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Jo Living is an incredibly gregarious, enthusiastic and charismatic lady who I am sure you will find as fascinating as I did when I recorded this interview. She's very entrepreneurial and already has a diverse and very successful career behind her, but Jo's current venture "Aces High" is simply fascinating.

An avid card playing enthusiast since she was very young, Jo is taking a non gambling form of poker into the corporate world as a leadership development tool and her concept is brilliant. We talk in depth about all aspects of Aces High and, to be honest, I could have talked to Jo for a lot longer as I find all that she is doing incredibly interesting and her vibrant personality just shines through.

As time goes by, I think we will all be hearing a lot more about Jo and Aces High, because I am sure she is really onto a winning concept with what she is doing and I think it will be very successful. It's pretty rare to come across something so novel in the leadership development world (which of course is also the space I am occupying) so that helped to make this a really great discussion.

Have a watch or a listen; I'm anticipating that you will be every bit as impressed as I was - please let me know what you think!

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Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

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Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

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I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

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This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/rPZwRS_Kd2c

With geopolitics and national security so much in the headlines these days, my special guest for this 150th episode could not be more appropriate. Marshal of the Royal Air Force, the Right Honourable, the Lord Jock Stirrup KG GCB AFC FRAeS FCMI is a former UK Chief of the Defence Staff and a very active cross-bench member of the House of Lords.

I have known Jock almost all of my working life. He was my flight commander way back when I was on the Jaguar Conversion Unit in 1983 and subsequently my squadron commander when we were both on II(AC) Squadron in Royal Air Force Germany during the Cold War. His whole career story is an amazing one and I have huge respect for all that he has achieved whilst in uniform and beyond.

From starting out as a first tour flying instructor, Jock rapidly found himself on active operations as a loan service officer in what was then the Sultan of Oman's Air Force during the Dhofar War. He subsequently became a leading figure in the Jaguar Force before continuing up the career ladder to ultimately become the UK Chief of Defence Staff from 2006 to 2010.

In this episode, we discuss his career journey and also his thoughts on the political and security challenges facing not only the UK but also the wider world today. Jock is also the first Knight of the Garter who has been on the show and so we discuss that in some detail. For those not familiar, the Garter is the highest order of chivalry in the UK and, can have a maximum of only 24 companion knights at any one time so it is a very exclusive club indeed.

It was a real privilege to get Jock on the show and, as anticipated, it was a fascinating discussion. I very much hope you enjoy it and, as ever, please let me know what you think.

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/Iuo5x542X6Y

These days it's impossible to have a leadership discussion without "working with Gen Z" coming up pretty quickly, and that is what makes the guest on this episode particularly special.

Emily Stone is a Deloitte "Brightstart" apprentice who in her own words is doing an "earn while you learn" degree programme alongside her day job as a consultant in Deloitte's UK business. She joined Deloitte straight from school (that's the basic premise of the Brightstart programme) and, as you will hear on the episode, she is an incredibly charismatic, gregarious individual who without doubt has a very bright future ahead of her.

If you are interested in the Gen Z perspective on the world of work, this episode is definitely one for you, and I think it's fair to say you might be surprised by what Emily has to say. She breaks down a number of the stereotypical assumptions that people often make about the younger generation, and brings out a range of great leadership observations. It is a fascinating conversation that I really hope you enjoy, and I very much look forward to your feedback once you have had a listen.

You can find Emily on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-stone-382200263/

It was a privilege to conduct this interview as part of a routine event for The Leaders' Club so, although it won't be apparent to you when you listen, we also had a live audience and the chance for some follow on Q&A (which is not included with this episode). If you are interested in what The Leaders' Club has to offer and want to join a really interesting group for fascinating weekly Chatham House Rules presentations, just head to https://www.theleadersclub.org/ where you will find everything you need to know, including how to become a member.

On a final note, this episode was recorded away from my normal location so I do apologise for the background noise that you can sometimes hear whilst I am speaking - it was regrettably unavoidable on this occasion.

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/kAXVVXmvEkA

As I conclude the personal stories chronology of my career to date, I thought it would be appropriate to provide a bit more detail on what I am actually doing now with Leading 4 Life under the umbrella of Bob Judson Consulting Ltd. The content may feel a bit like an advert and, although that was certainly not the intent, I would of course be delighted to hear from anyone that is interested in what I offer within my current portfolio. I will continue personal stories in future episodes as I take a deeper dive into some of the most interesting periods in my career throughout the years.

