An Evolving Man Podcast
An Evolving Man Podcast explores leadership, emotional intelligence, trauma, healing and peak performance.
Hosted by Piers Cross, the show features conversations with leading psychologists, psychiatrists, executive coaches, authors, researchers and high-performance leaders, alongside solo episodes on leadership, resilience, relationships and personal transformation.
Drawing on the latest research in psychology, neuroscience, attachment, trauma and human performance, the podcast helps leaders develop greater self-awareness, emotional intelligence and the capacity to lead with clarity, compassion and courage.
Whether you are a CEO, founder, entrepreneur or aspiring leader, each episode offers practical insights to help you thrive professionally while creating a more meaningful and connected life.
Episodes
313 episodes
Porn Addiction, Shame & Mindfulness | Jeremy Lipkowitz on Breaking Free from Destructive Habits | AEM #164
In this episode of An Evolving Man Podcast, I speak with Jeremy Lipkowitz, executive coach, meditation teacher, leadership facilitator and founder of Unhooked Academy.Jeremy works with high-achieving men who want to break free from destr...
Keir Starmer Resigns: What Britain’s Leadership Crisis Reveals About Emotional Intelligence
For Thursday's leadership workshop: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991361811785?aff=oddtdtcreatorKeir Starmer’s resignation marks another major moment in British political leadership.If the UK is now heading towards its seventh P...
Boarding School Syndrome, Power & Politics | Dominic Waterson on Boris Johnson, Tony Blair & Elite Leadership |AEM #163
Why do so many politicians, business leaders and influential public figures come from boarding schools?In this fascinating conversation, I sit down with researcher, author and podcaster Dominic Waterson to explore the hidden influence of...
The Conversations You're Not Having | Piers Cross
For the workshop: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-conversations-youre-not-having-tickets-1991361811785?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true Many leaders, entrepreneurs and former boarders avoid the conversations that matter ...
Lessons from Training 90,000 People | Why High Achievers Still Feel Empty | AEM #162 Will Steel
What if the thing holding you back isn't your circumstances, your team, your strategy, or even your mindset?What if it's the story you've been unconsciously living for decades?In this powerful conversation, leadership coach and au...
Boarding School Syndrome: The Grief We Were Never Allowed to Feel | Piers Cross
When my wife Michelle died in 2025, I expected grief.What I did not expect was that her death would reconnect me with another loss that had remained hidden for decades.The loss of my mother.The loss of my family.The ...
Police Chief: From Ego to Emotional Intelligence: Dr. Ron Camacho on Leadership & Trauma | AEM #161
What happens when a leader confronts their own trauma?In this fascinating conversation, Piers Cross sits down with Dr. Ron Kamacho, police chief, leadership consultant and author, to explore how emotional intelligence transformed his lif...
Prep School vs Public School: Which Was Harder?
One of the questions I hear most often from former boarders is:"Why did I hate prep school but love public school?"Or sometimes:"Why was public school much harder than prep school?"In this solo episode, I explore the...
Why Ex-Boarders Struggle With Boundaries | Boarding School Trauma, People Pleasing & Leadership
Why do so many boarding school survivors struggle with boundaries?In this episode, Piers Cross explores how boarding school conditioning can shape people pleasing, emotional suppression and difficulty saying no later in life.Drawi...
Why Do We Self Sabotage As Ex-Boarders?
To register for the webinar: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/why-smart-leaders-still-self-sabotage-identify-and-break-hidden-patterns-tickets-1988408152310Why do we sabotage the very things we say we want?In this episode, Pi...
Polyvagal Theory, Vagus Nerve & Boarding School Trauma
Here is the link to this Friday's podcast with Sara Warner about the vagus nerve and wearables: https://youtu.be/HpxcTW0oKI8 In this episode, I explore polyvagal theory, the vagus nerve, childhood trauma and boarding school sy...
Why Criticism Feels So Painful for Ex-Boarders
In this episode, I explore why criticism can feel so painful for those of us who went to boarding school.For many ex-boarders, criticism does not simply feel like feedback. It can feel like danger. It can activate old patterns of shame, ...
