In this episode of Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life, I'm joined by Sue Naughton-Marsh, Organisational Development Strategist, Leadership Coach and Psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience helping organisations build confident, capable leaders.

Sue brings a rare combination of perspectives. As a psychotherapist, she works one-to-one with people experiencing workplace stress. As a leadership coach, she helps organisations figure out why their people are struggling in the first place. Her argument is that most wellbeing initiatives miss the point. Organisations are reaching for sticking plasters when they haven't addressed the basics: do people know what they're here to do, do they have the skills to do it, and do they feel safe enough to grow?

We talk about what Sue calls the "core four" skills that every leader needs but rarely gets taught: prioritisation, delegation, decision-making, and understanding team purpose. She explains why lean organisations are burning out their HR teams, why younger workers are turning away from management roles, and what happens when you strip an organisation back to its simplest structures. Sue also shares her "concertina approach" to HR support, bringing in temporary external expertise to build structures that last, rather than lengthy programmes that don't stick.

This is a conversation about doing less, but doing it properly, and why the simplest changes often have the biggest impact.

🔑 Key Topics

• The "core four" skills every leader needs: prioritisation, delegation, decision-making, and understanding team purpose
• Why wellbeing initiatives fail when organisations skip the basics
• The generational tension between younger employees' expectations and senior leaders' resistance to change
• Running too lean: what happens when organisations cut so deep there's no space for development
• HR burnout and the "concertina approach" to bringing in temporary external support
• Why fewer people want leadership roles, and how to make management less daunting
• Skills matrices and internal academies: focusing on three areas rather than trying to fix everything
• Systems mapping to find bottlenecks and reduce complexity

💡 Did You Know?

Most people struggle to narrow their priorities down to just three, even when they know it would improve their daily working lives. Sue explains this as resistance from our primitive brain, which wants to hold onto everything rather than let go.

📝 Actionable Takeaways

• Audit whether your team has the "core four" skills before layering on wellbeing initiatives
• Set aside time quarterly for leadership teams to assess core skills gaps and succession risks
• Focus skills development on three areas, not everything at once, and make progression visible
• Consider temporary external HR support to build lasting structures rather than committing to lengthy programmes
• Run a systems mapping exercise to identify where bottlenecks and complexity are costing you time
• Ask your team one question: "What one thing would most improve your daily working life?"

🗣️ Join the Conversation

What core skills do you think are missing in your organisation's leadership development? Are you investing in wellbeing initiatives without the basics in place? Share your thoughts and connect with us on social media.

Connect with Sue on LinkedIn | Website

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

https://www.suenaughtonmarsh.com

In this episode of Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life, I'm joined by Dr Raja Gangopadhyay, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Obstetric Lead in Perinatal Mental Health at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and NHS Clinical Entrepreneur.

As a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with a special interest in perinatal mental health, Dr Raj brings a clinical lens to a question most workplaces are getting wrong: why are employers spending money on wellbeing but still not seeing results? After interviewing more than 20 companies, he found a consistent pattern. Organisations are investing in occupational health, Employee Assistance Programmes, health insurance, and HR support, but these services operate in complete isolation from each other. The result is a fragmented system where nobody has the full picture.

We talk about why employees won't open up to internal mental health champions (and what they need instead), why secondary prevention is the missing piece in workplace health, and how the biopsychosocial model, the idea that physical, mental, and social health are all connected, should be shaping every employer's approach. Dr Raj also shares his experience supporting pregnant women and those going through fertility treatment, and why the trust gap between employees and employers often starts with something as simple as not believing someone needs time off for appointments.

This is a conversation about what happens when clinical expertise meets workplace reality, and why bridging that gap could change everything.

🔑 Key Topics

• The three stages of prevention (primary, secondary, tertiary) and why workplaces miss the most impactful one
• Why wellbeing services in organisations operate in silos, and what a multidisciplinary approach looks like
• The case for external clinical professionals as trusted intermediaries for employees
• How occupational health is being underused and reduced to tick-box assessments
• Perinatal mental health: one in four mothers experience difficulties during pregnancy, and employers often don't understand what that means in practice
• The stigma and workplace challenges around fertility treatment
• Why "quality of life" is measured in healthcare but never applied to the workplace
• Education gaps: why leadership teams need wellbeing education as much as employees do

💡 Did You Know?

