Two ex-special operations guys armed with MBAs seek out people leading lives less ordinary, in order to find out how they fill their ‘unforgiving minutes’, and what helps them go, always, a little further. Like intellectual bowerbirds, we collect shiny little objects of knowledge that will help build better humans. Co-hosted by Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis.
Episodes
Thursday Jun 04, 2020
S2E10- Against Life’s Odds: ‘Tempus Fugit’ ('Time Flees') - Tim Reynolds
Thursday Jun 04, 2020
Thursday Jun 04, 2020
Tim Reynolds was a normal West Aussie kid, left school after year 10 to seek a trade in the Army. From the Apprentices School to commissioning as an officer, Tim’s career took him all over Australia and beyond, including operational deployments to Banda Aceh and Iraq, on exchange with the British 1st Armd Div.
After 27 years of service, Tim started an engineering consultancy in North Queensland, building it into a multi-million dollar company. He was driven and charging hard at life – right up until the point that “God hit him with a big stick”. In January 2010, Tim was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a terminal form of blood cancer and given less than a decade to live.
He’s clearly blown past this diagnosis, commemorating the 10 year anniversary of his diagnosis in January this year. During this time, he has endured two stem cell transplants, seven relapses and countless forms of therapy, all the while acutely aware of the fact that his immune system has failed him and simple bacteria and viruses – let alone COVID-19 – are a huge threat.
Evan as his body fails him, Tim keeps his mind active, conducting art therapy classes with Mates 4 Mates and spearheading initiatives to develop a Veteran’s Workshop in his hometown of Townsville. In the face of this adversity, Tim has managed not only to continuing going ‘a little further’, but also working to benefit others. This is his story.
Intelligence Summary (INTSUM)
03:38 See here for more on the history of the Army Apprentice School at Balcombe, Victoria
05:38 More on the 1998 Aitape tsunami here
09:30 Australia’s military support to the 2004 tsunami was called Operation Sumatra Assist
14:12 More on multiple myeloma
28:14 Mates4Mates is an amazing Australian veteran’s charity
30:06 Tim’s portrait of Cameron Baird VC here
30:30 The Napier Waller Art Prize is an annual art competition held by the Australian War Memorial for artworks by current and former serving Australian Defence Personnel
Music
By: The Externals and Atlas Chasers…. Available on Spotify
Thursday May 28, 2020
S2E9- Dr Kate Baecher: Clinical Psychologist. Developing High Performance Mindsets
Thursday May 28, 2020
Thursday May 28, 2020
Dr Kate Baecher is a clinical and performance psychologist who continues to work with elite sporting teams, corporate leaders, law enforcement, members of Australia’s Special Forces and high-profile television personalities. She spent time in the Army and on operations in Afghanistan and East Timor.
Ben and Tim talk with Kate about overcoming fear, distress, discomfort, using distraction as a form of focus and whether post traumatic growth can happen naturally without psychological intervention?
And the extreme value of taking shots of Apple Cider Vinegar. As well as the role of breathing.
She is a CrossFit ‘State of Mind’ coach and between 2014-2016, Kate worked as the resident psychologist on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!
One of her passions is Backpacker Medics (BPM)- a platform for Paramedics and other pre-hospital workers to engage with the world of humanitarian work in austere environments.
Her business, Elysium High Performance is a performance psychology and coaching organisation that develops and implements personalised training programmes for individuals and teams operating in high-risk, high-stress or complex environments. ElysiumHP’s programmes are designed to assist people to maximise their outcomes regardless of any external influences and perform at a consistently high level.
Kate completed her Doctorate of Clinical Psychology at Macquarie University in Sydney, as well as a Master of Philosophy and Bachelor of Psychology (Hons). When she is not working, her passions lie in the outdoors, regularly climbing rocks and mountains throughout Australia, the Nepal Himalaya, Europe and Asia.
Intelligence Summary (INTSUM)
- 03:30 Dr Kate’s background
- 10:20 Psychological first aid….
- 12:15 Backpacker Medics …. into disaster relief work
- 15:30 Incorporating psychology into front line field medical assessments
- 18:15 Ben hits a roadside bomb in Afghanistan … the power of distraction as creating a focus
- 19:15 Giving purpose and compartmentalising emotion (for now)
- 19:50 Kate on post-traumatic stress/ post-traumatic growth
- 22:00 Can post traumatic growth happen naturally?
