A Bit Of A Boost

Through my work as a speaker I get invited to present at a lot of company wellbeing weeks and events. A topic that I've noticed an increasing number of organisations have been including on their agendas lately is the menopause.

The more people I spoke to about this the more I came to realise how important it is for all of us - men and women - to understand the menopause and how we can have more constructive and supportive conversations about it, both at home and in the workplace.

I'm delighted today to have on the podcast a guest who is a world class expert on the subject, Catherine O'Keeffe - AKA the Wellness Warrior.

She is Ireland's first menopause coach and founder of the Menopause Success Summit being held later this year, and in our conversation today I asked her to lay out the 'menopause basics'.

We talk about the difference between menopause and peri menopause, some of the common symptoms and how these can affect confidence, performance and mental health. We discuss the various treatment pathways and also how men can support women at home and in work who are going through the menopause.

I was fascinated to learn that in some languages the equivalent word translates as 'renewal', and Catherine looks at the more empowering aspects of the journey.

Of course we also had to briefly discus the male menopause which it turns out it is a real thing and in fact something that 30% of men will go through.

You can find out more about Catherine's work here:

https://wellnesswarrior.ie

https://www.menopausesuccesssummit.com

In the interview Catherine references a number of resources, the links to which are here:

Symptom checker:

https://menopausesupport.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/MENOPAUSE-SYMPTOM-CHECKER-Nov-20.pdf

CBT

https://www.womens-health-concern.org/help-and-advice/factsheets/cognitive-behaviour-therapy-cbt-menopausal-symptoms

Understanding menopause for partners

https://menopausesupport.co.uk/?page_id=13696

We're often told when we're trying to build a new habit that we should try and carry it out at the same time of day, in the same place and in the same way.

This makes sense as it uses the 'Reminder, Routine, Reward' process that James Clear describes in his book Atomic Habits.

But what happens when that routine changes, such as when you go on holiday, when you're unwell or just hit the weekend?

This simple tip can help you build a habit that is context independent, and becomes just a part of what you do.

In today's mini-motivation episode I share one simple idea: your energy flows where your attention goes. With all the noise in the world today it's up to each of us to decide in advance what we're going to pay attention to.

20 years ago when I started my career as a personal trainer clients would come to me asking the question 'George, how should I be eating and exercising in order to lose weight, tone up and get fit?'

This is the bread and butter of many personal trainers and although I think things have got a bit more sophisticated over the past couple of decades with out understanding of the other more immediate benefits of diet and exercise, ultimately the question of 'what should I be eating' is still very much at the front of most people's minds when it comes to making positive changes

In today's episode I want to get into the subject of diet, sharing with you my personal approach as well as some of the Food Foundation Principles that I believe can be overlaid to any diet you choose to follow

I'll share with you some mindset tips and tricks that may also help you do more of the things you say you're going to do

This is a brand new series of podcast episodes I'll be dropping into the show throughout the year, where I'll aim to share just one quick idea with you in just 2 or 3 minutes.

It's actually a part of one of my own goals to improve my ability to be concise, and I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback about how useful or interesting you find them!

This first Mini-Motivations episode is about the different ways we can measure progress, and how it can affect our motivation.

My first guest of 2022 was also my first guest of 2021, and I'm thinking maybe this will become a thing as long as he's happy to keep coming back on!

James Stott, AKA the Magic Marine joined us last time to talk about motivation, and he returns today with to talk about adventure, magic, myths and motorcycles. We also talk about taking ideas we read about in books and applying them to our own lives.

James is an ex-Royal Marine turned professional close up magician and if you want to see some of his skills in practice make sure you take a look at his Instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/themagicmarine

The end of one year and the start of another is a great time for reflection.

Among other things it's a good time to look back over the previous 12 months and identify some of the things that you're going to take forwards into the next 12, and some of the things that that you'd rather leave behind.

In today's episode I want to share some of the things that have made my list.

The 6 things I will be taking forwards into 2022 are:

Planning

Disconnection

Attention

Flow

Creation

Implementation

The 6 things I'll be working on leaving behind are:

Disappointment

Over consumption

Distraction

The Quick Check

Clutter

Attachment to outcome

Thanks for tuning into the A Bit Of A Boost podcast this year, I hope you've managed to take something positive away from the solo episodes and guest interviews.

Don't forget you can join my podcast wellbeing email list here and if you subscribe, rate and review the podcast it really does help more people find it who may also benefit!

Every experience we have in life has the potential to teach us something about ourselves, and if we pay enough attention to it we can take these lessons and transfer them across to other areas of our life.

My guest for today's episode is a living breathing masterclass of precisely this. Following a 21 year career in the RAF flying combat helicopters, Sarah Furness has taken what she has learned about performing under pressure in war zones and the resilience required to resist interrogation, and transferred her wisdom to building a second career as a performance coach and speaker.

I asked Sarah about what it was like to fly helicopters on the front line, as well as using them to usher elephants out of the way in Kenya. We talk about making big bold changes in your life, why wine and mindfulness go together so well, and how your choice of underpants can never be taken away from you!

Find out more about Sarah here:

https://wellbeitcoach.com

https://sarahfurness.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjfurness

Are you outgoing or reserved? People or task focused? Are you an influencer, a supporter, decisive or cautious?

Although your answers may change from situation to situation, we all have a set of general tendencies that we otherwise know as our 'personality'.

Personality profiling is the topic of today's podcast, and I'm joined by award winning DISC coach Vicky O'Farrell.

Vicky recently did my own DISC profile and we spent some time together going through the results, and I figured it'd make for an interesting discussion, especially if you've never done any profiling before and are wondering what it's all about.

We talk about the benefits of understanding yourself and others better, what this can mean for relationships, emotional intelligence and team work. I ask Vicky about how to use something like DISC without feeling like you're putting yourself and other people in a box, and the all important question given the time of year we recorded this; is leaving your Christmas shopping to the last minute despite every year swearing you're going to have it all done by the end of November, fundamentally linked to your personality or is it something we can change?

You can find out more about Vicky and her work over on her website:

https://queenofbehaviours.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriaofarrell

My guest on today's episode is Jess Robson, mental health activist and creator of the global movement 'Run Talk Run'. Jess is doing some tremendously important work in the world of mental health, and has created a space for a growing number of people to talk about their mental health in a supportive and positive environment.

I asked her about her own mental health journey and some of the strategies that have helped her over the years, and the power of saying 'no' which ironically is how Jess came onto my radar in the first place.

Visit the Run Talk Run website for more information

TW: Episode continues references to eating disorders