One in four mothers can experience mental health difficulties during pregnancy, and partners are affected too. Yet many employers question the number of appointments needed, creating a trust gap that makes everything harder.

📝 Actionable Takeaways

• Audit whether your wellbeing services (occupational health, EAP, health insurance, HR) actually communicate with each other
• Consider whether employees have access to a trusted, confidential third party for health concerns, not just internal champions
• Look at your approach to prevention: are you only supporting people once they're already unwell, or are you investing in early detection?
• Review your pregnancy and fertility policies: do they reflect the reality of what employees actually need?
• Apply a lifecycle lens to women's health support, from periods to menopause to cancer screening
• Make sure wellbeing education reaches your executive team, not just employees and line managers

🗣️ Join the Conversation

What does your organisation's approach to prevention actually look like? Are your wellbeing services joined up, or do they operate in silos? Share your experience with us.

Connect with Dr Raj: LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/raja-gangopadhyay-b0816875/

In this episode of Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life, I'm joined by Irene Warner-Mackintosh, co-founder and director of Mhor Collective.

Irene brings a perspective shaped by a career spent entirely in the third sector, where the ethos of care is part of the DNA, but where capacity constraints and funding pressures create their own challenges. We talk about what a mentally healthy workplace actually looks like, and Irene is candid about what her organisation gets right and where it falls short. For her, it starts with feeling safe to say what you need, safe to disagree, and safe to show up flawed.

We get into the tension between autonomy and structure. High autonomy is brilliant for creativity and ownership, but without clear expectations it can leave staff wondering what they're actually supposed to be doing. Irene is open about this being one of their weak spots, and that getting the balance right is ongoing rather than something you solve once.

We also discuss frontline workers, social workers, and third sector staff dealing with other people's trauma every day. Irene makes the case that peer support isn't enough, that what's needed is professional psychological debrief, but the funding for it simply doesn't exist in most organisations.

We talk about the UK's blame culture, why wellbeing policies need to respond to the wider world and not just individual circumstances, and Irene's belief in radical love at work, written into her organisation's manifesto. When asked what gives her hope, her answer is immediate: the people she works with every day who show up with love despite the "bin fire of the world."

🔑 Key Topics

• Psychological safety: feeling safe to disagree, to say what you need, and to show up flawed
• Third sector challenges: supportive ethos but capacity constraints and funding pressures
• The tension between autonomy and structure, and why both matter
• Supporting the supporters: why frontline staff need professional psychological debrief, not just peer support
• Compassion fatigue vs burnout: differentiating what's impacting you and where it's coming from
• Tick-boxing as a starting point, not the end: policies are baselines but wellbeing is never static
• UK blame culture and its impact on workplace experimentation and growth
• Love in the workplace: radical love, written into their organisational manifesto

💡 Did You Know?

Irene's organisation, Mhor Collective, has love written into its organisational manifesto, not as an abstract aspiration but as a practical commitment to how they show up for each other and the communities they serve.

📝 Actionable Takeaways

• Create the conditions for psychological safety: make it acceptable to disagree, to ask for help, and to get things wrong
• If you offer high autonomy, pair it with clear expectations and structure, otherwise staff can feel lost rather than empowered
• Recognise the difference between compassion fatigue and burnout, they require different responses
• Look beyond individual circumstances when thinking about staff wellbeing, the sociopolitical context affects everyone
• Consider whether your staff who support others through trauma have access to professional psychological support, not just peer debrief
• Treat wellbeing policies as a starting point that needs constant revisiting, not a finished product

🗣️ Join the Conversation

When was the last time your workplace held space for the wider world, not just individual struggles, but the collective weight of what's happening around us? What would change if love was written into how your organisation works? Share your thoughts and connect with us on social media.

Connect with Irene on LinkedIn | Mhor Collective

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

https://www.mhorcollective.com/

In this episode of Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life, I'm joined by Carolina Uggenti, Research Fellow at the MRC Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, working on innate immunity and rare genetic diseases.

