Deep Life Reflections: Friday Five
Issue 109 - A Conversation
Welcome to Issue 109 of Deep Life Reflections, where each week I share my thoughts on what I’m enjoying and thinking about.
This week, something a little different—a conversation, not a written piece.
Recently, I was invited onto a podcast called The Modern CMO hosted by Subhas Desai—a business show that explores leadership. The podcast was titled Rethinking Today’s Leadership, and I was also joined by Chitra Rajan—a Sales Operations Director at Dell Technologies and long-time reader of Deep Life Reflections. I’ve mentored Chitra over the past four years, and mentoring was a recurring theme throughout the conversation with Subhas.
The podcast is now live on YouTube and Spotify, and for many readers of this newsletter, it may be the first time you’ve heard my voice or seen me speak.
We covered a wide range of topics—how I came into coaching, the power of belief systems, strengths-based development, leading as an introvert, and embracing slow productivity. We also explored how to stay human in the age of AI. It was a conversation I really enjoyed and one I wanted to share this week.
If you’d like to watch or listen to the full conversation, you can watch on YouTube 📺 or listen on Spotify 🎧
Below, I’ve pulled out five segments from the podcast that speak to the philosophy behind Deep Life Journey—living with balance, intention, and cultivating things that matter. So if there’s a particular theme that feels relevant, you can jump straight to that part of the video.
Join me as we explore this week’s conversation-themed Friday Five.
1. What Led Me Into Coaching 🎙️
“It wasn’t something I did overnight. It was really the culmination of a small set of steps that eventually led to a bigger one.”
In the podcast, I spoke a little about my journey into coaching, which had been developing in some capacity over several years, including my time as a running technique coach with the Dubai Creek Striders, one of the UAE’s largest running clubs.
For many of us, our careers are not linear. We shift, adjust, and change—often to a larger degree than we expect. What we’re doing today, next year, or even ten years from now might look very different—and that can be a good thing.
2. The Impact of Our Beliefs, Thoughts and Ideas 🎙️
“A lot of our outcomes are shaped by what we believe.”
We all carry beliefs, thoughts, and ideas. Some serve us well in life, but some hold us back—and often we’re not even aware they’re there. One of the things I do as a coach is listen for those beliefs and ask whether they’re helping someone move forward or keeping them stuck.
Coaching is about helping people see their blind spots so they can find more clarity to make better decisions. It’s not that people need a coach their whole lives, but if you’ve hit a wall you can’t move past, the right coach might help. Not with answers, but with the ability to listen without judgment and reflect back what you may not yet see. That can be powerful.
3. Discovering Our Top 5 Talents 🎙️
“When you focus where you’re already strong—where those natural talents are—you’ll get to where you want to go far more effectively than by focusing on where you are weak.”
I’ve written before about the power of focusing on strengths over weaknesses. It’s also the foundation of my coaching practice—a strengths-based approach using CliftonStrengths.
One of my top talents is Discipline. That doesn’t mean I’m rigid or obsessive (although it can happen if I’m not careful)—it means I naturally look for structure, clarity, and order. I like having systems that work. And when I don’t have them, I build them. That tendency is clear in how I coach, how I write, even how I run.
Strengths aren’t about job titles or personality types. They’re about how we move through the world. And when we recognise what comes naturally, we can use them more to help us go further.
4. Why Everyone Can Be A Leader 🎙️
“Many of us are already leaders, just not in the traditional way.”
It’s easy to fall into binary labels like introvert or extrovert—but real life has more shading than that. The risk with labels is that they can shape how we see ourselves, sometimes in limiting ways.
The reality is, many people are already leading—but not in the obvious ways. It might be through their skills, their relationships, or simply how they present themselves. Leadership isn’t always loud, visible or title-based. It can be quiet, steady, consistent.
In the podcast, I mentioned an example from my football team, Manchester United. But you’ll see this everywhere: people who aren’t leading in the traditional sense, but are still the kind of people others choose to follow.
5. Embracing Slow Productivity for Balance, Meaning & Success 🎙️
“You can build something of real value but you don’t need to sell your soul.”
Another core principle of Deep Life Journey is the idea of Slow Productivity—a concept popularised by author Cal Newport, and a key part of my Paths framework.
It’s a more deliberate and thoughtful approach to how we work and live. One that pushes back on the idea that meaningful work requires constant hustle or long hours, day after day.
Burnout isn’t a badge of honour. Neither is busyness. There are other paths out there. And they offer a much better view.
Bonus
AI vs Human Creativity: Staying Real in the Digital Age 🎙️
“We should never lose sight of our very human capabilities.”
AI is here—and it’s already reshaping both our professional and personal lives. Used well, it can be a helpful tool, especially for automating routine tasks that drain time and energy.
But we need to be careful not to become overreliant. I don’t think we should ask ChatGPT—or any AI—for an opinion on everything. It doesn’t know you like you know you. It doesn’t know you like your friends and family do.
Trust your gut. It’s served us well so far.
Our flaws and mistakes are part of what make us human. They’re also how we develop originality, wisdom, and resilience. And we’ll need all of those more than ever.
Do any of these ideas in the podcast resonate? I’d love to hear your thoughts—or hear what’s worked for you. Leave a comment below.
As always, thanks for being part of the Deep Life Journey community. And for those celebrating, enjoy the Easter holidays. I’ll be treating myself to an Easter egg and a Friday afternoon screening of a film from my childhood I haven’t seen in years.
James
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