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Leading 4 Life "Stories"

Leading 4 Life "Stories"

Hosted by Bob Judson

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Episodes

151

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-GB

About the show

I am Bob Judson and I spent over 34 years in the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom as a fast-jet pilot and then eventually as a senior leader, retiring from the military in 2015 as an Air Vice-Marshal (2* General). I subsequently transitioned to the corporate world as a consultant at Deloitte, but in 2019 I stepped away from all that and co-founded Leading 4 Life. I am passionate about helping to develop the leadership skills of individuals and teams and that is what this podcast is all about. You will hear from me, and from a wide range of special guests, many of whom have had incredible leadership journeys and risen to the most senior level of their governments, militaries and corporations. The focus won't only be on success; there is also much to be learned from the failures along the way! Thank you for listening! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudsonBob Website: https://leading4life.co.uk/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

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60 recent
June 14, 2026Episode 241 hr 7 min

E150 - Guests: Marshal of the RAF, the Lord Jock Stirrup, former Chief of the Defence Staff

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/rPZwRS_Kd2cWith geopolitics and national security so much in the headlines these days, my special guest for this 150th episode could not be more appropriate.  Marshal of the Royal Air Force, the Right Honourable, the Lord Jock Stirrup KG GCB AFC FRAeS FCMI is a former UK Chief of the Defence Staff and a very active cross-bench member of the House of Lords.I have known Jock almost all of my working life.  He was my flight commander way back when I was on the Jaguar Conversion Unit in 1983 and subsequently my squadron commander when we were both on II(AC) Squadron in Royal Air Force Germany during the Cold War.  His whole career story is an amazing one and I have huge respect for all that he has achieved whilst in uniform and beyond.From starting out as a first tour flying instructor, Jock rapidly found himself on active operations as a loan service officer in what was then the Sultan of Oman's Air Force during the Dhofar War.  He subsequently became a leading figure in the Jaguar Force before continuing up the career ladder to ultimately become the UK Chief of Defence Staff from 2006 to 2010.  In this episode, we discuss his career journey and also his thoughts on the political and security challenges facing not only the UK but also the wider world today.  Jock is also the first Knight of the Garter who has been on the show and so we discuss that in some detail.  For those not familiar, the Garter is the highest order of chivalry in the UK and, can have a maximum of only 24 companion knights at any one time so it is a very exclusive club indeed.It was a real privilege to get Jock on the show and, as anticipated, it was a fascinating discussion.  I very much hope you enjoy it and, as ever, please let me know what you think.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

June 7, 2026Episode 2352 min

E149 - Guests: Emily Stone, Deloitte "Brightstart" Apprentice

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/Iuo5x542X6YThese days it's impossible to have a leadership discussion without "working with Gen Z" coming up pretty quickly, and that is what makes the guest on this episode particularly special.  Emily Stone is a Deloitte "Brightstart" apprentice who in her own words is doing an "earn while you learn" degree programme alongside her day job as a consultant in Deloitte's UK business.  She joined Deloitte straight from school (that's the basic premise of the Brightstart programme) and, as you will hear on the episode, she is an incredibly charismatic, gregarious individual who without doubt has a very bright future ahead of her.If you are interested in the Gen Z perspective on the world of work, this episode is definitely one for you, and I think it's fair to say you might be surprised by what Emily has to say.  She breaks down a number of the stereotypical assumptions that people often make about the younger generation, and brings out a range of great leadership observations.  It is a fascinating conversation that I really hope you enjoy, and I very much look forward to your feedback once you have had a listen.You can find Emily on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-stone-382200263/ It was a privilege to conduct this interview as part of a routine event for The Leaders' Club so, although it won't be apparent to you when you listen, we also had a live audience and the chance for some follow on Q&A (which is not included with this episode).  If you are interested in what The Leaders' Club has to offer and want to join a really interesting group for fascinating weekly Chatham House Rules presentations, just head to https://www.theleadersclub.org/ where you will find everything you need to know, including how to become a member.  On a final note, this episode was recorded away from my normal location so I do apologise for the background noise that you can sometimes hear whilst I am speaking - it was regrettably unavoidable on this occasion.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

May 31, 2026Episode 2221 min

E148 - Personal Stories: What I Am Doing Now!

