The World of Lord Russell
The gripping adventures of Lord Russell as depicted in his Autobiography "My Way". Lord Russell's world - the captivating world of an explorer, philanthropist, sportsman and author.
The World of Lord Russell PodCast Talk Show focuses on Lord Russell's global adventures, explorer expeditions.
Plus guests from the world of sport, film, tv, theatre and culture, by interviewing personalities, legends and icons across many diverse sports and cultures in the virtual studio; including, football, snooker, darts, cricket, rugby, film, theatre, the arts and many more....
A vibrant professional PodCast Show for all ages and genre and produced in bi-weekly episodes.
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The World of Lord Russell
The World's Toughest Row: Atlantic Ocean in 51 days with Tim Harris
The World of Lord Russell Podcast Talk Show is proud to produce 'Triple Burnout to TransAtlantic Rower' with Tim Harris.
Tim Harris is a Former CEO, Resilience Expert and Extreme Endurance Rower. Tim Harris’ successful business career and background of overcoming adversity gives him a rare combination of the ability to discuss mental resilience and leadership, and regularly speaks on resilience training, bold goal setting, transition, teamwork and, most poignantly, suicide.
Despite suffering severe depression, arthritis and following shoulder reconstruction, Tim completed the world’s toughest row, a three thousand mile unassisted crossing of the Atlantic. When he set this exceptional goal, more people had been into space, and more than ten times the number had climbed Everest than completed this challenge.
Another incredible Podcast Talk Show and exclusive on The World of Lord Russell Podcast Talk Show.
The row took two years of preparation and fifty-two gruelling days to complete, over three hundred back-to-back two hour shifts on the oars on three hours sleep a day, a mind-bending feat.
I look forward to seeing you all on the inside.
Foreign. Welcome to the world of Lord Russell podcast talk show. And today's show is the world's toughest row, Atlantic Ocean in 51 days, which captures the incredible life journey of a gentleman whose spirit is one of resilience and extreme endurance. He is a former CEO, resilient expert and extreme endurance rower. His successful business career as a highly respected international keynote speaker and formal global head, along with a background of overcoming adversity, which gives him a rare combination of the ability to discuss mental resilience leadership and regularly speaks on resilience training, bold goal setting, transition, teamwork and most poignantly, suicide. Yes, folks, it gives me an immense pleasure to welcome on the show Tim Harris. Welcome to the show, Tim Russell.
Tim Harris:Thank you. Lovely to see you again. Looking well.
Lord Russell Baker:Absolutely. Oh, yes, all is well. All is well indeed. You know, I've done some great research on you. I'm sure this show is going to be quite an electric discussion. Great engagement between the pair of us, I'm sure, Tim. Yeah, we'll see what we can. Yeah, see what we can do. You are a living testament to the power of mental resilience. So tell us more about, you know, being faced with depression, severe arthritis and a shoulder reconstruction. I mean, dark days in your life that have been the driver to your success today.
Tim Harris:Yeah, I mean, I'm great at the moment, you know, good to hear. Yeah, as good as I've ever been actually, at the moment. And that's, and that is part of my journey. But yeah, going back, going back several years, I don't really know where it stems from. I try not to look too far back because, you know, are you really going to find the answers and, you know, who knows what, you know, what happened back in your childhood and, you know, you can waste a lot of time and a lot of money and we don't have much time on, on earth, do we? So that's true. May as well just own it and crack on ahead. But I've spent some time certainly trying to look into why I've been prone to these lows. Alcohol was one of them. Yes, I got into, I got into booze relatively young, you know, probably 15. And yeah, for whatever reason, you know, I was, I was a pretty strong character back then without booze. But, you know, as a lot of Brits feel, I think, you know.
Lord Russell Baker:Who.
Tim Harris:Knows what it is that there's a real drinking culture in, in the uk, right? There is indeed, I think less and less now, certainly with, you know, with my nieces and nephews and, and, you Know, their friends. There's a lot. There's a lot less reliance on it, seemingly, but it was very much a way of life with us. And, you know, I sort of. I got on the wrong side of it. You know, I was. I became quite reliant on it. I didn't feel confident going out without it.
Lord Russell Baker:Oh.
Tim Harris:So, you know. And it has an impact, right? You know. You know it does, yes. Don't sleep well. And, I mean, I feel like a bit of a. Bit of an***. You know, I was saying to. I say to some of my mates, you know what? I've had insomnia probably for 20 years now. And then in the next sentence, I'd say, yeah, I've kind of been booming for 20 years. Ah. Oh, yeah. Bit of a correlation there.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, possibly so.
Tim Harris:Yeah, possibly so. But look, for whatever reason, you know, I've been prone to these lows over the years, and weirdly, at 53 now, I feel like I'm sort of. I'm getting a grip on them, which is. I mean, I don't know whether that makes me strange or makes me progressive or. I don't know, but I'm.
Lord Russell Baker:Well, it means you're moving in the right direction, doesn't it, Tim? That's for sure. And that's a good thing. Yeah, it really is a good thing.
Tim Harris:But to go back to your original question, you know, those lows were just getting too low and. And too frequent and too dangerous, really. You know, I was. There's a bit of suicide ideation in there. And I was on another podcast a few months back, and I ended up saying to the host and that. That I'd only just worked out that it wasn't about wanting to be dead, it was just wanting the noise to stop.
Lord Russell Baker:Yes.
Tim Harris:And I think a lot of people can resonate with that. You know, you have dark days and you just need a break. You know, you need a clarity break. I think the millennials call it a safety break. Do they? Or a safe space or whatever they.
Lord Russell Baker:Something like that. But you're absolutely right. Everybody needs a break sometimes. Yeah.
Tim Harris:Yeah. It all just gets too much. You know, life's moving so ****** fast and, you know, with AI and smartphones and, you know, you've constantly got one. I sound like an old fart now, but you've constantly got a device on the go and, you know, sometimes two. And it sort of seems quite cool to be able to multitask, and then you realize you haven't really had a break for however long it is. And, and everyone needs that and you forget to go outside and, and you know, everybody needs fresh air and a bit of vitamin D and, and to be.
Lord Russell Baker:Exactly.
Tim Harris:And so I just got the wrong side of, of that. Not enough exercise, too much booze, eating badly. But absolutely, yes, part of the journey. Right.
Lord Russell Baker:It's certainly part of the journey and to sort of like look at the fact of what mobile devices do in our lives today. You know, technology and you know, the social media. Years ago, of course I can remember anyway, standing on train stations and everybody was standing on the platform in the same place reading the newspaper. The train would come in, they'd get in and sit in the same seat every morning reading the newspaper. So you move on to today, same antics, but no newspapers, mobile phones. Everybody's on their phone doing exactly the same thing they used to do years ago with newspapers. It's just a classic human thing, isn't it?
Tim Harris:Yeah, crazy. It is. And, and actually when I think of that image you've just, you've just conjured up when you look down the train carriages, you know, going back, sound old again, you know, 15 years, even 10.
Lord Russell Baker:Yes.
