Human Behaviour Episodes
Grounded by an Autobiographic Memory
Do you pride yourself on your infallible memory? Well think again. Memories about ourselves and the events of our lives are nurtured by our Autobiographic Memory and, shockingly, it turns out that it is unreliable by design. Our story centres on Brian Williams, America's one-time No. 1 news anchor. He reported from the front line in 2003 at the start of the Iraq War when the Americans were hunting down weapons of mass destruction. He braved Chinook helicopter missions within firing dist…
Curiosity Calls 1
What have a psychiatrist, a psychic medium, a bodyguard, a WWII survivor, a remote settler and a parliamentary candidate got in common? They all feature in today’s episode. The podcast has now passed 25 episodes, so it felt like a great time to look back. Check out this compilation of the best bits of some of our earlier episodes.
It was great fun revisiting some of the first episodes to feature in the Batting the Breeze podcast. I was delighted to reaffirm that the style and integri…
Symphony of a Mind
"If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism." Today I had the privilege to meet one person with autism. Stuart Ross Carlson is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder but he is defined by his extraordinary musical ability. He is a concert violinist and composer. I tried to understand the contradiction between the very earthly challenges that Stuart and his family face every day and the apparent ethereal effortlessness with which he communicate…
Date Me
Dating can be hard enough. But imagine you had been involved in a life-changing accident, were adapting to a new life in a wheelchair and were ready to pick up from where you left off with… boys. Date Me is such a story of a young girl who experiences the highs and lows of human interaction. Find out how she takes back control.
If you’re feeling a little sorry for yourself right now, listen in to this episode for a pick-me-up. Kristin has endured more than most in her life to date. P…
Repeatedly Dead Fred
Cats have 9 lives. Fred Rutman has at least 20. One night in May 2009, he died - three times. That summer, he died another 17 times. Find out how this incredible story led to a new life of intermittent fasting. You will be surprised at the results.
Fred has certainly gone through the mill in his lifetime. He has managed to turn adversity into something very positive. His discovery of intermittent fasting as a new way of life was fascinating. His eloquence particularly struck me on th…
The Jar
Here’s a definition of insanity for you: throwing in a good job, leaving behind a salary and travelling 10,000 miles across the globe to follow a hunch, a seed of an idea. Then driving around the United States, randomly turning up in bars to interview complete strangers and asking them deep personal questions about themselves. That’s what Ken did. Find out how he got on.
Personal comment:
Ken was great fun to talk with. He’s taken some risks in life but his most recent one seems t…
Extroverts Don’t Need Any Help
How are your communication skills these days? No, I don’t mean public speaking or standing up to make a presentation. How are you communicating with your spouse, your children, and your postman? Brenden Kumarasamy, the founder of MasterTalk and top communications coach, shares some simple tips for us all. He’s a blast, by the way. His comments on introverts are hilarious (and I’m one!)
About Brenden:
Brenden is the founder of MasterTalk, he coaches ambitious executives & entre…
Secondhand Embarrassment
Have you heard of secondhand embarrassment? Imagine you’re sitting on a train next to a toilet with an automatic opening door. And then, for no reason, it starts to open. Think this could never happen?
If you’re going to ask others to sharing stories, then it is only fair if you share a story yourself. So, here goes - this is my first personal story on Batting the Breeze. I hope you like it.
Next week's episode
[Episode 12] Winston Churchill's Last Bodyguard - Ha…
A Holotropic Journey
In the 50’s and 60’s, a pharmaceutical company in Switzerland released the psychedelic drug LSD to encourage research of possible beneficial effects for psychological struggles or psychiatric illness. Psychedelic drugs were subsequently outlawed. Most people don’t realise that there is a legal, much safer option to achieve non-ordinary states of consciousness today. Neil Harris explains.
Neil has been a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst for over 30 years. It was fascinating to listen to…
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
My guest today ran for the UK parliament in 2019. Spoiler Alert - he didn't get in! That was the year when the UK was devouring itself on the subject of Brexit. Listen to his hilarious account of fighting to become an MP and find out what advice he would give to anyone thinking of doing the same. [WARNING: This episode includes 1 expletive at 06:57]
A big thank you to Edward, we had a scream putting this episode together. It just proves that you can inject humour into politics b…
Marsy's Law
Listen to the tragic story of a young man and his family, and how the law fails families like this time after time. Also, listen to his subsequent fight for justice and find out how you could play a small part in helping. [WARNING: Contains adult themes.]
It has been a pleasure and a privilege to talk with David. He speaks with such strength and dignity for a man who has experienced such a devastating loss. I wish him, his family and all the Marsy's Law teams across the USA the …
A Tale of Two Mothers
If you need a lift, listen to the story of David Figueroa. He was born with cerebral palsy in Puerto Rico with very little chance of creating a fulfilling life for himself. Take a look where he is now, and how the love of two mothers helped to get him there. Inspirational.
This podcast is also available as an extended version
youtube.com/@battingthebreeze/extended
Contact me:
steve@battingthebreeze.com
Contact David, he would love to hear from you.
David Figu…