Forking paths in successful lives

In episode 142 of 'The Diary of a CEO', host Steven Bartlett asks his guest, relationship coach Matthew Hussey, whether he can pinpoint 'the poke from life, the thing that happened in your early years that resulted in you becoming the man you are today'. This line of questioning is prominent at the beginning of each episode and appears to be encouraged by a theory Steven has clearly thought about a lot. Over his years interviewing immensely successful individuals, Steven believes he has found a correlation: that most of these people have experienced some form of trauma or challenge in their early years, which has shaped them into the person they are today.

The series began with Steven's own learnings as a CEO, but today it's an entirely different podcast. Defining 'success' broadly as excelling in a career, Steven talks with people who have made 'a name' for themselves, whether that's the CEO of 'class pass' (the hugely popular fitness app that lets you book onto any gym class you want without a membership), a controversial ex-health secretary, an internationally famous YouTuber, or even a TikTok famous clinical psychologist. The variety of interviewees means the podcast touches on a range of hot topics and more niche concerns, catering to listeners of all kinds of interests, which is probably why it's consistently one of the top podcasts in the charts.

The emphasis on childhood experience echoes the developmental point of view in psychodynamic formulations, which highlights the impact of significant life experiences on an individual's presentation. For me, this concept is fascinating, but not without its flaws. Most people in their lives will experience an array of challenging life events, but this doesn't translate to most of the population becoming CEO's or leaders in their field. I can't help but wonder about the forks in the 'life path'. What are the differences between two individuals who have had adverse childhoods, but one goes on to become a CEO and another goes down a difficult, less 'glamourous' path? Is it resilience? Protective factors? Having some stable parental figure, even if they are not a parent? There's a lot of research out there on the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences, but I would be interested to see more on what factors predict recovery in people following adverse life events.

Overall, I really enjoy this podcast. Steven explores people's lives in a human way, and the topics that always provide food for thought. For a podcast that may initially seem far from psychology, at its core The Diary of a CEO is a podcast about the human mind.

- Reviewed by Imogen Keites BSc (Hons), PGCert, Children's Wellbeing Practitioner.

The Diary of a CEO can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts with episodes released several times a week.