- 24:45 How can we overcome fear, distress and discomfort?
- 28:30 The importance of Apple Cider Vinegar
- 29:50 Kate on breathing
- 30:00 Holding peoples mouth closed. Don’t try this at home!
- 32:40 CrossFit state of mind coaching
- 34:17 How do you maintain an elite state of mind
- 36:30 Talking about I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here
- 42:10 On the lack of external validation… and the internal locus of control … and the importance of just being bored
- 44:50 Quick Questions/ Quick Answers
More
Music
The Externals “I on U” … available on Spotify
Thanks to The Externals for the use of their music.
Thursday May 21, 2020
S2E8- David Olney: Blind Insights on Violence and Complexity
Thursday May 21, 2020
Thursday May 21, 2020
You get much smarter in this episode. David Olney IS the smartest guy in the room when it comes to devising solutions to solve complex problems and wicked problems.
David lectures on applied thinking, complex problem solving, philosophies of violence, group psychology, terrorism, strategic culture, and the clash of civilizations. He knows plenty of stuff.
David trains people to use (and choose between) a raft of skills and heuristics, so that they can ask deeper questions, identify assumptions, challenge biases and communicate more effectively.
Alongside this episode, check out David’s. He co-hosts Blind Insights with Tim Whiffen, as well as the STRATEGIKON podcast with Dr. John Bruni for SAGE International Australia.
David has supervised theses on counter insurgency, counter terrorism, ASIO, drone warfare, Joint Special Operations Command, intervention in failed states, and European integration.
He is a regular commentator on Australian national security, regional security, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Intelligence Summary (INTSUM)
- 04:00 David’s early days. Born blind on a farm… onto guitar and violin and massage!?
- 11:00 The philosophies of violence.
- 13:50 The role of violence in contemporary society
- 17:50 David on Dave Grossman…. Has the world ever been more violent?
- 21:20 If David were planning Iraq and Afghanistan post 9-11 what would you do differently
- 24:50 How can you join up civil-military operations?
- 28:25 Commenting on the book Stephen Kotler, Stealing Fire. Found here.
- 31:15 What are Special Operations Units there to do?
- 32:35 What is complexity to you?
- 33:50 Wicked Problems… and the characteristics of wicked problems
- 34:30 How do you clear up a mess!?
- 35:00 What about Dave Snowden? …. Is the toolkit right (probe-sense-respond)
- 36:20 How do we re-shape expectations in a 4-year electoral cycle?
- 37:45 What advice would David give to Leaders during COVID-19?
- 40:00 And talking Stanley Chrystal’s Team of Teams… he was failing and losing first…. Then he realised he had to adapt.
- 42:00 The case for adversity…
- 44:00 The podcast link
- 44:15 No happiness without struggle…. David’s opinion
Blind Insights (Podcast): Link here
Music
Mitchell Martin – ‘Broken’ … available on Spotify
Mitchell Martin – ‘Be Myself … also available on Spotify
Thanks to Michell Martin for the use of his music.
Monday May 11, 2020
@RV17- Voices about the Veterans from Voices of Veterans- ANZAC Day 2020
Monday May 11, 2020
Monday May 11, 2020
Ben and Tim tell some home-baked (and half-baked) stories about those who told their own stories on ANZAC Day 2020!
