21.3 James O’Brien, broadcaster – Happy High Status

James O'Brien, Viv Groskop, Happy High Status podcast, How to Own the Room

Can you be “too confident”? How entitled is too entitled? In this third of a series of Happy High Status takeover episodes, Viv talks to broadcaster and journalist James O’Brien, LBC presenter and author of How They Broke Britain (coming in Nov 2023), about challenging difficult and entitled people (especially certain privately-educated politicians), coming to terms with his own insecurities and finding a kind of humility after experiencing a major setback in his forties. Plus James reveals how he went from being someone who felt sick talking to people at parties to feeling comfortable in himself. Is it a good idea to put on your own “cloak of entitlement” when questioning someone who loves the sound of their own voice? What do you do when faced with people who are so confident that they’re tipping into arrogance? And how can we all listen to each other a bit better and make space for different points of view?  Viv’s new book, Happy High Status: How to Be Effortlessly Confident, is available for preorder. @vivgroskop James O’Brien’s new book How They Broke Britain is out in Nov 2023.

Share this article

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

More recent articles

23.6 Katherine Viner, editor-in-chief of the Guardian

How do you manage the pressure of being in the hot seat, day in day out? Viv speaks to Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief of The Guardian since 2015, when she became the first woman to hold the position in

23:5 Amy Poon, restaurant owner and food entrepreneur

How do you find the courage to keep changing the course of your career and try something new? Viv speaks to Amy Poon, who grew up in her family’s famous Poon’s restaurant business, and pursued various careers including

23.4 Maria Semple, novelist

How can you use disappointment to fuel your future success? Viv talks to Maria Semple, who wrote the bestselling novel, Where D’You Go, Bernadette, after bouncing back from the disappointment of her first novel not making it big.