The Breakfast Club Programme

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP for the RGS community

Online

25 May | 21 Sep | November

The Breakfast Club is a series of unique thought leadership talks that offers our community access to exclusive presentations from headline people from a variety of industries.

Originally, we conceived a business breakfast format, meeting in London or Guildford before the working day began. The current situation put paid to that, but it also put us on the virtual track. Now our global community of pupils, OGs, parents and staff can all learn from this incredible network, tapping into the spirit of ongoing intellectual curiosity for which the RGS is well-known.

The Breakfast Club has two main themes: • •

Personal and professional development Topics of interest: From the inside

We hope you enjoy it and look forward to seeing you online.

25 May

21 September

November

HOW MARVEL CHANGED THE WORLD Adrian Mackinder OG‘96

THE BRAVEST PATH Gareth Davies OG‘99

IDEAS IN ENERGY *** coming soon Rodney Allam OG‘58

A journey through 20th century American history told in parallel with the biography of Stan Lee.

Facing risk, uncertainty and emotional exposure with courage and clarity.

Discussing energy solutions with Nobel Prize winner and creator of the Allam Cycle.

Book here

Book here

BOOK ONLINE

rgsg.co.uk/our-community/old-guildfordians/events

How Marvel changed the World Adrian Mackinder OG 1996

Adrian Mackinder is a writer and performer. He has twenty years’ professional experience scribbling for just about everyone, from The Guardian, the BBC and the British Government to Disney, LEGO and The Beano.

Adrian lives with his family in Copenhagen where he struggles daily with being an Englishman abroad.

Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed The World is more than a simple biography. It is a journey through twentieth century American history, told through the life of a man who epitomises the American Dream.

Stan is one of the most important creative forces in popular entertainment. He helped shape pop culture as we know it. Amongst his many huge triumphs lie personal tragedy, dubious business practices, financial ruin, ugly legal disputes and public scandal.

This entertaining session will explore the real Stan Lee, both good and bad, lifting the lid on the many controversies that surround his 70odd year career and the fortunes and catastrophes met by Marvel during this time.

We shall also extend the discussion to focus on the challenges of creativity in a professional setting. Can you truly express yourself creatively and be successful in your work and career?

Book here Tue 25 May

Book here Tue 21 Sep

The Bravest Path

Gareth Davies OG 1999

Gareth joined the Metropolitan Police after University and led teams in specialist areas including firearms, anti-corruption and covert policing.

Having witnessed the impact of front-line trauma on himself and his officers, in 2016 he travelled to the US to study the ground-breaking research of Dr Brené Brown into topics including vulnerability, shame and courage. He has more recently studied under Dr Kristen Neff who is the world’s foremost researcher into Self-Compassion.

Gareth is a Director at www.thebravestpath.com - a courage-building consultancy and also Managing Director of www.behindbluelines.co.uk - raising the standard of leadership development, inclusion, and wellbeing in emergency services across the world. His podcast of the same name was recently shortlisted in the “Best Interview” category at the Podcasting for Business Awards 2021 for his interview with Wendy McIlwraith, who shared her experience of witnessing her police officer husband take his own life after silently struggling with and succumbing to the effects of PTSD in 2010.

PERFECTIONISM

Letting Go of What Others May Think What would you do if you were 10% braver? For some of you that might be changing your job or your career.

For others it may be starting a new relationship or leaving your current one. It could be as simple as saying “no” more often and pushing back when others try and offload onto you.

Now think about what’s really stopping you…if it has something to do about what other people might think, then there’s a chance perfectionism is playing a part in your life.

Perfectionism is the false and limiting belief that if you do and say everything perfectly, then you can in some way avoid the painful feelings of judgement, blame and shame. At its core, perfectionism is about trying to earn approval, particularly amongst those of us who grew up earning praise for achievement and performance, whether that was in exams or on the sports field.

If we are constantly praised for what we achieve, then there is a risk that somewhere along the line, we will adopt the belief, “I am what I accomplish and how well I accomplish it.”

The fear of failing, making mistakes and not meeting people’s expectations caused by perfectionism has been found to be a barrier to achievement and it is correlated to depression, anxiety, and addiction.

In this session we will: •

Introduce the latest research around perfectionism

•

Explore the most common behaviours associated with perfectionism

•

Examine the relationship between perfectionism and our Inner Critic

•

Learn about strategies to change from perfectionist behaviour to healthy striving

RGS Development & Alumni RGS Guildford, High Street, Guildford, GU1 3BB

+44 (0) 1483 880665 OG@rgsg.co.uk

PREVIOUS BREAKFAST CLUB TALKS In the Thick of It: Tim Smith OG ‘08 and former Government Special Adviser Balancing Work and Fatherhood: Ian Dinwiddy, CEO of Inspiring Dads

www.rgs-pass-it-on.co.uk @RGSGOG royal-grammar-school-guildford rgs.guildford