#161 When one door closes, how do we get through that messy bit in the middle, to another door opening: tune into the launch of Another Door Opens
Release Date: 10/02/2025
Another Door Stories
“Life’s been tough over the last couple of years not just for me, but economically, for a lot of businesses. If I can bring joy into business owners’ lives and make them feel better about what they’re doing, that’s brilliant.” Ever wondered how to reopen doors (or even build brand new ones) after life throws you a curveball? This episode is all about finding the spark of joy, even in your darkest moments, and building communities that thrive on play, experimentation, and authentic connection. I’m joined by brand strategist, author, and accidental entrepreneur Sapna Pieroux, who...
info_outlineAnother Door Stories
"Be brave enough to say yes even if it wasn’t in your niche or part of ‘the plan’. That’s what keeps you moving forward before you’re ready for that next door to open." Ever wrestled with the idea of turning down your “dream job”? This episode is exploring the tricky decisions we have to make in moments of change and how to solve leadership problems that are really just life problems in disguise. I’m joined by Katie Best, a leadership expert, author, and consultant who shares her personal closing door moment: letting go of her dream role in the creative industries...
info_outlineAnother Door Stories
“It’s not a tick box exercise. It’s a genuine need to care for people and other human beings. Ultimately they’ll thrive again given the right support…and bring a whole new level of compassion and empathy if they’re nurtured the right way.” What happens when your life changes in an instant, not by choice but by tragedy? In this episode I’m with Caroline Roodhouse, who shares her incredibly moving story of losing her husband to suicide, the surreal aftermath, and the slow journey of rebuilding identity, family, and hope. Caroline opens the door on grief: the shock, the vividness...
info_outlineAnother Door Stories
“No matter what you do in life, you’re gonna get judged. You may as well just embrace exactly what you want to do at that moment in time. Open that door. Go through it. You’ll be a bit scared. It’ll be new, it’ll be novel. You’ll definitely learn a lot about yourself. You will be challenged, you will be supported.” What happens when you choose to walk away from what society expects of you and step through a door that feels equal parts terrifying and right? In this episode, I speak to Lee Chambers, psychologist, entrepreneur, author, and leading voice in the male allyship...
info_outlineAnother Door Stories
“If you look for them, glimmers, these little micro moments of joy, are everywhere.” What if being lost isn’t a problem to fix, but a path to joy and self-discovery? In this episode, I speak with Gavin Oattes author, speaker, creativity advocate, and former stand-up comedian for a conversation about closing doors, moving forward, and how letting go can be the bravest thing you do. Gavin shares his journey from a whirlwind comedy career (with stories of sold-out shows, almost-making-it, and friendship tensions) to running a business, writing uplifting books, and learning how to...
info_outlineAnother Door Stories
"Start to not tolerate things, and the bigger things will become easier." What if the hardest (and most transformative) endings in our lives are the ones we choose ourselves? In this episode, I chat with Elizabeth Aldana, Breakup Artist, coach, and advocate for navigating change on your own terms. Elizabeth shares her story of moving across the world from LA to Singapore in a whirlwind week, not because she had to, but because a part of her just wouldn’t tolerate staying still any longer. It was the first major “breakup” she initiated not just from a partner, but from her old...
info_outlineAnother Door Stories
“Change is messy, but it’s also fertile ground. Pause. Rest. Play. Try. Restart. The five steps aren’t a life ‘hack’ , they're a thinking space to get you through so that you can find joy, calm and opportunity amongst the chaos.” How good are you at navigating change? What happens when life throws you out of your comfort zone and into the unknown? How do you let go, rest, experiment, and eventually restart when you’re not sure what comes next? This special episode celebrates the launch of Another Door Opens: 5 steps for navigating change, my latest book guiding you through the...
info_outlineAnother Door Stories
“If you look back on your life and see that you would have done something differently, that means you’re wiser now than you were then. And that means, by definition, the best thing you’ve ever done is ahead of you and will always be ahead of you.” What happens when you walk away from the thing that defined you, your job, your identity, your sense of success and step into a space of not knowing? In this episode, I speak to writer, entrepreneur, and all-around inspiring human, Dan Kieran. The co-founder of the pioneering publishing platform Unbound, Dan shares his...
