Lead on Purpose with James Laughlin - The Harsh Truths Antarctica Taught Me About Leadership - 1:1 with James Laughlin

The Harsh Truths Antarctica Taught Me About Leadership - 1:1 with James Laughlin

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02/18/25 • 17 min

Lead on Purpose with James Laughlin

I’m recording this from Sir Edmund Hillary’s hut at Scott Base in Antarctica. This experience has been eye-opening, and I want to share what it’s taught me about life, leadership, and our planet.

In this episode, I cover:

The Power of Perspective – What Antarctica reveals about human resilience and vulnerability.
Leading in Isolation – How I helped Antarctica NZ’s winter team build a strong team culture.
Protecting Our Planet – What the melting Ross Ice Shelf means for all of us.
Pushing Past Fear – Why stepping out of your comfort zone leads to growth.
The Importance of Connection – How humor and self-awareness drive high-performing teams.

This experience has reminded me to pause, reflect, and take action—not just in leadership, but in how we live every day.

Take a moment today to think about your purpose. What impact—big or small—do you want to have?

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it. And as always, lead your life on purpose.

This episode was sponsored by NZ Mortgages. You can find them at nzmortgages.co.nz.

Get the Growth Weekly Newsletter sent straight to your inbox and join 1000’s of other high-performers on the road to self-mastery - https://www.jjlaughlin.com/newsletter

On my channel I aim to bring you world-class guests and create epic videos to help you level up your leadership and personal mastery.

If you could take the time to subscribe, that would help my channel grow and it would mean you wouldn’t miss an episode. Subscribe here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6GETJbxpgulYcYc6QAKLHA?sub_confirmation=1

I release a solocast every Wednesday, and an interview with a world class guest every Thursday.

Send me a personal text message

Support the show

In this episode, I cover:

The Power of Perspective – What Antarctica reveals about human resilience and vulnerability.
Leading in Isolation – How I helped Antarctica NZ’s winter team build a strong team culture.
Protecting Our Planet – What the melting Ross Ice Shelf means for all of us.
Pushing Past Fear – Why stepping out of your comfort zone leads to growth.
The Importance of Connection – How humor and self-awareness drive high-performing teams.

This experience has reminded me to pause, reflect, and take action—not just in leadership, but in how we live every day.

Take a moment today to think about your purpose. What impact—big or small—do you want to have?

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it. And as always, lead your life on purpose.

This episode was sponsored by NZ Mortgages. You can find them at nzmortgages.co.nz.

Get the Growth Weekly Newsletter sent straight to your inbox and join 1000’s of other high-performers on the road to self-mastery - https://www.jjlaughlin.com/newsletter

On my channel I aim to bring you world-class guests and create epic videos to help you level up your leadership and personal mastery.

If you could take the time to subscribe, that would help my channel grow and it would mean you wouldn’t miss an episode. Subscribe here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6GETJbxpgulYcYc6QAKLHA?sub_confirmation=1

I release a solocast every Wednesday, and an interview with a world class guest every Thursday.

Send me a personal text message

Support the show

Previous Episode

Josh Ryan, Social Media Strategist: How to Grow & Monetise an Instagram & YouTube Audience

Josh Ryan is a social media strategist who started in the field as a teenager. He successfully built a personal brand, scaling an Instagram account to over 900K followers. He has helped businesses and individuals leverage Instagram and YouTube for growth and monetization, generating millions in revenue through smart content strategies.

In this episode, Josh and I chat about how to build a personal brand, create viral content, and monetize effectively on Instagram and YouTube.

Key Takeaways:

Why Instagram & YouTube are still powerful for growth.
How Josh scaled to 900K+ Instagram followers.
The importance of engagement and shareable content.
Effective monetization strategies that work.
YouTube’s long-term brand-building potential.

Josh shares practical strategies for individuals and businesses to maximize their social media presence. Whether you're building a brand or scaling a business, this episode has the blueprint you need.

This episode was proudly sponsored by NZ Mortgages. You can contact them here - https://www.nzmortgages.co.nz

Check out Josh’s website here - https://cleverpreneur.com
Follow Josh on YouTube here -https://www.youtube.com/@JoshRyan/videos
Take Josh’s free instagram marketing course here - https://joshryan.kit.com/7b86377c12
Follow Josh on Instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/joshryan
Get the Growth Weekly Newsletter sent straight to your inbox and join 1000’s of other high-performers on the road to self-mastery - https://www.jjlaughlin.com/newsletter

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Website: https://www.jjlaughlin.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6GETJbxpgulYcYc6QAKLHA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesLaughlinOfficial Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameslaughlinofficial/ Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/life-on-purpose-with-james-laughlin/id1547874035 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3WBElxcvhCHtJWBac3nOlF?si=hotcGzHVRACeAx4GvybVOQ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslaughlincoaching/

James Laughlin is a High Performance Leadership Coach, Former 7-Time World Champion, Host of the Lead On Purpose Podcast and an Executive Coach to high performers and leaders. James is based in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Send me a personal text message

Support the show

Next Episode

The True Story Behind ‘The Sound of Freedom’ – Paul Hutchinson’s Undercover Rescue Missions

Paul Hutchinson is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and executive producer of Sound of Freedom, a global movement shedding light on the realities of child trafficking. From building a multi-billion-dollar investment fund to leading 70 undercover rescue missions, Paul’s life is a testament to purpose-driven leadership.

In this episode, Paul and I dive deep into his incredible journey—how he went from making millions in real estate to risking his life to rescue trafficked children.

Key Takeaways:

The mindset shift that took Paul from entrepreneur to philanthropist.
The most powerful lesson he learned about success and giving back.
Why he walked away from a billion-dollar business to fight child trafficking.
How Sound of Freedom became a global movement.
Actionable steps you can take to protect children and make an impact.

Paul shares powerful stories from his undercover missions, the lessons he’s learned from billionaires, and why true success is measured by impact, not income.

This episode was proudly sponsored by NZ Mortgages. You can contact them here - https://www.nzmortgages.co.nz