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What do you do when the work that once lit you up now leaves you cold? If you're in midlife or a career cul-de-sac and wondering what next, this episode is for you. Midlife Career Change Coach, Josh Peck, joins us to unpack the real conversations that help people move from stuck to clear, and from disempowered to energised. His methods help bring you and your career back into alignment.

In this illuminating conversation, we talk about fear, identity, money, confidence, and how to ask for what you want - even when you're not sure where to start. Josh shares the three conversations everyone should have before making a career change and explains why most of us are "pre-failing" before we even begin.

Whether you're burnt out, bored, or just ready for something more meaningful, this is a practical and hopeful listen.

In this episode, we explore:

• How to recognise when you're experiencing "Sunday night dread, probably every night of the week"
• The three essential conversations for successful career transitions
• Why career changes rarely happen overnight and how to approach transitions realistically
• How to handle the identity destabilisation that comes with career shifts
• The concept of "pre-failing" and how it keeps us stuck
• Why you're 7x more likely to get a job through conversations than applications
• Setting a target number of conversations to move your career forward
• How to choose conversations wisely and hold them gently
• Navigating financial anxiety during career transitions
• Building your second career on the shoulders of your first

About Josh Peck: Josh Peck is the founder of Your Best Life and the Align career change programme. After 20 years as a corporate lobbyist, Josh made his own midlife career transition and now specializes in helping people navigate career changes that align with who they are, what they do best, and how they want to live.

Running order

00:24 – Why this episode matters: conversations that get you hired
02:33 – Josh’s career pivot: from politics to coaching
06:10 – The Amy Winehouse moment that changed everything
08:36 – The 3 conversations everyone needs to have
13:09 – Why money fear keeps us stuck (and how to manage it)
19:49 – How to deal with unsupportive partners or sceptics
25:41 – Why 50 conversations can unlock your next job
29:11 – “Pre-failing” and how to stop sabotaging yourself
33:48 – How to craft a narrative that makes people want to help
46:46 – Why networking events don’t work (and what to do instead)

Links

• Josh’s website is https://yourbestlifeuk.com/
• Instagram: @YourBestLifeUK

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What do negotiating with kidnappers and talking to your teenager have in common?

Everything!

In this episode, we sit down with Scott Walker, one of the world’s most experienced kidnap-for-ransom and crisis negotiators, to explore what high-stakes hostage negotiation can teach us about everyday conversations. With over 300 successful cases under his belt, Scott now trains leaders at Apple, Amazon, the UN, and beyond.

Whether you're negotiating a deal, a deadline, or dinner, Scott’s wisdom will help you regulate better, listen smarter, and get more of what matters — without a fight.

We should have titled this episode "What can a hostage negotiator teach us about negotiating at work, while parenting, and during high-pressure conversations?" 😄

We talk with Scott about:

• Why “negotiation” isn’t just for boardrooms
• The 3 types of conversation (and how to spot them)
• Why most of us misunderstand the type of conversation we’re in
• The one mindset shift that makes you a better communicator overnight
• How to regulate your emotions mid-conflict (aka “Paws (pause). Toes. Choose.”)
• Why assumptions are expensive, and listening is cheap
• How to deal with difficult people without losing your cool

This episode is packed with tools, stories, and sticky metaphors that will change the way you communicate – from pirates to partners.

Running Order:

• 00:09 – Why most of us struggle with conversations
• 01:06 – Introductions - Scott Walker: hostage negotiator turned leadership coach
• 02:25 – Negotiation as purposeful conversation
• 03:51 – What pirates and teenagers have in common
• 05:06 – Assumptions: the expensive earplugs blocking real communication
• 06:45 – The three types of conversation: practical, emotional, and identity-driven
• 11:32 – When your identity feels under threat
• 12:25 – Regulating your emotions under pressure
• 13:53 – Scott’s first major mistake — and the colleague who saved him
• 15:58 – Managing emotional triggers: observe, don’t absorb
• 20:14 – Better conversations start with better self-awareness
• 21:55 – “Pause. Reflect. Choose.” — a technique for staying grounded
• 25:27 – The importance of practising calm before you need it
• 29:14 – Taking ownership of your emotions (and outcomes)
• 30:06 – How to deal with difficult people (egos, narcissists, manipulators)
• 32:22 – Trump vs Zelensky: a lesson in how not to have a conversation
• 35:30 – Warmth cues, head tilts, and how we signal we’re listening
• 37:02 – Scott’s “antennae” approach to reading the room
• 40:14 – Why better conversations start in your body (Paws. Toes. Antennae.)
• 42:10 – Trust as the cornerstone of any successful negotiation
• 43:49 – When the relationship matters more than the outcome
• 45:35 – The five levels of listening — and why most people never get past level two
• 48:50 – Why what and how questions are better than why
• 52:16 – The power of silence (and why we find it so uncomfortable)
• 53:08 – How to sound human, not robotic
• 55:22 – How to negotiate under pressure — in real time
• 57:03 – Scott’s parting advice: ditch the excuses, do the work

Links

> Scott’s books – Eye of The Storm (out 8 May 2025) and Order Out of Chaos can be purchased here: https://amzn.eu/d/5T0dasf

> Thrive under pressure course - May 20 thriveunderpressure.co.

> Sign up for Scott’s newsletter here: https://winanynegotiation.com/pages/contact

> Follow Scott on

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Turn Missteps into Meaningful Conversations with Dr. Victoria Stakelum

We all hate being wrong. It feels uncomfortable, sometimes even threatening. But what if being wrong wasn’t something to fear but an opportunity for connection, learning, and deeper conversations?

In this episode, Dr. Victoria Stakelum, a psychologist and NLP Master Coach, joins us again to unpack the complexity of wrongness - why it triggers such strong emotions, how societal norms shape our ideas of right and wrong, and what to do when we (inevitably) get something wrong.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why wrongness is often subjective and why that matters.
• The emotional weight of admitting you’re wrong (and how to handle it).
• How curiosity can turn disagreements into meaningful discussions.
• The best way to challenge someone else’s wrongness - without making them defensive.
• Why separating identity from opinion makes for better conversations.
• Practical strategies for handling workplace disagreements, difficult conversations, and public missteps.

Whether you’re navigating a tough conversation at work, dealing with differing worldviews, or just trying to be less reactive when someone calls you out, this episode will help you reframe wrongness and use it as a tool for better communication.

Find Dr Victoria Stakelum at thesuccesssmith.com or on LinkedIn.