Tim Harris:Not everybody would be on the paper so there would be a sort of. That view of the carriage would be broken up. Some, some people would be sitting up listening to a Walkman, some would be on the newspaper, some would be reading a book, some would be doing nothing. And so there was variety down the carriage. And when you looked al, we literally look like robots.
Lord Russell Baker:We do indeed.
Tim Harris:60 people, every single one on their smartphones and it's.
Lord Russell Baker:And then back in those days, of course, you had the broad broadsheet newspapers.
Tim Harris:Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:So they'd be spread right open in front of everybody else's space. So arguments would start and yeah, it was a, it was a funny, funny train journey into, in my case, London most mornings. Yeah. What was going on? Brilliant.
Tim Harris:I mean, you know, we, we moan, I guess this is the constant argument, we moan about this technology but it is a out. So it's amazing that you can, you can do everything from it but you know, we're really having to be careful about, you know, the amount we use them.
Lord Russell Baker:Indeed. And some control, you know, we've got to control ourselves with that. It's difficult to do because if you can control yourself, you can't control others. So others will still try to get hold of you in one, one, one way shape or form. So it draws you back in anyway. So it's a strange culture but you.
Tim Harris:Know, certainly for my kids and, and, and well I guess, I guess some adults suffer from it as well. You know, a bit of FOMO definitely. But I mean, I, I'm not, I'm not one of those, I really, you know, I, I don't, I'm not a, I'm not a one that's into fomo. But yeah, you can get sucked into it. You know, you start looking on some of these social media sites and you find yourself an hour and a half later and you've learned nothing.
Lord Russell Baker:You've learned nothing. And there's an hour and a half in this particular context, you won't get back in your life. So it's all about, you know, managing your time. Everyone talks about work and life, you know, splitting of time, but it's. Yeah, people are on their mobile phones at work, they're on their mobile phones in their social space. It's taken over the world, isn't it? It's crazy, but it's what it is at the end of the day.
Tim Harris:Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:But as a renowned burnout coach, you harness your extensive experience of overcoming these personal challenges to guide individuals and organizations through stress management and resilience building team. So tell us more about how you tell us more about how your personal challenges helped you to become a highly successful burnout coach, which you are.
Tim Harris:Thank you. Well, so when I was in the city, all the managers there, so. So no one is really ever looking after the person at the top, so they're looking after people beneath them. And even people beneath them have their own coaches. Yes, but. No, but, you know, who's looking after the guy at the top. And I used to speak to, you know, fellow managers at the companies I was at and it was a lonely place.
Lord Russell Baker:Oh, big time.
Tim Harris:The desks we were running were, you know, full of big. I'll be polite and say big characters because I know that your software will extrapolate any of the expletives I come out with if I describe them properly. But yeah, it was lonely at the top. It is, it's a well coined phrase. And when I left the city, I thought, what will I do next? And I've always been quite a deep thinker and I just thought, you know what, I'm going to get a coaching qualification and I'm going to go back into the city and try and help leaders like myself who are struggling to either exit the city as I had, or at least navigate it with some kind of grace and dignity and sustainability. That's the real key. It's the sustainability. Burnout to me is just the mindless pursuit of excellence in the face of insurmountable pressure.
Lord Russell Baker:Absolutely.
Tim Harris:You think your body can take it, but, you know, as you get older, they, they can't.
Lord Russell Baker:They can't. Indeed. Indeed. So it's a great service you're offering to the. At this level, isn't it? It's fantastic. Everybody forgets the pressures that leaders are on, you know, be it chairman, CEOs, CFOs, huge pressure when managing, you know, looking after small, medium enterprises. Well as more so corporates. It's, it's a, it's a big thing.
Tim Harris:And you can't overlook is. And, and these days, you know, they're expected to, to know so much. You know, they have to deal with governance and strategy and they're supposed to be, you know, empathetic and emotionally intelligent and yet, yet. And yet fierce in business, fiercely competitive and yet be servant leaders, almost psychologists.
Lord Russell Baker:Yes.
Tim Harris:I think we ask too much of leaders now, which is why, especially in the States, virtually every CEO or every board member has a coach. And I think that's more and more the case in the UK now. There's less of a to. To. To business people and individuals having support. Whereas there used to be such a stigma to say, you know, I have a, A coach.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah. You probably would have been laughed at years ago, wouldn't you? What do you need a coach for? What's going on in your life? You know, you'd have been.
Tim Harris:Yeah, seriously wrong with you. Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:And think you got some mental illness or something, which you, technically speaking, they do have, let's be honest. That's what it is. And it has come across in America, hasn't it? It's an American thing that's ring fenced itself here now, which is a wonderful thing and I'm pleased that the likes of yourself, Tim, operate and provide these services at that level. It's an incredible profession to have a great journey and I congratulate you for that because it's wonderful.
Tim Harris:Yeah, thanks. I mean, Americans, they used to say, one of my therapists. Yes, that's right. They're very open about that. One of my therapists. And the English are kind of. What are you talking about exactly? I think the Brits are getting better at it, but there are still people that poo poo it. But, you know, it's a part of life.
Lord Russell Baker:You've got to embrace it, I'm afraid, because it's good for everybody, isn't it? It's obviously good for you professionally, but it's good for those at the top. That you engage with because it's helping their lives out and making it structurally better for them mentally and physically. So. So I congratulate you for that.
Tim Harris:Thanks.
Lord Russell Baker:You completed the world's toughest row. Now this is a great story, isn't it? A 3,000 mile unassisted crossing of the Atlantic. When you set this exceptional goal, more people had been into space and more than 10 times that number had climbed Everest than completed this challenge. I mean, what a feat. Tim, what were your initial thoughts around completing the toughest row and why? That's some. That's some row, isn't it, as an individual, on your own?
Tim Harris:Well, I wasn't on my own. I was a pair. I went with a great, A great friend of mine called Simon Calver. Okay. And. And I'm, you know, I'm. I was very lucky that he agreed to come because several of my other friends had said, you know, you've got to be joking. Luckily, Simon was in the right place. I mean, as we were talking earlier. Right place, right time.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, exactly.
Tim Harris:But it's not as random as it seems. I had been following that row for 15 to 20 years because we were lucky enough to holiday in Antigua when we were younger. And that's where the race has always ended. And over the years, it had just been, I guess, niggling away at me. And as. And as I was approaching 50 and really not in a good mental place, it's probably the only epiphany of my life was Christmas 2019. So just before COVID And it just came to me, I need to do that row. Otherwise. Otherwise I'll still be sat at this desk or six feet under, you know, when I'm 60. And so that was, that was the, that was the thought process. My.
Lord Russell Baker:My wife stand.
Tim Harris:That my wife luckily enough was supportive enough to. And I, and I use this word very carefully to allow me to do it because it was asking a lot of her to definitely look after our two children, you know, while I was away, knowing that they would be both worried and, you know, you know, she would. I say this again carefully. I was about to say she would have twice the work to do, but, but really that implies that I do 50% of the work with the kids, which is not true either.
Lord Russell Baker:So that was a very honest opinion. Of course, you were away from pretty much two months. Weren't you doing this? So 51 days and whatever before and after. It's got to be a good two month stretch.