Intelligence Summary (INTSUM)
- 00:00 - About ANZAC Day 2020
- 05:00 - Colonel Matt .... former mechanic, SAS soldier, SAS officer and Commanding Officer
- 09:20 - Mark Wales ..... former SAS Troop Commander
- 14:20 - Monika Georgieva ..... former Infantry Platoon Commander
- 16:00 - Matt Cross ..... former Infantry Officer
- 18:50- Col Busby ….. former SAS Regimental Sergeant Major
- 24:00- Peter Tinley …. Former SAS Operations Officer and Squadron Commander
- 26:00- Andrew Hastie …. Former SAS Troop Commander
- 27:30- Luke Gosling ….. Former Infantry Officer
- 28:50- Vince Connelly …. Former Infantry Officer
- 30:30- Phil Hayes St Clair …. How Army life shaped Phil
- 32:10- Viv Blycha … Logistics Officer
- 33:00- Cameron Smith …. Former Commando Troop Commander
- 36:00- Bruce McLennan … Former SAS Squadron Sergeant Major
- 39:00- Tim Curtis ….. Former SAS Squadron Commander
- 39:30- Daniel Jackson …. Former Royal Australian Navy Clearance Diver
- 41:20- Ian Young ….. Former SAS Squadron Commander
- 43:00- Lachlan Burg …. Former Artillery Officer
- 44:30- Sarah Watson …. Former Intelligence Officer
- 46:00- Simon Hawken …. Former Infantry Senior Non-Commissioned Officer
- 'H Hour with Hawks' podcast is here
- 48:50- Thank you to Rob Redenbach and George Mansford, AO
- 49:50- More of George Mansford’s poetry is here
- 50:55- Final Comments
Music
The Externals ‘Edge of the World’ … Available on Spotify
Saturday Apr 25, 2020
Special Episode- Voices of Veterans on ANZAC Day 2020
Saturday Apr 25, 2020
Saturday Apr 25, 2020
This ANZAC Day is unlike any other. In this special episode a collection of Australian veterans offer their perspective and reflections on service and ANZAC Day.
Lest we forget.
Intelligence Summary (INTSUM)
- 01:00- The ANZAC Dedication: "They have not died in vain....."
- 02:06- Introduction and context by Ben and Tim
- 05:00- Colonel Matt .... former Army mechanic, SAS soldier, SAS officer and Commando Regiment Commanding Officer
- 09:00- Mark Wales ..... former SAS Troop Commander
- 11:30- Monika Georgieva ..... former Infantry Platoon Commander
- 13:29- Matt Cross ..... former Infantry Officer
- 15:50- Poem ..... "Old Soldiers Never Die" by George Mansford ... recited by Rob Redenbach
- 17:40- Ben Pronk ..... former SAS Commanding Officer
- 23:00- Col Busby ….. former SAS Regimental Sergeant Major
- 28:00- Peter Tinley …. Former SAS Operations Officer and Squadron Commander
- 33:00- Andrew Hastie …. Former SAS Troop Commander
- 37:20- Luke Gosling ….. Former Infantry Officer
- 42:20- Vince Connelly …. Former Infantry Officer
- 46:00- Phil Hayes St Clair …. How Army life shaped Phil
- 47:20- Viv Blycha … Logistics Officer
- 51:10- Cameron Smith …. Former Commando Troop Commander
- 54:00- Bruce McLennan … Former SAS Squadron Sergeant Major
- 59:10- Tim Curtis ….. Former SAS Squadron Commander
- 1:03:00- Daniel Jackson …. Former Royal Australian Navy Clearance Diver
- 1:08:52- Ian Young ….. Former SAS Squadron Commander
- 1:09:00- Lachlan Burg …. Former Artillery Officer
- 1:13:25- Sarah Watson …. Former Intelligence Officer
- 1:16:00- Simon Hawken …. Former Infantry Senior Non-Commissioned Officer
- 1:19:34- Final Comments from Ben and Tim ... and introducing the Ode
- 1:20:00- The Ode… read by Col Busby (ex SAS Regimental Sergeant Major)
- 1:21:45- The SAS Roll of Honour … read by Col Busby (ex SAS Regimental Sergeant Major)
Music
'Getting Away with It (All Messed Up)' … played by the SAS Band ‘Tongue Charge’ ... played live in Afghanistan (with backing vocals by Angry Anderson)
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
In another physical distancing episode of the edition RV, and still waist deep in grenade pins and COVID-19, Ben and Tim reflect on these awesome episodes:
- From SAS to Tough Luxury with Mark Wales.
- Lessons learned from high stakes poker from Alec Torelli
- The 23 year old musical whiz kid, Mitchell Martin
- (Still) Chasing Keanu Reeves with Dianna Nguyen
- Embracing the Virus!
- And whats next on the podcast ?
And hey! It’s another Zoom episode so please excuse the audio … ya super snobs! xx
Intelligence Summary (INTSUM)
02:01 Reflections on Mark Wales
03:20 Giving an Axe as a present?
04:30 The ‘War and Peace’ Fragrance
05:50 Fragrance being described as ‘creamy metallic’
08:30 Sorry Kikki K!!
