What if exhaustion at the end of the day has nothing to do with how hard you worked — and everything to do with the state you were in while doing it? In this episode, Dr. James Bryant sits down with Deri Llewellyn-Davies, a former chemical engineer who spent decades studying peak performance in both extreme sport and the boardroom, to explore the science of flow state and why most leaders are unknowingly blocking their own ability to access it. You will walk away with a clear understanding of what flow state actually is, how to build the conditions that make it possible, and why the state you are in does not just affect your performance — it affects everyone around you.

• Flow state is not a hack or a shortcut. It requires purpose, a commitment to mastery, and intrinsic motivation. Remove any one of those three and flow will not come.
• Technology has not just distracted us — it has hijacked our neurochemistry. The always-on phone keeps most leaders stuck in a high cortisol, reactive state that blocks creativity, focus, and genuine connection.
• High performance requires recovery. Athletes never skip recovery after an Ironman. Leaders routinely skip it after a demanding workday. The biological need is the same.
• There are six ultra states, not just flow. Flow, focus, peak, recovery, reboot, and ultra connect each serve a different purpose and require different conditions to access deliberately.
• The leader’s state sets the temperature for everyone in the room. When you walk in on cortisol, your team feels it immediately. Presence is not just personal — it is a leadership responsibility.
• Burnout is not about working too hard. It is about values misalignment, feeling unrewarded, and losing connection to purpose — a distinction that changes how you diagnose and address it.
• Identity built on a single thing is fragile. Deri’s second burnout came when the financial crisis stripped away the wealth his entire identity was attached to. Purpose-anchored identity survives loss.
• Presence is a decision, not a default. Without an intentional transition between work and home, most people are never fully in either place — and the people around them feel that absence.

• 00:00 — Introduction and episode overview
• 01:35 — Deri’s journey from chemical engineering to high performance leadership
• 06:39 — Why post-COVID work culture is blocking peak performance
• 08:36 — What flow state actually is and the science behind it
• 12:45 — How to intentionally access flow: the three prerequisites
• 17:15 — McKinsey research and the six ultra states framework
• 22:39 — Why ultra connect may be the most important state of all
• 25:45 — Deri’s two burnouts and what they revealed
• 30:09 — The inner work: purpose, identity, and rebuilding
• 33:24 — How to connect with Deri
• 34:27 — Mike Flip: Deri asks James about his own flow practice

Deri Llewellyn-Davies is a former chemical engineer who rose to European board level within a decade before transitioning into management consulting and board advisory work. Over the past 25 years he has advised hundreds of scale-up businesses and has sat on more than 330 boards. His work in ultra endurance sport — including climbing the world’s highest mountains and completing Ironman triathlons — led him to develop the Ultra States framework, which helps leaders deliberately design the performance states they operate in. His book Ultra States is available as a free download at ultra-states.com. He is most active on LinkedIn under Deri Llewellyn-Davies.

Dr. James Bryant is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and host of the Engineer Your Success podcast. His mission is to help professionals win at work and at home by developing the leadership skills and presence that technical training alone does not provide.

What does it look like when an industrial engineer decides that marketing has a measurement problem — and builds an entire business to solve it? Andy Janaitis, founder of PPC Pitbulls, turned his engineering training into a competitive advantage in a field that rarely asks whether the data is actually right. In this episode, Andy breaks down the systematic gap he found in digital advertising and why an engineering mindset may be the most valuable asset you bring into a non-traditional field.

• Industrial engineering is “business engineering” — the problem-solving framework transfers to virtually any industry
• Most paid advertising fails not because the ads are bad, but because the underlying data is wrong or misunderstood
• Before optimizing for more leads, you have to map the full pipeline — from click all the way to paying customer
• Clients often don’t know their own goal clearly enough — the real consulting work starts with defining what success actually means
• Human judgment in the loop will not be replaced by AI; strategic context is the irreplaceable piece
• Career transitions can be de-risked: Andy negotiated part-time hours before going all in — that move is more available than most engineers think
• AI proficiency is now a competitive differentiator — engineers who use these tools aggressively will outperform those who resist
• Your engineering mindset is an asset in non-traditional fields — especially where everyone else is guessing