Carolina shares a perspective shaped by major life transitions, from moving countries to navigating cancer, and how those experiences have changed the way she thinks about mental health at work. She describes a workplace, the Institute of Genetics and Cancer (IGC) in Edinburgh, where saying "I'm not OK today" isn't penalised, and explains why that kind of environment makes people more reliable, not less.

We talk about what happens when someone relocates for work and everything is unfamiliar, the language, the humour, the customs. Carolina recalls her own move from Italy to the UK, how it took six months before something clicked, and how close she came to quitting during that period. Her point is direct: if you invest time in helping someone settle at the beginning, they'll perform better in the long run. Go slower now, go faster later.

There's an honest conversation about the career structure in academia, where someone can work for ten years and still be on temporary contracts. Carolina describes hitting a point, after a cancer diagnosis, where she considered alternative careers, only to discover that transferring her skills would require five years of formal requalification.

We also get into what the IGC does well, from wellbeing groups and community events to managers who recognise intense work periods and offer time off afterwards. Carolina makes the case that seeing your colleagues as people, not just co-workers, changes everything.

At its core, this conversation is about something simple but often overlooked: when people feel supported as human beings, not just employees, they do their best work.

🔑 Key Topics

• Cultural adjustment and the mental health impact of relocating for work
• Why slowing down at the start leads to better long-term performance
• Career transitions in academia, from PhD to postdoc to senior researcher
• Job insecurity and contract culture: 10+ years on temporary contracts
• How a cancer diagnosis changed Carolina's perspective on career and transferable skills
• The retraining trap: wanting to transfer skills but facing years of formal requalification
• Permission to not be OK, and why that makes people more dependable, not less
• Community events, wellbeing groups, and institutional retreats that build real connection

💡 Did You Know?

Carolina describes taking six months to feel settled after moving from Italy to the UK, including headaches from constant mental translation and laughing along with jokes she couldn't understand. She nearly quit during that period. The support of people around her was what kept her going, a reminder that those first months in a new environment can be make-or-break.

📝 Actionable Takeaways

• Invest time in helping new starters settle, especially those relocating from different countries or cultures. Going slower now saves time later
• Create an environment where people can say "I'm having a bad day" without fear of being seen as less capable
• After intense work periods, recognise the effort and offer recovery time. Even saying "take a couple of days off next week" makes a difference
• Set clear expectations before busy periods so people know what's coming and can see the end point
• Check understanding, don't assume clarity. Ask: "Was that clear? Do you need more information?"
• Use community activities (walks, retreats, social events) to help people see each other as humans, not just colleagues

🗣️ Join the Conversation

When you started a new role or moved to a new environment, what made the difference in helping you settle? Was it a person, a process, or something your workplace did deliberately? Share your thoughts and connect with us on social media.

Connect with Carolina on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolina-uggenti-stewart-a93b0a69

A note on audio quality: This episode was recorded with some technical challenges, so the audio isn't as crisp as usual. The conversation is well worth sticking with.

In this episode of Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life, I'm joined by Iain Kennedy, Health and Safety Manager at the University of Edinburgh, based at Western General Hospital and a trained Mental Health First Aider.

Iain brings a perspective you don't hear often enough: what happens when health and safety meets mental health in a large organisation. We talk about what a mentally healthy workplace actually looks like, and Iain feels many organisations have good systems in place but there's still a long way to go, particularly around stress risk assessments, which are a legal requirement but something many managers lack the skills or confidence to carry out.

We get into the misconceptions around stress, especially in academia, where being stressed was long seen as a rite of passage. Iain talks about the gap between training and action, describes how he put operational guidance in place for mental health first aiders after his own training, and makes a case for why culture change happens through small, consistent steps rather than big one-off initiatives.

We also talk about who supports the managers, why leaders relaying wellbeing messages carries more weight than they realise, and why regular five-minute breaks can make a bigger difference than people think.

