A typical Saturday night in Brighton probably isn’t evaluating one’s life meaningfully and practically, guided by one of the UK’s most well-known doctors. However, Dr Rangan Chatterjee drew a willing crowd of around 1,300 people to The Brighton Centre for the Sussex date of his Thrive tour on Saturday, 17 March.
I’ve not been to an event like this before, but I am a big fan of Dr Rangan’s Feel Better, Live More podcast and a keen subscriber to his Friday Five newsletter. Dr Rangan has written seven books, including most recently Make Change That Lasts: 9 Simple Ways to Break Free from the Habits That Hold You Back, which this Thrive tour is running off the back of.
The uplifting evening saw inspiring quotes projected on the on-stage screen as rousing music played. Attendees were handed their own ‘blueprint’ and pen to write notes before the warm, down-to-earth and welcoming Dr Rangan came on stage. I don’t want to give too much away, but the evening centres on an interrelational triangle of Mindset, Values and Action.
Dr Rangan, who said he feels the most happy, calm and content he’s ever been in his 47 years so far, shared his hope that members of the audience would learn and take away something from the evening. Ultimately, Dr Rangan passionately believes that humans can be the “architects of their own health and happiness”. Yet, we’re all different, so how do we personalise a blueprint for ourselves to, in Maya Angelou’s words to “not merely to survive, but to thrive”?
The interactive evening included exercises, which Dr Rangan admitted may feel “challenging” and people in the audience were given the chance to share their answers and experiences. For me, I saw Dr Rangan as a wise seed planter, offering a wealth of practical knowledge from his 23 years as a doctor, as well as seemingly practising everything he preaches. He certainly remained calm as a stowaway pigeon swooped across the vast Brighton Centre for the duration of the evening and even occasionally joined him on stage.
Talking to a crowd for nearly two and half hours is no mean feat and things that made this evening so juicy included thought-provoking video clips from previous podcast guests including Edith Eger, Bronnie Ware and Gabor Maté. There was also something unexpected and joyful at the start of the second half, which showed Dr Rangan demonstrating his passion and play too.
The motivational speaking music at the very end of the show was slightly edging on cheesy for me but hey, who doesn’t love a dollop of passion, hope and joy?!
Some of the calls to action might feel heavy; Dr Rangan has seen many people have regrets in their life too late and “you can’t hide from yourself”. However, it felt clear that Dr Rangan really cares and wants to empower people to thrive.
I’ve certainly taken away some actions and extra insight from the evening, and Spring feels like the perfect time to get re-aligned with my values and take action to feel happier and healthier, even just a bit.
Dr Rangan’s Thrive tour continues until Saturday 29 March with seven more dates across the UK.