Tim Harris:Well, it was nearly three actually. It was, it was really sad because because the crews go out to La Gomera in the Canaries, but for over two weeks before the race starts, because you have to do a lot of prep and it's quite a few media events out there and you're making sure that everything's working well and you're going through your systems and, you know, speaking to the safety teams, just getting everything ready. And I had a really early flight out to Spain. Want to wake the kids up, knowing that they were coming out to watch the start of the race two weeks later. And so the night before, I just kissed them good night as I would, and just said, you know, see you on Friday week. And then they got locked down.
Lord Russell Baker:Ah.
Tim Harris:And so Covid.
Lord Russell Baker:Once again, the strike of COVID I know.
Tim Harris:And so, and so it was really hard because I never actually got to say goodbye to them properly. So it was nearer three months that I didn't. Well, not, not three, but two and a half months. And my son was, you know, they were only five and seven at the time.
Lord Russell Baker:Oh, it's young. Yeah.
Tim Harris:Yeah. But we did have a good time in Spain.
Lord Russell Baker:Good.
Tim Harris:We, we, I think most of the crews just drank their way through the first week where the safety officer called us into the, to the meeting room halfway through and said, okay, I think you've had enough fun now, actually some quite serious rowing to be done in a week's time. So I don't want to see anybody in that far for the next. So we, we knuckled down and. Yeah, that's good. Yeah. What a race.
Lord Russell Baker:I mean, what a race indeed. I mean, just so put things into context. I mean, what are the start and finishing ports for the toughest Atlantic road? You just said Antigua is the finishing point. I mean, this will give people an understanding of the challenge you face and set yourself up for, because the start and the end going across Atlantic. Wow, that's a rough bit of ocean.
Tim Harris:Yeah. And part of the draw of, of this race was that you, you just did not know the weather you were going to get and you didn't know how you were going to deal with the row, you know, unassisted, physically or mentally. And, and, and I'm really careful about saying this, I, I, I take nothing away from people doing marathons. I'll take the marathon as an example, but, you know, you can obviously get rain and wind on the marathon, but you know, the course and, you know, you know you're not going to get swept into the Thames by random weather on, on a marathon day. But yeah, you just, we Just didn't know what we were going to get.
Lord Russell Baker:And the thing is, with marathon, really good comparison, you know that it's going to be over an hour and a half, two and a half hours and probably consistent weather to some degree, but 51 days on the Atlantic, you don't know what the weather's going to be from one day to the next. It can change so changeable.
Tim Harris:Yeah. And it did. You know, there would be, I mean there really were some incredible shifts. You know, it's easy to, easy to remember the bad ones, but there were some wonderful shifts where you'd have the, you know, the Milky Way above you, no light pollution and wonderful. Maybe some wind and some waves behind you and you're just surfing these waves in the middle of the night and you're looking up and you know, apart from Simon, you know, sleeping, sleeping below, the nearest person to me was in the International Space Station above, you know, six kilometers of water below. And it was, it was surreal that we were just out there on our own.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, I could imagine.
Tim Harris:And there were some lovely moments. You know, you'd have a. Be listening to some music at that time with a following sea and it was wonderful. And then there'll be nights where you couldn't remember your own name. You were stumbling around the boat and. As if you were drunk, but none of the upside. And we genuinely forgot each other's names and we were hallucinating at times. It was extraordinary. And it would be pouring with rain, really properly hard, sort of monsoon esque rain. And it would be 4, 5 in the morning and you get that bang on the hatch saying, it's your shift. I remember, yeah, I remember occasionally just looking at Simon, just going, no, no, no, it can't be alone, it can't be my shift. I've literally just closed my eyes. And he would say, no, you're up. And I would say, you know, I'll give you a thousand pounds to row my shift. Get out.
Lord Russell Baker:No, it's your turn, Tim. I'm going to sleep now. Fantastic. What you would, you would have to be great friends to do that, wouldn't you? Because you could almost end up hating each other. Because the, the trial and tribulations of that as you just, as you're just explaining you've just been woken up and you don't want to go rowing, you want to go back to sleep. That could cause a lot of scenes.
Tim Harris:Yeah. So I mean it is, it's really sad. It doesn't happen very often, but occasionally you do see crews Arriving in Nelson's dockyard Antigua and they don't even shake hands, they just, they walk in opposite direction. It's a fight of each other, but.
Lord Russell Baker:I can imagine that.
Tim Harris:But you're absolutely spot on. I think when you fall out out there, I guess it goes one or two ways. You realize that you need each other and you and you work to come back together or you, you repel each other. But we, Simon and I barely had a crossed word and when we did, we immediately discussed it and apologized and hugged and moved on. So. And we're still, we're still great, great friends now. And there's that real bond you can imagine, you know, when we see this, that kind of, that knowing look at what we went through and no one else can really, the other rowers know, but you know, even my wife and kids and closest friends, that can't really grasp what it was like.
Lord Russell Baker:But even if you, as you just say, even if you try and tell the story to obviously friends, your wife, other people, it's a difficult one to tell, isn't it? Because they can't emotionally understand what you went through because they'd never done it themselves. So, so it's hard to imagine, isn't it? It's quite a grueling emotional experience. I can only imagine the trials and tribulations that you both went through to get across and make it to Antigua. That's some feat. It really is.
Tim Harris:Yeah, it's just, it's a special thing and I think about it every single day. And you know, I do quite a few talks on it. I've got one coming up in a few weeks time and, and one of the main takeaways, and I hope, you know, anyone listening listens to this is that yes, we always have more in the tank. You know, whenever you think you're done, you have further to go and I agree, we're all running it, we're all running at 30% of our potential. And without being too self deprecating, you know, if I can row the Atlantic and I'm, I was, I had never rode before, I'm good at sport, I'm no elite athlete, but if I can do it then, then you can do it. It's just, it's mind over matter.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, I agree, I agree completely. Yeah, I mean the road took some 2 years of preparation, remember, and 50, 51 grueling days to complete. Unbel. Over 300 back to back, 2 hour shifts on the oars on 3 hours sleep a day. A truly mind bending thing. I mean three Hours sleep a day. I mean, that's just incredible. For 51 days, this sounds in humans. So please talk to us through the preparation and dedication. And how did you survive on such little sleep? I mean, it's just unimaginable to him.
Tim Harris:Well, just on that point, again, that's just the digging deep bit because we, we didn't have a choice. I suppose we did have a choice. We could have stopped, but if we wanted to finish, then we didn't have a choice. And I mean, humans have shown right, over the millennia we are just survivors and we just had to keep digging deeper. And, you know, it's a bit of a first world problem. You know, it was our choice that. There's a very poignant moment where we saw a migrant dinghy mid Atlantic. So, I mean, not mid, but it was about 500 miles off the coast of Mauritania.
Lord Russell Baker:Wow.