As someone who is passionate about leadership development, I haven chosen to develop my offer around three focused areas: professional keynote speaking, workshops and training; and executive coaching. Each of these areas has real value for anyone that is looking to develop personally or to improve the skills of their teams and, as I highlighted in my double page spread in the Spring 2026 edition of Your Business with James Caan, I strongly believe that starting with keynote speaking is a really time and cost efficient way to help a good number of people in short space of time. Workshops and coaching are also immensely valuable for anyone looking to go deeper and I am always available to discuss any or all of these options if it would be of interest to you.

I really hope that you find the episode interesting and enjoyable, even if you aren’t specifically looking for leadership development at this time. As ever, if you like it, please share it widely, comment, repost and subscribe for future episodes. Thanks again for watching / listening - I really do appreciate it.

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/XfYdr2UuzOA

Pressure! Everyone feels it; however, it's how you respond to it that really matters. Do you fold underneath the pressure or do you use it as a superpower to enhance your capability?

In this episode, I talk about some of my own experiences with pressure. There are many many more I could have mentioned and I've saved some for further personal story episodes, but my intention this time was to discuss the issue on a thematic basis and, as ever, I hope that what I have to say is useful and informative.

Please do let me have some feedback once you've watched the episode - I would be fascinated to know if your experiences are similar to mine and also to hear how you handle pressure in your own life. I really hope you enjoy the show.

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/GaAeea-feFM

Since departing Deloitte to go it alone and run my own company, there are a myriad of things that I have to focus on to build the business. These are certainly not unique to my company and, consequently, I hope that many of the things I say in this episode will be useful tips for anyone else stepping out from a private or public sector company and starting to build their own business.

It has certainly not all been easy or straightforward but I love the freedom that being my own boss gives me and I certainly wouldn't want to change it now. That said, I don't shy away from the challenges, and my intention with this episode is to share some of those as I have done all along with the personal stories I have shared on the show.

I really hope you enjoy the episode. This is one where I would definitely be interested in your own thoughts and experiences, especially if you have any alternative thoughts to my own.

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/5tWESWMJkRc

It was a real delight to interview Maria Franzoni for the show. Charismatic and lively, Maria is full of great ideas and thoughts that made this a really interesting episode. She has been in the speaking industry for much of her working life but she has prior experience as well and she draws on that extensively during our discussion.

Within the speaking world, Maria has worked with many household names, initially as a booking agent / agency owner, and now as a mentor and coach, helping speakers to improve their businesses. She has written an outstanding book, "The Bookability Formula" that is a must read for anyone who is interested in professional speaking in any capacity.

Maria certainly doesn't hold back in this episode; she is very open about a wide range of issues, including some deeply personal ones and I found it a fascinating conversation. I hope you enjoy it too - please do let me know once you have had a watch!

Footnote: During the recording, Maria mentions Ravi Rajani but not by his full name so we wanted to credit him here for completeness.

You can find Maria here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariafranzoni/

Website: https://www.mariafranzoni.me/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMariaFranzoni or https://www.facebook.com/groups/SpeakingBusiness

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text Message

Before you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.

This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/5tWESWMJkRc

It might be a personal view, but I believe that integrity and trust and two of the most important leadership traits and both are sine qua non for any good leader to have.

Sadly, however, we all too often see leaders in pivotal positions who seem to have forgotten the importance of demonstrating integrity, building trust with those that work with them, and trusting those same people to do their very best for the team as a whole.

I use political leadership as an example of where I believe this is going wrong, but I do not cite any particular individuals as I don't believe that would be helpful. The problem is certainly not unique to politicians though; there are plenty of leaders across all walks of life who fail to demonstrate adequate integrity or trust.

In this episode, I take a deeper dive into integrity and trust. I look at a couple of really valuable models that help leaders to think about trust in particular: "5 Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni, and the Trust Equation by Trusted Advisor Associates.

Hopefully I will also stimulate you to think about your own "score" in these areas - passing the "look in the mirror" test is something every leaders should be able to do on a routine basis - when did you last do yours?

I really hope you enjoy the episode and, as ever, I would really appreciate your feedback. This is an area that is too important for us to ignore!

Support the show

Thank you for listening! If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.

You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.

You can find more about me here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/

X: https://x.com/JudsonBob

Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life