🎧 Episode: “Beyond the Deal: Mental Health, Masculinity & Making Peace”

What happens when the outward trappings of success start to smother the person behind the title?

In one of the most raw, powerful and deeply human episodes of The Viking Chats to date, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Chris Webb—Founder of The Estate Agent Consultancy and a long-time leader in the UK residential agency space—for a conversation that’s less about metrics, and more about meaning.

With a career spanning branch management, regional leadership, performance coaching, training, and strategic business consultancy for some of the UK’s most recognised agency brands (including Countrywide, Winkworth, EweMove and more), Chris knows what success looks like from the inside—and the toll it can take when the work stops serving the person doing it.

This isn’t a property podcast about portals, tech stacks or sales funnels.

It’s a conversation about burnout, pressure, image, identity, masculinity and mental health—and how easy it is for high-performing professionals to lose themselves in the pursuit of status, validation and control.

🚨 From Boardroom to Breakdown

At the peak of his consultancy and coaching career, Chris was working with major estate agency brands, influencing strategy and helping others deliver high performance. But under the surface, he was crumbling.

What began as a relentless drive to deliver soon tipped into self-neglect, denial and isolation. As he shares in detail, Chris found himself performing leadership while internally falling apart—until his body and mind finally called time.

This isn’t a story of a dramatic crash. It’s a story of slow, creeping disconnection. The kind that hides behind performance reviews, polished LinkedIn posts and expensive suits.

💬 The Mask of Masculinity

Chris and Kristjan explore what it means to be a man in an industry built on bravado, confidence and composure. In property, where vulnerability can be mistaken for weakness and ego is often rewarded, where is the space for honesty?

They unpack the psychological cost of trying to “have it all together”—and the subtle, systemic ways the industry discourages emotional transparency.

If you've ever felt like you're faking it on the inside while crushing it on paper, this episode will hit home.

🎯 Redefining Success

This conversation doesn’t just critique. It rebuilds.

Chris shares the tools, moments and realisations that helped him step off the treadmill and start again—with more purpose, more authenticity, and a radically different idea of what “success” actually looks like.

Together, he and Kristjan discuss:

• The role of therapy and mental health support in leadership
• How distorted values can derail even the most capable professionals
• What companies can do to spot (and support) people who are struggling
• Why we need to normalise not being OK in high-pressure environments

💡 Why This Episode Matters

Whether you're an MD, a founder, or an up-and-coming professional, this episode isn’t just for you—it’s about you.

It’s about:

• How the very traits that drive your success can quietly destroy your well-being
• How corporate culture often rewards masks, not people
• How real leadership starts with self-awareness, not self-sacrifice

Chris Webb’s story is far from unique. That’s what makes it essential listening.

🧠 What You’ll Take Away

• You’re not alone if you’re struggling behind the scenes
• Leadership doesn’t have to mean emotional isolation
• It’s never too late to slow down, ask questions and make different choices
• The industry is ready—an

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