Coffee Calm Connection

Adrian Saunders | LinkedIn

Website: Coffee Calm & Connection (coffeecalmconnection.org)

Wednesday Nov 03, 2021

026: Mental Health within the Insurance Broker market with Adrian Saunders, Commercial Director of Ecclesiastical Insurance

Wednesday Nov 03, 2021

Good mental health is essential to our general wellbeing. Depending on how we manage it, it can be highly conducive, or deeply destructive to our productive output. As we gradually approach the aftermath of a world-changing pandemic, incorporating such awareness into the workplace, and indeed, all areas of our lives, has never been more urgent.

In this special hybrid episode, the worlds of the Insurance Brokers Podcast and Coffee, Calm & Connection merge. We are delighted to be speaking with Adrian Saunders, Commercial Director of Ecclesiastical Insurance, which recently conducted its annual survey regarding mental health within the insurance broker market. In conversation with Boston Tullis’ Sarah Myerscough, he discusses the often-surprising results of the survey, which suggest that while considerable strides have been made towards boosting mental health awareness and support at work, there remains progress to be made.

Quote of the Episode

“If, as most people have been doing, they've been working remotely, perhaps there's that sense of detachment where they don't feel able [to talk about mental health] … There's no observation going on. So, you know, there's probably less of managers actually seeing their teams, and seeing individuals, or being able to pick up any upon any signs, or just asking that question: ‘Are you okay?’”

The experience of the pandemic completely shattered the way in which we work, our general sense of separation between our public and private lives, and the way we engage with others. In forcing us apart for so long, it could be argued that the pandemic eroded much of the progress being made towards greater mental health awareness and support within the workplace. The artificiality of a digital environment with which many of us were forced to acclimatise in order to continue working, while highly productive for some, left others feeling dejected and struggling to cope. Therefore, it is crucial that we understand the profound importance of providing mental health support in the workplace as we emerge from the chaos of multiple lockdowns, and enter 2022.

Key Takeaways

‘Less than half of people [now] feel comfortable talking about mental health in the workplace, whereas, back in 2019, it was actually really pretty high… three quarters of people felt comfortable.”

Since 2019, Ecclesiastical Insurance has annually conducted a survey in order to identify general sentiments towards mental health within the insurance broker market, namely:

How are people feeling?
What are the causes of any mental health issues?
How supported do brokers feel?
How comfortable are they in talking about mental health at work?

Several intriguing comparisons can be made between this year’s results and of those from 2019, pre-pandemic. A particularly concerning trend noted by Adrian in the episode was a significant drop in colleagues feeling comfortable with discussing mental health in the workplace, despite awareness of it and the provision of support for it reportedly increasing profoundly. Adrian suggests that this could be a result of remote working, due to which it isn’t necessarily as easy to share one’s private thoughts and feelings with a trusted colleague. Perhaps, also, this could be attributed to the pandemic, and our unanimous recognition that someone, somewhere, must have it worse than us, and therefore we may find our own problems folly or insignificant. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Everyone has problems, and they are all important and worth discussing with people you can trust. Therefore, we should endeavour to double down in our efforts to make the workplace a safe environment for employees to share their mental health woes, and from which they can receive valuable and meaningful support and advice.

An additional problem highlighted by the survey was stress being at an all-time high among brokers. This could arguably be caused by our increased inability to separate work from our personal lives. They have become deeply intertwined, perhaps irreversibly, particularly given the extent to which working from home has continued to prosper even as COVID regulations have relaxed in recent months.

Adrian and Ecclesiastical’s UK intermediary leadership team have just completed their Mental Health First Aid training. If you would be interested in undergoing similar training, Adrian encourages brokers to speak with their account manager about it, or indeed to reach out to him directly.

Best Moments/Key Quotes

“A really worrying trend that came through this time is quite a significant drop in individuals feeling able to talk about mental health issues in the workplace, especially being able to talk about it with their line manager. So, you've got this really interesting thing going on. The businesses are providing more support, there is more awareness. But at an individual level, people are feeling less able to actually talk about it. And when I say a drop, I don't mean just a few percentage points… it's almost a third of a drop since we started the survey in 2019.”

“Myself and the intermediary leadership team in the UK, have all just completed our Mental Health First Aid training. And I think that's really important… If it means that we have one more conversation, or one better conversation, or somebody feels more able to come to any one of us to start that conversation, [then] that has been worth it.”

Resources

Ecclesiastical Insurance – Adrian Saunders’ ‘About’ page: https://www.ecclesiastical.com/bios/adrian-saunders/

Ecclesiastical Insurance – Mental Health and Wellbeing Insights: https://www.ecclesiastical.com/insights/mental-health/

Ecclesiastical Insurance – ‘Work-related mental health issues for brokers are at their highest-ever recorded levels’: https://www.ecclesiastical.com/insights/broker-mental-health/

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships by John Gray

About the Guest

Adrian Saunders is the Commercial Director of Ecclesiastical Insurance. He’s worked in both the company and broker markets, and specialises in developing new enterprises within organisations, and re-engineering existing processes to develop strategy and increase ROL.

Connect with the Guest:

Specialist Insurance & Financial Services | Ecclesiastical

Ecclesiastical Insurance Group: Overview | LinkedIn

About the Host

Sarah Myerscough is the Sales and Marketing Director of Boston Tullis Group and the M.D and creator of Coffee, Calm and Connection.

Connect with Sarah

Website: https://bostontullis.co.uk/

Wednesday Oct 20, 2021

025: Letting go of the ”should” in your life with Stuart Thompson

Wednesday Oct 20, 2021

Are you keen to discover how the journey of Coffee, Calm & Connection thus far has impacted its very creators? Are you interested in finding out how to actively implement the habits and principles the platform promotes in your everyday life?

In this unique episode, Coffee, Calm & Connection co-founders Stuart Thompson and Sarah Myerscough flip the script, and Sarah switches from interviewer to interviewee! They discuss how Sarah’s personal journey of self-discovery has already begun to challenge many of the fundamental methodologies with which she approaches the world, many of which revolve around a desire to control every aspect of her life. Stuart and Sarah discuss how attempting to relinquish that control can be instrumental in improving your wellbeing, and in curtailing our common tendency to perpetually worry about what may lie around the corner.

Quote of the Episode

“Keep seeking those moments in life, where you're out of control, where the control is surrendered, whether it be the smallest of things like letting somebody else drive, but also the bigger things about being disconnected for a few hours, not having the phone switched on, not knowing where everything is and what's going to happen. Letting some of that control drop over time can be really renewing and quite refreshing.”

Anxiety specialist Stuart Thompson suggests that many of those who were most deeply affected by the experience of lockdown were those who are least accustomed to surrendering control over their own lives. He suggests that the complete debilitation that accompanies such unpredictable events can completely disrupt our way of understanding the world, which is so often rooted in our seemingly robust control over it. He suggests that in order to offset our common desire for complete control over our lives, we should seek out and treasure those times in our daily lives when we can relinquish it. He argues that the freedom this gives inadvertently boosts your mental wellbeing and enable you to be simultaneously both more wary of and more mentally prepared for the inevitable, unpredictable events that occasionally shake our world.

Key Takeaways

The COVID-19 pandemic is the ultimate testament to the fact that we cannot predict everything, or indeed, anything, with absolute certainty. Yet, when we set goals, we seek control, and take comfort from the ostensible knowledge that, upon fulfilling these goals, we will feel happier.

Stuart Thompson suggests that this tendency towards constant superficial goal-setting often prevents us from seeing or seeking to identify the reasons why we have set such goals. We need to consider the reasons why we pursue certain things, be it to give up alcohol for a year; to train for a marathon; to learn a new language. If we try to achieve such goals for the wrong reasons, we will likely not achieve them, which will land us in an inevitable slump of dissatisfaction and self-flagellation.

This tendency can even extend to mindfulness itself: many of us attempt to make a goal out of self-improvement and self-discovery, an entirely nebulous and individualistic entity. Mindfulness cannot be approached merely as yet another task to tick off on the to-do list. It cannot be regimented or controlled in the way that other aspects of our lives can be. Stuart suggests that we can learn from our children in this respect. By reigniting our imaginations, and spontaneously deciding to do things merely because they appeal to us, without any other motivation, we can inadvertently boost our own wellbeing. This is the intention behind Coffee, Calm & Connection: to subtly integrate mindful practices in short, manageable bursts into your daily routine, thereby creating a habit out of them.