🔑 Key Topics

• What a mentally healthy workplace looks like in a large organisation
• Stress risk assessments: a legal requirement most managers don't know how to do
• The "stress as a rite of passage" culture in academia
• The gap between Mental Health First Aid training and what happens afterwards
• Who supports the managers? The hidden pressures of line management
• Moving from tick-boxing to real culture change through small, consistent steps
• Why leaders relaying wellbeing messages has more impact than they realise
• The power of regular breaks and disconnecting from work

💡 Did You Know?

Stress risk assessments are a legal requirement under UK health and safety law, yet many managers have never carried one out and don't know where to start. The Health and Safety Executive has improved its guidance in recent years, but organisations often don't reach out for support until things have already gone wrong.

📝 Actionable Takeaways

• Take a five-minute break away from your workstation every hour, even just to walk, stretch, or chat to a colleague
• After Mental Health First Aid training, ask: "What are the next steps?" and put simple operational guidance in place
• If you're a senior leader, don't underestimate the impact of personally relaying a wellbeing message rather than delegating it
• Support your Mental Health First Aiders with regular peer-to-peer sessions where they can discuss what they're seeing and support each other
• Remember that culture change takes time, focus on small, consistent steps rather than big one-off initiatives
• If stress risk assessments aren't yet embedded in your workplace, start with the HSE's guidance and reach out for support

🗣️ Join the Conversation

After your last workplace training, did anyone ask "what now?" and actually get an answer? What would change if every training course came with a follow-up plan? Share your thoughts and connect with us on social media.

Connect with Iain: LinkedIn

1. https://www.linkedin.com/in/iain-kennedy-bsc-hons-dipnebosh-cmiosh-7aa25475/

In this episode of Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life, I'm joined by Liz Stewart, therapist and somatic trauma informed coach.

With 18 years of experience in therapy, Liz brings a grounded, no-nonsense perspective on what mentally healthy workplaces actually look like, and where most organisations are still getting it wrong. We talk about why a mentally healthy workplace is simply one where you're allowed to be human, and why that starts with leaders modelling it from the top, not just knowing the theory.

We get into the reactive mindset that dominates both workplaces and healthcare, and Liz makes a brilliant comparison: we've universally accepted ergonomic chairs without a second thought, so why hasn't mental health reached the same status? She argues it needs to become second nature rather than a second thought, and that means moving from optional to non-negotiable.

We explore emotional intelligence as the starting point for leaders, not an add-on. Liz is direct about what she sees: people who claim to have great mental health but are actually running on coping mechanisms, and the difference between the two. She shares her own experience of brutal anxiety while working at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, and how being signed off without any real support during that time taught her that time off alone isn't the answer.

There's a really honest discussion about self-neglect, how we've learned to put ourselves last and never come back to check in, and Liz's practical suggestion that 10 minutes of checking in with yourself each morning could change everything. We also talk about the pressure of constant connectivity, dopamine-driven notification culture, the seven kinds of rest we actually need, and why vulnerability in leadership gets the private messages even when it doesn't get the public engagement.

This is a conversation about getting underneath the sound bites and doing the unglamorous work that actually shifts things.

🔑  Key Topics

• Being human at work: what a mentally healthy workplace actually looks like
• Why leadership must model emotional intelligence, not just endorse it
• The reactive mindset: why we wait for crisis instead of preventing it
• Coping mechanisms vs. good mental health, and knowing the difference
• Self-neglect: how we've learned to put ourselves last
• The 10-minute morning check-in that could change your day
• Nervous system regulation: why calm isn't always the answer
• Men in therapy: a shift from 7-10% to 50% in two years

💡 Did You Know?

Liz has seen male clients jump from around 7-10% of her caseload to 50% in just the past two years, a shift she credits in part to organisations like Andy's Man Club opening up the conversation for men. Meanwhile, research suggests only 30% of people have developed emotional intelligence, often because they simply haven't had it modelled to them.

📝 Actionable Takeaways

• Start your day with a 10-minute self check-in: Where am I today? What do I need?
• End your day with compassion: give yourself credit for getting through it, not criticism for what went wrong
• Leaders: work on your own emotional intelligence before trying to change anyone else's
• Recognise that coping mechanisms are not the same as good mental health
• Remember there are seven kinds of rest, not just physical. Social rest and data rest matter too
• Process your sadness before you try to move past it, positivity pressure can dysregulate people

🗣️  Join the Conversation

What would change in your workplace if leaders were expected to understand their own emotional health before managing anyone else's? Share your thoughts and connect with us on social media.

