Delivering people development with real world results 🚀📈 | Mt. Blanc & Mt. Cotopaxi Summiteer 🏔️ | IRONMAN 70.3 finisher 🏊‍♂️🚴🏃🏻| IRONMAN in training

For 20 years, I helped leaders get better at leading.

I built a successful consultancy. Worked with high-growth scale-ups, as well as Amazon, Coca-Cola, and DHL. Delivered keynotes across three continents. Watched brilliant managers transform their teams.

I was good at it. Made a 7-figure business doing it.

But here's what kept me up at night: most of what I was teaching people didn't stick. They'd leave my workshops inspired, return to work overwhelmed, and by Tuesday the habits I'd spent days teaching them were gone.

The HR leaders who hired me knew it too. They'd spend millions on training that delivered maybe 10% ROI. But what else could they do? Traditional leadership development; workshops, courses, and quarterly check-ins was all that existed.

After hundreds of those conversations, I realized something: the entire model is wrong.

Leadership doesn't happen in classrooms. It happens in real moments:

📌 Difficult conversations
📌 Delegation decisions 
📌 Team conflicts

That's when managers need support. Not three months later in a conference room.

So in 2025, I did something terrifying. I walked away from it all to build what I wished had existed.

I'm now Founder & CEO of Atherio, the AI-powered platform that's replacing traditional leadership development with something that actually works. 

✅ Real-time support. 
✅ Embedded in your work. 
✅ Building habits daily, not quarterly.

We're backed by advisors from Kellogg and London Business School, working with a select group of pilot partners. And we're on a mission to transform 1 million+ employees into super-workers.

If you're tired of leadership development that doesn't work, let's talk. 

📧 ben@atheriohq.com
🌐 www.atheriohq.com

Still delivering keynotes on leadership, performance, and why the future of L&D looks nothing like the past.

Ben Stocken

Crazy hard is addictive...and here's an example:
Somehow I've ended up with 28 people who have agreed to climb Everest in a day, in Wales! 😆 

That's 28 clever, rationale humans who responded to my original post on here (link to it in the comments). 

-They've agreed to push themselves further.
-To summit Snowdon 4 times in 24 hours.
-Everest basecamp to summit.
-In one day.
-Mad.

My post asked for 5 people and I got flooded with 50+ replies!

We're now planning, plotting and supporting each other in a WhatsApp group.

Here's the cool thing:
I've never met some of these people, but LinkedIn helped me create this little tribe of adventurers. 

Some of us will make it, some of us won't, but I truly believe that the joy here is in the struggle, the unknown and the community. 

Want to join us? 
DM me for more info. 

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Ex England Rugby | 20 years developing leaders. Now replacing what doesn’t work with Atherio | Founder & CEO, Atherio 🚀

7 ultra endurance events in 4 years…all to get my ass kicked by a 9 year old. 

The truth is: I couldn’t be happier about it.

Here’s the challenges that I’ve completed since this all began in 2021…

-Welsh 3000s
-Marbella Half IronMan 
-Submitted Mont Blanc
-Barcelona Full IronMan
-The Marathon Des Sables 
-Ride25 Leg 3 - Geneva to Milan
-Ride25 Leg 4 - Milan to Rome

Yesterday, following my eldest around the Maverick New Forest Trail run, the penny finally dropped…

All of my accomplishments, training and misery mid event have been preparing me to help the next generation achieve their dreams and fulfill their potential.

My journey now, is to succeed at this.

It’s the same in business leadership.

The ultimate role of a manager is to unlock the next generation of talent, isn’t it?

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The funniest and most dangerous reply I had to a DM last week…

There are some insanely narrow minded views on what it takes to create high performing teams in businesses.

It’s a mindset like this that limits how great a business can be.

Can you do it yourself in house? 

-Yes.

Should you?

-Maybe.

Is this the reason to do it yourself?

-Hell NO!