Best Moments/Key Quotes

“Chasing the goal can be quite attractive. But there's something also quite puritanical underneath it, of saying, ‘Well, why haven't you reached that goal yet?’ And I think it's something that's crept into our culture… the ‘I'm successful, because I work hard’ mindset. But what that does to some people is, it makes them believe that good things have to be goal-driven. It can't be fun. ‘I must be a terrible person. Because today, all I did was watch TV. Well, that didn't have an outcome to it.’ Where, actually, sometimes it's about maybe looking at the outcome of doing nothing, as a reward in itself.”

“When someone's a high achiever they've been programmed to get a little buzz each time they hit a goal… [They] carry on seeking those little buzzes, rather than realizing that there's as much pleasure in just being present. But as we commercialize and commodify lots of things, mindfulness then becomes a thing we have to follow instructions to do, rather than just something we can enjoy doing and enjoy moving along with.”

“It's quite brave to step out into the world and say, I don't know what's happening today. I don’t know what’s going to happen later.”

‘There's lots of evidence that if we practice with kindness to other people, if we try and understand other people's actions, actually what we do start being a bit kinder to ourselves.’

Resources

Solve For Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy by Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer at GoogleX

Coffee, Calm & Connection Podcast, Episode 023: Forming New Habits for Happiness with Laura DiBenedetto, https://coffeecalmconnection.podbean.com/e/forming-new-habits-for-happiness-with-laura-dibenedetto/

Picture This – Online plant identifier: https://www.picturethisai.com/

Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari

About the Guest

Stuart Thompson is an anxiety specialist, and started his career working as a social worker. He has been a therapist in private practice for 20 years. Stuart is the creator of The STILL Method: a system designed to help both children and adults overcome anxiety. Stuart leads a team of around 50 anxiety coaches working in schools in the UK, USA, and Australia. In 2019, Stuart was recognised one of the most influential disabled people in the UK.

Connect with Sarah

https://www.picturethisai.com/

HOSTED BY: Sarah Myerscough

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. Please conduct your own due diligence.

Website: www.coffeecalmconnection.org 

Tuesday Oct 12, 2021

024: Perception is reality with Steve White

Tuesday Oct 12, 2021

Given the work-intensive, stress-inducing nature of modern society, our lives are a composite of various pressures swirling together simultaneously: friends, family, relationships, work, ascending the job ladder, and so on. Each of us understands and can relate to these challenges. But how can we overcome them without being consumed by stress? Steve White, CEO of insurance powerhouse BIBA (British Insurance Brokers Association), has led an illustrious career in the insurance industry. In this episode, he details his personal journey of self-improvement, emphasising the critical importance of self-awareness in order to make genuine progress. In conversation with Coffee, Calm & Connection’s Sarah Myerscough, he shares his wisdom regarding how you can overcome your personal trials and tribulations by engaging in meaningful dialogue with others to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

Quote of the Episode

“Never assume that you are perceived the way you think you are. You are what people perceive you to be. Perception is reality, at the end of the day.”

Many of us hold views about ourselves (many of which are heavily self-deprecating) that give no reflection of our true selves. We often struggle to see ourselves organically, trapped in an echo chamber of self-recriminations and abuse. Steve White suggests that the perspective of other, trusted people can be highly enlightening in this regard. He argues that we should approach those we trust, who need not necessarily be friends or family, but reliable sources who will speak the truth, and ask for their genuine, unfiltered perceptions about ourselves, and how we can improve. Steve claims that this process can be both vindicating and insightful, and that while doing so requires you to be vulnerable and receptive of criticism, it can help us better understand the person that we truly are, as opposed to who we perceive ourselves to be. We cannot see ourselves clearly; it is only others who can provide unfiltered insight about who we truly are, and thus, how we can improve.

Key Takeaways

Self-knowledge is perhaps the most crucial characteristic required when beginning the journey of self-discovery. It can be harnessed through mindful and meditative practices such as the quick, easy courses offered by Coffee, Calm & Connection. Ultimately, to identify what is holding you back from reaching your goals, you need to be able to ask yourself questions. What are my strengths and weaknesses? What am I good at? What can I lean on when times are tough? In answering these questions, you can begin to learn more about how you tick, and the habits which may either fuel your progress or potentially obstruct it.

