Another Door Opens – Details, episodes & analysis

In this heartfelt conversation, Anthony Kavanagh shares the ups and downs of his journey from aspiring pop star to author, exploring themes of resilience, vulnerability, and authentic self-expression. This episode is about overcoming personal challenges and embracing life's unpredictable twists.

Key topics we cover - 

• Anthony's early dreams of music and the drive to succeed in the 90s pop scene

• The power of storytelling in healing and self-discovery

• Insights into writing a memoir and revisiting past traumas

• Memorable moments with celebrities like Madonna, Prince, and Faye Dunaway

• Navigating the relationship between fame, authenticity, and mental health

• The significance of "underthinking" and living in the present moment

• Practical advice: the importance of love, gratitude, and living in the now

"Embrace love, live authentically, and be present in the moment. Ask yourself, 'What would love do?' to guide your decisions and navigate life's challenges." Anthony Kavannah

Timestamps: 

04:45 - The drive behind Anthony's ambitions and chasing feelings

05:41 - Early days: Manchester, music dreams, and serendipity

07:06 - First break: nightclub encounter with a music manager

08:02 - Firing from McDonald's: a pivotal moment

09:16 - The power of manifestation and self-belief

10:02 - Reflections on imposter syndrome and innocence in success

16:44 - Crazy moments in LA and celebrity sightings

18:17 - Reflecting on fame and surreal experiences

19:27 - Returning to creative work and the impact of vulnerability

20:47 - Challenges of writing memoirs and revisiting trauma

22:17 - The importance of voice consistency and authenticity in writing

23:41 - The origin of "Pop Scars" and his book's deeper message

25:33 - His battle with addiction and the journey to sobriety

27:24 - The influence of recovery in his storytelling

29:13 - Navigating publishing and cover choices

30:46 - The broader message behind his memoir beyond fame

32:44 - The music scene of the 90s and his creative process

34:45 - Managing public image and personal identity

36:11 - Celebrity friendships and personal reflections

38:48 - Future plans: touring, new music, and media projects

40:49 - Living moment-to-moment: "be where your feet are"

46:40 - The healing power of storytelling and vulnerability

55:50 - Favourite books, songs, and spiritual tools that shaped him

58:11 - "What would love do?" as a guiding principle

59:51 - Final thoughts: embracing love, living authentically, and ongoing support

More about Anthony

Born in Manchester, Anthony Kavanagh's rise to fame was stratospheric, scoring a record deal at the age of just eighteen and winning the much-coveted Smash Hits Male Artist of the Year Award in 1997, all the while achieving top ten hits, appearing on countless magazine covers, performing on Top of the Pops and gigging alongside the Spice Girls. The stuff that dreams are made of.

But Anthony - or Kavana as he came to be known - was also trying to keep his sexuality a secret while navigating his way through an industry where image was everything; where his success depended on him having to be exactly who he wasn't.

What followed was a dark and dangerous spiral into addiction, an illness that would insidiously follow and baffle him for years to come. Pop Scars is a story told with fearless honesty that's at times as funny as it is heartbreaking, chronicling the highs, the lows, the self-destruction and the chaos of hitting rock bottom and then finding out that rock bottom has a basement.

Thirty years on, Anthony tells his jaw-dropping story in the book  Pop Scars, about teenage stardom, fame, addiction, grief and - ultimately - survival and sobriety.

Connect with Anthony:

• Twitter

• Instagram

Work with Eleanor

Buy the Book - Another Door Opens; 5 steps for navigating change. Described as 'Game changing' 'Brilliant' 'A must read' 'The best book on change'.

Eleanor supports individuals, teams and organisations through change. Whether it's coaching or large scale organisational change through communications and training.

Work with Eleanor 121 as your coach, when you are starting something new, to develop the idea, to create the idea, to get it launched.

Book in a Change Mastery for a team session - when your team is navigating change.

Book in a 90 minute workshop - to think through change at work.

Instagram:instagram/anotherdooruk

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-tweddell/ 

Website: www.another-door-opens.com

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

"Don't confuse comfort with alignment. Just because something is familiar, stable, or impressive on paper doesn't mean it's meant for who you're becoming or what the universe has in store for you."

What happens when you land the job that seemed perfect only to find, deep down, it isn't right at all? In this episode, Cara-Lyn talks about the daunting process of leaving a high-profile role that simply wasn't a fit, and how that closed door became fuel for reinvention.

From wrongly ignoring her intuition, through the physical toll of staying somewhere misaligned, to finally making the leap into entrepreneurship Cara-Lyn shares how being forced out was the best thing that ever happened to her. Now, she's built a thriving leadership development business, continues to grow, and is on a mission to help others trust their gut and step into possibility.

If you're in a period of transition or questioning your current path, this conversation is well worth listening to.

