too little time prioritising ourselves, our contentment and our freedom, the message Hortense shares about how to become 'unlocked' is one that will resonate with very many of my listeners.

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Hortense spent 30 years in business, working across industries including media consulting and advertising—and as an entrepreneur. She was a 2021 and 2023 nominee for the Thinkers 50 Coaching and Mentoring Awards and has been ranked #5 on the Global Gurus list by World Management Global Gurus. She is a certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered™ coach and a member of MG100 Coaches. Author of THE UNLOCKED LEADER: Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World (2023), and ALIGNED: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader You’re Meant to Be (2019), Hortense is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and ThriveGlobal.com, and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and Business Insider.

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Hortense le Gentil: https://www.hortenselegentil.com

The Unlocked Leader: https://www.amazon.com/Unlocked-Leader-Voice-Empathy-Shine/dp/1394152930

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

My wife and I are huge fans of the highly successful Traitors TV show. And if you’ve watched it then in Season 2 of the UK series you’ll remember the big-hearted Welshman Andrew Jenkins, playing a Traitor and whose banishment at the last round table set the series up for a memorable finale.

But the story of Andrew’s journey starts long before he was on TV. Two decades ago, at the age of 21, he was in a horrendous car accident and was thought to be dead at the side of the road. In a coma for 4 weeks he was fighting for his life and doctors told his family he would likely have severe brain damage. He proved his doctors wrong and learned to walk and talk and live again, but the journey over the next 20 some years of physical rehabilitation, mental recovery and rebuilding connection with those around him would come to define him as a person.

We met recently and today Andrew is on a mission to inspire others and to try and end the stigma around mental health. We’ll be talking about the journey he’s been on and the Unlock Moments of remarkable clarity that helped him to figure out the path ahead.

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Andrew Jenkins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewjenkinsspeaker/

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com