Music Therapy, Boarding School Trauma & Healing Through Connection | Helen Odell-Miller | AEM #159
In Episode 159 of An Evolving Man Podcast, I’m joined by Professor Helen Odell-Miller OBE, one of the UK’s leading pioneers in music therapy.Helen has spent decades working with trauma, attachment, mental health and emoti...
Does Boarding School Create Resilience… or Dissociation?
Many boarding schools claim they build resilience.But what if what they often create is something else entirely?In this episode, I explore the difference between true resilience and dissociation, and why so many ex-b...
Crowds & Power at Boarding School | Why We Joined In (And How to Forgive Ourselves) | Piers Cross
In this episode, I explore the powerful influence of crowds and group behaviour, particularly within boarding school environments.Why do people join in when someone is being shamed or targeted? Why does it happen so quick...
Third Culture Kid, Boarding School Survivor, Humanitarian | Peter Sykes’ Powerful Story | AEM #158
In Episode 158 of An Evolving Man Podcast, I’m joined by Peter Sykes — humanitarian, strategist, writer and author of Somewhere Never Home.Peter has led major humanitarian responses across the world, but in this convers...
The Loss of Identity at Boarding School | Shame, Conformity & Healing
In this short solo episode, I reflect on one of the deepest impacts of boarding school:The loss of identity.What happens when children learn that their name, hobbies, feelings and individuality are not safe?Drawing o...
UK Child Protection: Grooming | Safeguarding Failures | What Schools Aren’t Telling Parents | AEM #157
In episode 157 of An Evolving Man, I speak with Kimberly Isherwood and Joan Ginsberg from Public Child Protection Wales.Together we explore one of the most urgent and difficult issues in modern society: how we genuinely protect children ...
Boarding on Insanity Screening in Glastonbury (18th April) | Trauma, Leadership & Group Healing
To buy tickets for the Glastonbury screening on 18th April 6.30-9pm or to share it: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/goodwillinactiontopreventsuicidecio/2140155 In this short video, I’m sharing some reflections and inviting...
Childhood Trauma, Identity & Emotional Truth | AEM #156 Christopher J Wesley
In Episode 156 of An Evolving Man, I speak with Christopher J. Wesley — artist, speaker, and emotional leadership thinker — about trauma, identity, and emotional truth in a world shaped by pressure, performance, and algorithms.C...
Boarding School Syndrome & The Outer Critic | Pete Walker's Complex PTSD | Inner | Piers Cross
In this episode of An Evolving Man, I explore the concept of the outer critic — a key pattern in trauma, CPTSD, and boarding school syndrome.Drawing on the work of Pete Walker, we look at how unresolved emotional pain can turn o...
Flow State, Burnout, Purpose and the Future of Leadership | AEM #155 Deri Llewellyn-Davies
In this episode of An Evolving Man, I’m joined by Deri Llewellyn-Davies — boardroom strategist, creator of the Ultra States framework, and someone deeply immersed in the worlds of performance, pressure, recovery, and lea...
.jpg)
Digestion & Stomach Problems | A Common Symptom of Ex-Boarders | Piers Cross
Over the years I have noticed a common ailment among ex-boarders. And that is stomach issues. Why is that? And what can we do now? #digestion #trauma #boardingschoolsyndrome
Andrew, Fergie, Epstein & Boarding School Trauma: A Psychological Perspective
Prince Andrew, Epstein, and boarding school trauma — exploring the psychology behind early experiences and adult behaviour.In this episode, I explore the psychological patterns that may sit beneath well-known public narratives.Loo...
Beautiful Leadership: Integrity, Empathy, Ethics & Leading Under Pressure | AEM #154 Dawn Stallwood | Piers Cross
In this episode of An Evolving Man, I speak with Dawn Stallwood — corporate and commercial lawyer turned leadership counsel, chief integrity officer, entrepreneur, and author of Beautiful Leadership.Dawn brings nearl...