Highlights:

00:00 Why growth often follows tough endings

02:01 The dream job that wasn't and what happened next

06:21 The physical signs it's time to move on

08:23 Why leaving (even not by your choice) can be the best thing for you

11:06 The power of mindset in reframing "bad decisions"

13:51 Listening to intuition even when it goes against logic

15:01 Taking the leap: from layoff to launching a business

17:39 Building up confidence through experience

18:44 The difference relationships made in her new path

24:12 Why honest conversations with leaders matter

26:43 How to know you're on the right track

28:13 What doors are next: new programmes, speaking gigs, and more

Cara's Change Toolkit:

Soundtracks: 'Rain' by The Teskey Brothers and Recomposed: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons by Max Richter 

Book: Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg – for building better relationships and expressing what you need

One piece of advice:
"Trust your intuition and don't confuse comfort with alignment. Ask yourself who do I want to be on the other side of this transition? The hallway between closed doors is your moment to decide who you become."

About Cara Lyn:

Cara-Lyn Giovanniello or CLG 😉, is an ICF-certified CPCC and PCC from San Francisco, California, and it is her belief that impactful leadership is a choice we each get to make. Cara-lyn believes the keys to success and fulfillment stem from emotional intelligence, tough love, and commitment to active development. Cara-lyn's work is about how to master emotional, relational, and strategic intelligence towards creating deep influence and impact in your leadership, and throughout your organization.

Work with Eleanor

Buy the Book - Another Door Opens; 5 steps for navigating change. Described as 'Game changing' 'Brilliant' 'A must read' 'The best book on change'.

Eleanor supports individuals, teams and organisations through change. Whether it's coaching or large scale organisational change through communications and training.

Work with Eleanor 121 as your coach, when you are starting something new, to develop the idea, to create the idea, to get it launched.

Book in a Change Mastery for a team session - when your team is navigating change.

Book in a 90 minute workshop - to think through change at work.

Join the Another Door Opens 5 Step Programme - a course and community to guide you through the messiness of change to find calm, joy and opportunity.

Instagram:instagram/anotherdooruk

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-tweddell/ 

Website: www.another-door-opens.com

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

"Change is messy, but it's also fertile ground. Pause. Rest. Play. Try. Restart. The five steps aren't a life 'hack' , they're a thinking space to get you through so that you can find joy, calm and opportunity amongst the chaos."

How good are you at navigating change? What happens when life throws you out of your comfort zone and into the unknown? How do you let go, rest, experiment, and eventually restart when you're not sure what comes next?

This special episode celebrates the launch of Another Door Opens: 5 steps for navigating change, my latest book guiding you through the real, messy, emotional process of change. Guest host Mark Shayler (author, speaker, environmental consultant, and spoon-carver extraordinaire!) interviews yours truly for a raw, uncensored conversation about what inspired the book, the ideas behind the 5 steps, how we can do change better and how we all struggle (and grow) through the in-between.

This one's for anyone experiencing change at work or in life, starting over, or supporting others navigating their own doors closing and opening.

The Highlights:

05:10 Why the book is needed and the dangers of getting stuck in old patterns
07:11 The practice of "letting go", why it's so hard, the letter to your closing door, and honouring your old self
12:30 The gift of the in-between: embracing messiness and the discomfort of pausing
17:13 Rest as resistance: radical naps and breaking the "busy" spell
19:30 Five steps to navigating change: Pause, Mess, Play, Try, Restart how to use the framework and why it's not strictly linear
24:53 Why play feels uncomfortable for adults!
33:02 Permission to feel everything, staying with uncomfortable emotions, and why it can be magical
35:22 Using music, movement, and collective energy as fuel in times of change
38:49 Purpose (without grandiosity): showing up for what matters today, and reframing the "why"
45:03 What businesses (and all of us!) get wrong about change, and the importance of benefit mindset
59:48 Making change stick

Some ideas to help you navigate change:

• Write a letter to your closing door

• Get to know new you in this moment

• Get playful: try curiosity as a little rebellion

• Frameworks are thinking spaces, not tick-lists

• Build up your capacity and energy, then press restart with intention

About Mark Shayler:
Mark is an author, sustainability expert, provoker of purpose, breathwork practitioner, and, most importantly, a granddad. He works with businesses to reduce their environmental impact. He's worked with the world's biggest and smallest companies and he's saved his clients over $200 million per year through better environmental performance. His latest book is "You Can't Make Money from a Dead Planet."

Connect with Mark:

Website: https://www.markshayler.com/

Work with Eleanor:

Buy the Book - Another Door Opens out now. 5 steps for navigating change. Described as 'Game changing' 'Brilliant' 'A must read' 'The best book on change'.

Eleanor supports individuals, teams and organisations through change. Whether it's coaching or large scale organisational change through communications and training.

Work with Eleanor 121 as your coach, when you are starting something new, to develop the idea, to create the idea, to get it launched.

Book in a Change Mastery for a team session - when your team is navigating change.

Book in a 90 minute workshop - to think through change at work.

Join the Another Door Opens 5 Step Programme - a course and community to guide you through the mess of change to find calm, joy and opportunity.

Instagram:instagram/anotherdooruk

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-tweddell/ 

Website: www.another-door-opens.com

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

Some people are exceptionally manipulative. They can convince anyone about anything and lure them with their charm. They enjoy controlling others and will do anything to get what they want.

