Dee is Mum to 2 girls, Thea (9) and Tilly (8). She is a former journalist and Crisis Communications expert and runs Chart PR on a part time basis around being a carer for Tilly who lives with Rett Syndrome.

I was delighted to host this conversation with Dee where we explored everything from having life turned up-side down by a diagnosis, to normalising conversations about the challenges of being a parent-carer, to creating flexibility to work so that we can 'take our head somewhere else', to balancing the many, many things that we as working parent carers have to do.

In this episode, Dee shares the hope a former colleague gave her by telling her 'there will be a future after' (referring to having to leave work to care for Tilly), how she balances caring for a child with complex needs with also being there for Thea, how she creates balance between her business & caring, some of her time management strategies and, of course, the all important self care.

Dee speaks of knowing that you are enough as you are right now and the poem that she mentions is linked below.

Have a listen and share with your network.

https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net/words-of-wonder/what-if-there-is-no-need-to-change-oriah-mountain-dreamer/

Everyone tells us we need to look after ourselves, that self-care is so important, that we need to put our own mask on first.

And for good reason. We can't look after our kids when we're running on empty ourselves.

The only thing is, they're telling us to run a few miles, meditate for half an hour every morning, get out with friends at least once a week...

And you're sitting there thinking: 'Yeah, I can't pee by myself, so I'm not sure how this will fly'.

In this episode, I talk about the 4 dimensions of self-care and share my ideas for how you can create short, and impactful self care tactics so you can feel human for a while.

As carers, I've no doubt that you're a time management whizz! You have the tactics, you've discovered ways to do all the things. So, I'm not going to sit here and teach 'my granny to suck eggs'.

I also know that you likely feel like your time is completely out of your control. You're juggling work, running your own business, being a parent, everything that goes hand in hand with caring for someone with additional needs and disabilities, clinging on to your own personal relationships, keeping a home, and a million things in between.

It can feel like there's no time for you. No time to just be. No time for the things you'd love to do - whether that's writing a book, starting a business, learning a new language, or just spending time with the kids.

Taking control of your time, isn't about time management tactics - you have those covered. It's about making choices and laying the foundations that make the tactics work.

In this episode, I'll share my tips for taking control of your time by:

• Getting clear on your actual non-negotiables
• Starting your day right
• Having it all, but not all at once
• Being aware of your self-sabotages
• Using some apps and tools to reduce decision fatigue and save some headspace.

How do you create a long term business strategy when you can't predict the next 10 days?

A client who has a child with a highly complex condition asked me this question recently and I thought it's one that needed a public answer because I know so many parent carers making teh transition from employed to self employed are asking the same question.

Designing a business that fits around your life is very much a strategic decision and that's where building your strategy so that you can earn around caring for a child with additional needs starts.

In this episode, I outline some ideas for building your strategy your way.

Tune in and share with any one you think needs to hear it.

In this episode I share a simple, yet effective process for laying the foundations that will support you to create a business that works around your life.

It's easy to jump straight into the 'business' side of starting or growing a business, but as a parent-carer to a child with additional or complex needs, you run the risk of creating something that just doesn't work for you and your family.

It's so important to get clear on some stuff first. things like your non-negotiables, the values that really lie behind why you're starting a business and the goals that you're working towards.

You might want to grab a notebook and pen later because I'll ask you some questions to help you get the ball rolling in terms of packaging your idea into something that works for you and your family.

If, after listening, you'd like some 1-2-1 support to thrash out your idea, you can email [email protected] to book a soundboard session for just £60

What would happen if you could silence that little voice is your head that keeps shouting at you, telling you that you're a failure, that you're unreliable, that you're not good enough...?

According to research published in PubMed, caring for children with disabilities has a negative effect on mothers’ labour market participation, working hours and labour income. This is a huge societal issue with more needing to be done on a policy level to equal the playing field and make work accessible to mothers who want to work while caring for a child with a disability.

That kind of change takes time and thankfully, there are lots of people working on it. 

There's also something else that can hinder working parent carers access to opportunities and it's something we can have more control over - our inner critic.

The little voice inside our head that pretends to be our friend. That tells us we need to play it safe, that we're not good enough, knowledgable enough, employable en ough, reliable enough...

It's that voice that can block the solutions that could help us to work and care, that stops us from asking for the help we need and that keeps us feeling like nothing we do is ever enough because we're always exhausted.

In this episode, we look at what the inner critic is, explore how to differentiate between the unhelpful inner critic, and the helpful voice of realism, and I'll give you 3 handy tips for flipping the script on your inner critic so that you can problem solve more effectively, apply for the promotion, start your own business or do whatever it is that the helpful voice had made you realise is possible.

If you like what you hear, please share and follow our new social media handle @CarersAtWork

Every Tom, Dick & Harry is yelling at you to set goals... easy for them to say when they don't have the unpredictability of caring for a child with complex or additional needs to contend with as well as work. 

So much of the goal setting stuff out there at this time of year is well meaning but mostly unrealistic for working parent carers who are already stretched to the limit. 

So, here's a podcast dedicated to goal setting specifically for parent carers that will help you to:

• See that your goals can be unique to you - having a half day a week to yourself is every bit as worthy of the title 'big goal' as a mediterranean cruise!

• Create flexibility in your goals so that you don't feel disappointed when life gets in the way.

• See that little goals often are every bit as valid as big goals sparsely.

• Choose and create your goal(s) for 2024 - yes it's fine if there's only 1!

I'd love to hear how you get on so do let me know ([email protected]) and if you'd like to go further, why not sign up for my new Get, Set, Go Programme (4 weeks via Zoom) - just email for more info.

Much love,
Claire x

So many women who are parent carers feel like they have no choice but to leave work as the demands of caring for a disabled child while also juggling work commitments just simply no longer work for them.

Without amazingly strong support systems including childcare, which is often difficult to secure for disabled children, working the traditional 9-5 just isn't workable.

In this episode of the Braving the Wild: SEND Help Podcast, I share my story of moving from 9-5 to self-employed. It's an informal episode with lots more juice coming on this topic later on.

Even though I've been working as a business advisor since 2007, coming at it from the other side of the table was a whole other ball game. Thankfully, I've come out the other side with a good plan for moving forward, but self employment is definitely not the easiest choice.

Here, I'll share my story, talk about some of the challenges I faced, the business advice that really rubs me up the wrong way and what I'd love you to remember if you decide to go down the self-employed route too.

In part 1 of the Survival to Thrival episode we introduced you to our SNACK acronym - a framework to help you reduce overwhelm and thrive as a busy parent juggling work with managing the care of a child with complex or additional needs.

We gave you lots of ideas for Simplifying everyday tasks and for embedding self care/ Nuturing practices.

In this episode, we explore. lots of ideas for Asking for help, making Connections and supporting resilience & balance AKA Kilter

In this episode, I touch on the very real problem of school refusal with neuro-divergent children or children with high levels of anxiety around school.

There's a huge difference in a child who just doesn't want to go to school and one who has anxiety around it. My eldest doesn't want to go to school and would happily sit at home, but my youngest has big anxieties around school that knock his self-esteem, lead to him saying horrible things about himself and major meltdowns most mornings.

In this episode, I talk about my experiences of having to switch off from mummy mode and the guilt & failure I've often felt so that I can switch on 'work mode'.

I also give 5 tips that have supported me on this journey and that I hope will help you too.

If you'd like. to work with me, hows how you can:

 - Book a mentoring session where I can help. you to navigate the emotions you're experiencing and make a plan moving forward

 - Have your work hire me to do a bespoke workshop in your organisation (I can run workshops on a range of topics around supporting parent carers in the workplace.

 Just email me at [email protected] for more info.