The Lonely Chapter
by Sam Maclean
Latest episode
Are You Building a Life You Don’t Actually Want? | Dr Yusef Smith |…
Are You Building a Life You Don’t Actually Want? | Dr Yusef Smith |…
About this podcast
The Lonely Chapter explores the moments in life that shape who we become.
Hosted by firefighter Sam Maclean, each episode is an honest conversation with people who’ve lived through extraordinary experiences, faced difficult chapters, or developed something worth learning from.
It’s a podcast for people who are doing okay on the surface, but are still figuring out what it means to live well.
From resilience, leadership and mental health to adventure, loss, performance and purpose, these conversations explore what happens when life gets difficult and what we can learn from the people who’ve been through it.
Previous guests include Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer, London Fire Commissioner Jonathan Smith, broadcaster, author and podcaster Iain Dale, and endurance adventurer and world-record holder Sean Conway.
New episodes every Monday.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 125 episodes
- Are You Building a Life You Don’t Actually Want? | Dr Yusef Smith | #125 · 1 h 6 min · Episode 125What if the life you worked for no longer fits you? At 23, Yusef Smith worried it was already too late to start again. He left a career at BlackRock to study medicine, then later…
- Why Confidence Is So Easy to Lose (And How to Build It Back) | Joshua Paul | #124 · 1 h 15 min · Episode 124One bad moment can make you question everything. Confidence can take years to build, yet sometimes a single comment, mistake or setback is enough to make us doubt ourselves. So…
- Stop Waiting to Be Noticed | On Reflection #1 | #123 · 21 min · Episode 123Working hard and still waiting for your chance? In the first 'On Reflection', I return to three moments from my conversations with Iain Dale, Martin Seager and Corrie Mustafa…
- When You Grow Up Feeling Like the Problem | Corrie Mustafa | #122 · 1 h 7 min · Episode 122What does it take to believe in yourself when you’ve grown up feeling like the problem? For Corrie Mustafa, a small sense of purpose began in the 24-hour gym opposite his…
- What We Get Wrong About Men’s Mental Health | Martin Seager | #121 · 1 h 19 min · Episode 121Being told to talk isn’t the same as being heard. In this conversation, consultant clinical psychologist Martin Seager returns to The Lonely Chapter for episode 121. We explore…
- What 17 Years on Live Radio Truly Taught Me | Iain Dale | #120 · 1 h 15 min · Episode 120Some truths are hardest to tell the people we love. LBC presenter Iain Dale hears them on live radio. In this conversation with Sam on The Lonely Chapter, he reflects on the…
- The Pain Behind “I’m Fine” | Suicide Awareness Compilation | #119 · 38 min · Episode 119Someone can look as though they’re coping while carrying pain other people don’t see. For Suicide Awareness Month, I’ve brought together moments from seven previous episodes of…
- You Can Do Everything Right and Still Lose | Solo Episode | #118 · 40 min · Episode 118Sometimes you can do everything right and still lose. You can prepare properly and still fail. Treat someone well and still be left. Work hard for an opportunity and receive no…
- TOPGUN Instructor: What It Really Takes to Lead Under Pressure | Dave Berke | #117 · 1 h 27 min · Episode 117What does it really take to lead when you don’t know the right answer, and the consequences of getting it wrong are real? Dave Berke is a retired US Marine Corps fighter pilot…
- Belonging in an Age of Isolation: From Attention to Action | Christian d’Ippolito | #116 · 1 h 6 min · Episode 116Why can someone appear to be doing fine, stay busy and remain constantly connected—yet still feel that they belong nowhere? Christian d’Ippolito is the founder of The Spartan…
- The Grief Nobody Sees: Finding Joy After Loss | Rosie Moss | #115 · 1 h 0 min · Episode 115She looks happy. The grief is still there. Rosie Moss has built a beautiful life, raised three children she adores and created a career she loves. She is also still grieving the…
- How Successful Founders Can Still Burn Out | Adam Williams | #114 · 53 min · Episode 114The business was working. Adam was running on empty. A year after leaving his dream job to become a founder, Adam Williams had built a thriving podcast studio... But behind the…
- The Loneliness of Being the Man Everyone Relies On | Jasper Calcara | #113 · 52 min · Episode 113Being the strong one made Jasper almost invisible. For nearly 30 years, Jasper Calcara built a successful structural engineering firm and became the person others trusted to…
- Why Confidence Is Not the Same as Certainty | Solo Episode | #112 · 27 min · Episode 112Sometimes real confidence is being secure enough to admit that you might be wrong. In this solo episode of The Lonely Chapter, Sam Maclean reflects on three ideas that have…
- Why Peace Was Harder to Survive Than War | Liz McConaghy | #111 · 1 h 16 min · Episode 111War gave Liz purpose. Peace nearly took her life. Liz McConaghy spent 17 years flying on the RAF Chinook Fleet, completing deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and serving on the…
- Why Strong Men Don’t Always Ask for Help | Jason Kubiak | #110 · 1 h 19 min · Episode 110He looked fine, but he was falling apart. In this episode of The Lonely Chapter Podcast, Sam speaks with Jason Kubiak, a firefighter, former professional MMA fighter, father and…
- 5 Questions to Help You Make Sense of Life | Solo Episode | #109 · 27 min · Episode 109Most of us are looking for answers, but maybe what we need is better questions. In this solo episode of The Lonely Chapter, Sam Maclean reflects on the questions that have kept…
- The Weight of Leading the London Fire Brigade | Jonathan Smith | #108 · 1 h 10 min · Episode 108What does real responsibility feel like? In this episode of The Lonely Chapter, I sit down with Jonathan Smith, the London Fire Commissioner, to talk about what it really means…
- Why Men Hide Their Pain Until They Break | Dr Susie Bennett | #107 · 1 h 18 min · Episode 107Some men look fine. They’re not. In this episode of The Lonely Chapter, I’m joined again by Dr Susie Bennett, a researcher whose work focuses on male suicide, men’s mental…
- 5 Lessons Firefighting Taught Me About Life | Solo Episode | #106 · 19 min · Episode 106Firefighting teaches you what pressure reveals. In this solo episode of The Lonely Chapter, I reflect on 5 lessons firefighting taught me about life - and how those lessons…