🤣🤣🤣

25 reasons you’ve got to find your Marathon Des Sables this year…


1️⃣ We don’t suffer enough day to day.

We’ve adapted our lives to be more efficient, faster and easier. Finding a challenge that relies on you overcoming prolonged physical and mental suffering sculpts a resilience that will stand you apart from the pack.

2️⃣ If you think you can’t, try it.

Focusing on one singular goal gives you laser focus and allows you to measure what matters. Going a step further and attempting a goal that you might fail at provides you a chance to explore your potential.

3️⃣ The process is most important.

I’ve done more research and prep on the MDS than on anything else this year. When the goal is huge and the stakes are high your process levels up. You get smarter at strategy and tactics.

4️⃣ Win or loose, you’ll have more fun.

I’ll call this the F*ck it effect. At the end of the day life is here to be lived and loved. None of us are getting out alive. If you achieve the goal great, if you do everything right and miss, then you’ve had one hell of a journey.

5️⃣ The brotherhood of the tent effect.

This has been everything to me at the MDS. I’ve truly added 7 brothers to my family in the last 11 days and the bond created through shared suffering and ecstasy lasts. Share your challenge with others. It compounds the benefits. Lots more on this later in the week!

So there’s the first 5.
I hope they add value to you.

The rest are in the comments section for you. 👇 

What's the challenge you've set yourself this year?

You can't afford to miss this episode if you...VALUE YOUR CUSTOMERS! 

Leaders: This is the most valuable conversation you'll listen to this week. 
That title's not even clickbait...

In this week's episode of The Human Loop Podcast I sit down with Andrew Fahey, CEO of Briars to discuss the challenges and opportunities for CEOs in 2026.

He emphasises the importance of realistic optimism for the year ahead. 🚀 

We then explore the role of AI in transforming professional services, the necessity of human skills in a tech-driven world, and the innovative approaches Briars is taking to enhance client experience and internal processes.

You're going to want to heat how they are firmly putting the Human in the Loop of the CS. It's 🔥

Thanks so much for a fun and value packed conversation Andrew!

Enjoy and get ready to take notes!

Thanks to our show sponsor atherio.
Interested in being a guest, or know someone who should be?
DM me today.

Last week 4 managers DM’d me after one masterclass.
All they wanted was a simple truth framework.

Here’s the problem I see every week:
Managers are drowning in noise.
New targets, new platforms, new team dramas.
Their role is moving at rugby speed. 🏉

The worst managers?
Lost in the chaos.

The best ones?
They use a Single Source of Truth.

(Yes, I know… sounds simple. But most don’t have it.)

This is without doubt the most common conundrum coming up when I'm speaking with HRDs and CEOs right now!

"How do we help our managers to be more consistent, drive perfromance, whilst looking after their wellbeing?"

I always ask if they have a Single Source of Truth?
The blank faces tell it all. Then we get to work.

Here’s why a Single Source of Truth matters:
✅ Keeps your team focused on what matters
✅ Drives performance without burning people out
✅ Builds trust-no more “what the hell are we doing?” moments
✅ Empowers smart people to solve smart problems (not just follow orders)

Last week, I shared this on a (TRN) The Recruitment Network masterclass.
4 managers (new and experienced) messaged me afterwards to thank me.

Want the framework?
Hit Like below and Comment “TRUTH” and I’ll send it your way.
Let me know-how do you keep your team aligned when the pace goes full throttle?

P.S. Your monkeys are not your monkeys. 😂
Stop micromanaging-start leading.

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I’ve already had one of those messages:
A new manger on the ropes and wondering how the hell it happened!

Their “dream” January promotion.
Has begun to feel more Hunger Games than happy ending!

Can you relate? 

You step up as manager, pumped for glory...

Then-bam! You hear:
“Congrats on your promotion, here’s your team’s target for 2026.” Cue the icy dread. 🫣

Suddenly you’re not celebrating-you’re gearing up for battle.

