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Experience the Cold War like never before through award-winning, real-life stories told by those who lived it. Each week, we bring you firsthand accounts from soldiers, spies, civilians, and more, capturing the full spectrum of Cold War experiences. Host Ian Sanders takes you beyond the history books, delivering raw, personal stories where every breath, pause, and emotion adds depth to understanding this pivotal era. This is Cold War history, told from the inside. We cover subjects such as s ...
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A New Way of Being is about realising that we are already enough. Most of us don’t feel that way because we get trapped in the illusion created by the voice in our heads. So much of today’s High Performance culture stems from a sense of inadequacy, pushing us to chase what we already are. But it’s a trap—you can’t become what you already are. This isn’t about being passive or lazy, but about shifting our intention. Instead of proving our worth, we express it. Previous guests include Jonny Wi ...
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Exploring the dangers of forced positivity and the importance of embracing all emotions for genuine connection and well-being. In this episode, ex rugby league pro Stevie Ward explore the downsides of forced positivity and why closing off to the full spectrum of feelings is a bad idea - and saps us of strength and authenticity. It's about acknowled…
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Flying at high speed and low level, RCAF pilot Allen French was at the sharp end of potential nuclear bombing missions during the Cold War. Born at the dawn of the baby boomer era, Allen delves into his early inspirations, his father's service in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the pivotal moments that led him to join the Air Force. From training…
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Find out why it’s the time spent on screens, not just the content, that’s affecting your well-being – and how you can start reclaiming your focus with Professor Cal Newport In this bitesize episode, I sit down with Cal Newport to chat about how smartphones and social media are messing with our well-being. Rather than focusing on what sort of conten…
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In this episode, we tackle a subject that affects us all but remains somewhat taboo —money. Anna joins me to share her powerful journey from financial uncertainty to mastering her finances, and together, we explore how much headspace money takes up when we’re not in control of it. Financial stress can cloud our ability to think clearly, reduce our …
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In the sleepy suburb of Ruislip in London during the late 1950s, life was anything but exciting for Gay Search, a 15-year-old girl. Little did she know, her mundane existence was about to be shattered by a shocking revelation that would turn her world upside down. This is the gripping tale of suburban espionage, the story begins with the seemingly …
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Fighter pilots are experts at developing the power of focus under pressure. Fighter pilot turned Head of UK Military Flying Training Rob Caine explains the powerful concept of "the bubble"—a state that helps block out distractions and allows for complete concentration on the task at hand. Whether you’re flying a jet, preparing for a presentation at…
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"A healthy person has a hundred wishes, but a sick person has only one" Another wise one man once said, 'One day you will look like a soggy tea-bag, if you are lucky!'. That man was near-death survivor turned mobility and movement guru Adam Richardson, this week's ANWOB guest. In this episode, Adam Richardson reveals his transformative journey from…
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In this gripping episode of Cold War Conversations, we hear the remarkable first-hand account of John Brooker, an Australian veteran who takes us on a journey from the streets of Sydney to the battlefields of Vietnam. John shares his experiences from joining the Citizens Military Force (CMF) to his deployment with the Royal New South Wales Lancers …
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Meditation 2.0: Discovering the True Nature of Thought. This episode with neuroscientist, author and creator of the Waking Up app Sam Harris explores where people go wrong with meditation, with profound insights, not least for our true identity as well as an antidote to psychological suffering. As I often say, we are not our thoughts - we are AWARE…
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This conversation starts with a truly eye-opening insight: our judgments of others often reveal traits in ourselves that we haven’t fully recognised and owned. Internationally renowned behaviour expert Dr John Demartini identified 4,628 different human behavioural traits, and recognised that we all possess both all of them - positive and negative. …
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It's 40 years since the film Threads was shown on British TV. It portrayed the effects of a nuclear attack on the city of Sheffield, England and the eventual long-term effects of nuclear war on civilization. It therefore seems apt to publish a tour I had of the Hack Green Regional Seat of Government Bunker museum. Nestled in the heart of Cheshire, …
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Discover how embracing your shadow and understanding the judgments we place on others can help reduce psychological suffering. What we resist in others often reflects what we need to heal within ourselves. This is a sneak peek from one of my all-time favourite conversations, with the full episode dropping on Monday. I highly recommend tuning in—it’…
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The closest most of us will ever get to flying fighter jets is by watching 'Top Gun'. But there is so much anyone can learn from fighter pilot turned Head of UK Military Flying Training Rob Caine. He has three decades of flying experience under his belt and in this conversation shares powerful insights on: Tapping into the unconscious mind for flow…
