FLAME with Brad Hook

Ellen Hunter Gans is a writer, 41-time marathoner, Ironman triathlete, and the first person with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome to run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. In this conversation she takes us inside the Great World Race — from a packed-snow course in Antarctica's White Desert to a heat-index scorcher in Cartagena — complete with a venomous spider bite, a stolen wallet, and a plane once used by the Rolling Stones.
Along the way she shares the stories behind her new book, Seven Marathons: lung cancer survivors running with one lung, a Welsh firefighter racing in full kit, and elite women choosing collaboration over world records. It's a warm, funny, and quietly profound look at resilience, shared purpose, and why the time to chase your big goals is now.
Camaraderie is a performance tool: research shows shared struggle literally reduces the experience of pain
Treat big goals as commitments, not options — sign up first, then figure out how
Rest matters: Ellen qualified for Boston by running less, not more (three focused runs a week)
If not now, when? Don't wait for a diagnosis or a deadline to do the thing

Get the book: https://sevenmarathonsbook.com
Connect with Brad Hook:
https://www.instagram.com/bradhook
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyhook
Explore more:
https://flame.live
https://bradleyhook.com
https://values.institute

Joey Klein is the founder and CEO of Inner Matrix Systems and the author of The Inner Matrix and Relationship Alchemy. After a near-death experience at 19 pulled him out of a destructive lifestyle, he spent two decades blending ancient wisdom traditions, psychology, and neuroscience into a practical system for personal mastery — one he has now taught to more than 90,000 people, from Fortune 500 executives to professional athletes. In this conversation, Joey and Brad explore why lasting change starts with the nervous system rather than the mind, and how emotional mastery can be trained like any other skill.
Why you can't think your way out of anxiety: regulate the nervous system first, manage emotion second, then train the mind
The three emotional competencies: awareness, switching off fear, and switching on love-based states
A simple morning check-in and four-sided breathing practice you can start today
The four steps behind every real transformation

Free for FLAME listeners — both of Joey's books plus a complimentary training session with a certified IMS trainer:https://joeyklein.com/flamepodcast
Follow Joey:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoeyKleinIMSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealjoeyklein/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeyklein/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeyKleinIMS/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialjoeyklein
Connect with Brad:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradhookLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyhook
Attend a live experience: https://flame.liveDiscover Brad's work: https://bradleyhook.comValues Institute: https://values.institute

In this episode, psychologist and bestselling author Fiona Murden explores why identity—not skills—may be our greatest challenge in the age of AI. We discuss resilience, identity coherence, storytelling, parenting, leadership, and why understanding who you are is becoming one of the most important human capabilities.
In this episode:
Why AI is creating an identity crisis
Identity by osmosis and the people who shape us
How leaders create certainty through storytelling
Raising children with a stronger sense of self
The connection between identity and resilience
Practical ways to better understand yourself

Connect with Fiona:
Website: https://www.fionamurden.com/
Substack (Still Human): https://fionamurden.substack.com/about

Most entrepreneurs pour relentless intention into their business and then wing it at home. Ann Sheu thinks that's backwards. She makes the case that your family is the most important team you'll ever lead, and shows how the same clarity, values, and rhythms that build great companies can build connected, resilient families.
We get into values as the real foundation of a relationship, the "decade dream" and why a five-year-old can set one, weekly Family Alignment Meetings (FAMs), the difference between alignment and agreement, and why most money fights are really values fights. Ann also shares the one question that should ground every hard conversation: did your partner leave it feeling seen, heard, understood, and safe?
About AnnAnn Sheu is a leadership coach, entrepreneur, and mother of four, and the founder of Mpowered Journey. She helps high-performing couples bring the clarity, alignment, and intentionality from their businesses into their family life, building stronger communication, shared expectations, and simple rhythms that reduce friction at home.
What we explore
Why values work has to come first, for each individual and then for the couple
The "decade dream": one number that captures a whole vision (2,000 free days, 500 new experiences, 100 date nights abroad)
Family Alignment Meetings, and how to run your family like its leadership team
Alignment over agreement, and why healthy couples still fight
"Seen, heard, understood, and safe" as the real winning criteria in any disagreement
How values clarity dissolves most money and time conflicts
Connect with Ann
https://www.mpoweredjourney.com
https://www.mpoweredjourney.com/know-thyself
https://www.mpoweredjourney.com/foundations-preview
https://www.instagram.com/mpoweredjourney
https://www.linkedin.com/company/mpowered-journey

Meet the host, Brad Hook, here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bradleyhook.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bradhook
X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/bradleyhook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyhook

What if the voice you use every day is only a fraction of what's available to you?
Voice coach, author, and performer Barbara McAfee says most of us live in "a tiny closet in a great big mansion" when it comes to our voice. We settle into one small corner of it and never realize how much more is there.
In this conversation, Barbara shares the framework at the heart of her work: five distinct voices, each with its own sound and purpose. Earth for authority and gravitas. Fire for passion and public speaking. Water for the heart and hard conversations. Metal for cutting through noise without strain. Air for imagination and story. Learning to move between them, she explains, is the difference between a flat communicator and a compelling one.
We talk about why so many people decide they "can't sing," why Barbara believes singing is a human right, and how vocal range shapes leadership, storytelling, confidence, presence, and well-being. She also introduces the idea behind her new book, Vocal Intelligence, and why it matters now.
Whether you're a leader, speaker, coach, parent, educator, or simply someone who wants to express themselves more fully, this episode will change how you think about your voice.
In this conversation:
• The five voices, and what each one is for
• Why most of us work only a small corner of our range
• How great storytellers use vocal variety to hold an audience
• Why Barbara believes singing is one of the most human things we do
• Practical ways to build vocal presence and avoid strain
• Why the voice you like least often holds the most for you
• The thinking behind her new book, Vocal Intelligence
Barbara closes by reading a Hafiz poem about "the astonishing light of your being," and that alone is worth staying for.
Connect with Barbara McAfee
Website: https://www.barbaramcafee.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mcafeemusicInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbaramcafeesings/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbara.mcafeeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaramcafee/
TEDx: Bringing Your Full Voice to Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze763kgrWGgTEDx: How Oral Tradition Singing Helps Us Work & Live Better Together https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrRQulQnaoQ
BooksVocal Intelligence: Leading with Vitality, Presence, and Impact https://www.amazon.com/dp/1722507381
Full Voice: The Art and Practice of Vocal Presence https://www.amazon.com/Full-Voice-Practice-Presence-Business/dp/1605099228
Connect with Brad
Live Workshops & Seminars: https://bradleyhook.com/flame-method/
Discover Your Values: https://values.institute/values-app/
Website: https://bradleyhook.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyhook/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradhook/
Latest Book, Start With Values: https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/start-with-values-9781961293106