In this episode I start off by sharing my own experience from being placed on furlough to then being made redundant due to the financial impact my company is experiencing from COVID-19. I interview Lisa O'Callaghan who has written a book called, “Surviving the Axe”, which is a brilliant guide to handling redundancy and finding a new job. Lisa takes us through her own personal experience of redundancy while also providing helpful tips along with some light-hearted humour that I think we can all appreciate at this time. 

In this episode of FurLows & Highs, I chat with Claire Nicolas who has been furloughed by her advertising agency in London. Claire takes us through how she initially felt when she was placed on furlough while also giving some insight as to how her family are doing in France and how the French government are supporting employees that have been impacted by the coronavirus. What’s unique about this episode is that Claire has been given a very cool yet unusual opportunity to work with a direct advertising competitor while she’s not able to work for her current employer. It’s great to see companies coming together and putting their differences aside in order to support those that are currently on furlough or unemployed!

Episode 6 of FurLows & Highs is an NHS special. I interview Andrew Hart, who owns a restaurant in London called Burger Bites. Andrew takes us through how he’s currently supporting NHS staff by providing them with hot food everyday! We hear some incredible behind the scenes stories and how Andrew has been relying on charities in order to keep him running due to the current restrictions placed on restaurants at this time. 

I’ve already spoken with fellow furlougher, Ben, in the UK but now we get to hear from a true Texan, Nicole, who has been placed on partial furlough in the US. Nicole and I talk about the massive impact COVID-19 has had on the oil industry which has resulted in many US businesses having to put their staff on furlough. Nicole also takes us through how she has been spending her furlough time creatively in order to make some more income while also giving us some insight as to how people in Texas have been responding to the Coronavirus outbreak. 

In this episode I am speaking with writer and storyteller, Matt Valler, who recently wrote a very interesting article called, "Covid-19 and the Future of Football." We discuss how Matt has been coping since the outbreak but the main topic of conversation is about the disappointment that a lot of football fans felt when many Premier League Clubs decided to put their non-playing staff on furlough. 

This episode hears from local business owner, Gemma Isteed. Gemma and her wife Lisa own an incredible café called Bare Brew in Wanstead, London. Unfortunately due to COVID-19, Bare Brew is currently closed. Gemma takes us through the highs and lows as a business owner during this time. This is a very interesting discussion because we have already heard from an employee who has been furloughed in Episode 2 but now you will get to hear it from the employers perspective.

In this episode I'm chatting with Ben Pickering. Ben is currently living on his own in an apartment in London and has been placed on furlough since the end of March, 2020. Ben's furlough story is very relatable as he takes us through his highs and lows while self-isolating. Ben manages to tell his furlough story in a very charismatic and humorous way while also providing many useful tips for those that may be struggling during this time.  

In this episode I'm talking to Ian Robertson. Ian is a very successful neuroscientist and clinical psychologist. He has published hundreds of scientific articles relating to the brain and many successful books such as The Winner Effect, Mind Sculpture, The Mind’s Eye and The Stress Test. However, for this episode we will be discussing about mental health and how people on furlough could be feeling due to Covid-19. Ian provides many helpful tips in order to stay positive during these uncertain times.