The cost of a toxic workplace culture

New research shows two-thirds (61%) of people have taken long-term leave after experiencing a toxic workplace. The research, which was undertaken by Culture Shift, looked at responses from 1,000 people in a variety of sectors including the financial, healthcare, legal, insurance and public sectors. It looked at the workplace culture in their respective organisations and whether they’d experienced negative behaviour.

The results showed what a detrimental effect a toxic workplace can have on employees. 44% of those surveyed said they’d experienced problematic workplace behaviour such as bullying or harassment with two-thirds (61%) taking long-term leave as a result of negative behaviour, 42% of respondents said they’d left a workplace permanently because of a toxic culture. Other recent research from Glassdoor found that two-thirds of candidates would not take a job with a company with a bad reputation, even if they were unemployed.

As well as being damaging for employees, a toxic culture is costly for the business. As well as the cost of recruiting and training new staff - with the possibility of losing them too if the culture remains unchanged - any employment tribunal resulting from the behaviour could also end up being very costly.

With employees increasingly prioritising their work-life balance above all else, businesses need to offer not just a good salary but also a people focused environment.

Addressing burnout is essential to staff retention

Many employees are looking for a new role because they feel their job is detrimental to their health and wellbeing.

With the pandemic continuing to dominate, new issues are popping up in the workplace where leaders are still trying to solve ongoing problems. Meanwhile with workers continuing to deal with increased workloads and the blurring of work and home life, it’s no wonder that burnout levels are rising.

This is highlighted in Ceridian’s annual Pulse of Talent report that surveyed 1,156 workers in companies with at least 100 employees. The research showed that 79% of respondents in the UK experienced some form of burnout, with 35% reporting this at a high or extreme level. It also found that the top three catalysts for burnout among respondents were increased workloads at 49%, mental health challenges at 34%, and pressure to meet deadlines at 32%. Whilst some of this can be put down to the usual pressure of the modern workplace, the pandemic has undoubtedly affected the work-life balance with many workers increasing their hours, taking shorter breaks and working when ill to meet a higher workload and the feeling of always ‘being on’.

This unhappiness means that 19% of the surveyed workers are currently seeking a new job, with another 39% saying they’d consider leaving for the right opportunity. This of course sits with the recent Office for National Statistics report that showed that the estimated number of vacancies recorded was at its highest level since records began.

Respondents were also asked what could be done better to address burnout and  55% thought it would help if their employer kept communication and work expectations within working hours. Setting strict guidelines and adhering to them is therefore essential with regards to working hours and downtime.

These surveys make it clear that many companies can expect to see a far higher turnover rate in the New Year if changes are not made. The need for effective employee support and wellness programmes, greater communication and increased flexibility has never been greater.

*Ceridian’s 2022 Pulse of Talent Report was conducted by Hanover Research and surveyed 1,156 workers in companies with at least 100 employees.

You can listen to any of our podcasts here. Our upcoming guest list is also available along with our previous blogs.

Taking charge of MS

Wendy Björk has been living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for over 35 years and now used her experience and knowledge to help people diagnosed with MS to know they have choices and that there is hope 

Wendy explains MS in terms of an electrical cord that you pull from the wall socket roughly too any times. The wires start to separate and the covering becomes damaged. The nerves in the body also have a covering and in MS, the cover is damaged or missing so when the brain tries to signal the body the signals are missed or not received correctly - the body still works but not at 100%.

In the US there is some discussion as to whether MS is genetic, There is no diagnosed MS in Wendy’s family but her grandmother had what was thought to be very bad arthritis and could barely walk and Wendy feels there may also have been an element of MS in this.

Often MS starts with quite small things that could be attributed to many other illnesses. It took six years for Wendy to be fully diagnosed. She started suffering from symptoms when she was fifteen or sixteen. When she got out of a hot bath her legs felt like ‘spaghetti’ and were useless. She mentioned this to her doctor during her annual physical but he didn’t seem to think it unusual so she kept ignoring it. It kept happening and then she started to get numbness and tingling in her feet.

Every case is different but it often starts with the extremities of the body. Wendy feels you should look for non- connected experiences. She first saw a neurologist when she was working at he first job in an insurance office. It was a very busy and stressful environment and one day she just couldn't speak. She thought she was having a stroke but in reality something in her brain wasn't connecting properly and in this instance it was her speech that was affected.