Targets flying at you.
Pressure building.
Everyone watching to see if you survive.

It’s less “welcome to the club” and more “may the odds be ever in your favour.” (Chills, right? 😂)

Here’s what most don’t tell you:
→ The real games start AFTER the handshake.
→ You get dropped into the arena with zero prep.
→ Support? LOL. You’re flying solo.

I’ve coached managers for 20 years. Seen too many get blindsided-left scrambling, doubting, burning out. It's why 60% of managers fail in the first 24 months and that's costing businesses million every year!

It’s not fair.
It’s not how leadership should work.
It's killing your businesses health and growth.

Managers deserve real support, not just a pat on the back and a mountain of expectations.

What helped you survive your first promotion?
Share your war stories below or DM me if you need backup.

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Furious, Stretched or Accelerating Architect - Do you know which you are right now? 

Every manager and leaders goes through these stages. 
And every time you nail getting to Accelerating Architect, guess what?

The world changes and you have to start again at Furious Founder, just higher up on the performance curve. Getting it now?

My 3 phase model helps you become more self aware. 
Being more self aware is the first step to development.
Development leads to increased performance.
Performance leads to better outcomes.

Which are you today? 
How can you get to the next level?

All leadership lives and dies on delegation.
The Biggest Problem: Most get it wrong and don't know why...

Every week I see two extremes of managers destroying their teams...and it's often not their fault.

They're part of the 80%+ that haven't been trained to lead. They're doing their best whilst also being an IC.

So what's really going wrong?

-Micromanagement: "I'll do it myself."
-Abdication: "Figure it out, I'm too busy to help."

Both destroy teams. Both create cultures of fear.

I've watched this pattern for 20 years form my work with England Rugby, to the FTSE 250 and hyper growth companies I support.

The micromanager suffocates their team.
Checks every email.
Rewrites every deck.
Wonders why their high performers quit.

The abdicator dumps tasks and disappears.
Shows up two weeks later wondering why nothings done.
Blames the team for "not taking initiative."

Neither extreme works.
But there's a third way, and it works every-time.

SMART Delegation: The Fix

S – Specific outcome, not vague hopes!
❌ Micromanager: "Send me every version for review"
❌ Abdicator: "Improve our retention"
✅ The fix: "Build exit interview process, analyse 6-month trends, present 3 recommendations by March 15"

M – Measure of success defined NOW.
❌ Micromanager: Success = "exactly how I would've done it"
❌ Abdicator: Never defines success, just complains later
✅ The fix: "What does excellent look like? How will we both know you nailed this?"

A – Authority level crystal clear.
❌ Micromanager: "Run everything by me first"
❌ Abdicator: "You own it" (then overrules their decision)
✅ The fix: "You can decide X, recommend on Y, just update me on Z"

R – Resources identified and committed.
❌ Micromanager: "You have everything you need - me reviewing every step"
❌ Abdicator: "Figure it out with what you have"
✅ The fix: "Here's your budget, stakeholder access, and my time for these checkpoints"

T – Timeline with checkpoints, not chaos
❌ Micromanager: Daily status updates, constant interruptions
❌ Abdicator: "Done by Friday" then radio silence
✅ The fix: "Draft Tuesday, review Thursday, final Friday"

Delegation is a SuperPower.
It's not about control OR abandonment.
It's a structured handoff that builds capability.

Company's invest millions in hiring, projects and incentives but never measures whether managers actually stop micromanaging or abdicating.

What are you measuring to know if they're getting better?

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As a Director and Co Founder at Curium Solutions, I have over 15 years of experience in leading a specialist change management consultancy that helps organizations improve their change capability and project delivery in a sustainable way. I am also a Co Founder at Work Time Reduction Center of Excellence, a new initiative that aims to promote the benefits of working less and living more, without impacting the bottom line.

My passions include work time reduction, business transformation, operational excellence, consulting, and leadership. My mission is to change the way that the world works for Good.

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