In this powerful podcast episode, Mari Williams interviews Cara Cunniff, a former British military officer and endurance athlete, who shares her profound experience of feeling lonely while surrounded by other military spouses during her husband's deployment to Iraq.

The conversation explores the challenges of emotional connection, the importance of self-worth, and how small acts of kindness can transform personal isolation. Cara discusses her journey of finding strength in solitude, developing emotional intelligence, and ultimately creating meaningful connections in both personal and professional life.

About Cara:

Cara is a leadership and performance consultant and the founder of The Workplace Experience Project. She specialises in unlocking teamwork potential through the development of strong workplace emotional cultures—the powerful force that drives connection, collaboration, and sustainable performance.

Having lived and worked in international communities across Paris, Germany, Belgium, and the USA, Cara has developed a deep appreciation for how shared emotions and experiences transcend borders, foster understanding, and strengthen relationships.

Her global perspective, combined with her time as a British Army Officer specialising in Psychological Operations (PsyOps), gives her unique insight into how emotions influence behaviour and drive meaningful change—through hearts and minds.

As an endurance athlete—having competed in Ironman triathlons and multi-day Sahara Desert ultra-marathons—Cara understands first-hand how emotions shape performance: on the track, in leadership, and across organisations. She believes that when leaders harness organisational emotional culture as a strategic tool, they unlock trust, deepen connection, and create the conditions for teams to thrive.

Cara has partnered with organisations like Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, HMRC, and The Wellbeing Revolution to deliver transformative learning experiences that drive growth, resilience, and engagement.

You can connect with Cara on LinkedIn

You can help Mari with her research by taking the Alone and Rising questionnaire here

https://aloneandrisingquestionnaire.scoreapp.com/

In this episode Peter Snellgrove, shares his journey of adoption and its impact on his life.

He recounts a difficult childhood marked by abuse and neglect, leading to his departure from home at 17. Peter later discovered his Scottish heritage and connected with his first cousin, who also had a challenging upbringing.

He emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance and the value of friends and family. Peter also discusses his love for music, particularly the albums "Misplaced Childhood" by Marillion and "Selling England by the Pound" by Genesis, which have been a source of comfort.

Peter has been in the examination business for nearly 20 years, making sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. With plenty of experience under his belt, he knows the ins and outs of the industry like the back of his hand.

Outside of work, Peter is all about music—whether he’s listening to his favorite tunes or trying to play and sing himself. He’s always up for discovering new sounds or giving a song a go. When he’s not lost in music, you might find him out on his motorcycle, enjoying the open road and the freedom that comes with it.

Friendly, dedicated, and always ready to chat about a great track or a good ride, Peter brings enthusiasm to both his work and his passions.

You can help Mari with her research by taking the Alone and Rising questionnaire here

https://aloneandrisingquestionnaire.scoreapp.com/

In this podcast Suzette Shahmoon discusses her feelings around loneliness and her journey to how she finally became happy alone. We cover topics such as, how she felt as the only Jewish girl in her community, to how she coped travelling in different countries and trying to quickly learn a new language.

Suzette also talks about how isolating it was to marry young to a husband suddenly diagnosed with Parkinson's and how this affected their family. Suzette shares how she approached finding out who she was and how she became Alone and Rising.

Suzette has spent almost 15 years working as a therapist, trying to understand how people connect to themselves and others.

She is now at UCL, finishing her PhD in neuropsychology, where she is continuing to research this aspect in people with chronic illness.

Suzette lectures on a range of topics to do with wellbeing in the corporate world and launched her podcast, “Hand baggage only”, on friendship in April 2023.

Links

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hand-baggage-only/id1678716203

https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzette-shahmoon-52a9952a/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://www.youtube.com/@SuzetteShahmoon

You can help Mari with her research by taking the Alone and Rising questionnaire here

https://aloneandrisingquestionnaire.scoreapp.com/