Podcast
Ordinary to Extraordinary - The Podcast
Hosted by David Hindle & Neil Jeffers · EN
The truth is, the most extraordinary feats are often accomplished by ordinary people – real folks just like you and me. In "Ordinary to Extraordinary," Search & Rescue pilot Neil Jeffers, and HEMS doctor David Hindle chat with these everyday heroes, peeling back the layers to reveal the grit, passion, and unexpected twists that fueled their journeys. Get ready to be inspired, empowered, and maybe even a little bit braver to chase your own extraordinary.
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23episodes
Episodes
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Sue Williams QPM: International Hostage and Kidnap Negotiation Expert
2w ago01:19:08Tap to summarizeSue Williams is one of the world’s most experienced hostage and kidnap negotiators. A former senior detective at New Scotland Yard, she led both the Kidnap Unit and the Hostage Crisis Negotiation Unit, advising UK Prime Ministers and international governments during some of the most complex and sensitive abduction cases of the last three decades. Her work spans war‑zone kidnaps, maritime piracy, cyber‑extortion, and covert negotiations for high‑profile families. Today, she teaches negotiation and crisis leadership at Oxford Saïd Business School, and crisis management at Harvard University, and continues to advise global organizations on high‑stakes decision‑making under pressure.We talk to Sue about her journey into becoming a hostage negotiator, and some of the communication tools she uses to effect successful negotiations: things we can all use in our daily lives.Active Listening Tool: "MOREPIES"Minimal encouragersOpen ended questionsReflectingEmotion labelsParaphrasing"I" messagesEffective pausesSummaryPip Decks: "Negotiation Tactics" https://pipdecks.com/products/negotiation-tactics?srsltid=AfmBOooQh5DLM45QlzlsR19IhiSeSuCmc97oXBae0Ub7r5ncXUP727dP(photograph of Suzanne Williams used with permission by Suzanne Williams) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Nick Lopez: Create, Don't Wait for Opportunities. Banana Baller for the Texas Tailgaters
Apr 2101:41:00Tap to summarizeNick Lopez is a professional baseball player for the Texas Tailgaters, competing in the rapidly exploding phenomenon known as Banana Ball—often called the “greatest show in sports”—where he’s established himself as one of the league’s premier hitters. Like Banana Ball, his journey there is anything but typical.Growing up, he had no collegiate offers out of high school. What he did have was relentless drive and an unshakable belief in his ability. That mindset pushed him to chase opportunity wherever he could find it. Even after a serious injury, he accelerated through the college ranks, ultimately finishing at the University of Kentucky, where he helped lead the program to its first-ever College World Series appearance—and earning himself SEC First Team and All-American honors along the way.Undrafted in traditional baseball, many would have seen that as the end of the road. Nick saw it as a pivot point. He launched his own business, stayed ready, and ultimately earned his shot in Banana Ball—now performing in front of sold-out crowds of up to 80,000 fans a night.This is a story of resilience, reinvention, and about creating opportunities, not waiting for them.The Texas Tailgaters: https://bananaball.com/the-texas-tailgaters/Nick Lopez: Insta: @dimitri.lopez_Nick's business: Leisure Househttps://leisurehouse.mykajabi.com/Insta: @theleisureverse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Dr. Andrew Petrosoniak. The Moment of Choice: How to Make Better Decisions
Mar 1301:31:40Tap to summarizeWe are delighted to welcome back Dr Andrew Petrosoniak, who we first interviewed on episode 22, when we explored the role of coaches in medicine. In this episode we will take a deep dive into decision making. Human are estimated to make approximately 35,000 decisions a day. Very few of us have received formal instruction in how to make decisions particularly when under pressure, but like many things, decision making is a skill that can be learnt and trained. Andrew is an expert in human factors and has studied and thought about the elements that go into critical decision making, and he will present 8 tools we can all use to help us make better decisions. Dr Petrosoniak is an emergency physician and trauma team leader at St. Michael’s Hospital, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Petrosoniak’s academic work focuses on using simulation to help design clinical infrastructure and improve patient safety. His other area of research involves understanding how rare, life-saving procedures can be best taught and practiced using simulation. In 2020 Andrew co-founded Advanced Performance HealthCare Design - a company focused on using simulation, behavioural psychology and clinical expertise to enhance high performance teams in healthcare. https://advancedperformance.ca/Andrew is an invited speaker both nationally and internationally, and so we are honored that he has agreed to talk to us a second time! 8 Decision Making Tools:Reduce decisions whenever possible.Sign-post decisions.Deliberately consider alternative options.Assign probabilities to decisions.Use one-line summaries, and simplify where possible.Use a pre-mortem.Debrief decisions.Learn from decisions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Richard De Crespigny: Flight QF32
