Welcome to Inclusion Bites, your sanctuary for bold conversations that spark change.

I'm Joanne Lockwood, your guide on this.

Journey of exploration into the heart of inclusion, belonging and societal transformation. Ever wondered what it truly takes to create a world without? Remember, everyone not only belongs, but thrives. You're not alone. Join me as we uncover the unseen, challenge the status quo and share stories that resonate deep within. Ready to dive in. Whether you're sipping your morning coffee or winding down after a long day, let's connect, reflect and inspire action together. Don't forget, you can be part of the conversation too. Reach out to jo.lockwood@seechangehappen.co.uk to share your insights or to join me on the show.

So adjust your earbuds and settle in. It's time to ignite the spark of inclusion with Inclusion Bites.

And today is episode 205 with the title Men Beyond Survival. I have the absolute honour and privilege to welcome Tom Gold. Tom is a Bushcraft instructor and life coach who helps men build real mental fitness in the outdoors, in the bar, beyond performative well being Talk. When I asked Tom to describe his superpower, he said that it is resetting in nature. One night out with a tarp, a notebook and sleeping bag and then coming back a new man. Hello, Tom, welcome to the show.

Jo, thanks very much for having me on the show. And by the way, belated congratulations on 205 episodes. You've just passed your double century. That's brilliant.

Yeah, it's been a real achievement going since 2005. 2020, sorry, five coming up for six years ago. This was started pre Covid. Yeah, I've had a number of guests from all over the world. It's been fascinating and. And yourself, you know, very diverse guests from different or from different perspective. Different. Different.

Different areas. And yeah, I'm really looking forward to this conversation. So thank you, Tom. For those of you who listen to this and not watching, Tom is wearing a beanie and a jumper and he's happened to mention that he's in the middle of nowhere in some part of Scotland. So, Tom, where are you at the moment?

Yeah, it's. It's a rural area just north of Glasgow. Little village called Balfron. I can see the Campsie Fells out of my window. They're a bit fogged in today. There's no snow up there. It's a very, very beautiful place. I'm extremely lucky, to be honest, Jo.

And, yeah, this was my choice to. To live out here. I can walk out of my Door and be in forest, woodland, hills in no time flat. And that works. Works pretty good for me, definitely.

So you, you work in the outdoors. So you're a bushcraft instructor, life coach. Did the where you live influence what you do or does what you do influence where you live?

I was pretty heavily influenced by my dad growing up. He had a still does. I still have him. He's still around. A really impressive range of skills. My dad can navigate by the stars, he can find wild edibles in their hedgerows, he could light a fire with all sorts of very primitive methodologies. And as a small kid growing up in Northamptonshire, which is where we were, there were always adventures. We were having bonfires, we were building dens, camps, doing crazy, dangerous things.

We abseiled the local quarry on some ropes that dad had found at the dump. We paddled our leaky old inflatable dinghy down the longest canal tunnel in Britain. Yeah, there were great adventures growing up. I mean, you know, we were only little and it all felt pretty real and exciting and yeah, if there's one, I did, if you want to know where it started, it started with him, really. Fair play to him.

And this is all seek forgiveness rather than ask for, ask for permission. So you're just doing this and getting on with it and if someone chased you away, you just run away and go back another day.