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/kAXVVXmvEkAAs I conclude the personal stories chronology of my career to date, I thought it would be appropriate to provide a bit more detail on what I am actually doing now with Leading 4 Life under the umbrella of Bob Judson Consulting Ltd.  The content may feel a bit like an advert and, although that was certainly not the intent, I would of course be delighted to hear from anyone that is interested in what I offer within my current portfolio.  I will continue personal stories in future episodes as I take a deeper dive into some of the most interesting periods in my career throughout the years.As someone who is passionate about leadership development, I haven chosen to develop my offer around three focused areas: professional keynote speaking, workshops and training; and executive coaching.  Each of these areas has real value for anyone that is looking to develop personally or to improve the skills of their teams and, as I highlighted in my double page spread in the Spring 2026 edition of Your Business with James Caan, I strongly believe that starting with keynote speaking is a really time and cost efficient way to help a good number of people in short space of time.  Workshops and coaching are also immensely valuable for anyone looking to go deeper and I am always available to discuss any or all of these options if it would be of interest to you.I really hope that you find the episode interesting and enjoyable, even if you aren’t specifically looking for leadership development at this time.  As ever, if you like it, please share it widely, comment, repost and subscribe for future episodes.  Thanks again for watching / listening - I really do appreciate it.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

May 24, 2026Episode 2138 min

E147 - Themes: "Pressure!"

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/XfYdr2UuzOAPressure!  Everyone feels it; however, it's how you respond to it that really matters.  Do you fold underneath the pressure or do you use it as a superpower to enhance your capability?In this episode, I talk about some of my own experiences with pressure.  There are many many more I could have mentioned and I've saved some for further personal story episodes, but my intention this time was to discuss the issue on a thematic basis and, as ever, I hope that what I have to say is useful and informative.  Please do let me have some feedback once you've watched the episode - I would be fascinated to know if your experiences are similar to mine and also to hear how you handle pressure in your own life.  I really hope you enjoy the show.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

May 17, 2026Episode 2032 min

E146 - Personal Stories: Building a Business

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/GaAeea-feFMSince departing Deloitte to go it alone and run my own company, there are a myriad of things that I have to focus on to build the business.  These are certainly not unique to my company and, consequently, I hope that many of the things I say in this episode will be useful tips for anyone else stepping out from a private or public sector company and starting to build their own business.It has certainly not all been easy or straightforward but I love the freedom that being my own boss gives me and I certainly wouldn't want to change it now.  That said, I don't shy away from the challenges, and my intention with this episode is to share some of those as I have done all along with the personal stories I have shared on the show.I really hope you enjoy the episode.  This is one where I would definitely be interested in your own thoughts and experiences, especially if you have any alternative thoughts to my own.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

May 10, 2026Episode 191 hr 14 min

E145 - Guests: Maria Franzoni, Former International Speaker Bureau Owner & Agent, Author of "The Bookability Formula"

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/5tWESWMJkRcIt was a real delight to interview Maria Franzoni for the show.  Charismatic and lively, Maria is full of great ideas and thoughts that made this a really interesting episode.  She has been in the speaking industry for much of her working life but she has prior experience as well and she draws on that extensively during our discussion.  Within the speaking world, Maria has worked with many household names, initially as a booking agent / agency owner, and now as a mentor and coach, helping speakers to improve their businesses.  She has written an outstanding book, "The Bookability Formula" that is a must read for anyone who is interested in professional speaking in any capacity.Maria certainly doesn't hold back in this episode; she is very open about a wide range of issues, including some deeply personal ones and I found it a fascinating conversation.  I hope you enjoy it too - please do let me know once you have had a watch!Footnote: During the recording, Maria mentions Ravi Rajani but not by his full name so we wanted to credit him here for completeness. You can find Maria here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariafranzoni/Website: https://www.mariafranzoni.me/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMariaFranzoni or https://www.facebook.com/groups/SpeakingBusinessSupport the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

May 3, 2026Episode 1828 min

E144 - Themes: "Integrity & Trust!"