• 00:00 — What drew Andy to industrial engineering
• 01:32 — What he thought his career would look like coming out of school
• 02:42 — Discovering data and modeling as a discipline
• 05:15 — Early career in government consulting and engineering management
• 08:08 — The decision to go out on his own
• 11:33 — Building PPC Pitbulls around a data-first marketing approach
• 13:46 — The biggest challenge: helping clients define the real goal
• 16:34 — Mapping the full client pipeline from lead to paying customer
• 17:49 — The surprising gap: how often businesses misread their own data
• 21:50 — Advice for engineers who want to branch out
• 25:19 — AI, existential risk, and how Andy’s firm stays ahead
• 29:27 — Where PPC Pitbulls is growing next — specialty manufacturers
• 31:39 — Mic Flip: Andy interviews James
• 33:58 — Coach in Your Corner

Andy Janaitis is an industrial engineer turned digital marketing entrepreneur and the founder of PPC Pitbulls, a data-driven paid advertising agency. He applies engineering systems thinking to Google and Meta advertising — helping small and medium businesses measure what is actually working, identify where their pipeline leaks, and drive real business outcomes rather than vanity metrics. Andy works especially with specialty manufacturers and B2B businesses that have strong products but weak digital visibility. Listeners can book a free strategy session directly with Andy at ppcpitbulls.com.

Dr. James Bryant is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and host of the Engineer Your Success podcast. His mission is to help professionals win at work and at home by developing the leadership skills and presence that technical training alone does not provide.

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Most engineers and technical professionals are promoted because they’re exceptional at their craft. But nobody tells you that the skills that got you promoted are almost entirely different from the skills you need to lead. If you’ve ever felt underprepared stepping into a management role, this episode will tell you why — and more importantly, what to do about it.

Ben Perreau is a former music journalist turned leadership strategist who has advised senior executives at major global organizations. He now helps early career managers build leadership capabilities in real time through his company Parafoil. Ben brings a rare perspective — he’s lived the IC-to-leader transition himself, stumbled through it, and spent his career helping others navigate it better than he did.

In this conversation, Ben and James dig into why frontline managers are chronically undersupported, how feedback became the turning point in Ben’s own leadership journey, and what it actually takes to go from high performer to high-impact leader. Plus — James flips the mic and shares the one thing he wishes he had known earlier in his career.

• Almost every individual contributor who transitions to manager is underprepared — not because they’re not talented, but because it’s a fundamentally different career requiring different skills
• Feedback is the primary mechanism for leadership growth, but most people aren’t ready to receive it even when it’s being given to them
• High performance requires high learning — the most effective leaders treat their development like an agile process, not an annual review
• Creating space for reflection — whether through journaling, coaching, or conversation — is a non-negotiable leadership practice
• As AI takes over more technical work, human judgment, discernment, creativity, and moral reasoning become the differentiating leadership skills

• [00:24] Introduction — The frontline manager gap and who this episode is for
• [01:24] What Ben learned advising senior executives at Fortune 100 companies
• [04:28] Where the real friction is — why frontline managers are left carrying culture change
• [07:12] Why moving from IC to leader is a career change most people aren’t prepared for
• [09:05] Ben’s story — from music journalist to accidental manager at 24
• [12:51] The moment feedback changed everything — and why pride almost got in the way
• [16:03] How feedback accelerates leadership development in frontline managers
• [17:40] The case for continuous feedback vs. the annual performance review
• [19:43] Are you ready to receive feedback? James coaches directly to the listener
• [21:48] Practical takeaways — reflection, the whole person, and leading in an AI world
• [24:23] Mic Flip — Ben asks James what he wishes he had known earlier
• [26:46] Closing — James thanks Ben
• [26:57] Coach in Your Corner — Feedback is data, not a verdict on your worth

• Name: Ben Perreau, Leadership Strategist and Co-founder of Parafoil
• Contact: humans@parafoil.co
• Website: parafoil.co

Dr. James Bryant is a professional engineer, executive coach, and the host of Engineer Your Success — a podcast dedicated to helping engineering professionals win at work and at home. James brings a unique blend of technical expertise and leadership coaching to help engineers grow beyond their discipline and into their full potential as leaders.