As human beings, we naturally approach many of our conversations throughout the day with an agenda, which we may or may not be actively aware of. This is particularly important in the workplace, where we have certain tasks to complete and goals to achieve. However, in doing so, we have a tendency to anticipate how these conversations will unfold before they have even occurred, preventing us from actively listening to what the other party is saying. In letting our conversations unfold naturally and authentically, you may learn things about yourself which may never have surfaced otherwise.

This requires a certain amount of vulnerability. We all have a ‘work persona’ that might be different to our regular persona. But we shouldn’t be afraid to let the latter shine through sometimes, especially when we are struggling. If we feel comfortable in work environments, we can be more productive, as we are not trying to live up to an expectation of ourselves that likely cannot be fulfilled, if it isn’t true to who we are. Many of us have a tendency to erect a solid brick wall between our home and work lives. It’s important, essential, even, to have that sense of separation, and it’s inevitable that in those different settings, our different priorities will bring out different parts of our personalities. However, if we can retain a sense of the comfortability with ourselves that we have at home in the workplace, we could see improved results in productivity, and a boost in our overall wellbeing.

Steve White suggests that actively asking others how we are perceived is essential to self-improvement and overcoming the stressful challenges we embark on every day. If there is a disjoint between how you would like to be perceived and how you are perceived, you can do something about it. Therefore, you should weigh up what you believe about yourself with what others see in you. In doing so, you will better understand what is truly holding you back. Sometimes it takes someone directly vocalising a trait we hold for us to be able to recognise it within ourselves.

There is so much to learn from others. We can never hold all the answers, not even about ourselves. But we can endeavour to find them, if we ask the right people, and if we dig deep enough by asking the right questions.

Best Moments/Key Quotes

“Make sure you have a clear understanding of what your strengths and your weaknesses are. That's a pretty good start point for life I think is understanding what it is you're good at. What are you not so good at? What do you what are your What do you lean on when time when times are tough?”

‘We all put on a work persona, that may be a little different to the personal persona.’

“None of none of us have got the Complete Book of learning. It's a personality strength to recognise that you don't know… When it comes to learning, I've met a few people down the years who would take the suggestion of training as a personal insult. Well, I'm sorry. As I say that the book is never full when it comes to learning.”

“Self perception is just as important as other people's perception. And I think how you perceive yourself is how you project yourself.”

“I'm going to challenge everybody listening to go and speak to one family member, one friend and one trusted source, whether it's work or some other community that you're involved in and ask them, tell me what you think of me. What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? And how do you perceive me?”

Resources

About the Guest

Steve White is the CEO of the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA), with an extensive career in the insurance industry. He previously worked for Norwich Union, followed by a 21 year stint at Orion Insurance Company, a few years with the General Insurance Standards Council, and subsequently, the Financial Services Authority.

Steve’s LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/steve-white-437107a

Connect with Sarah

https://www.thesixhabits.com/

HOSTED BY: Sarah Myerscough

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. Please conduct your own due diligence.

Website: www.coffeecalmconnection.org 

Tuesday Oct 05, 2021

023: Forming New Habits for Happiness with Laura DiBenedetto

Tuesday Oct 05, 2021

Do you find that when you achieve a goal, a sense of deep dissatisfaction sets in soon afterwards? Do you constantly compare yourself to others, and yearn to replicate their happiness in your own life? Are you hyper-critical of yourself no matter what you do?

In this episode of the Coffee, Calm & Connection podcast, we’re very excited to be speaking with Laura DiBenedetto, the bestselling author of ‘The Six Habits’, about why so many of us feel discontent with ourselves, even when we achieve our goals. Laura attributes this to the habitual thoughts that many of us share, which are overwhelmingly geared towards the negative, perpetually berating you for your self-perceived failures with little respite. In conversation with Coffee, Calm & Connection’s Sarah Myerscough, she explains how we can reorient our minds by forming new, positive habits which can make you calmer, kinder to yourself, and cultivate inner fulfilment.

Quote of the Episode

“I know lots of accomplished people who are miserable. I know lots of fulfilled people who have all different kinds of accomplishment, and it doesn't matter.”

