Celebrating the 50th episode of Slay Your Dragons with Compassion, I welcome Joel Bravette, a finance professional whose extraordinary life journey defies conventional career patterns. Joel’s story begins with early encounters with death and loss that shaped his worldview, leading to a profound philosophy that embraces life’s impermanence rather than fearing it.
The conversation takes a dramatic turn as Joel reveals how his first entrepreneurial venture—a bar he opened while still a university student—ended in flames when locals petrol bombed the establishment, destroying not just his business but all his personal possessions and childhood mementos. Yet this catastrophic loss became a cornerstone of his resilience rather than a breaking point.
What makes Joel’s perspective so valuable is his refusal to compartmentalize financial success and community ethics. Through his work with the Vegan Society, Made in Hackney, and The Africa Centre, he demonstrates how community-building and purpose can infuse even the most pragmatic pursuits. Now working in finance, Joel focuses specifically on creating access for traditionally excluded groups, proving that inclusive business practices make both ethical and commercial sense.
Joel’s “patchwork life”—hairdresser, bar owner, girl band manager, community builder, and now finance professional—represents a refreshing alternative to linear career paths. By maintaining frugality and focusing on experiences rather than material acquisition, he’s created the freedom to explore diverse avenues that collectively form a rich tapestry of wisdom.
Ready to transform your relationship with loss and setback? Listen as Joel shares how he “corrals the dragon and rides it” rather than being consumed by fear. This conversation will challenge your perspective on what constitutes success and might just inspire you to author your own unique life story.
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Presenter
Malcolm Stern has worked as a group and individual psychotherapist for more than 30 years. He was a co-founder of Alternatives at St James’s Church in London and runs groups internationally.
He is the author of Falling in Love / Staying in Love (Piatkus 2004) and Slay Your Dragons with Compassion ( Watkins 2020). He co-presented Channel 4’s relationship series, ‘Made for Each Other’ in 2003 and 2004 and sailed on the ‘Rainbow Warrior’ with Greenpeace in the 1980s. The book he is currently writing is an exploration of the shadow and its necessity in our evolutionary development.
To become equal to the dream sewn within us, our heart must break open and usually must break more than once. That’s why they say that the only heart worth having is a broken heart. For only in breaking can it open fully and reveal what is hidden within.” – Michael Meade
This is a series of podcasts based on the premise explored in Malcolm Stern’s acclaimed book of the same name, that adversity provides us with the capacity to develop previously unexplored depths and is , in effect , a crucible for self reflection and awareness. Malcolm lost his daughter Melissa to suicide in 2014. It slowly dawned on him over the following few years that he was being educated and an opportunity was being presented where new insights helped him forge a path through his grief and despair. As part of that cathartic journey, he wrote “ Slay Your Dragons with Compassion ( Watkins 2020 ) where he was able to describe some of the practices that had helped him shed light on a way through the darkness.