🔗 Connect with Liz on LinkedIn | Website

1. https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-stewart-078b8613/
2. https://lizstewart.thementalwellbeingcompany.com/

In this episode of Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life, I'm joined by Camilla, a postdoctoral cancer researcher at University College Dublin, originally from Italy.

We explore what mental health looks like in the world of academic research, where short-term contracts, relentless pressure to publish, and blurred boundaries between work and life are the norm. Drawing on a decade of experience across four universities and three countries, Camilla shares what it was like to nearly burn out during her PhD, how therapy helped her recognise the warning signs, and why she now prioritises supporting the people around her.

We talk about what real culture change looks like in universities, from anonymous complaints processes and anti-bullying campaigns to restricting building access after hours and creating peer-led mental health seminars. Camilla reflects on the stark difference between institutions that take wellbeing seriously and those where it's invisible, and why the universities that invest in this are the ones attracting the best people.

We also get into the structural stuff: the cost of living crisis hitting researchers who are already on precarious contracts, PhD students working night jobs just to cover rent, and why "money absolutely does buy happiness" when the alternative is choosing between paying rent and visiting family. Camilla makes a compelling case that tenured staff, the people whose jobs are secure, have a responsibility to be the flag bearers for those who can't speak up without risking everything.

This is a conversation about what happens when passion for your work collides with a system that wasn't designed to look after you, and the small and big things that can shift that.

🔑 Key Topics

• Mental health in academic research: the culture of overwork and "live to work"
• Short-term contracts and the permanent uncertainty they create
• PhD students as the most depressed young people in Europe
• What real culture change looks like in universities (not tick-boxing)
• Why tenured staff must advocate for those in precarious positions
• The cost of living crisis and its impact on researcher wellbeing
• Moving countries for work: isolation, language barriers, and finding support

💡 Did You Know?

One university tackled overwork culture by restricting building access on weekends and after hours. Rather than telling researchers to "look after themselves," they changed the environment that was enabling the problem.

📝 Actionable Takeaways

• If you hold a secure position, ask those around you: "What would you like me to speak up about?"
• Create visible, accessible support: free phone numbers, anonymous complaints, mental health days
• Restrict after-hours building access to discourage overwork culture
• Use peer-led initiatives to normalise conversations about struggles and successes
• Recognise that financial security is a wellbeing issue, not separate from it

🗣️ Join the Conversation

If you're in a tenured or senior position, when was the last time you asked the people around you what they need you to fight for? Share your thoughts, connect with us on social media, and help us keep questioning what support really looks like in academic research environments.

🔗 Connect with Camilla on LinkedIn

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/camilla-maria-fontana-b758b216b/

In this episode of Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life, I'm joined by Andy Coley, leadership development trainer & keynote speaker, and experienced NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Trainer.

We explore what makes a mentally healthy workplace when leadership, communication, and emotional intelligence are at the centre. Drawing on Andy's work supporting teams and leaders across multiple industries, this conversation unpacks why emotional intelligence matters more than frameworks, how difficult conversations become easier when approached proactively, and why culture is defined by the lowest tolerated behaviour, not the values on your website.

We talk about the four pillars of emotional intelligence, why learning equals knowledge plus experience, and how feedback culture determines whether teams grow or stagnate. Andy shares practical tools from NLP and why deep breathing and state management are some of the most underused resources people already have.

🔑 Key Topics

• Emotional intelligence and its four pillars
• Why culture is the lowest tolerated behaviour
• Having difficult conversations sooner, not later
• State management: breathing, movement, and perspective
• Why leadership is a skill, not a superpower

💡 Did You Know?

You can access your body's parasympathetic nervous system through deep breathing: breathe in for four, out for eight. Just three to five repetitions can shift you from fight-or-flight to calm.