After we achieve a goal, be it an important presentation or running a marathon, many of us feel utterly deflated. Soon afterwards, we attempt to replace that goal with a new one, so that we can achieve the momentary happiness that success brings. Laura DiBenedetto argues that there is a monumental difference between superficial achievement and genuine contentment. The former is entirely irrelevant to the latter. The goals we set ourselves in life, in themselves, cannot make us happy. They may provide a temporary rush of satisfaction, but that is fleeting, and will soon give way to negative thoughts, frustration, and unhappiness. This is a vicious cycle, which can eventually lead to burnout, or indeed, depression. To achieve the contentment we all yearn for, we need to assess our internal drivers, and try to motivate ourselves with positivity and kindness, rather than the fear of failure.

Key Takeaways

To begin the journey towards happiness and fulfilment, we need to make a conscious choice to focus on the positive things that surround us. The human mind produces between 50-60,000 thoughts per day. However, a significant proportion of these thoughts are repeated from the previous day, and a considerable percentage of those thoughts are negative. We carry the baggage of our self-perceived failures with ourselves wherever we go, and through whatever we do. It is impossible to relinquish these thoughts altogether. However, by actively forming a habit of being kind to oneself, treating one’s ideas and feelings with respect, and accepting former failures, one will begin to experience more inner peace and joy.

The mind is fuelled by certain habitual processes and thoughts that motivate our actions and determine our emotions and responses to different stimuli. Laura DiBenedetto argues that many of these habits are detrimental to our potential contentment, and that to achieve it, they must be superseded by new habits which can create a happier, healthier lifestyle. Coffee, Calm & Connection operates under a similar principle. By providing easy, five-minute-a-day courses in meditative and mindful practices, it can help you to zone in on certain aspects of your inner monologue which are curtailing your contentment.

Each and every one of us has the right to be happy, but we are deeply reluctant to initiate the process of living a better life, as it demands that you be vulnerable with yourself and, indeed, with others. The best way to turn your self-flagellation into self-approbation is by actively making a habit out of being kind to yourself, by recognising when you are not, and the impact this has on your daily life.

Best Moments/Key Quotes

‘If you change the quality of your thoughts and develop a new mental habit, in six key areas, you can change your life.’

“What do happy people have in common? What is it that really makes people happy? And what did I miss? I've read all these books over the years, and I've done all these things, and that wasn't it. You know, like, you could be as thin as you want, you can have all the money you want, but if you're still unhappy, then it's probably because you're missing something.”

“It wasn't like stuff like yoga, I love yoga, by the way, it wasn't even church, and I love church. It wasn't like, you know, eating your veggies, or going to the gym, or having a lot of money and all those things. They're nice, but they give you a great temporary high, but then you're just left with yourself when the novelty wears off.”

“High achievement is not fulfilment. They are different things, and living a life of genuine happiness is one that is fulfilled. When you're constantly just chasing the next apex, and like the next huge accomplishment, it's very exhausting, particularly when you do it from a place of constantly beating yourself to get there, versus inspiring yourself to get there. You can still be a high achiever. But when it comes from a place of joy, it's easier. You don't have to try as hard.”

Resources

The Six Habits: Practical Tools for Bringing Your Dreams to Life by Laura DiBenedetto

TedX - The Six Habits of the Happiest People by Laura DiBenedetto - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rYes2CHFIM&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

https://lauradibenedetto.com/

About the Guest

Laura DiBenedetto is the bestselling author of The Six Habits, a TEDx speaker and ‘America’s Happiness Coach’. She is also the CEO of Vision Advertising, which focuses on social media and digital marketing.

Laura’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lldibenedetto

Contact Laura: inquiries@lauradibenedetto.com

Connect with Sarah

HOSTED BY: Sarah Myerscough

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. Please conduct your own due diligence.

Website: www.coffeecalmconnection.org 

Wednesday Jul 21, 2021

022: How would you feel about ‘opening up’ to a robot? The Rise of AI-Led Counselling with Dr Gregory Warwick

Wednesday Jul 21, 2021

Are you keen to start making progress towards improving your mental wellbeing? Are you concerned by the substantial wait-times for therapy provided by the NHS, or the extensive cost of private sessions? In this episode, we’re excited to be speaking with Dr Gregory Warwick, a counselling psychologist, about the current availability of alternatives to these traditional services. These include text-based online therapy, AI-based counselling and self-help solutions. In conversation with Coffee, Calm & Connection’s Sarah Myerscough, he discusses how these latter options could in some cases be considered equally as effective as traditional approaches to mental wellbeing, and how they may assist you in taking control of your own mental health.

