Frederick Afrifa — Track Star and Apprentice Contestant Shares Insights on Controlling Fear in Times of Adversity

The Learning Bridge with Richard Gerver

Frederick Afrifa is a motivational speaker and communication confidence coach. Born in Ghana and growing up in Milan, his family moved to London when he was a child. Frederick went on to become an Italian track star and was slated to take part in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He has gone on to dedicate his career to helping people overcome their fear of public speaking. He cofounded the communication coaching business Believe in Greatness and is one of the stars of the 2025 UK version of The Apprentice.

In this incredibly motivating and insightful episode, Frederick talks about his childhood as an outsider and how he used his experiences to shape the athlete and business person he has become. He shares deep insights into communication and how to control fear and nervousness in times of challenge and adversity. He also talks about his time on The Apprentice and what it has taught him moving forward.

Subscribe to The Learning Bridge wherever you get your podcasts: https://thelearningbridge.bepodcast.network/subscribe

About the host

Richard Gerver is a sought-after speaker, world-renowned thinker, and bestselling author of books including Change and Simple Thinking. His career began in education, first as a teacher and then as a school principal, when he turned the fortunes of a failing school and its pupils around in just two years.

Now regarded as one of the world's leading thinkers on human leadership and organisational transformation, Richard has worked with an extraordinary range of people, from elite athletes to former US President Barack Obama. Named UK Business Speaker of the Year three times, Richard has been invited to speak on the world’s most recognised stages, including TED, the RSA and the BBC.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.