Tim Harris:And the Coast Guard had told us not to approach any migrant dinghies. In fact, while we were in La Gomera preparing for the race, a migrant boat came in. It was a family of six and one of them was dead. They had to. They put them under armed guard in our boat park because they had to quarantine them, firstly because of COVID And then they had to process them into Spain. So actually, when it sounds horrendous, but they did lose one of their family. But the other five did get what they had set out to do, which was to get processed into mainland Europe. But because. Because that boat was found, the, the safety team then spoke to the Coast Guard, who spoke to us and said, if you see any boats while in the Atlantic, don't approach them because you can imagine how desperate they are.
Lord Russell Baker:Exactly.
Tim Harris:You know, they would just extremely. They would just board your boat. And, and so we saw this boat and we, we couldn't see anybody in it, and we. It just didn't feel right that we. That we weren't allowed to approach them. And Simon and I were saying to each other, you know, there could be. There could be a young family lying. Lying down, you know, dying there, a child. You know, surely we should row over and, you know, and check and throw them some water or some food or, or something. As it happened with, with the, with the currents and the wind, we were too far away from them to get to them because the boat we were in is not maneuverable. You can't row against the waves in, in the boat we were in. But for a couple of days, it left us, you know, feeling very solemn and, and really humbled. Us thinking that, you know, thinking about the choice those people made when they were on the coast of Africa, that life was so bad that they, they basically played roulette.
Lord Russell Baker:Definitely a game of roulette, probably. Well, Russian roulette.
Tim Harris:Russian roulette is actually, you know, your odds are better playing Russian roulette than they are getting in a dinghy given to you by a gang that's, you know, it's full of holes and, you know, not exactly, you know, not fit for crossing a lake, let alone the Atlantic.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah.
Tim Harris:So, yeah, it really made, it really made you think about how lucky we are, you know, the ovarian lottery they call it, how lucky we were. We were born in the uk, in a first world country and there we go.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, there we go indeed. And a great story too. But you obviously took the right advice by not approaching, although you couldn't anywhere, as you explained, because you were too far away. Because that probably would have been a dangerous thing to do actually too, wouldn't it? I mean, you translate these struggles to the challenges companies, teams and individuals face in life, helping audiences deal with stress and combat it. You also throw in amusing stories of nakedness, interesting hallucinations which you've already mentioned, and being dethroned by a flying fish. Now I want to understand that one too. You speak on and coach on how to manage these stressful changes. Having transitioned from global head of a multimillion dollar commodities business to becoming coach and transatlantic rower. I mean, that's some life transition, Tim, isn't it? Tell us about the fish. That's really something.
Tim Harris:Well, we got hit by flying fish every day. Ah, thought so, yeah. They're attracted to the navigation lights and as I found out, the light on my ipod screen as I was, you know, trying to change tracks and, and actually one of the first things we had to do in the morning, so we were, we were only relying on solar power. So first thing in the morning we would have to clean the, clean the solar panels to make sure we were, got powered up, especially when it was cloudy. And then we had to clear the deck of flying fish that had landed because if we didn't find them and then they cooked in the midday sun, the smell was just terrific and it was really hard to get rid of. I can imagine. Yeah, the fish were. Oh, it's quite, it was, it was entertaining. But the, you know, the, the, the being dethroned story was that all we had was a bucket as a loo. It was very basic. Bucket and chuck it, we used to say. And I was sat on said bucket one evening in a storm actually, as it happened, and I, I tried to change tracks on my ipod and the light obviously attracted a very large flying fish which hit me so hard in the side of the head it shook me off balance and I fell off. I fell off the loo. Yeah. And you know, shorts around my ankles and my tether and lanyard tangled up and you know, flailing around on the deck in the contents of said bucket and.
Lord Russell Baker:Oh dear, I can imagine. What a story. But thankfully not overboard.
Tim Harris:No, not overboard, but it took me, yeah, it took me quite a while to clear that up and you know, leave the boat in a, in a fit state for Simon to start his shift and how late?
Lord Russell Baker:Well, you could have just left it there and said, simon, it's your shift now, I'm going to bed. That could have been funny, couldn't it?
Tim Harris:But I think that was story argument.
Lord Russell Baker:I think it would have done. Yeah, that would have been a fallen out, major falling out scenario. Oh my God, think about that.
Tim Harris:Tell us, why did you two fall out?
Lord Russell Baker:Well, well, it happened like this. It started with a flying fish and so on and so forth. Brilliant story. Oh, that's a good one to make up, isn't it? It's one to tell at one of your shows. You could enhance that slightly, a little, play a little joke, you know. But, but of course, all this after having been long term sufferer of poor mental health. In fact you were told that neither mentally nor physically would you be able to finish the toughest Atlantic row. I mean it's probably quite a true thing, but finish you did raising 160,000 pounds for a teenage mental health charity in the process. Yes folks, 160,000 pounds. So you. So firstly, it's incredible that you prove the doubters wrong and that's quite right too. And secondly, what a huge amount of money and awareness you generated for, for the mentally mental health teenage charity. I mean who are the charity by the way? And they deserve to get a mention here, don't they?
Tim Harris:Yeah, lovely little charity. And I say that deliberately because they pack a big punch even though they are. Well at the time they were only five people. I think maybe they're even smaller now because the charities have had, you know, a tough couple of years. Well, they have got a gold stem 4 and they promote positive teenage mental health and they have several apps, we referred to it earlier that kids and adults are permanently on their phones and so these apps allow them to tap in when they're low and offer Them support and guidance and tips and where to turn, who to call, what to do, what not to do. And it's actually Simon that found them. We were always going to find a charity that was to do with mental health. What then happened was that on the day I signed up for the row, one of my greatest friends, lovely, very, very mentally strong man, I had found out subsequently, called David Carter, lost his 15 year old son.
Lord Russell Baker:Oh, dear. Sad.
Tim Harris:He was 14 in fact. Isaac, lovely boy. Call him the big Year. And yeah, I got that call to say that, that that had happened. And so we started looking for charities that, that dealt with suicide prevention. We then thought that we didn't actually want to spend two years talking about suicide, but we did want to and were very aware of the problems facing young kids. So Simon came across this charity called STEM4 and we love their strap line because it's really, you know, it's. Promoting positive teenage mental health is a. Yes, lovely strap line, you know, it's, it's full of hope indeed.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, it certainly is.
Tim Harris:Yeah, we had some and yeah, that was, that was a great motivator when we were, when we were low and feeling like we wanted to stop, you know, we, we knew that having been given the support of all, all our very generous sponsors that, you know, we had that obligation, we had that responsibility.
Lord Russell Baker:To finish, to finish and raise up that serious amount of money for such a lovely won but small charity. That's a huge. Congratulations. That's fantastic. I mean, your globally renowned expertise on developing resilience, managing change and motivating teams has been sought by companies and elite organizations internationally, from the Royal Marines. Oh, wow, the Royal Marines. The Royal Navy. To Thames Valley Police, Google, the Times and City hedge funds, through to National Health Services and of course mental health charities and schools, of course is, just to name a few, a truly successful business team, isn't it? Because you're really going across many sectors there.