08:50 Regionals Athlete- Ben
11:10 Reflections on Alec Torelli
11:30 Alec as a negative beta stock! In demand in COVID-19
13:30 The third person. T-Man does refer to himself in the third person … mostly just to be annoying.
15:10 Onto Mitchell; Martin…. 23-year-old musical superstar (New Single: Be Myself).
16:14 Gusting sickening when you see this sort of talent! (joking!)
16:30 What was Tim doing at age 23?
16:50 Streaming v downloading!? Tim showing his generational ignorance
17:40 Big in Argentina! “The organisation….. on Instagram…. What is that called?”
22:15 A slice of the band Atlas Chasers….. with the song ‘Bridges’. (see the Season 1 Episode with Rod Bridge for some REAL meaning with this song)
24:00 Embrace the Virus
25:15 COVID-19. Leaders moving in dog years.
27:10 Dianna Nguyen is still chasing Keanu Reeves!
29:10 What’s coming up next on the podcast?
30:02 About the charity: Foodbank WA
31:15 About the charity: Soldiers & Sirens
32:05 Tim’s ideas for ANZAC Day……….. watch this space.
Contact Us
Music
The Externals …. Available on Spotify
Mitchell Martin …. Available on Spotify
Atlas Chasers …. Available on Spotify
Tuesday Apr 14, 2020
Tuesday Apr 14, 2020
In this Easter Isolation Edition of the RV, and amidst COVID-19 (connecting via Zoom), Ben and Tim reflect on the first three episodes that have kicked off Season 2.
- Combatting the Zombie apocalypse with comedian Mick Neven.
- Rowing across the Pacific with Heather Taylor.
- Breaking through glass ceilings with Australia’s first female infantry officer- Monika Georgieva.
And hey! It’s a Zoom episode so please excuse the audio … ya audio snobs! xx
INTSUM
00:49 Tim brings Ben Easter Eggs. Ben brings Tim dog food.
01:30 Ben loves social distancing. Note: Misanthrope: a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.
02:45 Reflections on comedian Mick Neven.
03:15 More about that molasses trap! And the equivalent in COVID-19.
04:30 What’s the centre of gravity if it’s not Bunnings?
05:25 Ben admits the molasses trap was Tim’s idea… BUT … the farmers give their views on why it won’t work.
07:25 Support the comedians! And wider entertainers.
09:25 Killing off Mark Wales in the Zombie apocalypse.
10:00 How tough is Ben with a Kill Kapture jacket on?
11:30 Onto Heather Taylor…. In California now.
12:20 On social distancing.
13:15 Ben’s terrible questions to Heather! And repeatedly bad!
15:00 Research?!?
17:15 The Stoics. What they did in isolation in the 3rd Century BC.
19:20 Is COVID-19 merely a rehearsal? Note: We are NOT uncomfortable.
21:20 How’s Ben’s faith in humanity?
22:45 Where to for face to face meetings in the future!?
23:50 When a chicken joins the video call!
24:30 Onto Monika Georgieva….
26:30 Monika didn’t ever want to be ‘the first’ … she was just pursuing her bliss!
27:25 The Externals take us out with ‘Edge of the World’.
Links
Stoicism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism
Contact Us
Music
The Externals …. Available on Spotify
Monday Apr 06, 2020
S2E7- Comedian Diana Nguyen is Chasing Keanu Reeves!
Monday Apr 06, 2020
Monday Apr 06, 2020
Diana Nguyen is Chasing Keanu Reeves. She is a Vietnamese- Australian comedian and actor she has featured in many comedy festivals, TED talks and television. But its far deeper than that. Her mother was a refugee and that story and legacy is wound through all of her work. It’s unique…. And after wanting to be nothing more than to be an Australian, she now weaves ethnicity, gender and tiger-mothers into her work.
She is edgy and funny.
We talk comedy, gender and ethnicity, sex and intergenerational conflict. Just the light stuff!
INTSUM
1:00 The tapestry of themes to Dianna.
2:00 What happened that she didn’t become a lawyer (or similar).
3:00 Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother…. And its applicability (or not).
10:00 Racism and its influence on Dianna.
12:45 Why she chooses not to see colour.
13:15 On trying to fit in.
14:30 Does Dianna speak Vietnamese?
15:40 Did Dianna hide a boyfriend in her cupboard?
