#155 The no bullsh*t approach to life, career and leadership with Chris Hirst
Release Date: 07/03/2025
#167 Sparking Joy, Playing with Possibility and Rebranding Life with Sapna Pieroux
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...
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#166 Turning down a ‘Dream Job’ and saying Yes before you’re ready with Katie Best
Another 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...
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#165 From horror to hope; the emergence of resilience and optimism following tragedy and crisis with Caroline Roodhouse
Another 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...
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#164 What really happens when you’re the only man at the toddler group with Lee Chambers
Another 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...
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#163 Being confidently lost and finding joy in the chaos with Gavin Oattes
Another 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...
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#162 Why the most important goodbye you’ll ever say is to the relationship that kept you small with Elizabeth Aldana
Another 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...
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#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
Another 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...
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#160 The best thing you’ve ever done is ahead of you and will always be ahead of you with Dan Kieran
Another 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...
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#159 5 lessons from failing Ninja Warrior with Brandon Clift
Another 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...
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#158 How to keep going through the setbacks with Mike Morrison
Another 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"You can have a bad day, some days, that's fine. But then at some point, you've got to go, all right, I've got to take a little bit of responsibility now and get on with this."
In this ‘epic’ (long!) episode, I sit down with Chris Hirst, author known for his “no bullsh*t” approach to leadership and work. We go deep, wide and around the block talking about the realities and myths of career progression, change, redundancy, and what it really means to be a leader.
Chris shares transformative moments in his career, including going to Harvard and facing redundancy, and how these experiences shaped his perspective on success, self-identity, and responsibility.
If you’re questioning your next step, looking for the truth about modern leadership, or searching for practical wisdom on navigating the world of work, this will give you plenty to reflect on (and maybe even prompt some action).
The highlights:
05:04 Chris’s “door closing” moments: Harvard revelations and sudden redundancy
08:24 Why losing your job is so disorientating and what nobody tells you about structure
13:25 The underrated power of curiosity (and why not having answers is okay)
20:12 Doing “everything right”…and still struggling (it’s not just you)
25:58 Why the biggest barrier to your own success is (usually) you
28:26 The pivotal experience that changed Chris’s self-narrative forever
33:11 Why moments of struggle aren’t wrong, they’re just life
38:06 The real reason vulnerability is hard at work (and that awkward HR conversation)
01:01:06 Finding comfort in what you’re good at, not just escaping to something new
The things that help Chris navigate change:
Activities: Playing tennis and writing
Books: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carré; Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, and Citizens by Simon Schama.
One piece of advice:
“Nobody’s coming to save you. Ultimately, the thing that’s either going to move you forward or get in your way, is you. Take ownership, even just 1% more.”
About Chris Hirst:
With more than a decade of experience in Global and UK CEO positions, Chris is widely recognised as an innovative and inspirational leader with a proven track record of successful business transformation guiding businesses to record growth and lasting repetitional change. He is the author of the best-selling and award winning book No Bullsh*t Leadership and No Bullsh*t Change.
His new book, Indispensable:The No Bullsh*t Guide to Career Success is for anyone who wants to build a better career, on their own terms.
Connect with Chris:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hirst-4b77882/
Website: chrishirst.com
About your host Eleanor Tweddell:
Eleanor supports individuals, teams and organisations through change. Whether it’s 121 coaching or large scale organisational change through communications and training. Eleanor’s work centres around how we, as humans, work through change, embracing the messy bits, the role of playing, with the aim to see opportunity. “Too often we get stuck in the change happening to us, when just through that next door is an exciting next chapter.”
Eleanor is the founder of Another Door, and author of Another Door Opens - 5 steps for navigating change in life and at work.
Connect with Eleanor:
Instagram:instagram/anotherdooruk
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-tweddell/
Website: www.another-door-opens.com
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk