NAKED by The Future Farm

“Your body is giving you an alarm signal that what you’re doing to yourself is not good and you need to make sure you’re looking after yourself.” As host of Europe’s top business podcast and founder of a brain care company, Dan Murray-Serter has long been an advocate for better mental health. He uses his platforms to share a candid account of his own mental health struggles, which have included burnout, chronic anxiety and insomnia.

Dan joins Vladi and Nektarios for the final episode of Series 2, where he talks about his mental health journey and how he overcame the challenges he faced. Dan shares that he ignored all the signs his body was sending. He put a lot of effort into pretending that everything was fine, all while struggling under the surface. He tried different avenues of support, before a friend recommended a nutritionist, who recognised that his problem, rather than psychological, was linked to his brain and his plant-based lifestyle. Dan says that making changes to his diet transformed his life: the right nutrition and regular movement are key to good mental health.

You can follow Dan Murray-Serter on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. For more about Dan and his business, Heights, visit https://www.yourheights.com/

Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, rate and review NAKED. To learn more about The Future Farm, follow us on social media or visit thefuturefarm.co

On this week’s episode, Vladi and Nektarios continue the conversation on the practices that they have in their lives to manage their mental health, and reflect on their discussion with Dr. Michael Freeman. They go into depth on caring about entrepreneurs as people - if you care about entrepreneurs as people, then you care about a lot of the things that we talk about; the personality traits of an entrepreneur and their own backgrounds in relation to this.

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“I have this unique experience of being an entrepreneur, understanding mental health and going on the same journey as everybody that I’m trying to understand.” Dr. Michael Freeman is the author of one of the only studies on the relationship between entrepreneurship and mental and emotional health. As a psychiatrist, psychologist, researcher and importantly, an entrepreneur himself, he brings authenticity and credibility to the conversation on entrepreneurial wellbeing.

Michael joins Vladi and Nektarios for a special episode that explores the unique traits that make an entrepreneur. He talks about the role of motivation, curiosity and extroversion; how entrepreneurs have superpowers; the mental health challenges business builders are likely to face, and how much control we actually have over this. Michael shares insights from his own experiences as well as from his research, highlighting the importance of self-awareness, self-care and developing practices to prepare for the entrepreneurial journey. When talking about how we can help change the stigma around mental health, he left us thinking about one question: do you care about entrepreneurs as people?

You can follow Dr. Michael Freeman on LinkedIn and his business Econa - Entrepreneur Mental Wellness, on LinkedIn and Twitter. For more about Michael and his research, visit his website.

Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, rate and review NAKED. To learn more about The Future Farm, follow us on social media or visit thefuturefarm.co

On this week’s episode, Vladi and Nektarios expand on their last ExtraNAKED conversation about their personal self-care practices and small habits, and reflect on the most recent NAKED episode with Selma Ribica. They talk about depression and the stigmas around the topic in different cultures; being vulnerable and vocal about mental health; and the importance of talking and therapy.

Share your questions and thoughts with us and we’ll include a selection in the next episode of ExtraNAKED.

TRIGGER WARNING: Please be aware that this episode contains information and discussion on postpartum depression, which some listeners may find triggering. For more information and support, visit Postpartum Support International.

“I was being torn between these two pools, the business and the baby. Both were demanding a huge amount of energy.” Selma Ribica built her first business while pregnant with her first child. There was no awareness of mental health in her life and no space to talk about the ‘taboo’ topic.  How do you manage when you are pulled in multiple directions? Selma’s answer was to be operational.

Now a two-time successful entrepreneur turned investor, Selma is at a point in her life where she feels ready to talk about her depression -- which, after some encouragement from her husband to seek help, was eventually diagnosed as postpartum depression. Selma shares with Vladi and Nektarios that feeling of being split between business and family, the feelings of failure, guilt and shame that came with her diagnosis, and why mental health carries a stigma that physical health doesn’t. She also talks about the importance of therapy in her recovery, and small daily rituals of self-care: sleep, yoga and meditation. Now a VC, Selma is helping to destigmatise the subject by sharing her story with entrepreneurs.