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/5tWESWMJkRcIt might be a personal view, but I believe that integrity and trust and two of the most important leadership traits and both are sine qua non for any good leader to have.  Sadly, however, we all too often see leaders in pivotal positions who seem to have forgotten the importance of demonstrating integrity, building trust with those that work with them, and trusting those same people to do their very best for the team as a whole.I use political leadership as an example of where I believe this is going wrong, but I do not cite any particular individuals as I don't believe that would be helpful.  The problem is certainly not unique to politicians though; there are plenty of leaders across all walks of life who fail to demonstrate adequate integrity or trust.In this episode, I take a deeper dive into integrity and trust.  I look at a couple of really valuable models that help leaders to think about trust in particular: "5 Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni, and the Trust Equation by Trusted Advisor Associates.  Hopefully I will also stimulate you to think about your own "score" in these areas - passing the "look in the mirror" test is something every leaders should be able to do on a routine basis - when did you last do yours?I really hope you enjoy the episode and, as ever, I would really appreciate your feedback.  This is an area that is too important for us to ignore!Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

April 26, 2026Episode 171 hr 21 min

E143 - Guests: Leigh Bowman-Perks, Founder and CEO of the Inspiring Leadership Foundation

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/_zMu2uG7HbsIt was a real delight to interview the wonderful Leigh Bowman-Perks for this episode of the podcast.  Although she is perhaps best known as the Founder and CEO of the Inspiring Leadership Foundation, her story and career portfolio is much broader.  She is a business performance coach, motivational speaker and a published author and, as becomes clear in the episode, Leigh has also had a multi-faceted corporate career.  As if that wasn't enough, she had to overcome some very challenging early life events, and so her story is both fascinating and emotional in equal measure!Leigh's Inspiring Leadership Foundation is doing outstanding and very important charitable work. It has delivered transformative programmes across 7 countries and has a particular focus on under represented communities.  You can find Leigh here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-bowman-perks-82082910/Website: https://inspiringleadership.foundation/May 2026 will also see the Foundation's second "Ride to Inspire" charity cycling event, which aims to raise the profile of the charity still further using sport, leadership and philanthropy to unite communities and celebrate inspiring role models. If you are interesting in learning more or supporting the Ride to Inspire you can get the full story here:https://inspiringleadership.foundation/ride-to-inspire/As ever, I hope you enjoy what I thought was a great discussion; please do let me know what you think as I really value your feedback.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

April 19, 2026Episode 161 hr 42 min

E142 - Guests: Dom Wilkins, Media Programming Director & Former Head of OSN Channels in Dubai

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/JMjhvV7Rj7EDom Wilkins has had a long and impressive career in the world of broadcast media.  His credentials include roles at the BBC, Sky TV and most recently with OSN in Dubai.In this fascinating episode we explore Dom's personal journey but we also get well behind the scenes of the broadcast media world, an area which will be largely unknown to most, since most of us simply view the end product of the TV production process without any real knowledge of all the issues that sit behind that final output.Expect to be surprised by some of what Dom says - I certainly was - but I'm sure you will also learn a lot, and I really hope you enjoy this terrific conversation.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

April 12, 2026Episode 1530 min

E141 - Personal Stories: Jumping Off the Lilypad!

I'd love to hear from you; feel free to send me a Text MessageBefore you do anything else, please hit the subscribe / follow button in your podcast platform to ensure you get immediate notification of future episodes, and to help boost this show within the algorithms.This episode is also available as a video podcast on my YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/v7FfWJVAbugWhen I joined Deloitte after my time in the Royal Air Force, I had no idea whether this would be my new "job for life" or just a lilypad to land on before jumping on to the next thing.  As it turned out, it was the latter and after 3 1/2 years of great experiences, wonderful people and a huge amount of learning, I moved on once again to start my own company and begin the journey that I am still on today.In this episode I explain the thought process behind that decision and the steps I took to make the subsequent transition.  There are lessons in here for everyone because, whilst I took a huge amount from my time at Deloitte, I certainly didn't get everything right in terms of my own career management.  As with so many of my personal stories, I very much hope that by sharing some of my own experiences, I can help others to avoid similar pitfalls in their own lives.I really hope you enjoy the episode; please do let me have some feedback if you have the time.Support the showThank you for listening!  If you value the content I produce, please consider supporting the show financially by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/leading4life/ or clicking the "Support the Show" link above.You will have the choice of becoming a Supporter, a Champion or a Patron of the show and any contribution you feel able to make will be hugely appreciated.You can find more about me here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbob/X: https://x.com/JudsonBobWebsite: https://leading4life.co.uk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Leading4Life

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