Tim Harris:Yeah, well, I think the takeaways can be applied to any sector. You know, gaining perspective, not taking yourself too seriously, discipline, you know, there's always more in the tank, you know, teamwork, you know, they can be applied to any business. My first talk, I actually thought it was a bit of a joke. My first talk off the road was to the Royal Marines and when I was offered the, the gig, I, I said so. So let me just, let me just double check here. You want me to talk to the Royal Marines about resilience in a boat? You kidding me?
Lord Russell Baker:Doesn't sound natural, does it?
Tim Harris:But an interesting one but, but yeah, that was a, yeah, that was a great talk. Down on HMS Warrior. Amazing, amazing ship. Sat with the, the, the very charming Vice Admiral Martin Connell. Yeah, really special, really special.
Lord Russell Baker:Absolutely. And of course, after you presented to the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Warrior, a lovely, lovely boat. A lovely ship, I should say, not boat. Vice Admiral Martin Connell cbe, by the way, who you've just mentioned, commented, and I quote this Tim as well. Tim gave a masterclass in self awareness and resilience by telling his personal life story about his Atlantic row, what he learned about himself and how he is now seeking a renewed purpose in his life. Sincere, thoughtful and charming with powerful and memorable messages applicable to all. I would very much recommend Tim as a speaker and leadership coach. Now, you know, that is a truly some accolade. I mean, how did it, how did you feel at time when, when presenting to the Royal Navy and to have that accolade from, from this wonderful man. It's fantastic, isn't it?
Tim Harris:Yeah, well, like I say, he was, he was, he was charming and humble and actually he was very funny and he said to me, normally I have to make these talks, so I'm, I'm just very grateful that you're doing it.
Lord Russell Baker:Brilliant.
Tim Harris:But yeah, yeah, some, some very kind words. Very. Yeah, and I love them.
Lord Russell Baker:And of course, and those sort of kind words go down very well, don't they? Because you know, you put them on your website, obviously you would do as a quote, and that's great for people who are coming in to have a look and see what can Tim do for us. To read that quote from, from the Royal Navy is something else, isn't it? Yeah, it's a master class in itself.
Tim Harris:So, yeah, I mean, look, I do, I do think it gives it a certain amount of credibility because, you know, not, not everybody knows me and not everyone knows the Vice Admiral, but they're very aware of, of the, the nature, the stature that he holds, the status and, and that if he is saying that, then, you know, it's not, it's not going to be made up. So yeah, I mean that gave me certainly some credibility for sure.
Lord Russell Baker:Huge credibility, Huge credibility. I mean, I've learned through research in your life or this show actually, Tim, that you are incredibly passionate about sharing your insights and approach, having gone through many struggles yourself, both at work, at home and while crossing the Atlantic mean you give practical and simple tactics to massively stack the odds in your favor, eliciting changes in attitude and delivering action points that are immediately usable and relatable to your Clients. I mean, you must be very proud of your achievements and of course, the delivery you provide as a business. A lot of hard work, Tim, isn't it, really? I mean, it's a sensational act you do.
Tim Harris:Well, that's very kind. I'm a work in progress, for sure.
Lord Russell Baker:I mean, we all are.
Tim Harris:I guess we all are.
Lord Russell Baker:Yes.
Tim Harris:Yeah. But. But certainly from where I was, I'm. I'm a. I'm a better person. I'm a. I'm a. I'll say this, just looking out of the window of my office, I'm a. I'm a better husband. I'm a better father. I've pretty sure I'm a better friend and a better son. Yeah, I'm just in a better place. I'm much more aware, I'm much more thoughtful of others. I often say, and I know people like to come up with narratives, but I often say that the first half of my life was selfish. And this, this section of my life is less. I won't say selfless, but certainly less selfish.
Lord Russell Baker:Incredible. I mean, you generally and authentically inspire people. And I've read about this, too. To set bold goals, enhance and believe in their resilience, move outside their comfort zones. Because no one likes to get out of their comfort zones, do they? Let's be honest, and push their potential helping. But their potential helping them to become more than they. They thought they were. Incredible. I mean, please tell us more about how and what you deliver, along with. Along with your. Your popular talks, for example. Burnout, suicide and depression. Getting people to think out of the box and out of their comfort zones is a difficult thing.
Tim Harris:Sometimes it is. And, you know, you. You made reference to it earlier about comfort zones. So familiarity is our greatest need. But you know, what I've discovered over the. Over the years is that familiarity traps us in a smaller world.
Lord Russell Baker:Yes.
Tim Harris:So I'm not going to get all woo on you, but. Our brains are hardwired for comfort, but our souls are hardwired for growth. So your brain is constantly trying to make you do the safe, uncomfortable thing, and your soul is trying to make you do something else, something that makes you grow, something that takes you out of your comfort zone. You know, one of the analogies I use is, say you say you've managed to get yourself out for a 5k run, and you're thinking, you know, this feels pretty good. Maybe I should just run five more and I'll make it 10 today. Your brain is saying, no, thank you. Let's just go home, sit on the sofa and watch Netflix. Your soul is saying, come on, push yourself, push yourself.
Lord Russell Baker:That's so true. That's so true.
Tim Harris:And you choose the easy option because our brains are so **** strong. They're so **** convincing because we are hardwired for comfort. And that is. And that's when we get stuck in what I call the discomfort zone. So, yes, it's a transition, right? When you go through a transition, so say work to the row or work to coach or, you know, my, My, my original career to coaching, one has to end and one has to begin, but there's this huge transition in the middle, and that is where the magic happens, but it's also where the turbulence happens. So your, Your brain and, and, and the Trekkies and, And the, you know, the Star wars fans will love this. If you remember the tractor beams in these, in these, it's like the brain is a tractor beam trying to suck you back towards comfort when your soul is trying to pull you towards growth. And you have to keep fighting through that discomfort zone. And eventually you break through. And people. And people do, because, you know, because we have so much potential within us, but it's. But it's really troubling when you're in it. So if there's anyone out there listening, if anyone going through a transition, like a promotion or divorce or, or, you know, moving house, these are huge transitions. You know, having children. Massive trans.
Lord Russell Baker:Not massive. Yes.
Tim Harris:Like rowing the Atlantic and you cannot. You cannot achieve being a parent or rowing the Atlantic or moving house in one go. You know, it takes time. These things have to evolve. And so you just have to take it step by step. Otherwise you face.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, it's too much, isn't it?
Tim Harris:Face. Overwhelm. Yeah. So on the road, the, the safety team over, over the history of the road, the. The day that they have received the most calls from teams saying, what. What have I done? Can you tow us back? Is day three. And, and on talking to those teams, it was the people who had forgotten the process, the, the planning that they had put in to make sure that they didn't face overwhelm. They had got. They had got in the boats and they had started. And then suddenly, because of the enormity of the event, all they could think about was, I've got to do this for two months. And it was just too much for them to take. And so they phoned in and ultimately most of them finished. But that's why, again, with parenting, becoming a parent or moving house, as I said, or a promotion you just have to take it step by step, set yourself some goals within the main goal.
