#159 5 lessons from failing Ninja Warrior with Brandon Clift
Release Date: 09/04/2025
#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...
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#157 The layoff journey: from dismissal to discovery with Steve Jaffe
Another Door Stories
“Resist that urge to jump right into job applications and start applying. You want to give yourself some space to process what you've been through and maybe avoid making any big decisions." In this episode, we have Steve Jaffe, author of The Layoff Journey: From Dismissal to Discovery. Steve has been laid off four times during his career each time making space for reflection, resilience, and ultimately, growth. We talk about the messy middle: what it really feels like to lose your job, how to process grief and anger, and why hope, connection, and self-care make all the difference....
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#156 The importance of empathy at work in times of change with June Hogan
Another Door Stories
“Sympathy is rushing to turn the light on into someone’s darkness so that we feel better, whereas empathy is being prepared to sit with somebody in their darkness and connect with them and just be there for them.” In this episode, I’m joined by June Hogan. June helps organisations to do redundancy and layoffs well! So of course I’m a fan. It’s never easy or simple when companies have to let people go, but it can be done well, and with empathy and fairness. This is what June’s work is all about. We talk about the difference between empathy and sympathy when you are leading...
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#155 The no bullsh*t approach to life, career and leadership with Chris Hirst
Another Door Stories
"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...
info_outline"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 Australian Ninja Warrior, and the series of reflections and transformations that followed his Ninja splashdown.
This conversation dives (literally at some points) right into the messy reality of change, confidence, ego, failure, and finding humility when life doesn’t go to plan. Brandon gets honest about what happens when your head gets a little too big, and how embracing the true lessons in failure can completely shift your story. If you’ve ever been blindsided by an unexpected turn, questioned your own confidence, or wondered how to pick yourself up, this episode is for you.
The Highlights:
04:24 From gymnastics to van life: when breakdowns lead to breakthroughs
08:40 Why extreme confidence can tip into arrogance
13:03 Ninja Warrior: the inside story
19:28 When overconfidence means you miss the details right in front of you
23:16 Identifying personal blind spots and rewriting old stories
27:12 Shadow work, childhood beliefs, and facing your own truth
34:44 The power in detaching from outcomes (and why Buddhist wisdom beats business hype)
38:31 Supporting others, men’s circles, and getting out of your own head
41:57 From Ninja crash test to executive coach.
What helped Brandon navigate change:
Soundtrack: “It’s Nice To Be Alive” by Ball Park Music
Book: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink
One piece of advice: “Take stock of the stories you’re telling yourself as to why you’re resisting the change and find a path through, with kindness, mentorship, and community. Change is inevitable, ask how it might be happening for you, not to you.”
About Brandon Clift
After representing Australia as a competitive Gymnast, Brandon channeled his passion for performance and coaching into founding Zone, a fitness and wellness company that became #1 in its industry and earned him a nomination for Young Entrepreneur of the Year before its successful sale.
Brandon then moved to the U.S., where he expanded his coaching into sales, marketing, leadership, and emotional intelligence training where he has partnered with companies like AT&T, Volkswagen, Lulu Lemon, and United Healthcare.
Outside of work, Brandon is passionate about issues faced by boys and men, a passion that led him to host The Mankind Podcast, a Top 1% show that reaches thousands of men weekly.
Website: brandonclift.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