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On April 30, 1980, six heavily armed gunmen burst into the Iranian embassy on Princes Gate, overlooking Hyde Park in London. There they took 26 hostages, including embassy staff, visitors, and three British citizens. I talk with Britain’s bestselling historian Ben Macintyre who has written a new book called “The Siege: The Remarkable Story of the G…
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What attachment style are you - anxious, avoidant or secure? Our attachment style forms as a result of our relationships with our parents and primary caregivers. In this bitesize episode, we are focussing on how to enjoy the honeymoon phase over and over again - through vasopressin bonding. This is vital for developing true long-lasting intimacy, a…
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Are you familiar with worrying about the future or dwelling on the past? Then this conversation is for you. It's all about ways to free yourself from being caught up in the head - and stop your mind from using you, and get back to being able to use your mind, which is after all a wonderful tool (but a terrible master!). We all love it when the mind…
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Chris is a former member of the Yorkshire Volunteers, part of Cold War Britain’s Territorial reserve Army. This episode is a treasure trove of personal anecdotes, historical insights, and reflections on military life, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in military history and the Cold War era. Chris’s journey into the military began with…
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Do you sometimes feel like your mind is stuck on a treadmill? Does it ever feel like your mind is a prison? If so, there is a way out - and this bitesize episode will show you a way. It includes a powerful practice to bring more presence into your life, so that when difficult moments arise - as they surely will - you are equipped to rise to the cha…
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Juli begins by recounting her early years in East Berlin, a time marked by the tragic loss of her father. Drafted into the army just days before her birth, her father continually deserted to see his family, ultimately leading to his untimely death. This early loss left Juli and her mother to navigate a harsh landscape in East Germany alone. Life in…
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No one likes experiencing uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, like anxiety. However, the more we fight our internal experience, the more likely it is to fight back. Rather than resisting the internal experience we don't want to feel, by urning towards them and even welcoming them - it can have a powerful positive effect, as Dr. guy explains. FULL …
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The high school soccer season got off to a running start with a weekend of opening season tournaments and non-conference action, then kept going through this week as section play has begun in some classifications. Pittsburgh Soccer Now's John Krysinsky and Matt Popchock discuss some of what they saw this weekend at the JRK Memorial Classic, then we…
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Ed Jackson is a bloody inspiration. He was a professional rugby player before his career was cut short when he dived into a swimming pool and broke his neck. He nearly died and was told he would not walk again. But Ed worked his butt off and confounded the critics, going on to make a remarkable recovery - and has since developed something of a penc…
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BRIXMIS and its operations behind enemy lines continue to fascinate the listeners of Cold War Conversations. In August 2024 I was honoured to be invited to the National Army Museum in London to interview Andrew Long, the author of BRIXMIS and the Secret Cold War - Intelligence Collecting Operations Behind Enemy Lines in East Germany. The National A…
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Being sedentary is a killer. Our ancestors walked 15 plus miles a day most days of the week. Not for its health benefits, but because it was weaved into their day naturally. The problem now is that our lives are designed to be sedentary - think cars, desks and sofas - and so we have to be very conscious about fitting in regular lower level exercise…
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The Kids on the Pitch Podcast, returns for a special opening weekend of the High School soccer season edition, as PSN’s John Krysinsky is joined by Pine-Richland Boys Head Coach Jordan Wiegand. This year, at the JRK Memorial Classic hosted by Pine-Richland boys soccer program, 10 high school boys soccer teams will get their 2024 seasons going again…
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Did you seek the Nike Olympics advert- asking 'Am I a bad person - because I want to win?' It got a few people talking before the Games, but once they started it didn't resonate. Because this Olympics, more than any other, exhibited beautiful examples of vulnerability, gratitude, humility, transcending tribalism, and mental-health wisdom. Nike were…
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The Spycatcher affair remains one of the most intriguing moments in the history of British intelligence and a pivotal point in the public's relationship with the murky world of espionage and security. It lifted the lid on alleged Soviet infiltration of British services and revealed a culture of law-breaking, bugging and burgling. But how much do we…
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Humans are the worst sleepers in the animal kindom. We are also sleeping fewer hours, and less restoratively than our Grandparents and older ancestors. Sleep is know to be the greatest performance enhancer. A deep 8 hour sleep leaves you feeling like a million dollars - but it is increasingly elusive. I have recorded an episode about insomnia speci…