Jan 2701:56:12Tap to summarizeRichard De Crespigny is an expert in leadership, decision-making, and human performance under pressure. He is best known as the Captain of Qantas Flight 32, the Airbus A380 that suffered a catastrophic engine failure shortly after takeoff from Singapore on November 4th, 2010—an event that has since become one of the most studied and finest examples of effective CRM in aviation history. He has over 45 years of experience in aviation and his book, QF32, is a powerful exploration of leadership, teamwork, communication, and calm thinking when the stakes could not be higher.What makes the story of QF32 extraordinary isn’t just what went wrong—but how a team came together, how decisions were made in uncertainty, and how human factors, not heroics, made the difference to effect a safe and successful outcome.In this conversation, we go beyond the headlines to explore what QF32 teaches us about crew resource management, cognitive load, emotional regulation, communication and leadership when suddenly faced with potential catastrophe.Richard's books:QF32Fly! The Elements of ResilienceRichard's website: https://qf32.aero/Richard's podcast, FLY: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/qf32-the-inside-story-from-the-flight-deck/id1832400848?i=1000723751309(Episode photograph supplied by Richard De Crespigny used with permission) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Dr. Jorian Kippax: The Franklin River Rescue
Jan 601:26:38Tap to summarizeDr Jorian Kippax is an emergency medicine specialist based in Tasmania, Australia — but his work spans mountaintops, disaster zones, and deep wilderness. He’s a Retrieval Consultant with Ambulance Tasmania’s Critical Care and Retrieval Service, and a Trauma Specialist at the Royal Hobart Hospital. He’s also a veteran of international disaster response, having led medical teams in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan and earthquakes in Myanmar as part of Australia’s elite AUSMAT deployment force.In November 2024 he was involved in a 22-hour rescue deep in Tasmania’s Franklin River wilderness. He performed a life-saving underwater field amputation to free a trapped rafter using only the gear that could be delivered by helicopter. That act of skilled courage earned him Lithuania’s Life Saving Cross and the 2026 Australian of the Year for Tasmania.In today's episode, Dr Kippax shares a firsthand account of the rescue, and we explore the underlying human factors skills used by him and the large team of specialists that day. To watch the ABC News Documentary: You Tube: https://youtu.be/nMa-Lqxfzqk?si=3or2-2ZjAh6oziyihttps://australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/dr-jorian-kippax Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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David Hindle. A Journey To Extraordinary - One Conversation at a Time.
Dec 1200:52:51Tap to summarizeI was fortunate to be invited to an Upland Hills Health dinner to deliver a presentation focused on the lessons we have learned from our podcast guests, specifically with respect to how Healthcare might benefit from instruction in human factors and mental skills, and from formal coaching. Drawing from the stories and lessons learned from several of our impactful guests, I delve into how mental skills training forms the third corner of a high performers pyramid, held together by the understanding and application of human factors. I suggest that we can set ourselves up for success with mastery of the basics, excellent preparation, and then by using self regulation techniques to steer us into the appropriate performance state. I cover mental rehearsal and visualization, and finally some key concepts about debriefing and how important it is for that to become an ingrained part of team culture.I would like to credit and acknowledge the podcast guests that provided this material that I have collated together from multiple episodes into a single presentation. If you wish to hear more details from these guests themselves then please jump into their individual episodes numbered below.Dr Jason Brooks #6Alan Stein Jr. #16Capt. Sam Soderberg #17Mandy Hickson #18Dr Andrew Petrosoniak #22Jonathan Viscosi #27Payar Pasha #29Keith Reesby #33DISCLAIMER: ***The opinions that I express in this podcast are my own personal views, with references also made to prior episodes and guest views. I am not speaking for, or representing, any other company or institution. The dispatch case details at the beginning of the podcast are purely a fictional simulation, and any resemblance to a real or actual event or patient is purely coincidence.*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Keith Reesby: Closing the Gap. Transformative Life Coach, Speaker and Author.
