People Soup

Season 3 Episode 17

Hey P-Soupers - it's the first part of our festive special. My conversation with artist and illustrator - Louise Gardner. What a joy it was to speak to Louise.

We hear about her journey as an artist - which started out at a young age when she would draw characters on paper that her Dad would bring home from work. We also discover how Louise discovered ACT and how she drew a route map to reflect the 8-week course from Russ Harris - and what that led to!

We chat about our belief that everybody has the potential for a creative outlet and the transformational impact of ACT in her own life. There's a brilliant takeaway too.

Shownotes with LOTS of details & links to Louise's work at http://www.rossmcintosh.co.uk/2019/12/louise-gardner-act-auntie.html

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What a gift!

In our latest episode with the wonderful Dr Becky Quicke - I included a brief informercial half way through.

The product I wanted to share with you was The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Diary 2020.

"If you sometimes feel that you’re living a life that’s out of step with who you want to be, The ACT Diary 2020 can help. It’s designed to enable you to clarify your personal values (the qualities you’d most like to embody in your life) and move in meaningful directions. Through weekly exercises drawing on the latest psychological approaches, it will guide you as you master the skills needed to look after yourself, build strong relationships and pursue new opportunities."

In this episode I read some reviews (including my own). This is such a great gift for family, friends and YOU!

Buy from the publisher here:

https://www.pavpub.com/mental-health/well-being/actdiary-2020

Also on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acceptance-Commitment-Therapy-Diary-2020/dp/1912755777/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=nic+hooper&qid=1576921993&sr=8-1

Season 3 Episode 16

This is a special edition – a hearty soup for you to enjoy – It’s my interview with Dr Becky Quicke – a clinical psychologist who specialises in supporting women through the perimenopause and menopause – particularly around the associated anxiety – she uses Acceptance and Commitment therapy as an essential part of her approach.

Becky empowers women who experience anxiety during the menopause to slow down, let go of worries and live with more joy and ease. Her on line courses teach psychological flexibility and compassion skills so women can navigate this transitional phase of life with confidence, care and clarity. In addition, she helps women practice menstrual cycle awareness during perimenopause (the phase 5-10 years before menopause) so they can consciously pave the way towards a more emotionally empowered menopause. It’s a time for women to unravel and by teaching women these skills, Becky guides them back to their own innate wisdom and power so they can thrive in life and go from fear to fulfilment.

We also talk about Becky’s career path, some big decisions she’s made and there is one of the best takeaways we’ve ever had.

Shownotes and more links at http://www.rossmcintosh.co.uk/2019/12/dr-becky-quicke-menopause-psychologist.htmlConnect with Becky

Website: www.beckyquicke.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menopausepsychologist/

Business FB page: https://www.facebook.com/beckyquicke/

Closed FB community for women struggling with anxiety during menopause: https://www.facebook.com/groups/menopausepsychologist/?source_id=234293067462646

Twitter: @beckyquicke

LinkedIn: @drbeckyquicke

Connect with Ross

Twitter https://twitter.com/PeopleSoupPod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/people.soup/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/peoplesouppod/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-mcintosh-261a2a22/

Season 3 Episode 15

It's Part 2 of my conversation with Suzanne Tarrant who is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Head of Staff Psychological Wellbeing at the Hywel Dda University Health Board.

We focus on the green health agenda and begin by talking about the culture of taking breaks in the NHS. SPOILER ALERT: breaks are not necessarily seen as a typical part of a day in many NHS roles.

Suzanne has always valued her connection with nature and describes herself as someone who always retreats to the sea when in need of solace. In her role in Hywel Dda, Suzanne has secured approval from the Executive Board to develop a strategic framework for green health that is truly supportive of health and well-being. They have also established a green health network as well as a green health group at one of their district hospitals, where staff from across the site are developing a courtyard garden with support from community groups.

We also talk about Suzanne's growing involvement with Reconnect in Nature where they are developing a long weekend nature packages - in the first instance, for Doctors. The aim is to provide the opportunity to start to recharge and recover whilst also developing perspectives and tools that can be taken back into the workplace and be woven in to their working lives.

To finish - there is a second takeaway from Suzanne about how we can build our relationship with nature in our own unique way as well as making it a reciprocal connection.

Shownotes at http://www.rossmcintosh.co.uk/2019/12/suzanne-tarrant-part-2.html

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Season 3 Episode 14

It's the first part of my conversation with Suzanne Tarrant. Suzanne is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Head of Staff Psychological Wellbeing Service for Hywel Dda University Health Board in Wales.