Sound familiar?

The bad news is that you can't really escape them. But here comes the good news: you can beat them at their own game. My guest on this episode is author of "Surrounded by Psychopaths: or, How to Stop Being Exploited by Others"Thomas Erikson, we talk about how bosses behave and more importantly why they behave. 

Find out more about Thomas Erikson here: https://www.surroundedbyidiots.com/en/

Another Door:

Find out about Enrolment onto the Five Steps to Thrive an online course: an email prompt once a day for 5 weeks, and 32 modules encouraging you from shock to thriving: https://www.anotherdoor.co.uk

On the episode today I have something a bit different - I am talking to Marie Hemmingway, she is the founder of Speak Out Revolution, this is Podcast all about the challenges of speaking up on workplace harassment and bullying, identifying the damage that bullies create and how you can stand up and speak out in your workplace.

Find out more here: https://www.speakoutrevolution.co.uk

Another Door:

Find out about Enrolment onto the Five Steps to Thrive an online course: an email prompt once a day for 5 weeks, and 32 modules encouraging you from shock to thriving: https://www.anotherdoor.co.uk

Do you want to be a coach? In this brilliant episode I speak to Ruth Kudzi about how to coach, what to look for in a good coach and what the differences there are between mentoring and coaching.

Also we identify bad coaching, it's an industry that is booming, and I have had a mixed experience when I have looked for a coach, with some coaches promising you the world for as little as £37! 

Find out more about Ruth here: https://ruthkudzi.com/

Ruth Kudzi is on a mission to help clients build businesses they love so they can feel fulfilled and have financial rewards. She has her own Podcast Listen on Apple Podcasts Here

Another Door:

Find out about Enrolment onto the Five Steps to Thrive an online course: an email prompt once a day for 5 weeks, and 32 modules encouraging you from shock to thriving: https://www.anotherdoor.co.uk

We all encounter failure, it is one of the most important ways we learn how to cope with what life throws at us. This episode has the wonderful Sarah Archer, the Founder of Career Tree.   

About four years ago I decided to start a Podcast and Sarah was my first guest, it was a failure, I overthought the process and the episode never made it to being published. So just how do we deal with failure in our career, handling the disappointment of a botched interview, a terrible Manager or finding ourselves in the wrong job? In this episode there is some expert advice we can all learn from.

Find Sarah Archer at the Career Tree here: https://www.careertree.org.uk/

Another Door:

Find out about Enrolment onto the Five Steps to Thrive an online course: an email prompt once a day for 5 weeks, and 32 modules encouraging you from shock to thriving: https://www.anotherdoor.co.uk

Danusia is a keynote speaker, Global Leader Consultant and the author of "Noise a Manifesto Modernising Motherhood"  You could describe her book as a call-to-arms to get ideas flowing through our communities, and an invitation to think differently about what we're repeatedly told about motherhood.

Follow Danusia's School for Mothers Podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/school-for-mothers-podcast/id1440293611

Danusia and I share a very frank discussion and look at the pre-conceived ideas about being a mother, the constrictions that the NOISE of others creates and Danusia idea to  reposition mothers as the social change agents our world desperately needs.  Our discussion has plenty to offer to anyone, not just mothers, on how we frame the world and how we can create change.

Click the link above for the book, here is the Amazon link for the Kindle edition: https://tinyurl.com/2v2f662t

Another Door:

Find out about Enrolment onto the Five Steps to Thrive an online course: an email prompt once a day for 5 weeks, and 32 modules encouraging you from shock to thriving: https://www.anotherdoor.co.uk

Re-inventing yourself after 50, my guest is from "I'm Not Done Yet" - INDY - Andrew Middleton. He says 50 & 60-year olds of today aren't the same as those of previous generations. They came of age during some of the most significant times of change in popular culture.

Imagine an older generation that has ex Punk Rockers and 1970s sex, drugs and rock'n'rollers! They are the generation of anything goes, with no blueprint for how to behave and what to do as a 50plus.

In this episode Andrew offers a plan to reinvent yourself that's full of excitement but also pragmatic too. A must listen episode for anyone contemplating a change of career.

Find Andrew Middleton's website here: https://www.imnotdoneyet.uk

Another Door:

Find out about Enrolment onto the Five Steps to Thrive an online course: an email prompt once a day for 5 weeks, and 32 modules encouraging you from shock to thriving: https://www.anotherdoor.co.uk

In this episode I am speaking to Richard Stokes all about our Mojo, where has it gone?  Who is putting their hands up to losing their Mojo the last few months? But it is still there, it never goes, we've probably just hidden it and we CAN rediscover it and really help us to move forward and own our future.

Another Door:

Find out about Enrolment onto the Five Steps to Thrive an online course: an email prompt once a day for 5 weeks, and 32 modules encouraging you from shock to thriving: https://www.anotherdoor.co.uk

Follow Richard Stokes on INSTA here: @mojorichard

Richard's website is here: https://www.mojodevelopment.co.uk