Nov 1001:39:47Tap to summarizeKeith Reesby is a personal development specialist with more than 25 years of experience in human performance and transformation. Combining contemporary psychology, ancient philosophy and lived experience, he has developed a proven 10-step process to help people discover purpose, build self-awareness, and achieve lasting behavioural change. Keith combines his lifelong passion and study of psychology with extraordinary life experiences that include: international sportsman, combat helicopter pilot, ascent of Mount Everest, driving from Cape Town in South Africa to the UK, and Iron Man endurance events. He is an author with an upcoming book about to be published, "The Hero you" and currently works a transformation life coach through his company METIS Human Potential. These experiences have given him rare insight into the human condition—and the practical tools to overcome its challenges. In this episode we talk to Keith about two key events in his life; when he was shot while flying on deployment with the Army, and what happened during his ascent of Mount Everest. We discuss ways to cope with the "startle effect", and how knowing your own values and inner-self can help unlock the Hero within you as well.Keith's website: https://keithreesby.com/Upcoming book: "The Hero You"Performance acronym: ARFAA: ActionR: ReflectionF: FeedbackA: Adjustment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Tom Turcich: The World Walk: 7 Years. 28,000 Miles. 6 Continents.
Oct 2001:22:39Tap to summarizeImagine walking across the planet—28,000 miles, six continents, seven years—powered only by your own two feet and accompanied by your trusted companion, an Australian Shepherd dog.Our guest today did exactly that. Along the way, he faced exhaustion, illness, wonder, connection, and discovery.His new book, The World Walk, captures not only the adventure, but the preparation, mindset, and recovery behind an extraordinary endurance journey.Today, we’ll explore how he planned for the impossible, what he learned about people and culture, what the world taught him about being human, and what he learned about himself..Website: https://www.tomturcich.com/Books:"The World Walk: 7 Years. 28,000 miles. 6 Continents. A Grand Meditation, One Step at a Time." https://a.co/d/2JlIwom"Savannah's World of Adventure: Crossing the Andes." https://a.co/d/bd4SFZp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Dr. Phillip Lee: Choosing the Hard Path: A Story of Conscience and Courage from a GP and former Member of Parliament
Sep 2001:52:39Tap to summarizeDr. Phillip Lee is both a general practice doctor, and also a former Member of Parliament for Bracknell. He served as Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State for Victims, Youth and Family Justice (Ministry of Justice) under U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May from July 2016 to June 2018. For almost 20 years he served as both a doctor and politician, until in 2019 he famously crossed the floor of the House of Commons whilst PM Boris Johnson was delivering a statement, to leave the Conservative Party and join the Liberal Democrats over disagreements with the way he felt the Government was handling Brexit. He left Parliament and politics after the December 2019 General Election. Dr Lee continues to work as a doctor in the Southwest of England.In this podcast episode we discuss Dr Lee's journey into medicine and politics, and how having two careers helped him with perspective in each. During his political career as a Member of Parliament, Dr Lee encountered times when his own beliefs and analysis of a situation were in conflict with his Party. He talks us through how he came to these conclusions, and how while under pressure he was able to stay true to his own beliefs and do what he felt was right, knowing that doing so may come at a personal professional cost. We discuss his perspectives on decision making, what qualities he has observed in some world leaders, and what he feels has contributed to his own inner strength of being prepared to take the hard pathway to stay true to himself.Human Factors topics: decision making, communication, standing up for one's own beliefs, courage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Zoran Stojkovic: Mental Performance Coach to Elite Athletes, Military Aviators & High-Stakes Professionals
Aug 2901:39:06Tap to summarizeZoran Stojkovic is a certified Mental Performance Coach and founder of Kizo Performance. He blends evidence-based mental skills with practical tools for confidence, focus and resilience. He has worked with over 2,000 clients, and has 10 years of experience as a Mental Performance Specialist helping amongst others, military aviators, professional athletes and executives.We continue our journey of discovery into this important profession and Zoran leaves us all with some tools we can use in our everyday lives to advance our crafts closer to extraordinary. KIZO Performance https://www.kizo.ca/Acronyms discussed in the podcast:Next play mindset: W.I.N. "What's Important Now"Stay focused and present: C.P.R. "Calm, Present, Ready"Assessing the stress of a mission: V.U.C.A. "Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, AmbiguityC.I.A. tool for recruitment: R.I.C.E. "Reward, Ideology, Coercion, Ego"Deriving core values for a team or a group:WHO are we?: IdentityWHAT do we what? The missionWHY do we want it? The motivation or purposeHOW are we going to get it? The process, the day-to-day"Behaviors more than values""See an error as an opportunity""Next play speed"Activation level mapping: Military pilots map their missions to understand where stress will arise and then neuroprime the brain to control the body's response.Zoran's High Performance Mindsets Guide:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/65a975e15f408063d5c05597/t/65b84a0e01f5be0c52e6e835/1706576405711/High+Performance+Mindsets+for+Athletes+%28PDF%29.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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