Shows
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesInclusion and wellbeing at the workplace go hand in hand - with Lee ChambersIt was a pleasure to interview Lee Chambers and hear his thoughts on workplace wellbeing. Lee is an award-winning business psychologist, keynote speaker on wellbeing, inclusion, and leadership, and the founder of Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing. As a highly respected Black, disabled entrepreneur, Lee is a champion of inclusive wellbeing. He’s also a supporter of gender equity, and he’s an award-winning male ally and menopause champion. Lee’s first book, the Millennial's Guide to Wellness, is due to be released later this year.During our conversation Lee talked about the importance of wellbeing at the wo...2023-10-2738 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communities"Manage Like a Mother": recognising the leadership skills gained through parenthood - with Valerie CockerellI thoroughly enjoyed this inspiring conversation with Valerie Cockerell about how parenthood equips us with valuable leadership skills. Valerie is a consultant, keynote speaker, and author of the book “Manage Like a Mother: Leadership Lessons Drawn from a Mother's Playbook”. After a brilliant career at Disney, Valerie is now part of Cockerell Consulting with her husband Dan, where she facilitates workshops and shares her expertise and methodology in leading teams and delivering outstanding customer service. In her new book, "Manage Like a Mother", Valerie brings a simple to understand and easy-to-implement take on leadership inspired by a...2023-10-2045 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesEmpowering our sons: masculinity and boys' mental health in a changing world - with Matt PinkettIt was great to talk to Matt Pinkett and learn more about the mental health of boys in this podcast episode. Matt is a leading authority on gender and masculinity in schools, and as a teacher who has worked in a variety of educational settings, he challenges toxic masculinity and calls for schools to do more to help boys’ mental health and wellbeing. Matt is also the best-selling author of ‘Boys Don’t Try? Rethinking Masculinity in Schools’, and his new book, ‘Boys Do Cry: Improving Boys' Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools’ was released this summer...2023-10-1239 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesWhy Malaysia has the lowest rates of postpartum mood disorders in the world - with Valerie LynnIt was a pleasure to interview Valerie Lynn and learn more about Malaysian postpartum practices in this podcast episode. Valerie is a postnatal care specialist and has been a significant force in introducing after-birth recovery practices from Malaysia, its traditions, techniques, and treatments to women globally.Valerie has benefited first-hand from Eastern medical modalities while living in Asia for over 20 years. She wrote her first book The New Mommy Plan: Restoring Your Post-Pregnancy Body Naturally, Using Women’s Traditional Wisdom, which resulted from a yearlong research project via the Malaysian Ministry of Health, Traditional Complementary Me...2022-12-0148 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesBecoming Us: perinatal relationships, parenthood, and becoming a family - with Elly TaylorIt was lovely to chat with Elly Taylor about perinatal relationships in this podcast episode. Elly is a relationship counsellor, award winning author of "Becoming Us: The Couple's Guide to Parenthood", keynote speaker, and founder of Becoming Us: a perinatal relationship education and training for care professionals. We talk about how preparations for birth and parenting are important, but there is currently a gap when it comes to preparing parents for parenthood and the changing relationships with each other and themselves. Elly shares some tips with us how couples can navigate this journey and keep t...2022-11-1038 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesParent Promise by Dearbump: supporting parents at the workplace - with Emma JarvisIn this podcast episode I'm interviewing Emma Jarvis, founder of Dearbump and co-founder of Parent Promise, helping workplaces support parents during pregnancy, parental leave, and early parenthood. Emma shares with us how her own experience of feeling unsupported and overlooked as a new mum at her workplace made her leave the company and set up her own business instead supporting parents. Her experience is far from being unique. Statistics show that 77% of mothers experience discrimination at work, 80% of new mums consider leaving their job during maternity leave, and 46% of mums change employers. These sh...2022-10-2130 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesBurnout: the many factors, and their solutions - with Dr Jacqueline KerrIn this podcast episode I'm interviewing Dr Jacqueline Kerr, behaviour change scientist, TEDx and Keynote speaker, podcast host, and burnout expert. Jacqueline is not only