Quote of the Episode

“When I look at the data, in terms of effectiveness, the outcomes are largely the same as working with someone.”

Counselling psychologist Dr Gregory Warwick suggests that online therapies and self-help services have, in recent studies, proven to be nearly and often equally as effective as in-person, traditional Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The ability to actively improve one’s mental health need not lie solely in the hands of a mental health professional, but rather, can be assumed by yourself, in conjunction with services such as Coffee, Calm & Connection. These can actively foster changes in your habits and mentality and empower you to become the person you want to be.

Key Takeaways

COVID-19 has exacerbated changes pertaining to interaction and communication which were already inevitable in light of the rapid developments in social media and technology. However, simultaneously, an array of self-help resources is emerging, which may become instrumental in improving or maintaining one’s mental health and wellbeing.

There is an array of options for improving your mental health beyond conventional talk therapy, the demand for which has only skyrocketed in recent months due to the pandemic, despite an infrastructure which was already struggling to meet demand. As Dr Warwick explains in this episode, these alternative methods are by no means second-rate, and indeed can accrue similar results to those achievable with traditional therapy. These methods may range from meditation to the individualised courses provided by Coffee Calm Connection, and will continue to expand in the future.

In the next decade, if developed in the right hands, AI-based counselling could become a hugely beneficial resource which would cater to our current culture of immediacy. This would enable us to start therapy in the same amount of time it takes to order a product on Amazon, curtailing 18-month+ wait times for NHS therapy, or the extensive costs of private services.

A key concern raised by those who are sceptical of self-help platforms in contrast with traditional therapy is an ostensible lack of accountability, and the difficulty of seeing genuine progress manifested without another professional individual in the room to assist oneself in seeing it. Coffee, Calm & Connection overcomes this barrier by providing easy, five-minute-a-day courses with which you can zone-in on a particular element of your mental wellbeing. The ease-of-access these provide ensures that you can actively take control of your mental health and achieve your goals with bite-sized content that will gradually encourage you to make the changes you wish to see in yourself. As Dr Warwick mentions in the podcast, some self-help materials are created in a one-size-fits-all type model, which is not necessarily conducive to genuine personal growth, as it isn’t tailored to one’s unique, individual needs. Meanwhile, Coffee, Calm & Connection allows you to actively take control of the aspects of your mental wellbeing which you seek to improve, rendering the process highly individualised and capable of catering to your specific needs.

Best Moments/Key Quotes

“Part of my thesis and interest was around internet Relay Chat, and I did an experiment where people would do therapy with one another, just using text. And it found that it didn't matter that you didn't have these gestures, the facial expressions, if the connection was there…”

“A common criticism of these kinds of self-help materials is that they can be marketed as a one-size-fits-all. And as a result, is not very tailored. So, I think the benefit of Coffee, Calm & Connection is that as you sort of split modules up as you split each sort of lesson up, that's where some of that individualization can come to help with that.”

“There's a theory called like the dreaded drama triangle. So this idea that you have on a triangle, you have victim persecutor rescuer, so the victim is someone who goes into that rhetorically, they played that role. The rescuer was it sounds nice is what actually keeps them in that role. Someone who doesn't coach them to find ways of doing it, they do it for them. […] How do you recognise if you're in that triangle and what can you do? […] You'd want the victim to become the Creator, so they come up with solutions.”

Resources

Solve For Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy by Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer at GoogleX

About the Guest

Dr Gregory Warwick is a practicing counselling psychologist who operates in Salford, Manchester, for Quest Psychology Services, which won Counselling Service of the Year 2020 in the Greater Manchester region. While the service specialises in PTSD, it also provides expert talking therapy for the general public, catering to individuals’ specific support requirements.

Connect with Sarah

Hosted by Sarah Myerscough

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. Please conduct your own due diligence.

Website: www.coffeecalmconnection.org  

Wednesday Jun 30, 2021

021: Her and the change in me – with Debbie Baisden

Wednesday Jun 30, 2021

What do you really know about the menopause? Are you, as a woman, approaching your change and you’re worried about what you’ve heard? Are you a male looking to learn a little more and want to know more about the ins and outs of what the menopause really is?