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Here are five 'practices' I enjoy doing, and recommend, that can help break your identification with thought. I have benefitted from these and continue to do so. I talk about: An ACT defusion technique Self-Enquiry - my favourite question Trauma Release Exercises (TRE) - the importance of bodywork The power of surrender - getting out of your own wa…
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Explore the transformational power of non-duality. I speak about non-duality quite a lot on ANWOB. I want to explain how it has impacted my life - and how it can yours too. In my experience it can reduce suffering and conflict, increases your sense of uncaused joy as well as your relationships - and can make you a nicer person to be around! Also, i…
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Jack Downey was the longest-held prisoner of war in American history. He was a CIA officer captured in China during the Korean War and imprisoned for twenty-one years. I speak with Barry Werth the author of Prisoner of Lies - Jack Downey's Cold War. He details Downey’s story when the CIA recruited him as a new Yale graduate in the post-World War II…
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"Suffering is wishing things were other than they are" - Buddha Suffering is a part of life for the vast majority of us - but does that really need to be the case? Pain is inevitable, but psychological suffering is not. This is something I discussed with Peter Crone - aka The Mind Architect - and we talked about it stemming from a fundamental case …
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What does it take to become an Olympic great? Michael Johnson is one of athletics' greatest ever performers. He did the 200m and 400m double at the 1996 Olympics, smashing a world record in the process. All this while wearing gold shoes - which certainly takes some confidence. I spoke to him a while back about what it took to achieve what he did, a…
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'You have to ask yourself the question 'Who am I?'. This investigation will lead in the end to the discovery of something within you which is behind the mind. Solve that great problem and you will solve all other problems' - Ramana Maharshi. Self-Inquiry is a process through which you investigate and discover what you fundamentally are - and what y…
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Beginning with the death of Stalin in 1953, the “sixties” era in the Soviet Union was just as vibrant and transformative as in the West. The ideological romanticism of the revolutionary years was revived, with a renewed emphasis on egalitarianism, equality, and the building of a communist utopia. Mass terror was reined in, great victories were won …
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'Awe Is The Emotion Of Self-Transcendence' - Jonathan Haidt Dacher Keltner has spent over 20 years studying happiness, and he thinks the secret to a good life is 'finding awe'. Awe is a state when we feel deeply connected to something bigger than ourselves, and in the process our sense of self (the idea we have about who we are) disappears, or at t…
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Duncan Scott became Britain’s most decorated Olympic swimmer ever in Tokyo three years ago when he grabbed a gold and three silvers to add to the two silvers he bagged at Rio 2016. He is in Paris currently, and by the time this is out may have bagged a hatful more medals. Ahead of Duncan taking to the pool in Paris, we caught up to speak about the …
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Due to personal circumstances, I’ve been unable to produce a new episode this week, however, you will be aware of the many gems in the back catalogue and I have chosen one of my favourites today which is a rip-roaring story of service in the USAF with Rick Shreve an F111 pilot which I know you will enjoy. Normal service should be resumed next week.…
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'All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.' - Blaise Pascal What are you like at sitting without any distractions, and just being? Not great I imagine, as it is something most people resist and avoid like the plague. Our culture is built on continual doing and a cult of productivity. But sitting and just b…
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“Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9 percent of everything you think, and of everything you do, is for yourself—and there isn't one.” Brad Stulberg is a best-selling author, speaker and coach. He is a man whose social media posts have a rare value in what can be a sea of rage and golden-bullets. In this conversation, requested by one of our respectiv…
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'Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching' Brad Stulberg is a best-selling author, speaker and coach. He is a man whose social media posts have a rare value in what can be a sea of rage and golden-bullets. In this conversation, requested by one of our respective listeners, Brad and I discuss integrity, the problem with the 'optimi…
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Allan Little recounts his journey from his student days in Edinburgh to working as a journalist the front lines of Cold War history in Eastern Europe and beyond. In 1989 he found himself on the night shift at the BBC’s Today programme in London when the Berlin Wall fell. Witnessing the world change in real time Allan’s desire to be part of these mo…
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Changing 'negative' thoughts to 'positive' thoughts takes up a lot of energy and doesn't always work. But if we can recognise that having 'negative' thoughts and feelings is an entirely normal part of the human experience, we can stop resisting the inevitable. And when we stop resisting - they frequently unwind on their own. My guest is the world-r…
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