📝 Actionable Takeaways

• Give feedback in real-time, not just at annual reviews
• Approach conversations future-focused, not blame-focused
• Change your physical state (walk, breathe, music) before tackling frustrating tasks
• Ask "Why am I talking?" (WAIT) before jumping in with solutions

🗣️ Join the Conversation

What would change in your workplace if leaders approached every interaction as a chance to learn, not just to direct? Share your thoughts and connect with us on social media.

Connect with Andy: LinkedIn | Website | Buy the Book (Signed Copies)

1. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andycoley/
2. https://www.leadershipisaskill.com/
3. https://www.leadershipisaskill.com/book

In this episode of Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life, I'm joined by Jane Gill, Manufacturing Technician in the Biopharma industry.

We explore what mentally healthy workplaces look like across very different industries, from the high-pressure, fast-paced world of hospitality to the structured, process-driven environment of biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Drawing on Jane's career journey through both sectors, including her experience during COVID-19, this conversation examines why wellbeing language resonates more than mental health terminology, and how stigma still shapes whether people engage with workplace support.

We talk about the basics that get overlooked, from breaks and advance notice of shift changes, to the physical demands of clean room work and the isolation of office-based roles. Jane reflects on the gap between leaders listening and leaders acting, and why normalising struggles early during onboarding could shift culture faster than one-off initiatives.

From framing wellness without medical language, to discovering Mental Health First Aid training as a potential career pivot, this episode challenges tick-box approaches and asks what it really takes to move from performative support to cultures where well-being is woven into daily work life.

🔑 Key Topics

• Reframing mental health as wellbeing to reduce stigma
• Hospitality vs. manufacturing: different pressures, similar patterns
• Why leaders listen but don't always act
• Basics that matter: breaks, shift notice, fair pay, natural light
• Mental Health First Aid as a gateway to deeper learning

💡 Did You Know?

Reframing workplace initiatives around "wellbeing" rather than "mental health" can significantly increase engagement, particularly in industries where stigma remains strong.

📝 Actionable Takeaways

• Frame well-being initiatives around general health, not just mental health language
• Get the basics right first: fair pay, breaks, advance notice, and access to natural light
• Use onboarding to normalise well-being conversations from day one
• Follow up listening with visible action, not just acknowledgment

🗣️ Join the Conversation

What would it look like if your workplace normalised wellbeing conversations from the first day someone joined? Share your thoughts, connect with us on social media, and help us keep questioning what real support looks like beyond the policies.

Connect with Jane: LinkedIn

In this episode of Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life, I’m joined by Dr Luis Soares, Science Communicator and Research Impact Lead, based in the School of Health in Social Science at the University of Edinburgh.

We explore what a mentally healthy workplace really looks like when you strip away slogans, policies and performative wellbeing initiatives. Drawing on Luis’s experience in academia and public health research, this conversation looks at why mental health so often remains invisible at work, and how pace, pressure and output-driven cultures quietly undermine wellbeing.

We talk about slowing down work, shifting from outputs to outcomes, and why relational awareness matters more than another framework. From universal design and everyday adjustments, to the overlooked power of small human behaviours, including attention, presence and even a smile, this episode challenges the idea that mental health is an individual issue to be managed privately.

Instead, it asks what responsibility organisations and leaders carry for designing environments where people can function, connect and stay well, without having to push beyond their limits.

🎧 Key Topics

• What makes mental health invisible in workplaces
• Pace, time pressure and productivity culture
• Outputs versus outcomes in leadership and academia
• Relational work, universal design and anticipation
• Why small everyday behaviours shape workplace wellbeing

🚨 Did You Know?

Mental health challenges at work often go unaddressed not because they are rare, but because they are built into fast-paced systems that prioritise delivery over human connection.

🔑 Actionable Takeaways

• Treat pace and workload as wellbeing issues, not personal failings
• Design work in anticipation of difference, not crisis
• Focus on outcomes that improve people’s experience, not just output metrics
• Pay attention to small, everyday behaviours that shape culture

💡 Join the Conversation

What would change in your workplace if slowing down and paying attention were taken seriously? Share your thoughts, connect with us on social media and help us keep questioning how work is designed and who it is really serving.