Today the S4B team are discussing the difficulties in developing and maintaining trust in remote teams, especially relevant right now as more people are expected to remain working from home as we come out of lockdown.

Our guest today is Woosh Raza.

Woosh is currently the Head of HR and L&D for a charity organisation, Phoenix Futures. which specialises in drug and alcohol treatment services on a national level.

Prior to this role Woosh has held various senior level HR and OD roles in the healthcare sector, heading up large scale HR and L&D teams, supporting with the changing landscape of health and social care and has led on people strategies that have focused on integrating social care, healthcare, housing and communities.

Woosh has a broad range of experience in sectors having worked for public, private and 3rd sector organisations. Equality, Diversity & Inclusion is a cause Woosh cares deeply for and he currently volunteers his time in specialist networks from Stonewall, the Princes Trust and the CIPD to host events and provide thought leadership on this issue.

A key driver for Woosh is his own identity as he identifies proudly as being a member of the LGBT+ community and being a person of colour

Woosh is passionate about Equality and Diversity and is an expert in developing strategic people plans that align with organisational goals and leading high performing HR Teams.

Woosh has first hand, lived experience of the impact of discrimination across many diverse communities and is committed to tackling inequality in all its forms by encouraging uncomfortable conversations that increase understanding and tolerance.

You can find out more about the amazing work Phoenix Futures carry out by visiting their Facebook Page Twitter YouTube and LinkedIn pages

Have you ever received feedback that has left you totally demotivated, deflated and confused?

With so many businesses and training providers having to focus on virtual learning during lockdown, the S4B team discuss whether this could mean the end of Face to Face training in the future.

In today's episode we have the pleasure of chatting with Greg Baker.

In today's episode the S4B team are discussing the tricky subject of how to communicate effectively both at an organisational and an individual level.

Following 4 years in the Royal Marines and a further 20 years as part of the elite UK Special Forces, Jem Hills has built a highly deserved reputation as an inspirational speaker and coach as well as a risk management consultant, consulting with organisations to help them develop organisational resilience.

Not only has he first hand experience of developing the resilience needed to get through the rigorous training and operational requirements of being a member of the Special Forces, but he also endured the unimaginable reality when his main chute and then his reserve chute failed to deploy while parachuting, landing hard and miraculously walking away with his life.

Jem shares his thoughts around how we can build and develop our resilience, something we all need right now.

You can learn more about Jem by visiting his website www.jemhills.com or find him on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JemHillsSpeaker/

In today's episode the S4B team are discussing their personal experiences of dealing with anxiety.

Anxiety may be a normal and highly effective state, designed to keep us safe. The problem is our anxiety can sometimes get out of hand, often creating greater problems than it actually solves.

This is an enlightening episode where we share some real and honest stories of our own struggles with anxiety, touching on social anxiety, general anxiety disorder and PTSD and we share with you how SUDs can help you manage your anxiety!

Don't forget to follow us on LinkedIn at our dedicated S4B LinkedIn Page. Here's the link to save you searching S4B LinkedIn Page

On today's S4B Podcast we're talking about the impact on mental health of being isolated during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

We discuss how feeling isolated, whether at home or within an organisation can lead to feelings of loneliness, anxiety and depression and what colleagues and managers can do to support those who may be feeling the negative effects of isolation.

If you're looking for some help and support, the service Pete mentions, being run by Peterborough Council but available to anyone we understand, can be found on their website at http://keepyourhead.com/ or give them a call on 01733 747474.

Drop us a comment and let us know what you'd like us to talk about for future episodes. What L&D or Business issues do you think need to be discussed?

And to make sure you don't miss future episodes, don't forget to hit follow or subscribe so you get a notification each Friday as a new episode is released.

"From writing stories for my younger brother, to penning poems for the School Magazine and filling a growing pile of personal journals, the written word has always been part of my life’s journey."

My guest today, Julia McGuinness, started out as an English Teacher and subsequently retrained as a Counsellor.

As well as doing some freelance journalism and written four non-fiction books, creative writing has become Julia's main focus in recent years.

Her poems have appeared online on sites including Amaryllis, Silver Birch Press, Clear Poetry, Spilling Cocoa Over Martin Amis, Riggwelter and Ink,Sweat and Tears. She has been published in Curlew and Bucks Mill Magazine, and anthologised in Our Hearts Still Sing. Her first poetry collection, Chester City Walls, came out in 2015.

In 2018 Julia was commended in the Wirral Festival of Firsts and Poetry Space competitions. She was appointed to a volunteer role as Poet-in-Residence at Chester Cathedral in August 2019.

Julia runs Write for Growth workshops for creativity and well-being, and a monthly journalling group, Way With Words, in Chester. She runs regular creative writing sessions for those affected by cancer at a Maggie’s Centre, as well as other one-off sessions e.g. most recently, for a Birth Trauma recovery support group.

Pathways Through the Page is her independently-organised CPD workshop event for fellow health professionals, though she has also been brought in to train other groups, including CRUSE, Beacon Counselling and various Hospice Counsellor groups.

Since the advent of Covid-19,Julia has been taking her workshops online and introduced a journalling course, Writing our Path, to encourage and support the use of personal journalling through these unsettling times.

Julia's Facebook page is: Creative Connections Cheshire or visit her website Creative Connections Cheshire

The Eventbrite link for Julia's Autumn Journalling Course is: https://wwweventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-our-path-a-6-week-journalling-course-tickets-115028573560

The Eventbrite link for the half-price taster on 26th August is: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-our-path-a-journalling-workshop-taster-tickets-115099158682