What does it really take to perform at your best under pressure?

In this episode, Richard Reid sits down with Dr. Steven Stein - clinical psychologist, author, and globally recognised expert in emotional intelligence - to explore how EQ shapes leadership, decision-making, and resilience. Steven shares insights drawn from 40+ years of research and work with elite groups including Navy SEALs, the FBI, and professional athletes.

From managing anger constructively to trusting your gut in high-stakes moments, this conversation is packed with practical, research-backed strategies. As Steven puts it: "Find your purpose, and then find out how emotional intelligence can help you get there."

Key Takeaways

Emotional intelligence involves three core skills: awareness, management, and use of emotions. People tend to be either over-emotional or under-emotional, and both create problems.

Hardiness - built on Commitment, Challenge, and Control - is a proven framework for resilience. Daily small wins matter more than big rewards for sustained motivation.

In the age of AI, emotional intelligence will become even more critical for leadership.

Episode Highlights

EQ in elite military units - what Navy SEALs taught Steven about psychological safety and leadership.

Anger as a tool - how to manage it constructively rather than suppress or explode.

Gut instinct vs. analysis - when to trust your intuition and when to slow down.

The Three C's of Hardiness - Commitment, Challenge, and Control explained with real-world examples.

AI and the future of EQ - why human emotional skills will be the differentiator in an automated world.

Timestamps

03:37 — Common EQ challenges: over and under-emotion

05:12 — Managing anger effectively

07:46 — Working with Navy SEALs and elite military groups

13:14 — Instinct vs. emotional intelligence in fast decisions

16:24 — Practical EQ strategies for busy professionals

20:00 — Managing back-to-back meetings and mental load

22:11 — The power of daily small wins and positive emotions

25:30 — Hardiness: the three C's framework

40:34 — Steven's next book: life lessons from reality TV

43:44 — Final advice: find your purpose and use EQ to get there

🔗 Connect With Steven Stein

Website:

LinkedIn:

Instagram:

Facebook:

YouTube:

⭐️ Connect And Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid's work at www.richard-reid.com.

Download the first two chapters of Richard's "Charisma Unlocked", audio or PDF version for free and begin your transformation towards authentic charisma:

https://richard-reid.com/master-authentic-charisma/

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

What does it mean to go from feeling like the only one to becoming the first? Richard is joined by Caroline Flanagan - The Coach for Black Lawyers - for a powerful conversation about identity, imposter syndrome, resilience, and the mindset shift that changes everything.

From studying on a makeshift desk of car tyres while facing eviction, to holding a Cambridge offer, Caroline's story is one of radical reframing. You have never been the only one. You are the first.

Key Takeaways

Imposter syndrome is rooted in being the only one in the room - awareness is the first step. Survival mode drains your bandwidth and limits your performance. Reframing from victim to first-mover changes how you show up entirely. Hard work alone won't get you promoted - visibility and strategic relationships do.

Episode Highlights

Caroline's defining moment at five: the only Black child in her school assembly hall. Growing up between two worlds - excelling at boarding school while facing poverty at home. Studying for A-levels while facing eviction, with a Cambridge offer on the table. Why technical excellence alone won't get you to partner level.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

01:06 From law to coaching

03:26 The defining moment

06:41 Imposter syndrome and self-fulfilling prophecies

12:21 Survival mode vs flow

16:06 Family pushback on aspiration

23:39 The car tyre desk story

28:31 Who Caroline coaches and how

33:35 Is the dial moving on DEI? 3

8:28 You are the first — closing message

🔗 Connect with Caroline Flanagan

Website: https://carolineflanagan.com/about-caroline/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolineflanagan00/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolineflanagan00/photos

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@carolineflanagan-coach

⭐️ Connect and Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid's work at www.richard-reid.com.

Download the first two chapter of Richard's "Charisma Unlocked", audio or PDF version for free and begin your transformation towards authentic charisma:

https://richard-reid.com/master-authentic-charisma/

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

What happens when external success starts fracturing your soul? Sherilyn Shackell, founder of the Marketing Academy, didn't walk away from a lucrative headhunting career — she was forced out of it by burnout and a serious illness that made her rethink everything. What came next was one of the most extraordinary not-for-profit leadership organisations in the world, built entirely on generosity, reciprocity, and the belief that exceptional talent deserves exceptional development.

In this conversation with Richard Reid, Sherilyn talks candidly about the moment she realised she was living a discordant life — professionally successful, personally unfulfilled — and how that near-death wake-up call became the catalyst for founding the Marketing Academy in 2010. Fifteen years on, the Academy now runs free, highly selective leadership programs across the UK, US, Australia and Asia, with over 1,400 alumni in 40 countries and a virtual campus reaching 10,000 people.

Sherilyn and Richard dig into the psychology of the "treadmill of doom" — how we end up chasing success in careers we didn't consciously choose, driven by parental expectations, peer pressure and external validation — and what it actually takes to step off it. They also explore the CMO-to-CEO pipeline the Academy is quietly building, the power of human-first leadership, and why Sherilyn believes you have 100% ownership over how you choose to think — even when the world feels like it's heading towards Armageddon.

Timestamps

01:24 Why marketing, media and advertising can change the world

02:18 From headhunter to founder — Sherilyn's unconventional route in

05:33 Intrinsic motivation — being good at something vs. loving it

06:18 Living a discordant life — when joy and purpose aren't aligned

08:42 The treadmill of doom — how parental expectations shape careers

10:51 Inside the Marketing Academy programs — scholars, fellows and alumni

29:48 The ripple effect — CMOs becoming CEOs, alumni feeding back in

31:39 What's next — virtual campus, geographic expansion and alumni investment

🔗 Connect with

Sherilyn Shackell — Founder & CEO, The Marketing Academy

Website:marketingacademy.org

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sherilynshackelllinkedin.com/in/sherilynshackell

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/sherilyn_tma/

⭐️ Connect and Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Business of Thinking podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating! It helps us bring more insightful content on the psychology of high performance. Find more about Richard Reid’s work at www.richard-reid.com.

Download the first two chapter of Richard’s “Charisma Unlocked”, audio or PDF version for free and begin your transformation towards authentic charisma:

https://richard-reid.com/master-authentic-charisma/

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/