Lord Russell Baker:Exactly, exactly. And it is a hard thing. I mean, I've often used the term myself actually with people. Let's try and get that person out of his comfort zone and see how he or she reacts. And that's not me being a nasty person. That's just me trying to find what those people can actually do and achieve in life at a business level. So it's not me trying to be nasty at all. It's actually seeing the richness within them, but it's also seeing that they love that comfort zone they're in. You know, when they're on stage talking about what they recognize as being their professional well being. They're able to sit there, stand there and talk and be comfortable, but give them a subject they don't know much about. Let's see how they react to that. And I think that's a strong thing, isn't it? Comfort zones are a powerful message to get across to people. And if you want to grow as an individual, yeah, that's important. Otherwise you say you'll never grow.
Tim Harris:Yeah, I mean, like I say, you can be trapped in a smaller world if you're.
Lord Russell Baker:Exactly.
Tim Harris:I mean, they say nothing great has ever come from comfort.
Lord Russell Baker:And I would agree with that too. Push your levels, push yourself.
Tim Harris:Absolutely.
Lord Russell Baker:And I'm a great one for that. I'm always dipping my toe in uncharted waters. But that's another story. I mean, let me provide another story.
Tim Harris:Tim, your story's a pretty colorful one, so.
Lord Russell Baker:Oh yeah, should you read my book? There's some stories in there that will sort of blow your mind. Really would. Yeah, there's stuff in there. I won't go on about it now because there's your show, but you know, bit of James Bond meeting up with what can only describe as a Eastern European mafia king. All sorts of things that you just think, wow, really? It's still true stories as well. All of my travels around the world, quite fascinating. But let me provide another accolade to your services as a coach, Tim. And again. Oh yeah, absolutely. You've got many. And again I quote from Greg Searle MBE, who is an Olympic and World Championships gold medalist coach and speaker too, of course. And I quote, tim's approach is enjoyable, highly effective and rewarding. He helped me unearth important and useful action points. Tim challenged me to reflect on my style, particularly picking up on what was unsaid. I valued Tim's use of humor at times as well. Not Something one automatically expects in coaching. I always look forward to spending time with Tim and so, you know, you are definitely a people's person, Tim, and able to see where to challenge individuals for their greater good and life improvement. And that's a great quote, isn't it?
Tim Harris:Yeah. I mean, again, another, another charming and impressive man. I was at university with Greg and I remember him coming into lectures wearing his, wearing his GB rowing kit because he'd been on the Thames training for about four hours pre lecture. And then of course that wonderful scene that, you know, many of us will never forget of, of him and him and Johnny winning the gold at the 92 Olympics. And then, and then very impressively, he competed again at London 2012.
Lord Russell Baker:He did, yes. I was going to say 2012.
Tim Harris:And I was out with him last week and yeah, he's just a very charming, humble, impressive character.
Lord Russell Baker:Sounds incredible. You have to introduce him to me. I can get him on the show. Why not? I mean, do some do. It's got some fantastic stories, isn't he?
Tim Harris:And, and in fact we were, we were due to be on a podcast last week called the Atlantic and the Olympic Rows.
Lord Russell Baker:Wow.
Tim Harris:And that's being postponed. But yeah, he's a fantastic public speaker and an excellent coach and yeah, a funny, funny, humble, charming guy. I'm sure he's got some flaws, but I'm yet to see them.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, we've all got flaws. We've all got skeletons in the closet, haven't we? So that we hide them away. We know they're there, we've learned from them. We don't want them to become out into the open, but sometimes they do embarrassingly or whatever. But we all have them. We're all human beings, we're individuals and when none of us are perfect, let's be honest.
Tim Harris:Yes, I think possibly I'm, I'm rather too open about my flaws, but, you know, that's me.
Lord Russell Baker:Oh, I don't mean that's a problem. I mean that's quite a nice thing to be. Really shows you're a genuine individual and happy to share your emotions, you know, with people in that way. I think it's a fantastic trait to have.
Tim Harris:Yeah, a bit of vulnerability, I think certainly in this day and age, you know, in, in the new business that I run, you know, I, I, I really do try and champion the, the founders and owners that I speak to to, to embrace being open and honest and vulnerable, you know, with their leadership teams because it, it breeds a great culture.
Lord Russell Baker:It does.
Tim Harris:You show your teams that you Are you are human. Which, you know, back in, dare I say it, back in my, my father's day, they wouldn't dreamt of. They wouldn't have dreamt of doing that.
Lord Russell Baker:No, they certainly wouldn't. You know, the boss was the boss and that was it.
Tim Harris:Urban leader now, isn't it?
Lord Russell Baker:Absolutely. Yeah. It's good to see change at that level of business now, isn't it?
Tim Harris:Or really. Yeah, it used to be very much, you know, I'm your boss, you should be pleased you're working for me, you know, almost I've done you a favor and now it's very much. I'm so glad you're working for us, you know, how can I improve your tenure? And very much we're responsible for you now that you're working for us. And I think, yeah, I do, I think that is, that's a real step change for the better.
Lord Russell Baker:Definitely. And that step change has happened in quite recent times as well, hasn't it? You know, what, the last 10 years, 12 years maybe. I mean, before that. It's quite recent in terms of life, isn't, Is.
Tim Harris:And of course there are still some of those old school leaders, you know, in roles, you know, desperately hanging on or. Well, you know, who am I to judge?
Lord Russell Baker:But yeah, they are still there. And you hear the stories sometimes, you know, people complain about being bullied by their boss. These people don't like you to work from home. They want you in the office nine till five, you know, so they can see that you're actually working. And I mean all those bad traits of bosses of yesteryear, you know, and thankfully that's probably a trans transition from, from COVID sort of an enforced principle of working from home. Wasn't it with COVID that changed the climate, really? It's one good thing that came out of COVID is it changed the working climate, which I think is incredible.
Tim Harris:Yeah, it really has. So my thoughts are not really complete on this. So I'm not sure what it's done for, you know, the GDP of Britain, you know, with people working from home. Because I think much, much as some people will be more productive from home, I suspect most are not working as hard as they would have done in the office. Huge sweeping statement. But certainly for many people, it's really helped them with their work life balance. It's helped them to manage single moms or single dads or it's helped them to be able to get a better balance, see their children while holding down a job, you know, and their bath to do that.
Lord Russell Baker:And that provides a level of mental resiliency, doesn't it as well? It provides that awareness back. And I think that's a powerful thing because I know that I've worked from home for many, many years and you know, I can go back to days when I was traveling into London every day, two and a half hours there, two and a half hours back. It's a five hour shift just on traveling each and every day. I mean, that's just mad. So if you're working from home, actually you end up doing a little bit more work than normally because you can put in an extra hour or two because you're gaining five back.
Tim Harris:Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:So it does work.
Tim Harris:And when you were doing that, I'll question you now for a bit.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, of course. How, why not?
Tim Harris:When you were doing those five hours, was that, dare I say it, before smartphones?
Lord Russell Baker:No, smartphones were still around at the time. So this is pre Covid. So I always had smartphones and so on for many, many years. Yes.