MS is a life limiting illness but people can choose how to look at it, deal with it and live with it. Treatment following a medical diagnosis will now often involve different infusions and medications that suppress or mask the symptoms. When Wendy was first diagnosed there were few medications available so she had to learn how to manage the things around her. She still feels this is a good step – alleviating stress, keeping calm and doing breathwork can all help in resetting your nervous system.

It can be very easy to go into a negative spiral. You can feel out of control because you can’t do anything about the diagnosis and slip into a depressive zone. It took Wendy a long time to navigate around it but she realised she was only 40 years old so needed to do something different. She considers herself very fortunate that her manager in her first job was very supportive. It was the early 90’s and he was very interested in self-development so sent her on a number of seminars and courses where she learnt how to take something and find a positive in it. Everyone is dealing with something and manipulating the way you use your brain can help deal not only with MS but also other illnesses or situations. 

In the US Wendy feels there are definite gaps in the care of MS.  A positive attitude is a good start but there are other aspects apart from mindset. There are many chemicals that can interfere with how your system functions so what you are eating, drinking and putting on your body is important in reducing the amount of inflammation in the body. A support circle and someone you can talk about your MS to is also important as is the home environment where things such as cleaning products can have an effect on your bodies system and how it functions.

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information about Wendy here. Our upcoming guest list is also available along with our previous blogs.

You can find out more about Wendy and her work at Heartsofwellness.com and also download her free ebook ‘What is your body trying to tell you’.

Don't waste the good moments. Covid and beyond.

Radha Ruparell is a global cross-sector leader with expertise in leadership development and personal transformation. She has worked with CEOs, Fortune 500 senior executives, social entrepreneurs, and grassroots leaders around the world and heads the Collective Leadership Accelerator at Teach For All, a global network of independent organisations in 60 countries committed to developing leadership in classrooms and communities to ensure all children fulfill their potential.

The last year has been a difficult, traumatic one for Radha. She fell ill with Covid at the height of the pandemic and had to use all her leadership experience to navigate through the uncertainty and change it brought. It was April 2020 in New York and the first Covid wave was raging through the city.  Radha was on a conference call and started feeling breathless. Two days later she realised she had Covid. She was bedridden and because many of the hospitals were overrun and lacked PPE, she was told to stay at home. She did however end up in hospital and a year on she is still dealing with the symptoms that haven’t disappeared. These include mental and physical fatigue. Before Covid she surfed, ran and played tennis none of which she can now do. She tries to live a regular life but has to make constant adjustments.

Radha had to fall back on her reserves of mental toughness and needed to utilise all her leadership experience - how we manage ourselves, how we manage uncertainty and how we relate to one another. She needed to have  a strong support network and reach out for help. In the early days she couldn't speak without getting short of breath and was too tired to ask for help. Only a couple of people were aware she was ill and then a work colleague reached out. Radha had grown up thinking she shouldn’t share her personal troubles. She always toughed it out, but when she was ill she realised that being strong is the opposite – its about being able to share things, about what you’re feeling and your fears and vulnerabilities. It was a lifeline having a couple of consistent people in her life. She doesn’t think she would have been able to get through it otherwise.  

Radha also realised the importance of slowing down and asking what is going on within us, of taking a moment to check in with yourself so you’re not defining yourself by a situation and can rationilise it. Part of this is to understand the power of language and what we tell ourselves. The way we frame language can be destructive and we need to change it. Instead of having a bad day we have an off moment then every moment after that we have a choice.

Radha started writing her book when she was ill. Initially she wrote a two page article for her family and friends which reveled some of the things she had learned during Covid  - applying life and leadership lessons, how to be resilient , and how to slow down, discover inner strength and be vulnerable. Within two weeks 20,000 people had read it!

One of the takeaways from the book is how we deal with uncertainty. One of our biggest mistakes is that we resist uncertainty.  When she was ill Radha  had brain fog and couldn't read words on a page. She kept trying until she realised resisting was not helping – she couldn't do the things she usually did so needed to accept this was the current situation. She needed to be more creative and operate in a different way and realise that you can hold two conflicting ideas. You can accept what is happening and still be curious for what might be possible.

Sometimes it takes a catastrophic event to wake us up. These turning points can be terrifying but we all encounter them in our lives. The real question is: how will we face them? Despite our knee-jerk reaction to hang on to what’s “normal,” disruptive moments are exactly what’s needed to transform ourselves and the world around us.

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information about Radha here. Our previous podcasts, upcoming guest list and previous blogs are also available.

You can find out more about Radha and her book at Brave Now: Rise Through Struggle and Unlock Your Greatest Self   

Changing lane. Making impactful change.

Jennifer or Jen Crowley is based in Chicago and is an author, certified life coach and leadership consultant.

In her 30’s Jen thought she had life she was meant to have. Married with a son, she also had a high profile job as Vice President and General Manager of a wine distribution company. Suffering from all the stress and anxiety that goes with juggling a high pressure role and family life she then went through what she refers to as a six year character building period. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, then a while later her father was badly injured in a motorcycle accident. Both are now happily retired in Florida but as the only child, Jen had to provide considerable support. Then, the president of the company was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and died very suddenly. Jen was emotionally and physically exhausted and wasn’t taking great care of herself.  Her job defined her so when the company was then sold to a large international group she decided to stick with it. There was an interesting and demanding integration period and as she went into her 40’s her life was very demanding – she was fighting for resources at work, fighting for time with her son and struggling in a marriage that was no longer working.

Finally, Jen and her husband divorced and at this point she started taking much better care of herself. She was eating well, meditating and communicating much better with the people around her. She became a coaching mentor at work and came to realise that people were comfortable around her. They would talk to her about their work, their anxieties and what was happening with their family and Jen found that trying to help people was the part of her job that she enjoyed most.

Six years after the company had been sold Jen realised that life wasn’t supposed to be so hard and took the decision to leave her twenty year wine career.  At 45 she decided that she needed to figure out what was going to happen next. She didn’t have any plans apart from taking three months off to get her head as clear as possible. Over the next three months she realised that although many people thought she should be happy because she seemed to have everything she needed, she wasn’t. She needed a different path where she could help other people. Initially she worked as a consultant to entrepreneurs but after a few months he made the decision to move into coaching.

Jen now works primarily with women looking to make impactful changes in themselves and in their lives. With a background in science, Jen’s approach to change is process driven and built around the importance of getting ready for change and then implementing it. In her coaching she deals with widespread issues, but many of her clients are in similar situations to the one she found herself in. Woman in their 40 ‘s who are realising that they are not happy, not doing things that they think are important or meaningful to them.

Jen feels the key to change is having open conversations and asking questions that dig down into what people really want. Sometimes people are so busy taking care of everyone else they simply need the time and opportunity to think and talk about themselves.

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information about Jennifer here. Our previous podcasts, upcoming guest list and previous blogs are also available.

You can find out more about Jennifer at  changeablecoaching.com

New solutions for Pain Management

Georgie Oldfield is a physiotherapist who also runs a training organisation where she trains health professionals and coaches to integrate a mind body approach to pain management.

Georgie was working as a physiotheapist for the NHS in a community-based role. She was working with patients who were suffering from such high levels of pain that they actually unable to get to a clinic. There were not a lot of options available to help these patients and Georgie gradually became interested in alternative ways of managing pain. The results she was getting led her to leave the NHS in 2005 and set up her own clinic.

Shortly afterwards she woke up one morning with sciatica. She had absolutely no idea what had caused it but having just left the security of her NHS role, setting up a new business meant she was dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety. At the time she didn't think this was relevant until she went to see someone who actually asked her what was going on in her life. It was then she realised that she was holding the stress in her body and this was how it was manifesting itself.

So is pain a manifestation of a physiological or emotional problem, a physical one or both? Pain is a protect response, and body pain is perceived by the brain and felt in body. There is no evidence to link the severity of pain we feel with the amount of tissue damage we have so it’s possible to have severe pain but no tissue damage. If the body heals and the pain persists after body has healed you have to ask why. If it’s not anything to do with the extent of the injury, it can be about whether we are anxious, depressed, have negative beliefs about pain or a past trauma.

There are a number of factors that surround how we perceive pain. There are also a lot of different triggers or causes of pain. Anxiety, depression, anticipation or fear of pain can all affect whether we feel severe or less severe pain. Our attitude to pain can also affect the degree of how we feel pain as does our personality and behaviour. It’s not just current stress that can produce pain. Things from earlier on in our lives can affect us too, such as adverse childhood experiences which are also more likely to impact on ill health later in life.