familiar with burnout as an academic, but she is a burnout survivor herself, who now helps employers and leaders tackle this issue throughout their organisations.Burnout is a very complex problem with different factors and personality traits involved, and this means there can be no one-size-fits-all solution. As Jacqueline explains, there are six types of burnout profiles and they each require a different approach. Jacqueline tells us about...2022-09-2257 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesFind your spark: happiness, wellbeing, and personal development - with Sanjeev SandhuIn this podcast episode I'm interviewing Sanjeev Sandhu, happiness and wellbeing trainer, speaker, PhD researcher in positive psychology and wellbeing, and published author. Sanjeev tells us how during his first career in finance and accounting he noticed that the key difference between people who were fulfilled and unfulfilled was the spark in their eyes, and how he subsequently went on to find his own spark - by changing careers and diving into personal development, happiness and wellbeing.As an Art of Brilliance trainer, Sanjeev now works with individuals, companies, and schools around the world delivering...2022-07-1542 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communities"When I Ran Away": a story of new motherhood - with author Ilona BannisterIn this podcast episode I'm interviewing Ilona Bannister, author of When I Ran Away and Little Prisons. Ilona is a writer, mother, and a New Yorker living in London. She was a dual qualified US attorney and UK solicitor and practiced immigration law in the UK before she started writing fiction.Ilona tells us about her debut novel When I Ran Away , which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s 2021 First Novel Prize. It is a rich, bighearted debut that takes us from working-class Staten Island in the wake of the September 11th att...2022-07-0642 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesLet's talk about mindfulness - with Sally SingletonIn this podcast episode I'm interviewing Sally Singleton, mindfulness consultant and trainer, and Founder of Mindful Interlude, delivering evidence-based mindfulness courses to individuals and organisations.Sally tells us about the different aspects of mindfulness, and explains how they all focus on slightly different things. She reassures us that the mind chatter that so many people experience during meditation is completely normal and it doesn't mean we're doing anything wrong. We also talk about the limitations of mindfulness apps and how they cannot replace the guidance provided by a qualified mindfulness practitioner. Sally works w...2022-06-2933 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesVillyge: the platform supporting parents and caregivers at the workplace - with Founder and CEO Debi YadegariIn this podcast episode I'm interviewing Debi Yadegari, Founder and CEO of Villyge, an employer-paid benefit and full service, B2B solution supporting working parents and caregivers. Villyge connects employees and their family members 1:1 with a community of career coaches, parenting experts and healthcare specialists. They also provide management training and work with employers to shape corporate culture and create parent-friendly workplaces that increase productivity, reduce litigation, and encourage retention to expand the talent pool and increase diversity, equity and inclusion.Es Debi explains, Villyge is a platform that helps managers to lead with empathy...2022-06-1634 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesPreparing new dads better - with Steven KennedyIn this podcast episode I'm interviewing Steven Kennedy, Founder of the PREPARE Foundation and Birthing Dads. Steven is dedicated to helping families thrive from the get go, and aims to prevent perinatal mental health impacts to families by engaging expectant fathers and inspiring greater paternal involvement in maternity care. Steven tells us about modern birth culture and how the gaps in antenatal education fail to prepare dads. He also highlights how the deep challenges new dads are facing are often overlooked, and contribute significantly to poor mental health outcomes. Knowing what's normal in chi...2022-06-0933 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesMotherhood, society, and a new feminism - with Naomi StadlenIn this podcast episode I'm interviewing Naomi Stadlen, existential psychotherapist and best-selling author of three books: What Mothers Do: especially when it looks like nothing, How Mothers Love: and how relationships are born, and What Mothers Learn: without being taught. For over 30 years, Naomi has listened to hundreds of mothers at her weekly discussion meetings, Mothers Talking, and at monthly meetings for La Leche League. As an existential psychotherapist she specialises in seeing mothers and parent-couples. During our conversation Naomi shares her insights into motherhood and the invaluable work that mothers do. We talk