Welcome to the next instalment of the Nexus Connect Podcast. This is a series where I will invite storytellers and experts from across the specialty insurance market to discuss the rapid rate of industry innovation. All things people, tech, and change.

 In our new Workplace Stress series, Community Ambassador Alex Holliday welcomes Sabrina Ahmed - Burnout Coach | Neuroscientist | Art-based Practitioner. 

During this insightful episode, Alex and Sabrina discuss an issue many professionals face in today’s fast-paced corporate world: burnout. 

You’ll hear real-world strategies on identifying the signs of burnout, knowing when it’s time to quit, and how to manage stress during the job search. The conversation explores the root causes of burnout, from toxic work cultures to personal belief systems, and highlights both controllable and uncontrollable factors.

Alex and Sabrina also delve into key topics such as handling job loss, the concept of job crafting, and how remote work has reshaped workplace burnout. Sabrina’s unique perspective on art-based coaching and her background in neuroscience bring a fresh and holistic approach to recovery and stress management.

Key Takeaways:

1. Identifying Burnout: Learn the three elements that define burnout and how to recognise emotional, mental, and physical symptoms.
2. Knowing When to Quit: Understand if quitting is the right step or if there are other ways to manage stress before making drastic career changes.
3. Coping with Redundancy: Learn how to navigate job loss without letting burnout consume you and build resilience to face uncertainty.
4. Job Crafting and Remote Work: Discover how to align your job with your strengths and preferences, and how hybrid working may affect stress levels differently.

This episode offers practical, actionable advice for those feeling overwhelmed in their careers, looking for clarity in their job search, or wanting to regain control over their work-life balance. With Sabrina’s expert guidance, you'll come away with a roadmap for managing burnout and securing meaningful, fulfilling work.

Ready to make a change?  

Listen to the full podcast and find out how you can start small and take real steps toward a healthier, more balanced work life!

You can also find out more about how Sabrina coaching support services to help business owners and leaders to beat burnout at https://openintrovert.com/

Welcome to the third episode of Nexus Connect. This is a series where I will invite storytellers and experts from across the specialty insurance market to discuss the rapid rate of industry innovation. All things people, tech, and change.

As I continue with my introduction of Nexus Connect, I wanted to share something we are very excited about. After so many years helping professional people with their careers, I also wanted to ensure that Nexus was able to give back in some way or another. With our headquarters in Southwark, I started looking locally and came across a worthy cause in the Southwark Stars Disability Football Club.

Throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons, we will be sponsoring the inner city team with training kits, match day kits for both the men's and women's teams that make up 70 players. Our amazing marketing team will be running their social media, and website and our team at Pioneer Search will be set on being their loudest cheerleaders. 

As part of any partnership, we will be looking at ways we can give back and support disabled players with little to no income, helping them to meet, connect, and play football, and I hope some of our community members will join us in support of this worthy cause.

More details will be published on the Nexus Connect site and updated regularly as our support grows. For now, I would like to thank you for taking a few minutes to listen to my Nexus Connect introductions, and I hope you share my energy over the coming months.”

- Mark Warburton 

Director of Pioneer and Nexus Connect Community Manager

Welcome to the second episode of Nexus Connect. This is a series where I will invite storytellers and experts from across the specialty insurance market to discuss the rapid rate of industry innovation, all things people, tech and change. Nexus is powered by Pioneer Search, a business I launched a little over 10 years ago.

When I launched Pioneer, I used an online thesaurus to create the name. Taking a modern twist to that, this time I chose to use ChatGPT and I landed on Nexus, which I now learn is Latin for binding together.  Nexus is often used to denote a common connection or link, intersection, or meeting point, and I immediately felt this is what I was hoping to achieve, a common shared community where like-minded peers could connect, meet, and discuss their worlds.

I believe the specialty insurance sector is about as unique as any industry out there, with so many organisations within the same postcode. We know that it is a highly relationship-driven marketplace, and the face-to-face nature of the London and Lloyds market is what sets it apart from other financial services, but I haven't heard anyone championing the tech and change teams that move the sector forward and innovate. While network-driven growth is key to any insurer, MGA or broker in EC3, we mustn't forget the technical departments who are developing our industry, the change teams that are facilitating new projects, and the full IT unit that is simultaneously reducing the cost of doing business and enabling easier processing.

It is to this end, the purpose of Nexus is to use the power of people to build a community that talks more, shares stories, and creates a forum that will only improve outcomes for all involved. 

For now, I would like to thank you for taking a few minutes to listen to my Nexus Connect introduction, and I hope you will share my energy over the coming months.

- Mark Warburton, 

CEO of Pioneer and Nexus Connect Community Manager

Welcome to the first episode of Nexus Connect. 

This is a series where I will invite storytellers and experts from across the specialty insurance market to discuss the rapid rate of industry innovation. Subjects such as moving to the cloud, the evolving role of a CISO within insurance, all things data and asking how AI will shape the future of the market.

I'm your host and community manager, Mark Warburton, and I've spent the last 25 years discussing all things people, tech and change. I thought I would kick off with an introduction from me and share what is Nexus Connect. The past three years, we've seen so much change.

The modern workplace has witnessed the rise of the remote worker. Meeting on video has become the new norm. The specialty insurance market has seen the rise of disruptors entering the market with cloud native infrastructures.

CEOs are questioning why so many desks are empty on Mondays and Fridays. Managers are being told to bring back workers to the office whilst they themselves are enjoying the new ways of working. In my day job, I'm constantly asked what is going on across the market? What are other people doing? In a pre-LinkedIn world, we would create meetups, newsletters, sharing anecdotes and gossip, provide decision makers with invaluable data to aid their own thought leadership.

It occurred to me late last year that I don't see anyone doing this for the unsung heroes of tech and change across the London market. Nexus is intended to be a peer-to-peer, not-for-profit community hub. We'll be sharing industry insights, publishing a unique specialty market salary survey with commentary around trends, running monthly meetups and inviting your peers to share their stories in person.

For now, I'd like to thank you for taking a few minutes to listen to my Nexus Connect introduction and I hope you will share my energy over the coming months.

- Mark Warburton, 

CEO of Pioneer and Nexus Connect Community Manager

To find out more, visit: www.connectwithnexus.co.uk