Hear about Suzanne's background and career as well as the establishment of the Staff Psychological Wellbeing Service. Suzanne explains how they've incorporated ACT and the impact of the training. I love Suzanne's interest in what works and what can truly make a difference in the long term.

Suzanne also shares some fascinating aspects of their approach to the training, including the delivery model, how they encourage attendance and refresh the skills.

We finish part one with a brilliant takeaway on how to take a biophilic approach to your breaks at work - even if they're micro-breaks.

The wonderful photo of Suzanne was taken at a recent Reconnect in Nature event in the woods where she was leading a nature connection session. The photo was taken by Mike Erskine (one of the founding directors of Reconnect in Nature and a filmmaker)

Shownotes at www.rossmcintosh.co.uk

Twitter https://twitter.com/PeopleSoupPod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/people.soup/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/peoplesouppod/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-mcintosh-261a2a22/

Season 3 Episode 13

This is a bonus episode. Last week I anticipated the train journey from Newcastle to Hexham. This week you can join us on the actual journey. It's the perfect antidote to the modern, busy world - you'll hear the train and snippets of conversation from me and Paul - with no particular aim in mind. Our first attempt at slow radio.

Links

Shownotes at www.rossmcintosh.co.uk

Twitter https://twitter.com/PeopleSoupPod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/people.soup/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/peoplesouppod/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-mcintosh-261a2a22/

Season 3 Episode 12

Welcome to the second part of our recording on the road. In this episode you'll hear me and my ACT pal, Dr Paul Flaxman, chatting in the lobby of Motel One in Newcastle.

We reveal our big news for 2020 - an international research collaboration and opportunity for us to flex and adapt our protocol for the workplace.

I work with Paul at City, University of London where we have redeveloped and refined a training protocol for Psychological Well-being in the Workplace. The training has a strong evidence base and we've spent time over the last year delivering Training for Trainers, to enable the protocol to be shared more widely and reach more people. Next year we go international.

We finish with an anticipation of our train journey from Newcastle to Hexham - where we were going to be working with some psychologists from across the NHS in the region. That particular train line has some personal meaning for me as it goes through my first workplace, my home village, passed my schools and my birthplace.

We also recorded the actual train journey and I'm going to make that into a separate bonus episode - our first attempt at slow radio.

Shownotes and more links at www.ross.mcintosh.co.uk

Connect with Ross and the show:

Twitter https://twitter.com/PeopleSoupPod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/people.soup/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/peoplesouppod/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-mcintosh-261a2a22/

Season 3 Episode 11

Welcome one and all. It's another first for People Soup - a recording on the road. In this episode you'll hear me and my ACT pal - Dr Paul Flaxman, on the way to a meeting with some NHS legends up in Northumberland. We chat on a train and a hotel lobby in Newcastle.

I work with Paul at City, University of London where we have redeveloped and refined a training protocol for Psychological Well-being in the Workplace. The training has a strong evidence base and we've spent time over the last year delivering Training for Trainers, to enable the protocol to be shared more widely and reach more people.

It's like a Flaxintosh performance review. We cover some of the gigs we've done this year, how the ACT in the Workplace training protocol has evolved and key moments & developments that have stuck in our minds.

Shownotes at www.rossmcintosh.co.uk

Connect on social media

Twitter https://twitter.com/PeopleSoupPod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/people.soup/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/peoplesouppod/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-mcintosh-261a2a22/

Season 3 Episode 10

In this episode I share my personal experience of grief and what I've found useful over the last six months with a particular focus on the workplace. This includes a metaphor, a model and a poem.

I also share some information and statistics from The Loss Foundation - who are the only UK charity dedicated solely to providing bereavement support following the loss of a loved one to cancer.

Shownotes at http://www.rossmcintosh.co.uk/2019/10/grief-at-work.html

Twitter - @PeopleSoupPod

Facebook - @PeopleSoupPod

Instagram - @people.soup

Season 3 Episode 9

This week – it’s a cuppa soup. A short episode – the lighthouse – it combines a poem I learned at school with a reflection on how we can keep sight of the things that give us meaning in our working lives. We call these qualities that give us meaning, our personal values. It can be difficult, scary and revealing to consider what gives us purpose in our work. To use these qualities as a guide for our behaviour & decisions can be challenging too. I consider my lighthouse – to be beaming out my personal values – when the sea is calm I can see the lamplight but in turbulent times they can disappear.

Links and shownotes at www.peoplesoup.co