In this episode, we chat with Debbie. Debbie is a Pub Landlady, Actress, Writer, Blogger and Menopause Advocate all in one, alongside being the creator of ‘’Her and the change in me’’ - a one woman show with 4 voices. In this episode, we talk about... well, you guessed it, the menopause(!) and what this means for men AND women as well as what the future holds for awareness and support.

Best Quote

‘’I think where we've come in the last 50 years is incredible in terms of equality, and again, I mean, feminism is so wide, and there's so many different trenches, and there's so many quite extreme versions. Whether or not one buys into that kind of stuff, you can't argue that we've come quite a long way.’’

Resources

Debbie’s Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-baisden-2a467a182/

Menopause Support campaign: https://www.menopausesupport.co.uk

Menopause: study on the brain with Dr Lisa Mosconi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJZ8z_nTCZQ

Killer whales and menopause: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/15/killer-whales-explain-meaning-of-the-menopause

Connect with Sarah

Hosted by Sarah Myerscough

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. Please conduct your own due diligence.

Website: www.coffeecalmconnection.org  

Wednesday Jun 16, 2021

020: Discovering who you really are - Rikki Arundel

Wednesday Jun 16, 2021

Are you someone who struggles to be who you really are in everyday life? Perhaps you’ve discovered your true self and for many reasons feel this cannot be shared with the outside world? Maybe you’ve opened yourself up to your life choices being accepted and feel that you are judged, bullied and hated on for being who you want to be?

In this episode, we chat with Rikki. Rikki is transgender and openly talks about her experiences from very early childhood. In this episode she specifically opens up about discovering herself, how she got to where she is today and why it’s important we change the stigma on sexual orientation and gender stereotypes.

Best Quote

‘’When a trans person comes out, they don't just out themselves, they out the family and everybody who is connected. When I came out, around half the people just thought ‘no, no, I don't want that, I don't want to have to explain that I have a brother who is now my sister' etc – and that just put a whole amount of pressure on me.’’

Resources

Rikki’s Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rikkiarundel/

Connect with Sarah

Hosted by Sarah Myerscough

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. Please conduct your own due diligence.

Website: www.coffeecalmconnection.org  

Wednesday Jun 09, 2021

019: Every Experience Shapes Every Person - with Susan Heaton-Wright

Wednesday Jun 09, 2021

Have you suffered a traumatic event that did or still does affect your everyday life? Perhaps your experiences have changed your opinions and made you become a different person better or worse? How does this tie in with facing your fears and smashing your confidence?

In this episode, we chat with Susan. Susan is the Founder of Superstar Communicator and every day works with global companies, supporting teams across the world. She chats with us about how her very own experiences has shaped the person she is today and is a large part of why she does what she does both personally and in business...

Best Quote

‘’Looking back, I was in a particular survivors’ syndrome and not acknowledging the trauma that I had had, or the impact I had had, and feeling that I shouldn't be complaining about what I’m going through myself. I think a lot more is known now than what it was back in the 1980s...’’

Resources

Susan’s Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanheatonwright/

Pole Pole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgqAOCtwLOo&feature=youtu.be

Connect with Sarah

Hosted by Sarah Myerscough

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. Please conduct your own due diligence.

Website: www.coffeecalmconnection.org  

Wednesday Jun 02, 2021

018: What is Happiness and Where Do We Find It - with Hannah Wilson

Wednesday Jun 02, 2021

018: What is happiness and where do we find it – with Hannah Wilson

Is your idea of happiness realistic? Do you find yourself pondering amongst thoughts of an idyllic fantasy where happiness exists and you feel personally, you can never find it?

In this episode, we chat with Hannah - a professional psychologist who talks with us today about happiness and how often or not, our perception of happiness can be distorted. Hannah tells us about her experience of happiness, what it means to her and how we can learn to understand what happiness means to us.

Best Quote

‘’Something someone once said to me is try to use the word ‘and’ instead of ‘but’. So, quite often we will describe something and then we say ‘but’ and then by doing that, we kind of put a line through everything that came before the ‘but’ and we only really focus on the bit after. So, it might be I had a really good day - BUT then I came home and we had an argument or things were going really well BUT then there was a tragedy or loss… and it sort of means I don't need that bit after the ‘but’ exists, almost. Whereas if we can use ‘and’ then they can coexist.’’

Resources

Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdat: https://www.solveforhappy.com/

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