Living with chronic pain often means you become focused on the pain, which then fuels the pain itself. Understanding persistent pain is an empowering experience as sufferers realise pain is within their control.

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information about Georgie here. Our previous podcasts, upcoming guest list and previous blogs are also available.

You can find out more about Georgie and her work at https://www.georgieoldfield.com/ Her book is Chronic Pain : Your key to Recovery

Solutions for anxiety and chronic-pain

The latest episode in our Resilience Unravelled series has now been released, Resilience Unravelled – Solutions for anxiety and chronic-pain.

In this episode, Dr Russell Thackeray talks to Dr David Hanscom who is based in Oakland, California. Dr Hanscom was an orthopedic complex spinal deformity surgeon in Seattle WA for over 32 years. He quit practicing surgery in 2018 to focus on teaching people how to deal with chronic pain.

For the first eight years of his career David was part of a team surgically solving low back pain with lumbar fusions. Then research came out that showed the success rate of the intervention was only 22%. David had thought that the success rate was over 90%. This surgery is a major intervention so David immediately stopped performing them.  

As a top-level surgeon, David had always suppressed stress and didn’t know what anxiety was but around this point he started suffering from chronic anxiety, panic attacks and a obsessive-compulsive disorder. He thought anxiety was a psychological issue and sought help but found it just kept getting worse. David tried a number of different approaches but found the one that helped him the most was expressive writing. Studies have shown that this can help people with physical health conditions but David found it made it easier to separate and regulate his emotions

David feels that anxiety is the result of the body’s reaction to a threat or stress and that chronic pain is generated from sustained exposure to a threat. When we’re threatened for any reason, our body releases stress chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisol. We then experience a flight, fight or freeze response, with an increased heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, muscle tension and anxiety. If this continues for a protracted time, we become ill.

As well as being something physical, a threat can also be can be intrusive thoughts, repressed thoughts or emotions which are processed in the brain in the same way as a physical threat.  Mental threats are the bigger problem because we can’t escape their consciousness. The body’s response with stress chemicals and inflammation is the same whether the source of the threat is mental or physical. If the threat is sustained, ongoing exposure to this inflammatory reaction destroys tissues and causes chronic disease.

To deal with pain we need to be aware of the neurochemical nature of chronic pain and the principles behind calming the threat response. We also need to address all the factors that are affecting our pain and, as chronic pain is complex and each individual is unique, the only person who can solve the pain is the patient who must take control of their care. Every symptom is created by our body’s response to our surroundings so cues of safety create a sense of contentment and well-being. Threats have the opposite effect, including elevated stress hormones, increased metabolism, and inflammation. Sustained and prolonged threats (including thoughts and emotions) cause illness and disease. David feels the solution lies in increasing the capacity to cope with stress and also learning to process it so it has less of an impact.

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information about Dr Hanscom here. Our previous podcast episodes, upcoming guest list and full blog archive is also available.

You can find out more about Dr Hanscom at his website BackInControl.com or his program The Doc Journey His latest book is available from Amazon.

Pulling the gems from adversity. Mindsets and tools to rebuild, inspire and dream bigger.

The latest episode in our Resilience Unravelled series has now been released, Resilience Unravelled - Pulling the gems from adversity. Mindsets and tools to rebuild, inspire and dream bigger.

Susan De Lorenzo is an author, speaker and certified transformational life coach who focuses on helping women who are emerging from life-altering adversities. As a survivor of invasive breast cancer whose marriage dissolved as treatment ended, Susan draws on her personal journey as well as her training as a life coach to give clients, readers and listeners the mindsets and tools to rebuild their lives in alignment with their deepest desires.

Susan works with her clients to build a mindset where, no matter what has happened, you believe you can create something even greater through a higher platform of awareness to give inspiration to dream bigger and go for more.

Although her mother was a breast cancer survivor, when Susan had her breast cancer diagnosis she was shocked.  She never imagined it would happen to her and the diagnosis unravelled her. The first diagnosis was not the most serious. During a check up her oncologist asked if anyone had spoken to her about the lump in her other breast. At the time Susan was working full-time, had an 18-month old son and a new house that needed a lot of work and she found that she was very angry. The diagnosis was very hard to digest and she was very resistant to it and didn’t even want to do chemo.

People sometimes describe cancer as a battle but Susan thinks we need to develop the relationship we have with ourselves which is what gets us through. When adversity hits us we need to ask what can I do with myself to make it OK - I know it’s not going to be great but how can I keep my awareness that I’m not alone and am connected to life. Knowing that can be the strength by making it real for ourselves and our centre or eye of the storm. We are the centre of our own experience. Families often don’t know what to do to help and we end up comforting them. They don't have the skills to help or they have their own thoughts and feelings about what you’re going through. We need to remember that's their experience, I have mine.  

In the US divorces relating to couples where one is going through cancer are higher than the national average. Susan knew her marriage was going to be problematic but was determined to get married and have a family. She grew up with a parent who suffered with depression and this was something Susan’s partner suffered from as well.

Susan had 4 surgeries and 6 months of chemo and radiation but was then told she was cancer free. She found she had a new love of life. She wasn't going to play small anymore and was at a higher level but her partner was in depression. Susan felt they should work at their relationship but her partner wanted to be alone – he couldn’t deal with how happy Susan was.

When we go through adversity and start to come out the other side we sometimes find that we are going at a different speed to our partner. The other person is still where they were and unless you move together it becomes a challenge

The model of marriage is very romantic but the idea of staying together is impossible unless both people are growing. We need to remember it’s OK to let go if the other person doesn't grow at the same level. People move ahead and change. It takes something fundamental to change. We need to re-engineer relationships and remain interested in growth and what’s going to be next. We need to have something to look forward and to stay real by talking about the elements of life, what’s happening in the world and what’s happening to friends.

Susan works with clients coming out of life altering adversities.  The first thing they learn is to understand is that it’s not just other people who overcome adversity and that they can too. They need to be open to the idea that this is for me too so how can I design my life so it gets me to a place where I love my life.  This needs building and learning to overcome beliefs and conditioning – the not good enough syndrome.

Susan now spends her time between Rhode Island and Florida. Later this year Balboa Press will be publishing her new book Pulling the Gems from Adversity where she shares the five stages of working through adversity to come back even stronger.

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information about Susan here. Our previous podcast episodes and upcoming guest list are also available.

Our full blog archive is also available.

You can get in touch with Susan at https://SusanDeLorenzo.com or at her Facebook page

It's easy to meditate. Just sit down and get started.

The latest episode in our Resilience Unravelled series has now been released, Resilience Unravelled – It’s easy to meditate. Just sit down and get started.

In this episode, Dr. Russell Thackeray talks to Adam Weber, an author, speaker and highly successful commercial real estate business owner who is based to the north of New York City. Adam also has a progressive form of Multiple Sclerosis and uses meditation as a way of helping him to calm his mind, reduce his stress and see improvements in his pain and other symptoms. Now, he also helps other people learn to deal with their stress though meditation.

14 years ago, whilst working in the highly stressful world of commercial real estate, Adam was diagnosed with MS. The diagnosis came as a complete shock and left him struggling to walk and at times unable to eat. MS is aggravated by stress and Adam suffered with anxiety and depression as he tried to meet the demands of his day-to-day life.

Although both his parents worked in the medical profession, Adam wasn’t happy in taking a solely medication approach to his MS. He had used meditation infrequently in the past so he became interested in using it as a way of managing his MS. Once he realised how meditation could help with the mental, physical and emotional problems created by stress, he started helping other people use meditation to deal with their stress.

Adam wanted to take the ‘woo woo’ away from meditation and make it simple and easy to practice so he created his own ‘Easy to Meditate’ programme. He feels meditation is really about resting your mind and taking yourself out of the world we live in so you can concentrate on your breathing and focus. By closing your eyes and breathing in though your nose and out your mouth, you can start to focus on a place where nothing is going on so you can let your thoughts go and slow down your body and mind.

There are so many benefits in reducing stress and Adam wants people to be able to practice mediation anywhere – to be able to leave their business environment and be able to go to their car, the park or a spare office and take time for themselves.  There’s no need for incense, flowers or special clothes, you just need to sit down and get started.  

There is a difference between simple relaxation where you sit down, read a book or watch TV and meditation. Mediation physically changes the brain and works with heart to help you compartmentalise where you are

Adam feels that mediation is a skill that people can learn at their own pace. It needs practice and to develop good results it can take a few weeks. A good habit generally takes 21 – 30 days in place before you see results but the more you do, the better the results you’ll see.  

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information about Adam here. Our previous podcast episodes and upcoming guest list are also available.

Our full blog archive is also available.

You can find out more about Adam and his book at here.

Like yoga with crayons. Creative intelligence and healing.

The latest episode in our Resilience Unravelled series has now been released Resilience Unravelled – Like yoga with crayons. Creative intelligence and healing.

In this episode, Dr. Russell Thackeray talks to Corry MacDonald, a creative healer who integrates her training as a transpersonal art therapist, HeartSpeaker and energy healer into her advanced cognitive coach training. Born in Alberta, Canada Canadian Corry is currently based in Belgium with her husband, three teenagers and their dog, but has nearly a decade of cross cultural experience having lived in five different countries.

Corry became interested in therapeutic processes of art and the way that creative expression can develop healing and mental wellbeing when she was at university. Now, she teaches people to uncover and activate their innate creative intelligence to give them the freedom and grit to transform their challenges into wisdom and information and potentials.

Art Therapy can be used to help people explore emotions such as stress, anxiety and anger, develop self-awareness, cope with stress, boost self-esteem, and work on social skills. Corry integrates the full suite of art therapy tools and techniques including drawing, doodling, mind-mapping painting, and journaling with neuroscience techniques to build creative intelligence so people don’t get derailed from life challenges such as stress, pain, triggers and heavy emotions.

Corry feels that we can all get stuck by heavy, trapped emotions and has developed a 7-step process to help change these heavy emotions for lighter ones. The steps are:

1. Own it
2. Ask on it
3. Receive information
4. Act on it
5. Expect it
6. Love it
7. Share it

Corry also uses an emotional healing and stress reduction tool called HeartSpeak which uses the two parts to the mind – our Emotional Mind which  is often the seeker of ‘truth’ and our Logical Mind. Being separated from our truth is one of the classic triggers of anxiety, depression & low self-love. HeartSpeak listens to and works with the heart and emotions, to deliver answers about repeated patterns.

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information about Corry here. Our previous podcast episodes and upcoming guest list are also available.

Our full blog archive is also available and you can sign-up to receive these on a weekly basis.

You can get in touch with Corry at: www.CreatingHealingWithCorry.com

Corry has written her first book Life in Full Colors: Unlock your Childlike Curiosity to Uncover the Creative Intelligence You Are. In it she shares the findings from both her personal life experiences and from those she has worked with.

Planning for the next phase of life

The latest episode in our Resilience Unravelled series has now been released, Resilience Unravelled – Planning for the next phase of life.

 In this episode, Dr. Russell Thackeray talks to Dr Sara Geber who is based near San Francisco, California. Sara has a background in organisational development and leadership development and a Ph.D. in Human Behaviour. She is also a nationally recognised authority and expert in the area of life planning and retirement transition. Around ten years ago, Sara realised a lot of her executive coaching clients were starting to think about their retirement plans rather than their strategic plans. She became increasingly interested in how the Baby Boomer generation were entering a period where retirement was increasingly on their minds. The one thing they didn’t seem to want to do though was do it the same way their parents did.

Over the last few years the idea of retirement has changed. Baby Boomers want to do things their way. They aren’t necessarily interested in the stereotypical retirement leisure activities, they want to stay active and productive. A lot of them don't want to retire in their 60s. There is a different trajectory of ageing now with more people expecting to live into their 80s and being healthy and happy. Sara thinks that we should start thinking about our health when we’re much younger – food choices, exercise and outdoor time all help us stay strong and healthy longer. The percentage of people staying healthy into their 70s and 80s is growing every year and exercise and is important to this, both physical and mental! It’s important though that we don’t beat ourselves because we can’t do everything and are more susceptible to physical problems.  We need to be realistic in our expectations, accept its not always going to be perfect and do what’s right for us rather than take on someone else’s expectations – it’s our individual choice!