You can follow Selma Ribica on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, rate and review NAKED. To learn more about The Future Farm, follow us on social media or visit thefuturefarm.co

On this week’s ExtraNAKED episode, Vladi and Nektarios reflect on their conversation with Michael Lints, where Burnout remains a central theme of the series. They talk about how they have experienced struggles similar to those that Michael shared; how they have come to recognise the signals of mental health stress; and the self-care practices and tools that they have established for themselves. Often it's the small things that can make a difference.

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“I had to step back and think about what my value is, as a person, a colleague, a friend, a husband and that hit me hard.” Michael Lints is a Singapore-based VC, and until the Covid-19 pandemic, led a busy and intense life. What do you do with all your time when you are suddenly not running from meeting to meeting, or on a plane flying to the next place?

Challenges with our mental and emotional wellbeing can impact anyone, and Michael is an example of this. Having established a practice of introspection through journaling, as well as mediation and self-reflection through martial arts, Michael is highly self-aware. But once the intensity of the day-to-day was taken away, he felt empty and questioned his value, across all aspects of his life. Michael shares with Vladi and Nektarios how he had to dig deep to understand what was happening and be candid with himself. He also talks about recognising the external signals - drinking more to compensate or having no energy for sports - and making a conscious effort to change his habits. All of this happening in parallel with the Black Lives Matter movement bringing the scale of systemic racism to the world’s attention.

You can follow Michael Lints on Twitter and Instagram, connect with him on LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, rate and review NAKED. To learn more about The Future Farm, follow us on social media or visit thefuturefarm.co

On this week’s ExtraNAKED episode, Vladi and Nektarios reflect on their conversation with Double Olympic Champion, Dame Kelly Holmes MBE (mil). Triggered by Dame Kelly’s recent openness about heading towards “Burnout” and needing time for self-reflection, this episode is incredibly personal for our hosts. Vladi and Nektarios discuss the signals that lead to Burnout; how they have come to know the signs and also how they have ignored them, just believing they’ll go away. They talk about the importance of self-care, Dame Kelly’s infectious energy and how her words encourage you to dig deeper.

“I wasn’t saving the world. I was just planning the week.” Burnout can impact anyone; nobody is exempt. We’re all human.

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“Passion, purpose, planning, preparation and performance.” This is the mantra that Colonel Dame Kelly Holmes MBE (mil) lives by. Best known as Double Olympic Champion, Dame Kelly Holmes is also a motivational speaker, has set up her own charity, built multiple businesses, and is now venturing into the startup world.

Dame Kelly Holmes has not shied about from being open about the struggles she has faced with her mental wellbeing. At the height of her athletics career, she dealt with depression, anxiety, self harm and not wanting to wake up the next morning. Her life has been informed by not showing weakness: by fixing the physical, and ignoring the emotional. Dame Kelly brings so much energy to her conversation with Vladi and Nektarios, where they discuss how high performers - whether a corporate leader, an entrepreneur or an athlete - can rebuild their lives after reaching the peak of their professions. Dame Kelly talks about self-reflection and balance; finding the best ways to ensure that you are okay, be it through exercise, meditation or whatever else works for you.

You can follow Dame Kelly Holmes on Twitter @damekellyholmes and at Military in Motion. Stay up to date with the latest from her physical & mental wellbeing platform @elfatwork. 

Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, rate and review NAKED. To learn more about The Future Farm, follow us on social media or visit thefuturefarm.co

On this week’s ExtraNAKED episode, Vladi and Nektarios reflect on their conversation with activist, entrepreneur and psychotherapist, Dr Leyla Hussein OBE. They share their admiration for not only the work that she does, but also how she goes about her life. They discuss the importance that Leyla puts on her support system, which led our hosts to reflect on their own team. The discussion moves to how systemic change agents and entrepreneurs have similarities, and we should be following their examples in how to create effective change. Ultimately, the labels don’t really matter. It’s the intention, the journey and the people we go through it with that are what matters.

Share your questions and thoughts with us and we’ll include a selection in the next episode of ExtraNAKED.