Tim Harris:Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:But there was always a. Did that, dare I say it, you know, when you're doing work for organizations, they want to see you in the office because to them, if they can't see you in the office, you're not working. That's that old managerial style of yesteryear which is thankfully disappearing now. And I think most people do say, you know, actually we're generating more, more now as business, businesses with people, home. And the other good thing, of course is that companies can get rid of that property. They don't need that office or downsize because you work out the cost of floor space that's enormous to run an office and all the electric bills and utility bills and so on and so forth. So it's actually quite profitable for companies now to have their workers working from home and downsizing on properties, businesses, business space and getting out of those big buildings that they used to all work within, costing billions each year.
Tim Harris:The, the, the flip side of that, which, which I see all the time, I mean it, it helps me run my business, but, but, but it's not great. I wish for them they didn't have to, to face this, but it's meant that alone at home and so much of the company may have saved money on the premises, it's then left many people working at home alone and isolated. And that may have felt great for a few months, but the novelty soon wore off. And you know, we've seen that people have struggled, you know, not, not connecting with other humans. That's why lockdown was so tough. You know, we are tribal, we're meant to be around other people. And you know, you get the odd interest who, who has loved working at home and wouldn't have it any other way, but for a lot of people, working from home is really, really tough.
Lord Russell Baker:I understand that argument there as well. And, but what I used to sort of counteract with that sometimes is, well, look, you've got zoom, you've got teams, you can have meetings over as we're doing here. You pick up your mobile phone, phone, your work colleague, you're not spoken to, have a conversation. It's kind of no different than standing around a coffee machine in the office, isn't it, really? Those old coffee machine meetings were quite productive. I do remember those, but just pick the phone up. I mean, I think since COVID people have learned the ability or lost the ability to communicate really. And it seems to be a lot of that now going around lack of communication between people because they just don't know how to. The youngsters in particular, and I'm not picking on the youth of our times in particular, but they do have a serious lack of ability to communicate. So picking up that phone and generating a web call with some colleagues to have a discussion, that's still there, isn't it? You can do that.
Tim Harris:Yeah. So again, at this networking launch earlier, we were talking about, about this very issue and that, you know, with, with AI, an AI will just get more and more clever. Soon barely be able to tell the difference between, you know, a human interaction and an AI interaction. But I think we're going to be forced to start phoning people again. Absolutely. Because they're going to need to speak to a human and they'll know whether it's you or whether it's a computer.
Lord Russell Baker:Oh, it's so obvious, the interactions, because no matter what a computer can generate in AI, you lose that humanity. You can't give a robot humanity feelings, emotions, can you? It's impossible.
Tim Harris:Well, I love, I love to agree with you. Um, I'm sure somebody is working on it. Um, you know, they can obviously read your body temperature and watch whether your eyes are dilated. So I just, I wonder point whether they're going to have, you know, computer in meeting rooms, you know, virtually scanning your body temperature, whether you're sweating, what your pupils are doing and, but, yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:I, I, but I would do that anyway. If I was in a meeting room, you know, a presentation, I would scan the audience to see if their eyes are dilated naturally, body language, read them, see Whether you know what's going on. I would naturally do the body language check anyway as a, as a person to the people I was reacting with or interacting with. So that's probably not a thing what you can't do.
Tim Harris:My point is that the computer. So I'm very much thinking. So I was a broker in the city for 20 odd years and a lot of my colleagues who are still doing it, their business has been eroded by the use of screens. Yes, but clients still like speaking to a human.
Lord Russell Baker:They do.
Tim Harris:When they can press a button and buy or sell something, they still choose sometimes to ring a voice broker and, and have a chat and just say who's doing what and how are you and okay, I'll buy that. So, you know, look, we're here to stay. We'll. We'll fight AI till our dying.
Lord Russell Baker:We will. Yeah, but I think what. Whether you're a believer in God or an extra life form somewhere, you can't give a robot a soul, can you?
Tim Harris:No.
Lord Russell Baker:And that's the thing I'm talking about, really. We all have indiv. We're all individuals, we all have our own souls where our makeup is different. And you can't do that with a robotic AI concept. It's just not. It's just not real. Not possible.
Tim Harris:No. No.
Lord Russell Baker:Interesting conversation though, isn't it, really?
Tim Harris:Yeah. Progression, really. We're only seeing the beginning of the AI revolution, but we are. Yeah, we'll see. Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:It's right at the beginning and it will take hold and it's going to be quite an amazing journey, I'm sure.
Tim Harris:Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:That's interesting. So booking you as a speaker, Tim, will not only motivate you as an individual or your team, but also provide practical strategies for navigating life's toughest challenges because you've been through them anyway. So you can apply this. Ensuring the client or the client's organization thrives in the face of adversity. I mean, it's incredible. I'm selling your services here, Tim. So how do people get in touch with and book your services?
Tim Harris:So tim@timharrisconsulting.com is my. I mean, that's my, that's my email and Tim Harris Consulting is one of my websites. That's probably the easiest way. That's.
Lord Russell Baker:It sounds like a great thing. And to get people to, you know, watching the show, that's how to contact. Just fantastic. And by all means, use this show as part of your promotional part as well, Tim, because I think this show is quite a good show actually. We're making here, so you're quite welcome to do that. What is your.
Tim Harris:And I. I love listening to your one with. With Ashley Giles as well. So. Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:Oh, that was a great show, wasn't it, Ashley? That was fantastic. But also listen to Jane Baylor. I mean, that was just sensational. I mean, really, what a wonderful show. Well, they all. They're all good because they're all individuals that have. Have a unique story to tell. So it's just pulling that out of people, isn't it, really? My guests.
Tim Harris:Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:Which is a great thing. So what is your. Your next life challenge? Is there something else on the horizon?
Tim Harris:So physically, in terms of challenges? Hoping my wife doesn't listen to this, but I'm sure she will. It's kind of in the back of my mind whether to. Whether to undertake the Atlantic solo, and my thought process there is not wanting to let Simon down was an enormous motivating factor. So every time I thought, I don't want to do this shift.
Lord Russell Baker:Yes.
Tim Harris:I was kind of forced to do that shift because I didn't want to let Simon down myself as well. But it's very much. You don't want to have to face the person that you're letting down.
Lord Russell Baker:Yes.
Tim Harris:I just wonder whether I would be able to have the discipline not to let myself down if I did it on my own.
Lord Russell Baker:That's a tough call, isn't it? Tough call.
Tim Harris:Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:Literally be isolated for a large amount of time. Bit like being on a desert island. The madness creeps in. Start talking to yourself. Maybe answering yourself is a strong possibility, too. I mean, you just.
Tim Harris:Myself. Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:Oh, there's endless mental possibilities there of going through the strength factors of mental health.
Tim Harris:Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:But again, prove how strong you are.
Tim Harris:Yeah. Again, it's. It's this. It's this. Push yourself. What's. What's the stretch and what's, you know, what's foolish.
Lord Russell Baker:This is your soul now pulling on you, isn't it? And you're telling your brain to stop being. Quite.
