Farewell has launched a groundbreaking AI platform to assist individuals with the complex tasks involved in life transitions, such as marriage, retirement, and loss.

This week I'm talking to Chris Rhyss Edwards. Army combat engineer, author of five books including "Good Reasons to Kill" and "The Woke Paradox", and now a PhD researcher building AI tools for people who won't talk to a stranger but will talk to a machine. Chris went from a bathroom-mirror pep talk from his politician mum ("she doesn't call a spade a spade, she calls it a fucking shovel") to pitching Rupert Murdoch for millions at News Corp, and he's spent the years since working out why some people can be that direct and most people can't. Now he's building CommonLayer.ai, a safety layer sitting between AI chatbots and the people using them for mental health support, and he brought the receipts: the WHO data on loneliness, the stat on how few people have anyone to call, and the story of the mate who finally asked him about erectile dysfunction because an AI chatbot gave him permission first. We also get into what happens when a squirrel in Central Park convinces an ex-combat soldier he's about to die. In this episode: - Growing up in a retirement village and joining the Army at 17 - The real, unglamorous version of "battlefield to boardroom" - Why civilian workplaces reward indecision and veterans find that maddening - The coming skills gap: AI replacing the junior roles people used to learn on - Star Trek, human-in-the-loop AI, and the three questions everyone actually asks a chatbot - His mate who fell in love with an AI avatar, and where Chris draws the line - One therapist for every 6,000 people, and why 80% of us don't need one anyway - The WHO's loneliness data and what it means for the next decade - The Central Park squirrel that triggered a full panic attack - Why the friend who asked about erectile dysfunction might be the whole point Connect with Chris Rhyss Edwards: 🌐 https://www.chrisrhyss.co/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisrhyss/ 🏢 https://www.commonlayer.ai/

In this episode of Journey to Purpose, Pippa is joined by Chaplain Sy Ali — decorated veteran, mentor, author, and spiritual protector. Sy spent decades as a protection agent for diplomats and dignitaries, a professional wrestler, and a corporate security executive. By every external measure, he was succeeding. Privately, he was planning his own death. A DUI in March 2020 cracked everything open — and what followed was a memoir, a chaplaincy, and a calling to make sure nobody else suffers in silence the way he did. Pippa and Sy explore: - The night that changed everything — and why the people closest to him never saw it coming - What true strength actually looks like when you've spent decades suppressing grief - How PTSD forms quietly behind a high-functioning exterior - Faith as a framework for people who aren't religious — and what it means to just be human - Working in a veterans' homeless shelter and becoming chaplain by default - Why young people are more willing to talk about mental health than any previous generation - The kindergartner who lost his father and what happened when someone finally sat with him - Community, connection, and what the Shetland Islands fire festivals taught Pippa about mental health A conversation about what it costs to mask pain — and what it takes, finally, to stop. Connect with Chaplain Sy Ali: phitsquad.com | Search Chaplain Sy Ali on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn. His book The Lighthouse is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

In this episode of Journey to Purpose, Pippa sits down with Colleen Pimentel — a former big tech leader turned purpose coach, speaker, and creator of the Second Act Playbook. Colleen spent 30 years in the tech industry, navigating more than ten reinventions within corporate life. By any measure, she was successful. But five years ago, something shifted. Her daughter left for college — and with her went a huge part of Colleen's identity. The question that emerged from that emptiness wasn't just what do I do next? It was who am I, really? What followed was a profound journey of self-discovery: learning to quiet the noise, listen inward, and build a life rooted in genuine purpose rather than external achievement. Colleen now helps others navigate their own second acts — with practical tools for identity, intention, and meaningful reinvention. In this warm and honest conversation, Pippa and Colleen explore: - Colleen's 30 years in big tech — and why success alone wasn't enough - The inflection point that changed everything: her daughter leaving for college and the identity crisis that followed - Why "greatness isn't a destination, it's a journey" — and what that really means in practice - The Second Act Playbook: how to redefine your identity and rediscover your purpose - Why we stop listening to ourselves — and how to find that inner voice again - Stillness practices for lowering the noise in a busy, always-on world - Colleen's daily journaling ritual: setting intentions, practising gratitude for the small things - How trusting your gut — even when it's inconvenient — changes everything Pippa also shares her own experience of ignoring a gut instinct early in her career, making this a beautifully candid two-way conversation about purpose, reinvention, and the courage it takes to truly start over. Connect with Colleen Pimentel: 🌐 http://www.colleenpimentel.com

In this episode of Journey to Purpose, Pippa is joined by Mikael Avatar — Paralympic long jump world record holder, life coach with over 20,000 hours, cerebral palsy researcher, painter, poet, film-maker, and founder of the Avatar Resurrection app. Mikael was born clinically dead for up to 45 minutes. He grew up in Sweden in a household so full of people from across the world that nobody had time to teach him how to have cerebral palsy — so he didn't. He broke his first world record in Nottingham in 1991, his second in front of 98,000 people in Atlanta in 1996. Then he felt completely empty. What came next — painting a hundred canvases, moving to Thailand to escape chronic pain, building a coaching method from 40 years of handwritten notes, and launching a free app designed to rebuild joy 30 seconds at a time — is the real story. Pippa and Mikael explore: - Being left with the dead children at the hospital — and the nurse who noticed he was breathing - Why growing up without anyone treating him as disabled was the greatest gift he never asked for - Breaking a Paralympic world record in front of 98,000 people and feeling nothing but empty - The difference between motivation and passion — and why finding the right angle changes everything - Why 5,000 hours of anything gives you a skill that can make you money, and what happens at 15,000 - Painting 100 canvases as a framework for testing whether you actually love something - Moving from Sweden to Thailand three months after discovering the humidity cured his chronic pain - The Avatar Resurrection app: 180 days of golden pauses, starting with 30 seconds A conversation about what it actually means to be alive — from someone who spent 45 minutes deciding whether to bother. Connect with Mikael Avatar: michaelavatar.com (free app and second book available there)

In this episode of Journey to Purpose, Pippa is joined by Natalie Saar — writer, self-published author, embroidery pattern designer, and founder of the Embroider Everywhere Etsy shop and a snail mail art club. Natalie has spent a decade writing professionally across equities, finance, and consulting, all while building a quietly remarkable creative life on the side. Her first nonfiction book, Becoming 1% Better, started as a Substack and became a Chanticleer Mind and Spirit Award shortlistee. Her new book, Fake It Till You Make It: The Science of Feeling Rich, is out now. This is a warm, wide-ranging conversation about creativity, rest, perfectionism, and what it actually means to build a life that feels abundant — whatever your bank balance says. Pippa and Natalie explore: - How the 1% better framework was born out of a breakdown, not a breakthrough - Why rest is not a reward for productivity — and what happens when you treat it like one - The Super Bloom essay: what dormant seeds and desert wildflowers have to do with resilience - Redefining wealth as freedom of time, not money in the bank - Perfectionism, shame, and the grief of not being able to do everything at once - Why the Internet is littered with unfinished projects — and how to make peace with that - Kobe Bryant's thousand shots a day and what it taught Natalie about handling failure - Embroidery, snail mail, and why analogue things matter more than ever A genuinely joyful conversation about creativity, enough-ness, and the quiet power of doing one small thing better today. Connect with Natalie Saar: nataliesar.com