info_outlineAnother Door Stories
"Are you at least willing to push through the discomfort so that the team can win, so that your family can win, so that the mission can win and ultimately perhaps so that you can win?” Have you ever had life slam a door in your face maybe even in the most public way possible? What if, in that moment, you could hit pause, dig into the mess, and come out the other side with fresh lessons (and maybe even a laugh or two)? In this episode, I talk to executive coach and all-around inspiring human, Brandon Clift. Brandon shares his spectacular "door closed" moment on national TV as a contestant on...
info_outlineAnother Door Stories
“When you're too comfortable, when you have space to overthink, then nothing happens... But when there’s fire under you, you have to move, or you die.” In this episode, we are joined by Mike Morrison, entrepreneur, founder of Membership Geeks, and a true veteran of life’s unexpected detours. Mike shares openly about the many doors that have closed throughout his career and personal life, including the literal locked door that ended his "secure" marketing job, relationship breakdowns, and the surprising, sudden departure of his co-founder. Each setback forced Mike to reimagine...
info_outline“Change is messy, but it’s also fertile ground. Pause. Rest. Play. Try. Restart. The five steps aren’t a life ‘hack’ , they're a thinking space to get you through so that you can find joy, calm and opportunity amongst the chaos.”
How good are you at navigating change? What happens when life throws you out of your comfort zone and into the unknown? How do you let go, rest, experiment, and eventually restart when you’re not sure what comes next?
This special episode celebrates the launch of Another Door Opens: 5 steps for navigating change, my latest book guiding you through the real, messy, emotional process of change. Guest host Mark Shayler (author, speaker, environmental consultant, and spoon-carver extraordinaire!) interviews yours truly for a raw, uncensored conversation about what inspired the book, the ideas behind the 5 steps, how we can do change better and how we all struggle (and grow) through the in-between.
This one’s for anyone experiencing change at work or in life, starting over, or supporting others navigating their own doors closing and opening.
The Highlights:
05:10 Why the book is needed and the dangers of getting stuck in old patterns
07:11 The practice of “letting go”, why it’s so hard, the letter to your closing door, and honouring your old self
12:30 The gift of the in-between: embracing messiness and the discomfort of pausing
17:13 Rest as resistance: radical naps and breaking the “busy” spell
19:30 Five steps to navigating change: Pause, Mess, Play, Try, Restart how to use the framework and why it's not strictly linear
24:53 Why play feels uncomfortable for adults!
33:02 Permission to feel everything, staying with uncomfortable emotions, and why it can be magical
35:22 Using music, movement, and collective energy as fuel in times of change
38:49 Purpose (without grandiosity): showing up for what matters today, and reframing the “why”
45:03 What businesses (and all of us!) get wrong about change, and the importance of benefit mindset
59:48 Making change stick
Some ideas to help you navigate change:
-
Write a letter to your closing door
-
Get to know new you in this moment
-
Get playful: try curiosity as a little rebellion
-
Frameworks are thinking spaces, not tick-lists
-
Build up your capacity and energy, then press restart with intention
About Mark Shayler:
Mark is an author, sustainability expert, provoker of purpose, breathwork practitioner, and, most importantly, a granddad. He works with businesses to reduce their environmental impact. He's worked with the world's biggest and smallest companies and he's saved his clients over $200 million per year through better environmental performance. His latest book is "You Can't Make Money from a Dead Planet."
Connect with Mark:
Website: https://www.markshayler.com/
Work with Eleanor:
Buy the Book - Another Door Opens out now. 5 steps for navigating change. Described as ‘Game changing’ ‘Brilliant’ ‘A must read’ ‘The best book on change’.
Eleanor supports individuals, teams and organisations through change. Whether it’s coaching or large scale organisational change through communications and training.
Work with Eleanor 121 as your coach, when you are starting something new, to develop the idea, to create the idea, to get it launched.
Book in a Change Mastery for a team session - when your team is navigating change.
Book in a 90 minute workshop - to think through change at work.
Join the Another Door Opens 5 Step Programme - a course and community to guide you through the mess of change to find calm, joy and opportunity.
Instagram:instagram/anotherdooruk
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-tweddell/
Website: www.another-door-opens.com
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk