Able to Care

In this solo episode of the Able to Care podcast, Andy Baker—behaviour specialist, author, trainer, and speaker—explores a topic that’s becoming impossible to ignore: artificial intelligence in care and education.

With AI tools appearing in classrooms, care homes, and behaviour support planning, Andy asks:

This thought-provoking episode explores how AI can:

Free up carers, teachers, and support workers to focus on what really matters

Improve inclusion by adapting communication and materials to individual needs

Assist with planning, documentation, and accessibility — without replacing empathy or connection

Whether you're a parent using tech at home, a teacher considering AI tools, or a care professional balancing paperwork with people work—this episode is for you.

Proud to support unpaid and paid carers across the UK.

🎁 All for less than the price of a box of chocolates a year.

www.able-training.co.uk/podcast

Facebook – Able Training

LinkedIn – Andy Baker

YouTube – Able Training

In this powerful episode of the Able to Care podcast, Andy Baker speaks with Jennifer Roblin, anxiety specialist, therapist, and founder of Better Your Life. Together, they explore how anxiety impacts the lives of carers, teachers, and parents — not just as a condition, but as a learned, evolutionary response we can better understand, reframe, and manage.

Drawing from lived experience, neuroscience, and tools like NLP, nervous system resets, and heart coherence, Jennifer shares practical tips, relatable insights, and hope for those feeling overwhelmed or burnt out.

Whether you’re supporting someone with anxiety or experiencing it yourself, this episode offers a refreshing, honest, and empowering perspective.

You’ll understand the difference between stress and anxiety — and when to seek help

You’ll learn powerful nervous system hacks you can use in the moment

You’ll realise you're not broken — and how to reclaim your power step-by-step

You’ll gain a fresh outlook on self-care that’s realistic, personal, and actionable

You’ll hear a deeply relatable story that proves: anxiety doesn’t define you

Anxiety is a survival tool, not a personal flaw – understanding its evolutionary purpose changes how we respond to it.

Small changes create big shifts – journaling, breathing, and nervous system resets can retrain the brain over time.

Burnout isn’t weakness — it’s a signal – recognising early signs and reconnecting with nature and rest can prevent collapse.

00:01 – Introduction & Sponsor: Carers Card UK

00:42 – Meet Jennifer Roblin and her lived experience with anxiety

03:00 – Panic attacks at 11 and early childhood messages

06:00 – Shifting identity and finding confidence abroad

10:00 – Reframing anxiety: from stigma to superpower

13:00 – What anxiety actually is and how it works

17:00 – Signs you’re dealing with anxiety vs. everyday stress

21:00 – The link between procrastination, fear of failure, and tribal instincts

24:00 – Burnout in caregivers and professionals — how to spot it early

29:00 – Jennifer’s go-to anxiety tools: journaling, breathing, nervous system hacks

34:00 – Why “self-care” needs a rebrand and what it looks like in real life

41:00 – Signs of progress, even when you don’t notice it

46:00 – What Jennifer would say to her younger self

50:00 – The one thing you can do today to begin change

This episode is proudly sponsored by www.betteryourlife.co.uk

Instagram: @bylanxietymgmt

LinkedIn: Jennifer Roblin

Free Journaling Prompts for Anxiety – available on Jennifer’s website

Nervous System Reset Programme: £299 (10% off for Able to Care listeners)

🎧 Podcast Home: able-training.co.uk/podcast

🔗 LinkedIn: Able Training

📸 Instagram: @abletraining

🟦 Facebook: Able Training

🎥 YouTube: Able Training YouTube

In this solo episode of the Able to Care podcast, behaviour specialist, trainer, and author Andy Baker unpacks Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)—or as many now prefer to call it, a Persistent Drive for Autonomy.

If you’ve ever supported someone—child or adult—who seemed to resist even the simplest of requests, this episode will help you understand what’s really going on beneath the surface.

Andy explores:

What PDA is (and why language matters)

Why traditional behaviour strategies often make things worse

How to shift from confrontation to collaboration

Practical, compassionate strategies for reducing anxiety and increasing cooperation

This episode is a must-listen for parents, carers, teachers, and support staff seeking a more empathetic and effective approach to neurodivergent behaviour.

Instagram – @abletraininguk

Facebook – Able Training

LinkedIn – Andy Baker

In this deeply personal and powerful conversation, Andy Baker speaks to Sabina Thorpe—a mum, carer, business leader, and woman who grew up silenced by a stammer and the weight of cultural expectations.

Sabina opens up about her childhood experiences of bullying, being told to stay quiet, and feeling utterly alone. But she also shares how she turned those struggles into strength—first by learning to speak for herself, and then by building a call centre, multiple businesses, and eventually co-founding DeskVal, an AI-powered property valuation platform now disrupting the industry.

This isn’t just a story of business—it’s a story of identity, resilience, and the power of being seen and heard.

Whether you're caring for others, raising children, teaching young minds, or trying to reclaim your own voice, this episode will stay with you.

carerscarduk.co.uk/promo-code/abletocare

🌐 Sabina Thorpe on LinkedIn

🏡 DeskVal – AI Property Valuations

📲 Follow Sabina on Instagram

🎥 Interview: Sabina’s Journey to DeskVal

📰 Roma Finance launches DeskVal

📘 Instagram – @abletraininguk

LinkedIn – Andy Baker

Facebook – Able Training

We teach more with our tone, facial expressions, and reactions than with any lesson plan. In this powerful solo episode, Andy Baker explores the concept of the hidden curriculum—the silent lessons we teach every day through our behaviour, body language, and boundaries.

Whether you're a parent, teacher, carer or support worker, you're constantly delivering messages—about safety, empathy, trust, and identity—without even realising it. So what are people really learning from you?

This episode will help you become more intentional about your presence and model the values you want to pass on.

www.ablehub.uk – Free 14-day trial for carers and educators

Andy Baker’s Book: Targeting the Positive with Behaviours That Challenge

Behaviour is curriculum.

Emotional safety is taught through presence.

Reflecting on our own hidden lessons is essential.

00:00 – What is the hidden curriculum?

00:27 – Sponsor: Carers Card UK

01:47 – We teach with more than our words

02:36 – How stress, tone & facial expressions model behaviour

04:50 – Mirror neurons, empathy, and emotional contagion

06:30 – Auditing your tone and actions

07:54 – Subtle shaming: schools, police, and healthcare narratives

09:02 – Stigma, ageism, and unconscious bias

09:16 – Naming the learning out loud

09:38 – “Do you want a hug, help, or to be heard?”

10:30 – Aligning boundaries with compassion

11:07 – Emotional literacy and modelling empathy

11:59 – What hidden curriculum are we passing on as a team?

12:46 – Final thoughts: What are YOU teaching without knowing?

This episode is essential listening for anyone who works with or supports others—especially parents, teachers, carers, and leaders.

You’ll walk away with:

A deeper awareness of the emotional messages you send daily

Practical tools to model calm, empathy, and safety

Insight into how to reflect and adjust the unspoken lessons you teach

Whether you’re raising children or leading teams, the hidden curriculum you deliver shapes lives.

In this must-listen guide for families, carers, and professionals, Able to Care host Andy Baker is joined by Meghan Earle, Able Training’s passionate and experienced lead dementia trainer.

Together, they unpack some of the most important—but often misunderstood—questions about dementia:

What actually is dementia?

What are the early signs (beyond memory loss)?

How do we communicate and engage meaningfully as dementia progresses?

What systems and mindsets need to change to truly support people living with dementia?

With stories from training rooms and care homes across the UK, Meghan shares expert insights and real-life tips to empower carers with confidence, clarity, and compassion.

Order your card todayDementia Forward – Support & Helpline

Alzheimer’s Society – Types of Dementia

Andy Baker’s Book: Targeting the Positive with Behaviours That Challenge

Able Training Dementia Courses

“It’s not just memory loss.”

“Distress is not a symptom—it’s a signal.”

“Connection matters more than correction.”

00:00 – Welcome & Sponsor: Carers Card UK

01:10 – Meet Meghan Earle: Lead dementia trainer & lived experience

02:00 – What is dementia (really)?

03:30 – Why “just dementia” is never enough: the importance of diagnosis

05:00 – The problem with Google, misinformation & medical labels

06:45 – Understanding how dementia affects different parts of the brain

08:00 – Early signs of dementia beyond memory loss

10:00 – The emotional experience of diagnosis & stigma

12:45 – You are not alone: support systems that help

15:00 – Why meaningful engagement matters & what it looks like

20:00 – Behaviour, communication & the power of asking “why?”

25:00 – Mistakes carers make (and how to fix them)

30:00 – The “I want to go home” moment—what to say instead

36:00 – Escalation, distress & why prevention beats reaction

42:00 – Why care home environments need rethinking

47:00 – Dementia training: what makes it work?

52:00 – Don’t give up—there’s always something else to try

55:00 – Final thoughts: empathy, intention & learning together

This episode is essential for anyone supporting a loved one—or working with people—living with dementia. You’ll leave with a clearer understanding, greater confidence, and real-world strategies for:

✅ Communicating calmly and meaningfully

Whether you’re a carer, support worker, nurse, or family member—this is your practical and emotional guide to dementia care done right.

🎧 Listen to more episodes: @AbleTraining

Are consequences the only way to manage behaviour? In this thought-provoking solo episode, behaviour specialist and trainer Andy Baker challenges one of the most commonly accepted ideas in parenting, education, and care: that consequences are the best way to teach behaviour.

From the science of brain regulation to trauma-informed practice and real-world stories, Andy shares six powerful, research-backed strategies that are not only more effective—but also kinder. Whether you're a parent, teacher, support worker or carer, this episode will shift your mindset and give you tools to build connection instead of control.

Are you caring for someone, paid or unpaid? You could be missing out on thousands of pounds in discounts.

Access to a wellbeing hub, Carers Circle tool, and mobile app

Polyvagal Theory – Explained by NICABM

Punishment isn't teaching—it’s suppression.

Connection is the most powerful behaviour tool we have.

Investing time upfront saves time later.

00:00 – Consequences aren’t the only tool

00:25 – Sponsor: Carers Card UK

01:46 – Why we default to punishment: evolution, culture, behaviourism

03:46 – How punishment creates a cycle of low self-esteem

04:50 – The brain under stress: why consequences fail when dysregulated

05:37 – Shame, deflection, and emotional safety

06:00 – The 6 teaching tools that work better than consequences:

Modelling

Practice & rehearsal

Co-regulation

Reflection & repair

Storytelling & metaphor

Natural/logical consequences

13:52 – What about accountability?

15:23 – Is this all too “soft”? Or is it strategic?

16:22 – Weekly challenge: replace one consequence with a teaching tool

This episode flips the script on how we teach behaviour—whether you’re a parent, teacher, carer, or support worker. You’ll walk away with practical, compassionate alternatives to traditional discipline, rooted in psychology, neuroscience and real-life application.

If you’ve ever asked:

—then this episode is a must-listen.

In this powerful episode, Andy Baker is joined by Lee Crouch, a father, advocate, and author of Lee’s Journey, who opens up about his experience of losing his children to the care system—and the long, painful road to reunification. Lee discusses the trauma of forced separation, the flaws within social care systems, and how hope, consistency, and accountability helped rebuild his family.

With raw honesty and incredible humility, Lee speaks directly to parents, foster carers, and professionals—offering a unique insight into what real change and co-parenting can look like, even after unimaginable loss.

Dementia UK: Admiral Nurses

Andy Baker’s Book: Targeting the Positive with Behaviours That Challenge

You Can’t Co-Parent Without Trust—Even in the Care System

Accountability and Hope Can Coexist

The System Must Change Its Lens

00:00 – Intro & Carers Card UK sponsor

01:47 – Meet Lee: Author, father, and advocate

04:00 – The day everything changed: courtroom heartbreak

08:00 – Fighting the system & fighting for change

14:00 – Emotional transformation and vulnerability in men

20:00 – Sky, Leighton, Summer & Caden: the children’s individual journeys

28:00 – Co-parenting with foster carers vs. instability in placements

35:00 – Caden’s trauma: when the system fails a child

44:00 – Post-removal support (or lack of it)

52:00 – The fight for parental advocacy

58:00 – Reunification: where the children are now

01:04:00 – Final message to parents: Don’t give up hope

This is more than a podcast—it’s a call to action. Whether you’re a parent, social worker, foster carer, policymaker, or professional, Lee’s story offers a rare and deeply moving look at what real change, compassion, and collaboration can achieve.

You’ll leave this episode feeling challenged, heartbroken, and hopeful all at once.

📲 Instagram: @AbleTraining

Most of us think behaviour management is about stopping the outburst—but the truth is, what happens afterwards matters even more. In this solo episode, Andy Baker unpacks the power of repair after conflict and why it’s the most overlooked stage in care, education, and family life. Learn how repair builds trust, strengthens relationships, and prevents repeated incidents—whether you’re a parent, teacher, or carer.

💙 Sponsored by Carers Card UK

🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned

Dan Siegel’s Name it to Tame it principle

Bowlby’s Attachment Theory

Andy Baker’s relational response flow (Connect → Resolve/Correct → Record/Reflect)

🧠 Three Key Messages

Repair is not optional – Behaviour isn’t truly resolved until trust is rebuilt afterwards.

Brains learn in recovery, not in crisis – Reflection works only once calm has returned.

Repair strengthens relationships – Consistent repair fosters safety, resilience, and long-term positive outcomes.

⏱️ Chapter Timestamps

00:00 – Why repair is the missing piece in behaviour management

02:00 – Understanding recovery vs. crisis learning

04:15 – The neuroscience of memory and the recency effect

06:00 – Repair, attachment theory, and building resilience

08:30 – Practical frameworks: feelings before facts & reflection models

11:00 – Real-world example: A parent choosing repair over confrontation

13:00 – The PERFORM framework for debrief and moving on

15:30 – Objections answered: “We don’t have time for repair”

17:30 – Final reflection: Trust is built in recovery, not calm

🎯 Why Listen to This Episode?

Rebuilding trust after conflict

Supporting children, adults, or older people more effectively

Saving time and energy by preventing repeat incidents

🔗 Connect with Us

In this episode of the Able to Care Podcast, host Andy Baker is joined by Mary Merheim, elderly nutrition consultant and author of Navigating Nutrition in Later Life. Mary shares practical insights into why appetite often declines with age, the hidden risks of malnutrition in older people, and the simple, everyday strategies carers can use to help loved ones eat well.

From small snack hacks to re-thinking mealtime as a social connection, this conversation is full of advice for parents, carers, and professionals who want to ensure dignity, independence, and better health through food.

💙 Sponsored by Carers Card UK

👉 Get your Carers Card today: Order your card today

🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned

Mary’s Website: marymerheim.co.uk

Grand Bars (nutritious cake snacks): grandbarsnacks.com

Mary’s Book: Navigating Nutrition in Later Life – available on Amazon

Follow Mary on TikTok for short tips: @MaryMerheim

🧠 Three Key Messages

Every mouthful matters – older adults still need nutrient-dense food, not just calories.

Social eating boosts appetite – shared meals encourage connection and prevent loneliness.

Small changes go far – whole milk, eggs, oats, and fortified snacks can transform daily nutrition.

⏱️ Chapter Timestamps

🎯 Why Listen to This Episode?

You’ll walk away with practical tips you can use straight away – from making small swaps in the kitchen to transforming mealtimes into moments of joy and connection.

🔗 Connect with Us