17:30 An alternate solution to cupboards.
18:00 Paradigm shifting and role models.
20:10 Parasite- The Movie.
22:45 Other people’s opinions…. Do they matter?
23:45 Performing on stage.
25:30 Presence and body language- the power pose.
27:10 Chasing Keanu Reeves- Being sad on a bench.
29:45 Being happy with yourself.
31:20 Quick Questions/ Quick Answers.
Links
#DancingDiana
#JustDoingKaraoke
#ChasingKeanuReeves2021
Diana works for The Humour Foundation. If you would like to donate, click on this link.
Contact Us
Email: debrief@unforgiving60.com
Website: www.unforgiving60.com
Music
The Externals …. ‘Butterfly’ ….Available on Spotify
Mitchell Martin …. ‘I Can’t Stop Singing’ …. Available on Spotify
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mitchellmartinmusic/
Monday Mar 30, 2020
Special Episode- Embrace the Virus! Leading Through COVID-19.
Monday Mar 30, 2020
Monday Mar 30, 2020
The COVID-19 Special Edition for Leaders. Ben and Tim reflect on the emerging global pandemic and discuss how leadership and decision-making frameworks can be applied to this situation to make some sense of the craziness going on around us. Sharing observations from contemporary business responses to the COVID-19 impacts, they take listeners through the five key lessons outline in their recent ‘Embrace the Virus’ thought leadership paper.
INTSUM
1:49 A great overview on the Cynefin framework from Dave Snowden and Mary Boone can be found here
4:30 ‘Probe-Sense-Respond’ methodology for complex environments, and its application to the COVID-19 situation
5:30 Chaotic environments – the pandemic is definitely showing elements of chaos
6:10 Observed limitations of many business continuity plans in the COVID-19 environment
8:20 The requirement for both immediate and longer-term planning
10:15 ‘Embrace the Virus’ can be read in full here
11:00 Leadership presence during the pandemic
11:15 Case study in leadership presence during crisis – Toll vs Norsk Hydro
16:20 Discussion on the key leadership elements we believe are crucial for success during the pandemic
17:35 The importance of record- and logkeeping
18:45 Strong and decisive – BUT not autocratic and nasty!
19:30 Empathy – for our staff….
20:15 ….and ourselves!
20:50 Balconies and dancefloors – the exhausting, but necessary, requirement for leaders to balance their time between the two
23:10 Emotional regulation, vulnerability, transparency and authenticity
25:00 The importance of communication – in, out, up and down!
25:45 Message transmitted does not necessarily mean message received
26:30 Mission Command – centralise your intent, decentralise your execution
28:15 No crisis without opportunity!
** Final song, Dim the Lights by Mitchell Martin
Links
Mettle Thought Leadership on COVID: https://www.mettle.global/new-index
Contact Us
Music
The Externals …. Available on Spotify
Mitchell Martin …. Available on Spotify
Thursday Mar 26, 2020
S2E6- Mitchell Martin – The Next Ed Sheeran! But Better(er)
Thursday Mar 26, 2020
Thursday Mar 26, 2020
Today it’s Mitchell Martin’s birthday! Literally! He is 23 years old today …. And he is making music like no one else. And by that, we mean half a million downloads on Spotify for a single song!
We first saw Mitchell at a music festival and followed his gigs over the next three days. We watched him carefully (not creepy- just like SAS guys do when in an observation post!). And found that this incredibly talented guy and his band were super humble.
Not very rock star!
But in this interview … we talk about following your bliss. Playing music and inspirations. And we have a good dose of Mitchell’s music in there too …. there's some stories of persistence and determination.
And we end with a live acoustic set.
Also we do have the Mitchell and Ben ‘duet’ (... ok ok- apparently it’s called a ‘jam’)... that one is to come. ;-)
Please pay the equivalent cost of a cup of coffee to our musicians starting here: https://mitchellmartin.bandcamp.com
Links
Website: https://www.mitchellmartinmusic.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSNHDTSDnVFaML6KgxlYBOQ
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1yqOTgpECkvgQ6KY1NB4iF
Band Camp: https://mitchellmartin.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mitchellmartinmusic/
Contact Us
Music
By: Mitchell Martin …. Available on Spotify
and
The Externals …. Available on Spotify
... the world is running out of these good blokes. So few of us left!