When I ask most guests on Better Under Pressure when they first experienced pressure, they normally say it was from either parents or school in exams or on sports day, but when you’re born into a notorious cult where you’re raised knowing the world is ending and you are one of god’s endtime soldiers, the pressure is on a whole other level. Petra Velzeboer managed to escape from the cult in her early twenties, and started a family and working, only to find the latter not too dissimilar to those original pressures of the cult - which is why - to use her phrase - she crashed. So it’s no wonder that, when she managed to very consciously extract herself from that second cycle, Petra became a psychotherapist and champion of mental health support with her organisation - PVL - combatting psychologically toxic cultures and promoting mentally healthy work environments.

Working out the things that don’t count so much in your day or your week can be tricky. It’s very easy to fall into the trap that everything is a priority. In Alice Dyson’s case – as CEO and founder of the dynamic entertainment and production company, Framewood Media, it’s particularly tough.

Welcome to The Better Under Pressure podcast, I’m Sara Milne Rowe and in this episode I’m talking with Alice Dyson.

A pioneering female leader in the music industry, Alice is a champion of innovation in media, storytelling, and entertainment. Previously the Director of the British Phone-agraphic Industry, she’s been involved in everything from releasing films with Helena Bonham Carter to recording the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in St Paul’s Cathedral. She is also deeply passionate about sport, health and science - all of which has led to her creating Geo-genomix—a pioneering initiative to help people achieve better health outcomes through personalised insights. Today she shares, amongst other things:

💪 How - despite a chronic autoimmune condition - she’s learnt to channel pressure into opportunity;

💪 What she means by ‘Navigating the Nos’

💪 What helps in her pursuit of making it into the England over-45 masters hockey squad.

Let’s find out how she manages her energy to be… Better Under Pressure.

This episode of BUP is special: In the summer of 2019 Claire Danson, European Triathlon Champion collided with a tractor while she was out training, her future instantly transformed from professional triathlete to life in a wheelchair. As performance coaches, at Coaching Impact we work with many athletes and leaders in the sector, but my conversation with Claire goes down as one of the most inspiring I’ve had on this podcast. Claire’s story of resilience and reinvention as a para-athlete offers profound insights into our relationship with pressure. Do listen, Claire is deeply inspiring and is full of practical tips to apply whatever pressure you might be under.