Brad Hook Podcast

There’s a popular idea that most of us only get about ten good summers at the end of our lives.But there’s another set of golden summers we rarely talk about — the first ones.In this reflection, I explore the idea of the first 11 golden summers: the brief window when your child is small, when you’re their hero, their safe place, and their favourite person in the world.I talk about time, presence, and the quiet truth that many of the most important moments in parenting don’t announce themselves as special — until they’re gone.This isn’t a message of guilt or perfection.It’s an invitation to notice what’s already here.And for parents whose children are older, it’s a reminder that history is not destiny — meaningful moments can always be created.If this resonates, I hope it encourages you to choose presence a little more often, while the season is still here.

We’re often taught to focus on what we want — more money, more freedom, more connection — and to believe that if we visualise or strive hard enough, it will arrive.But there’s a problem with that approach.Chasing outcomes can quietly train the nervous system to live in tension, striving, and scarcity. Also, humans adapt quickly. The moment we reach a desired state, the mind moves the goalposts. In this episode, I explore a different idea: instead of trying to attract the future, what if we prepared ourselves for it?Drawing on psychology, neuroscience, and lived experience, we look at why state matters more than goals, how identity shapes behaviour, and why calm, coherent systems tend to meet opportunity with less friction.This isn’t a rejection of manifestation — it’s a grounding of it. Less wishing. More becoming.FInd me on:https://www.instagram.com/bradhookhttps://www.tiktok.com/@tikkkl

What if your brain is deciding before you do?What if you’re not seeing reality — just your best guess?What if time, memory, morality, and even your body are more flexible than you think?In this video, we explore 10 real scientific experiments that quietly rewrote how we understand the mind, perception, and reality itself.From the famous Libet experiment showing that the brain prepares actions before conscious awareness…To studies revealing that perception is predictive, memory is rewritten every time you recall it, and even plants can respond to sound…These experiments challenge the idea that you are a fully conscious, fully in-control observer of the world.This isn’t science fiction.It’s peer-reviewed neuroscience, psychology, and biology.And once you understand it, you may never see yourself — or reality — the same way again.🧠 Experiments explored in this video:– The brain that decides before you do – Why perception is prediction, not observation – The placebo effect that works even when you know it’s fake – How a rubber hand can become “your” hand – Plants that grow toward the sound of water – Humans’ hidden magnetic sense – Trauma that passes between generations – How breath changes the experience of time – Why memories are rewritten, not replayed – How magnets can alter moral judgmentIf you enjoy deep, strange, and meaningful science, consider subscribing.

What can high-risk avalanche rescue teach us about leadership, ego and team wellbeing?In this episode, Brad sits down with Caroline Elliott — avalanche specialist, ski patroller, controlled bomber, and avalanche dog handler — to explore what happens behind the scenes in the mountains before you clip into your skis. From bombing snow slopes in the dark to reading the snowpack and trusting your gut, Caroline has spent two decades operating where mistakes can be fatal.Caroline shares how her work in avalanche control, dog handling and rescue has shaped her approach to risk management, psychological safety, bullying, and leadership in high-pressure corporate environments. She also tells the moving story of her avalanche dog Fjord, and how his legacy lives on through her children’s book Fjord’s Mountain Mission and her snow-safety education work with young people.If you care about resilient teams, humble leadership, or venturing safely into the mountains, this conversation is for you.In this episode:How Caroline fell in love with the mountains and found her way into ski patrol and rescueWhat it actually means to set off bombs to prevent avalanches (and why it’s essential for safety)The invisible work that keeps ski resorts safe before the lifts even openTraining at the French École Nationale de Ski et d’Alpinisme and being one of the few British women to qualifyThe intense training path to become an avalanche dog handler and “controlled bomber”Working with her avalanche dog Fjord — reading dogs, managing your own emotions, and avoiding “protection mode”Why ego is a catalyst for disaster in the mountains and in organisationsGut instinct vs data: when to trust your intuition in high-risk situationsThe importance of repetition, drills, and muscle memory for crisis performanceHow avalanche rescue principles translate into corporate leadership, communication and psychological safetyCaroline’s experience of bullying in a male-dominated rescue culture, and what real leadership looks likeThe story behind her children’s book “Fjord’s Mountain Mission” and why she’s passionate about snow safety educationHer upcoming avalanche simulation camps and how she’s bringing mountain lessons to teams and leadersConnect with Caroline:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-elliott-aabb8117/Speaking & corporate work: https://www.carolineelliott.meSnow safety education & consultancy (FjordSAR CIC): https://www.fjordsar.comFjord’s Mountain Mission (children’s book):https://www.amazon.com/Fjords-Mountain-Mission-Safety-Avalanche/dp/1739813502

Thanks for visiting! Connect with me on https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyhook/ or https://www.instagram.com/bradhook and don't forget to subscribe here for more videos like this.Most people hit the holidays exhausted, wired, and a little numb. We crash, sometimes get sick, finally start to feel human again… and then it’s already time to go back to work. At the same time, most New Year’s resolutions quietly fade by February, which tells us one thing: waiting for January 1st to “fix” our life is a terrible strategy.This video is about a different approach.Instead of treating the holiday break as a rescue mission, we’ll explore a handful of small, science-backed shifts you can start now so that you actually land into your break — and step into 2026 calmer, clearer, and more aligned.In this session, we’ll cover:Why stress quietly erodes immunity (and why so many people get sick as their holiday starts)A one-minute box breathing practice to begin lowering stress before you stop workingHow candlelight and stargazing one night a week can change the tone of your eveningsThe power of airplane mode mornings to reclaim the first 30 minutes of your dayThe post-it on the mirror ritual: turning a single core value into daily actionA simple weekly question — “What went well?” — that retrains your attention toward what’s workingWhy our average screen focus is now around 47 seconds, and how to trade doomscrolling for deeper comedy, documentaries, and musicThese aren’t resolutions. They’re tiny pattern disruptions—practices small enough to start today, but powerful enough to change the person who arrives at the holiday break.⸻👋 About meI’m Brad Hook, author of Start With Values and Resilience Mastery, a speaker, and Head of the Resilience Lab at the Resilience Institute. I’ve spent the past two decades at the intersection of performance, wellbeing, and technology, helping people and organisations burn bright rather than burn out.⸻📌 If this video helped youHit subscribe for more tools on personal growth, values, and high-quality livingShare this with someone who deserves a genuinely restorative break this yearComment with the one tiny disruption you’re going to start this week