Tim Harris:The only other thing I'd like to do, really, is I've got terrible arthritis in my right ankle. Otherwise, I would have liked to undertake the Marathon Desable. Quite a lot of people have done World's Toughest Row and Marathon Desable as a kind of. You know, I've done these two, but, yeah, my ankle won't take that. I'd like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Lord Russell Baker:That's a nice one.
Tim Harris:Yeah. Yeah, I think that's. That's less of a stretch, but. But Again, you know, many people have not been able to do that and they've been supremely fit because you never know when altitude sickness will affect you.
Lord Russell Baker:Exactly. And altitude sickness is very real. It's very, very real.
Tim Harris:Yeah. Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:The lack of oxygen you get at altitude is quite, quite incredible.
Tim Harris:Yeah. Well, again, a bit like the, the sleep deprivation on the road.
Lord Russell Baker:Oh, deed.
Tim Harris:It leaves you almost drunk does. You know, I did. My wife and I walked the Inca trail back in 2008 and. And she got altitude sickness on the way up and, and, and she made it over the coal, I think, 4,200 meters and, and, and then just snapped out of it as went down the other side. You know, almost like you'd put smelling salts under her nose. But yeah, it can just. It can hit anyone no matter how fit you are.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, yeah, certainly can. I mean, when I was living in Mexico City, that's just under 3,000 meters above sea level. It's quite a high city in Mexico City. And I'd regularly go and run around Mexico city and do 10Ks quite regularly.
Tim Harris:Right.
Lord Russell Baker:And the breathing was difficult because of the lack of oxygen and not just because of the air was dirty with fumes of cars and everything else. It was generally a lack of oxygen because it was so high up the city.
Tim Harris:Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:So it's a, it's an awareness, isn't it, the, the altitude levels and lack of oxygen.
Tim Harris:Well, I remember landing. We flew to. We flew to La Paz in Bolivia and I believe that's the highest airport in the world.
Lord Russell Baker:Wow.
Tim Harris:Possibly. But I remember being incredibly short of breath. It has.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah. I was in the Maasai Mara, actually. I was out there in 2018. The Maasai people and that. That is extremely high level. Yeah. As you do. It's one of those little trips you just go off and do, you know, being with the Maasai, wonderful trip. And of course I remember walking around the Maasai and feeling I was. I had to really struggle with breathing because of the. The height above sea level.
Tim Harris:Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:And that's an incredible thing. But these are the trips we do. These are the journeys we do in life, Tim. You know, it's always fun, isn't it?
Tim Harris:Yeah. I mean, I've always been a kinesthetic learner. I learned doing and yeah, that's, that's how I am, so. But though. Yeah, they're the only two things I'm thinking of. But for now I think just stay on Terraforma.
Lord Russell Baker:Yep. Do what you're doing.
Tim Harris:The kids carry on.
Lord Russell Baker:Absolutely.
Tim Harris:Keep Evolving, keep becoming a better person if, you know, if possible.
Lord Russell Baker:Absolutely right.
Tim Harris:Obviously it's possible. Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:And you are, you've strived with that, with becoming a better person, as we all do. Yeah, well, we all should do not, not everybody does, do they? But we all should do through learning for our mistakes in life journey what we do in life, learning, becoming better people. I think that's the real thing, isn't it? It's a real success to do that.
Tim Harris:Yeah. And the coaching has now evolved from sort of one on one coaching with CEOs and COOs, C suite professionals, to now professional EOS implementer. EOS stands for the entrepreneurial operating software. And one of the things, I went on a workshop and as happens on these, on these sort of retreats, they go around the group and they say, you know, tell me a bit about yourself. And I, I gave them a brief synopsis of my story and said that I wasn't finding coaching particularly impactful and for my second career I was hoping to have more impact. And one of the chats on the retreat took me aside at lunchtime and said, I am an EOS implementer and impact is at the top of my list. And what we do is we work with the leadership teams of small businesses. So yes, never corporal, not never corporate, but very much entrepreneurs. And he said, we, we really feel that by going into these businesses who are often struggling or hitting the ceiling, frustrated, not growing enough, you know, nothing's working. Yeah, that through implementing this proven process of EOs, they get to see these teams, business lives improve and then on the back of that, their home lives improve. And so by going into say a team of 20 and setting them on the right path and getting their business working well, allowing them to take back their personal lives, yes, they were impacting, you know, 400 people because you took into account the families of all these, of all these employees. I love that story. And so, and so that's what I now do. And it's, it's, it's incredibly gratifying. And you meet some, you meet some fascinating people who, you know, we all know that, um, entrepreneurs are kind of the backbone of our economy. And you know, it's, it's tough out there. And 50% of them fail. And what we discovered is really 50% of them fail through not instilling discipline and accountability. So they can all have, you know, visions and business plans and you know, think they know how to solve problems and stick a few processes in. But very simply, if you don't have discipline and Accountability, you fail.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, I agree with you. I completely agree.
Tim Harris:Some fascinating businesses out there and some. Some brave people trying to get them off the ground and not. Not wanting corporate life.
Lord Russell Baker:And that's the good approach, you know, as business entrepreneurs, as we both are, that's how we live our lives. Don't mean. You know what, it's now quarter seven and we've been on this show for over an hour and 15 minutes. Where does time go? I mean, it's great that you're enjoying yourself.
Tim Harris:Hours with you, but we'll probably chat afterwards. But.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, we will. Yeah, let's have a chat afterwards.
Tim Harris:Yeah, very.
Lord Russell Baker:I think I should wrap up now. And we'll stay on and we'll have a chat afterwards, Tim.
Tim Harris:Yeah.
Lord Russell Baker:Because there's more we can talk about.
Tim Harris:Lovely. Lovely talking to you. And thanks again.
Lord Russell Baker:Yeah, it's been a pleasure. It really has. And as always, this is the same old story for me as always on the World of Laura Russell podcast talk show. We could talk forever, Tim. And we can. And we'll have a chat afterwards. Absolutely. And we could. And we could, of course. And an incredible life story about your life and the challenges you've had and overcome more so how you've harnessed these challenges to build a successful coaching business whereby you help others. I mean, it's truly incredible. It's been a huge pleasure, as always. And as always, the pleasure is all mine. And of course, the show's audience when this podcast is released on the World of Lord Russell podcast talk show and the Lord Russell Baker YouTube channel. Thanks, Tim. Ladies and gentlemen, I'll give you, Tim Harris, a big round of applause here. Look as you see the clapping of my hands. It's been a fabulous show. It really has. Talking shortly been brilliant. The next episode on the World of Lord Russell podcast talk show is Merlin the story of Gordon Hill, Manchester United and England. Wow. Where my special guest will be Gordon Hill, who is a former professional footballer who played in the English Football League for Millwall, Manchester United, Derby county and Queen's Park Rangers. Gordon Hill was capped six times for the England national team as well. Plus an FA cup winner for Manchester United in 1977, beating Liverpool 21 to lift the grand old trophy at Wembley, say stadium. So another great show to look forward to for all football and sports fans alike. And of course, exclusive on the World of Lord Russell podcast talk show. And of course, I'm looking forward to seeing you all on the inside. So until then, it's a revoir from him and au revoir from me.
