On this episode of JPF First Aid, we speak to Mandy Gutsell of Know Limits Ltd. Mandy discusses the impact of menopause on women and addresses the issues around the stigma of menopause in both men and women. Mandy stresses that although it can be a difficult process to go through, it’s a time of natural change and that you are never alone in what you’re going through.

In this episode, we discuss a lot of the challenges posed by menopause, and steps you can take to help cope, and Mandy provides some tips and tricks to make people more comfortable in both the workplace and everyday life to those going through the menopause.

Key Takeaways

Menopause is a time of natural change. It's not like you wake up one day and suddenly there's this dramatic change, it tends to happen over a period of time and Mandy addresses some of the signs and symptoms of it.

Mandy believes that there’s a stigma around menopause, particularly in Western culture. We dive into some of the reasons as to why this may be, and how we can help to tackle that stigma.

More can be done in the workplace to help people going through the menopause and create a more comfortable environment for them. This can even be little things such as having dialogue with them and taking on board their needs.

Key moments

“I remember being aware of these changes and thinking to myself, well, I don't know. Do I speak to somebody about that? Am I just, almost getting into my head about it too much? What will people say? I felt quite embarrassed by it.”

“We're also in a culture which, to some extent, is great, where there's a lot of information out there, and that's a good thing, so we can find out a lot more things. But equally, the amount of information you can get can also be quite conflicting sometimes.”

“It shouldn't be something whereby a person is made to feel there's something wrong with them or that, they're somehow, being made to feel that they're being a burden or embarrassed.”

About the guest

Mandy Gutsell is the founder of Know Limits Ltd and has been helping individuals and organisations since 1991. There are four main services to the business - Coaching, Therapy, Supervision and Training/Consultancy. The key thread running through the four services is the underlying focus on mental health. At Know Limits they believe in encouraging NO limits and placing no limitations on the mind however they are firm believers in boundaries and KNOWing your own limits, hence their philosophy: Know your Limits, whilst having No Limits.

Mandy delivers a range of courses with the Training Service. This includes Mental Health First Aid England courses for staff in workplaces to qualify as Mental Health First Aiders. Mandy's expertise is in care, education, health, emergency frontline services, HR and Health and Safety leads. She supports the people who support others to try and reduce the risk of burnout.

Connect with Mandy: https://www.knowlimitscoach.com/

About the Host

John Fogarty has a training background dating back to 2005, with achievements including a teaching qualification and assessor standard. He has previously worked with two first aid charities, delivering sessions in workplace and educational environments.

John has consistently received excellent feedback for his delivery and customer service, as evident in numerous reviews. He ensures learners enjoy and achieve their goals and works with customers to select the right courses and resolves any issues promptly.

Find out more at https://jpffirstaid.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of JPF First Aid, we speak to Mo Bury about neurodiversity in the workplace. Mo runs Momentum Training who offer neurodiversity in the workplace training, transformative coaching, and insights into behaviour and culture change, as well as conference speaking.

Mo talks us through some of the statistics and obstacles people with neurological disorders face in the workplace. Mo offers insights and tips for employers as to how we can make our workspace more comfortable for those with neurological disorders, and steps as to how we can support people.

Key Takeaways

People with neurological disorders are less likely to speak about it to employers due to fear of being looked down upon.

Those with neurological disorders can be key assets to the workplace as they can spot things that other people may miss.

We still have a long way to go as a society to be inclusive for those with neurological disorders, including adapting the workplace to make it a more comfortable environment.

Key moments

“At the ripe old age of 50 something, I became aware that my brain worked a bit differently, and realised that I wasn't just disorganised and untidy. And why did I have to have everything out where I could see it? I realised that my brain worked differently.”

“Whether somebody's got a physical disability or a mental one, whether they are suffering short term or long term, whether they're menopausal, tired, bereaved, stressed, it doesn't matter. Any good employer will sit down and go, okay, how can I help you do your job in a way that works for you?”

“Nobody's trying to be somebody they're not. They can just be themselves and that is a lovely idea. That's a world I'd like to live in.”

About the guest

When Mo first learned about neurodiversity, she was convinced that she was neurotypical. The more Mo learned, the more she recognised it in herself and had a lot of, "oh that makes sense" moments. She joined the ADHD UK Facebook group and she says it was like she'd suddenly found a group of people just like her, with the same frustrations and challenges. At 59 Mo says she doesn't feel the need for medication so is in no rush (private diagnosis costs a lot) and is happy to continue learning how she can work with her brain to help it be healthier and function better whilst she waits on the NHS list for a diagnosis, which will be about 2 years.

Mo has gone through her whole life not knowing that her brain likes to do things differently to other people and she has beaten herself up for all the silly things that it didn't do so well. When she became "aware" everything changed. Mo put systems in place to help support what her brain doesn't like doing and stopped being mean to herself when it messes up occasionally.

The Thrive Neurodiversity & Mental Health Neurodiversity training Mo delivers in one global organisation is helping other people become aware of just how easy it is to make the world a better place for those brains that don't fit into the majority box, so everyone can be at their best at work.

About the Host

John Fogarty has a training background dating back to 2005, with achievements including a teaching qualification and assessor standard. He has previously worked with two first aid charities, delivering sessions in the workplace and educational environments. John has consistently received excellent feedback for his delivery and customer service, as evident in numerous reviews.

Find out more at https://jpffirstaid.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of JPF First Aid, we speak to Jessica Radford who is the author and creator of the Animal Advisor series.

Jessica was in a job where she was unhappy. After handing in her notice, she was out of work for several months but after seeing a squirrel struggling in her garden it opened up a whole new career. Jessica began her Animal Advisor series and journey as an author, and hasn’t looked back since.

Key Takeaways

Jessica explains how her books not only help to promote good mental health in children, but also those slightly older or those buying the books for children.

You can have money and be in a comfortable position, but the most valuable thing is your mental wellbeing and how you are feeling.

As well as writing the books, Jessica also does a lot of work to help a number of different charities, which she discusses in this podcast.

Key moments

“I felt that I had no right to feel unhappy because I was so lucky to have what I had and I thought that I had it all but in truth, I wasn’t living a very fulfilling life.”

“I feel as if I’ve got so much to say now and I’ve tried to cover as many issues as I can with my books. I’ve written nine stories in the series so far and I have loads more ideas.”

“It’s getting people thinking more about mental health and I know there’s a lot more awareness these days but there is still a lot of stigma around it, and I wanted to help normalise talking about mental health.”

About the guest

Jessica always had a love of books and reading from a very early age. She attempted to write a few stories when she was a child and after losing touch with writing for a while, sat down at her laptop a few years ago and her first story, ‘The Squirrel Who Couldn’t Balance’ just ‘happened’. Since then, the stories just seemed to have flowed and Jessica’s love of writing has returned with a vengeance.

Jessica loves spending time with her family, walking, visiting the theatre, and has a great love of music and dance. Of course, she loves to read too and personally, enjoys reading a wide variety of books, particularly historical fiction (especially anything about the Tudors or World War 2 era), crime and thriller novels plus, as a child, she was always drawn to animal stories.

About the Host

John Fogarty has a training background dating back to 2005, with achievements including a teaching qualification and assessor standard. He has previously worked with two first aid charities, delivering sessions in the workplace and educational environments.

John has consistently received excellent feedback for his delivery and customer service, as evident in numerous reviews. He ensures learners enjoy and achieve their goals, works with customers to select the right courses and resolves any issues promptly.

Find out more at https://jpffirstaid.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.