There is no one glide path into retirement but Sara thinks we should all be thinking about what we’re going to do when we reach our 50s. The number one priority is retirement savings and it’s important to know how much money we’ll need for our retirement. Financial planners now often run a life span to 97 or 103 so the sooner we start to plan and get ready the better. We need to think about how long we want to work, whether we’re still enjoying what we’re doing or want to make a change. Many people on their 50s get restless so it's a good time to start looking ahead and asking ourselves ‘what is my life going to look like, and what am I going to feel like in 20 years time’. Many people make huge changes to their working and personal life in their 60’s. The two major restrictions are physical and monetary but nowadays many people are healthier and have more resources.

One of the things Sara is particularly interested in is retirement planning for solo agers. Almost 20% of the Baby Boomer generation don't have don't have children so really need a practical plan for when they are older. As well as the obvious legal and financial considerations they need to focus on their social network. Isolation and loneliness is a huge problem in society generally but particularly for older people.  

It’s important to take stock of who you see, when you see them, who you spend time with at holiday time and whether its family or friends. We need to start nurturing our social network early and also consider important issues such as where we want to live and what kind of environment we want to live in. We also need to communicate our wishes to the people closest to us – who knows when a crisis might hit and we’ll need someone to make decisions for us. If no one knows what we’re thinking about our own future, then no one will be able to speak on our behalf in the way we would speak for ourselves. Of course it’s something that's difficult to plan but we need to start thinking about it and have some contingency plans – ideally written down.

Sara believes we are all social creatures who thrive in a stable community so whether its friends or family, we need to build our social network throughout our life. Having a sense of purpose, involving ourselves in things we are passionate about and creating new and different experiences are also really important as we move towards the next phase of our lives.

You can get in touch with Sara at https://sarazeffgeber.com/ Her book, Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers, was released in April 2018, and has been an Amazon bestseller. It was named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the “2018 best books on aging well.”

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information about Sara here. Our previous podcast episodes and upcoming guest list are also available

Building resilience for emergency responders.

The latest episode in our Resilience Unravelled series has now been released, Resilience Unravelled – Building resilience for emergency responders.

In this episode, Dr. Russell Thackeray talks to John Marx, the Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Survival Institute and editor of the law enforcement wellness website www.CopsAlive.com

John is based near Denver Colorado and is now a consultant and trainer who works with law enforcement officers and emergency responders to help them build their wellness and resilience - as their motto says, ‘Saving the lives of those who save lives’. John was a law enforcement officer himself for 23 years but by the end of his career he felt very burned out.

When he was a serving officer John contemplated suicide and he now realises that many other law enforcement officers, emergency responders, fire fighters and paramedics have the same thoughts. They see the worst of society and this takes a toll on the human spirit over time. John knew he was suffering so he chose to leave law enforcement and sought out help. He wanted to venture out on his own and do something different so he moved into a completely news environment. The suicide of an ex friend and colleague however, brought back many memories and made him recognise that there were many people who suffered in silence and had families and friends who didn't realise what they were going through.  John wanted do something to change this so decided to set up an organisation to provide consultancy and training services to develop the health and wellbeing of emergency responders.

Many of us get our knowledge of the emergency services from film and television. John feels that these capture a little about what these careers are like but although they do a good job in showing the fear and outrage that providers go through, they don't capture the ongoing stress generated from nurturing society’s ills. There is an underlying malaise that comes from having to deal with dreadful situations and people day in, day out.  John worked for some time as a community police officer so got to know people in his area. He felt it was important to know the people he served and believes believes this is how police officers should work.

John feels that everyone is born with some resilience but that it is also something we can build. In the emergency services resilience needs to be built because there are forces working against so there is a need to be prepared. Since the shift to remote working many people have found difficult switching between work and home. The relentless series of interactions makes it difficult to wind down. John uses a mechanism he calls a ‘buffer time or zone’ to change between work and home. Emergency responders see so much death, destruction, poverty and sadness that it is challenging not to bring it home. Many responders try to protect their loved ones from their experiences and this in itself can be very harmful.

John feels that being a serving police officer is a profession not just a job and there is a need to strive for excellence to be the best you can be and provide the best service to community. This need to be intentional is a mindset that we can programme though visualisation, positive affirmation and programming to build habits to intentionally improve ourselves. We need to be conscious of our habits because they can get locked so we need to break the pattern and stay in the present moment

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information about John here. Our previous podcast episodes and upcoming guest list are also available.

You can get in touch with John at:
www.LawEnforcementSurvivalInstitute.org
www.CopsAlive.com
www.ArmorYourSelf.com