I love talking to an audience and finding out what is holding them back Top hypnotist Paul McKenna is positive he can put a smile on your face. finds out what it takes to always look on the bright side of life
McMULLEN MARION
What has been the reaction to your new Positivity Podcast?
IT’S great fun and I’m really enjoying it. I just love doing them. It went straight to number two in the iTunes charts. I’m interviewing Rob Brydon for it next. I’ve know Rob for about 20 years. He’s so quick-witted and funny. (Laughs) He’s probably make fun of me during the interview. He’s just a really lovely bloke and now he’s so famous ... and quite rightly so.
How do the podcasts work?
THEY are not really journalistic interviews; they are of a more psychological nature and I hope you get a sense of the person by the end of them. Podcasts are like a mix of talk radio and an audio book. They are their own hybrid category. It’s like having a conversation not an interview and I hope they are definitely uplifting.
Who have you interviewed so far?
WARWICK Davis was one guest and he is a really positive person who was dealt a hand of dwarfism and has turned it around. He is an amazing guy and when he walks down the street he is mobbed. People love him and feel they can come up and say ‘Hello, mate’. He is very approachable. I asked him ‘What is it like living with dwarfism?’ and he said ‘I’ve not got anything to compare it to. It’s just natural for me’ and, of course, he’s right.
What drives your guest to succeed?
SIMON Cowell told me when he started out his first business venture was a failure and it was the best thing that ever happened to him. He did not want to ever go there again and it made him determined to work harder to get what he wanted. Ryan Seacrest also said someone was awful to him at the start of his career and it made him think ‘I’m going to show you’ and he said that probably helped him.
Any favourite moments?
(LAUGHS) The Who’s Roger Daltrey said he was in a rock band not a rock and roll band. I asked what was the difference? He said a rock and roll band play funky music to make love to and rock music is fighting music.
Who would be on your guest wish list?
MICHAEL Caine definitely. People like him and the late Sir Roger Moore, people of that age and experience who grew up knowing what rationing was, who lived through the war and hard times, they are so grateful for their success and appreciate what they have. Then there’s everyone from Barack Obama to Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Karren Brady, who is an interesting person I think, Keith Richards and someone like Stephen Fry who is fascinating and so interesting. And he is clever and funny. It’s a really eclectic mix.
You’re about to take to the stage for a series of interactive performances. What do you enjoy most about the live dates?
I DO a few motivational dates every year and I hugely enjoy doing them. It’s just something I have always done. I love talking to an audience and finding out what is holding them back and helping them overcome whatever is blocking them from achieving that. Sometimes it is a trauma in their lives and sometimes it’s a fear of failure ... of making a choice in case it’s the wrong choice.
Your books have sold more than 10 million copies and been translated into 32 languages. You must have many success stories?
I GET tweets and letters every day. One man stopped me in the street to say he had downloaded my sleep app. ‘I’ve not slept for years,’ he said, ‘and now I can sleep again. You have no idea what it means to me.’ Another woman said the books and tapes had helped her to lose 10 stones. I did Good Morning Britain recently and Susanna Reid said ‘I was actually going through a difficult break up and read your How To Mend Your Broken Heart book and it helped.’ And that’s fantastic to hear.
What is important in your own life?
WE’RE renovating our house and have to move out for a month and have to pack up everything so there is a bit of stress. But me and my wife get on so well and have such a great time and those are moments I enjoy. When I was living in LA everything is bigger and more amazing and it is a very powerdriven town. I enjoy that being back in Europe I can enjoy the first cup of tea in the morning, walking the dog, looking at the flowers on the terrace and deciding what plants need to be watered. Life has changed very much. It’s about appreciating what you have, not worrying about ‘what have I not got’.
■ Paul McKenna’s The 3 Things That Will Change Your Destiny Today UK live shows begin on February 9. Tickets details from mindbodyspirit.co.uk
■ LISTEN to Paul McKenna’s Positivity Podcast on iTunes.
A woman said my books and tapes had helped her to lose 10 stones. Paul McKenna, left