John Purkiss is my guest on this double show. He is a headhunter, ex-banker and 3 times published author. His latest book is The Power of Letting Go and it explores his journey from the logical thinker to mindfulness, and living life in the moment.

We had a really good conversation, – too good to cut down to one episode. So this is a 2 part show.

John must be the only man I know to have discovered and taught himself mindfulness from a novel, years before mindfulness was even a thing.

Education & Career Building

To start at the beginning, John went to a Grammar School in Leicester, then on to Cambridge University to study economics. He was the first in his family to get a university education and from there he went into Banking.

However the pull back to education was strong, so he signed up for INSEAD Business School to take an MBA. John was at the top of his game, so it is no surprise that he won the Henry Ford II Prize. It’s the stuff that opens doors in any field of business or industry.

On his travels, John has lived and worked in France, Belgium and the USA and speaks French, German and Spanish. He is a man who follows his interests and enjoys entrepreneurship and Angel investing.

In the day job, he is the co-founder of Purkiss & Company, where he recruits chief executives, finance directors and other board members. Outside of that he speaks, writes books and does podcasts.

Breakdown

A big future in banking and high finance was ready and waiting for him. But instead, he got clinical depression that nearly killed him.

Now 26, and back at home with his parents, after countless doctors and psychiatrists, drugs were prescribed that had him sleeping 10 hours a day, Something that is not compatible with most working environments. John’s story is not unlike many with a high intellect and strong desire to achieve, it’s why smart people get ill.

Starting with the depression; there have been 3 events that led him to the depths of despair. He says we have three choices when life hits the buffers, kill yourself, bare it or step up. John has learnt to step up.

Breakthrough

John’s big breakthrough came when he decided to surrender to the process of life to move forward. Being present in the moment, secured a job that paid £125000 and year. That is $150,000 for my American friends and in 1997 in the UK that was a cracking salary.

The point is, we are all reacting out of past pain, so moving beyond that pain is a path of personal release and it changes your world.

Much of what followed was a spiritual journey, mindfulness and transcendental meditation. It includes finding a guru that completely changed his life and perception of what is true or real. We discuss the concepts of oneness and so much more.

Our wide-ranging conversation takes lots of twists and turns leading up to the publication of The Power of Letting Go. Like all of John’s books, the writing just pours out of him and is an exploration of what works for him.

I hope you enjoy the conversation about the power of letting go with John Purkiss. His contact links are below.


John Purkiss links:-


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