about...2022-05-0551 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesHow to have more happiness in your life - with Pamela Gail JohnsonIn this podcast episode I'm interviewing Pamela Gail Johnson, happiness advocate, speaker, author, and Founder of the Society of Happy People. Pamela shares with us the story of how she founded the Society of Happy People more than 20 years ago and how attitudes towards happiness have been changing since then.We talk about her recently published book Practical Happiness: Four Principles to Improve Your Life, and discuss the biggest happiness zappers and what people can do to manage them.Pamela also works with companies and tells us what they can do t...2022-04-2847 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesGender equality for fathers - with Michael RayIn this podcast episode I'm interviewing Michael Ray, solo dad, author, public speaker, and advocate for gender equality. Michael tells us about how outdated gender stereotypes hurt fathers and men in general. He highlights that personality traits and behaviour associated with masculinity or femininity are not determined by gender, but by character and values.Michael also shines a light on how the equality debate often doesn't include fathers and how this should be improved. The bumbling man-child image of fathers is demeaning and patronising, when the truth is that men can be very c...2022-04-2051 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesWhy companies need a wellbeing strategy - with Emma EllisIn this podcast episode I'm interviewing wellbeing strategist and coach Emma Ellis, Founder of Redwood Ellis. Emma tells us why companies need to have a wellbeing strategy if they want to attract and retain talent in today's competitive environment, and why it's equally important that this strategy is actually implemented.She reassures us that wellbeing is really not that complicated, and we can all start by asking some simple questions. We also discuss some future of work trends such as working from home and how it can backfire, how people are increasingly looking fo...2022-04-1342 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesMany Mothers: community support for parents - with director Antoinette VillamilIn this podcast episode I'm interviewing Antoinette Villamil, director of Many Mothers, an organisation in Santa Fe, New Mexico providing support to all local families with babies, free of charge. Antoinette tells us how their flagship Maternal Support Program, which provides practical, hands-on support through volunteers and is available at no cost to all local families, works in practice. She also talks to us about their other programs that are available for income-eligible families only. Through the incredible generosity of Many Mothers, other communities can also follow their example and set up their ow...2022-04-0627 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesBeing a postpartum doula - with Danielle BenskyIn this podcast episode we're talking about postpartum care and the work of postpartum doulas with Danielle Bensky. Danielle is a postpartum doula and Founder of Mothers Transition, providing postpartum doula services in Helsinki, Finland. She is also part of the NEST doula collective in Finland, working with foreign families in English.Danielle tells us about what it is exactly that postpartum doulas do, and why their support is invaluable for new mothers. She highlights how this kind of postpartum care used to be universal a very long time ago, and how it is important...2022-03-3043 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesFathers' mental health - with Mark WilliamsIn this podcast episode we're talking about paternal mental health, or the mental health of fathers with Mark Williams. Mark is a keynote speaker, published author, and international campaigner for fathers' mental health. He founded International Fathers Mental Health Day and and the #HowAreYouDad Campaign to help ensure that all parents and families are supported throughout the perinatal period. You can find out more about Mark on his website markwilliamsfmh.co.uk.Mark shines a light on this very important area as he shares his own story and how he got involved in fathers' mental...2022-03-2140 min
Wellbeing in Focus - for thriving families, workplaces, and communitiesMaternal mental health - with Jennifer Norris-HaleIn this podcast episode we're talking about maternal mental health with Jennifer Norris-Hale. Jennifer is the Founder of Mission: Motherhood, a community in Fort Wayne, Indiana for all mothers of all backgrounds experiencing maternal mental health conditions.Jennifer shares her own story and why she got involved in supporting mothers struggling with mental health issues. She gives valuable tips for mums who are struggling, and for partners or family members who would like to support them. She explains how Mission: Motherhood supports local mums, and how other communities can follow suit. She also t...2022-02-2737 min